I'd question how important going for at-this-moment combat boosts is too though. We're healing Kakashi, so he should be in a position to finish off the last of the fighting for the current trip, and you can bet on us having some training time again before any other real combat. While getting to B-rank might provide a real boost to our damage capabilities right now, our training should get us there before the next big fight anyway.
True. I'll talk a bit about general advancement, then.
Kenjutsu is the cornerstone of our build, and thus we'll likely continue to advance it well into the future, since additional techniques and benefits are unlocked gradually as skills progress, not just at Rank Ups.
We already get a 1.5x modifier to our Speed in combat, even before the B-Rank formula change, and Speed also affects our survivability through dodging. It won't unlock flashy new techniques, but it's the single statistic with the greatest numerical impact in combat. Strength, by comparison... the only reason to boost it is if Sage Mode has minimum pre-requisites, really.
Up till now, we've prioritized Chakra Control over Chakra Capacity, but that's probably going to change: In pure numbers, Chakra Control's efficiency in providing extra endurance is going to start dropping fast. (You can't have a 150% cost reduction at A rank, can you.) At the same time, as Chakra Capacity advances, a single XP is going to start meaning more than a single point of chakra. (Naruto has a
teensy bit more than 6 times Hisana's capacity, after all.)
As such, for the short-to-medium term future, points in Chakra Capacity will give us more endurance than points in Chakra Control. Additionally, in the long term, we need excellent Chakra Capacity to pick up Sage Mode, which we were told our summons can help teach.
This is undermined a bit by Genjutsu: I'd expect Chakra Control to have a disporportionate impact on whatever the behind-the-scenes Genjutsu formula is, and Sharingan Genjutsu fits far too well into sword combat to be totally ignored. That said,
something has to get the sort end of the stick, and I think this is it for us. We'll get it to B rank, sure, but progressing it to A rank is unlikely in my opinion. We won't be able to match Mango Sharingan Bullshit anyway, after all, and like 90% of the late game threats are immune.
Same goes for Iryojutsu.
Maybe a bit more polish for the Mystical Palm, we'll see how we feel after how the next update shows our current ability, but honestly we're pretty much done with this path.
Ninjutsu we've neglected a bit, but I think that'll change. The Ravens are the "ninjutsu mastery" summons, after all, and we're an Uchiha. We'll be increasing our Chakra Capacity, as mentioned above, so all we need is a subskill to reduce handseal reliance so we can combo it with swords. Maybe something from the Ravens, maybe something like Haku's one handed seals. We'll see.
Fuinjutsu... The Final Hurricane seal is amazing, and may well be able to be combined with Sage Mode somehow. We should get explosive seals up to C-rank for remote detonation on the side, but 90+% of our focus here should be on getting our little forehead diamond to live up to its potential. The synergies with high Intelligence and being able to seal Edo Tensei is just a bonus.
Taijutsu... It's kinda
there. General conditioning should improve this, but it's in no way a priority. I'd be fine never raising it above B throughout the quest.
Intelligence is interesting. In addition to (maybe) being part of Fuinjutsu and Genjutsu, it presumably dictates our decision options in battle. Given how many puzzle bosses show up in Naruto, it's probably a good idea to keep it topped up.
Canon Knowledge is eh. Canon's shot to hell, and it's hard to justify suddenly gaining ranks. Schooling... B-rank couldn't hurt, but we don't need to be a walking encyclopedia.
TL;DR
In summary, I think the optimal choice now is to transition away from being a chakra control focused build. Stop investing in Chakra Control, buff Chakra Capacity instead. Once Genjutsu hits B rank, shift away from it and Iryojutsu, and put those points into Fuinjutsu and Ninjutsu instead.
Intelligence, Speed, and Sword focus should continue as normal. Background Strength gains should be fine, with the understanding a future push there might be needed if it's required for Sage Mode.
