One Piece: I Awakened the Ninja Template System - Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Murder
The following days passed without incident.
Nojiko visited twice, bringing food and whatever news she could safely share. The Arlong Pirates were still searching for the mysterious outsider, but Chew had found no trace of him. Most patrols focused on Cocoyasi Village and the surrounding roads, allowing Jack to remain undisturbed in the ruins.
He used every hour.
At sunrise, he began physical training. His daily routine consisted of hundreds of push-ups, squats, and sit-ups, followed by long-distance running through the abandoned streets.
Once his muscles reached their limit, he absorbed energy from the forest and continued.
In the afternoon, he trained chakra control.
He climbed walls, ran across rooftops, and learned to balance on the surface of the stream without falling into the water. At night, he practised ninjutsu under different templates.
The Ten-Tails template accelerated his growth and recovery.
Itachi’s template helped him learn techniques.
Other templates allowed him to examine different abilities, although he avoided using anything his chakra reserves couldn’t safely support.
The routine was exhausting, but the results were extraordinary.
Within a few days, Jack crossed the threshold separating an academy student from a true ninja.
—
Template: Ten-Tails
Ability: Sage Body Lv. 10, Sage Spirit Lv. 10, Wood Release Lv10
Level: 21 (96/253)
Status: Genin
…
HP: 210/210 [Recovers 10% per minute]
CP: 120/120 [Recovers 10% per minute]
…
Skill: Chakra Control Lv4(1%), Transformation Lv2(23%), Chakra Enhanced Strength Lv1(0%), Body Flicker Lv1(0%)
Ability: Sharingan Lv1(12%)
—
Jack examined the panel from the centre of the ruined village.
Reaching level twenty-one had transformed his condition.
His body was stronger, faster, and more durable than when he had arrived. His chakra reserve had increased to one hundred and twenty points, while the Ten-Tails template restored twelve points every minute.
Most importantly, Chakra Control had finally reached level four.
That achievement unlocked two techniques Jack desperately needed.
Chakra Enhanced Strength allowed him to concentrate chakra into a specific part of his body before releasing it at the moment of impact. The sudden burst multiplied the force behind his attacks, turning an ordinary punch into something capable of cracking stone.
The technique could also provide limited protection. If Jack gathered chakra around his fist or forearm, it reinforced the area at the moment of contact.
In that respect, it resembled Armament Haki.
The comparison wasn’t perfect. Armament Haki relied on the user’s willpower and could protect the entire body, strike Logia users, or penetrate an enemy’s defences through advanced applications. Chakra Enhanced Strength was simply an extremely precise release of energy.
Still, both abilities allowed their users to attack harder while strengthening the point of impact.
For Jack, that was enough.
Body Flicker served a different purpose.
By gathering chakra in his legs and releasing it through a burst of physical acceleration, he could move far faster than his body normally allowed. Experienced shinobi sometimes appeared to teleport when using it.
The technique reminded Jack of Shave, one of the Six Powers used by elite Marines and government agents. Shave relied on rapidly striking the ground multiple times to create explosive movement, while Body Flicker achieved a similar effect with chakra.
Jack hadn’t mastered either new skill.
At level one, Chakra Enhanced Strength remained inefficient and difficult to control. Using too much chakra could injure his arm, while using too little produced almost no improvement.
Body Flicker was even more dangerous. His first attempt sent him crashing through the wall of a house because he couldn’t stop after accelerating.
Practice would solve those problems.
His most surprising reward, however, wasn’t a skill.
It was the Sharingan.
Jack hadn’t switched to an Uchiha template. The ability had awakened directly from the Ten-Tails after he reached Genin rank.
At first, that confused him. Then the system provided the necessary explanation.
The Sharingan’s origin could be traced back to the Ten-Tails.
The creature possessed the Rinne Sharingan—an eye containing nine tomoe and powers far beyond the ordinary dojutsu inherited by the Uchiha clan. As Jack became stronger, the template would gradually unlock fragments of those ocular abilities.
At level one, his Sharingan possessed 1 tomoe.
It couldn’t copy techniques, cast genjutsu, or predict an opponent’s movements with perfect accuracy. Its only function was enhancing his visual perception.
When activated, the world appeared slower.
Jack’s body didn’t become faster, but his mind received more time to observe an attack, consider his options, and react.
It was similar to a primitive form of Observation Haki, though considerably weaker. Observation Haki could sense living beings beyond the range of sight, perceive hostile intent, and eventually glimpse the future.
Jack’s Sharingan could only process what his eyes could see.
Even that was valuable.
The ability consumed one chakra point every minute, but his passive recovery effectively cancelled the cost. With the Ten-Tails template active, he could keep the Sharingan functioning indefinitely under normal conditions.
Unfortunately, constant use didn’t increase its proficiency.
Jack had spent hours walking through the village with his eyes activated, yet the progress remained at twelve percent. The ability seemed to require a specific form of training or stimulation that he had not discovered.
Perhaps combat would improve it.
Perhaps intense emotion was necessary, as with the traditional Sharingan.
Jack hoped combat was the answer. Depending on emotional trauma to advance his eyes sounded like a terrible plan.
He closed the panel and returned to his exercises.
A large stone stood in front of him. It was nearly as tall as his waist and weighed far more than he could lift with ordinary strength.
Jack gathered chakra into his right fist.
He had learned to feel the exact moment when the energy reached his knuckles. The difficult part was preventing it from dispersing too early.
He stepped forward and punched.
The chakra escaped a fraction of a second before contact.
A burst of air struck the stone, but his fist landed with only its natural strength.
Pain travelled through his hand.
“Still too early.”
Jack shook his fingers and waited for the discomfort to fade.
On his second attempt, he released the chakra too late. His knuckles struck the rock first, followed by an uncontrolled explosion that threw him backward.
He landed on the ground and stared at the sky.
“Better.”
The rock now had a shallow crack.
His hand had also swollen, but the injury began healing almost immediately.
Jack stood, brushed the dust from his clothes, and prepared to try again.
Then he heard footsteps.
He stopped.
Nojiko normally approached from the northern road. Her steps were light and measured, and she usually called his name before entering the village so that he wouldn’t mistake her for an enemy.
These footsteps came from the east.
They were heavier.
There was more than one person.
Jack dismissed the panel and focused on the sound.
Three separate sets of footsteps.
He gathered chakra beneath his feet and jumped.
The energy increased his traction and leg strength, allowing him to rise far higher than an ordinary human. His hands caught the edge of a roof, and he pulled himself onto the terrace of the nearest intact house.
Jack crouched behind the broken remains of a chimney.
Three Fish-Men entered the village.
The first had dark-green skin and fins running along his forearms. The second was shorter but possessed a broad, muscular body covered with brown scales. Their companion was tall and thin, with yellow skin and gills visible along both sides of his neck.
None were members Jack recognized from the story.
The levels above their heads told him what mattered.
Level 13
Level 13
Level 16
All three were weaker than him.
Jack’s heartbeat quickened.
Numerical superiority didn’t guarantee victory. He had no real combat experience, while the Fish-Men had spent years attacking villages and fighting anyone who resisted Arlong’s rule.
They also possessed the natural strength of their species.
But Jack couldn’t continue hiding if every patrol forced him to abandon his shelter.
He needed to deal with them before they discovered signs of his presence and returned with Chew.
Jack activated the Sharingan.
A faint red light entered his eyes.
The movements of the Fish-Men became clearer. He noticed the subtle turn of their heads, the rhythm of their breathing, and how their weight shifted with every step.
He reached behind the chimney and picked up his only weapon.
A kitchen knife.
He had found it inside one of the abandoned houses. Rust covered part of the blade, and the edge was too dull to cut through thick skin cleanly.
It wasn’t a kunai.
It wasn’t even a good kitchen knife.
But it was better than fighting barehanded.
The three Fish-Men walked deeper into the village.
“Chew said he smelled smoke here yesterday,” the green one said.
“Chew smells danger everywhere since that human escaped him,” the scaled Fish-Man replied. “Captain Arlong laughed at him for missing.”
The level-sixteen Fish-Man glared at them.
“Search the houses. If an outsider is hiding here, we bring him back alive.”
“Why alive?”
“So Captain Arlong can ask who sent him.” The tall Fish-Man exposed his teeth. “Then we can eat him.”
Jack’s grip tightened around the knife.
The words eliminated his final hesitation.
If they captured him, they would torture and kill him. If they found Nojiko’s tracks or learned that she had helped him, the villagers might also suffer.
Jack couldn’t let any of them return.
The three Fish-Men passed beneath his position.
Jack remained motionless until their backs were turned.
Then he silently stepped from the terrace.
Chakra held his feet against the wall, allowing him to descend without making a sound. He reached the ground several metres behind them and began moving forward.
The knife felt heavy in his hand.
Where could he strike?
Most Fish-Men possessed scales or unusually tough skin. Jack didn’t know whether their internal anatomy matched that of humans, and the dull blade might fail to reach anything vital if he attacked the chest.
The yellow Fish-Man’s gills were exposed.
They looked soft.
Jack chose his target.
He approached until only two steps separated them.
The level-sixteen Fish-Man began turning, perhaps sensing movement behind him.
Jack lunged.
He drove the knife into the gills on the side of the creature’s neck.
The resistance was greater than he expected. Jack pushed with both hands, forcing the blade deeper.
The Fish-Man screamed.
His body twisted violently, knocking Jack away. Dark blood ran from the damaged gills as he stumbled into the road.
The other two turned.
“A human!”
The scaled Fish-Man swung a thick arm at Jack’s head.
Jack panicked.
He had imagined striking from hiding and immediately killing the strongest enemy. He hadn’t expected the Fish-Man to remain standing with a knife buried in his neck.
The attacker’s fist approached.
With the Sharingan active, the movement appeared strangely slow. Jack saw the muscles tightening beneath the scales and the path the fist would follow.
His fear remained, but he had time to think through it.
He gathered chakra into his right hand.
Jack stepped inside the swing and punched the Fish-Man’s stomach.
“Chakra Enhanced Strength!”
The energy exploded at the moment of impact.
A shock wave burst through the road.
The scaled Fish-Man’s eyes widened. His feet left the ground, and his body flew several metres before smashing through the wall of a damaged house.
Dust filled the air.
Jack stared at his fist.
He had expected the technique to hurt.
Instead, the chakra reinforcement protected his knuckles while transferring most of the force into his opponent.
Movement flashed at the edge of his vision.
The green Fish-Man kicked toward Jack’s ribs.
Jack bent backward.
The webbed foot passed inches above his chest.
He tried to counterattack, but the wounded level-sixteen Fish-Man charged from the side. Despite the knife still lodged inside his gills, he moved with terrifying strength.
Jack jumped away.
The Fish-Man’s fist struck the ground, shattering the packed earth.
If that attack had landed, Jack’s enhanced recovery might not have saved him.
“You filthy human!” the Fish-Man roared.
Blood sprayed from his gills with every word.
Jack’s stomach twisted.
This was no training exercise. The enemy wanted to crush his bones and tear him apart.
He needed to stop thinking like someone participating in a fight.
This was a battle to the death.
The Fish-Man attacked again.
Jack focused on his shoulders.
The Sharingan showed the movement before the punch gained full speed. Jack stepped aside, caught the knife’s handle, and pulled it from the wounded gills.
The Fish-Man screamed louder.
Blood poured from the open wound.
Before he could recover, Jack grabbed the back of his head and drove the knife into his left eye.
The Fish-Man’s body went rigid.
Jack forced the blade deeper.
The creature collapsed.
For half a second, Jack remained kneeling beside him.
The green Fish-Man’s roar brought him back to the battle.
He tackled Jack from the side.
Both of them rolled across the road. The knife slipped from Jack’s hand as the Fish-Man climbed on top of him and wrapped webbed fingers around his throat.
“You killed him!”
The grip tightened.
Jack couldn’t breathe.
He struck the creature’s arms, but its natural strength exceeded his own. His vision darkened despite the Sharingan.
Chakra Enhanced Strength required precision.
Jack couldn’t gather enough energy into his fist while suffocating.
He chose a smaller target.
Chakra flowed into two fingers.
Jack thrust them into one of the Fish-Man’s eyes.
The enhanced strike ruptured it instantly.
The Fish-Man released him and stumbled backward, screaming.
Jack rolled away, coughing as air returned to his lungs.
His knife lay beyond the enemy.
He didn’t have time to reach it.
The Fish-Man charged blindly.
Jack concentrated chakra in his legs.
“Body Flicker.”
The world shifted.
One moment, the Fish-Man was several metres away. The next, Jack had moved behind him.
His feet scraped across the ground as he struggled to stop. He nearly collided with a wall but managed to turn at the last second.
The blinded Fish-Man searched frantically.
Jack gathered chakra into his fist and struck the back of his head.
The impact drove the creature face-first into the road.
Before he could rise, Jack hit him again.
The second enhanced punch shattered the ground beneath his skull.
The Fish-Man stopped moving.
Jack stood over him, breathing heavily.
A crash sounded from the damaged house.
The scaled level-thirteen Fish-Man pushed aside the broken wall and staggered into the street. Blood ran from his mouth, but his heavy scales had protected him from the worst of Jack’s first attack.
He looked at his dead companions.
Then he turned and ran.
Jack’s mind went blank.
If the Fish-Man escaped, he would bring the entire Arlong crew.
Jack used Body Flicker again.
He appeared beside the fleeing creature, but his poor control carried him too far. The Fish-Man changed direction and continued toward the road.
Jack grabbed the kitchen knife from the ground.
He had never practised throwing weapons.
There was no time to consider another option.
Jack channelled chakra into his arm and threw.
The knife spun through the air.
Its blade struck the Fish-Man’s upper back but failed to penetrate deeply. The impact still caused him to stumble.
Jack accelerated.
He caught the creature from behind and drove one knee into the back of his leg. Both of them fell.
The Fish-Man turned and swung wildly.
His fist struck Jack’s shoulder, sending pain through his arm.
Jack grabbed the knife, tore it free, and stabbed beneath the creature’s jaw, where the scales were thinner.
The Fish-Man thrashed.
Jack held on.
He remembered Nojiko’s stories.
The families taken as food.
The people tortured for resisting.
The women who disappeared after Fish-Men entered their villages.
He remembered Chew’s water bullets destroying trees around him and the laughter in the clearing when an innocent woman was chosen.
If Jack hesitated, the creature beneath him would kill him.
If he were captured, Arlong’s crew would eat him.
Jack drove the knife deeper.
The Fish-Man’s resistance gradually weakened.
Then he became still.
Silence returned to the village.
Jack remained kneeling over the body.
Blood covered his hands.
He had killed three living, thinking people.
They had been monsters in every meaningful sense, but they weren’t mindless beasts. They had spoken, laughed, and shown fear. One had tried to escape after watching his companions die.
Jack had murdered him to protect himself.
His hands began trembling.
A part of him expected to vomit or scream. Instead, he felt disturbingly empty.
The fight had happened too quickly for his mind to process.
He searched for a system notification.
None appeared.
There was no experience reward.
Killing enemies didn’t help him level up. The system measured growth through training and personal development, not through taking lives.
It was different from many systems in the stories Jack had read.
At least he wouldn’t be encouraged to hunt people for experience.
Jack sat beside the road and waited for his heartbeat to calm.
He hadn’t wanted to kill anyone.
But he also knew he would make the same decision again.
The Fish-Men had come searching for him. They intended to drag him before Arlong, torture him for information, and eventually eat him. Allowing them to leave would have placed Nojiko and the villagers in danger.
Jack wiped the blood from his knife.
Only then did he recognize his next problem.
Three Fish-Man corpses lay in the middle of the village.
Even if he dragged them into the forest, animals might scatter the remains. Burying them would take hours, and Fish-Men could probably track the disturbed ground.
He needed to destroy the evidence.
Jack remembered the Fireball Jutsu.
He had studied it briefly under Itachi’s template but never attempted to use it. His current chakra reserves should be enough for a small fireball.
Jack switched templates.
The immense vitality of the Ten-Tails faded as Itachi Uchiha’s natural talent replaced it. His passive recovery dropped sharply, but his understanding of Fire Release became clearer.
He dragged the three bodies into the remains of a collapsed house and placed broken timber around them.
The smell of blood made him breathe through his mouth.
Jack formed the required hand seals.
He gathered chakra in his chest, transformed it into fire, and exhaled.
“Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!”
Flames erupted from his mouth.
The fireball was small compared with the technique used by experienced Uchiha, but it struck the pile and ignited the dry timber.
Jack staggered from the sudden chakra consumption.
The bodies began to burn.
“It worked on my first attempt.”
Itachi’s talent had once again proved extraordinary.
Jack added more wood and watched the flames rise. He believed burning the corpses would remove the evidence faster than burying them.
Then thick black smoke climbed above the rooftops.
The wind carried a horrible smell through the village.
Jack’s satisfaction vanished.
He had been so focused on disposing of the bodies that he had forgotten the most obvious consequence of a large fire.
Smoke could be seen from kilometres away.
The smell would travel almost as far.
Jack switched back to the Ten-Tails template and tried smothering the flames with dirt, but it was already too late.
Voices sounded from the surrounding forest.
Many voices.
Branches broke on every side of the abandoned village. Heavy footsteps approached from the northern road while others moved through the trees to the east and west.
Jack climbed onto a roof and looked around.
Fish-Men emerged from the forest in organized groups. Several carried swords or rifles, while others prepared to block every possible route of escape.
More shadows moved behind them.
Jack’s Sharingan activated.
Levels filled his vision, and nearly every one of them exceeded his own.
The burning house had guided the enemy directly to him.
Arlong Pirate surround Jack’s hiding village.