Rewards

The earth had already fallen asleep. Aside from the gentle breeze, the deserted streets held only the drunken clamor of drunkards, the sounds of stray dogs fighting, and the mating cries of stray cats from who knew where.

Whoosh! Bathed in moonlight, Uchiha Asuka moved swiftly across the rooftops.

After glancing back at the Nara Clan Grounds, he picked his nose, then jumped down from the roof and began strolling leisurely down the street.

Allies, huh. The two most unpredictable factors in the world of shinobi were, first, just how insane Black Zetsu would become in order to save his mother; and second, when an ally would turn on you.

Sunagakure had been Konoha's ally from the very first day the hidden villages were established. Later, during the First Shinobi World War, it stabbed Konoha in the back. During the Second Shinobi World War, it kicked Konoha twice. By the Third Shinobi World War, it had fought all the way to Kikyo Mountain—basically going right up to someone's doorstep and smashing their windows.

Apparently, Sunagakure had come again this time to sign a friendly alliance treaty.

Thinking of how, a few years from now, Sunagakure and Orochimaru would join forces to send the old Third packing, Asuka could not help sighing.

Sunagakure was a vicious ally. The moment it wanted to betray someone, it betrayed them.

His gaze swept over the drunks on the street, and he recalled the three words Nara Yoshino had written on the table with tea when they spoke. His expression turned a little awkward.

"Wait a little?"

If the Fourth Hokage did not die, he would actually be willing to wait. But the Fourth Hokage's life was far too short.

Still, she told me to wait, while I'm about to replace Shikamaru's future wife.

If Lady Yoshino finds out I plan to set her son up with an Uchiha, would she jump for joy?

Once Asuka returned home, he directly opened the system. Looking at the large words "Completed" displayed on it, he thought for a moment before silently calling out.

"System!"

Sometimes, whether or not someone became friends with another person did not actually require their own consent. During childhood, when the mother ruled the household, who a child could be friends with was generally decided by the mother.

If she thought the other person was decent, she would allow you to be friends with them. If she thought they were no good, then you were not allowed to be friends with them.

(P.S. This happened to me personally. When I was little, my mom directly named people I wasn't allowed to play with. That XX's mom also wouldn't let her son play with me. Before high school, neither of us would even speak when we met.)

Congratulations, Host. Through wisdom and hard work, you became friends with Nara Shikamaru while he was still innocent and ignorant. The great path of cultivation in the shinobi world has instantly broadened considerably.

In the future, Nara Shikamaru will roughly formulate strategies for you. You need only possess the most basic knowledge and refinement, and learn how to become a leader.

Reward for this mission: one increase in Sharingan awakening progress, one mysterious exchange voucher, and one letter from a stranger.

As the Host obtained the other party's friendship through a special method this time, a hidden side mission will be unlocked.

Would you like to claim the rewards?

Asuka stared at the text displayed by the system and stood there in silence for a long while.

He estimated that Shikamaru would probably be born around September. Then in October, the little guy should be able to recognize people; in November, he should be able to recognize words; and in December, he should be able to recognize lollipops. Then he could trick the kid. Before he had even been born, his friend count would suddenly increase by one.

At that thought, Asuka closed his eyes and said,

"Claim them!"

Another surge of warmth suddenly entered Asuka's eyes. As the Sharingan automatically activated, that warmth coursed back and forth within his eyes until it finally disappeared.

This increase in his eye-opening progress was terrifying—nearly twenty times greater than the last one.

If the Sharingan's progress were quantified, then before he obtained the system, his Mangekyo awakening progress had been 3000/10000.

After completing the first mission, his Mangekyo awakening progress had been 3000.5/10000.

After completing the second mission, his Mangekyo awakening progress had been 3120.5/10000.

Of that, 100 came from his daily training over the past two months.

Huff! After letting out a deep breath, Asuka's gaze fell on the table. He picked up the voucher-like item, studied it for a while, and muttered,

"A mysterious exchange voucher: can be used to exchange for any type of weapon with tremendous destructive power."

A weapon with tremendous destructive power??

Seeing those words, Asuka instantly thought of one of the 108 ways to destroy the world: nuclear war.

That thing could not destroy the world, but it could wipe out humanity.

When the day came for him to meet his end... everyone in the shinobi world would see that mushroom cloud rising into the sky.

However, in a world with Chakra, a mushroom cloud seemed a little underwhelming. After all, a single Tailed Beast Bomb from the Nine-Tails seemed to be about as powerful as a nuclear bomb.

Since something as unreasonable as the system existed, there should be even more unreasonable things too, right?

After thinking for a long while, Asuka crushed the exchange voucher in his hand. A Blue Screen suddenly appeared before him, bearing several large words.

Please select a weapon type, Host.

"Sixfold Purity Depleted-Uranium Bomb!"

No corresponding weapon found. Please choose again.

"Six-Barrel Barrett Intercontinental Nuclear Explosion Gun!"

No corresponding weapon found. Please choose again.

"Give me a hydrogen bomb—the kind that could leave a crater in Konoha even if you just dropped it!"

No corresponding weapon found. Please choose again.

"No modern weapons? Then give me Black Blade Night, Hawkeye's one."

No corresponding weapon found. Please choose again.

"..."

That left Asuka completely speechless. He stared at the Blue Screen before him, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

Were my demands too high? Or did I overestimate you? Or perhaps, for some reason—for example, the system had always thought this year was Konoha Year 57, while it was actually Konoha Year 51. In the system's timeline, Sasuke should be six years old now. Could it be that, in the eyes of a six-year-old child, these are weapons with tremendous destructive power??

Recalling the powerful weapons he had imagined when he was six, Asuka pinched his chin with one hand and hesitantly said,

"Give me a sword that won't chip when cutting bones?"

Corresponding weapon found: Kusanagi Sword.

The moment he finished speaking, a long sword gleaming with cold light appeared on the table.

Lowering his head to look at the somewhat familiar sword, Asuka frowned and muttered,

"Why does this thing look so much like the one Orochimaru has?"

Meanwhile.

Somewhere in Grass Country.

Mitarashi Anko instinctively felt around with her right hand. When she found nothing beside her, she sprang up from the bed.

Throwing aside her pillow and blanket, she stared blankly at the empty bed and blinked in confusion. Then, without even bothering to put on shoes, she jumped down and began searching the room with her head lowered.

"Where's the sword??

I was hugging it while I slept just now. How did it suddenly disappear??"

"Oh no, I lost Orochimaru-sama's sword."

After turning the entire room upside down, she shoved open the door and ran toward Orochimaru's laboratory.

Bang! Hearing the door being violently pushed open from outside, Orochimaru set down the bottle in his hand and looked toward the entrance.

"Orochimaru-sama!"

Seeing Anko rush in with an anxious expression, Orochimaru's lips curved slightly as he rasped,

"Anko, what is it?"

"This is bad!"

Mitarashi Anko braced her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

"Orochimaru-sama, I lost the Kusanagi Sword you lent me."

When Orochimaru did not respond, she assumed he did not believe her. She immediately began gesturing as she explained,

"I-I was just hugging it in bed while I slept, and then the sword suddenly disappeared."

"It just went whoosh and vanished."

"Really, it just went whoosh and disappeared. When I hugged empty air and tried to find it again, I couldn't find it anywhere."

After reorganizing Anko's jumbled explanation in his mind, Orochimaru nodded gently. There was not the slightest hint of anger on his face.

He rubbed Anko's hair and said indifferently,

"I have more weapons like that. Besides, there was no Chakra disturbance detected here just now, nor did we detect the presence of any shinobi. The other party must be a shinobi skilled in concealment.

Do not waste time over an inanimate object. When that sword appears again, go retrieve it.

Also, this place has likely been discovered. Go pack our things."

"Okay..."

Mitarashi Anko lowered her head and kicked at a stone dejectedly.

Damn it. How could that thing vanish into thin air? Could some unknown shinobi really have snatched it from me? They came all the way to Orochimaru-sama's base just to steal a sword from me? Even though it was a good sword.