"The things transformed through the Transformation Jutsu are real, not illusions."

  "Only the hands, feet, and torso transform; the head ot ge."

  "The transformation is currently limited to objects whose structure and fun I fully uand. The size ot be altered."

  "The duration is ten minutes, much lohan the e Jutsu, and it es slightly less chakra."

  "However, the transformation does not erase injuries upon pletion, which is something to be cautious about."

  Link took some time to summarize the peculiarities of his Transformation Jutsu. It was quite powerful—far surpassing the inal version.

  However, it pletely cked the ability to deceive others. Even if he transformed into a real animal, his unged head made him look like the product of some mad stist's grotesque experiment.

  Both bizarre and sanity-eroding.

  Although it had many limitations, its practical value was det. Transf into a sturdy on signifitly boosted both offensive and defensive capabilities.

  Much like his strange e Jutsu, while it was unventional, it was undeniably far more effective than the inal version.

  "Could this be my cheat ability?"

  "Gurgle~"

  Link’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his stomach growling. Chakra roduct of bining physical and spiritual energy, and its usage iably ed a lot of stamina.

  Ninjas rarely depleted their chakra reserves or wasted excessive amounts because doing so left them pletely vulnerable.

  With his barely standard physical fitness, using the Three Teiques seven ht times had already made him ravenously hungry. This firmed that his chakra reserves were currently meager.

  "I'm starving." The initial panic over his jutsu abnormalities, followed by the joy of disc his cheat ability, had distracted him from his hunger.

  Now that his emotions had calmed, the hunger hit him like a tidal wave, leaving him shaky and weak.

  Of course, this was mostly an illusion caused by extreme physical exertion. Having experiehis many times during training, he had built a strong tolerance for it.

  "I’ve decided. Ramen it is."

  Patting his grumbling stomach, Link grabbed his small wallet and headed out, his short legs carrying him on a leisurely stroll.

  After all, he was only seven years old this year, standing just over 120 timeters tall. Despite teically being a ninja, his age and stature made it clear he was still a child.

  Leaving the apartment, he stepped onto the bustling streets, shading his eyes from the dazzling sunlight with one hand. Feeling in a good mood, he decided to treat himself to a soda.

  He stopped at a vending mae, bought a bottle of co, and sipped it while walking toward Ichiraku Ramen.

  If he was going to have ramen, it had to be from Ichiraku.

  As the most famous ramen shop in the Konohagakure, Ichiraku’s success was not just due to its delicious food. It was also incredibly affordable. A standard bowl of tonkotsu ramen was only 60 ryo, which was a great deal. Pair it with a 15-ryo bowl of rice, and it made for a satisfying meal.

  (Note: Acc to Masashi Kishimoto’s owing, 1 ryo in the Naruto world is equivalent to 10 yen. This is based on Naruto carrying a wallet with 30,000 ry his search for Tsunade, which Kishimoto said was around 300,000 yen.)

  The Konoha’s ercial district wasn’t particurly rge, and Link’s physical capabilities were already above average. It didn’t take him long to reach Ichiraku Ramen.

  “Yo, Link-! Good afternoon,” greeted Teuchi, the owner, with a friendly smile. It wasn’t the peak dining hour, so the shop was retively quiet.

  “Good afternoon, Ueuchi,” Link replied with a smile. Ichiraku Ramen was cheap, filling, and great for replenishing the energy he’d burned during training.

  Unlike Naruto, who could subsist on instant ramen and milk three times a day while maintaining insane energy levels, most ninjas o e rge amounts of quality protein to fuel their physically demanding profession.

  As an orphan, Ichiraku Ramen was a frequent stop for Link. Familiar with the routine, he pced his order: "One bowl of special char siu ramen and a side of rice, please." He paid at the ter with practiced ease.

  Teuchi took the payment and got to work i.

  The shop was quiet, save for a bearded ninja in a gree sitting in the er, drinking aing ramen. After all, it was the middle of the afternoon.

  Link peeked into his wallet and sighed. Funds were running low.

  After his father’s death, he had ied about 50,000 ryo and a ninja apartment. As an orphan who chose not to ehe orphahe vilge provided him with a monthly stipend of 2,000 ryo.

  In practice, the 2,000 ryo was barely enough to survive. Eveing one bowl of ramen per day would cost 1,800 ryo a month. What about other expenses?

  Being a ninja required more nutrition for body training. While ninjas weren’t all gluttons, their meal portions were signifitly rger than those of ordinary people. They also ate more frequently, which supported the many diniablishments in the vilge.

  Currently, his savings were down to 17,000 ryo, with two weeks left until the stipend payment.

  Once he officially became a ninja, his training iy and jutsu usage would increase signifitly—expenses he wasn’t looking forward to.

  “Here’s your special char siu ramen and rice. Enjoy!” Teuchi pced the food in front of him.

  “Time to dig in!” Link eagerly slurped his ramen.

  The salty broth of the authentic Japayle ramen paired perfectly with the rice. Some people ighe excessive sodium, but he couldn’t. Eating ramen with rice to bahe saltiness was normal for him.

  He devoured the rge portions of ramen and rice, drinking most of the salty broth despite its overwhelming saltiness, a testament to how hungry he was.

  "Burp~"

  Patting his full, round stomach, Link sipped on some iced water and leaned ba his chair with satisfa.

  At least he’d bee a ninja, could use jutsu, and had a someeculiar cheat ability. His future looked a bit brighter now.

  But still… could his Three Teiques pass the graduation and geniification exams?

  He felt a little uhen again, the entry requirement was simply to release a jutsu, not necessarily to succeed perfectly. His e Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu might be odd…

  Well, very odd—but they should still qualify him for the exams.

  Even Might Guy and Rock Lee, who couldn’t perform ninjutsu, were accepted due to their extraordinary physical prowess. Admission to the Ninja Academy often depended more on the subjective judgment of the examihan rigid standards.

  As long as his jutsu worked, he should be fine.

  He repeated "should be fihree times in his mind to bolster his fidence.

  After all, if he didn’t get into the Ninja Academy this year, he’d be forced to bee a genin without a mentor or team. That would cut off any real opportunity to learn ninjutsu, rendering his cheat ability useless.

  Sigh… here’s hoping it works out.