Chapter 32: The Lure of Power and a Lucky Break

Ding! Host eliminates 1 Jōnin. Reward: 5,000 Points. Total Points: 46,843.

Heh. I got careless, Ren thought, wincing as he examined the shallow gash on his arm where a kunai had grazed him. Even a cornered jōnin is dangerous. If it weren’t for the system’s antidote, that poison would have finished me. I’m still too green. The reality of his situation was sobering. My arsenal is too limited. Just Lightning Release, the Hidden Shadow Snake Hand, and the Finger Gun. I need more power.

“System,” he murmured, the thought a burning desire in his mind. “How many points for a Mangekyō Sharingan?”

Mangekyō Sharingan. Item Level: S-Rank. Exchange Cost: 100,000 Points. Prerequisite: Possession of Three Tomoe Sharingan. Host’s points are insufficient. Cannot exchange.

So expensive? Ren felt a wave of frustration. The Flying Thunder God was an S-Rank too, but it was only 50,000. Why is this twice more?

The Mangekyō Sharingan is a composite item with significantly higher potential and versatility than the Flying Thunder God Technique. It contains multiple inherent S-Rank abilities.

Its inherent abilities? Ren’s interest was piqued.

Affirmative. The system’s default Mangekyō exchange grants the abilities of Itachi Uchiha’s eyes: Tsukuyomi in the left eye, Amaterasu in the right eye, and the Susano’o technique when both are active.

Just like Itachi’s in the original story. Can I exchange for the abilities of other Mangekyō users?

Affirmative. The Host can possess the abilities of multiple Mangekyō Sharingan simultaneously.

That’s good! A fierce determination settled in him. I’ll use this battle to save up. With the 50,000-point mission reward, I should be able to afford one. Then I won’t have to be so cautious, constantly looking over my shoulder for Danzō.

“System, restore my stamina and chakra.”

After the familiar wave of rejuvenation washed over him, Ren became a whirlwind of death, a ghost flitting from one battlefield to the next. He appeared wherever Sand and Sound ninja fought, a masked reaper harvesting lives for points before vanishing again to find new prey. The system’s ability to instantly restore his energy made him a perpetual motion machine of destruction.

Most of his victims were chūnin and genin. The jōnin were a different story. He’d killed four more, but each fight had been a brutal struggle. His lack of real combat experience showed against seasoned opponents. The wounds that now littered his body—a cut on his thigh, a burn on his shoulder—were trophies from jōnin who had fought back with desperate, final acts of defiance.

He finally paused, sitting on the corpse of a Sound ninja he’d just dispatched. The area around him was littered with the dead. The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind a deep, bone-weary fatigue.

“System, check my points.”

Total Points: 86,043. Open the Exchange Interface?

“Not yet. Restore my chakra and stamina.”

Ding! Exchange successful. 2,000 Points deducted. Remaining Points: 84,043.

A wave of relief and energy flooded his system. “Ahhh~~ Refreshing!” He stretched, his body feeling as if he’d just woken from a full night’s sleep. “Just one more jōnin to complete the main mission. Fighting for this long is exhausting. I don’t know how monsters like the Third Raikage, who fought ten thousand ninja for three days straight, did it. He was a human-tailed beast. No time to think about that now. Focus.”

He stood up, ready to hunt again. As he passed near the ruins of the Chūnin Exam arena, a commotion caught his attention. He moved closer, using the debris for cover.

Below, two groups were in a tense standoff. On one side were Kakashi, Might Guy, and the proctor, Genma Shiranui. Facing them were two figures: Baki, the Sand jōnin commander, and another person dressed in Konoha ANBU gear, his face hidden by a standard mask.

“Yo! We meet again, little brother!” Guy called out cheerfully as Ren dropped down to join them.

Ren merely gave a curt nod, his focus on the two opponents. His Analytic Eye flickered to life.

Baki – Sand Jōnin.

??? – Jōnin-level Chakra. Identity: Unknown.

“Tch. Tch. Another one has arrived,” the masked ANBU said, his tone oddly light and unbothered. “It seems a retreat is in order.” Even facing four Konoha jōnin, he sounded utterly relaxed.

Before Kakashi could respond, a shift occurred behind them. The massive Four Purple Flame Formation surrounding the stadium roof flickered and dissolved. Two Sound ninja were helping a visibly weakened Orochimaru away, followed by two others.

The Konoha trio tensed to pursue, but a thick, sticky web shot out from the remaining Sound ninja below, trapping them momentarily.

“Kakashi, they’re moving! Do we pursue?” Genma asked, struggling against the bindings.

“No. Wait,” Kakashi ordered, his eye fixed on the retreating figures.

“Indeed. Charging blindly into an unknown situation is a good way to fall into a trap,” the masked ANBU added, his tone almost instructive.

“We don’t need you to tell us that!” Guy retorted. “But we can’t just let the enemy escape! We are Konoha’s ninja!”

“I’ll handle them. They’re mine.” Ren didn’t wait for a response. He saw his chance—a weakened Orochimaru, potentially worth a massive bounty of points. He shot past the web and gave chase.

Once he was gone, Kakashi stepped forward, his lone eye boring into the masked figure. “Well then… shall we continue? Kabuto.”

The masked man went still for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle. “As expected of Kakashi-senpai. You saw through me.” He reached up and removed the mask, revealing the bespectacled, smiling face of Yakushi Kabuto.

“Hey! What’s the plan now?” Baki whispered urgently to his unlikely ally.

“It’s time for us to make our exit,” Kabuto replied smoothly.

“Trying to run away from me again?” Kakashi’s voice was low and dangerous.

“Perhaps. But if I make a move, you’ll just copy my techniques. And you don’t seem to be able to use the Sharingan to its full potential like a true Uchiha,” Kabuto taunted, his smile never wavering. “Well then, farewell!”

In unison, Kabuto and Baki flashed through a set of hand seals. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveIＦire.net

Poof! Poof!

Two clouds of smoke erupted, and when they cleared, both men were gone.

“Damn it! They got away!” Guy slammed a fist into his palm in frustration.

“Don’t worry about them,” Kakashi said, his gaze turning to the now-empty rooftop. “The barrier is down. Orochimaru has retreated. We need to find the Third Hokage. Now!”

The three Konoha jōnin vanished, heading for the roof.

Ren, leaping through the trees in pursuit, suddenly skidded to a halt on a thick branch.

Orochimaru, weakened by the Reaper Death Seal… This might be my only chance to take him out. The points would be astronomical. And that hidden mission…

The temptation was immense. But a cooler, more cautious voice in his head argued back. Orochimaru’s survival skills are legendary. Everyone else got a finale, but he slithers on. He always has a backup plan. Those four with him can all use the Curse Mark’s second state. It wouldn’t be a quick fight. And if Kabuto shows up… it’d be a disaster. I’d paint a giant target on my back for no guaranteed gain. It’s not worth the risk. I can’t afford to alter the plot that drastically yet.

His decision made, he turned away from the pursuit. If Orochimaru is retreating, then the Sand and Sound forces will be pulling out too. I need to find that last jōnin, fast.

As if on cue, a figure crashed through the undergrowth below him. It was a Sound jōnin, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side, his right hand clamped over a bloody wound. He was moving with panicked, ragged breaths, constantly looking over his shoulder as if expecting pursuit. He didn’t look up.

A jōnin? Delivered right to me? Ren couldn’t believe his luck. This is too convenient. But I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He melted into the bark of the tree using a simple Camouflage Technique—a basic academy jutsu that any alert chūnin could see through. But this ninja was exhausted, wounded, and terrified. He didn’t notice a thing.

The Sound ninja leaped up, landing on the very branch where Ren was hiding. The moment his feet touched the bark, a hand shot out from the tree trunk and locked around his injured wrist.

Nani?! The man’s head whipped around, his eyes wide with shock. All he saw was a fist, glowing faintly with concentrated chakra, rocketing toward his face.

CRUNCH.

The sound of shattering bone and cartilage was sickeningly loud. The force of the blow didn’t just break his nose; it snapped his neck with brutal, clean efficiency. The jōnin was dead before his body was thrown from the branch, crashing through the roof of a small shed below.

Ding! Host eliminates 1 Jōnin. Reward: 5,000 Points. Total Points: 89,043.

Ding! Main Mission Complete: Eliminate 5 Jōnin. Reward: 50,000 Points. Total Points: 139,043.

Ren dropped down beside the corpse. The man’s face was a ruined mess, his neck twisted at an impossible angle.

“One punch from the Strength of a Hundred… It’s brutal,” he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, another ANBU dropped down silently beside the body—a woman with long, purple hair spilling from the back of her mask. She was clearly the one who had been chasing the Sound ninja.

“He’s already dead. Killed by a single, powerful blow to the head. Neck’s broken. Impressive force,” she observed, her voice muffled by her mask. Then she turned her head, the blank porcelain face regarding him. “You’re ANBU too? Which squad? Code name?”

Uh oh. Yuugao Uzuki? Ren thought, recognizing her. The one who loved Hayate… In his surprise, he said it aloud. “Yuugao?”

The woman went rigid. “You… how do you know that name? Report your squad and code name. Now!”

“Uh… this…” Ren’s mind raced for an escape. Then he pointed sharply behind her. “Look! A plane!”

“A what?” Yuugao’s head turned instinctively, searching the empty sky.

It was all the distraction he needed. The moment her attention shifted, he activated the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.

Yuugao turned back to find empty air. She ripped her mask off, revealing a face contorted in fury. “You bastard! How dare you play me?! Don’t let me find out who you are!” she yelled at the silent trees.

With a final, frustrated growl, she replaced her mask and disappeared into the shadows.

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