"Director, I want to learn how to cook."
After returning to the Konoha Orphanage, Natsuki found Director Mayu.
He wanted to test whether he could trigger a new template.
"I want to learn too."
Yakushi Nonou quickly chimed in.
"Then we'll start with the simplest dish: a fried egg."
Mayu didn't refuse.
In fact, once the orphans at the Konoha Orphanage reached a certain age, she always taught them to cook.
Children without parents had to learn to take care of themselves early.
Besides, the orphanage wouldn't support them forever. Once they turned twelve, they had to leave.
In his previous life, adulthood began at eighteen. In the ninja world, twelve was old enough.
Because this world was brutal. Even a four-year-old could be sent to the battlefield.
Mayu explained each step as she fried the egg.
When she finished, it was Natsuki's turn.
He imitated her movements and quickly completed a fried egg of his own.
[You have awakened the Emiya Shirou Template.]
Natsuki's eyes widened.
What kind of luck is this?
The Hero of Justice himself!
He felt like he was being embraced by the Goddess of Fortune.
He quickly examined the new template.
[Name: Emiya Shirou]
[Era: First Year of High School]
[World: Fate/stay night]
[Rank: C-Rank]
[Ability 1: Culinary Arts — Unlocked]
[Effect: Exceptional cooking skills, particularly adept at Japanese cuisine.]
[Ability 2: Reinforcement Magecraft — Locked]
[Effect: Analyze the structure and composition of an object, then infuse chakra for temporary enhancement.]
[Unlock Condition: Obtain first place in a ninja tool throwing test.]
[Ability 3: Projection Magecraft — Locked]
[Effect: Use chakra to project and replicate items that exist in reality.]
[Unlock Condition: Master the usage of five types of ninja tools at the beginner level.]
After reading it, Natsuki felt a twinge of disappointment.
No Unlimited Blade Works.
But it made sense.
The difficulty of triggering a template and the strength of that template were obviously proportional.
Triggering something just by cooking? Zero difficulty.
Natsuki examined the details more closely and understood why it was exactly C-Rank.
This was Emiya Shirou during his first year of high school.
In the original story, it wasn't until his second year that he participated in the Holy Grail War and mastered Unlimited Blade Works.
Still, Natsuki wasn't truly disappointed. He was pleasantly surprised.
With his current reserves, even if he knew Unlimited Blade Works, he wouldn't have enough chakra to use it.
Unlimited Blade Works, simply put, was the creation of a Reality Marble—a bounded field containing countless copied swords.
Localized for the Naruto world, it could be described as a sword-based version of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Natsuki fell into thought.
Overall, the Emiya Shirou template was excellent.
Especially Reinforcement Magecraft and Projection Magecraft.
Reinforcement Magecraft could strengthen not only ninja tools but also the user's own body.
In battle, that would give Natsuki a significant edge.
Of course, Reinforcement Magecraft was ultimately only C-Rank. The enhancement wouldn't be earth-shattering.
What Natsuki valued more was Projection Magecraft.
First, because it was connected to Unlimited Blade Works.
Second, it would save him money.
Being a ninja was an expensive profession.
Among all the costs, ninja tool consumption took up the largest share.
And there was no shortage of powerful ninjas who had built their reputations on weapons.
Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
With Projection Magecraft, learning weapon techniques—throwing, swordsmanship, kenjutsu—would become far more convenient.
If his previous potential had been capped at Chunin, now he could almost reach Tokubetsu Jonin.
The unlock conditions for both abilities weren't particularly troublesome.
Mastering five types of ninja tools was just a matter of grinding.
Obtaining first place in a throwing test would require the Conan template's second ability: Tranquilizer Dart.
When the time came, he just needed to coat his weapons with anesthetic to achieve perfect accuracy.
And ranking first in ninja tool throwing wasn't flashy enough to attract Shimura Danzo's attention.
The next day. Early morning.
Natsuki woke up two hours earlier than usual.
He was preparing for the physical fitness test, determined to break into the top ten as soon as possible.
Fortunately, the system hadn't specified which test. He still had time.
Some people wake up early to grind. I'm one of them now.
Natsuki rotated his arms, loosening up.
After warming up, he started running laps around Konoha Village.
He had to admit—compared to his previous life, his physical capabilities in this world were practically superhuman.
And technically, that was true. The people of the ninja world possessed a hundred trillion more cells than ordinary humans, reaching an astonishing one hundred and thirty trillion total.
It was precisely this massive cell count that produced the physical energy which, when combined with spiritual energy, could be converted into chakra.
According to the official novels, Rock Lee had once run eight hundred and sixty-four laps around Konoha in a single night.
That guy is an absolute monster.
But Natsuki wasn't anywhere near that level yet.
He couldn't even manage a fraction of Lee's record. He didn't break sixty-four laps.
After finishing his run, Natsuki showered and headed to the Ninja Academy with Yakushi Nonou.
In the afternoon came the class he'd been waiting for: Ninja Tool Throwing.
As a ninja, tools were essential.
Every ninja wore a pouch at their waist to store kunai, shuriken, and other equipment.
Sure, by the late stages of the story, everything devolved into giant chakra mechs and overpowered eye techniques clashing in the sky. But for the vast majority of ninjas, basic tools remained indispensable.
Because with few exceptions, most ninjas were glass cannons—high attack, low defense.
More importantly, Natsuki had just obtained the Emiya Shirou template and needed to master five types of ninja tools.
There were many varieties, but the three most common were kunai, shuriken, and senbon.
Shuriken were hollow throwing stars—purely ranged weapons.
Kunai were shaped like daggers or short swords. They could be thrown or used in close combat.
Senbon were slender, needle-like tools. Compared to the other two, they were more discreet.
Natsuki considered his options.
Beyond those three, he needed two more.
Swords could be considered a type of ninja tool. In the ninja world, blades and swords fell into the same category.
For the fifth, he chose makibishi—diamond-shaped caltrops scattered on the ground to slow enemies.
Today's lesson focused on the kunai.
After Ishida Yu finished his explanation, Natsuki picked up a kunai and faced the target across the training ground.
At that moment, excited screams erupted around him.
Natsuki turned to see that Namikaze Minato's kunai had struck the bullseye dead center.
Combined with that warm, sunny smile on his face, it was no surprise he was drawing attention from every girl in class.
Natsuki wasn't lacking in looks himself, but beyond appearance, he hadn't done anything noteworthy yet.
He turned back to his own target and threw.
Thwack.
The kunai hit the target—but landed four or five centimeters from the center.
"Hitting the target on your first try is already impressive."
Ishida Yu offered a word of encouragement, though his gaze ultimately drifted back to Namikaze Minato.
The instructor nodded with satisfaction.
Looks like we've got a real genius this year.
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