Natsuki stood in place, deep in thought.
First: the unlock condition for the Zoro template's second ability required obtaining first place in a practical combat exam.
Three months had passed since school started. They'd gone through three monthly exams—but none had included actual combat.
Because most students hadn't even learned the Substitution Jutsu yet, a combat exam would just devolve into a rookie brawl of flailing limbs and pulled hair.
Under normal circumstances, true practical combat wouldn't begin until the first-year final exams.
In other words, he'd have to wait until February of next year.
Natsuki considered this and realized it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Across all three monthly exams, his grades had hovered between seventh and eighth place. Stable. Unremarkable.
If he suddenly shot to first place, it would raise serious questions.
Beyond that, there was another problem.
Defeating Namikaze Minato and claiming first place would inevitably attract Shimura Danzo's attention.
Natsuki's plan was to improve incrementally—climbing the ranks bit by bit until he overtook Minato in February's final exam.
That gave him eight months to build an impression in Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind as an exemplary inheritor of the Will of Fire.
But even that might not be enough.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo were old comrades. Close allies.
In the original timeline, Danzo had sent assassins after Hiruzen—and even when exposed, he'd received no punishment.
What Natsuki feared most was being forcibly conscripted into Root.
Would Hiruzen storm Root's headquarters to rescue him?
Unlikely.
Hiruzen had only done that once—for Yamato, the Wood Release user.
Other geniuses, like Torune Aburame—whose strength had surpassed even Minato's before the Flying Thunder God Technique—had been abandoned without a second thought.
Natsuki needed a stronger shield.
The image of Tsunade immediately came to mind.
Under her protection, combined with Hiruzen's favor, Danzo would have no easy way to touch him.
But to get Tsunade involved, he'd need to rely on Yakushi Nonou.
Simply put: Nonou had to display her talent as a medical ninja.
A rough plan began to take shape in Natsuki's mind.
He steadied himself and examined the third ability of the Zoro template.
The unlock condition: master one Earth Release ninjutsu.
This requirement was actually straightforward.
His parents had left him two Earth Release techniques. He could learn them directly.
His talent might be average, but neither technique was particularly difficult—one was D-Rank, the other C-Rank.
His target was the D-Rank Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. He aimed to master it before February.
The unlock condition for the fourth ability was more troublesome: possess a famous sword.
In Natsuki's eyes, this was the hardest requirement of all.
Famous swords were rare in the ninja world—and virtually all of them had owners.
Take the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, for example. Each of their legendary blades was known throughout the shinobi nations.
But as a Konoha ninja, obtaining any of them was essentially impossible.
Narrowing his focus to Konoha, the most famous sword was the White Light Chakra Sabre.
It belonged to Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo. After his death, it would pass to his son, Hatake Kakashi.
Beyond that, two other notable blades existed: the Sword of Kusanagi and the Sword of the Thunder God.
Multiple Swords of Kusanagi appeared in the original story, but every single one was connected to Orochimaru.
The Sword of the Thunder God had belonged to the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. He was long dead, and the blade was now kept in Konoha's possession.
Natsuki frowned.
Obtaining any of these three swords would be extremely difficult.
For the White Light Chakra Sabre or the Sword of Kusanagi, his best chance would be becoming a student of Hatake Sakumo or Orochimaru.
As for the Sword of the Thunder God—he'd need to make significant contributions to Konoha and receive it as a reward.
Wait.
That's not the only way.
Natsuki suddenly recalled the strategy he'd devised for getting Nonou close to Tsunade.
Perhaps the same approach could help him obtain the Sword of the Thunder God.
Having formed a plan, he extended his hands.
Projection Magecraft!
Two streams of chakra visibly materialized in the air, rapidly solidifying into a pair of kunai.
Natsuki gripped them. They felt real—indistinguishable from actual kunai.
He drew a real kunai from his pouch and struck the projected ones.
The weapons jolted on impact. A faint dent appeared on the projected blades.
As expected. They can't match the real thing.
About seventy percent durability. But that was enough for combat.
Besides, he had Reinforcement Magecraft. Once reinforced, the projected kunai would be sharper than the genuine article.
Natsuki didn't test further. He stood still and waited.
About three minutes later, the two projected kunai trembled slightly—then dissolved into motes of light.
The duration was a bit short, but acceptable.
After all, he could simply project new ones when they vanished.
A thought occurred to him: Zoro's abilities were perfectly suited for Projection Magecraft.
Projection could replicate legendary swords.
Later, when he integrated a higher-tier Zoro template, he might even be able to project famous blades like Wado Ichimonji.
"Nonou."
Natsuki turned and walked over to Yakushi Nonou. "How's the basic medical knowledge coming along?"
"Two more months, and I'll have finished all of it."
Nonou thought for a moment, then answered with quiet confidence.
The timing was perfect.
Natsuki had hired Chiwa for six months. If Nonou finished in five, they'd have a full month to spare.
"Nonou."
Natsuki smiled. "To become a medical ninja, you need more than just knowledge. You also need exceptional chakra control."
In the original story, Haruno Sakura's talent as a medical ninja had been rooted in her control.
The most classic example was the tree-climbing exercise. She'd completed it first—faster than both Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
"Starting today, set aside time to practice tree climbing and water walking."
Natsuki explained, "Both methods are excellent for training chakra control."
The principles weren't difficult. The original story had explained them clearly.
Hearing this, Nonou nodded without hesitation.
Whatever Natsuki said was right. She just needed to follow his lead.
While Nonou practiced tree climbing and water walking, Natsuki would focus on learning the Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.
The rest was just a matter of time.
At the Ninja Academy, one academic year was divided into three semesters. Classes began in March and ended the following February.
The first semester ran from March to mid-July, with four monthly exams. Summer vacation lasted until late August, and school resumed in early September.
Time slipped by quietly.
June passed in a blur, and July's final exams arrived on schedule.
The written portion remained unchanged. For the practical exam, in addition to ninja tool throwing and the physical fitness test, an assessment for the Substitution Jutsu had been added.
But there was still no actual combat.
Following his predetermined plan, Natsuki's rank rose from seventh to fifth.
His biggest improvement was in physical fitness.
After four months of uninterrupted morning runs, he'd stabilized in the top five for that category.
First place in the final exam still belonged to Namikaze Minato.
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