Spatial Talent

"Why is that?" Uchiha Izumi asked curiously.

That morning, Izumi had come to watch the duel, but seeing so many Jōnin and even the Hokage present, she hesitated to join the crowd. Instead, she stayed under a large tree, watching quietly from afar. Now, hearing the mention of Itachi unlocking his Sharingan, Izumi couldn't help but sound a little envious. After all, for any Uchiha, unlocking their Sharingan was always a momentous event.

Yet Denji didn't seem to view it as a completely positive thing.

"Because it's too early," Denji replied, reaching out to ruffle Izumi's soft, jet-black hair. Izumi had been growing it out since she was little, and it was now long, silky, and pleasant to the touch.

Izumi pouted and swatted his hand away. "I spent so long fixing my hair this morning, and you ruined it in seconds," she grumbled.

Denji simply chuckled, then continued, "Opening the Sharingan certainly comes with benefits, but we're still children. Our bodies haven't fully developed, and we're in the middle of growing rapidly. If the Sharingan awakens too soon, it disrupts the balance between our physical and mental energies. Overusing it at this stage can put a lot of strain on the body and might even cause lasting health problems."

Denji strongly suspected that Itachi's later frail appearance was tied to having unlocked both the Sharingan and the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age.

In a world where people's physical development was faster and more robust, awakening the Sharingan at just six or seven years old still seemed far too early. Overloading the body in such a way was bound to take a toll. During his time at the ninja academy, Denji had noticed that Itachi appeared strong and healthy—perhaps because he hadn't yet realized the full extent of his Sharingan's power.

Itachi may have unlocked it by instinct, but he was still too young to understand its implications.

Hearing Denji's explanation, Izumi became uneasy. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, the envy she'd felt toward Itachi quickly vanishing.

But her curiosity wasn't completely gone. "Denji, how do you know so much about this?" she asked. "None of the elders in my clan ever mentioned these risks. They actually encourage us to unlock our Sharingan as early as possible."

Denji shrugged and said nonchalantly, "My grandfather told me. He's the Hokage's advisor, so he knows what he's talking about."

"Oh, I see," Izumi said, nodding in understanding.

Denji smirked. Just mention "the Hokage's advisor," and everyone believed it without question.

A short while later, as lunchtime approached, Denji decided to treat Izumi to a meal at Konoha's famous Ichiraku Ramen.

Despite the village rumors and exaggerated jokes about the ramen shop's legendary origins, the truth was simple. Teuchi, the shop owner, was just an ordinary man who happened to make excellent ramen.

Well, calling him an "old man" might not be entirely accurate yet. There were still more than ten years before the main events of the story unfolded, so at this point, Teuchi was likely only in his early thirties.

But his cooking skills were top-notch.

Denji and Izumi were also regulars here. Each visit, Denji ordered a large portion of ramen with two extra croquettes. Izumi, with her smaller appetite, found a standard bowl of ramen more than enough.

This time, however, Denji noticed something interesting.

A girl, about their age, was in the kitchen, carefully kneading dough by hand. When instructed to add water, she poured just a little, her cautious movements suggesting she feared adding too much.

Teuchi, the shop's owner, glanced over and saw Denji watching. Smiling, he introduced the girl.

"This is my daughter, Ayame. She doesn't have the talent to be a ninja like you two, so she helps out in the shop and learns the family craft."

Ayame, shyly hiding behind her father, gave a small nod toward Denji and Izumi. In her heart, she thought, 'Wow, this boy is really handsome.'

It wasn't a surprising thought. Denji came from a family blessed with good genes. His mother had a classic, refined beauty, and his father—despite how Danzo looked now—had once been quite the charmer, capable of making even the likes of Tsunade and Shizune blush. Denji had inherited the best features of both parents, their traits blending seamlessly.

One could already imagine how much trouble his looks would cause once he was older.

...

After finishing dinner, Denji walked Izumi back to the Uchiha compound. Once she was safely home, he returned to his own residence to review the day's rewards.

Defeating Itachi so decisively had brought significant gains. Many of the ninjas who had witnessed the match were seasoned Chūnin and Jōnin, making their impressions—and the resulting rewards—exceptionally valuable.

[Bond with Gekkō Hayate established: Reward—three standard Chūnin units of Chakra]

[Bond with Sarutobi Shinnosuke established: Reward—Fire Chakra Nature Transformation (Excellent)]

[Bond with Raido Namiashi established: Reward—Spatial Ninjutsu Talent (1/3)]

And there were more. Over ten notable observers had granted him first-stage rewards.

Of all the rewards, the Spatial Ninjutsu Talent stood out. This was his second fragment of space talent. The first one—another one-third portion—had come from his second-stage bond reward with Izumi.

Raido Namiashi… Denji recalled that he was a Tokubetsu Jōnin who had served as one of the Fourth Hokage's guards alongside Shiranui Genma and Tatami Iwashi. Their teamwork in executing the Flying Thunder God Formation made it reasonable that Raido would have spatial talent.

What surprised Denji was receiving this talent so early. Perhaps it was just his lucky day. With one more fragment, he could start practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Once he mastered it, he'd be nearly untouchable. Without Six Paths-level power, no one could threaten a shinobi who wielded the Flying Thunder God. Only certain unique strategies could keep them in check.

Denji glanced at his personal attributes panel:

[Name:] Shimura Denji

[Gender:] Male

[Age:] 7 years old

[Date of Birth:] April 1, Year 46 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar

[Chakra Attributes:] Fire (Ultimate), Wind (Ultimate), Earth (Genius), Water (Genius), Lightning (Genius), Yin (Genius), Yang (Genius)

[Total Chakra:] 5 cards (one card equals five standard Jōnin units of Chakra)

[Chakra Control Talent:] Genius

[Mastered Ninjutsu:] Transformation Jutsu (Proficient), Substitution Jutsu (Proficient), Clone Jutsu (Proficient), Basic Five-Element Jutsu

[Nature Transformation:] Wind (Grandmaster), Fire (Proficient), Earth (Proficient), Water (Proficient)

[Special Talents:] Hope for Success, Mom's Favorite, Senju Lineage (Thin, Developing), Swordsmanship Prodigy, Darkness of the Ninja World, Mother-in-Law's Expectation, Space Talent (2/3), Uchiha Lineage (Rich)

[Evaluation:] Jōnin-level strength with some gaps—maximize strengths in combat

Denji admired the results of his year's efforts, feeling satisfied. As he reviewed the information, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps outside.

Looking up, he saw Danzo entering the courtyard, a ninja headband in hand.