Wood Style And Sharingan

"Which one should I choose?"

Smith stared at the handful of options displayed before him in the system store, his eyes shifting between legendary techniques. Susanoo, Flying Thunder God, and the Woodman Jutsu—he wanted them all!

They were all powerful abilities that could change the tide of battle in an instant. But even if he were to exchange for any of them now, it wasn't like he could use them right away. His current level wasn't nearly high enough.

Still, they were 10% off.

Ten percent off!

Did anyone truly understand the value of such a discount?

If he didn't act now, the opportunity would slip away. And once it was gone, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.

After several minutes of painful hesitation, Smith clenched his fists and made his decision.

"System, I want to exchange for the Flying Thunder God Technique!"

> [Ding! You have exchanged for 'Flying Thunder God Technique' at the cost of 5000 energy points!]

[You have received: Flying Thunder God Style, Flying Thunder God Second Stage, Flying Thunder God Slash, and Flying Thunder God: Space-Time Barrier.]

[Bonus: Ten Flying Thunder God Kunai gifted!]

As the list of techniques flooded the screen, Smith could hardly contain his excitement.

The Flying Thunder God Technique—Minato's signature move. It was a symbol of true speed, the backbone of the legendary Yellow Flash. With it, he could be practically invincible. Even if he couldn't win, he could always escape.

There was just one problem—it consumed a ridiculous amount of energy.

Just one use of the technique required 500 spiritual energy points. At Smith's current level—Intermediate First-Class—his spiritual energy limit was only 200. With Sage Mode activated, it rose to 600, but that was barely enough for a single teleportation.

And then he noticed a fine line in the system's description:

> "Each use of the Flying Thunder God Technique consumes 500 spiritual energy within 1,000 meters. For distances beyond 1,000 meters, an additional 10 points are consumed per extra meter."

Smith's face darkened.

So with 600 spiritual energy, he could only teleport up to 1,100 meters. At this rate, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel across large distances—or during prolonged battles—was simply unrealistic.

"Damn it, I got scammed!"

No wonder only the Second and Fourth Hokage ever mastered this technique—it wasn't just difficult, it was insanely expensive to use.

Flying Thunder God didn't just require precise spatial awareness and reaction time. It also demanded an enormous amount of spiritual energy. If one didn't have that, even just a few uses would leave them drained, vulnerable, and unable to fight.

Smith sighed in frustration.

What a rip-off.

---

He still had 1,300 energy points remaining.

The discount shop didn't have many options left, especially after spending 5000 on the Flying Thunder God Technique:

Flying Thunder God Technique – 5000 energy points (already owned)

Wood Style: Woodman Technique (1000 energy points; costs 1000 spiritual energy to use)

Mangekyō Sharingan (Susanoo) – 3000 energy points (uses 500 energy to activate + 10 per second)

Multiple Shadow Clone Technique – 500 energy points (10 spiritual energy per clone)

Illusion: Shackling Technique – 80 energy points (already owned)

Spiritual Art – 80 energy points (already owned)

Susanoo was clearly out of reach for now, and the Woodman Technique required 1000 spiritual energy per use—far beyond his current limit. If he exchanged for something he couldn't even use yet, it would be a complete waste.

What he needed now were practical techniques—skills he could use immediately for survival and self-defense.

His eyes landed on the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. It was a strong choice. But then he hesitated.

He wasn't Naruto.

Unlike Naruto, who had absurd chakra and physical endurance, Smith's body was still quite average. The drawback of Shadow Clones was that every clone's exhaustion and damage would return to the original body. Smith couldn't afford to be worn out after summoning a few clones.

That's when he noticed something better.

> [Wood Style: Wood Clone Technique – A-Rank. Cost: 1000 energy points. Each clone consumes 50 spiritual energy points.]

The Wood Clone Technique was significantly better than the shadow clone in almost every aspect. Not only did the clones have better combat ability, resilience, and intelligence, but they didn't transfer any backlash to the original body.

And they were much harder to distinguish from the real body. In fact, for most people, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart the first time.

It was more expensive, sure. But also more efficient.

Smith made his decision.

"System, exchange for the Wood Clone Technique!"

> [Ding! You have exchanged for 'Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique' at the cost of 1000 energy points.]

His balance dropped to a mere 300.

From 6300 energy points to 300, all in under ten minutes.

Smith groaned and clutched his head. "Why is it so expensive to become strong? Why doesn't Dad save more monster cores? How is this worthy of the Jiang family name?"

---

In the kitchen, Jiang Lei, his father, suddenly sneezed violently.

"Huh? I wonder which young lady is thinking about this handsome old man. Ah, the burden of charm."

---

After dinner and a good night's sleep, Smith returned to school the next morning.

As he walked through the halls, he began to notice that something was off.

More people than usual were staring at him—especially the girls. He wasn't sure what had changed, but he could feel the attention.

Several pretty female classmates snuck glances at him.

Smith sighed dramatically, brushing his bangs aside.

"Ah… the curse of being handsome."

---

Back in Auxiliary Class One, no sooner had he stepped into the room than a figure rushed toward him.

"Brother Smith! You're finally back!"

Wei Lin pounced on him with a huge bear hug, practically suffocating him with his overly enthusiastic greeting.

The scent of sweat and hormones filled Smith's nose, and he instantly wrinkled his brow.

"Okay, okay! I'm not dead. Just laid down for two days. Get off!"

He pushed Wei Lin away in irritation. He had no interest in hugs from men. A beautiful woman? Sure. But this?

Just as he thought that, two beauties—Yan Yue and Zhao Mei—walked over.

"Smith, are you okay?"

"It's really thanks to you and Yueyue that we made it back. We might not have survived otherwise."

Smith's mood improved instantly. He waved his hand coolly and replied, "It's nothing. Just a little scratch."

A few more classmates came over, curious about the rumors floating around.

"Smith, I heard you guys ran into a beast tide. Was it really that scary?"

"They say you and Yan Yue saved a lot of people. Is that true?"

"Some squads got completely wiped out by the beast tide!"

"You're amazing, Brother Smith!"

He scratched his head awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed by the praise.

"No, really. It was a team effort."

Then, the classroom door opened, and Sun Shuyu, the class dean, walked in. She adjusted her glasses and coughed to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, enough talking. Everyone, back to your seats."

The crowd dispersed reluctantly, heading back to their places.

As Smith sat down, he glanced around the room and noticed something strange.

There were about ten students missing…

pàtreøn (Gk31)