That final condition, however, made the ability far less appealing.
It could only be used on someone whose entire lifetime of memories he possessed.
Not a general understanding.
Not secondhand knowledge.
But everything...from their earliest memories to the end of their life.
Ethan stared at the "Perfect Substitution" option without expression.
For a moment, it almost felt like this ability had been designed specifically for him.
His eyes narrowed slightly as a flood of thoughts surfaced.
Possibilities.
Implications.
Questions he couldn't fully answer.
But just as quickly...
He forced them down.
The same way he used to suppress frustration during long, exhausting workdays in his previous life.
"…I got here, didn't I?"
His voice was barely audible in the quiet room.
"This is exactly the kind of opportunity I used to dream about."
"So why am I hesitating now?"
He let out a quiet breath, then stretched, a faint smile returning to his face.
Whether this ability was a coincidence or something more...
Didn't matter.
Whatever created the system was far beyond his control.
Overthinking it would only slow him down.
Better to focus on what he could do.
Strengthen himself.
Stabilize the Sunagakure.
And survive what was coming.
[Exchange: Perfect Substitution]
[Select target]
[Current available target: Rasa]
[Confirmed]
[Exchange successful]
[Memory integration will Begin]
[Estimated duration: 3 Minutes]
[Please remain still]
Ethan lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
He focused inward, waiting for the change.
.
.
A few seconds later...
He felt it.
Something new.
A current of energy flows through his body.
Circulating through his organs.
Each cycle grew stronger as it passed through his heart.
"…Chakra."
He remained still, concentrating on the sensation.
Letting it settle.
Understanding it.
[Integration Complete]
[Total Duration: 4 minutes and 39 seconds]
Ethan slowly sat up.
This time...
It was different.
Before, he had only observed Rasa's abilities through memory.
Like watching someone else fight from the outside.
He knew what the techniques did...
But not how to use them.
Now...
That gap was gone.
The knowledge wasn't external anymore.
It was instinct.
As natural as breathing.
He stood and walked to the window, pushing it open.
The desert wind rushed in immediately, carrying sand with it.
Ethan didn't react.
He extended his hand outward.
Slowly forming a fist.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust"
Outside...
The sand began to rise.
Grains lifted from the ground, gathering in the air.
Shifting.
Condensing.
Until a massive, blade-like shape formed...
Nearly five meters long.
Ethan watched it closely.
Then shook his head.
"Not enough."
The structure collapsed instantly.
Breaking apart into countless floating particles.
Suspended in the air...
It looked both impressive…
And unsettling.
He frowned slightly.
Gold Dust had limitations.
Too narrow in application.
Compared to the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand...
Or even Gaara's sand control...
It fell short.
At best, it was useful for extracting valuable material.
Controlling denser particles.
But that wasn't what he needed.
Money wasn't the issue.
There were far easier ways to obtain that.
He relaxed his hand.
The sand fell back to the ground, settling silently.
"…I need something stronger."
Closing the window, Ethan returned to the bed and opened the system interface again.
His Skill Points were currently at zero.
But...
Midnight was close.
Once the Affinity bonuses triggered...
He would have nearly a thousand again.
He kept flipping through pages.
Faster now.
Scanning everything.
Then...
The notification came.
"Masami, Karura, Tsuyu, and others have reached 200 Affinity"
[Maximum Bonus Achieved]
[Pakura Affinity increased to 58]
[Yashalei Affinity increased to 36]
[Total Skill Points gained: 994]
Ethan barely reacted.
The numbers were expected.
He kept scrolling.
[Page 200]
Marking anything potentially useful...
But nothing stood out.
No shortcuts.
No clean power boosts.
The system was powerful...
But frustratingly unorganized.
No filters.
No search.
Just endless pages.
He continued.
Faster.
Then...
He stopped.
.
.
His eyes locked onto something.
He checked it again.
Carefully.
[Page 213]
[Bloodline Upgrade : All Aspects]
[Cost: 50 SP]
"Each upgrade enhances the bloodline comprehensively"
"Each subsequent upgrade doubles the cost"
Ethan's breathing slowed.
Then deepened.
He did the math quickly.
Risky...
But worth it.
"Exchange"
[Upgrade Successful]
[Magnet Release: Gold Dust Enhanced]
[Finer Control Achieved : Reduced Chakra Consumption]
Ethan exhaled.
"Again"
[Confirm Expenditure: 100 SP]
[Confirmed]
[Upgrade successful]
[Expanded Control Range : Further Chakra Efficiency]
"Again"
"200 Skill Points Consumed..."
"Continue"
"400 Skill Points consumed…"
[Upgrade complete]
[Magnet Release: Gold Dust : Magnet Release]
"…Yes."
Ethan let out a long breath.
The system's voice had never sounded so satisfying.
He had gambled...
And won.
One more upgrade later...
And it might have cost more than he could afford.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, shaking his head slightly.
"Always right at the edge."
.
.
.
Then...
He raised his hand.
The kunai hanging on the wall...
Shot forward instantly.
Dozens of them hovered in front of him.
A full second passed...
Before the sound caught up.
He reached out, grabbing one.
Pulled.
It didn't move.
He pulled harder.
Still nothing.
After a moment, he raised his other hand.
A steel sword from outside flew into his grasp.
He released control...
And swung.
The blade shattered.
The kunai didn't even scratch.
Ethan nodded.
"That settles it."
Tomorrow...
He would win.
Because what he now possessed...
It was one of the most powerful bloodline abilities in the shinobi world.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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Thank you so much for your support and for reading!