Chapter – 17: Title at the End

[Rei POV]

'Mm?' I frown. I already knew the one-time use as that's how I wanted it built. Creating a permanent one is the best-case scenario but I knew it is impossible as it needs a whole lot of time and research into souls which I have barely done. But there is a golden opportunity in front of me that I don't want to miss so the one-time use is enough for now. But the other warning is unexpected.

'A. I chip why do I need to remove a part of my soul?'

[Beep! A. I chip is already merged and became a part of Host's soul. Separating and deploying a portion of the A. I chip will result in removing a small part of Host's soul itself.]

'Mm, then why didn't it require me to split last time?'

[Beep! The Origin space is already connected to Host's soul. So, a link already existed.]

'I guess that makes sense, Estimate how long it will take to recover after creating it.'

[Beep! Computing… Done!] [Estimated recovery time: 2-3 years.]

'Why would it take so long?' I exclaim in disbelief.

[Soul injuries are hard to heal. Without external assistance, they require a large amount of time to heal naturally. Records: 1. Understanding the soul. 2…]

'Will there be any other side effects?'

[Only a minute part of Host's soul is lost. Estimated to have no side effects for creating the first Parasite. Accumulating more would increase the injury caused exponentially.]

'The self-destruct, does it harm the test subject?'

[Negative! After Ghost-I initiates the self-destruction protocol, it detaches from the subject before turning into chakra and dissipating.]

'Chakra? How long will it take to dissipate? And will the subject be able to track me with it?'

[Negative! Estimated time to dissipate: 1.32s]

'That's good. Anyway, I will be starting at the academy in a few months. So, if I create one now, I will have to wait till I graduate before I will be able to create more. That is acceptable as I didn't plan to use it on anyone else for the foreseeable future and improve it significantly'

'A. I chip, display my stats.'

[Name: Uchiha Rei. Strength: 19.34, Agility: 17.2, Vitality: 21.7.2, Sprit: 18, Chakra: 108, Status: Healthy(tired).]

[Bloodline: Uchiha (Two tomoe), Active genes: 7(limit), Bloodline activation: 25.9259%]

I have made monstrous progress this year. All my attributes are in the range of a Genin except for Chakra and Vitality which just entered the Chunin range. As I see the numbers, all the hard work I put in, the hell I went through seems to be worth it. Not all of us will suddenly turn into a Deity level Ninja just by getting stuffed with a nine-tailed fox or some kind of supernatural pat on the head by the soul of a thousand-year-old grandpa. Most of us have to work hard and advance step by step.

In reality, becoming a Kage-level ninja is actually a great achievement. It needs decades of hard work, great talent, and a good sensei. Only the Fourth Ninja War makes them seem like nobodies where Kage-level ninjas seem to be fighting everywhere. In addition, there will be monsters like Naruto, Sasuke, Obito, Madara, Four Hokages, etc. to name a few.

In addition to the massive increase in physical stats, I have improved substantially in Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, and Genjutsu. The reason for this is, last year I finally confirmed that although Hiruzen spies on the Uchiha regularly, it's not like he will scan the entire Uchiha compound all the time. Although he is not chummy with the Uchiha, he and the council still are not completely against us either. That will change after the Kyuubi incident I guess. Hence, I started using Sharingan to discretely copy some jutsus from different shinobi. One more thing is Sharingan plus A. I chip makes a terrifying combination for learning new jutsu. One is able to copy any ninjutsu it sees while the other can save, analyze, improve and send them directly to my brain. It is like getting instant mastery at anything my Sharingan sees!

Although I do slightly regret not doing it earlier, keeping caution was and will always be my priority, even if it causes me to miss out on some opportunities.

In just the last nine months alone, I have copied 23 D-Rank, 11 C-Rank, 3 B-Rank, and 1 A-Rank jutsus. Though at max I can only use B-rank at the moment. Among the 3 B-Rank Jutsus, one is actually the Shadow Clone Jutsu that I wanted to research for a long time.

I still remember the first time I created a Shadow Clone, It was pretty normal actually. No different than anyone else's until I heard a beep.

[Beep! Soul-bound clone discovered. Successfully established connection. Deploy assistance subroutine?]

[Y/N]

I immediately clicked Yes. The clone looks at me and we both smile. Usually, a shadow clone sends all memories to the user after it dissipates. But with the help of the assistance subroutine, the clone is able to send the memories like a live stream wirelessly over long distances which are saved inside the A. I chip which in turn sends them back to my brain. Since the data will be sent as a stream instead of all at once, I can keep them till their chakra runs out without worrying about my brain getting fried when they dissipate.

'The best part is that I can transmit instructions to them when required too. This will be a huge help to what I am about to do. Initially, I wanted to take a risk, but now I can be a little cautious and use a clone instead,' I think.

Two weeks ago, I heard rumors about Kato Dan's death and one of the Sannin, Senju Tsunade retiring from active combat. Which I was waiting for a long time. This is the reason I deployed all A. I chip resources to develop a Parasite even if it is one-time use.

I knew she would develop a serious case of Blood phobia. This is like the only opportunity if I wanted to find her alone before she overcomes it. In a few months, she will leave with Shizune. It will be too much of a hassle if I want to track her down and even if I do, it will mess up the canon if she returns back to Konoha because of my meddling. Also, I will start at the academy in a couple of months that will make it much harder to execute it, so I made a bold plan.

'If I have to hunt, why not hunt a Dragon, one whose deadly weakness is known!'

Everything is ready. The last part is to find out about Tsunade's schedule and confirm if she really has blood phobia. I should also be wary of any Anbu that Hiruzen has stationed around her. Then find a way to make her Blood phobia act up when she is alone. She should faint if she suddenly finds herself covered in blood right?

'I have to take into account even the tiniest of details and make a solid plan. At any point, if I deem this too risky, I will immediately scrap the idea because if I mess up even slightly, I will die and my eyes will become part of someone's arm!'

Chapter 17 - If I want to hunt, I will hunt a Dragon.