"It's still not working out... the difficulty is too high."
"What outsiders call my talent is actually all bestowed by the System."
"If we only talk about Ninja aptitude... it's decent, at least I'm satisfied with it, but I still can't compare to certain monsters."
One day, two months later, Yubi finished his training and used the cover of night to visit the Village's pedestrian street.
His eyes flickered, and he wasn't really watching where he was going, just immersed in thought.
He wanted to emulate Tsunade, trying to use the convenience of being a Medical Ninja to strengthen his body at the 'cellular' level, possessing that'Super Strength'... as well as self-healing and regenerative capabilities.
But during these two months, even though he desperately honed his physical body and used himself as a guinea pig... he still hadn't made any substantial breakthroughs.
Although his physical fitness had improved somewhat, the gains were still considerable.
But he was still too far from Tsunade's level of combat prowess.
"Well... there's no need to rush. She is, after all, one of the legendary Konohas Three Legendary Sannin, and I'm just a little kid right now... it would be crazy if I could achieve Tsunade's level of Ninjutsu mastery at this age. Anyway, I have plenty of time. As long as I tackle it in this direction, I will succeed sooner or later... Maybe once I learn those few Ninjutsu of Tsunade from the System, I'll find the trick."
"It's also possible... that it's related to bloodline inheritance. She belongs to the Senju Clan, after all, and has a special physique."
"However, this training also exposed some of my current shortcomings. Although my combat template has taken shape, and with the System assisting me, I don't lack means to arm myself. But... I still know too little about the Ninjutsu System of this world..."
He wasn't referring to the types of Ninjutsu, since... as a Transmigrator, he generally understood all the various Ninjutsu in the Hokage World.
What he wanted was the principle.
The 'underlying architecture' of various Ninjutsu.
Details like the coordination between Hand Seals and Chakra, how they are driven... and how Chakra operates.
"To possess remarkable Ninjutsu comprehension... or even create a new path for strength, I still need to read a large number of ninjutsu scrolls... Only with a certain knowledge reserve can I apply it to practice."
"Actually... I don't need to fixate on Tsunade. The abilities in the System definitely include ones stronger than hers."
Yubi walked along, talking to himself inwardly.
"I should ask the Kazekage for some of the Village's ninjutsu scrolls... Whether I can use them or not, the more I understand Ninjutsu, the more confidence I'll have when facing enemies." After a moment, Yubi made his decision.
It was getting late today, so he would go find Arai tomorrow.
"Just looking at physical strength... I shouldn't lose to an ordinary Chunin now." Yubi clenched his fist and curled his lips into a smile.
The Chunin he referred to were based on the Konoha standard.
Even after so long, he still clearly remembered the combat details when the two members of the Root Organization tried to assassinate him; that level of intensity... far surpassed Amegakure.
They were the benchmark for combat power in the Ninja World... representing the tier of the Great Ninja Villages.
"Hmm?"
Just as Yubi was about to step into a ramen shop, the corner of his eye caught sight of a team of Sunagakure Ninja returning from outside.
They weren't injured, but every one of them was dejected and somewhat frustrated.
This made Yubi's mind become active.
In fact, he had noticed this phenomenon long ago: the frequent return of the Village's Ninja who were executing missions outside.
It wasn't because of some special incident.
Rather, it was due to the battle line shrinking, diverting surplus troops elsewhere. These people returned to the Village partly for a brief reorganization, and partly to receive new missions and assignments.
The shrinking of the battle line symbolized only one thing... Hidden Sand Village was showing a decline on the battlefield and was starting to lose to Konoha.
"The abilities of the Village's Medical Department have improved somewhat, but they can only solve the immediate crisis... As time passes, they will still be beaten back to their original state by Konoha." Yubi inhaled. If he could impart all his medical knowledge, Hidden Sand Village would undergo a massive transformation, and this war might not end with them as the loser.
Unfortunately, he was willing... but the Village's current conditions were too poor, and environmental and other factors did not allow it.
The people below him also had very poor learning ability.
Even if he wanted the Medical Department to develop by leaps and bounds, he couldn't do it.
In the final analysis, it came down to one sentence: there was too little time.
Even if he possessed immense ability, he couldn't change this current situation.
This was the point Yubi had thought about before... Sasori's further descent into darkness was inevitable.
He had long anticipated this kind of thing.
Not just the Sunagakure Ninja, but even the Village's civilians were unconsciously sensing the fading of the Village's wartime morale... the atmosphere was very oppressive.
"Yubi, what are you eating today?"
"Seafood Ramen!"
Thinking this, Yubi withdrew his gaze and entered the shop.
The owner forced a smile and greeted him warmly.
Yubi sat in his usual spot, raised his hand, and responded with a brilliant smile.
Before long, a steaming bowl of ramen was brought before him. Although it was called Seafood Ramen, in reality... the soup noodles contained only sparse, pitiful amounts of dried seafood.
Yubi still slurped the noodles with great appetite.
The details of daily life constantly reminded everyone just how profound the impact of this Ninja World War was.
Especially the economy.
This Ninja World War was sparked by Hidden Rain Village, but in essence, it was a war started by the Five Great Ninja Villages under the guise of 'peace and economy,' seeking to redistribute the resources of the Ninja World... Hanzou of the Land of Rain was the passive party.
Last year... which was when Yubi was executing his mission, this Ninja World War was already nearing its end with Amegakure ceasing hostilities and the Konohas Three Legendary Sannin withdrawing from the main battlefield.
Tsunade also developed hemophobia.
"This year, Kumogakure will abduct Kushina due to the issue of their Village's Tailed Beast losing control... they want to master the method of completely suppressing a Tailed Beast and possess a perfect Jinchuriki. Even if Sunagakure and Konoha cease fire immediately, Konoha will likely continue fighting with Kumogakure and a few other forces for a period... but this Ninja World War has undoubtedly officially concluded."
"The friction that follows... is merely the subsequent chain reaction caused by this great war among several Villages."
"In this Ninja World War that lasted for several years... most of the casualties were Chunin and Genin, yet for any Village, especially Hidden Sand Village... Ninja of this rank are the foundation of the Village. Many of them... were rookies who died prematurely, practically destroying Hidden Sand Village's future."
"Judging by the situation... the higher-ups should already have the intention to cease fire. When Sasori returns from his mission this time, he will likely receive this unpleasant news."
"Sigh..."
Yubi suddenly sighed.
Sasori, who was on the frontline, probably sensed the abnormality already.
Although Sasori entered the battlefield earlier than him, he hadn't truly experienced a so-called 'great war,' as Grandmother Chiyo had protected him quite well.
After all, he was the only grandson she had left.
But Sasori, in order to 'challenge' himself, took on missions of very high difficulty, even if he wasn't placed in large-scale engagements.
"What's wrong? Does it not taste right?"
Seeing Yubi suddenly sigh, the owner thought there was something wrong with his cooking.
"It's nothing... just yawning."
Yubi snapped out of his thoughts and laughed heartily.
Then, his movements sped up. He quickly devoured the noodles and drank all the soup.
He then placed a paper bill down and said, "Thank you for the meal!"
After speaking, he waved goodbye and left the small shop.