The System Appears

Xuan Ye slowly got to his feet. After sitting for several hours straight, his legs felt a little numb. Looking out the window, the sun had once hung high in the sky, but now it had set. Dusk shrouded Konoha Village, and countless ninja moved back and forth through the streets.

Time passed so quickly. It's already evening after just extracting some chakra. Still, the time wasn't wasted. I successfully extracted chakra. It'll be much easier to extract it in the future—whenever I want it, I can do it without so much effort.

Many Konoha ninja had also returned from outside. After a long day's work, they were preparing to submit their completed missions, collect the rewards they deserved, and head home to rest.

"Ding dong. Congratulations, Host. The system is about to activate. Please prepare to receive the system."

What? The system is activating? Did I hear that right? Could I be hallucinating?

Xuan Ye wore an utterly incredulous expression. He had been in the world of Naruto for three years—three whole years. In those three years, let alone a system, he had not received even a single benefit that a transmigrator was supposed to have. He had gotten nothing.

Xuan Ye had practically begun to believe that systems were scams, things made up to fool people. Yet that voice from just now rekindled a tiny spark of hope in his heart.

System! Is something so high-end, so damn tsundere, finally about to arrive? Damn it, I've waited myself half to death for three years and you refused to show up. You had to wait until now?

Hmph. Still, since you've finally appeared, I'll forgive you. It's not like I can't forgive you!

A smile filled Xuan Ye's face. During his three years in the world of Naruto, today was the happiest day he had ever had. Today, he had obtained the Chakra Extraction Technique, successfully extracted energy from within his body and fused it into chakra, and now the system was about to activate.

If the system is activating, what does extracting a little chakra even matter? Once the system activates, I'll be able to level up while lying down. Beating up the Nine-Tails and whatever else will be easy, won't it?

"Ha ha, that picture is just too beautiful."

After hearing the system's notification, Xuan Ye immediately lay down on the bed, ready to welcome the system's arrival.

A minute passed, but the system still did not come.

Two minutes passed, and the system still had not come.

Three minutes passed. Then five minutes.

There was still no sign of any system. All he saw was a mosquito flying around his body, its buzzing unbearably annoying.

Suddenly, the mosquito stopped and landed on Xuan Ye's face.

Damn it, now I can't take this anymore. You're just a tiny mosquito, and you dare suck my blood? I'm a chosen genius! My blood is chosen-genius blood! A little mosquito like you actually dares to suck my blood? This is beyond intolerable!

I'm not putting up with it either. Watch me kill you with one move—Tathagata Palm!

Xuan Ye quietly raised his right hand. Slowly, slowly, once it came close enough—

"Slap."

His palm struck his own face.

A handprint instantly appeared on his face, bright red. From the look of it, that slap had really been quite powerful.

That should've killed it, right? Xuan Ye raised his right hand and looked at it. Uh, something's wrong. Where's the mosquito? It's not on my hand. Where did it die?

"Bzzzz, bzzzz."

The sound of flapping mosquito wings returned.

Suddenly, Xuan Ye noticed the mosquito flying out of the room. Hmph, at least you know what's good for you. You know to run, or I'd send you straight to paradise to enjoy yourself.

Ten minutes later, there was still no system.

Damn it, was I really hallucinating? I even encountered something like transmigration, yet I didn't get a system along with it? That makes no sense. It really makes no sense.

Sigh. I thought a system really existed. Maybe I was thinking too much. Heh, that figures. I already transmigrated, so I shouldn't be asking for too much.

Xuan Ye felt somewhat dejected because the system had not appeared. That was only natural. But was it really an auditory hallucination? Not necessarily.

Just as Xuan Ye was preparing to leave the room, that mysterious voice appeared in his mind again.

"Ding dong. Congratulations, Host. The system has been activated and will now scan the Host's personal information."

"Ding dong. Congratulations, Host. The scan was successful. The system will now bind to the Host. There will be a slight amount of pain, so please prepare yourself."

"Ding dong. Congratulations, Host. The system is beginning the binding process."

Not a hallucination. Not a hallucination. Not a hallucination. When Xuan Ye heard that voice in his head again, he became excited and thrilled.

I've been in this world for three years. Now that the system is about to activate, can the good days really be far away?

But the system ignored him, its Host, and simply continued speaking on its own. It did not give him even the slightest time to react. One sentence followed another, with only two or three seconds between them.

What could he do in two or three seconds? Nothing. At most, it gave him enough time to hear the system finish its previous sentence, enough time to understand what it intended to do.

React? What a joke. It did not give him any chance to react at all!

Once the system finished speaking, waves of excruciating pain erupted from deep inside his body. It was no ordinary pain—it was truly agonizing, as if countless bullet ants were frantically biting him all over, or as if a knife were slicing across his skin.

The pain came from the depths of his body and could not be stopped. Xuan Ye rolled back and forth across the bed, but the pain did not lessen in the slightest. It hurt so much—truly, unbearably much!

Why can't I pass out? Why can't I pass out? If I passed out, I wouldn't have to suffer so much. Why can't I just lose consciousness? The pain continued, endlessly pouring from deep within his body, as if his entire body were being remade.

"Ding dong. The system has detected dangerous thoughts from the Host. A reminder: the system is currently binding with the Host and modifying the Host's body. If the Host loses consciousness at this time, the Host will die."

The system's voice echoed through Xuan Ye's mind. It was like a dose of medicine; for a second or two, even the pain seemed to disappear.

In an instant, he froze in a daze. Damn it, good thing I didn't pass out. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lived to see tomorrow's sun. Thank goodness, thank goodness.

And you, system—why didn't you say that earlier? If I had passed out, wouldn't I have died?

Xuan Ye asked the system in his mind with a hint of reproach.

"Ding dong. The Host has asked a question."

"Ding dong. Since the Host did not ask, the system had no need to answer. The system only issued a reminder after detecting dangerous thoughts from the Host."

Damn this system. Xuan Ye was speechless.

The pain continued, but it had weakened considerably. It seemed the body modification was nearly over.

Another half hour later, the pain in his body vanished completely.

Xuan Ye was drenched in sweat, and his body was covered in black, sticky sludge that looked rather disgusting. His nose twitched as he took a breath, and he was immediately stunned.

Fuck, why does it stink so badly? It's making me want to throw up.

Xuan Ye looked at his hands, legs, and body. They were all covered in disgusting black filth like mud. Damn it, I can't take this anymore. I'd better go to the bathroom and take a shower first!