Chapter 14 (Patreon)

[Ding! Congratulations! Uzumaki Sage Body upgraded to a Divine Bloodline.]

[All five associated abilities—Vast Chakra Reserves, Adamantine Sealing Chains, Kagura’s Mind’s Eye, Physical Healing, and Sealing Aptitude—have reached Expert proficiency.]

As the notifications faded, Naruto felt his chakra reserves double.

By his estimate, he now had roughly thirty times as much chakra as Kakashi.

The range of [Kagura’s Mind’s Eye] had expanded to an astonishing one hundred kilometers. Its ability to conceal his chakra had become just as remarkable.

[Adamantine Sealing Chains] had also grown much stronger.

Naruto held out his right hand. A golden chain appeared in his palm, then vanished again.

He could feel the sealing power within it—twice what it had been before. The chain was more flexible, too. He could grip it and wield it directly, turning it into a weapon an opponent wouldn’t expect.

His [Sealing Aptitude] had improved enormously. The clearest sign was that he suddenly understood the Flying Thunder God Jutsu he had read in the Scroll of Seals.

Naruto picked up a pen and began drawing a jutsu formula on a sheet of paper.

The symbol resembled the kanji 飛, meaning “fly.” It was his own unique Flying Thunder God mark.

After drawing it for the tenth time, he set the pen down and pressed his right hand against the desk.

The same mark formed beneath his palm. He could sense it clearly, though it remained imperceptible to anyone else.

When he checked his status panel, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu had advanced from [Untrained] to [Novice], then finally to [Intermediate].

In almost no time at all, he had learned his father Minato Namikaze’s signature technique.

His mastery was still far below Minato’s, but for now, it was enough.

Since he couldn’t reveal his true abilities yet, the technique would be most useful for escaping danger and moving in and out of Konoha.

Once he went on the mission to the Land of Waves...

Next, he tested [Physical Healing].

Naruto drew a kunai across his hand, opening a wound deep enough to expose bone.

“One. Two. Three.”

Within three seconds, the wound had closed on its own. His hand looked as though it had never been injured.

‘I wonder if I can regenerate like Wolverine. Would I recover if a kunai went through my head?’

He immediately shook the thought away.

‘No. I’m not testing that.’

There was no question about it: a [Divine Bloodline] gave him extraordinary abilities.

[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining your first Divine Bloodline. Bonus reward: Bloodline Upgrade Scroll ×1.]

“Another one?!”

Naruto nearly shouted with excitement.

“You’re the best, System!”

Back when he had first obtained the system, it had given him an extra [Skill Upgrade Scroll] simply because his Transformation Jutsu was already at [Expert].

‘So what happens when I get a second skill to Expert?’

He looked eagerly at the [Skill Upgrade Scroll] he had just received.

“System, use the [Skill Upgrade Scroll] on [Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu].”

The technique was currently at [Proficient]. One more upgrade would bring it to [Expert].

…

Naruto waited.

And waited.

No bonus notification came.

His excitement faded, replaced by disappointment and a little regret at having acted so quickly.

“Oh, well.”

He sighed.

‘The original Naruto relied on shadow clones and the Rasengan for ages. With the right tactics, shadow clones alone can accomplish a lot.’

Besides, every skill he had brought to [Expert] had proved far more impressive than before.

That thought made him feel better.

With a thought, he filled the room with shadow clones.

He no longer needed to form a hand sign to use the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Even with his own sensory ability, he had to concentrate carefully to distinguish the clones from his real body.

Most other sensory shinobi would probably struggle to tell them apart. The Byakugan was the one possibility he wasn’t ready to rule out.

“Transformation Jutsu!”

He activated his other [Expert] skill.

The Narutos crowding the room disappeared. In their place stood extra tables, chairs, and ordinary household objects.

Naruto’s eyes brightened.

“Now that would make a good ambush!”

The more he looked, the more possibilities he saw.

‘It really does depend on how you use a jutsu.’

Once he had calmed down, he turned his attention to the new [Bloodline Upgrade Scroll].

His [Uzumaki Sage Body] had already reached its highest level. The only other bloodline he possessed was [Deidara’s Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai].

He had already considered its limitations. He couldn’t reveal it yet, so for now he could only use it for covert attacks that would be difficult to trace back to him.

Spending such a valuable scroll on it felt wasteful.

He decided to save the scroll for later.

Finally, Naruto opened his status panel again.

…

Host: Naruto Uzumaki (wearing sunglasses)

Age: 12

Combat Level: Genin

Chakra Natures: Wind, Water, Earth (granted by the Uzumaki Sage Body)

Bloodlines:

Uzumaki Sage Body — Level 4 [Divine Bloodline]

Deidara’s Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai — Level 1

Skills:

Uzumaki Sage Body Abilities — [Expert]: Vast Chakra Reserves, Adamantine Sealing Chains, Kagura’s Mind’s Eye, Physical Healing, Sealing Aptitude

Explosion Release Abilities — [Novice]: Clay Ants

Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu — [Expert]

Transformation Jutsu — [Expert]

Clone Jutsu — [Proficient]

Enhanced Chakra Control — [Beginner]

Flying Thunder God Jutsu — [Intermediate]

Reanimation Jutsu — [Untrained]

Tandem Paper Bombs — [Untrained]

Bringer-of-Darkness Technique — [Untrained]

Hashirama Senju’s Wood Style Jutsu — [Untrained]

Tobirama Senju’s Water Style Jutsu — [Untrained]

Inventory:

Bloodline Upgrade Scroll ×1

…

Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu were now both at [Expert]. Together, they offered far more possibilities than either technique alone.

‘I’m definitely stronger than I was before.’

Naruto studied the panel with satisfaction.

Now he had a much better chance of escaping the restrictions that had made his life so frustrating.

…

Meanwhile, Sakura hurried home.

“Sakura! Where have you been?” her mother demanded. “Why are you so late?”

“Our teacher taught us how to climb trees with chakra today,” Sakura answered breathlessly.

Her mother looked her over. Seeing how worn out she was after the long day, she accepted the explanation, and her expression softened.

“Then come and have dinner.”

“In a minute, Mom! I want to wash up first!”

Sakura hurried upstairs to the bathroom.