Chapter Four: New Skills
Higashino Yu opened the skill panel before him, and a new skill had already appeared. In fact, the moment Naruto said "thank you" for the first time, the new skill had been added to the panel, but Yu did not check it immediately.
[Swordsmanship Lv3: 2921/10000]
[Transformation Lv1: 0/100]
The new skill was called [Transformation]. It allowed him to change his appearance into that of someone or something else, somewhat akin to a transformation technique. At its current low level, the skill functioned more as an illusion—it would make him appear to be, say, an insect, but not actually reduce his size to that of an insect.
However, as the skill level increased, true physical transformation would become possible. Eventually, he might even be able to use it on others or objects, and with even higher mastery, perhaps even utilize the abilities of the form he took.
Having understood the potential of this skill, Higashino Yu immediately recognized its extraordinary possibilities. Beyond the basics of disguise or adopting an alternate identity, if he could turn himself invisible, wouldn’t that be like a stealth technique? If he could turn into air itself, could he become immune to physical attacks? If he could turn the air into another version of himself, wouldn’t that be a clone technique? The possibilities were endless—as long as his imagination was broad enough, this skill was virtually limitless, provided the skill level was high enough to turn fantasy into reality.
As for why this skill came from Naruto, the answer was simple. Throughout the entirety of "Naruto," among those who mastered the transformation technique, Naruto was undoubtedly one of the best. His "Seduction Series" had defeated countless powerful ninjas!
[This new skill isn’t bad.] Higashino Yu was satisfied, though a trace of happy annoyance soon surfaced in his heart. [Just practicing swordsmanship is already enough for me, and now there’s another skill to train. This is going to be exhausting, sigh.]
But since “happy” was still the key word, Higashino Yu was, on the whole, in a good mood.
“Yu-nii, do you hate me?” Naruto, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked.
“I don’t,” Yu replied, his usually cool tone softened by his good mood.
“But... everyone says I’m the demon fox, and I heard them... they said your parents also... also...” Even Higashino Yu could hear the deep unease in Naruto’s voice.
“Do you think you’re the demon fox?” Yu steadied the swinging seat and threw the question back.
Before Naruto could answer, Yu added, “I can tell the difference between the demon fox and a person. My parents did die because of the demon fox, but tell me—did you kill my parents?”
“No! No! I...” Naruto replied anxiously.
“Then that settles it.”
Higashino Yu cut him off, his tone still indifferent, but that very indifference calmed the panic in Naruto’s heart.
The swing continued to creak as Yu pushed it. Naruto sat quietly, saying nothing, but Yu noticed him wiping his face from time to time.
“Hey, kid, are you crying? A future Hokage doesn’t cry so easily,” Yu said, not particularly skilled at comforting others.
Yet, to Naruto, such words were surprisingly effective.
“Ah! That’s right! I’m going to be Hokage! How can I cry? I must earn everyone’s recognition!” Though his declaration was still somewhat tearful, the tears in his eyes had stopped.
“Yu-nii, can I really become Hokage?” Naruto asked after a long silence.
“Mm, you can.” Knowing the story, Yu calmly told him the truth.
“Why?”
“Because... I can foresee the future. I’ve seen it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Haha! Awesome! I knew I could become Hokage!”
After a few arrogant laughs, Naruto grew quiet again.
“Yu-nii, are you tricking me?”
“No.”
“You must be lying! How can someone see the future?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you!”
Higashino Yu couldn’t be bothered to explain further. He pushed the swing a little harder, sending it soaring.
Naruto, feeling the wind rush past his ears, gripped the ropes tightly and shouted, “Hmph, liar! But I’ll definitely become Hokage!”
Yu didn’t reply. He simply pushed the swing even higher when it swung back, as if it might fly off into the sky.
…
No one knew how much time had passed, but it was certainly more than an hour. Yu steadied the swing and glanced at the distant sky. The sun was already slanting westward, painting the horizon with brilliant sunset hues.
“It’s getting late. The commission is over.”
“Ah! It’s over already?” Naruto protested, but obediently jumped off the swing, realizing Yu had already spent far more than an hour with him.
“If you want to play with me again, work hard to earn money and hire me,” Yu reminded him, always ready to drum up business—after all, completing commissions meant more new skills.
“But how do I earn money?”
“It’s simple. If you have an extra house, you can rent it out and collect rent every month.”
“And how do I get an extra house?”
“Make money and buy one.”
“Eh?! So how do I make money?”
“Collect rent.”
“...”
After a moment’s speechlessness, Naruto seemed to think of something, looking at Yu expectantly.
“Yu-nii, can I help out at your shop?!”
Yu was about to refuse instinctively, but suddenly stopped. If he paid Naruto a wage and Naruto hired him to play, wouldn’t that be an endless stream of skill points?
“It’s not out of the question.”
“Great!” Naruto was so happy he nearly jumped for joy—not only could he earn money, but if he worked at Yu’s shop, he could always be with Yu. He wouldn’t need to pay for commissions anymore, and he could use the money for ramen. Life was looking up!
“One hundred ryo a day. Is that fine?” Yu thought of himself as a ruthless capitalist—pay Naruto one hundred ryo a day, get the money back for every hour spent playing, and still gain new skills. Whether Naruto lost out or not, Yu certainly profited.
“Deal!” Naruto agreed readily. One hundred ryo a day was plenty—it was enough for a daily bowl of ramen with extra toppings.
“Then come to work tomorrow... And don’t come too early,” Yu added.
“Okay!” Naruto replied, a wide smile spreading across his face.