[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the White-tier trait 'Burrower,' the Black-tier trait 'Open-Minded,' and the Purple-tier trait 'Call It Out!']
Burrower (White): Enhances stealth effects and movement speed in specific covert actions, but significantly reduces personal presence and charisma.
Open-Minded (Black): Greatly increases the likelihood of suffering head injuries, significantly decreases skull durability and recovery speed, and slightly raises the chance of fatal damage.
Call It Out! (Purple): Allows for precise chakra control, enabling the user to forgo complex hand seals and activate mastered jutsu simply by clapping their hands and calling it out. Drastically improves chakra control and jutsu execution speed.
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
Yamanaka Shinno frowned deeply.
But he never imagined it would be this bizarre.
Aside from the last trait—whose effects seemed somewhat useful despite the odd name—the first two were downright terrible.
Burrower? Using this meant completely losing any hope of a romantic life in Konoha.
And Open-Minded... it was literally about getting holes in his head?!
"Is this trait... meant to kill me?"
Shinno's mind raced as he glanced at the trait gifting option from his newbie pack.
Maybe one day, if he made an enemy, he could gift this trait to them.
A pure debuff like this... perhaps placing it on an enemy was the correct way to use it.
After a few moments of scattered thoughts, Shinno finally activated the Purple-tier trait [Call It Out!].
The next second, an indescribable clarity flooded his mind.
It was as if his entire chakra network had been imprinted in his consciousness, every pathway and node visible down to the smallest detail.
Each thread of chakra was now as responsive as his own limbs, completely within his grasp.
All the jutsu he had trained extensively with—
They now felt like second nature. He no longer needed complex seals; just a simple guiding motion was enough to unleash them.
Shinno formed a single-handed 'Ram' seal and pointed at the training puppet in the corner of his room.
In an instant, the lifeless puppet twitched to life, stretched its limbs, and executed a fluid display of taijutsu techniques.
"Seal simplification, one-handed seals... this is the perfect tool for ambush tactics."
Shinno muttered in admiration before continuing to test other jutsu.
The Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques required unique variations of the 'Hare' and 'Rooster' hand seals.
These seals helped channel Yin Release energy, allowing for faster activation of their signature jutsu.
While functionally effective, they were too obvious. Any enemy familiar with the Yamanaka techniques would instantly recognize the seals and move swiftly to evade.
After all, the Yamanaka's jutsu targeted the soul itself.
Without absolute certainty of success, failure meant a delayed soul return—and in that vulnerable moment, even a child could end their life.
Now that he could abandon the clan's signature hand seals, his jutsu would become far harder to anticipate or counter.
...
After half a day of testing various jutsu, Shinno formed a Rasengan in his palm.
Feeling the dense, high-speed rotating chakra sphere, he couldn't help but grin.
Every jutsu he frequently used could now be executed with one-handed or simplified seals, doubling his activation speed!
Some of his more advanced jutsu could even be used with the 'clap and call it out' method.
Even for jutsu he wasn't fully proficient in, while full simplification wasn't possible, the casting speed and precision had still improved dramatically.
In the high-paced battles of the ninja world, even a fraction of a second could determine victory or defeat.
Shinno had already been one of the stronger Jōnin in Konoha.
Now that his execution speed had doubled, his combat effectiveness would skyrocket.
"I wonder if I could take on a Kage-level opponent now... No, no, no—calm down! I can't get cocky!"
Shinno quickly adjusted his mindset, reminding himself not to end up like a certain dark-haired idiot who thought he could solo the world.
After all, he didn't have Suigetsu as a human shield, Jūgo and Karin as healers, or a legendary big brother who secretly had his back.
If he got arrogant now, he might just end up dead.
Besides, Kage-level strength wasn't just about speed.
It required experience, strategy, jutsu synergy, durability, reflexes, chakra reserves...
"There's still a long road ahead... But as long as I don't go charging into an enemy army, I should be fine for the Third Shinobi War."
Shinno sighed in relief, his nerves slightly easing at the thought.
Having lived through the Second Shinobi War, he understood more than anyone just how brutal the battlefield was.
It was a place soaked in blood and agony.
A slaughterhouse where humanity was stripped away, leaving only killing and numbness.
Even after all these years, the memories of that carnage still sent shivers down his spine.
...
Shinno formed a single-hand seal.
Deep underground, in a hidden chamber within his residence, five shadow clones dispersed simultaneously.
A crushing wave of exhaustion and mental fatigue flooded his body.
Too tired to resist his instincts, Shinno lazily disabled th Barrier around his room, hastily scarfed down some dinner, and collapsed onto his soft bedding.
That night, he slept like a rock.
...
The Next Morning
The golden sunlight slowly burned away the early morning mist.
Birds fluttered outside the window, chirping noisily on the branches.
Shinno groggily opened his eyes.
He glanced at the clock on the wall—ten o'clock—and yawned.
His newfound sense of security had allowed him to sleep in for the first time in ages.
"One moment of relaxation and my biological clock's already out of whack..."
Stretching lazily, he washed up while re-examining the system's functions.
The system had clearly stated that new trait draws, gifts, copies, upgrades, and removals could be earned by completing career missions or major career-related events.
For a Konoha Jōnin like him, the former was straightforward.
But as for major career events...
Would that mean participating in the Shinobi War? Witnessing major historical moments? Theater-level events?
Whichever it was, they all sounded dangerous as hell.
Shinno finished fastening his ninja gear and stepped out the door.
For now, he decided to put world-changing events on hold.
The first thing he wanted to test?
The drop rates of normal mission rewards.
And his subordinates, who had been waiting all morning, were about to find out just how much stronger their captain had become.