Chapter 27: Untitled

Chapter 27: Untitled

Time slipped away unnoticed amidst the structured and fulfilling training routine. In the blink of an eye, Kazama was already twelve years old, and tomorrow marked the final day of his time at the Academy.

That's right—Kazama was graduating.

Today, he didn't train. Instead, he took the time to bathe, change into fresh clothes, and sit in quiet contemplation.

The ninja life he had always anticipated was finally about to begin. His heartbeat quickened at the thought, an unfamiliar excitement surging through him, making it difficult to settle down for any kind of practice. So, he decided to give himself a day off, using it as a chance to think about his future as a ninja.

For most Academy students, becoming a ninja meant elevating their status—gaining strength, wealth, and recognition.

But Kazama saw things differently.

His past life and the cultural contrast between two worlds had reshaped his perspective. Having watched the original story, he knew that the world of Naruto was filled with tragedy and darkness—wars, slaughter, famine, disease, natural disasters, human cruelty. Even the so-called peace established by the Five Great Shinobi Villages was, in Kazama's eyes, merely the quiet before the next inevitable conflict—like fighters taking a brief rest before resuming the battle. This world was one of chaos, where life was often cheaper than a stray dog's.

Ninjas were nothing more than weapons of war, and as of tomorrow, he would officially become one of them. Would he regret this choice?

Kazama had always seen himself as an ordinary person. Even now, after mastering the core power of this world—ninjutsu, and preparing to step into the ranks of shinobi, he had never forgotten that his primary goal was survival.

If possible, he wanted to live well—free, comfortable, and unbothered. That was why he had chosen archery as his main combat style—to avoid close-quarters combat, where life and death were determined in the blink of an eye.

With a bow, he could fight from a distance. If things went south, he could simply turn and run before his enemy could catch up. This had always been his unspoken truth—the real reason behind his fighting style.

If he had the choice, he would rather have a normal job, earning just enough to support a family and live a quiet life. But unfortunately, this was the ninja world—a world where even Kage-level shinobi couldn't guarantee they'd live to see next year.

It turned out that the "lazy, stable life" he had in his previous life was actually the dream he longed for the most.

At the very least, he had prepared thoroughly.

His ninjutsu arsenal now included Earth Clone, Water Clone, and Body Flicker Technique, all of which he could execute with a single hand sign, a level of skill comparable to an experienced Elite Chūnin.

Survival jutsu were non-negotiable—he had to master them completely.

Why didn't he learn offensive jutsu?

Because ninjutsu wasn't about quantity—it was about efficiency.

Even elite jōnin only relied on a few key jutsu in real combat. The Third Hokage was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, having mastered over a thousand jutsu, yet in battle, he primarily used Fire Release and Earth Release. Kakashi, despite copying countless jutsu, relied mostly on Lightning Release and Earth Release.

At the end of the day, a thousand jutsu weren't as valuable as mastering one to perfection. Ninja were killers, and the fastest way to take down an opponent was always the best method—not flashy jutsu.

Mastering offensive ninjutsu would only distract from his true specialty—ranged combat. His bow and arrows had far greater range than most jutsu. Why waste time learning jutsu that required him to stop and fight head-on?

His battle style revolved around distance control—playing a game of hit-and-run. Letting the enemy close in on him and turning the fight into a direct ninjutsu battle was the worst possible strategy.

He dabbled in Wind Release, but only to enhance his arrows and blades. Standard Wind Release jutsu were too short-ranged and didn't suit his combat philosophy, so he abandoned them. His natural talent didn't lie in Wind Release, and forcing it would only lead to mediocre results. Time was too precious to waste.

His sensory abilities were another area of focus.

The old man had taught him a basic earth-based sensory technique, which involved detecting enemy movements through ground vibrations. But after testing it, Kazama wasn't impressed.

Sensing through earthquakes and tremors was too vague—if the enemy didn't move, he wouldn't be able to detect them at all.

However, this limitation gave him an idea.

If he could sense movement through the ground, could he also sense movement through water?

This led to the creation of his original "Rainwatching Technique", a sensory jutsu that ignored movement altogether and instead focused on detecting water presence.

Every living being contained water—humans were composed of roughly 70% water. By sensing water content instead of movement, he could pinpoint hidden enemies even if they stood completely still.

Developing this jutsu took an immense amount of effort.

It became essential after a terrifying encounter in the forest.

One day, he had attempted to investigate a lizard clan for Kutarou, thinking they might be useful allies. Instead, he almost got killed by a camouflaged lizard assassin lying in wait. If his wolves hadn't sensed the danger in time, he would have died instantly.

That was when he realized the fatal flaw of vibration-based sensing.

Enemies who stood still and lay in ambush were its greatest weakness.

And in the shinobi world, ambush techniques were common.

If Kazama wanted to survive without close combat, he needed absolute sensory awareness—a way to track enemies from a distance while remaining undetected himself.

Earth sensing had a flaw. Water sensing covered the gap.

With these two complementary techniques, his perception became far more reliable.

Of course, he wished he had the Yamanaka Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, which allowed unparalleled sensory ability, but that wasn't an option. Since he lacked quality, he had to make up for it with quantity.

His ninja beast army was another major advantage. He could summon multiple allies instantly, ensuring that he was never alone in battle.

His swordsmanship and archery remained his core daily training, sharpening his ability to fight from a distance.

With all of this, he should be more than capable of surviving as a genin…

Right?

Then he came across a terrifying statistic.

Even in Konohagakure, the most stable village, the mortality rate for newly graduated genin was around 30%.

That meant one-third of his peers would die on missions shortly after graduation.

The sheer number nearly made Kazama reconsider his career choice.

This explained why the old man was alone.

Kokei had fought as a ninja for over 50 years—an incredibly long time in this dangerous profession. Even the Third Hokage had lost all of his children to war, yet Kokei had somehow lived through it all.

Kazama concluded that his luck stat must be maxed out.

And if luck was part of survival, then Kazama intended to copy Kokei's strategy exactly.

He would stay a genin for life.

A genin with jōnin-level skills who only took low-risk missions.

Kokei had unknowingly perfected the art of survival—and Kazama planned to follow his example to the very end.

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