DING! Congratulations, Host! Fusion successful—obtained: Chakra Fruit (White).
DING! Fusion failed.
DING! Congratulations, Host! Fusion successful—obtained: Chakra Fruit (Green).
DING! Fusion failed.
…
As usual, Shūyū Hikaru opted for the two-material fusion method.
With 65 [Chakra (White)] materials in his inventory, he initiated 32 fusion attempts. Every successful pair yielded a [Chakra Fruit], while failed attempts left nothing—no scraps, no refunds.
Every failure hurt like hell.
He'd earned these materials, dammit. Taken a whole beatdown from the teacher just to grab them.
Class 2: "…"
Class 3: "…"
Class 4: "…"
Seriously? You're only mourning getting yelled at? You forgot that we were the ones who got pummeled?
You ever consider the psychological damage of being physically flattened at age five?!
…
Out of the 32 attempts, 24 failed.
Only 8 successes.
Hikaru couldn't help but grimace.
"Ugh… talk about bad luck. This fusion rate's garbage."
Maybe he was cursed.
Maybe…
His eyes dropped to his own hands.
"…I didn't wash my hands today, did I?"
Yeah. That had to be it.
After coming back from the mountain, he'd started combining right away without even rinsing the dirt off. Of course his luck was blacker than midnight.
"Next time I fuse… I'm washing these suckers first."
From those 8 successful fusions, he got 2 [Chakra Fruits (Green)] and 6 [Chakra Fruits (White)].
Not bad.
Not great.
But maybe—just maybe—enough to tip him over the line.
Time to find out.
Hikaru popped one [Chakra Fruit (White)] into his mouth.
A warm current rushed through his body. Chakra stirred, rising incrementally.
It was close.
He was so close to a breakthrough, he could feel it in his bones.
A second fruit, down the hatch.
That paper-thin membrane—separating his current state from the next tier—was almost ready to rupture.
So he shoved the third fruit into his mouth.
BOOM!
The moment it melted in his stomach, a roaring surge erupted within him. Chakra tore through his meridians like a tidal wave. His limbs tingled. Muscles tightened. His whole body buzzed like lightning had crawled through his veins.
He broke through.
He was now… a Chūnin-level chakra wielder.
Even his physical body had toughened as a result. Ninja weren't just mentally sharp—they were physically reinforced by years of chakra flow. Surviving ten-meter falls? Shattering boulders with their fists? That was just Tuesday.
With each rank-up, chakra capacity increased.
And thanks to his [Sage Body], Hikaru's capacity was five times that of any normal ninja of equal level.
"Finally!"
He grinned.
He'd only been training for a few months—and now he'd already hit Chūnin level. At this rate, by the time he graduated…
He might be Super Kage material.
…At least, that's what he thought—until he ate another fruit.
He frowned.
"…Only ten days' worth of chakra refinement?"
It had weakened.
Even though [Chakra Fruit (White)] had previously boosted him by a full month's worth of cultivation, now it barely gave him ten days' value.
So that was the tradeoff.
The stronger his body, the more chakra it needed—and the less impact low-tier items had.
Which made sense.
If low-tier fruits scaled infinitely, he could theoretically hit Kage level by just gobbling a handful each day. Balance-wise, that would break the system.
So fine. Ten days was ten days.
He devoured the remaining two [Chakra Fruits (White)], netting another thirty days of chakra gain.
Then came the two [Chakra Fruits (Green)].
Each one used to provide three months of chakra refinement.
But now?
One month. Maybe.
Still acceptable.
At least greens weren't reduced to single digits like the whites had been.
"Alright," Hikaru said, cracking his neck.
"I can work with this."
He had the system.
He had the stats.
All that was left… was more material.
And if that meant beating up his classmates again?
So be it.
Let them hate him.
He'd carry that burden with pride.
—SYSTEM UPDATE—Chakra Level-Up Chart (based on Protagonist's Talent):
Genin → Chūnin: 3 years
Chūnin → Jōnin: 30 years
Jōnin → Kage: 100 years
Kage → Super Kage: 500 years
Super Kage → Sage Path: 3,000 years
Sage Path → God Realm: 10,000 years
NOTE: These year requirements represent accumulated chakra cultivation and are personalized to Hikaru's innate talent. For others, the time needed may vary drastically. Some may require twice as long—or more.