California, Palo Alto, south of San Francisco.
The Clement Hotel, a high-end suite.
After a curious little tour of the room, Shane dropped onto the sofa.
A suite that cost over a grand a night was… fine, he guessed. The space wasn't as huge as he'd imagined, and by his modern standards the decor was just average. If it weren't close to Silicon Valley and Stanford, it wouldn't be worth the price tag.
Maybe it was also a case of the competition being worse. After leaving the Winchesters, this was the closest hotel he could find that looked at least somewhat upscale.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the three cards the system had given him when he withdrew his money.
A bank card.
A Social Security card.
And a driver's license.
The bank card wasn't special on the surface. It was simply bound to the system, and any "withdrawn" wealth would be deposited into it. He'd used it to pay for the suite without a hitch.
The Social Security card handled the biggest headache: he wasn't undocumented anymore. A tycoon was going to be spending money everywhere, and a clean identity made life a lot easier.
And the driver's license was even simpler. What kind of rich guy didn't mess around with cars?
Once again, Shane had to admit it.
This system didn't just make him rich. It made him rich properly.
But the truly ridiculous part was the address printed on the license.
Mystic Falls, Virginia.
Any American TV fan knew that name.
It was from The Vampire Diaries.
Just like Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries was one of those long-running, genre-defining supernatural shows. Shane didn't remember the fine details as clearly as he did with the Winchesters' world, but he remembered Mystic Falls and the general chaos that always seemed to orbit that town.
Especially a few of the leads.
Mostly the female lead.
Why?
Because if you were talking supernatural romance, vampires, and werewolves, he personally found True Blood more up his alley. The plot hooked him harder.
Still, The Vampire Diaries had one undeniable advantage.
The female lead was genuinely stunning.
First he'd run into Dean and Sam Winchester. Now his ID said he was from Mystic Falls.
For a die-hard American TV addict like him, the future suddenly felt like a scavenger hunt packed with hidden cameos and surprise crossovers.
His excitement shot through the roof.
Shane opened his system panel.
He'd spent a bit over a thousand dollars, but his wealth hadn't gone down.
It had gone up.
Finding a hotel had taken over half an hour, and his money was now hovering around fourteen thousand dollars. His points were at eleven.
Right now, there were only two ways to get stronger: the lottery and mission rewards.
Missions were random.
He didn't have enough points to draw.
So in the short term, the only realistic plan was to accumulate wealth, then spend it for points, then use points to draw.
This system really meant it when it said "spend money to get stronger."
If you didn't spend, you didn't even have a path forward.
It didn't let him grind.
It didn't let him hustle.
It forced him to be a shameless couch potato who got stronger by blowing cash.
Maybe he should put the whole "working hard" thing on hold?
Sleep a few hours, wake up with tens of thousands more, then go find somewhere to splurge and rack up points.
Shane considered it.
Then immediately rejected it.
Sleep?
No chance.
He might not be able to draw yet, but he could test the jutsu he already had. Sure, the system had dumped the knowledge into his head instantly, but that didn't erase the thrill.
This was ninjutsu.
Real ninjutsu.
For the first time in his life, he could actually use it.
How could he not be curious?
How could he not be excited?
Even people who already know how to drive still get hyped when they get a new car. And Shane was more like a "theory-only driver" who'd just been handed the keys to a rocket.
He'd already tested Shadow Possession Jutsu and the Temple of Nirvana Technique.
He'd activated the Byakugan too.
The sealing technique required ink and a scroll, so that one was on hold.
Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation was also hard to test without someone attacking him. Spinning like a top in an empty hotel suite just to "feel the defense" would make him look like an idiot.
So that left the one he wanted most.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Hand seals.
A sharp, dramatic callout.
Shane even struck Naruto's signature pose like the world's biggest chuuni.
Then came the sound.
Poof.
A shadow clone appeared beside him, identical in every way.
"It's really one-to-one," Shane murmured, circling the clone like a scientist who'd just discovered a new species.
Same height, same build, same face, same eyes.
Even the clothes matched.
And yes.
Equally handsome.
The clone opened its mouth first.
"What are you staring at?"
"Staring at you. Problem?"
"Keep staring, see what happens."
"Fine. Let's see."
Shadow clones were physical constructs made from chakra. They could think, attack, defend, and act independently. And when they dispersed, their experiences and memories returned to the original.
After a brief, stupidly affectionate trash-talk exchange, Shane was still marveling at it when a thought hit him like lightning.
Shadow clones were physical.
They could breathe.
They could move.
They could fight.
So logically…
They had a heartbeat.
And if they had a heartbeat…
Then…
"System. Open the panel."
Shane took a slow breath, forcing his overexcited heart to calm down to a normal rhythm.
Then he stared at the wealth line and counted.
"+1 USD."
"+1 USD."
"+1 USD."
He matched the numbers to his heartbeat a few times.
Then he went still.
The clone's heartbeat was generating additional heartbeat income.
That meant his own heartbeat paid 1 USD.
And the clone's heartbeat paid another 1 USD.
If their heart rates matched, what used to be 6,000 dollars an hour became 12,000.
With one clone.
If he could summon thousands of clones…
In that moment, Shane realized his math had to have been taught by a gym teacher.
Because he couldn't calculate it anymore.
His brain was overheating.
He needed to calm down. Pour cold water on himself. Remind himself that his chakra reserves were still tiny. He couldn't summon many clones, and he definitely couldn't maintain them for long.
So whether this was a bug or a cheat stacked on top of a cheat, it wasn't that insane…
No.
It was still insane.
Because if he drew a Senju-level physique.
Or an Uzumaki-level physique.
Would "low chakra" still be a problem?
The system panel literally had a "physique" section. That meant it had to be possible.
And what about Tailed Beasts?
The panel didn't list them yet, but come on. A Naruto system without Tailed Beasts was like a burger without the patty.
Physique plus Tailed Beast.
A bootleg Naruto build.
That meant thousands upon thousands of clones.
So what was his life going to be from now on?
Spend money.
Earn money.
Spend money faster.
Because if he spent too slowly, he'd fall behind.
This income speed was faster than Kakashi's hand seals, damn it.