The rain outside the tower continued its endless weeping.
Inside the room, Uehara Naraku was experimenting with his newly acquired ability.
"Pick A Card."
With a thought, three cards of different colors—Blue, Red, and Gold—began to shuffle rapidly above his head. This phenomenon was invisible to normal eyes; only he, or perhaps someone with a powerful dōjutsu (eye technique), could perceive the chakra fluctuation.
"Blue Card!"
He locked in the blue card. It materialized between his fingers, solid and cool to the touch.
According to the skill description, the Blue Card dealt high single-target damage and restored a certain amount of chakra (Mana) to the user.
"Let's test the recovery mechanic."
Uehara flicked his wrist. The card flew out, hitting the stone wall.
Puff.
The card dissipated into blue motes of light that rushed back into his body.
Uehara closed his eyes and sensed his internal energy.
"Using the skill costs about 10 chakra points. The Blue Card returned... about 15 points."
His eyes snapped open, shining with excitement.
"It's a net gain."
This meant that as long as he kept throwing Blue Cards, he effectively had infinite chakra. For a ninja, chakra was the foundation of everything. Unlimited chakra meant unlimited stamina and unlimited jutsu spamming.
"Of course, my current maximum chakra pool is still small," he muttered, checking his stats. "I'm only at a standard Genin level. Even if I have infinite regeneration, I can't cast a massive S-Rank jutsu that requires a huge upfront cost."
He needed to increase his maximum capacity.
"System, open the Shop."
A holographic store interface appeared.
[Long Sword: +10 Attack Damage. Price: 350 Gold.]
[Ruby Crystal: +150 Health. Price: 400 Gold.]
[Sapphire Crystal: +250 Mana (Chakra). Price: 350 Gold.]
"I only have 100 Gold Coins..."
Uehara sighed. He was poor.
In this system, Gold Coins were the currency for power. He could earn them by killing enemies (thanks to his Passive: Loaded Dice) or by completing missions.
Since he was currently confined to the tower by Konan for his protection, he couldn't go out and hunt enemies. That left only one option: Missions.
Creak.
The heavy metal door opened. Konan walked in carrying a food tray.
"Naraku, it is time for lunch," she said softly.
Uehara immediately hid his scheming expression and replaced it with a bright, innocent smile.
"Thank you, Teacher!"
He ran over and helped her set the tray down. It was simple food—rice, grilled fish, and soup. In the war-torn Rain Village, this was a luxury meal.
Konan watched him eat. She was a woman of few words, but she felt a sense of responsibility toward this child.
"Teacher," Uehara said between bites, looking up with wide eyes. "Is the Leader... Pain-sama... a god?"
Konan paused. Her amber eyes narrowed slightly. "Why do you ask?"
"I heard the guards talking," Uehara lied smoothly. "They said Pain-sama is the god who will save this village. If he is a god, does that mean you are an angel, Teacher?"
Konan's expression softened imperceptibly. "Those are just titles the people gave us."
"But I believe it!" Uehara put down his chopsticks and clenched his fists, looking earnest. "You saved me from starving in the streets. To me, you are an angel. And if the Akatsuki wants to bring peace to the world, then I want to be a part of it too! I want to protect the angel!"
He stared into Konan's eyes, projecting pure, unadulterated loyalty and admiration.
Come on, System... bite the bait...
[Ding!]
[Daily Mission Triggered: Praise your Teacher.]
Description: A good disciple should always admire their master. Your words have slightly improved Konan's mood.
Reward: 50 Gold Coins.
Yes!
Uehara suppressed the urge to cheer. 50 Gold just for saying some nice words? Being a bootlicker was definitely the most profitable job in the ninja world!
"You have a glib tongue," Konan shook her head, though her tone was not harsh. "If you want to protect me, you need strength, not words. Eat. After lunch, we will work on your chakra control."
"Yes!" Uehara picked up his bowl again.
As he ate, he calculated.
He had 150 Gold now. He needed 350 for the Sapphire Crystal to boost his chakra reserves, or 300 for Boots of Speed to run away if things got dangerous.
"Teacher," Uehara asked again. "Can I learn other ninjutsu besides paper style?"
"Paper style is my specialty," Konan explained. "But you have wind, water, and earth affinities. I can teach you some basic C-Rank jutsu later. However, Naraku..."
She looked at him seriously.
"A ninja who knows a thousand jutsu is not necessarily strong. A ninja who masters one jutsu to perfection is terrifying. Do not be greedy."
"I understand," Uehara nodded. "Like the First Hokage's Wood Style, or... Pain-sama's power?"
"Precisely."
[Ding!]
[Side Mission Triggered: The Path of the Specialist.]
Description: Your teacher has imparted wisdom about cultivation. Prove her wrong or right.
Objective: Master a new skill or jutsu within 24 hours.
Reward: 100 Gold Coins.
Uehara blinked. Master a new skill?
He already had the cards. But he couldn't show Konan the cards yet; they were too weird and didn't require hand signs. She might think he was a spy or a bloodline anomaly that needed to be dissected by Orochimaru (who was technically an ally of Akatsuki at this point in the timeline).
Wait.
He looked at his hand. He could infuse chakra into paper.
What if he infused the Card Skill into the paper?
"I'm full!" Uehara shouted, jumping up. "Teacher, I'm going to practice!"
He ran to the corner of the room.
Konan watched him, slightly amused by his energy.
Uehara picked up a sheet of origami paper. He focused his mind.
Destiny.
The cards shuffled in his mind. Blue Card locked.
Instead of letting the card materialize as pure energy, he channeled the "concept" of the Blue Card into the physical paper in his hand.
The white paper turned a vibrant, glowing blue.
"Paper Shuriken!"
He threw the blue paper. It flew faster than a normal paper shuriken, humming with energy.
Thwack!
It hit the wooden target.
Zap.
The paper dissolved, and a burst of blue energy flowed back into Uehara.
"It worked," Uehara whispered.
He had successfully disguised his League of Legends skill as a "Paper Ninjutsu."
Konan, who had been watching, stood up abruptly. Her eyes widened in genuine shock.
"Naraku," she walked over to the target. "That shuriken... it extracted chakra from the wood?"
"I... I think so?" Uehara scratched his head, feigning innocence. "I just thought, 'I'm tired, I want energy back,' and the paper turned blue."
Konan looked at the boy as if he were a monster. Creating a chakra-absorbing nature transformation at twelve years old?
"You..." Konan took a deep breath. "You really are a genius."
[Mission Complete: The Path of the Specialist.]
Reward: 100 Gold Coins.
[Current Gold: 250]
Uehara beamed.
"Teacher, can I go outside now?"
"No," Konan denied him instantly. "Now that I know how talented you are, it is even more dangerous. Hanzō would kill you if he knew. You will stay here until you can hit the bullseye 100 times in a row."
Uehara's face fell.
Being a genius has its downsides too.