The Student (2)
[Special action judged for creation of skill.]
Performing the Konoha Basic Taijutsu once brought out...
[Konoha Basic Taijutsu (1/10): Basic taijutsu skill passed down to every aspiring ninja. Training in this skill passively trains the body. Improve physique by 1 point at each level and increased mobility while using this skill. Stamina Consumed: 2/min
Next Level: Perform the technique for 4.5 minutes or 1 SP]
[Earned 1 SP]
Originally, the skill would have required the condition of 5 minutes but the title [Student] reduces the condition to level the skill by 10℅ and the foundation skill would also improve his physique! Knowing full well that these novice gains were not to feel proud about because they are easy but only feel good about ESPECIALLY because they are easy, Kai looked at his opponent.
Seemingly keeping a perpetually calm smile over her fair face, the girl was older than Kai and Kushina, admitting that she entered the academy late due to her circumstances but everyone knew that she just trained her ass off in the clan and only arrived at the academy for graduation purposes.
"Hmm~" letting out a playful hum while tying her raven hair into a bun, Mikoto looked into Kai's pitch-black eyes with her own and smiled sweetly, "Go easy on me, Kai-chan!" She chirped and Kai grew impassive slightly. He just got the legal ticked to beat the playful bitches' asses and he won't let this chance go!
Kushina had a smirk as she waited. Today, everyone was free to spar however they wished while their Sensei observed everyone. Even if someone wanted to act maliciously, they couldn't.
A few gazes fell in their direction, especially from the class resident Senju who fell only behind Mikoto and tied with Kushina in chakra practice while Kai and Minato dominated the class.
"I won't," Kai snorted and raised his right hand in a seal of confrontation, something Mikoto did in tandem before Kushina grinned and exclaimed, "Begin!"
The brunettes rushed at each other with Mikoto obviously faster. But she did seem more considerate to the only 'plush' of the classroom as she grappled instead of attacking.
Now... Kai could have snuck past her arm and latched onto her body. The feminine spots must still be the budding kunoichi's weak spots but... was it worth it? Mikoto wasn't even that grown. Sure, chakra made her look like a 14-year-old instead of 11 but that still wasn't persuading enough to let Kai give away his true identity, and instead, he latched onto her arm before crossing his legs around her shoulders.
Mikoto yelped in surprise, not expecting Kai to use his tiny frame as such, and pulled back but this only allowed Kai to easily push into her unstable footing and caused her to flop down on her butt.
And just like that, silence reigned at the Academy Training Ground. Kai dominated Mikoto as he would dominate chakra control training AND theory... wait, phrasing!
Mikoto still remained on the ground, her eyes wide. Kushina's smirk was frozen as she wanted to have her dose of teasing Kai while others glanced in his direction... for the first time, with a slightly awed look. After all, nobody likes a nerd... but everyone respects a martial nerd, and Kai bathed in the respect as he held his hands akimbo over his tiny frame and grinned, "I win!"
"Let's do this once—" Mikoto hurriedly stood up, losing her bearings for the first time as slight annoyance flashed past her gaze only for Kai to duck away. He didn't just want to win. He wanted to grind. Barely a minute passed but he wanted to level up this taijutsu skill as quickly as possible!
"Ah, it's no good, Mikoto... chan," Kay grinned as Mikoto's grim expression couldn't hide the embarrassed flush as he continued, "You have to train more, dattebane!"
And shots were taken at Kushina who glared in speechlessness as Kai waved them off for the first time. Damn, that felt good!
And Minato was happy to train with Kai after he saw his awareness in battle.
Even without the stat physiology that allowed him to allocate stat points, many skills directly boosted his stats based on the virtue that he had a game-like trait.
So, when he spared with the nimble Minato... what he wanted for so long finally happened.
When the skill leveled up, Kai felt a discreet infusion of energy from his surroundings and felt his muscles... respond exponentially better while notifications appeared near the corner of his eye one after another.
[Physique stat reached a threshold. Physique growth markedly improved.]
[Reduce the consumption of all stamina-based skills by a 10℅ and increased stamina regeneration by 10 times.]
[Konoha Basic Taijutsu (2/10): Basic taijutsu skill passed down to every aspiring ninja. Training in this skill passively trains the body. Improve physique by 1 point at each level and increased mobility while using this skill. Stamina Consumed: 1.8/min
Next Level: Perform the technique for 13.5 minutes or 1 SP]
[Name: Kai
Age: 4
Title: Student
Gamer Traits: Skill Tree; Sleepless Gamer
Rank: Academy Student
Hit Points: 100℅
Stamina: 90/100℅ (1.1/min)
Chakra: 654.5 (187*250℅) (6.75/min)
Physique: 9→ 10/1000
Mental: 9/1000
Perception: 8/1000]
Although Minato felt that Kai had gotten a bit dazed, allowing him to land a solid hit on his stomach which was hard as heck due to Kai being a short stack at the moment... yet, surprising Minato was Kai's counter as he grew... more fierce?
The change didn't come from the fact that Kai grew more knowledgeable in the skill. Oh, he knew how to hide such changes. Instead, the youth just used more from his past experience than anything. As genius as Minato was... he wasn't an adult and even if he could beat an average adult, he didn't have a chance against a maniac who would risk suicide to get rid of his stupid mistakes... talk about leaving to take buy milk, huh.
Minato grimaced at the change but Kai calculated. He only stood to lose 9.45℅ of stamina before after deducting the recovery rate from the expenditure to level up and thus, they continued.
Their spar didn't stop even if one of them fell down like with Mikoto. THAT was vengeance. THIS is training.
Minato would stand as eagerly while dusting himself as Kai would jump up with his tiny but hard-hitting physique!
They went until the sparring was dismissed after an hour and the result was something like this.
[Stamina: 52.2/100 (1.1/min)]
[Physique: 12/1000]
[Konoha Basic Taijutsu (4/10): Basic taijutsu skill passed down to every aspiring ninja. Training in this skill passively trains the body. Improve physique by 1 point at each level and increased mobility while using this skill. Stamina Consumed: 1.8/min
Next Level: Perform the technique for 14/121.5 minutes or 1 SP]
Boy, was it worthy!
---
And the karma descended as the hollow shell of a Kai sat in between Kushina and Mikoto in a recently found ramen stall by the name of Ichiraku Ramen.
The cook was barely a teen as he smiled happily with a brown-haired woman working alongside him.
A young couple, by the looks of it as Kushina sported a few bruises and dangled her feet while happily slurping her bowl of ramen. Mikoto looked a bit better, clearly a more experienced taijutsu practitioner when compared to Kushina whom she trained with and Kai... looked ragged. His cheeks inflated, his chest hurting, and his joints aching.
"Hehe, Kai-kun, got the beating of your life, hmm?" Teuchi, the stall owner chuckled as his young lover, Asame giggled and placed another bowl of ramen in front of Kushina.
"Thanks, dattebane!" Kushina grinned. This was the only location where she didn't keep a check on her verbal tick as Asame smiled, "Eat up, I know that shinobis and kunoichis need a lot of food to grow."
"Especially for this one, he needs a lot of growing," Mikoto giggled, happy to have her petty revenge now as she ruffled Kai's hair.
"Oh, you should have seen the other guy," Kai grumbled as it was the truth. Minato looked horrendous! He then glanced at Mikoto and smirked, "And I'll grow up just fine... I worry about you... though. I have heard that the most beautiful kunoichi... Princess of the Senju have—"
"And where did you hear that, hmm?" Mikoto only smiled but if anything, she looked scarier while Teuchi discreetly left the chat and Kushina shot him an annoyed glare as she huffed, "Where has your mind been running off to? I'll tell grandma Mito all about this, dattebane! She'll give you good training!"
Her cheeks still flushed by hitting up the seventh bowl of the ramen, she let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back, "That was so good!"
Once having eaten their fill, they left the stall after their usual farewell and walked along the streets. Many were aware of who the trio was. Especially Mikoto as her clan symbol on her back that of a fan divided in half with red and white was one of the most prestigious clans of the village— Uchiha!
Heck, in terms of popularity, it was similar to Senju, one of the two founding clans of Konohagakure!
And Mikoto was happy to politely return the greeting to whoever nodded in their direction as if intent on balancing the notorious side of their clan's reputation.
The Uchiha... were shinobi police and kept a close eye on the security of the village. Many were aware of their actual strength, including Kushina and Kai since Mito personally traced the topic barely but they hadn't asked Mikoto only because it was a matter of time before they get to know her full strength.
While being Police was an honorable job, it had the same problem as many other things in the world. A few bad apples deteriorated the reputation of the clan since the influence of Uchiha through policing was huge and a few couldn't help but get swayed by it. But corruption was present everywhere, that Kai knew. They just had to sniff in the right direction.
"Alright, I'll see the two of you tomorrow," Mikoto chimed and then gave Kai a brief stare, "And we'll spar together..."
"I don't mind. Maybe I can learn something new," he smiled.
Why else would he choose the sleepless gamer trait if not for the sweet grind?
Only six levels remained and now with the newfound regeneration of his stamina, he intended to max this skill out and start grinding another one tomorrow.
"Hmm, never thought Mikoto would be so cool with us," Kushina drawled and Kai replied in dey sarcasm, "Oh, my, our princess is thinking? Where was that beautiful brain in our mathematics exam?"
Kushina snorted and casually poked his cheek, making the pain more evident, and smirked, "But I have to say that Kai-chan is cooler... that fight was the best thing since the start of the Academy!"
Kai blinked, "You mean the second-best thing after we beat your bully together," he smirked deviously, something Kushina matched and chuckled simultaneously.
They soon brought their tired bodies to the Uzumaki mansion and found Mito in the guest hall instead of her bedroom. And next to her sat a begrudging blonde-haired woman in pigtails wearing a grey cut-sleeves kimono tunic with a green crystal necklace around her neck. Her amber pupils soon rested on injured Kushina and Kai as looked at Mito questioningly.
"Come in you two. About time you met my granddaughter, Tsunade. Kushina, she is also your distant cousin. She is also Nawaki's sister, my grandson... of course, the two of you study together," Mito smiled while Kushina went into a daze... but Kai had other thoughts...
'THAT Nawaki is this bombshell's brother and Mito's grandson... perhaps I treated him too harshly...'