First Copy

A/N: Get us to 50 powers tones by Sunday and I'll do a double release next Monday. 

----

Outside the academy, several students gathered, discussing how nervous and excited they were about the exams. Fortunately, Goro had no friends, so there was no one to stop him for idle chit-chat.

'System, what are my current stats? I'd like to compare them with my new stats after copying skills.' 

[Calculating stats… Complete. Here are your current stats:

Goro Obachi (12) 

Taijutsu: Academy Student (28%)

Physical: Academy Student (32%)

Chakra Capacity: Academy Student (20%)

Chakra Control: Academy Student (15%)

Chakra Affinity: Water (N/A)

Skills: (N/A)] 

Upon seeing his stats, Goro facepalmed, briefly pausing in his tracks.

'This is pathetic. With these stats, there's no way I'd pass the academy, even after 100 years. I'm not one to care about morals, but if I were, I'd overlook the ethical issues with killing just to raise my stats. Not that I have any problem with killing personally.'

After a short stroll, Goro arrived at the Konoha cemetery, where, as he expected, multiple funerals were taking place simultaneously.

'These casualties are insane. I can't end up as one of these bodies this early in my second life. I've got to get stronger by any means necessary. I don't care if my actions are morally questionable. Anyway, System, how do I copy skills exactly?'

[Place your hand on a corpse. Depending on the level of that corpse, the time your hand needs to remain on it will vary.]

Understanding the task, Goro approached the least crowded corpse and crouched beside it, putting on a sad act.

"Who's this kid?" an older man asked.

Turning back with tears in his eyes, Goro replied, "I was a friend of his. Sorry, mister, I don't mean to stay long, I just—" He trailed off, as if unable to finish.

Patting Goro on the back, the man smiled and consoled him, "I'm glad to see my son had friends who cared for him. Take as much time as you need."

'I sure will, old man, I sure will.'

Placing his hand on the corpse and facing the ground to hide his expression, Goro heard an alert from the system that nearly made him jump.

[Do you want to copy the skills of the deceased?]

'Yes, I do.' 

[Copying in progress... Estimated completion time: 30 seconds.]

Goro could barely contain the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. The only thing that kept him from smiling was the possibility that the father might notice and ruin his attempt to copy the skills.

[10 seconds left...]

"Hey, I've never seen you around Kite, but you claim to be his friend. I'm his best friend, and I've never seen you before! Who are you?" a boy slightly older than Goro demanded.

'Come on, only 10 seconds left! I've just got to stall him,' Goro thought.

"I'm an orphan. He used to help me carry my groceries whenever he'd see me on the street. I considered him a friend and I—" Goro continued, maintaining his act.

[Copy complete. Would you like to view your new stats?]

'Give me a moment, first I need to get out of here. I've already aroused enough suspicion.' 

[Understood.]

Standing up, Goro walked away with a distraught expression on his face. He knew they wouldn't question him further since they had no evidence of wrongdoing and couldn't prove if he was lying.

Once he was outside the cemetery, Goro stopped by the local training grounds.

'System, show me my new stats.' 

[Goro Obachi (12)

New Stats:

Taijutsu: Lower Genin (26%) 

Physical: Lower Genin (48%) 

Ninjutsu: Lower Genin (19%)

Chakra Capacity: Lower Genin (82%)

Chakra Control: Genin (51%)

Shurikenjutsu: Lower Genin (93%)

Chakra Affinity: Water + Fire

Skills: Clone Technique, Substitution Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu and Firestyle: Great Fireball Jutsu]

'From the stats, it's reasonable to conclude the ninja I copied skills from was a Genin. So, it takes 30 seconds to absorb a Genin's skills. I wonder how long it'd take for a Chunin or even a Jounin. I guess that's not something I need to worry about right now. My Chakra Control seems to be my strongest point, and now I have an affinity for both Water and Fire. This means I won't have to worry about any drawbacks when practicing more than one element. But I need to keep that hidden for now. Last but not least, I've also gained the Fireball Jutsu...'

Eager to try out the new skills he had acquired, Goro entered the training grounds, finding a quiet spot to practice. Making sure no one was around, Goro intended to use the Clone Technique.

[Would you like to use the Clone Technique?]

'Huh? Let's see what happens if I say yes. Yes, I'd like to use it.' 

To Goro's surprise, a clone was immediately created, standing opposite him. He hadn't even woven any hand signs, so he wasn't sure what was happening.

'System, what's going on?' 

[Upon copying a skill, you can use it simply by willing it.]

'So now I even have to pretend to do hand signs... I'll try out the Transformation Jutsu, test my shurikenjutsu, and finally the Fireball Jutsu.' 

Knowing he could successfully perform the Clone Jutsu, Goro moved to the river that passed through the training grounds to use it as a mirror. Inspecting his reflection, he saw that he was a young boy with spiky white hair, wearing a black loose long-sleeve shirt and loose white pants held up by a black belt.

Focusing on using the Transformation Jutsu to turn into Iruka, Goro looked at the water to see if his reflection had changed. It was just as he expected—he had transformed into Iruka without the use of any hand signs. It only required his intention to work.

'Being able to cast a jutsu so quickly gives me an unfair advantage over 99% of the ninja world. Only those on the level of Hashirama and the like could do such a thing. My life is going to change drastically from today on.' 

Goro kept his head on a swivel as he searched for any projectiles left behind in the training grounds. After a while, he came across a beat-up kunai.

'I don't want to keep looking. This will do.'

Picking up the kunai, Goro carved a makeshift target onto a tree and stepped a few meters back. Something had changed in his vision and intuition because as he stood there, he no longer felt the same anxiety he used to. His anxiety had been replaced by a sense of confidence.

'Here goes nothing.' 

Goro threw the beat-up kunai at the tree, watching as it struck just a few centimeters from the bullseye.

'Before, I couldn't even hit the tree, but now my accuracy has improved so much. This is exciting.' 

Satisfied with the result, Goro exhaled deeply. Next up was the jutsu he had been anticipating ever since he obtained it. Prepared, Goro activated the jutsu. His mouth began to mimic a blowing motion, and fire started to crackle at his lips.

' Is that all—' 

The flames erupted, burning bright and radiant. The fire grew larger, casting an orange hue over the trees. Goro panicked for a moment, instinctively jerking back and deactivating the jutsu.

'That was close.. Although my stats average to about a Lower Genin level, this jutsu alone puts me at the level of a regular Genin or more. I'm pretty thrilled with what I've gained, but stealing skills from corpses is going to be tricky. I guess I should head back home for now. From my memory, I know I've inherited an apartment in downtown Konoha. It belonged to my deceased parents. I'll be staying there I guess.'

-----

Reminder: Get this fic to 50 powerstones by the coming Sunday, to get a double release the next Monday.