For now, Shūyū set aside thoughts of future synthesis strategies.
His current priority?
Merging the ten shards of Nine-Tails Chakra he'd painstakingly gathered.
He was eager to see what grade this complete material would turn out to be.
After all, the system had made one thing clear—unlike normal loot, the grade of a special material wasn't tied to the opponent's strength, their bloodline, or the level of jutsu they used.
It was purely… random.
You could get a white-tier dud.
Or you could get a legendary gold-tier gem.
He'd already pulled Yellow Flash (Blue) from Minato Namikaze—a rarity that most high-ranking jōnin would struggle to drop. So who was to say this wouldn't be his golden ticket?
"If I hit a purple or black rarity," he muttered, eyes gleaming, "I might be able to synthesize a black- or red-tier tool. That's straight-up shortcut to godhood."
"System—synthesize fragments."
The familiar panel lit up before him. Ten identical shards slid neatly into place, lining up in the material slots.
WHRRR…
The panel began to vibrate.
The center slot glowed—BZZZ—and then suddenly—
A burst of radiant gold light exploded from the middle.
Shūyū's breath caught.
Eyes widened.
"IS THIS—A GOLD LEGEND DROP?!"
His heart thundered like a festival drum.
A full-bodied, gold-rank drop from ten fragments? That was absurdly rare!
He leaned in eagerly, blood pumping—
Only to freeze.
The golden light faded, revealing a black-bordered icon in the center of the panel.
[Nine-Tails Chakra (Black)]
"…Black?"
He blinked.
Then groaned.
The crushing sense of disappointment hit like a kunai to the gut. He'd gotten his hopes up for gold-tier glory, only for the result to be…
Black.
Very high quality, sure. But not gold.
He stared at the glowing icon, heart sinking. Somehow, the black-tier result—which he'd once have been ecstatic about—now felt underwhelming.
"Calm down," he told himself. "Black's still excellent. Better than white. Way better than white."
He forced himself to focus.
This wasn't a loss.
This was still a huge win.
Black-tier Nine-Tails Chakra had endless possibilities. He might even be able to synthesize a Black Chakra Fruit—and if a green one granted three months of condensed cultivation, a black one could give…
A year?
Three years?
Maybe even five?
That would be massive.
Still, after some thought, he shook his head.
"No. I'm not using this to make another fruit. Not yet."
Even if it guaranteed a black-grade result, combining such a precious material with basic Chakra (White) would be a waste. Even a Green Chakra Fruit would feel like underselling it.
No.
He'd wait.
Wait until he had other top-tier materials to pair it with—like Senju Physique, Uzumaki Bloodline, Rasengan… maybe even Yellow Flash.
Then he could attempt something like Nine-Tails Chakra Mode or beyond.
As for now?
Regular chakra training was fine. He could just keep farming classmates for white chakra materials and synthesizing White and Green Chakra Fruits until his reserves hit chūnin-level.
Maybe even jōnin by graduation.
As for kage?
…Unless he somehow started farming every class in the academy every month, that was probably out of reach.
Still, he left school that day whistling, full of plans for his next synthesis session.
—
Meanwhile.
On the other side of the village.
"Hey, Minato," a tall man called out, waving lazily. "You beat that kid yet?"
Wild white hair. Red facial markings. A grin too smug for his own good.
Minato Namikaze lowered his gaze. "No, Jiraiya-sensei. I lost again."
"…Huh?"
Jiraiya froze mid-stride.
"You're kidding."
Minato shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Jiraiya's jaw hung open.
This couldn't be real.
He had spent over two weeks tutoring this kid—personally. Teaching him taijutsu, timing, battle flow. All so Minato could wipe the floor with that cocky little punk who gave off strong "Orochimaru-lite" vibes.
And he still lost?
Jiraiya stared at his student.
"You do realize you've been trained by one of the Legendary Sannin, right?"
He wasn't bragging.
Okay, maybe he was.
But facts were facts!
He wasn't some random jōnin off the street—he was Jiraiya of the Sannin! The most charming, dashing, modest, devastatingly handsome ninja in all of Konoha! (Self-certified.)
So why the hell had his pupil still lost?
Minato bowed his head. "Please, sensei. Give me one more chance. I'll win next time. I promise."
Jiraiya studied him.
The fire in his eyes—the refusal to yield—it reminded him of his younger self, constantly chasing Tsunade and Orochimaru, clawing his way toward their level no matter how many times he fell.
A slow grin spread across Jiraiya's face.
"That's more like it, kid."
But if fists and speed weren't enough…
Then it was time to change the game plan.
"We're not done yet," Jiraiya said. "Let's add something new to your training. That brat won't know what hit him next time."
He slapped Minato on the back and laughed.
Just then, a voice rang out behind him.
"Well, well. Picking fights with five-year-olds now, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya stiffened.
That voice.
He turned—slowly.
There she was.
Tsunade.
Golden-haired. Gorgeous. And grinning like a shark.
"Oh no," he muttered.
"I mean," she said sweetly, "I expected shameless from you, but this is a new low."
He laughed awkwardly. "Tsunade! Old pal! Just a misunderstanding—"
She raised a brow.
He went pale.
She'd heard everything.
Crap.
Tsunade stepped closer, cracking her knuckles.
"Say… You wouldn't mind doing me a favor, would you?"
Jiraiya backed up.
"No, please no. Not again—"
"I just need a little starter cash. See, I had a teensy bit of bad luck at the casino…"
Jiraiya's wallet trembled in his pocket.
His soul screamed.
"Come on. Just a loan. I win, you get it back with interest. Everyone wins."
Tsunade gave him a radiant smile.
Jiraiya wept internally.
Somehow… it hurt more than losing to Orochimaru.
—
Back at the orphanage, Shūyū sat cross-legged, focused.
He had ten Senju Physique (Blue) materials.
The fusion was a success.
— Item Gained: Senju Physique (Blue) —
He sighed.
The rank hadn't bumped up—still blue-tier.
Maybe next time, he'd try the high-risk, two-material fusion for a chance at promotion.
But with Minato improving at lightning speed, now wasn't the time to gamble.
He immediately activated the new item, letting the enhanced vitality and chakra capacity surge through him like a tide of power.
His grin returned.
"Let's see how long you can stay ahead, Minato."