Name: Masahiko UzumakiAge: 47 (–)Nin: 69 (+)Tai: 89 (+)Jutsu: 1003 (+)

  Basic Techniques:Clone, Substitution, Transformation:LV10 (100000) (Maxed Out)Shuriken Throwing:LV10 (100000) (Maxed Out)

  Elemental Affinities:Earth: LV2 (16998/20000) (+)Wind: LV3 (85522/100000) (+)Fire: LV2 (14493/20000) (+)

  Special Talent: Sensory PerceptionOverall Evaluation: Average JoninWitness Points: 20

  So it wasn’t a hallucination after all.

  Masahiko gnced at his status screen. Twenty new witness points had appeared, and now every stat except for age had a little plus sign next to it—just like a second-rate RPG.

  “Witness and participate in significant events of the Naruto world... Hah, good news just keeps piling on. First I could adjust my age, and now there’s a leveling system.”

  “But seriously, damn this system—couldn’t it at least come with a user manual? It’s been forty-eight years!”

  Still, it wasn’t too te. Most of the major events that would shake the Shinobi world hadn’t even happened yet—Konoha’s founding, the Battle at the Valley of the End, the First through Fourth Great Ninja Wars… I can witness all of them with my own eyes. As for what I’ve already missed—Hashirama and Madara’s births, maybe count those as two?

  “No point worrying about the past. Let’s see how these witness points work. If it’s what I think it is… then I’ve hit the jackpot.”

  Masahiko focused and mentally tapped the plus sign next to Tai (Taijutsu).

  Tai: 90 (+)

  He instantly felt a subtle strength surge through his body. It worked—he could directly boost his stats. Next up, Ninjutsu. But would it only increase by one level too? He tested it by tapping Earth.

  Earth Affinity: LV3 (26998/100000) (+)

  Ten thousand points in one go?

  Masahiko could practically hear the victory music pying in his head. He paused for a moment to think, then tapped Wind twice and Fire once. All three elements leveled up.

  He noticed another change—his Nin stat had increased by 28 points, now sitting at 97.

  As expected, boosting one stat influences others too.

  Interesting… Masahiko had a bold thought. He tapped the minus sign next to his age eleven times.

  Age: 36 (–)

  And just like that, his Tai stat jumped past the hundred mark to 102.

  “This is my physical prime,” Masahiko grinned. “So adjusting age directly affects stats too, huh? Though I wonder—if I de-age further, will my physical abilities drop again? I’ll test that ter.”

  He checked the remaining points. Four left.

  After a quick calcution, he pumped three into Nin, hitting a clean 100, and saved the st one—just in case. With those boosts, his elemental affinities nudged up a little more.

  Current Status:Name: Masahiko UzumakiAge: 36 (–)Nin: 100 (+)Tai: 102 (+)Jutsu: 1003 (+)

  Techniques:Three Basic Techniques: LV10 (Maxed)Shuriken Throwing: LV10 (Maxed)

  Elemental Affinities:Earth: LV3 (27286/100000) (+)Wind: LV4 (105864/200000) (+)Fire: LV3 (24692/100000) (+)Water: LV1 (0/10000) (+)Lightning: LV1 (0/10000) (+)

  Special Talent: Sensory PerceptionOverall Evaluation: Elite JoninWitness Points Remaining: 1

  Masahiko looked at the two newly unlocked elements—Water and Lightning—and smiled with satisfaction.

  “As expected. Once your Ninjutsu reaches a certain level, new elements become accessible. I was born with a natural affinity for three, and now I’ve got all five. As for Yin and Yang release… I’m guessing those require special conditions. Still, it’s about time my rank showed ‘Elite Jonin’!”

  “Lightning and Water, huh?” Masahiko murmured. “I’ll deal with those ter. For now, Wind is finally at Level 4. That means I can try that move. It'll do more for my power than anything else.”

  That’s right. Masahiko, naturally gifted with Wind affinity and having lived through the Warring States Era for 48 years, had of course recreated that signature jutsu—the Rasengan.

  Well… sort of.

  The problem was, back in this era, balloons were nonexistent. So he'd brute-forced the technique through sheer understanding of chakra nature and form manipution when his Wind was still just Level 3.

  Now, of course, he wanted to go further—toward the advanced form: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.

  Cutting leaves? Cutting waterfalls? Easy. But the final step—he hit a wall he couldn’t break through.

  He’d realized it might be the system itself. It gave him infinite potential, yes, but it also capped him. Something as complex as Rasenshuriken probably needed Wind at Level 4 minimum. Trying to cheat that with theory and training alone wasn’t enough.

  That’s why, even after unlocking Lightning Chakra, he wasn’t overly excited. Moves like Chidori or Raikiri? Those probably required Level 3 or 4 too. Who knew how long that would take.

  For now, the next goal was clear—master Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. And maybe stick his nose into some Senju cn affairs. With luck, one of them might qualify as a major event and net him more Witness Points… the path to greatness!

  Thinking these things, Masahiko finally gave in to exhaustion and flopped back onto the bed.

  The next morning, a knock on the door pulled him out of sleep.

  “Granduncle, Father asks you to come to the hall,” came Tobirama’s voice.

  “Got it. Go on ahead, I’ll catch up after I freshen up,” Masahiko replied.

  After washing his face, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water—and froze.

  “Damn… I’m 36 now. How am I supposed to expin this? Tell them I magically got younger overnight?”

  Then, he noticed something next to the basin—a rouge stick. Probably left by a female guest once.

  “Hmmm…”

  Moments ter, Masahiko looked at the red diamond-shaped mark on his forehead and nodded in approval.

  When he reached the main hall, the others were already present—Buddha Senju and the newlyweds.

  “Masahiko, you—” Buddha started, but his words trailed off when he saw Masahiko’s face.

  “Oh, I mastered a secret Uzumaki technique st night—Chakra Sealing Mark. It lets me use chakra to alter my appearance. Just a little cosmetic enhancement,” Masahiko said smoothly.

  “Uh… congratutions, I guess.” Buddha didn’t know what else to say. A jutsu that makes you look younger… on someone technically old enough to be his uncle? Yeah, that’s awkward.

  “Granduncle, I’m sorry we didn’t host you better yesterday,” Hashirama said. “And thank you, Father, for everything these past few days.”

  Masahiko looked him over. The so-called God of Shinobi had finally recovered his composure—not looking like a blushing fool anymore.

  “Alright, we’re not here for anything urgent,” Buddha said. “Hashirama and Mito are just here to greet everyone formally. That’s all. Go about your business.”

  Masahiko yawned inwardly. “All this fuss first thing in the morning… I’m going back to bed.”

  As he walked back toward his room with Hashirama and Mito, Mito suddenly stopped.

  “Hashirama, go ahead. I’d like to speak with Granduncle alone,” she said softly.

  Once he was gone, she turned to Masahiko.

  “Granduncle, I’ve been training in the Chakra Sealing Mark as well.”

  “That’s great. Keep at it. Anyway, if there’s nothing else, I’m off to bed—exhausted...” Masahiko yawned, waving zily.

  “But from what I’ve read… only women can learn that technique.”

  Masahiko’s grin froze.

  …Awkward.

  <><><><><>

  ~ If you like the story, please leave a review.