An Incredible Haul

"You dealt a fatal blow to the core character of the instance, the Fourth Hokage, in an extremely despicable manner. You received a score of 0.3."

"Your score does not affect your rewards."

"Your stats have increased by varying amounts."

"You received the following skills..."

"Fourth Hokage's Body Flicker Technique (Peak Mastery): You must be thinking, 'It wasn't the Flying Thunder God Technique, after all.'"

"Rasengan (Mastered): A skill exclusive to the protagonist. It marks the beginning of your rise to glory."

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique (Mastered): A ninjutsu developed by the Third Hokage. It focuses on wide-area damage, and the Fourth Hokage refined it to achieve precise breakthroughs through high-frequency attacks."

"Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Peak Mastery): With such a high level of proficiency, you can make time to learn Wind Release Ninjutsu."

"Space-Time Perception (Beginner's Insight): It isn't enough to let you learn Space-Time Ninjutsu, but it can improve your ability to sense and pinpoint things across space and time."

Peak Mastery? Mastered? Beginner's Insight?

Yuzuru thought it over. It seemed to be describing skill levels or proficiency.

As expected of the Fourth Hokage—what a great guy. The drop rate for skills was incredibly high, and even the way he died had been so graceful... Judging by the sensations coming from every part of his body, Yuzuru knew he'd made a huge haul.

He opened his status panel to check. His level had jumped straight from 2 to 5. Ninjutsu and Taijutsu had each increased by 1 level, strength and chakra by 2, and speed by 3...

But since his base stats were so low, the increase in numbers, while important, wasn't the most meaningful part. That would be the "skills" he'd obtained.

For starters, with the Fourth Hokage's "Peak Mastery" Body Flicker Technique, Yuzuru now had some ability to protect himself on the battlefield. He could fight like a real ninja... Although the Fourth Hokage hadn't dropped the Flying Thunder God Technique, given Yuzuru's current chakra reserves, the Body Flicker Technique was more practical in some ways.

Strictly speaking, the Body Flicker Technique was a fairly basic ninjutsu. Any ninja with sufficiently quick footwork could be considered proficient in it. But not all Body Flicker Techniques were equal. The Fourth Hokage's version was a max-level skill.

Even before mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could use the "basic Body Flicker Technique" to outclass most ninja.

Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation was a relatively rare nature transformation. His high level of mastery might mean he could learn difficult Wind Release Ninjutsu, but unfortunately, Yuzuru had no way to study Wind Release.

As for Space-Time Perception, Yuzuru didn't feel anything special from it yet.

The Rasengan and Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique were too advanced for a ninja of his level. They consumed too much chakra, and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique was less practical than a Shadow Clone Technique drop would have been.

The Rasengan needed no introduction. It was the Fourth Hokage's signature hand-seal-less ninjutsu...

Yuzuru extended his right hand, and a bright blue ball of chakra appeared in his palm. But the Rasengan wasn't what he was focused on. As he used the technique, he felt the chakra inside him being rapidly drained... With his current reserves, he could only use it once in a critical moment.

A good number of ninja below Chunin level relied on Taijutsu in battle. The reason was simple: they didn't have enough chakra to keep using ninjutsu.

Yuzuru wanted to try a few more things, but the barrier outside had already vanished, and several squads of Konoha Ninja were rushing toward him.

Soon, the Konoha Ninja spotted the unfamiliar figure standing beside the Fourth Hokage's body.

"Who are you?"

Konoha had suffered too many losses that night. The ninja were already on edge.

Yuzuru didn't say much. The Konoha Ninja had arrived too quickly, leaving him no time to try anything else in the instance... With the sound of a baby's cry, he vanished from the instance.

Yuzuru's actions in the instance had brought him enormous rewards, and the risks had been almost negligible. Unfortunately, although the Fourth Hokage was a top-tier experience source, his experience points couldn't be obtained more than once.

Otherwise, Yuzuru would only have needed to keep farming experience from the Fourth Hokage.

Back in the real world, Yuzuru woke up bright and early the next morning, full of energy.

Chakra was a wondrous energy. An increase in chakra meant a boost to both a person's physical and mental abilities. So when Yuzuru woke up again, he felt completely refreshed.

His overall level in the instance had been 5. Did that count as Chunin level?

The "Nine-Tails' Rampage" instance had entered a seven-day cooldown, so he wouldn't be able to enter it again anytime soon.

But Yuzuru was in such good shape that after a routine examination, the Medical Ninja at the Frontline Hospital immediately told him he could leave and report to the front-line camp.

Konoha had a limited number of Medical Ninja, and they weren't assigned directly to combat squads. Instead, they were concentrated at the Frontline Hospital. That meant severely wounded soldiers on the battlefield would struggle to get timely treatment... Yuzuru had been lucky to be rescued, even if the real Yuzuru was already dead.

As the war expanded, Konoha's forces at the front were stretched thin. At first, Yuzuru had been given battlefield rescue missions: searching for surviving Konoha Ninja and bringing them back for treatment.

With his feeble abilities, that kind of work had suited him perfectly. But soon enough, he too had been assigned to a combat unit. Then, during his first mission, the original owner of the body had created the perfect opportunity for the transmigrator to take over.

Now, renewed and refreshed, Yuzuru had no choice but to return to the front.

During the war, ninja squad rosters changed frequently. As a result, he would be assigned to a new squad.

After quickly packing his belongings, Yuzuru joined the other ninja who had recovered. Once they'd gathered, a dozen or so of them left the Konoha Frontline Hospital and headed west...

The Frontline Hospital was hidden within the Land of Fire, while the combat camp was located in the Land of Rain.

The Second Shinobi World War was raging. Konoha's main enemies were currently Amegakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, and the main battlefield was in the Land of Rain.

As the sky darkened and a steady drizzle swept toward him, Yuzuru knew he had reached the Land of Rain.

He hurried to the front-line camp and quickly completed his check-in with the other ninja. Then he was immediately assigned to a squad... Their next mission could begin at any time.

Yuzuru then went to collect supplies, including various ninja tools, food, and Soldier Pills. After pulling on a pale hooded raincoat, he was ready.

He hurried toward the assembly point.

It rained in the Land of Rain every day, year after year, without ever letting up.

When Yuzuru reached a corner of the camp, he found three ninja waiting there.

"Looks like everyone's here."

As Yuzuru walked over to them, the broad-shouldered ninja at the front spoke before he could say a word.

"Let's start with a brief introduction."

The burly ninja was probably the squad leader.

"Hazuki Uchiha. Chunin. I specialize in Fire Release and Genjutsu."

The first to introduce herself was a kunoichi around twenty years old. Her voice was cool, but her roundish face and large eyes softened the impression.

Even so, the Uchiha had an air that kept people at a distance.

"I'm Kairi Omori, a Special Jonin and scout. I can use simple Binding Techniques... Captain, and you two, I look forward to working with you."

Kairi Omori was also a kunoichi, in her late twenties. Her features were somewhat angular, and her appearance was rather androgynous.

A Special Jonin and a squad leader, which meant there were two senior ninja in this squad? Yuzuru instinctively sensed trouble.

Then it was his turn.

"I'm Yuzuru. Yuzuru Yakushi. Genin. I specialize in... the Body Flicker Technique."

Well, if it hadn't been for what he'd done last night, Yuzuru wouldn't have been good at anything.

The surname Yakushi made all three of them glance at him. In Konoha, if a ninja's surname was Yakushi or Yakushiji, it meant they came from a special place.

But that wasn't important. Once they were on the battlefield, everyone was the same.

After each team member had introduced themselves, it was the captain's turn. He pulled back the hood of his raincoat, revealing a round face.

"I'm Torifu Akimichi, Jonin. I specialize in... physical attacks. I'll be leading this squad on the missions ahead."

After hearing the captain introduce himself, Yuzuru immediately felt that things had taken a bad turn. He knew this man.

The captain had quite a reputation. There was no way the squad's upcoming missions would be simple.

The logic was simple: an exceptionally reliable captain usually meant a sharp increase in mission difficulty.