"The main drawback must be this exhausted and painful state after exiting the mode."
Renji muttered to himself. However, he didn't seem too worried; an instinctive feeling told him that once he began using it regularly, his body would either adapt, and this discomfort would vanish on its own, or he would become capable of enduring it.
Slowly, he propped himself up to a sitting position and began analyzing his gains and losses for the day.
'First up is the super cool transformation... which might even catch enemies off guard.'
Renji thought sarcastically, but he couldn't deny that he looked pretty cool.
"The amount of time I can stay in this form is about one and a half minutes. That might change depending on the type or quantity of chakra, but for now, it looks like only a Genin-level chakra can sustain me for this long. More research is needed."
He jotted down his observations in a small notebook he pulled from his pocket. Despite how long all those stunts felt, they had taken less than a minute and a half, thanks to his heightened speed and reflexes.
"Shadow Assault technique detaches my shadow from me. It has transformation abilities, tangibility, intangibility, life drain, and a soul link. The potential it holds seems far greater than what's currently available. Overall, I need to research its range and find ways to unlock it further."
Renji decided to name the ability that allows him to perceive everything his shadow sees as 'Soul Link.' He couldn't think of a better name and didn't want to waste more time on it since he would be the only one to use and know about the ability.
"As for the life drain ability, after all that research on these poor animals, it's a bit unfortunate that it currently drains about a year of life, regardless of the life type. Further research with different chakra types is necessary."
Renji felt a twinge of satisfaction about this ability; all he'd have to do was land a few hits on the old Hokage and his buddies and watch them wither away.
The thought of killing them flashed in his mind, not just them, but even Itachi for a brief moment. However, he quickly dismissed those ideas, knowing that his limited time and power might not be enough to achieve such goals.
He considered seeking help from his mother for his research, envisioning a time when he could finish them all off if his power increased.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Renji felt a bit overwhelmed. Ultimately, he concluded that unless he was certain about something, he would refrain from getting involved.
With his current power, Renji was confident that he could save his family during troubled times. As for the village or the Uchiha clan, he didn't care much about them.
'Let them kill each other; at best, I'll cheer for the losing side.'
Having confirmed his stance and cleared away any messy thoughts that might complicate his world further, Renji refocused on his gains and losses.
"Overall, my strength has increased to about one percent of Naruto's Baryon Mode. I feel incredibly strong, far stronger than any elite Jonin in the clan. In this state, I might possess the strength of a Kage, but I have no idea how well I would fare against them."
Renji noted this down, feeling that his raw power could potentially surpass even Tsunade's. However, he was uncertain about how he would perform in an actual fight, as he had never faced anyone of that caliber.
He hadn't even fought anyone at the Jonin level; he had only observed some of them flexing their abilities in the clan. Being a transmigrator gave him certain insights, but theories didn't always translate to practical experience.
One thing he did know for sure was that he was quite powerful in that form and wouldn't have to worry about escaping unless he was ganged up on or set up by someone.
"Now, as for the drawbacks: limited time is one factor, and exhaustion and soreness are the second. These two are minor drawbacks that can potentially be improved."
After noting down these drawbacks, Renji glanced at his panel with a hint of concern.
[Black Panel]
Age: (6/119) [21 years gained from skill, 2 years lost from skill]
Chakra: Normal (1800/2900) [2100 units gained from skill, 200 chakras lost from skill]
Skills:
Kagebōshi Ryūsei [Shadow Baryon Mode] (Active)[1%]: Grants the user significant boosts in speed, reflexes, strength, and overall combat ability.
Abilities: Life Drain, Shadow Assault
Requirements: At least two types of chakra (1/?) [own and ?]
Drawbacks: Life Drain, permanent chakra consumption
Eien Seishin [Eternal Spirit] (Active): Users can passively gather life energy and chakra as they age.
Life Energy: 21 gathered [Live a year to increase life exponentially]
Chakra: 2100 units gathered.
"I performed around twenty hits or taps on those animals, so that's 0.1 years for each hit—a ratio of 1:10. I just lost two years of my lifespan for 'fucking around and finding out'? No, this isn't just a casual experiment; this is important research. What I might do in the future depends on this."
Renji felt a wave of frustration as he glanced at his reduced lifespan and chakra. It wasn't temporary; he could see that neither was recovering.
"The only benefit is that there's no passive life energy loss, which I initially thought would be a major drawback."
His frustration eased slightly, knowing that in Naruto, maintaining that state typically caused the user to lose life energy.
"I just need to test whether the Life Drain is a passive or active ability. If it's passive, using this mode could be troublesome."
Although Renji had researched animals, he had always activated the technique actively and didn't know what would happen if he hit them passively.
Not to mention, the amount of chakra he had lost was greater than Hana's.
"So... from now on, I should use this technique as sparingly as possible. Aside from some research to gain a better understanding, I shouldn't poke it unless necessary."
Renji concluded, his earlier thoughts about killings or silly plans completely cleared, leaving no trace behind.
He also noted down some additional points, such as how the Life Drain from his shadow works. Would it further deplete his chakra?
After noting everything down and reflecting on it all, Renji's face lit up with a smile. Despite the numerous drawbacks, he realized he no longer had to be so passive.
He stood up, gazing at the starry night sky, and began walking home while whistling a tune from his previous life.