But right now he had to visit the Great Elder, and after that he would probably have to stop by the Clan Treasury to pick a ninjutsu, which would surely eat up a lot of time. So he simply used his one draw while still on the way.
[System drawing…]
[Acquired: Skill Learning Card (Green)]
[Skill Learning Card (Green), Description: When you possess the complete training method and the corresponding chakra nature, you can use this card to gain rapid entry-level mastery of the skill within 24 hours of practice. Green quality is effective only on techniques of C-rank difficulty or lower.]
Jackpot!
A spark of delight flashed in Uchiha Gen's eyes. Up to now, across nine draws, he had only ever pulled two green cards. As the planner of this game, he knew the prize pool was tiered. It had to encourage whales to spend, yet still toss a few sweets to ordinary players so the masses had something to chase.
If a game were nothing but whales, with no common players around to highlight the gap and pad the leaderboards, the whales' sense of superiority and thrill would fade. When money can buy everything, those same whales quickly grow lonely and bored, ditching the game for the next one. Therefore a mechanism was needed to extend the game's life-cycle and let top-tier free-to-players close the distance with the whales.
In this title, that mechanism was simple, the quality of cards in the gacha pool was tied to player level. At Gen's current level, only two qualities existed in the pool, only after leveling up would higher tiers unlock and the drop-rate for certain qualities improve.
One was the white card. Back in the Ninja Academy days it had still been quite useful, take Haruno Sakura's character card, or the shuriken, kunai, and trip-wires he himself had used. The other was the green card he had just drawn. At this stage the drop-rate for those was a mere ten percent. Although the tenth draw guaranteed a character card, probability said he could obtain at most two greens while at level ten. Yet this time he had hit the jackpot, no wonder Uchiha Gen was excited.
He remembered pulling a white Skill Learning Card three years ago, it worked on techniques of D-rank or lower. He had used it on the Sōshūrin.
"You look distracted… yet kind of happy."
At the clan gate, beneath a torii-like archway, Uchiha Mikoto regarded Uchiha Gen with wide, clear eyes.
"Well, today I graduated. Starting tomorrow my life will be completely different from all the years before."
Uchiha Gen didn't bother hiding his expression as he answered Mikoto-nee-san.
"Actually, life only gets harder after graduation. For the clan's honor, for the village's orders, you'll train, grow stronger, carry out missions, enter wars, see blood and sacrifice, learn what is precious, and understand the meaning of loss."
She turned her head, gazing at the busy midday street in the distance, and murmured softly. As the Great Elder's granddaughter, she had been rigorously drilled since childhood, scarcely allowed a single idle day.
"But isn't everything we see right now exactly what ninja fight for?"
Uchiha Gen replied with a smile, giving her a bit of "soul food" to cheer her up.
"A prosperous clan, a peaceful village, children who can grow up strong, that's the meaning of a ninja's struggle, isn't it?"
Uchiha Mikoto blinked, then gave a small, gentle smile.
"You're right, Gen-kun. All right, we're here."
She stopped in front of a spacious compound. Pushing open the heavy gate, they went inside. Stone tiles paved the ground, several bonsai sat to either side. On the dark walls the Uchiha clan's red-and-white fan crest was painted. Near the main house ran a neat wooden corridor, to its left lay another open stone yard fitted with dummies and targets, a private miniature training ground.
The sound of a sliding door opening.
"Grandfather, I've brought Gen."
"Come in."
An aged voice sounded within.
"Over here."
Mikoto-nee-san beckoned to Gen. Uchiha Gen slipped off his shoes and followed her in. Beyond the entrance lay the parlor, also used for meals. An old man in a gray kimono knelt at a low table. Wisps of steam drifted through the gap in the partition, a middle-aged woman in an apron poked her head out, spatula in hand.
"Mikoto's back, and we have a guest. Will you stay for lunch?"
"Mother, this is Gen-kun, Uchiha Gen, this year's top graduate of the Ninja Academy."
Uchiha Mikoto introduced him to her mother.
"So you're Gen, Taki's boy? I haven't seen you in years, you were just a baby last time."
Mikoto's mother set down a bowl of fish soup and began laying out chopsticks.
"You've just left the Academy, you mustn't have had lunch. Sit and eat, Mika's cooking is excellent."
Uchiha Geng gave a slight nod and gestured for Gen to sit.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Geng-sama, Mika-san, Mikoto-nee-san, then I won't stand on ceremony."
After the meal, Uchiha Geng invited Mikoto and Gen out to the corridor for a stroll to aid digestion. Walking behind the clan's second most powerful figure, Gen caught Mikoto-nee-san flashing him a look. What did that glance mean? He was still puzzled when the Great Elder spoke unhurriedly:
"Gen, in the eyes of you young shinobi, what should the relationship between clan and village be?"
Uchiha Gen instantly understood Mikoto-nee-san's hint. This was at least part of the reason Uchiha Geng had summoned him. He wanted to know how this promising new-generation prodigy viewed the issue. Ever since Uchiha Madara's departure, the tension between clan and village had remained the Uchiha's foremost dilemma.
After weighing his words, Uchiha Gen answered from the clan's perspective as best he could.
"The Uchiha and the Senju founded Konohagakure. The Uchiha who command the Keigu are one of the village's most important, inseparable parts. Only by standing together can clan and village remain safe in this chaotic age and continue the glory of the ninja world's greatest clan. And the village, in turn, needs the Uchiha's mighty strength to stand against the other great hidden villages."