Task Complete

Time flew, and the years slipped by.

At the end of Year 51 in Konoha, Kumogakure, which had already been preparing to send an envoy to sign a peace treaty with Konoha, suddenly attacked a Konoha outpost on the border.

So, in order to defeat Kumogakure in one fell swoop, Konoha sent most of the elite shinobi who were on leave to the borderlands northeast of the Land of Fire.

"Looks like the influence brought about by this butterfly of mine is finally starting to show."

When Gu Qi heard the news, he couldn't help thinking this.

Though he hadn't actually done anything.

"Man, I'd better get back to studying." Gu Qi pushed the distracting thoughts from his mind and picked up the Elementary Chemistry textbook in his hands.

It had been almost two months since he'd received the three textbooks. Now he was on the last section of the Elementary Chemistry textbook.

By Gu Qi's estimate, as long as he put in a little extra effort today, he should be able to finish it.

[ Ding! Mastered Elementary Chemistry. Reinforcing knowledge...]

[ Ding! Task complete.]

[Releasing rewards...]

[Congratulations! You have received the following items:

Scientific item: Electromagnetic Shield technical documentation,

Unscientific item: Furnace That Can Make Anything.]

"?!" Gu Qi's mouth twitched. These rewards were something else.

The [Electromagnetic Shield technical documentation] was just a stack of papers.

The [Furnace That Can Make Anything], on the other hand, was a very small furnace. Its design reminded Gu Qi of the dwarf forge in The Forge.

After reading the system's description, Gu Qi learned that he only needed to find a suitable place to set the furnace down before he could use it.

While Gu Qi was checking out his rewards, the system issued another set of tasks.

[Task 1: Complete the study of Elementary Mathematics.]

[Task reward: Scientific technical documentation.]

[Task 2: Complete the study of Elementary Physics.]

[Task reward: Unscientific item.]

[Task 3: Complete the study of Elementary Chemistry.]

[Task reward: Scientific technical documentation.]

[Task 4: Complete the research on the Electromagnetic Shield.]

[Task reward: Unscientific item.]

[PS: Once Tasks 1, 2, 3, and 4 are complete, the next stage of advanced tasks will be unlocked.]

"Ha! It actually issued so many tasks at once! And that Electromagnetic Shield thing—what the hell am I supposed to use to research it? Damn it!"

Gu Qi was at a loss. The other tasks were manageable, but science in this world was limited. Even with the complete technical documentation, researching an Electromagnetic Shield was completely unrealistic.

This is the unscientific world of Naruto. There is no problem that chakra cannot solve. If there is, it only means you aren't clever enough.

After the system's reminder, it fell silent again.

"Chakra can solve it? Could it be..."

An idea struck Gu Qi. Put simply, an Electromagnetic Shield used electromagnetic force to bind an energy field and defend against attacks.

Gu Qi could accomplish all of that with Lightning Release Chakra.

He only needed to use Lightning Release Chakra to simulate electromagnetic force, then bind the chakra into an energy field. That would let him fully recreate an Electromagnetic Shield.

And simulating electromagnetic force with Lightning Release Chakra involved shape transformation.

Besides, Gu Qi now had the system-granted Furnace That Can Make Anything. Maybe he could make some progress with that, too.

"Looks like I still have a lot to learn!" Gu Qi looked at the textbooks in his hands and couldn't help sighing again.

Gu Qi didn't rush to study. Instead, he left his room and went down to the basement beneath the Ninja Tool Shop.

After clearing some space, Gu Qi took out the [Furnace That Can Make Anything] and set it down in the area he'd prepared.

The furnace, which had originally been no bigger than his palm, instantly grew to the size of an adult.

At the same time, Gu Qi felt as if he'd been completely hollowed out. All his chakra and stamina had been drained.

"Damn it! System, you bastard! Why didn't you warn me that setting down the furnace would take chakra?" Gu Qi roared at the system, feeling like he'd been duped.

Please read the instructions carefully. This system takes no responsibility for any accidents.

"..." Gu Qi had a few choice words he wasn't sure he should say.

He quickly ate a whole piece of jerky, and only then did he recover.

Having learned his lesson, Gu Qi cautiously opened the instruction manual that came with the furnace and read it very carefully.

As it turned out, although the furnace could make anything, it needed chakra as fuel to run.

The chakra consumed by the furnace was directly proportional to the size, complexity, and hardness of the item being made.

The more complex and harder the item, the more chakra it required.

But the furnace had one advantage: items didn't have to be made all at once.

In other words, Gu Qi could take his time making an item until it reached the effect he wanted.

He really wanted to try out the furnace, but he didn't have any materials on hand and had no idea what he wanted to make, so Gu Qi gave up on using it for now.

"Grrr..."

"It's almost evening already. Forget it, I'd better go have a proper meal first!"

When Gu Qi left the basement and looked up at the sky, he realized the sun had already set.

For the past few days, Gu Qi had been holed up at home studying.

Now that he'd finally completed a task, he decided to go out and enjoy a good meal.

"Well, if it isn't little Gu Qi? I haven't seen you in days!" At Ichiraku Ramen, the adorable Ayame smiled at Gu Qi.

Gu Qi rubbed his nose. "I've been busy training these past few days. Today, I decided to give myself a day off!"

"Little Gu Qi is so impressive. I'm sure you'll be an excellent shinobi one day!" Ayame said with a smile, patting Gu Qi on the head.

Ever since his reincarnation, Gu Qi had gotten used to people treating him like a child. So he accepted Ayame's praise and head-patting without a fuss.

After the Special Tonkotsu Ramen and soda he'd ordered were brought to him, Ayame suddenly said, "Oh, right, Gu Qi. Your friend Naruto came by earlier to look for you. It was too bad you weren't here. He seemed really disappointed."

"Did he come by today?" Gu Qi asked.

Ayame shook her head. "Not yet! I wonder if he'll come by today."

Gu Qi thought for a moment. "If he does come by today, please treat him to a bowl of ramen for me. And tell him I'll be going to the woods to train again in a couple of days."

"Gu Qi really is such a kind person!" Ayame said with a grin.

After finishing his ramen, Gu Qi left enough money to cover ten more bowls of Special Ramen. "If Naruto comes by, let him eat whatever he wants. It's on me."

"Sure!"

Not long after Gu Qi left, a scrawny boy arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hey, Naruto! What bad timing. Little Gu Qi just left!" Ayame greeted him when she saw him.

"Huh? What a shame! If I go after him now, I should be able to catch up," Naruto muttered to himself.

"Grrr..."

But just as Naruto was about to leave, the delicious aroma made his stomach protest.

Naruto looked embarrassed as he prepared to leave. With the money he had, if he ate ramen, he might not even be able to afford instant noodles for the rest of the week.

"Here, little Gu Qi asked me to treat you to some ramen!"

Just then, Ayame set a steaming bowl of ramen in front of Naruto.

"Gulp!" Naruto swallowed and stammered, "R-really?"

"Of course! Little Gu Qi said he'll be going to the woods to train again in a couple of days!"

"Naruto-kun..."

For some reason, Gu Qi's silver-white hair and reassuring smile appeared in Naruto's mind.

"Plip!"

Tears fell one after another into the ramen broth. Having felt the warmth of friendship for the first time, Naruto couldn't help crying.

"Oh my, Naruto-kun, why are you crying? Are you all right?" Ayame asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Naruto shook his head and smiled. "I just got some sand in my eyes. Let's eat!"

"Take your time! Little Gu Qi said you can come here to eat whenever you like from now on. It's on him!" Ayame said.

"Mm!" Naruto smiled happily.