Whoosh!
In an instant, Junichi's senses achieved perfect harmony. A brand new kind of perception was born and sublimated within him, allowing him to sharply feel everything around him.
Air, soil, insects, animals, plants... All these ordinary things suddenly seemed renewed and vivid under the perception of Observation Haki.
To him, it was as if, only now, he had truly "opened his eyes."
"So this is Observation Haki."
He let out a long breath, savoring the strange and wondrous feeling of this new perception of the world around him.
Even though he hadn't seen it, everything beyond his line of sight still mysteriously took form in his mind.
Lifelike, vivid, and clearly defined.
"Twenty meters, huh?"
He assessed the range of his Observation Haki and nodded slightly. Within a 20-meter radius centered on him, he could perceive everything clearly.
That distance was pretty decent for someone just starting with Observation Haki. And it could only improve from here.
Status.' Junichi silently commanded in his heart.
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes—visible only to him.
---
[Host: Uchiha Junichi]
[Age: 15]
[Skills:]
- Chakra Molding — Skilled (258/1000)
- Uchiha-style Swordsmanship — Skilled (17/1000)
- Ninja Tool Throwing Technique — Skilled (25/1000)
- Clone Technique — Skilled (101/1000)
- Transformation Technique — Skilled (143/1000)
- Substitution Technique — Skilled (119/1000)
- Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique — Skilled (78/1000)
- Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique — Skilled (156/1000)
- Sly Mind Affect Technique — Skilled (137/1000)
- Mist Servants Technique — Skilled (103/1000)
- Armament Haki — Beginner (1/100)
- Observation Haki — Beginner (1/100)
---
At the bottom of the skill list, two new entries appeared: Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Both were at the Beginner level.
Raising it shouldn't be too hard I should be able to grind to 100 soon enough, Junichi mused to himself.
Then upgrade from Beginner to Skilled.
With that thought in mind, he stood up and began walking toward the forest on the island.
With Observation and Armament Haki now awakened, he could finally start exploring more boldly.
---
But the moment Junichi moved, Rayleigh, who had been constantly monitoring his situation underwater, instantly noticed the change.
What's he up to now?
He gripped the head of a small Sea King, his fingers like steel claws dug deep into the creature's skull. But his attention was no longer on the beast.
His Observation Haki sensed Junichi moving, heading into the depths of the island.
Has he lost his mind? Rayleigh's expression changed subtly. Even if he's awakened Armament Haki, that's still not enough to move safely through the island.
The beasts on this island were extraordinarily fierce. Junichi's newly awakened Armament Haki could barely coat his fist. What kind of attack could that even block?
Don't tell me this brat's trying to use the threat of wild beasts… to force himself to awaken Observation Haki? He thought of the possibility and started to panic.
He immediately swam to the surface and rushed ashore. The Sea King was casually tossed onto the shore behind him.
Not good! Just as he landed, his expression darkened again.
His Observation Haki sensed Junichi, who was surrounded by a pack of wild beasts.
This is bad!
His eyes sharpened, and his legs pounded the ground at breakneck speed.
Whoosh!
He shot forward like a gust of wind. This was a high-speed movement technique imitating Soru.
The Rokushiki—Almost every strong fighter ends up secretly learning a few of the techniques for their own use.
---
In the forest, Junichi came to a halt and looked around.
Chitter chitter chitter...
One after another, muscular and well-built monkeys appeared among the branches and leaves. They stared at him with malicious eyes, as if seeing him as prey.
"You want to eat me?"
He raised an eyebrow slightly, completely unfazed by the dangerous situation. With his Observation Haki, he could sense even more monkeys hidden in the shadows around him.
At least fifty of them.
"Too bad… I want to die yet," Junichi said with a faint smile, calm as ever.
"I just picked up both kinds of Haki." As he spoke, he raised his hand, and flipped his middle finger.
Screech!!
The monkeys didn't understand the gesture, but they clearly felt his provocation and were instantly enraged.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several strong male monkeys leapt down, viciously lunging at him.
"Oh no, you missed."
"Can't hit me."
"So close."
Junichi effortlessly dodged left and right, weaving through the attacks like it was a game. This only infuriated the monkey pack further.
Chitter! Chitter! Chitter!
They all jumped down together and swarmed toward him.
"Whoa, close one."
"Whew, that was a near miss."
"Lucky I dodged fast, or you'd have caught me."
He taunted them with a big grin. But no matter which direction the monkeys attacked from, he dodged with ease—like he had eyes in the back of his head.
---
Outside the forest, Rayleigh froze in his tracks, staring blankly at the scene before him.
"Ob… Observation Haki?!"
His expression was stunned. The way Junichi casually danced through the monkey pack's attacks from all angles... There was only one explanation: He had awakened Observation Haki!
But wait, how long had it even been?
"Twenty minutes, maybe?" He quickly did the math, and his scalp tingled. "He managed to awaken Observation Haki in just twenty minutes?! Isn't that way too insane? With his personality, shouldn't he have gotten stuck for hours?"
He felt his whole worldview get rocked.
Junichi had shattered his expectations once again by mastering a second form of Haki in an absurdly short time, as if defying all logic.
He couldn't help but wonder if all his "experience" was just outdated junk now. Because none of it seemed to apply to this boy.
---
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Junichi's nimble dodges kept the monkeys missing again and again. Frustrated beyond reason, their movements became sloppy and chaotic. Some of them even crashed into each other in their rage.
Chitter chitter chitter!!
He hadn't even attacked yet, and the monkeys had already started fighting amongst themselves.
"Tsk tsk, wild beasts indeed…" He shook his head and smirked. "I was trying to rile you up so you'd fight harder. Didn't think you'd fall into infighting this fast."
"You pushed them too far," a voice called out from the shadows.
Junichi wasn't surprised, his Observation Haki had long since sensed Rayleigh's presence.
He smiled and greeted him casually, "Welcome back."
"That's enough. Quit bullying the monkeys," Rayleigh said with a complicated expression.