[Name: Shinichi Higashino]
[Class: Chunin / Sword Master]
[Talents: Taijutsu Specialist (Blue), Fighting Spirit (White)...]
[Draws Available: 1× (Blue)]
By now, a clear picture of the ancient power systems humans relied on to survive and fight before the age of chakra had formed in Shinichi's mind:
Swordsman: A lineage that tempered the body and mastered weaponry (especially the sword) to battle the supernatural.
Core: Physical energy.
Priestess / Divine Official: A lineage that used spiritual meditation, talismans, prayer, and sealing techniques to confront the supernatural.
Core: Spiritual energy.
Monk: A lineage that sensed the energy of heaven and earth, harmonizing with and wielding natural energy to resist the supernatural.
Core: Natural energy.
These three ancient systems represented humanity's exploration of power in three different directions, each taken to its extreme.
Then, after Ōtsutsuki Kaguya descended and chakra gradually spread, this new, easier-to-cultivate, more universal energy form—one that could incorporate aspects of all three systems—eventually became the mainstream.
It pushed those older traditions to the edge of history, or forced them to change shape entirely.
Once he had sorted out these roots and connections, Shinichi didn't dwell on them any further. It was still too early to dig deeper.
After all, he was currently a Konoha shinobi. His identity and position made it impossible for him to simply run off to some random shrine or temple to become a disciple.
Besides, ordinary temples and shrines probably wouldn't meet the strict requirements his trait system demanded for generating a complete, independent supernatural inheritance.
Only places with long histories, intact lineages, and genuine core power—like the Priestesses of the Land of Demons or the monks of the Fire Temple—were likely to qualify.
"This will need careful, long-term planning," he thought.
He temporarily set aside these future schemes and brought his attention back to the present.
His gaze returned to the personal interface, where a single line glowed clearly:
[Draws Available: 1× (Blue)]
A rare opportunity. No reason to waste it.
As always, he stood up and went through the familiar ritual he had turned into a habit—bathing, washing his hands, clearing his mind. It looked pious, but it was mostly just mental comfort.
"Let's go."
With a silent thought, he activated the draw.
Light flowed across the panel. A pure blue radiance flashed, then settled into a brand-new trait:
[Endless Vitality (Blue): Life force surges within you like an endless tide. Your metabolism and tissue regeneration have reached a superhuman level. Deep, bone-revealing wounds can heal rapidly with almost no scarring, and you can continuously restore yourself during prolonged battles and in harsh environments.]
"Endless Vitality? A recovery-type trait?"
Shinichi's heart stirred. He immediately felt a surge of far more active and vigorous life energy inside his body, as if every single cell was filled with tenacity and vitality.
His recovery ability had already been quite strong before, but that was mostly a side effect of the massive overall physical boosts from [Innate Godly Strength (Green)] and [Thick-Skinned (Green)]. (Genius and Sword Master also enhanced his physique.)
Those two traits both improved his constitution, but one leaned toward explosive power and muscle density, while the other focused on impact resistance and damage reduction.
Now, [Endless Vitality (Blue)] directly targeted the "recovery" domain, providing powerful and specialized enhancement.
This meant his body's self-healing ability had been elevated to an entirely new, efficient level.
Combined with the speed and agility granted by [Nimble as a Hare (Green)]…
Shinichi did a quick mental calculation. In the most fundamental area of bodily functions, he had unknowingly secured specialized trait bonuses across four core pillars: Strength (Innate Godly Strength), Defense (Thick-Skinned), Recovery (Endless Vitality), and Agility (Nimble as a Hare).
And that didn't even include the all-around boosts from [Genius (Blue)], the efficiency improvements to bodily function usage from [Taijutsu Specialist (Blue)], or the additional physique enhancement from the [Sword Master] class.
"My foundation is getting more and more solid…"
He flexed his wrists, feeling the seemingly inexhaustible vitality flowing through him, and nodded in satisfaction.
A powerful, well-rounded body that could take hits, dish them out, and recover quickly was always the most reliable capital for facing this dangerous world.
This draw had filled in a very important piece of the puzzle.
...
Winter came early to Konoha in Year 45. In the evening, fine snowflakes drifted through the cold air.
With no missions on the schedule and another long, tedious but fulfilling day of training at the grounds behind him, Shinichi Higashino headed home.
The shops lining the streets had begun lighting their warm lanterns. The aroma of food cut through the chill.
As he passed a yakiniku restaurant, a loud, clearly drunk female voice rang out from inside:
"Hey! Kid over there! Shinichi Higashino!"
Shinichi's footsteps paused. He looked toward the sound.
Through the window, he saw Tsunade sitting alone. She was waving energetically, several empty sake bottles already lined up in front of her. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her long golden hair looked a little messy under the restaurant lights.
Ever since their brief encounter and conversation at the hospital a few months ago, the two had run into each other on the streets or at the hospital several more times. Thanks to Shizune, they were at least acquainted enough to greet each other.
Shinichi hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked inside.
The strong smell of alcohol hit him the moment he got close.
"Lady Tsunade," he greeted politely with a nod.
"Sit down!" Tsunade pointed at the empty seat across from her, her tone leaving no room for refusal. She immediately shouted toward the owner, "Bring another set of bowls and chopsticks! Uh, get him something to drink—sake, juice, tea, whatever!"
"Lady Tsunade, I'm still underage. I can't drink," Shinichi said calmly as he sat down.
"I know you can't drink! Stop nagging!"
Tsunade waved her hand impatiently. The owner quickly brought over a cup of hot barley tea.
She stopped paying attention to him and poured herself another cup of sake, downing it in one gulp. Then she stared out the window at the snowy street, her eyes distant and empty, drinking cup after cup in silence.
Tsunade was in a terrible mood today. She had gotten into a huge fight with Shizune.
As Kato Dan's niece, Shizune had been taken in and raised by Tsunade after Dan's death. That responsibility, along with her lingering feelings and guilt toward Dan, made Tsunade view Shizune as extremely precious.
Lately, with her sharp senses, Tsunade had picked up on the dark undercurrents flowing beneath the village's calm surface.
She was almost certain that, at the latest by next year, to prepare for possible escalating conflicts and manpower shortages, Konoha would likely push Shizune's generation to graduate early.
The mere thought of Shizune stepping onto the dangerous path of a shinobi—possibly even going to war and facing the same fate as Nawaki and Dan—filled Tsunade with a suffocating fear.
Today, she had tried to forcefully make Shizune give up on becoming a shinobi, which had only led to a fierce argument.
After they parted on bad terms, the pained and frustrated Tsunade had come straight here, trying to numb herself with alcohol.
...