At this point, a picture of the ancient powers that humanity relied on for survival and struggle before the era of chakra became clear in Shinichi's mind:
Sword Master: A heritage system that, before the popularization of chakra, resisted the supernatural by tempering the body and refining weapon techniques (especially the sword)!
Core: Physical Energy.
Shrine Maiden / Priest: A heritage system that, before the popularization of chakra, resisted the supernatural through mental meditation, talismans, prayers, and sealing techniques!
Core: Spiritual Energy.
Monk: A heritage system that, before the popularization of chakra, resisted the supernatural by sensing, harmonizing and utilizing natural energy!
Core: Natural Energy.
The three major ancient systems each represented three different directions and extremes of human exploration of internal and external forces.
After Ōtsutsuki Kaguya descended and chakra gradually became popular, this new form of energy—which was easier to train, more universal, and could integrate some characteristics of the three—eventually became the mainstream.
This pushed these ancient heritages to the margins of history or forced them to change their forms.
After thinking through these root lineages, Shinichi did not delve deeper; it was still too early to ponder such things.
After all, he was currently a Konoha ninja, and his identity and position dictated that he couldn't just run off to some shrine or temple to seek a master.
Moreover, ordinary temples and shrines probably wouldn't meet the demanding generation conditions of his 'talent system' for an 'independent and complete supernatural heritage system' at all.
Perhaps only places like the Land of Demons' shrine maiden or the Fire Temple monks, which had long histories, complete heritages, and truly retained core power, could possibly meet the requirements.
"This needs to be considered carefully and planned well."
He temporarily suppressed this future plan in his heart and pulled his attention back to the present.
His gaze refocused on his personal panel, where it clearly displayed: [draw count: 1 (Blue)]
Opportunities are rare; it would be a waste not to use it.
As was his custom, he stood up and went through that routine that had become a habit—seemingly devout but actually more of a psychological comfort: bathing, and briefly organizing his thoughts.
"Let's go."
Silently chanting in his heart, he activated the draw.
Light flowed across the panel, a pure blue radiance flashed, and it finally settled on a brand-new talent:
[Endless Life (Blue): The vitality within your body surges like a tide, and your metabolism and tissue regeneration speed reach a supernatural realm. Wounds deep enough to see bone can heal in a short time without leaving scars, and you can continuously recover your state during prolonged battles and in harsh environments.]
"Endless Life? A physical recovery type trait?"
Shinichi's heart stirred slightly, and he immediately felt his life force suddenly become more active, as if every cell was filled with vitality.
His previous recovery ability wasn't actually weak, but that was mainly due to the incidental effects of the huge bonuses to overall physical fitness from the [Superhuman Strength (Green)] and [Skin-Hardening (Green)] talents. ([Genius] and [Sword Master] also add to physical fitness.)
Both of these talents improved constitution, but one leaned toward explosive power and muscle strength, while the other focused on strike resistance and damage reduction.
But now, [Endless Life (Blue)] directly targeted the field of 'recovery,' providing a powerful and specialized buff.
This meant that his body's self-healing ability was elevated to a new, independent, and efficient level.
Combined with the speed and agility provided by [Swift (Green)]... Shinichi did a rough calculation. In the most basic field of physical function, he had unknowingly acquired specialized talent support in the four core categories: Strength ([Superhuman Strength]), Defense ([Skin-Hardening]), Recovery ([Endless Life]), and Agile ([Swift]).
This didn't even count the all-field amplification of [Genius (Blue)], the improvement in physical function efficiency from [Mastery of Taijutsu (Blue)], and the extra physical fitness bonus from the [Sword Master] class.
"The foundation is really getting more and more solid..." He moved his wrist, feeling the seemingly inexhaustible vitality within him, and nodded with satisfaction.
A powerful, comprehensive body that can take a hit, dish it out, and recover quickly will always be the most reliable capital for dealing with this dangerous world.
This draw could be said to have filled in a very important puzzle piece.
---
The winter of the 45th year of Konoha came a bit early. In the evening, the sky was fluttering with fine bits of snow, and the air was cold.
With no missions and having finished another day of dull but fulfilling training at the training ground, Higashino Shinichi walked toward home.
Warm lights lit up one after another in the shops on both sides of the street, and the aroma of food dispelled the chill.
When he passed by a barbecue restaurant, a female voice, clearly drunk yet still full of vigor, came from inside:
"Hey! You brat over there! Higashino Shinichi!"
Shinichi paused and looked toward the sound.
He saw Tsunade sitting alone by the window. She was waving her hand boisterously, with several empty wine bottles already in front of her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her long blonde hair looked a bit messy under the shop lights.
Since their brief encounter and conversation at the hospital several months ago, perhaps because of the connection through Shizune, or perhaps because his reputation as a genius was indeed eye-catching, or for some other reason...
The two had bumped into each other a few more times on the street or at the hospital, and they were barely considered acquaintances who could say hello.
Shinichi hesitated for a moment but still turned and walked in.
As soon as he approached, the strong smell of alcohol hit him.
"Lady Tsunade." He nodded politely.
"Sit down!" Tsunade pointed to the empty seat opposite her, her tone brooking no refusal. She then shouted to the owner, "Add another set of bowls and chopsticks! Uh, get him something to drink—sake, juice, or tea, whatever!"
"Lady Tsunade, I'm not of age yet; I can't drink." Shinichi sat down as told and calmly stated the fact.
"I know you can't drink! So wordy!"
Tsunade waved her hand impatiently, and the owner soon brought over a cup of juice.
She ignored Shinichi, poured herself another cup of sake, downed it in one go, and then stared out the window at the snowy street with hollow eyes, silently drinking cup after cup.
Tsunade's mood today was terrible, the reason being a huge fight with Shizune.
As Kato Dan's niece, Shizune had been raised by Tsunade after Dan's sacrifice. This responsibility, along with her longing and guilt for Dan, made Tsunade value Shizune extremely highly.
Recently, the keen-scented Tsunade had detected undercurrents surging beneath the calm surface of the ninja world from some subtle movements.
She was almost certain that by next year at the latest, to deal with potentially intensifying conflicts and a shortage of manpower, Konoha would likely have Shizune's class of students graduate early.
At the thought of Shizune having to step onto the crisis-ridden path of a ninja, or even onto the battlefield, possibly facing the same fate as Dan and Nawaki, Tsunade felt a suffocating fear.
Today, she had tried to forcefully make Shizune give up the idea of becoming a ninja, which resulted in a heated argument.
After parting on bad terms, the frustrated and pained Tsunade came straight here, attempting to numb herself with alcohol.