Naruto: I Have Cursed Spirits!

[System Information: Cursed Spirit Mother Support System designation confirmed.]

[Host function: Cursed spirit manifestation through emotional energy conversion.]

[Pre-existing spirits: Bound entities from previous dimensional transfer.]

[New spirits: Generated from accumulated emotional thresholds of corresponding types.]

Shiratori sucked in a sharp breath.

So that means...

He immediately asked, Since I'm the host, can I curse someone who's already dead to make them my cursed spirit?

Just like how his companion cursed spirit, Rika, came to be.

[Query processed: Advanced capability detected.]

[Analyzing feasibility...]

[Hidden ability unlocked: Curse (Inactive)]

[Activation requirements: Undetermined]

It wasn't that he was smart, such a powerful ability was almost hidden from him by the system.

If he could curse the dead... He figured he could create an entire cursed army. But knowing the system's usual limitations, activating this hidden ability would probably be extremely difficult. He'd need to collect more emotional points, no doubt.

"This is what I got from Tetsuma. I won't sneak out during training anymore, I promise... please don't be mad at me..."

He lifted his head, moisture gathering in his wide eyes as he carefully tugged on the hem of Hanzō's clothes.

Hanzō sighed silently. He had jumped to conclusions. Shiratori hadn't done anything wrong, yet he had misunderstood him.

He took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, I'll teach you swordsmanship."

Shiratori understood what Hanzō meant.

"Thank you! I'll definitely study swordsmanship seriously with you!" he promised earnestly.

As if remembering the earlier scene, he hurriedly added, "I won't run off again, I'll stay in the training grounds just like you say."

[Emotional energy detected: Guilt +3000 points]

[Insufficient for cursed spirit generation]

[Energy stored for future use]

Hanzō's voice came from behind his breathing apparatus: "I misunderstood you."

Shiratori was surprised. He hadn't expected Hanzō to apologize?

"It was my fault," he lowered his head, shoulders sagging slightly. "I acted on my own without telling you."

Then he felt something on top of his head.

Hanzō... was patting his head?

Though his hand was as stiff as a machine. Like someone following unfamiliar instructions.

His warmth only lasted for a minute before he quickly reverted to the stern, stone-faced instructor he had been that morning.

"Tomorrow at 5 AM, training here again."

---

The next day, at 5 AM, the training grounds were shrouded in gray, still in that dim time before full daylight.

There were even more ninjas on the field than yesterday. By the time Shiratori arrived, they had already begun training, each one like they'd been injected with adrenaline.

So intense! he marveled inwardly.

He stood in front of Hanzō and called out, "Sensei."

Today, he had specifically asked the system to time him. He wasn't late, in fact, he arrived one minute early.

There was no extra emotion in Hanzō's eyes as he said directly, "Before training starts, come at me with your full strength. I want to see how much you've improved since yesterday."

"Yes!"

Shiratori was eager to test the power of Heavenly Restriction and Black Flash.

He and Hanzō put distance between them. Shiratori shifted his right foot slightly backward and lowered his center of gravity.

Seeing their stances, the nearby ninjas all stopped their own training and quickly gathered around to spectate.

Raindrops slid off Hanzō's body. Only a pair of sharp eyes could be seen through the mask covering his face. He stood quietly in the rain, motionless as a mountain, waiting for Shiratori to make the first move.

The drizzle fell silently. A ten-meter gap separated them, locked in a tense standoff. The air felt frozen.

The watching ninjas couldn't help but feel nervous.

Though it was supposed to be a simple test of his strength, the atmosphere felt like a life-or-death duel.

Since Hanzō was waiting for him to move first, Shiratori was going to act. He had never been one for fair fights.

No, hat was not right. He never had any sense of fairness to begin with.

His figure left a blurred afterimage in the rain as the water beneath his feet exploded with a deafening splash.

With terrifying speed powered purely by his physical strength and cursed energy, he crossed the ten-meter gap in an instant, appearing right in front of Hanzō.

"So fast!"

"Even faster than yesterday!"

"..."

The ninjas couldn't help but exclaim in awe, their pupils tracking his movement.

Shiratori's right fist was wrapped in dense, almost solid blue cursed energy. The punch tore through the rain with a sharp whoosh, aiming straight for Hanzō's face.

He believed in Hanzō's strength.

If this punch broke Hanzō's breathing mask, then he could go ahead and take Hanzō's title for himself. But there was no change in Hanzō's gaze, Shiratori's speed and punch were completely within his expectations.

Still, he was genuinely pleased with the boy's rapid improvement.

Just as his punch was about to land, Hanzō's left foot slid half a step back ever so slightly, allowing the fist to skim past him without leaving a scratch. At the same time, his arm shot out like a viper, fingers forming a claw as he reached precisely for Shiratori's right shoulder joint.

Though his movements seemed light, those fingers could easily crush stone. But Shiratori had also anticipated Hanzō's dodge, and his counterattack.

Today's Shiratori was no longer the rookie from yesterday. He twisted his waist with brute force, his body keeping up perfectly with his mind's speed. His left leg whipped around like a steel whip, slamming toward Hanzō's knee.

A flicker of approval flashed in Hanzō's eyes. His clawed hand transformed into an open palm, his arm dropped, and his elbow moved precisely to block Shiratori's sweeping kick.

Bang.

A dull thud of flesh-on-flesh impact exploded in the air.

Shiratori frowned, the pain and numbness in his leg was immediate and intense.

He quickly used the momentum to retreat and put distance between them, eyes locked onto Hanzō's elbow.

That thing... was it made of steel?

Thankfully, his special physique meant the pain and numbness vanished in seconds.

Shiratori raised an eyebrow in surprise. Heavenly Restriction bodies really were amazing.

Hanzō lowered his arm. A ninja's body was one tempered through relentless training. In the beginning, he too felt intense pain. But once layer after layer of calluses covered his body, it became nearly impossible to feel pain anymore.

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I'm not sure if I should keep posting because this fanfic doesn't have many readers. Maybe my version is worse than others, or people just prefer sassy systems more.