Konoha Village, a quiet clearing in the woods.
"Yugao-sensei, um… about that video just now, you really don't need to take it to heart…"
The awkward silence stretched on, with no one knowing how to break it.
Finally, it was Aoki Sora who spoke up, gently trying to ease Yugao's embarrassment over her very public, very unintentional confession.
At least I wasn't the one doing the confessing, right?
Standing there perfectly calm, Sora hoped Yugao could adopt the same relaxed attitude.
Yugao's lips twitched.
Oh sure, easy for you to say. You weren't the one who confessed in front of the whole world.
"I'm not taking it to heart at all!" Yugao replied, though her tone betrayed her frustration. "Anyone with eyes could see that video was ridiculous!"
"Ridiculous?" Sora echoed.
"That so-called future, you looked about sixteen, maybe seventeen at most. And in just three or four years, you expect me to believe you'll reach Hokage-level strength?"
"Well… it's not entirely impossible, is it?" Sora said thoughtfully.
Truth be told, by then I might be even stronger than a typical Kage…
"Oh? Sounds like you really believe it, don't you?" Yugao smirked.
"Of course." Sora nodded. "In fact, I think I might end up surpassing Kage-level."
That bold declaration left Yugao and even the usually composed Shiranui Hayama and Mizumura Shiran speechless.
This kid really doesn't hold back, huh? Is he actually getting cocky just from seeing that future video?
"You really think that?" Yugao asked, raising a brow.
"You'll see for yourself in a few years," Sora said with a grin.
"Alright then." Yugao's eyes glinted with mischief. "If you really get that strong by sixteen or seventeen, I'll confess for real, just like in that video."
Let's see if that so-called future actually comes true.
"EHH?!"
Hayama and Shiran nearly fell over.
Sensei, your dignity, where did it go?!
"Of course, that's only if you reach that level by sixteen or seventeen," Yugao added, then suddenly froze mid-thought.
Wait, could it be?
Is that why I confessed in the future? Because of what I'm saying right now?
Did the future influence today, and today's promise create that future?
A time loop?
In that instant, everything clicked for Yugao.
So that's it. This whole loop, Aoki Sora really will be nominated as the Sixth Hokage, and I really will confess like I promised today.
Did I just trap myself with my own words?
Ah well, might as well see where this leads. After all, who really understands the mysteries of time?
If she couldn't fight fate, maybe she should just embrace it.
Mentally preparing herself seemed like the wisest course.
"Fine," Sora said easily, accepting her words without hesitation.
Hey, if a beauty says she'll confess, who am I to object?
Yugao stared at him in silence for a beat.
"Enough about that. Let's get back to training," she said, trying to brush the awkwardness aside.
After a brief reintroduction, Sora dove back into training.
Since they were practicing as a team, he set aside his endurance runs for now.
Instead, he focused on honing his Genjutsu.
Though Yugao specialized in Kenjutsu, Genjutsu practice was critical.
Sure, running laps boosted his physical strength, the foundation of everything.
But his early game relied on special Genjutsu abilities, without which he'd hit dead ends at certain stages.
Thanks to his system's mechanics, every time he used Genjutsu (or Genjutsu Materialization), his Yin Release strength gradually increased.
Just like his running, practice directly translated to real gains.
As his Yin Release reached C-rank, he'd be able to spend chakra to materialize special constructs.
In the game, that meant one thing:
Materializing the Sharingan.
That infamous eye that so many had ripped out and slotted in as easily as puzzle pieces.
Like the God Tree's fruit, it was designed to be absorbed and used instantly.
Of course, materialized Sharingan would soon fade, corrected by the world's laws, but in that brief window, Sora could wield it and even retain faint residual power afterward.
At C-rank Yin Release, he could form a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but only briefly, with minimal benefit.
To summon a Mangekyo Sharingan, that would drain him massively and last less than thirty seconds, barely enough for two jutsu before his chakra was gone.
So it wasn't a tool for everyday fights, just a trump card for boss battles.
But here, in reality rather than a game?
Who knows? Maybe I can take it even further.
Sora gazed thoughtfully at the sky.
The Chunin Exams are just a few months away. Maybe then I'll stage something spectacular.
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Heyo everyone! If you're enjoying the story, please add it to your library, and if you feel like it, maybe drop a few powerstones too. Thanks a bunch!