Chapter:4

[Passive skills 1, 2, 3...7 completed once]

…

Gekkō Ishisaki sat cross-legged on his bed, processing what just happened. He was almost certain the enhancement in his chakra reserves had some unexpected side effects. The lack of physical or mental exhaustion after refining chakra manually was baffling.

"Maybe it's because my chakra has grown so much that refining doesn't drain me anymore?" Ishisaki mused. "Let's test it again."

Determined to figure it out, Ishisaki initiated another chakra refinement. Half an hour later, he completed the process—but this time, the system didn't notify him of any improvements. This confirmed that the refinement quality hadn't surpassed the system's recorded standard.

Still, there was something important: He wasn't tired.

"It really is consumption-free!" Ishisaki muttered, his excitement growing. "Twice in a row with no side effects? This isn't a fluke!"

For any ninja, the ability to perform skills without consuming chakra or stamina was game-changing. While chakra refining might seem minor, Ishisaki couldn't help but wonder: What if this applied to other techniques?

---

He glanced at the skill bar interface. His current setup had six slots dedicated to Chakra Refining Technique and one open slot. On impulse, he decided to try something new.

"Let's see what happens if I equip a ninjutsu," Ishisaki murmured. He selected the Clone Technique and assigned it to his seventh passive skill slot.

[Passive Skill 7: Clone Technique]

The system updated instantly, keeping his six Chakra Refining slots intact. Ishisaki hopped off his bed, ready to test the technique.

Forming the seals with practiced ease, he activated the Clone Technique. With a puff of white smoke, a clone materialized before him. But something was off.

"I can feel it," Ishisaki said, frowning. "That used chakra."

It was a small amount, but unmistakable. Ishisaki's initial excitement dimmed. "So, it's not universal… the consumption-free effect only works with certain skills?"

For a moment, frustration bubbled within him. He dismissed the clone with a sigh, sitting back down on his bed. As his body naturally absorbed six new traces of chakra from the passive skills, Ishisaki's frown deepened. Something wasn't adding up.

---

"They're both skills," he muttered, glancing at the interface. "Why does chakra refining work without consumption, but the Clone Technique doesn't?"

The answer seemed to lie in the system's configuration. He noticed the glaring difference: quantity.

"Maybe it's because I only equipped one slot with the Clone Technique," Ishisaki theorized. "If I double up… let's see what happens."

Excited by the prospect, he replaced one of the Chakra Refining slots with another Clone Technique.

[Passive Skill 6: Clone Technique]

[Running]

[Passive Skills 6 and 7 completed a run.]

---

As the system processed the changes, Ishisaki felt an odd sensation. There was something different about his body. It wasn't obvious, but he could sense it in the way his hands moved, as though they had developed muscle memory for the Clone Technique.

Intrigued, Ishisaki formed the seals again. This time, his movements were smooth, precise, and faster than ever before. The technique felt effortless. With a puff of smoke, a clone appeared.

But what caught Ishisaki's attention wasn't the clone—it was the fact that his chakra reserves remained untouched.

"No way…" he whispered, staring at the clone in disbelief. "It worked. No consumption!"

---

Excitement surged through him as he pieced it together. "So that's the secret! By equipping a skill in two slots, I can activate it without consuming chakra!"

Ishisaki's mind raced as he thought of the implications. If this wasn't an intended feature, it had to be a bug in the system. Under normal circumstances, a properly functioning system wouldn't allow the same skill to be equipped multiple times.

But with the system damaged, the rules no longer applied.

"If I can stack skills to bypass consumption, that means I can prepare up to three non-consumable skills at a time," Ishisaki calculated, leaving four slots for Chakra Refining to maintain his reserves.

His eyes gleamed as he realized the potential. "Wait… who says I have to limit myself to just three? If I know what I need ahead of time, I can just swap skills before a fight!"

---

Opening the system interface, Ishisaki tested another theory. He tried replacing the Clone Technique with the Transformation Technique.

[Reminder: Changing passive skills requires 60 seconds.]

[Remaining time: 34 seconds.]

"Well, that's a drawback," Ishisaki muttered. "One minute isn't a lot, but in the heat of battle, even a second can decide life or death."

Still, he wasn't deterred. "If I know a fight's coming, I can prepare my skill loadout beforehand. Three non-consumable skills and one slot for Chakra Refining… that's plenty."

He grinned, envisioning the possibilities. The Chakra Refining slot wasn't just for growth—it was also a form of passive recovery. Whenever his chakra reserves dipped, the system would refill them every five minutes, restoring more than half his chakra per refinement.

"At my current level, the amount restored isn't huge," Ishisaki admitted. "But as my chakra pool grows, that recovery rate will scale with it. It's basically a passive regeneration skill."

---

Ishisaki's grin widened as another idea hit him. "What if I replace Chakra Refining with Sage Art Refining later on? Then I could passively absorb natural energy and create Sage Chakra."

It was a game-changing concept. In Naruto's story, the process of refining Sage Chakra required intense concentration and stillness, making it impractical for prolonged battles. But with his system, Ishisaki could turn Sage Chakra refinement into a passive skill, allowing him to maintain a constant supply even in the thick of combat.

"I could replicate Hashirama's ability to absorb natural energy mid-battle," Ishisaki mused. "But unlike him, my system would let me refine far more Sage Chakra than anyone else."

---

The possibilities felt endless. Ishisaki stared out the window, his hand slowly clenching into a fist.

"Mediocre?" he whispered, his voice filled with determination. "No… from now on, the entire ninja world will tremble because of me."

End of the Chapter.

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