"Hey, are you and that girly guy really close?"
Uzumaki Kushina finally gave in to her curiosity and asked the question.
The kind of unspoken understanding they'd shown with just a glance—that wasn't something you saw between just classmates.
"Oh, you mean Minato? He's one of my closest friends!"
Uchiha Kaien pointed at Namikaze Minato with a relaxed smile, clearly acknowledging the bond.
"That's right," Minato chimed in with a nod of agreement. "We're definitely best friends!"
There was no doubt about it—he and Kaien were thick as thieves.
Sure, Kaien could be a little mischievous sometimes, but most of the time, he was calm, poised, and easy on the eyes.
Now that a new girl had joined the class who could match Kaien's looks, Minato was determined to make a good impression. Whether it was because of his duties as class representative or his personal fondness for red hair, he had to get along with her.
Black hair was nice and all, but the more beauty in the world, the better!
Minato suddenly remembered something he'd once stumbled upon at Jiraiya-sensei's house...
"The Erotic Travel Chronicles."
That had been a real eye-opener. His cheeks had burned for hours after reading it.
Even now, when he looked back, Minato couldn't help but respect Jiraiya-sensei even more. No matter the field, his teacher was always a step ahead.
Kushina, having gotten her answer, nodded thoughtfully.
But she still thought Kaien's friend seemed a little... off.
Still, if he was Kaien's friend, he probably wasn't like the bullies who used to mock her.
So she ignored Minato and turned her attention back to Kaien, whispering secrets like before.
Her first impression of Uchiha Kaien was way better than of Minato. Even now, she still hadn't realized that Kaien wasn't a girl.
In fact, she was chatting with her "new friend" with growing enthusiasm.
[Affection from Uzumaki Kushina +1]
"..."
When Kaien got home, he collapsed onto his big, comfy bed with a deep sigh of relief.
Raising one hand, he called forth the invisible system screen only he could see.
In a soft voice, he said:
"System, draw."
He'd finally saved up enough for a ten-roll, and Kaien was feeling lucky.
This time, he had to get something good, right?
He'd hit the purple pity marker already!
As the wheel spun wildly, ten glowing orbs appeared—one purple, one green, and eight white.
Kaien poked the purple orb first.
No way the guaranteed pull was going to be trash, right?
[Weakness Camouflage: Humans all have weaknesses, and those weaknesses often become fatal flaws in battle. Now, you can perfectly hide yours. Any injuries you sustain will be delayed until after the fight is over, allowing you to maintain peak performance throughout combat.]
Kaien gave a satisfied nod after reading the description of the new trait.
Sure, it wasn't especially useful right now, but as he grew stronger, this would become a game-changer.
Ninja battles always came down to chakra and technique. The moment you were injured, your performance would be affected.
Lose too much blood, and you'd have to redirect chakra to stop the bleeding. Face an overwhelmingly strong enemy, and you'd need to burn through your reserves just to keep up.
Your condition drops while the enemy stays stable—that alone is enough to tilt the balance of power.
But now, with [Weakness Camouflage], Kaien could stay in perfect form the entire fight.
Even as his opponent got weaker, he would remain the same—a crushing display of dominance.
Energized by the lucky first pull, Kaien immediately tapped the green orb.
Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere.
A B-rank Wind Release ninjutsu.
"Meh," Kaien muttered with a yawn.
He'd never been short on ninjutsu anyway.
Still, wasn't this one of Danzo's signature moves?
The remaining eight white orbs were all minor attribute boosts.
Spirit +5Body +2Agility +3Strength +2
That was everything from the draw.
As the enhancements kicked in, Kaien's Sharingan chakra began to stir violently.
His spirit stat had shot way above the rest—totally out of proportion.
Kaien couldn't help but complain about the system's randomness.
But despite the whining, his eyes were burning with heat as the surge of chakra activated his Sharingan.
Twin crimson tomoe appeared, spinning in each eye.
His usually soft and delicate features now held a strangely captivating intensity.
The contrast of black hair and red eyes made Kaien look even more striking.
As his Sharingan spun faster, each tomoe blurred into motion—until a third tomoe split off from the second, forming a complete trio.
When the spinning stopped, his fully-formed Three Tomoe Sharingan gleamed back at him.
With his spirit stat hitting the threshold, his Yin Release power had risen, pushing his Sharingan to the next stage.
"Getting stronger is great and all," Kaien muttered, staring into the mirror, "but why do I feel even more drained...?"
His Three Tomoe eyes gave off a deeper, more eerie glow. Just looking into them sent a chill down his spine.
He tried to suppress the ominous aura. That's when another trait kicked in:
[Expressive Performance]: You've gained the ability to project emotions so convincingly that others will believe them completely. You can blend in with any crowd, playing any role you choose. Your real emotions remain hidden deep within, while your projected ones are just as believable as the truth.
Kaien kept experimenting, and finally, he managed to cloak his eerie chakra under a gentle, more peaceful façade.
Staring into the mirror again, he saw that his eyes no longer looked cold—they were warm now. In fact, if someone looked closely, they might even see a trace of tenderness within.
"Now that's more like it! I'm not playing the role of some evil Uchiha!"
But before Kaien could enjoy his triumph, waves of discomfort surged through his body.
Three Tomoe at age seven!
He was starting to feel like he only survived thanks to the system.
Uchiha Itachi awakened his at eight... and died at twenty-one.
Would Kaien even make it to eighteen?
He didn't have Indra's chakra to fall back on.
When the body's overdrawn, it's overdrawn.
This was practically sacrificing lifespan!
Even Uchiha Sasuke, who awakened his Sharingan at six, didn't reach Three Tomoe until twelve. That alone spoke volumes.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo