Despite his excitement, Yagyu didn't immediately fuse with Asura's chakra.
Taking several deep breaths, he closed the virtual panel and returned his focus to the training field.
As one round of taijutsu duels after another concluded, the first exam for the new first-year students finally ended.
Politely bidding farewell to his enthusiastic classmates, Yagyu returned home. Once inside, the facade of his polite smile faded.
While changing his shoes at the entrance, Yagyu summoned the virtual panel again and tapped on the golden orb.
Just like in a game, a confirmation prompt appeared before him, asking if he wanted to use it.
After taking another deep breath, Yagyu selected "Yes."
Whoosh—
The golden orb shot out of his inventory like a meteor, transformed into a beam of light, and merged into his body.
For a brief moment, Yagyu's body glowed brilliantly, akin to a game-level-up animation.
And then… nothing else happened.
"This effect? I'd rate it a solid three cents…" Yagyu muttered sarcastically before feeling his body to detect any changes.
As expected, there were no external differences.
He figured the transformation wouldn't manifest outwardly but within.
Heading to the living room, Yagyu sat cross-legged on the tatami mat and closed his eyes to extract chakra.
Despite being a civilian-born ninja without a kekkei genkai, Yagyu was already considered a prodigy.
At least until graduation, his brilliance as a "civilian genius" would remain unchallenged.
With an adult's soul from another world, Yagyu possessed a forward-thinking mindset akin to precocious geniuses.
His unusual spirit also granted him stronger-than-average mental energy.
As chakra is a blend of physical and spiritual energies, Yagyu's mental energy was far above normal. However, his average physical energy kept his chakra levels relatively ordinary.
But now, when Yagyu extracted chakra as he usually did, it was like a tap being turned wide open. Physical and mental energies surged forth with unparalleled intensity.
As the two energies combined, the chakra within Yagyu's body began expanding rapidly, becoming visibly larger and denser.
If someone were to observe with the Byakugan or Sharingan, they would see his blue chakra spiraling and growing stronger.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Yagyu finally stopped and opened his eyes, which now reflected disbelief.
"This… is what it feels like to be OP? How can anyone compete with this?" he muttered, stunned.
For ordinary players, life was all grind. For pay-to-win players, life was sweet. But for a true cheat user? Life was bliss.
In just a short session, his chakra levels had multiplied several times over. Yagyu now understood the true weight of the phrase "bloodline supremacy."
Only with cheats can one overturn destiny!
Once the shock subsided, Yagyu chuckled to himself.
"Heh… Suddenly, life feels meaningful again. The world just got a whole lot more interesting."
The metaphorical path that once seemed uphill had now turned into a smooth highway.
Recollecting himself, Yagyu steeled his nerves. The true test awaited, one that would confirm the caliber of his cheat.
The days that followed were filled with Yagyu pretending to be a normal six-year-old, enduring childish play and fitting into social circles like a typical anime protagonist.
Throughout this period, he neither experienced visions of a white-haired elder nor entered any mystical realm while asleep.
He had no way of knowing if Sage of Six Paths was secretly observing him.
For now, Yagyu had to continue playing his role as a child and avoid monologuing like a suspicious adult.
If his cheat was so powerful that it escaped even divine scrutiny, so much the better.
But Yagyu wasn't willing to take that gamble.
Only by remaining cautious could he ensure survival until he reached the pinnacle.
By late autumn of Konoha's 54th year, winter had arrived, blanketing the village in snow.
Nearly five months had passed since Yagyu fused with Asura's chakra, and his progress had been astounding.
In terms of chakra reserves, he outpaced not only every first-year student but even those in the sixth grade—Naruto excluded.
The rapid growth within half a year left Yagyu imagining what monstrous levels he might reach by graduation.
Certainly, his reserves would eventually be measured in "units of K" (thousands).
While sheer chakra quantity doesn't equate to combat strength, it grants overwhelming stamina and versatility.
Low-chakra ninjas must conserve every ounce during battle, calculating each move carefully.
In contrast, individuals like Naruto could spam Shadow Clone Jutsu endlessly and equip each clone with an A-rank Rasengan if needed.
Such overwhelming numbers and brute force compensate for gaps in combat experience.
If such "physical monsters" also trained diligently, they'd become unstoppable juggernauts—like Kisame Hoshigaki.
Yagyu wouldn't waste his talents like Naruto did.
Long before entering the Academy, Yagyu had practiced wall-climbing to hone his chakra control.
With his enhanced reserves, he now turned to mastering the ultimate cheat technique: Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Although Yagyu was an orphan, he hailed from a shinobi family.
He lived in a two-story standalone house, one of his late parents' few legacies left intact after the Nine-Tails' rampage.
At age three, Yagyu left the orphanage and returned to live independently in this home.
While tidying up, he discovered several scrolls among his parents' belongings.
These scrolls included chakra extraction techniques, basic ninjutsu like the Three Basic Jutsu and Leaf Body Flicker, and even mid-tier elemental techniques and the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
To Yagyu, the most valuable among them was undoubtedly Shadow Clone Jutsu.
For most, Shadow Clone wasn't a cheat skill. Its drawback—physical exhaustion transferring back to the user upon dispelling the clones—was a serious limitation.
Overexerting oneself could result in death.
Ordinary ninjas might use one or two clones to assist in training, but no more.
However, for someone with Asura's physiology, Yagyu could withstand extraordinary levels of fatigue.
Naruto, being an exception among exceptions, combined Asura's physique with the near-limitless chakra of Kurama.
Even if Naruto tried to die from exhaustion, Kurama wouldn't allow it.