Inside a bamboo forest, a gentle breeze drifted through as leaves slowly fell.
Finding a shaded spot, Rorin sat down and began communicating with the system.
"System, why did you come back early? I remember there should still be more than half a month left before the one-year mark."
"Oh, that. Host, on my way back to this world, I ran into an acquaintance system. It's been doing pretty well lately—even using shuttle transport for work—so I hitched a ride and saved some time."
Rorin's lips twitched. So that's possible? Systems can be rich or poor these days?
He didn't dwell on it further. The system he had been longing for had finally returned, and he was extremely curious about what it had brought back for him.
"System, enough talk—where's the product?"
"Hehe, don't worry, host. Take a look yourself."
Two pieces of information appeared before Rorin. At first glance, the item on the left nearly made him lose control of his excitement—he almost wanted to shout that the system was amazing.
Because that item was the All-Killing Ash Bones.
Rorin was naturally familiar with it. This was Kaguya's Kekkei Mōra. He had vaguely guessed before that the system might bring this back. Now that the dream had become reality, the feeling was absolutely exhilarating.
He immediately communicated with the system impatiently.
"Quick, system, install it into me."
A strange silence followed. Rorin quickly sensed something was wrong and urged again,
"Hurry up, system. How do I take it out and use it?"
"Sorry, host. It's not that I don't want to give you the All-Killing Ash Bones—it's just that your current body probably can't withstand its power."
Rorin froze for a few seconds.
Seriously? I waited almost a year. You finally bring back a real cheat, and just when I'm about to feel like the chosen one, you tell me it's right in front of me but completely unusable?
Holding back the urge to curse, Rorin let out a breath. With a forced polite smile, he said calmly,
"System, alright, stop messing around. This isn't funny."
"Host, I'm not joking. You really can't use it right now. Otherwise, your body will explode and you'll die."
Rorin slumped.
After all these years of waiting… this is what I get…
The greatest distance in the world is when the cheat is right in front of you—but you can't touch it.
Rubbing his head, Rorin accepted reality and asked helplessly,
"System, do you remember the promise you made before you left? You said I'd have everything. What about now? It's all gone—nothing's left."
"Host, don't worry. Didn't I say your current body just can't handle it? That doesn't mean you won't be able to in the future."
Rorin raised an eyebrow. There was still hope.
"So what are the requirements for me to use the All-Killing Ash Bones?"
"Well… I'm not entirely sure. I just remember the instruction manual saying it requires a strong physical constitution. Oh, right—the supplier mentioned the baseline is roughly Six Paths level power."
Rorin's mouth twitched again.
Six Paths level? If I reach that level, do I even need this cheat anymore?
…Alright, I probably still would. No one complains about having more good stuff.
Realizing he had to face reality, Rorin complained to the system,
"What about the all-attribute chakra you promised? If I can't have the All-Killing Ash Bones, at least give me that. Fill in the fire, water, and yin attributes I don't have."
"Uh… sorry, host. I forgot about that. Hehehe."
At that, Rorin finally snapped and shouted,
"Are you messing with me? You gave me hope and then nothing! Do you know how I've spent this time?!"
"Host, don't get angry. Didn't you notice? I brought back another product too."
Rorin looked at the item on the right—a device shaped like a vacuum cleaner—and asked in confusion,
"What is this thing?"
"I originally wanted to bring back more ready-to-use products, but the All-Killing Ash Bones was just too expensive. After buying it, I didn't have much left—only enough for one or two more items. While I was struggling, I found this. Its ability is 'deprivation.' If we can't afford wholesale products, can't we just take from the natives? Compared to buying finished products, this has better cost performance."
Hearing this, a glimmer of light returned to Rorin's eyes. At least the system wasn't completely useless this time.
He decided to forgive its carelessness and carefully studied this new product.
After some time, he learned that the deprivation device had its limitations—it could only be used five times. So choosing targets required careful consideration. But according to the system, it was still more cost-effective than buying one or two ready-made products.
Still, Rorin felt slightly troubled. In the end, he still had to rely on himself. The device could only be used when the target had no ability to resist.
He let out a soft sigh.
In the end, he had misplaced his expectations. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Now that things had come to this, Rorin stopped blaming the system. After all, there were still gains from this trip. One day, he would be able to use the All-Killing Ash Bones.
As evening approached, Rorin stopped dwelling on it. He decided to rest well, sort out his thoughts, and make plans tomorrow.
He removed the scroll from his waist, took out the stored items, set up a tent, roasted some meat, and had a full meal.
...
Hidden Leaf Village, Root organization base.
Shimura Danzō frowned deeply, staring gloomily at the subordinates below him as he coldly shouted,
"Useless. A bunch of useless trash."
The Root members below kept their heads lowered, not daring to speak.
Of the four who had previously been attacked by Rorin with Crimson Lotus, only two remained—and both were severely injured. The other two had already died under the Crimson Lotus.
Leaning on his cane, Shimura Danzō slowly walked down and stopped in front of the two members, ordering,
"Go. Continue searching for his whereabouts. When you find him, do not alert him. Report back to me—I will handle it personally."
As his words fell, Danzō tightened his grip on the cane, his gaze deep as he thought to himself:
He's an unstable element. If he can't be used by me, then I'll destroy him myself. I won't allow anything to stand in my way.
Warm sunlight filtered into the bamboo forest. Rorin slowly opened his eyes and stretched. He had already planned his first target last night.
Getting up, he packed his things and set off toward his goal.