Konoha Year 38. The Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools.
"This sucks."
"What do you mean 'monitor the Mist Village to prevent an invasion'? That's above our pay grade!"
"If I remember correctly, I'm just a fresh Genin who literally graduated yesterday."
Night Namikaze stared at the Hokage's secret order in his hand, feeling completely helpless. He seriously wondered if he'd pissed off someone in high places.
It had been twelve years since he transmigrated into the ninja world. He was part of the Namikaze clan, but unlike his future famous relative, Minato Namikaze—the "Yellow Flash"—Night's ninja talent was practically non-existent. The only thing he had going for him was a background check that cleared faster than a speedster; his family tree was squeaky clean for three generations.
He was just a freshly graduated, aggressively average Konoha Genin.
He never expected that, probably due to the front lines being stretched thin, he'd be shipped off to the border as a reservist the moment he got his headband.
And now, his squad had received a secret order to infiltrate the Land of Whirlpools (Uzushiogakure) for recon.
According to the intel, the Mist Village was currently hammering the Whirlpool Village, and the latter had sent an SOS to Konoha.
But his squad was a standard "One Jonin, Three Genin" setup. The team leader was a Jonin named Makoto Ito, and the three subordinates were rookies. Sending this lineup into the Land of Whirlpools right now? They were basically walking "meat shields"—NPCs sent to die in the tutorial level.
"Captain Ito, let's head out immediately."
The other two Genin were actually eager, urging Makoto Ito to charge into the Land of Whirlpools.
As a seasoned Jonin, Ito knew exactly how suicidal this mission was. But the first rule of being a ninja was obeying the village's orders. He couldn't refuse.
He took a deep look at his three rookie subordinates and made a decision.
"Taka Kato, Ken Shimizu, Night Namikaze—stick to me like glue. We're infiltrating via the coastline."
"Sir!"
They crossed the long stretch of coastline and landed on the border of the Land of Whirlpools. Strangely, there wasn't a single Whirlpool ninja on guard duty.
Everything they saw suggested the Land of Whirlpools was on the brink of total collapse. The border guards had likely been recalled for a last stand. There wasn't even time to cover their tracks; everything looked chaotic.
"Stay hidden. Eyes open," Ito whispered to the three behind him, his heart sinking.
He didn't notice that Night Namikaze, unlike his eager teammates, had a grim look on his face. Night just wanted to turn around and bolt.
As a transmigrator, he knew the spoilers. He knew how the Land of Whirlpools ended. All the signs pointed to one thing: this was the infamous "Night of the Uzumaki Massacre."
"I'm dead. I am so dead. I transmigrated here and didn't get a single 'Main Character Starter Pack,' and now I'm being served up as cannon fodder."
Night felt dead inside. He had zero illusions about surviving a war of this intensity.
He didn't have his cousin Minato's god-tier reflexes. His chakra reserves were pitiful. Calling him "cannon fodder" was actually a compliment.
BOOM—BOOM—
A series of violent explosions erupted nearby. That had to be the main village of Uzushiogakure.
Intense waves of chakra washed over them, mixed with screams of agony and roars of rage.
The sounds shredded the rookies' nerves. The tension, already high, snapped tight. Their hands, gripping their kunai, were slick with sweat.
They crept forward in stealth until they could just make out the scene ahead.
A massive brawl was unfolding between ninjas wearing Mist headbands and those wearing Whirlpool headbands. Although the Whirlpool ninjas had the home-field advantage, the Mist clearly had the upper hand.
Many Whirlpool ninjas were forced to group up, using sealing jutsus to create barriers to protect their civilians. But despite their efforts, countless ninjas and villagers were being slaughtered by the Mist forces.
The most eye-catching threats were a group of freaks wielding massive, strange weapons—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Seeing this, Jonin Ito's face went pale. Even Taka Kato and Ken Shimizu—the two Genin who had been so eager to fight a moment ago—were frozen in terror. They were experienced Genin, sure, but they had never seen a meat grinder like this.
Only Night Namikaze's expression suddenly relaxed. In fact, he looked... relieved.
He was staring dead ahead at a holographic screen that had just popped up in his vision.
[DING! Detected a high concentration of the rare "Uzumaki Bloodline" rapidly dissipating. System Activation Criteria met.]
[The Multiverse Rare Pawn Shop is at your service.]
[Would the Host like to perform a valuation scan of the current scene?]
"It's here. It's finally freaking here!"
Night's heart hammered against his ribs. The adrenaline spike was so intense he almost screamed at the sky.
No one knew the hell he'd been through for the last twelve years. The hope, the disappointment, the eventual despair. In this ninja world, he had no special bloodline, no System, and nobody gave a damn about him.
If history hadn't played out exactly like the anime he remembered, he would have started doubting his own sanity.
But hearing that cold, mechanical voice? He wanted to cry tears of joy.
"Confirm!"
[Scan Complete. Discovered ownerless pawnable items:]
[Uzumaki Clan Corpse (Intact) x53 ... Valuation: 80 Points/Body]
[Dissipating Uzumaki Soul x83 ... Valuation: 20 Points/Soul]
[Yuki Clan Corpse (Intact) x1 ... Valuation: 50 Points/Body]
[Kaguya Clan Corpse (Intact) x3 ... Valuation: 80 Points/Body]
[Broken Ninja Tools...]
[Please approach the rare items to complete the containment and pawning process.]
"Jackpot! So this is what they mean by war profiteering?"
But Night hit a snag: How do I get close? If he just ran out there, he'd be squashed like a bug on a windshield.
While he was brainstorming, Captain Ito whispered a command:
"Night, Ken—you two stay here and provide backup. Taka, you're with me. We're pushing forward."
As soon as the order dropped, Taka Kato—living up to his rather unfortunate name—started vibrating like an electric toothbrush. He didn't respond.
He probably thought they were here to assist in a winning battle. The reality of this slaughterhouse had broken his brain.
"Genin Kato!" Ito snapped, his voice sharp.
"Let me go, sir."
Night stepped up. He was worried about how to get closer to the loot anyway. If Ito had ordered a retreat, he would have lost a fortune. But sneaking in? That was just what the doctor ordered.
Hearing this, Taka Kato looked at Night like he was his savior, eyes filled with gratitude. Ito didn't waste time arguing; he waved his hand, signaling Night to follow.
The two of them stuck to the shadows of the buildings, dodging the chaotic skirmishes. Every now and then, stray ninjutsu blasts forced them to detour.
Captain Ito's face was grim, his focus absolute. He couldn't afford a single mistake.
He didn't notice that behind him, Night Namikaze couldn't stop grinning.
In this blood-soaked battlefield, that smile was eerie. It was completely out of place.
[DING! Successfully pawned one Uzumaki Soul. +20 Points.]
[DING! Successfully pawned one Powerful Uzumaki Soul. +40 Points.]
[DING! ...]
"I'm rich!"