After class, a group of children rushed out to play.
Bing San slapped the chess manual onto the desk with a pained expression. "Whoever brings up shogi with me again is asking for trouble!"
Lu You shook his head and began studying the moves in the manual with great interest.
Bing San glanced listlessly at the children who were still there. Especially the two red-eyed boys in front and that one with cataracts.
The three of them were shouting loudly, acting as though no one else was there.
Suddenly, the red-eyed boy noticed Bing San looking at them. He frowned slightly, then saw that Bing San was still watching.
The spiky-haired red-eyed boy slapped the desk and stood up. "What're you looking at?!"
Bing San's mouth twitched. He nearly burst out laughing.
The scene reminded him of some funny memories, and he almost instinctively shot back, "I'm looking at you! So what?!"
But he swallowed the words before they left his mouth. What was the point of arguing with a kid?
Seeing that Bing San didn't dare answer, the Uchiha boy thought he'd been intimidated. He swaggered over, looking triumphant, and came so close that his face was almost touching Bing San's. "I asked you a question. What're you looking at?!"
The other two children came over as well. The markings on the backs of their clothes showed that they were from the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.
Obito grabbed the boy's arm. "Hey, hey, Feng, we're all classmates. Don't go picking fights."
The boy yanked his sleeve free of Obito's grasp and snapped, "Shut up, you good-for-nothing who's always hanging around with paupers. You're bringing shame on the Uchiha family!"
The sudden argument drew the remaining children's attention. Most of them started moving toward Bing San of their own accord, eager to watch the spectacle.
Shikaku set down the chess manual in annoyance. "What a pain."
Then he called to a boy in white up ahead, who was teasing a little girl. "Hey, Hyuga Kuji, your little lackeys are out showing off again."
The boy turned around and saw what was happening. He shrugged and spoke gently to the girl. "Wait for me a moment. I'll be right back."
The boy unhurriedly parted the crowd and walked over. He addressed the boy who'd just been acting like he owned the place. "Ah, Go, Feng, stop causing trouble for me all the time. You're making things difficult for me."
The children who'd been scowling moments earlier immediately straightened up and lowered their heads slightly. The others turned away, pretending not to see.
The boy gave Bing San a perfunctory wave. "I'm Hyuga Kuji, a new classmate. I hope we'll get along."
Without waiting for Bing San to respond, he turned and went back. Hyuga Go glared fiercely at Bing San, then followed him.
Bing San thought to himself, Hah, the arrogance of the great clans!
Bing San turned to Shikaku. "What's their deal?"
Shikaku kept his head down and continued reading the chess manual. "Oh, Hyuga Go is Hyuga Kuji's younger brother. They're twins.
"Go's a decent guy, but he's got a bad temper."
"Aren't the Uchiha and Hyuga on bad terms? Why are they together?" Bing San asked, puzzled. It looked like Hyuga Kuji was the leader of the Uchiha siblings.
Shikaku set down the chess manual and replied with surprise, "Who told you that? The Hyuga and Uchiha have always had a good relationship.
"The current Great Elder of the Hyuga family and the Third Elder of the Uchiha are teammates.
"Kuji and Go are the Great Elder's grandsons."
Bing San scratched his head and thought for a moment. The Konoha 12 wouldn't come along for many years yet. Maybe something had changed!
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye!
One day, Tomoko brought Bing San home after class, and they ran into Shimura Danzō, who seemed more and more gloomy by the day.
Danzō glanced at Bing San a few times but said nothing. The wrinkles between his brows had deepened. He clenched his jaw, seemingly lost in thought.
Bing San wiped away the sweat from his long run and got ready to change clothes and go to bed.
But suddenly, a voice rang out in his mind:
"Beep, beep, beep. Biological energy fully charged. System activation beginning."
"Activation 10%... 20%... 99%... Activation successful."
"Due to the host's fragmented soul and conflicting bodily genes, the system expended a large amount of energy to keep the host alive. Current energy reserves: 1. If reserves fall below 1, the system will enter hibernation again."
Bing San's heart leaped with joy. He forced his voice down to a whisper. "Oh my God, my cheat has finally arrived."
"Loading attribute panel... Loading complete."
Host: Shimura Bing San (Cyborg), Strength: 3 (10) Agility: 5 (10) Intelligence: 9 (10) Constitution: 2 (10) Mastery: None Skill 1: Rapid Regeneration (Passive): Body cell activity is three times that of an ordinary person. Skill 2: Resolve (Passive): Sensory tolerance increased by 10% (the host's body has developed enhanced tolerance from enduring pain for a long time) Skill 3: Life Collapse: Chakra generation speed increased by 10%, total amount increased by 400%, and the invasiveness of body tissue increased by 900%. (The host is a Bio-engineered human, and the host's cells are extremely invasive.) Note: Don't come near me! Accepting my bodily fluids could put your life in danger. Equipment: None
"System? System spirit? System assistant?"
But the system didn't answer Bing San, so he could only explore it on his own.
Bing San focused his attention and noticed a slight change in his field of vision. A colorful little wheel had appeared in the upper-right corner.
The wheel displayed only "1/1." There was a red button in the middle. Bing San focused on it, and the numbers on the wheel changed to "0/1." A countdown appeared beside them: 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.
The wheel spun a few times before stopping. A little box appeared on it.
Bing San focused on the box. It slowly opened, then disappeared, leaving behind something white.
The white object darted over to the lower-right corner of his field of vision, landing on another box-shaped icon.
It looked like this was where things were stored. Bing San examined it for a while, then opened the box.
Inside were two packages. One was the thing he'd just drawn, though he had no idea what it was.
The other had strange writing on it. He couldn't read the characters, but somehow understood what they meant: "Beginner's Gift Pack."
Bing San opened the Beginner's Gift Pack. A scroll, a book, and a small bottle appeared inside.
When Bing San focused his attention on the items, his hand suddenly felt heavy. The objects had actually appeared in his hand.
The book was titled Rozan Sho Ryu Ha. It even had a dragon drawn on it. It looked mighty and imposing.
Bing San's mouth twitched, and he murmured, his heart racing, "I've struck it rich!"
The scroll had a large character meaning "seal" written on it. It looked like a Sealing Scroll.
The little bottle looked gorgeous, but its name was a bit strange. Hmm... I Love A Shiba Inu.
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