Sosuke: I'm Shattered

Sosuke was overjoyed.

He hadn't expected that the moment he stepped out his front door, experience points would come knocking all on their own.

He could already envision a bright future of reaping a massive harvest of points.

That was precisely why, even in the face of a group of Bounty Hunters, the Youth's face was still brimming with a smile.

"What's he smiling about?" The man hesitated for a moment, then immediately drew a Kunai and stabbed it toward the target in front of him.

The two beside him likewise moved in quickly, and three gleaming blades pierced the target's body simultaneously.

"Got him!"

A flicker of joy rose in the man's heart, only to be met by the mockery in the Youth's eyes.

Bang!

The Shadow Clone exploded without warning, and the three who had been closest had no chance to dodge.

[System Prompt: Successfully eliminated enemy, gained 78 points.]

[System Prompt: Successfully eliminated enemy, gained 55 points.]

[System Prompt: Successfully eliminated enemy, gained 58 points.]

The trio's strength was pitiful, far inferior to the group that had raided the academy back then.

By equivalent conversion, they were roughly at the Genin level.

In truth, this was the real state of the Ninja World.

Cases like the Konoha 12, where Genin could fight and kill Jonin, were exceedingly rare across all of ninja history.

The gap in raw strength could never be easily bridged by a little bit of hot-blooded passion. These people, who likely couldn't even release a single jutsu, formed the most chaotic stratum of the Ninja World.

The vast majority would do anything for money, utterly incapable of discerning the gap between themselves and their enemies.

"If only someone came to assassinate me every day..."

Soon enough, Sosuke forced himself to abandon that thought.

The underworld was a mixed bag; any day now, a true expert might pop up.

With a prepared mind against an unprepared one, a single poisoned cup of wine could take his life.

Giving up on the idea of using himself as bait, Sosuke clutched his stomach and stumbled out of his hiding spot.

"Tch, that really hurts." The Youth's bitter smile was hard to hide.

He'd only had a sudden whim, trying to use Chakra to detonate the Shadow Clone.

But he'd forgotten that the clone would faithfully transmit every sensation back to the original body—including the rare experience of being blown to bits.

As a tearing pain spread through his entire body, only one thought remained in Sosuke's mind.

I'm shattered!

No wonder Shadow Clone self-destruction was so rare. Aside from a special masochist like Hidan, no normal person would ever want to try it a second time.

Especially during an intense battle, the excruciating pain, enough to cause muscle spasms, could easily leave the caster momentarily frozen.

Against a true expert, that was no different from willingly walking to one's death.

And just like that, the newly created killing move was sealed away.

He didn't touch the three unlucky corpses, wary of hidden traps meant for mutual destruction.

After a moment's thought, Sosuke simply used a Great Fireball to completely incinerate their bodies.

"Job done."

He lightly clapped his hands, retrieved his pack, and continued heading toward the Western War Zone.

Along the way, he checked his current status.

[Name: Uchiha Sosuke]

[Age: Seven]

[Physical Strength: Genin]

[Mental Strength: Chunin]

[Chakra Capacity: Genin]

[Special Ability: Sharingan (One-Tomoe)]

[Ninja Tool: Short Sword]

[Summoning Beast: None]

[Points: 1371]

In terms of basic ability, he was just an ordinary Genin.

But factoring in the Sharingan, Chidori, Shadow Clone, and other abilities, he could briefly contend with a "Captain-level" powerhouse.

At the very least, he had already left the ranks of cannon fodder.

"Basic physical fitness takes a long time to improve. The best way to boost power quickly is to exchange for a chakra amplification technique."

Pure focus on ninjutsu could no longer bring him immediate results, mainly due to the limitation of chakra reserves.

So the next exchange priority should be placed on increasing chakra.

There were many specific methods, and the key was how he chose.

The most famous methods were probably three.

First, the Eight Gates.

By removing the body's limits, it caused a sudden explosion of chakra within a short time.

Opening the Eight Gates Formation granted combat power comparable to the Six Paths Level for a brief period.

Second, Sage Mode.

By absorbing Nature Energy, it was converted into Sage Chakra usable by oneself.

Third, the Jinchuriki.

With the power of a tailed beast, a user's chakra could instantly surge hundreds of times over.

Unfortunately, Sosuke currently couldn't see the Eight Gates or Sage Mode at all. Even if he could, the exchange points required would surely be astronomical.

As for becoming a Jinchuriki, he could try to do it manually—provided he had combat power comparable to a tailed beast.

"Maybe I should lower my standards a bit."

While traveling, Sosuke kept searching for suitable substitutes. Near the end of his journey, he finally found an exchange item that fit.

[Curse Mark, Item Grade B, Exchange requires 6000 points.]

It could absorb Nature Energy and convert it into special chakra that the human body could absorb.

This was the budget version of Sage Mode, and its boost to power naturally couldn't compare to the original.

The advantages were mainly two.

First, its speed—it could be activated almost at will. With a single thought, the Nature Energy sealed within the Curse Mark would spread throughout the body.

Second, releasing the Curse Mark could cause some changes to the body's form. Sasuke's Heavenly Curse Mark even allowed him to fly in the air.

While thinking, Sosuke wondered: since the Curse Mark could store Nature Energy, could it also store pre-converted Sage Chakra?

If so, once he learned Sage Mode in the future, he wouldn't have to waste effort gathering and refining Sage Chakra—he could just use what was sealed in the Curse Mark.

That would solve the biggest drawback of Sage Mode.

"Alright, I've decided."

Having set his next goal, Sosuke finally arrived at the legendary Valley of Hell.

After presenting the Identity Token given by the Clan Head, he followed two clansmen into the valley.

"Wow, it's so hot." Sosuke instinctively covered his mouth and nose, feeling for a moment like he was back in a steam bath from his past life.

After just a few steps, sweat began streaming down his back.

The rivers on both sides of the road bubbled like boiling water, and the air was filled with an indescribable strange smell.

In less than a minute, Sosuke felt the urge to flee.

This was the Valley of Hell—a living hell used to punish the Chinoike Clan.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, two unfriendly strangers blocked their path.

"You're not welcome here, Uchiha."

"Get out, or don't bother leaving today."

With just a few words, both sides drew their weapons, showing that the relationship between them was even worse than he had imagined.

But Sosuke was more focused on the peculiarity in the man's eyes.

"Is this the Ketsuryūgan?"