Naruto: I have Ten Skill Bars

"My chakra level is now at the level of a Chūnin."

"Compared to regular Genin, I have six or seven times their chakra!"

Among the current students at the Ninja Academy, perhaps only Naruto has more chakra than Shigure. Even among active Genin, unless they've been stuck at that rank for over a decade, none of them could match his chakra reserves.

Knock knock knock!

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Shigure, are you up?"

That voice—familiar. It was Gekkō Hayate.

He's here this early in the morning?

Opening the door, Shigure saw Hayate standing outside, looking pale and worn, dark circles under his eyes.

He had looked tired yesterday, but today he seemed even more drained.

"Brother Hayate, what brings you here so early?" Shigure asked.

Hayate gave a helpless smile. "Didn't I tell you to just call me 'brother'? But... whatever. I suppose I'll get used to it."

As he spoke, he pulled out a ninjutsu scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Shigure.

"This is the genjutsu scroll you asked for yesterday. I managed to find one, but it's just the most basic visual illusion."

"It's good enough to use against civilians, but don't expect it to work on trained shinobi."

Shigure scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

He went out of his way to find this for me, and I still went back to calling him by his full name...

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Hayate asked.

Shigure shook his head.

"Then get dressed and come with me! I'll treat you to something on the street."

"Alright! Just give me a sec!"

After storing the illusion scroll safely, Shigure quickly washed up, got changed, and returned to the door.

Hayate raised an eyebrow when he saw him.

Shigure was dressed differently today—clean, sharp, and composed. He looked like a different person entirely, full of spirit and presence.

"This outfit suits you. Makes you look a lot more confident," Hayate said with a smile. "You should've dressed like this earlier."

Did he dress up like this because of what he said yesterday about having a date with a classmate?

Youth sure is a wonderful thing.

"Oh, and bring your wooden sword."

Hearing that, Shigure picked up the practice sword by the door.

"Brother Hayate, are we training in swordsmanship again?"

"Of course," Hayate replied seriously. "You have real talent with the sword. I can't let it go to waste—so I'll personally oversee your training."

"But I've got a mission this afternoon. So I'm free this morning—we'll get a good session in."

Ugh...

Shigure had his own plans for the day.

Rather than more sword drills, he was eager to test out what effect adding a genjutsu technique to his skill bar would have.

But clearly, that would have to wait until the afternoon.

Breakfast was light but nourishing, grabbed casually from a vendor on the street.

This time, instead of heading to one of Konoha's official training grounds, Hayate brought him to a quiet forest on the outskirts of the village.

"Alright, we'll train here."

Hayate leaned against a large tree and looked over at Shigure. "Start with the basics. You should always revisit the foundations. A solid base is how you build something greater."

Shigure shrugged, but didn't protest.

With his wooden sword in hand, he stepped into the center of the clearing and lightly clenched his fists.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

In just one night, not only had his chakra grown, but his physical strength had improved significantly as well.

Though the physical enhancement wasn't as dramatic as the chakra increase, it was still impressive.

My strength has more than doubled.

The taijutsu techniques listed in his skill bar didn't just improve strength. They enhanced his overall physical stats—speed, agility, reaction time.

In short, Shigure's entire physical condition had now doubled in capability.

All of this… from just one physical skill?

If I had seven of them installed… maybe I could rely on pure physical prowess to ascend to godhood.

"Oh, right—what about Konoha-style swordsmanship?"

Shigure glanced over at Gekkō Hayate, who stood watching nearby.

While there were some technical distinctions between taijutsu and kenjutsu, they were fundamentally both forms of close-quarters combat.

If a physical skill could enhance his body, then kenjutsu—swordsmanship—should yield similar results, right?

Let's try equipping it…

[Skill installed successfully]

[Passive Skill: Konoha-Style Swordsmanship]

Shigure exhaled slowly and began executing the basic Konoha-style sword forms, just as Hayate had taught him.

From the very first movement, Hayate gave an approving nod.

Shigure's foundation remained solid—flawless, even. There was nothing he could critique.

In less than thirty seconds, Shigure had completed one full set of sword techniques.

[Passive Skill Completed One Cycle]

So it takes about thirty seconds for a full cycle?

That was nearly twice as long as it took to complete a round of basic physical drills.

And yet, Shigure could already feel the difference—his fingers moved more fluidly, his wrist flicked with sharper control. Suddenly, he thrust his wooden sword forward.

The strike whistled through the air.

Faster—by nearly a third!

The wooden blade carved a clean arc, producing a crisp whoosh.

Hayate, who had been lounging sleepily beneath a nearby tree, immediately sat up straighter.

His eyes locked on Shigure, sharp with surprise.

"That strike… it was faster. More precise than yesterday."

"You've nearly mastered the core of Konoha-style swordsmanship. And yet, you're still improving this quickly?"

He couldn't believe it.

This wasn't just a sword prodigy anymore—this was a sword demon.

Swish, swish, swish!

Shigure's movements became a blur as he cycled through the full set again. His reaction speed had clearly improved, and his blade moved with greater finesse.

There were ten primary forms in Konoha-style swordsmanship—ten styles that, at standard pace, took ten seconds to execute.

Sasuke had once managed to complete the full set in just seven seconds.

And Shigure… wasn't far behind.

As he finished the sequence and sheathed his wooden sword, a realization dawned on him.

Adding Konoha-style swordsmanship to the skill bar wasn't just about improving brute force.

Whereas general physical training improved strength, endurance, and general body control, kenjutsu was far more focused.

Swordsmanship enhanced reaction time, speed, and—most critically—technical precision.

It didn't necessarily increase destructive power directly. Instead, it honed skill—every motion refined, every strike more calculated.

The speed, accuracy, and flow of swordplay were all pushed to a higher level.

Of course, it still contributed to physical growth—but nowhere near as dramatically as pure taijutsu skills.

"Each has its own advantages," Shigure muttered.

"Physical skills improve me across the board. But if I want immediate gains in real combat, then sword techniques give me an edge."

After all—

"In martial arts, the only undefeatable force… is speed."

…

TN:

Support me on P-com/LordMerlin!

🔟 Limited-time 30% discount!

Get 10 advance chaps for $3.50, 20 for $7, and more — ending soon!