In terms of chakra reserves—or physical stamina—Link’s current level was dht embarrassing.

  Fet paring himself to Uzumaki Naruto; even Kakashi Hatake, the widely aowledged standard measurement of the ninja world, was a mountain he couldn’t hope to climb.

  pared to his father, a former Anbu member with chakra levels typical of a mid-level in, Link likely had only a tenth—or less—of his father’s capacity.

  Fortunately, his chakra trol ability was quite remarkable.

  Every ninjutsu required chakra trol. In fact, even the process of chakra refi itself was fually tied to it.

  Even Kaguya Otsutsuki, the ultimate boss of the ninja world, had moments where she was reminded by Bck Zetsu to "refine more chakra" when hers ran low.

  In real bat, ninjas stantly utilized and managed chakra—whether through taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, dojutsu, or kekkei genkai.

  Every movement, every a ed either physical stamina or chakra.

  When perf ninjutsu, refining too little chakra would lead to failure, while refining too much resulted in waste. Since chakra = stamina, and running out of chakra equated to death, most ninjas were traio hoheir chakra trol as a core skill.

  For instance, fog chakra in specific areas was a on dispy of trol in bat. In the manga, Kiba Inuzuka demonstrated enhanced olfactory senses by trating chakra in his nose, and the basic Body Flicker Teique relied on chakra bursts at the feet.

  Whether due to having lived two lives or the influence of his cheat ability, Link’s chakra trol was exceptional—a fact he reized the moment he first succeeded in chakra refi.

  Ninjas typically refined some chakra daily to prepare for ued situations while carefully managing their stamina to avoid excessive depletion. The bang act was plex.

  For Link, however, it was much simpler. After his first success in chakra refi, he found that he could refine chakra quickly and accurately gauge his stamina levels.

  Even without his mutated ninjutsu cheat, his chakra trol alone could make him an excellent ninja—if only he had more chakra, a stronger physique, and greater stamina.

  But since he couldn’t ge his frail body in the short term, further enhang his chakra trol was his top priority.

  “Walking on water… climbing trees…”

  Link sidered trainihods to improve chakra trol as he unrolled his scroll, fog on the Substitution Jutsu se.

  The principle behind the Substitution Jutsu was simple: it involved repg oneself with an object at the moment of an attack, trig the enemy into thinking they’d struck their target.

  Its low E-rank difficulty made the teique’s simplicity evident.

  The reason it was slightly harder than the e or Transformation Jutsu was that it incorporated teiques from both while also borrowing from the basic Body Flicker Teique. This plexity made it marginally more challenging.

  However, oneone mastered the e and Transformation Jutsu, the Substitution Jutsu became straightforward.

  The process: anticipate the oppo’s attack, gather chakra at your feet for a burst of speed to dodge, and simultaneously repce yourself with an object while creating an illusion of yourself.

  “Gather chakra, then—”

  Link trated, refining a suitable amount of chakra. But just as he gathered chakra at his feet and prepared to create an illusion, all the chakra inexplicably vanished.

  Again?

  Both expet and resigned, he looked down at his hand. It felt heavier—like he was holding something.

  Looking closely, he realized it was a firearm: a pistol that seemed like a blend of a revolver and a semi-automatidgun.

  In his small hand, the gun appeared oversized, but his fingers just mao reach the trigger.

  “This thing—” As soon as Link saw the pistol, its name came to him:

  [The Emperor]

  The name, derived from tarot cards, referenced a Stand from a well-known anime.

  Its effect: firing unlimited, trolble bullets, identical in every way to real gunfire.

  “Wait—does Substitution Jutsu mean this kind of ‘substitute’?!” Link’s expression twisted in disbelief.

  He had sidered tless possibilities for how the jutsu might mutate but had never expected this.

  "Whoosh!"

  A gust of wind blew, and [The Emperor] disappeared from his hand.

  “About 15% of my chakra sts only a few seds... Substitution Jutsu is quite the chakra guzzler.”

  Estimating the chakra expenditure, Link chuckled. After all, he’d already e to terms with his head randomly falling off during the e Jutsu. If the Substitution Jutsu became a summoning teique for Stands, why should he find it any harder to accept?

  In fact, this mutated version was far more practical than the ordinary Substitution Jutsu, which became almost useless in higher-level bat.

  Although the bullets fired by [The Emperor] were no different from ordinary ohey were invisible to ordinary people—bullets that couldn’t be seen were far more terrifying.

  “Wait... injas see Stands?”

  A new question arose. Since he still had about a third of his stami, Link decided tain. Refining chakra, f seals, and releasing the jutsu—

  A tall, burly, blue-purple humanoid figure appeared in front of him.

  Link’s pupils tracted sharply, and his face filled with shock.

  “When did you get here? Star Ptinum…”

  …

  Konohagakure – Ninja Academy Enrollment Day

  “Hmph.” Looking at a boy straining as if trying to forething out, Mizuki covered his face with his hand to hide his disdain.

  A mediocre fool.

  “Alright, you’ve failed the ninjutsu exam,” Mizuki’s colleague announced after patiently waiting for a while.

  “Wha—?”

  The boy’s dejected face made it clear he uood. Dragging his feet, he left the exam room.

  “, Link.”

  Calling the name on the list, Mizuki g the door, where a calm-looking boy entered.

  Most children who came for the Ninja Academy entrance exam were nervous wrecks. This boy’s posure stood out, prompting Mizuki to give him a sed gnce.

  “Still, no matter how calm they are, ordinary kids who ehe academy will likely just bee on fodder, uo trol their owinies,” Mizuki mused with a tinge of self-mockery.

  “Good m, examiners.” Link walked to the ter of the exam room, his small legs carrying him fidently. The space was quite rge, resembling a lecture hall.

  “You may begin,” Mizuki said, his tone slightly plex. Any attempt to curry favor here ointless.

  The Konohagakure was vast, its popution substantial. Yet, eainja Academy css prised only 30 to 40 students, and the total enrollment rarely exceeded 100.

  Getting in was a rarity—a privilege reserved for the exceptional few.