C4 Jonin Chakra
After leaving home, Russell jogged all the way to the training grounds.
Two months had passed since the war's end, and while Konoha was still quiet, it showed signs of recovery, with noticeably more people on the streets.
But Russell wasn't concerned with such matters. He quickly made his way to the training grounds.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Upon his arrival, he spotted his target: a man clad in a green bodysuit.
To Russell's surprise, the man sparring with the green-clad figure was none other than Hatake Kakashi!
Off to the side of the training grounds, a girl was intently watching the skirmish between Kakashi and Might Guy.
Despite his hazy memory, Russell recognized her.
"I can't believe Nohara Rin is still alive!"
In a flash, Russell's mind was flooded with countless conspiracies and stratagems.
"Here we go!"
Having been clueless about his future, Russell now had a clear vision of his path forward.
He would covertly undermine Obito, ensuring the safety of those he cherished, while steering the unfolding events as smoothly as possible.
The thought of the formidable powers others would wield later on, coupled with the prospect of collecting cards that could drop at any moment, had Russell practically salivating.
Yet, his immediate priority was to forge strong bonds with these three individuals.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
Approaching with light footsteps, Russell stopped near Nohara Rin, feigning interest in the duel between Kakashi and Might Guy.
His eyes, however, were fixed on the ground around the fighters, where numerous cards lay in silent repose.
"Little brother, did you come here to train, too?"
Nohara Rin was quick to spot Russell's arrival and struck up a conversation.
From her demeanor, Russell sensed an eagerness in her, as if she were itching to playfully squeeze his cheeks.
But after a closer look at Nohara Rin's features, Russell thought being fussed over by such a lovely young woman might not be so bad after all.
"Yes, my brother told me Might Guy is an exceptional taijutsu ninja, so he sent me here to train with him!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Russell pinned the responsibility on Minato, feeling not the slightest pang of remorse.
"Kid, who's your brother?"
Kakashi and Might Guy, who had been aware of Russell's presence, had by now finished their bout.
As Russell chatted with Nohara Rin, they were suddenly joined by an unexpected presence behind him.
The moment Russell heard the icy, detached tone of Kakashi's voice, he knew darkness had taken hold of Kakashi's heart.
"Hey, my brother is Namikaze Minato, your Jonin instructor!"
Russell shrugged nonchalantly and made his way to where Kakashi and Might Guy were sparring, under the bewildered stares of the trio. He plopped down on the ground.
Clumsily slapping his hands together, he gathered the cards into his pocket.
After he finished collecting them, he was about to get up when he noticed a purple glow emanating from the sole of his right foot.
Looking down, he spotted the purple card beneath his foot and his face lit up with wild joy.
"Hahahaha!"
Watching Russell cackle with glee on the ground, Kakashi and the others exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with sympathy.
Nohara Rin gently approached Kakashi and tugged at his sleeve, asking, "Kakashi, isn't this kid a little off?"
"Who knows?" Kakashi replied disinterestedly before heading off.
He was intent on confirming with Minato whether there was any truth to the boy's claims.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring a white card. Strength point increased by one!
Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring a blue card. Fire Release — Great Fireball Technique!
Ding! Congratulations! You've acquired a blue card. Speed increased by 10!
Notification after notification rang out, signaling a monumental shift in Russell's abilities.
Host: Russell
Strength: 23
Speed: 25
Constitution: 19
Spirit: 25
Chakra: 5
Innate Skill: Space Talent Level 3
Skills: Basic Shuriken Level 2, Basic Taijutsu Level 3, Chakra Pulling Technique Level 1, Great Fireball Technique Level 5, Severe Leaf Hurricane Level 4.
"Now for the grand finale!"
Russell gave his stats a cursory glance, then eagerly rubbed his hands together and tapped the purple card.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring a purple card. Chakra increased by 1,000!
"Holy crap! Holy crap!"
Upon seeing the system notification, Russell leaped up, ecstatic.
A thousand points of Chakra was Jonin-level!
He had been concerned about his Chakra levels, but now, it seemed his worries were over without any reason.
Russell felt like the heavens had just dropped a little sister into his lap – it was unbelievably thrilling. Without wasting a moment, he eagerly reviewed his attribute panel.
Host: Russell
Strength: 23
Speed: 25
Physique: 19
Spirit: 25
Chakra: 1,050
Talent: Space Talent Level 3
Skills: Basic Shuriken Level 2, Basic Taijutsu Level 3, Chakra Pulling Technique Level 1, Great Fireball Technique Level 5, Severe Leaf Hurricane Level 4
"Hehehe!"
"Russell, are you okay?" In the midst of his excitement, Might Guy's hand slapped onto Russell's shoulder, snapping him out of his daydreams where he was triumphing over Uchiha Madara and pummeling the formidable Kaguya.
"I'm fine, I came to train with you," Russell replied, regaining his composure.
He had a hunch about what Might Guy would do next, and sure enough, Guy embraced him like a whirlwind, crying tears of joy.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had come to learn of Russell's origins. Once he confirmed that Russell was indeed Minato's younger brother, his suspicions were allayed.
Having earned Might Guy's trust, at least for now, Russell stuck close by, occasionally collecting the cards that Guy inadvertently dropped. Watching his attributes steadily climb brought a deep sense of satisfaction.
Yet, there was a nagging concern – Ninja School was about to start. Now, the idea of attending seemed less appealing. Why go to school when he could spend his days with Minato and the others, collecting high-level cards?
Russell had come to understand the mechanics of card drops. Intense training could yield cards, albeit rarely. Combat, on the other hand, greatly increased the likelihood of a drop. And then there was the random chance of a card dropping at any time, even during mundane activities like eating or sleeping – a one in ten thousand chance.
The golden card that Minato had was a product of such random fortune. So, if Russell wanted to amass a collection of cards, he'd need to seek out battles or be a spectator to them.
To amass a large number of cards, one had no choice but to engage in battles or watch others fight. However, the likelihood of Minato and Kushina fighting before Russell was slim to none. Russell had attempted to spar with them, but the system didn't recognize it as a true battle, and not a single card was dropped. With Minato and Kushina's insistent urging, Russell found himself reluctantly enrolled in Ninja School.
"Phew... Hah—hah—hah! I'm done for, Guy. It's all you now."
Russell collapsed to the ground, utterly spent, his hands feeling as if they were no longer his own. In his past life, he had thought Guy was intense while watching the show, but he hadn't anticipated this level of extremity. Starting with 5,000 push-ups as a warm-up, Russell, with his attribute score barely over 20, was wiped out after just 500.
Five thousand push-ups, my foot! Five thousand push-ups!
Watching Guy, who still looked effortlessly at ease, Russell bit back his frustration until he couldn't hold back any longer. "You're really something else, aren't you?"
"Hahaha, just keep at it with the training, and you'll get there!" Guy said, flashing a wide smile and giving a thumbs-up with his right hand, while his other hand kept moving, bending and straightening, making Russell's mouth twitch involuntarily.
Russell then took stock of his attributes; his strength had gone up by two points, hitting 25. Even his weakest stat, his physique, had finally surpassed 20, reaching 21 points. The rest of his attributes, however, remained unchanged.
"Sigh, only a three-point increase. It's just too slow!" Russell gazed at the sky, feeling disheartened, and sighed deeply. If it hadn't been for that single point gained during training, his physique would have remained at a mere 20 points.
