Chapter 18 – Assessment and Rewards

Monday morning in Konohagakure.

The market stalls were opening, revealing a vibrant display of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat, ready to be sold.

Housewives strolled about in their simple yet elegant clothes, enhancing their innate beauty. With baskets in hand, they visited one stall after another, acquiring various necessities. Sometimes a group of housewives would gather together and gossip about things that they shouldn't. 

The shinobis on duty would walk around the village with a friendly smile on their face, as they would discreetly check for the security protocols. The other shinobis, outside the village, on the patrol duty have just come to the village wall to change shifts and to go to their house to their bed and wife. 

In the shadows, ANBU operatives lurked, diligently guarding the buildings and people in the village as part of their duty and training.

But today was different—markedly different from the routine.

"I had no idea your son had it in him," One Chūnin added to another, his eyes filled with happiness and sadness at the same time.

"I am as confused as you are. That brat is finally taking his training seriously. I remember… not long ago he told me he wanted to be just normal civilian, but yesterday, he begged me to teach him," The Chūnin had a big smile on his face.

"It's not just him; most of the academy students have this change." Another Chūnin, wearing shinobi gear, jumped down from the wall and said with a serious attitude.

"Only if we had been… more aware of ourselves, we would have become Chūnin much faster. We could have even made it to Jōnin by now." The Chūnin looked at the other two with a bit of sadness as he added, "Only after my partner died, I started training seriously."

"Don't talk like that." The other Chūnin patted his back and dragged him to the wall. "Come on, we must be on our way for duty."

At the same time, on the Academy grounds, instructors held clipboards in their hands.

"Iruka-sensei, take the lead." Mari ordered, with her back straight, and aura stern.

Iruka stepped forward and said, "You all know what happened last time the kids were here. You've got a list of names. Today, observe these students and jot down your impressions. GO!" Iruka ended his command and returned to the staff room. 

The academy instructors moved out and head to their directions. 

It looked like everyone in the village was busy doing something, but on the other hand Raito slept in. 

When he woke up, Naruto was already making breakfast and prepping for the lunch. 

After freshening up, Raito's first order of business was checking his stats.

Name: Yoshizawa Raito Lvl 12 | Exp 45%

Title: Ninja Academy Student (+25% Exp until level 10) 

Age: 12 

HP: 1820/1820

CP: 1200/1200

STR: 38

VIT: 44

DEX: 42 

INT: 49

WIS: 39 

LUK: 32 

Stat points: 25 (12-7)5x5 25

Yoshizawa household member: Additional +50 HP per level, +2 INT & +3 VIT per level. 

Holder of the lucky star: +1 LUK per level. 

Yoshizawa Raito is a rising genius student in the Ninja Academy, son of Yoshizawa Michio and Yoshizawa Akeno, aspiring to become the strongest shinobi ever. 

Looking at the stats, Raito was a happy boy or shinobi. Then he looked at the chakra control, the raise in chakra amount and the decrease in the chakra cost was massive plus in his books. 

[Leaf sticking Exercise Lvl 15] 

- Increase CP by 150(10 per level)

[Leaf Hovering Exercises Lvl 12] 

- Increase CP by 180(15 per level)

[Leaf Spinning Exercise Lvl 8] 

- Increase CP by 160(20 per level)

Whistling a cheerful tune, Raito completed his morning rituals before commencing his practice session with shurikens and kunais, mercilessly targeting the poor trees.

[Shuriken and Kunai Mastery Lvl 20 (Passive)] 

The skill allows the user to properly wield both shuriken and kunai. 

- Passively increases damage with shuriken and kunai by 40%. 

- Passively increases the accuracy of shuriken and kunai by 40%. 

- Passively grants +5 Dexterity. 

Taking a deep breath, Raito pressed on with his training, systematically ticking off skills from his list, then it was time for some stat training; stretching, running, strength training, resting then reading books.

He had Genjutsu by the side and coupled Taijutsu with Ninjutsu, making it much more efficient but the poor tree. Lightning palm and Fire spark left mark on its precious trunk.

When he finished once over all of the skills on the list, Raito used the remaining time to use '[Instant Dungeon]'.

After eating his fill, Raito went out for a stroll, where he used '[Observe]'. Sometimes Raito found out juicy news and sometimes he found many question marks. 

Using the increased intelligence and dexterity, Raito quickly took notes on the important information then started drawing sketch marks of the faces that had question marks on them. 

"What's he up to now?" Kakashi was thinking, sitting on the top of the water tower, using his Sharingan. Yesterday's meeting with Raito and today casual voyeur made the man curious. 

'Distinguishing between strong and weak, but why the sketches?' 

When he had some idea about one of Raito's action, there was another question, waiting to be solved. It seemed like it would never end if he tried to dig.

Sighing lightly, Kakashi thought to let this side hobby go and go read his little orange book. 

And so he did. Leaping down, he vanished in the breeze, leaving nothing but the vast sky and the distant murmur of the crowd.

At the Hokage office 

"What is he writing?" questioned the old Hokage, peeking through his crystal ball.

Exhaling a plume of smoke, he stroked his beard and said. "Is he trying to differentiate between ninja and civilian? How amusing." 

"CAT". Hiruzen muttered slowly. 

A silhouette materialized in front of the desk. CAT aka Yūgao, was the one who knew Raito, on par with Anko and Mari. 

"How is his training going?" Hiruzen draped the crystal ball and walked to the window. 

"Hokage-sama, I'm teaching Raito swordsmanship. He is just a beginner, though. It has not been evaluated in the last three months," CAT answered then a paused before adding, "His topped the batch in theoretical knowledge and according to the latest review; he had surpassed Sasuke in all the aspects, excluding Ninjutsu. Sasuke, being from the clan, has learned Great Fireball, which earns him extra credits in the examination."

"Being a beginner is good… guessing by the recent updates, I think he needs a different set of skills, something of higher rank. Guide him if you have time in this meeting. Also, check if Naruto is interested in swordsmanship, and tell Anko to stop with poisons. I don't want Naruto to miss the finals," Hiruzen grabbed a couple of scrolls from his scroll wall and passed it CAT.

"Did Sasuke say if he would like to visit Inoichi?" Hiruzen changed the subject and asked about Sasuke, the lone survivor of a very powerful and somewhat vexing clan of the village.

"He declined any visit." CAT sighed. "His connection with others in the village is also very poor. Inoichi-sama suggested that he-"

"Does Raito visit him often?" Hiruzen raised his hands and asked.

"Yes," CAT answered. "Every week, like a clockwork. A spar, a visit to the hospital, then finally to the ramen shop at Ichiraku." 

"They would have made a great team but…"

"What about Naruto?"

"After they started living together, Naruto has started making progress and after giving him the clone technique, it has only increased."

"Mari thinks the shadow clones is helping but…"

"About the backlash from doing such… " Hiruzen frowned as thinking of such rough training idea. Upon dispelling of the shadow clones, not only memories and experience accumulate, the positive things, but exhaustion, mental strain and other aspects also accumulate. It's like one person doing double or triple workload in respect to the number of the clones.

"Shadow Clone Technique was a gift from the Uzumaki clan, given to Konoha during their first alliance by marriage." Hiruzen remembered his innocent days of listening to stories from the first and second Hokage before the ninja war.

"When we tried the original version of the Shadow Clone Technique, our shinobis died because of chakra exhaustion. Even one shadow clone was called success at those times. Only late Chūnin and Jōnin were able to create shadow clones, even then there were deaths due to mental strain."

"Having such a powerful jutsu in our hands, but no one capable of using it; we were forced to lock it away in the Forbidden Scroll."

CAT remained silent the entire time and only spoke after Hiruzen had taken a puff. "Hokage-sama, the shadow clone technique we use now-a-days…"

"Our shadow clone? It was the result of the joint project by Mito-sama and Tobirama-sensei." He let out a breath and added, "It was just before the Second Great Ninja War."

CAT remained silent with her head down in contemplation.

"Sorry for keeping you here long." Hiruzen gestured for CAT to go, and with that, she silently exited.

"Inheritance, huh." Hiruzen let out a breath then disappeared in smoke, along with his hidden guards.

House 

"Where were you?" Naruto asked as he ran towards the Raito in hurry.

"Nowhere, just walking around the neighborhood." Raito answered calmly and added. "Didn't you read the message I left?" 

"Message? What message?" Naruto looked around in confusion then turned to Raito. "Anyway, we have to practice, it's almost time." 

Raito looked at the table, where he had kept the note but didn't find it there. 

Just as his 'Chakra Sense' enveloped the insides of the house, Raito disappeared inside the dungeon then appeared at the backyard.

As soon as Raito jumped out of the dungeon, he heard Naruto asking for help. "Crazy Anko is here. Help me, Raito!"

"Didn't expect you guys would be so relaxed, like babies, when I said I would come." Anko walked through the back door and appeared at the backyard and with her Naruto ensnared by the big white snake, Midori.

Raito smiled as he took out a basket and laced his voice with chakra. "Anko-nee, I knew you would come. I even made your favorite." 

Anko paused for a second before quickly shaking herself awake from Raito's devious technique. She looked at Raito with a smile and said, "Midori-chan, release Naruto. Someone's been attentive enough to grasp the lessons I've taught."

Midori loosened her bindings, slithering towards Raito while shrinking, then she wrapped herself around his body. 

"Hello, Raito-san." Midori greeted Raito from inside his clothes then went to sleep.

Hearing a knock coming from the door, Raito gave them a look before dashing to answer it.

"Brat, I've heard a few things from people. So, I'm gonna go straight to the point." Anko eyed Naruto then, "Tell me everything about Mizuki." 

"Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto's face oscillated between confusion and anger. 

Naruto started telling his side of the story about when he was with Mizuki and what that man was teaching him. As Naruto was telling Anko about his experiences with Mizuki, Anko's face was getting a little stiff.

Anko grabbed the dango from the basked and signaled Naruto to continue.

"Shikamaru's mom even helped me with Taijutsu." Naruto demonstrated a quick jab through the air, grinning broadly.

"You should cut down on those. Maybe in a few years, you'll resemble those rotund merchants." Raito strolled out with a chair.

"Hmph, I'm a shinobi. I burn those off with everything I do. I heard about the speech you are giving nowadays to those poor things. Not gonna work on me, though." Anko snorted. 

"Don't come blaming me later. When you get fat like a pig and find no one wanting to marry you." 

Naruto face palmed hearing Raito, and Midori from inside Raito's clothes also let out a troubled shake. 

CAT removed her mask and changed her clothes in the room before stepping out. With long, straight, purple hair and an ice-cold expression, Yūgao looked like every bit of a beauty. A mere glance from her silenced the two. She sat on the chair that Raito had previously brought then looked at the two academy students and said. "Raito, Naruto, you boys will have to show me the things you have learned until now, which would be; Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Shuriken and Kunai techniques."

"Understand?"

The two snapped to attention and shouted in unison. "Yes ma'am."

"These three are just the basics. Raito, you'll also be demonstrating your sword techniques."

"And I'd like to see if you boys have learned Camping Ninjutsus." Yūgao said, delivering all her instructions in one breath. The two boys could only nod, their eyes locked on her every word.

"Yūgao-nee, is this some kind of… you know, exam?" Naruto asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"No, but if you do well you will earn a C-Rank Ninjutsu." Yūgao explained, revealing the scroll and passing it to Anko.

QUEST ALERT 

SHOW OFF

Yūgao from the Hokage guard wants to see your abilities. Show off all the abilities asked by her. 

Success: 

500 Exp. 

Increase reputation with Yūgao, Anko and Hokage. 

C-Rank Skill Book. 

Failure: 

Decrease reputation with Yūgao, Anko and Hokage. 

Decrease trust from Yūgao, Anko and Hokage. 

Accept?

[YES|NO]

Raito looked at the screen then at Yūgao's hand. Without wasting any second, he commanded 'YES' internally and the box disappeared. 

The two women caught Raito's subtle surprise, the brief pause, the dilatation of the pupil and the faint smile of Raito. However, they choose to keep silent. Everyone has secrets, and if it does not bring harm to their own, it's of little consequence.

Raito and Naruto started moving and preparing for the assessment. First, Shuriken and Kunai; both of them completed it easily, Raito even went a step further and copied Sasuke, hitting hidden targets.

Second, Taijutsu; after a slow and long ten minutes, Naruto was lying down on the ground, while Raito was giving hand for support. 

Thirdly, Ninjutsu; the academy three, the 'Clone', 'Switch' and 'Transform'. Although Naruto used a different variation, even some showcasing of extreme perversion, the two women did not raise any question. 

Lastly, Raito and Naruto used the camping jutsus. 

Lightning palm. 

Erasing wind. 

Earth pit. 

Earth Cover. 

Fire spark. 

Water condensation. 

Water purification. 

Raito performed all of them one by one in order but these small jutsus took a quarter of Raito's CP. Letting out a sigh, Raito walked back. 

"Good job." Yūgao praised Raito. Raito was able to do these low-level jutsu in such a less amount of time, which itself was surprising. 

"Yosh, it's my turn." Naruto walked out then making few hand signs Naruto shouted out, "Lightning palm". A few seconds passed, but there was no flash of light or any threats of lightning. 

"Ah. Wait, wait." Naruto again made a few hand signs then shouted, "Fire Spark" reaching out a hand Naruto waited for fires to come out. 

He tried all the jutsus in the scroll before grumbling. "It has to be it then."

Going through a couple of hand seals, Naruto clapped his hand and released his chakra. Rings of wind formed around him.

Seeing this Raito quickly raised his voice, "Now, Naruto."

"Hah!" Releasing his hand, the rings of wind expanded, releasing a fierce gust.

'As expected.' Yūgao said inwardly. 'It is closer to normal… no, both of them are abnormal.'

"Finally," Anko rolled her eyes, finishing the last of her dango. "Brat was thinking if he could be lucky and do one or two more."

Looking at Raito and Naruto, Yūgao looked at Naruto then said, "Naruto, you still need to practice, more control next time, okay?"

Naruto nodded with a pout. 

"What I am guessing from this is that… you have a strong wind affinity." She took out a small square shaped paper and passed it to Naruto.

"Pour your chakra into it." She just gave a command.

Naruto nodded and poured his chakra. The paper cut into two equal halves, which worried Naruto a bit. "I didn't know it would happen."

"It's alright, Naruto." Yūgao explained. "This is a 'Chakra Affinity Testing Paper' and it gets cut like that because you have wind affinity."

"Really?" Naruto looked at the other piece then looked at Raito.

"Do the same." Yūgao and passed Raito one.

Raito looked at the chakra paper then at his skill list, at the natural affinity. He quietly passed chakra then the paper crumbled, turning into dust and disappearing into wind.

"Earth." Yūgao declared, producing two scrolls. "D-Rank Ninjutsu, 'Rock Fist' and 'Gale Palm', both are offensive type Ninjutsu. One close range and other is variable range."

[Would you like to learn 'Rock Fist'?]

[YES|NO]

'No,' Raito closed the tab then snatched the scroll from Naruto. Naruto shot him an angry glare before Raito quickly pacified him.

Keeping both the scrolls inside the trunk of the library, earning helpless smiles from the two ladies.

Yūgao waited patiently as Raito set up a wooden dummy. Raito walked back with a wooden sword in his hand, ready for his demonstration.

"I am not in a hurry." Yūgao was calm as she sat leisurely with her arms crossed.

"Next up, sword techniques." Raito stood firmly on the ground as he started regulating his breath. His sword was steady, parallel to the ground. The legs were apart and hips settling down. 

Basic Swordsmanship covered stabbing, swinging slashes, parrying, and guarding. Raito emphasized body movement, balance, foot techniques, and concentration.

Sword over the head and parallel to the ground.

Sword by the side, up high.

Arms cross, sword by the side.

Sword by the side, pointing downwards.

Arms cross, sword by the side, pointing downwards.

Third step.

Slashes from the eight direction, stabs from four sides.

At the end of the show, Raito was drenched in sweat as he looked at Yūgao and asked. "How was that?" 

Looking at the Raito, Yūgao said, "If I were an Instructor, I'd give you full points." 

Naruto clapped, only to be knocked by Anko.

Raito smiled but still waited for Yūgao.

"But I won't say that it was great. Because you also know that points does not matter. This basic level swordsmanship is full of flaws in my eyes. If you go out in the field with just this, you will eventually die."

"Waiting." Raito said with a pout.

QUEST ALERT – QUEST SUCCESS

SHOW OFF

Yūgao from the Hokage guard wants to see your abilities. Show off all the abilities asked by her. 

Success: 

500 Exp. 

Increase reputation with Yūgao, Anko and Hokage. 

C-Rank Skill Book. 

Yūgao brandished her sword, as she pointed towards the dummy. Looking at Raito, she softly said. "Watch."

With fluid movements, Yūgao executed a series of strikes, weaving back and forth. Her blade connected with the dummy unpredictably, from various angles and distances.

"Did you get that? I am not going to personally teach you. You will just have to learn it by watching." Yūgao sheathed her sword and looked at Raito.

Raito coughed dryly. "You are saying that I have to learn it by just watching?" 

Yūgao nodded, and Raito's expression contorted into a confused "WTF" face.

[Record Video?] 

'Hey, what was that just now?' 

"Can I get a moment? I need to go to the bathroom." Raito hastily excused himself then went to the bathroom and opened the 'Log'. 

"So, how do I record?" asked Raito 

"Video, Start the video, open video." 

Video files:

1. Kunoichi's Dangerous life 

2. __ 

"It was from that time." Raito looked at the lone file and thought about that Genjutsu.

"Start recording." 

The windows disappeared then and a small timer appeared on corner of Raito's eye. 

Waiting for a minute to pass Raito commanded, "Stop recording" 

Video saved, video named 'Video 001'. 

"Open video." 

Video files 

1. Kunoichi's Dangerous life 

2. Video 001 

Clicking on the 'video 001', everything vanished then Raito stood outside the bathroom suddenly, "Well that was shocking. I was just in the bathroom." 

Raito moved towards the bathroom tried opening the door, but went right through it. His hands never contacted the door. Raito was shocked but moved forward, phasing through the bathroom door, where he saw himself sitting on the toilet seat. 

He saw himself sitting on the toilet seat and looking at the thin air, then at last, touching the empty air. The whole thing vanished and Raito found himself again sitting on the toilet seat. 

"I look weird doing that," was the first thing that came to Raito's mind when it ended. After a few moments of contemplation, Raito figure out the mechanics. "I got it." 

"Play video." 

"Pause video," The whole world paused.

"Stop video," Everything disappeared.

[For Understanding the mechanics to new things, WIS increased by 1.] 

"Brat, don't take all day doing your thing." Anko's voice echoed as she banged on the door, urging Raito.

Raito heard Anko's voice and quickly flushed the toilet, "I am done. Wait a moment."

Washing his hands, Raito looked at the box in front of his eyes in amazement.

Coming to the backyard, "Sorry I was late," Raito said then added, "Yūgao-nee that was totally unfair. So, please, once more, this time a bit slowly." 'Start recording' 

Yūgao smile as she looked at Raito then turned towards Naruto, a bit sternly, and said, "Naruto, you should try to remember." 

She moved and made a basic academy stance, then slashed the area in front of her, but different to the academy strikes, she was striking as if there had been a person standing in front of her, and her one move will strike the most vulnerable part of the man in front of her. 

Sometime it reached for the external jugular, then it reached for the throat. One time it was on the heart and the next it was on the spleen. From the base of the skull to the tail of the spine, she strike twenty three times at every intervertebral disc. Every move had different degree of insertion and intensity. She pushed and pulled as if she could see an exposed person standing in front of her with their organs visible.

"This is the disparity between basic sword techniques and those employed in actual battles," she declared.

"Remember these strikes, and use them whenever necessary."

Raito looked at Yūgao, wanting to burn her image of striking the thin air but he had something better now.

She sheathed her sword and gave Anko a slight nod before vanishing into the wind. 

"Yūgao-nee didn't even wait for lunch." Raito observed, scanning the area with his 'Chakra Sense,' only to be met with disappointment.

"It's difficult being in the secret division." Anko pulled Raito and Naruto then walked inside. "Let's eat."

In swift motion, Raito entered the kitchen, retrieving items from his inventory and skillfully assembling a feast. The spread included fried rice with succulent pork cubes, a crystal-clear bone soup, stir-fried vegetables, and tantalizingly tender meat that seemed to melt in the mouth.

Sniff, sniff

Anko stared at the spread of food before her, her mouthwatering. With a decisive gulp, she seized the spoon and began savoring each bite.

The meat was a symphony of flavors, a succulent melody that effortlessly melted in her mouth. The rice, adorned with the perfect amount of salt and delicate tidbits, reached a sublime perfection. The soup, as it slipped down her throat, brought a comforting warmth to the chill of winter.

"Anko-nee," Raito's soft voice broke through and he poked Midori, who was resting her head on his shoulder.

Anko, with her mouth stuffed, looked at Raito, exchanging a non-verbal dialogue. "What is it?"

"I want to start with 'that'?" Raito hesitated, his words carrying a subtle uncertainty.

"What 'that'?" Anko drank water and started thinking about things from her past conversation with Raito. "Snake style Taijutsu, Pressure points, seduction, sex education, fingering techniques or torture…"

Letting out a heavy breath, Raito raised his hand, stopping Anko, then he looked at Anko and her pouch, where he thought most of her poison would be. "Poison, I want to start with the poisons." 

"Midori-chan, bite him." Anko's sudden command rang out, and Midori sprang into action like lightning, sinking her teeth into Raito's shoulder.

"I didn't say right now." With that, Raito crumpled to the ground, every muscle in his body seizing up in paralyzing torment.

Initially, he felt nothing, but then a wave of sensation crashed over him. His body trembled uncontrollably, breathing became a struggle, and an icy chill gripped him.

Anko waited for a whole five minutes, then popped open a vial and fed it to Raito. 

Raito could feel warmth returning to his body, the previous coldness disappeared and he regained the control of his body.

After regaining, the control of his body, Raito hurried to the backyard as he threw a nauseating vomit, "What the heck was that?"

"It was my own version of the hundred herb mixture but milder, about 10 percent of the original." Anko said with a proud expression as she added, "Don't forget that every poison is half part medicine."

Hearing the wise words, Raito did not know whether to laugh or cry. He cleaned his face and looked at new notifications, in front of him.

[Skill 'Poison Resistance' raised by 1] 

[VIT raised by 1]

'If only there was something that could raise my chakra.' He mused.

In the study, Anko pulled out a small box with dividers, perfect for one vial each. She took out seven vials, each for a day. After thinking for a while, she dumped antidotes together. "Since he took the hundred herb mixture and my mixture, he should be able to withstand this."

"Is that for Raito?" Naruto peeked at the box, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Raito said that you need to hit the books, so I have to stop using poisons on you," Anko sighed then added, "Then he went and said that he want to try."

"Sometimes, I don't get this brat." Anko grumbled. "Just be a chef and make delicious food."

Naruto's ear perked up and looked at Anko. "That's what I said. He makes ramen so much better-"

Anko grabbed Naruto's ear and pulled.

"Ouch, ouch. What did I say wrong?" Seems like Naruto never learned what he should and should not say in front of Anko.

Anko glared as she pulled him towards her and said, "It's not ramen, its dango."

"What?" Naruto grabbed her wrist, his gaze defiant. "Ramen."

Anko gritted her teeth, meeting his glare with a look of disgust and anger. "Dango."

Raito felt his face twitching as he sighed, and walked by them to the box.

He grabbed the two scrolls from the box, then grabbed two empty scrolls and started copying them down. With his calligraphy skills, Raito completed copying in less than one hour. There was just the usual about the jutsu like; chakra molding, hand seals and precautionary measures but at the end, additional information surfaced. The writing delved into their applications on the battlefield, variations caused by excessive chakra, and individual nuances.

Throwing Naruto aside, Anko stretched and looked at library, where Raito was sitting and reading the scrolls, before calling Midori. "Midori-chan, let's go. I got a little motivated, so let's make those puppies scream." 

"Raito-sama, I'll be waiting." Midori slithered out of Raito's body and reached Anko. 

Anko let Midori coil around her before looking at Raito. "Do you know about poison clan?"

"Huh, poison clan?" Raito let the scroll dry and stood up. "I think so. I had a friend at section B from that clan."

Anko nodded, "They've been wanting to meet you for a long time."

"Me?" Raito looked confused, "I don't know anyone from there except one."

Anko looked through the scroll and nodded. "Just go there after you become one of us."

As she left, Naruto and Raito stood at the door, exchanging glances, then quickly scurried off to their room with scrolls in hand.

Raito looked at the scroll with stars swimming in his eyes.

"[Observe]" 

[Skill scroll – Earth Release: Rock Fist (Copy)] 

Skill scroll 'Earth Release: Stone fist' can be used to learn a skill 'Earth Release: Stone fist' a D-Rank Ninjutsu. 

-Skill scroll copied by Yoshizawa Raito 

[Skill scroll – Wind Release: Gale Palm (Copy)] 

Skill scroll 'Wind Release: Gale Palm' can be used to learn a skill 'Wind Release: Gale Palm' a D-Rank Ninjutsu. 

-Skill scroll copied by Yoshizawa Raito 

"That's it?" Raito looked the notification box in disappointment as he tried it a couple of time, hoping there to be some change.

Would you like to learn the skill 'Earth Release: Rock Fist'?

[Yes/No]

Would you like to learn the skill 'Wind Release: Gale Palm'?

[Yes/No]

The scrolls turned blue before disintegrating, their essence merging into Raito's being.

[Earth Release: Rock Fist (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0% CP 100] 

By encasing the arm in rock, the user can deal a powerful hardened punch against an opponent while being protected from direct contact with their target. 

- 200(+2%) damage dealt 

- (2%) chance of stun 

"Wow, it cost so little chakra and deals high damage." Raito's smile stretched so wide, it seemed as if a tear might escape his eye.

"Well let's try it out," Completing the hand seals, Raito released his chakra, encasing his hand. '[Earth Release: Rock Fist]'

Chakra flared, moving to the arm, covering the outer skin layer, from the tip of finger up to the elbow. Slowly, the chakra darkened, solidifying into clumps of rock. 

'It feels a bit heavy but…' Raito frowned as he tried to move his fingers. There was a bit of difficulty but the rock fingers moved to his will. Raito threw quick light jabs then swung his hand around. 'As expected, it's a bit heavy and slow.'

After a quick assessment, Raito canceled the jutsu, his hand returning to its normal state.

He swung his arm and sighed in relief. "It's a relief."

Raito entered a dungeon for his second skill. 

[Wind Release: Gale Palm (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0% CP 100] 

Wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale, which has enough force to topple a person.

- 60(+2%) damage dealt 

Raito shook his head looking at the description and the damage. "Long distance attack are such a pain."

After a quick series of hand seals, Raito clapped his hand and gathered air around his hand. "Wind is giving my arm some support."

With air lifting his arm, Raito pushed his arm forwards and pushed chakra. "[Wind Release: Gale Palm]"

A burst of air shot out, colliding with the bookshelf and dislodging a few books. Not a single piece of clothing was disturbed on the side, indicating an extremely precise directional impact.

*Ding 

Reminder 

Higurashi Store 

"I almost forgot about that. Thanks to the gamer powers for the reminder." Raito slapped the side of his head, before exiting the dungeon and dashing out of the house, leaving a confused Naruto in the living room.

Raito hurried from the quiet west to the bustling center, to the Higurashi shop. Taking deep breath, Raito stood in front of the door. Gathering his courage, Raito knocked the door and waited.

Waiting for a few moments, Raito heard some footsteps behind the door. The door swung open and a girl of 14 or 15 appeared. She had black hair and brown eyes, and her hair was in Chinese styled bun with short fringe-bangs framing her face. She was wearing loose home clothes; a white, full-sleeved shirt, and green, baggy pants. 

Looking at the person in front of her, Tenten immediately closed the door and shouted. "Stalker!" 

Raito heard the disorganized footsteps behind the door and waited with an awkward expression for a minute. After which, the door reopened once again and this time, it was Tetsu that opened the door. He had a weird expression on his face that questioned Raito. "Come in, boy." 

Raito wanted to explain but Tetsu spoke up, "First, clear your misunderstandings with my daughter, then talk about other things. I'll be upstairs."

Tenten walked out with a sword in her hands, trying to look as menacing as possible. She glared at Raito before leaning on the wall. "So, tell me, why you are here?" 

"I came here to buy the books… but your dad said that I should ask you about the price and all." Raito said simply and pointed towards the books behind the counter. 

Tenten looked at the notes she had written, then at Raito and said. "Take them."

"So, how much is it?" Raito asked, checking his funds on the status screen. 

"It's free." Tenten gestured toward an empty stool, then settled onto one herself.

Looking at her face, Raito sighed, "Go ahead, ask whatever you want." 

With a weird smile on her face, Tenten asked, "Why were you observing us? What did you want with our team? And why…" 

"I'll tell you everything from the beginning." Raito raised his hand and stopped Tenten's barrage of question. 

"Good," Tenten nodded, while staring at Raito.

Raito took a long breath as he started with the most basic and core of the project. "I was investigating one of your teammate, named Rock Lee. He…." 

Tenten slammed her sword and asked. "Lee, why?" 

Raito flinched, 'What's with the aggression?' and raised his hands. "Didn't I promise I will explain everything? So, hold off on cutting me." 

Raito snorted and continued, "Like I was saying, your teammate, Rock Lee was able to pass the final exams without passing. He did not do well in his theory or his Ninjutsu, or his weapon handling. So my question was how he did it." 

"I have a friend, 'Naruto' with a similar situation. He couldn't make clones, which is the core of passing the exam, for which he would have failed the last year of the academy exam. I was asking about Naruto's thing to Iruka-sensei, when he told me about Rock Lee. How Lee passed the exam and became a Genin. 

I wanted to ask Lee to find out if there is any trick to passing the exams, I even came a couple of time to speak with you guys but that 'arrogant fate prick Hyūga' blocked my every attempt. I don't know where that Rock Lee guy is living." 

Tenten looked weirded out hearing Raito speak of his reason. She waited until he had stopped then asked, "You did all that?" 

"It was something that I could easily do, like talking and asking. So, I thought… " Raito voice dropped. 

Tenten put her finger on her lips, making a feminine thinking pose. "Lee has underdeveloped chakra coils. Therefore, he can't perform Ninjutsu. However, that similar condition was with our sensei. Gai-sensei directly talked to Hokage-sama about this and helped him pass the exam but as a result became the last." 

"Thanks." Raito gave a small smile and stopped. 'Can't tell her that it's already solved and all that work was just a waste of time… actually not, if I didn't do all that Gai-senpai wouldn't tell Hokage-jiji and… its roundabout way but at the end I got shadow clone, which was perfect for Naruto.'

Tenten clicked her tongue and handed Raito her notes. 

Raito stood up, took the notes, and turned to leave.

Tenten looked at the academy student. She grabbed the handle of the door and opened it. "If you're ever up for training, drop by." 

"I will, once I've earned the title of Genin." Raito gave her a radiating smile and added, "Oh, and if you have similar books about anything else then please keep it for me."

With a nod, Raito quickly left for the house, to make dinner. That blockhead Naruto wouldn't make anything or do anything when he is occupied with jutsu or so Raito thought.