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With his physical strength officially elevated to Level 3, Rokuro prepared to clear the lingering Random Quest to beat up Naika Nikou.
However, immediately pummeling Nikou into the dirt would expose his sudden, unnatural spike in power. To minimize suspicion, Rokuro decided to leak his newfound strength gradually. Over the course of three scheduled challenges, he would let Nikou feel his power increasing incrementally.
Plan set, he continued his daily grind.
Five days later. During their spar, Rokuro used a fraction more strength, slightly suppressing Nikou's movements.
Ten days later. He fought Nikou again, this time forcing the older boy to retreat repeatedly under a barrage of heavy blows.
Fifteen days later. He completely dominated the fight, beating Nikou black and blue.
Ding!
[Random Quest Complete: Beat Naika Nikou to a pulp. Reward: 350 EXP.]
After the fight, Nikou looked utterly defeated. He sat slumped in the dirt, a picture of despair. He didn't even seem to register the pain from his heavily bruised face.
Two months! It had only been two months! The kid he used to use as a punching bag was now effortlessly tossing him around. The blow to his pride hurt far worse than his swollen jaw.
Rokuro walked over to the depressed boy and patted his shoulder. "Don't be discouraged. Being able to last this long against a genius like me is already pretty impressive!"
Nikou glared at him, annoyed. "Is that supposed to be comforting?"
Rokuro chuckled. "Come on, don't sweat the small stuff!"
Nikou was silent for a moment before scrambling to his feet with a heavy sigh. "I guess a true genius really is different. If I had your talent, I'd definitely make a name for myself."
"Don't worry," Rokuro said, patting his shoulder again. "Once I make it big, I'll look out for you!"
Nikou shook his head. Catching sight of Okamoto emerging from the treeline, he sighed. "Lord Okamoto is here. I'm not talking to you anymore; I'm going to rest."
As Nikou left, Rokuro turned to the approaching instructor and immediately bowed. "Lord Okamoto, what brings you here? Did you need me for something?"
Okamoto's face was dead serious. He stopped in front of Rokuro and commanded, "Hit me in the chest. Use your full strength."
Rokuro hesitated. "Lord Okamoto, are you sure?"
"Just do it!" Okamoto waved him off impatiently.
Seeing the instructor's absolute seriousness, Rokuro didn't hold back. He planted his feet, twisted his hips, and threw a heavy, straight punch directly into Okamoto's chest.
BAM!
Okamoto's body swayed slightly from the kinetic impact before he rooted himself.
Despite taking a solid hit, Okamoto wasn't angry. On the contrary, his eyes gleamed with excitement. He broke into a thrilled smile. "Good. Good! Excellent, Rokuro! You did perfectly!"
Sensing an opening, Rokuro quickly asked, "Then, Lord Okamoto, can you teach me how to mold Chakra now?"
Okamoto patted the boy's head. "The reason children under seven are forbidden from molding Chakra is that their physical bodies aren't developed enough. Forcing the process would permanently damage their Chakra Pathway System. But your physical constitution is already comparable to a Genin. Molding Chakra won't be a problem for you at all. I will report this to Headquarters tomorrow and see what they say!"
Rokuro was ecstatic. He bowed deeply. "Then please hurry back and file the report, Lord Okamoto!"
Okamoto lightly chopped Rokuro on the head. "It's the middle of the night! How am I supposed to report this now? It's not like a day or two will make a difference. Just focus on your training for now."
Rokuro rubbed his head, pouting slightly. "Alright, but please send the message early!"
Okamoto looked at the boy with immense satisfaction. "Don't worry, I won't delay your progress. You'll have an answer within three days. Take it easy for the next couple of days. Headquarters will likely send someone to test you, so you need to be in peak condition to show them your full strength."
Rokuro clenched his fists. "Don't worry, Lord Okamoto. You know my stamina. Even if I train all day, I won't get tired. I'm always at my peak!"
Okamoto shook his head, muttering half to himself. "I really wonder if you have some undiscovered Kekkei Genkai. Your stamina is absurd. It feels even more exaggerated than a Jōnin's."
Rokuro just offered a goofy laugh, keeping his mouth shut.
In high spirits, Okamoto chatted for another minute before hurrying off to draft his report.
Watching him leave, Rokuro returned to his room, his smile fading into a look of deep contemplation.
He didn't have a Kekkei Genkai. If he did, the System panel would have listed it.
He wondered if the Root ninja could somehow detect the System. In a few days, Danzo's operatives would be here to investigate him. His background was clean—that wasn't an issue. But his abnormal stamina recovery might catch Danzo Shimura's eye.
If the "Darkness of the Shinobi" got curious, he might order Rokuro's blood drawn for research, or worse, have a Yamanaka rip through his memories. If the System was discovered, he was dead meat.
But... it's a Golden Finger. It's a transcendent cheat. The chances of ninja science detecting it should be practically zero.
Still, he couldn't be careless. He needed an excuse to cover up his anomaly.
He thought hard for a long time but couldn't come up with a foolproof lie. Shinobi were experts at interrogation; they had countless ways to tell if someone was lying.
Making up an elaborate excuse was riskier than simply playing dumb. Feigning complete ignorance of his own condition was the safest bet.
Having made up his mind, he sighed.
It all comes down to being too weak. If he were a Kage-level powerhouse right now, he wouldn't be this passive. Resigning himself to letting nature take its course, he went to sleep.
Over the next two days, the Random Quests returned to normal, trivial tasks. He completed them effortlessly, banking his 600 daily EXP.
On the morning of the fourth day, before Rokuro had even gotten out of bed, Okamoto was banging on his door.
"Rokuro! Get up! The envoy from Headquarters will be here in half an hour!"
Rokuro scrambled out of bed, quickly washed up, and followed Okamoto to the entrance of the orphanage compound.
They stood by the gates for a short while before a figure flickered into existence. It was a man wearing a porcelain cat mask—the signature uniform of the Konoha Anbu.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Okamoto immediately bowed respectfully. "Lord Kuro! Why did you come personally?"
The Anbu named Kuro stepped forward, glancing at Okamoto before fixing his gaze on Rokuro. "I heard a Taijutsu prodigy had appeared here. I came to see for myself."
Okamoto quickly leaned down and whispered to Rokuro, "Rokuro, this is Lord Kuro. He is the best Taijutsu specialist under Lord Danzo's command. For him to come personally means Headquarters values you highly!"
Kuro?
Rokuro searched his meta-knowledge. He had never heard of him. He definitely wasn't a named character in the canon plot.
But a name didn't matter. If he was an elite Anbu directly under Danzo, his strength was undoubtedly the real deal.