Chapter 9 – Exploring the village

Daichi went to his room and freshened up. He changed into his sleepwear and got on the bed. He thought about the events of the day. He was still a bit confused on why Kensei thought he was a genius. As he pondered on this question for some more time, the answer came to him.

'From my perspective, I'm someone who got placed into an unfamiliar territory and is trying to stay undercover. So when someone accuses me of hiding my intentions, I would think that they would think I was a spy or something equally dangerous. But from their perspective I’m just an orphan child who grew up in Leaf village all his life.’ 

‘They would attribute my suspicious behavior to paranoia or trust issues... Probably… I think. Still, this puts me at ease a bit. There are a lot of things I wanna do tomorrow but first lemme check out how much my stats have improved.’

'Status'

Name : Daichi Hekima (The Gamer)

Class : Civilian

Age    : 5

Title    : Capable Child

Level  : 4 (150/1325)

HP : 355

CP : 230

SP : 200 

Primary Stats

Strength - 10

Vitality - 7

Dexterity - 5

Agility - 10

Intelligence - 10

Chakra - 3

Wisdom - 9

Special Stats - (Unlocking these stats requires certain actions or reaching specific conditions. Different stats are unlocked with different methods. Stat points cannot be allocated to these stats.)

Sense (LOCKED)

Stamina - 3

Indomitable (LOCKED)

Charisma (LOCKED)

Persistence (LOCKED)

Dignity (LOCKED)

Luck (LOCKED)

Stat Points - 30

Ryo - 0

'Wow. My HP went up by 160 points. So that means my HP points are definitely linked to strength, vitality and maybe stamina. Hmm… Need more data to figure out how much each stat increases my HP, CP and SP. I got 3 stats that reached 10 and the lowest one is chakra.’ 

‘Need to unlock chakra next. But I'll have to read up on chakra theory books and how to safely awaken them. I'll do that tomorrow. After I unlock my chakra I can increase its points with meditation and leaf concentration exercise. Hmm. Looks like I can't increase the special stats with points. So that means they most probably can be increased through training or other methods. Need to figure out a way to unlock them as fast as I can.  Alright… Next 'Skills.'

‘Skills'

Temporary Effect: Gives the soul a new healthy body.

Permanent Effect: All diseases, poisons and negative status effects are healed. Sleeping increases regeneration. Sleeping in a bed increases regeneration severalfold.

Effects: +5% increase in speed

Effects : +4% to base HP regeneration per minute.

+4% to base CP regeneration per minute.

+4% to base SP regeneration per minute.

Effects: +2% Increase to Damage inflicted.

+2% Increase to Movement speed.

+2% Increase to Physical stat growth.

-2% Decrease to Damage taken.

'Hmm. 'Observe' is on the verge of reaching level 10. And meditate and Basic body conditioning have increased by 1. I still have a lot to do. Need to buy some things to experiment and find out the full potential of Inventory. And I need to start on the gardening quest tomorrow. Let's see… What else?... Ofcourse. Basic Taijutsu and Shuriken jutsu.’ 

‘After that, once I increase my chakra control and capacity with the leaf concentration exercise, I'll look into Genjutsu. I'll save the E rank ninjutsu for after that. Since my gamer's body is a bit different I'll have to figure out its limitations.’

‘I got 1 month to impress the old man and another 11 to get ahead of my classmates. Lots of work ahead of me but if I work smart I can definitely push the advantages of having the gamers ability to the max.' 

For the first time in a long time Daichi was truly happy and looking forward to a new day. He slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep as he dreamed of what his future would be like.

Daichi woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the rays of the morning sun shining through the window.

You have slept in a bed. HP, CP and SP have been fully restored.

Those words were the first thing that greeted him. He got up from his bed and went to the window. He took in the beautiful sights in front of him. After standing there for a couple of minutes and enjoying the beauties of nature, Daichi went to the bathroom and freshened up. After putting on a new set of clothes he went down to greet Kensei.

As he got down he saw the old man eating a few dumplings and reading a book. 

"Good morning gramps."

"Morning kid. I had someone deliver those Rainbow dumplings a few minutes ago. So eat them while they're fresh and hot." 

Daichi nodded and went to eat his breakfast. He finished the dumplings in a couple of minutes and then went near his grandfather.

"So what are your plans for today?" Kensei asked, his eyes still on the book. 

"I want to explore the village more. And maybe buy a few things." Daichi replied. "What about you?" He asked. 

"I'll be here reading my book. It's a fascinating read. And there's 2000 Ryo's inside that box. It's yours. Spend it wisely." Kensei said, pointing to a nearby red box on a table. 

"I will. Thanks gramps. I'm gonna head out to the library first and then check out a few other places. So I'll be a little late."

"Make sure to get home before night falls." Kensei said, looking up from his book.

Quest Created - ‘Don’t be late.’

Explore the village but return home by 6 pm.

Rewards:

+100 Exp

Rep increases with Kensei Yasaji.

Failure:

-100 Exp.

Rep decreases with Kensei Yasaji

Accept (Y/N)

Daichi accepted the quest without hesitation.

"I'll be back by evening. By the way, do you want me to bring you anything?"

"No need. I've already bought everything we need for the week."

Daichi nodded to his grandfather and went out. Daichi was excited for 2 reasons. One. He wanted to explore and see more of the leaf village. And two, he wanted to complete his quest. 

'Alright. What to do first?... Gonna need to buy a few things to test out my inventory. And I need to start on my gardening quest but I don't know much about gardening, so a book on that would be nice. Hmm… Now that I think about it, a book on cooking would be good too. If I can learn to cook dishes that restores my HP and CP, it would be a great boon. Need to unlock my chakra. So I definitely have to go to the library and read a few books on that.’

‘No wait. The old man must have Chakra theory books in his personal library. What I need right now is information. I have to find out if there are any changes to the history and events. I need to confirm whether this is the canon timeline or if I'm living in some alternate universe.'

Daichi made up his mind and decided to head towards the library. He walked around taking in the sights. A few minutes later he saw a small book stall on the side of the road. It was a small store sandwiched between two apartment buildings. He decided to check it out. He saw an old man with gray hair sitting on a stool at the front. 

'Observe'

[LV. 22][Khan]

Age: 55

HP: 2947   CP: 1320

[Khan is a former reserve genin. He spent most of his career completing menial missions. He was injured during a scouting mission in the 3rd world war which sent him to retirement. He now spends his time as the owner of Khan's book store. He is also a secret informant of Jiraiya. He has 2 sons.]

As Daichi read the description he did a double take. 'I didn't think I would come into contact with anyone related to the Sannin so soon. Can't make any mistakes. Gotta act my age and keep cool.'

As he reached the store a new notification appeared. 

You have found a book stall.

Quest progression. (3/7)

"Hello sir. Good morning." Daichi said in a calm voice. 

"Morning. What can I get you boy?" Khan asked. 

"I'm looking for a good cookbook with lots of recipes. And a book on gardening. Do you have any of those?" Daichi asked politely. 

"Of course. Hold on." 

With those words Khan stood up and searched through the stacks of books piled up. Shortly after, he returned with two books. 

"Here. I think these two should help." Khan handed Daichi the two books.

'Observe'

[Cooking for Beginners]

A leaf cookbook for beginners. Contains several modern and classic recipes made easy. This cookbook includes a comprehensive guide to kitchen essentials, prep and cooking techniques, 100+ tasty recipes. This cookbook simplifies complex cooking techniques which makes it perfect for beginners.

'Observe'

[A Gardener's Guide]

This guide will introduce you to the fundamentals of horticulture whether you are an amateur or a seasoned gardener. It covers every aspect of creating, managing and working in an organic garden. This book is excellent for beginners who are looking to build their own garden.

After looking over the description of the two books Daichi was satisfied. He flipped open a few pages and glossed over them. 

After a minute he closed the book and said "These will do. How much?" 

"350 Ryo" Came the reply. 

Daichi paid the amount and was about to leave but he saw a few bags and different types of sunglasses hanging at the back of the store. One particular type of sunglass caught his eye. 

It was round, with black tinted shades and a green frame. That glass reminded Daichi of the steampunk type glasses. He also decided to buy a black backpack to keep his books. After having Khan bring him the two things he paid an additional 180 Ryo and left the store.

'Observe'

[Black sunglasses]

These sunglasses are uniquely stylish and can enhance the wearer's aesthetic appeal with ease. The craftsman who made these glasses was said to have been inspired by a retro futuristic science fiction novel that depicts technology never-before-seen in this world. This is a medium size sunglass with stylish green frames and round shades.

'Observe'

[Black backpack]

An item that is commonly used by travelers and students. A simple frameless backpack with above average aesthetic design. This is made of cotton fabric and coated with wax. Although this backpack has excellent waterproofing it cannot withstand all abrasions.

He put the books in the bag and put on his new sunglasses. The main reason he bought a sunglass was to make sure no one saw the movements of his eyes. Daichi didn't want people to know that he was reading something that was invisible to them.

If someone perceptive saw Daichi reading the notification boxes or the quest contents (which are invisible to them), they would either think he was crazy, attention seeking or had some kind of special ability. None of which could be good for him. This way he could reduce the risk of someone finding out about his powers. This was his thought. 

He continued his walk to the library. He asked for directions a couple of times and after 30 minutes he finally reached his destination.