Yuhi Kurenai quietly formed hand seals, and her genjutsu silently took effect, disrupting the Iwa Ninja around them. Their eyes grew unfocused and their movements sluggish, making it easier for Aragaki Yasushi to take them out quickly.
Nohara Rin stayed by Yuhi Kurenai's side, warily watching their surroundings with a kunai in hand, afraid that some Iwa Ninja hiding nearby might launch a sneak attack.
Obito and Asuma, meanwhile, hurried toward Kannabi Bridge, ready to blow it up rather than get bogged down fighting the Iwa Ninja.
Though the force guarding the bridge wasn't particularly strong and they could probably handle it together, none of them could be certain there weren't other Iwa Ninja patrolling nearby.
If the noise from the fighting attracted reinforcements, they'd be in trouble.
That was why a swift victory was the best approach: blow up the bridge and complete the mission first, then worry about anything else.
It didn't take long for Aragaki Yasushi to clean up the remaining Iwa Ninja grunts.
They were only Chunin and Genin, after all, and their abilities were pitiful. They were basically just there to get themselves killed.
With the grunts dealt with, Aragaki Yasushi didn't dare waste time. He immediately rushed off to help Kakashi, who was locked in a fight.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had used Chidori not long ago, and the strain had left his face pale. Even so, he was still firmly gaining the upper hand against Sumashi.
The reason was simple. Sumashi was a typical ninjutsu specialist, and a traditional hand-seal user at that.
Once someone got in close and kept him from forming hand seals to use ninjutsu, it was hard for him to bring his full strength to bear. Naturally, he was left struggling.
Even though Sumashi could form hand seals quickly, Kakashi's Ninja Blade was already at his throat before he could finish even two.
Traditional hand-seal users were simply too difficult to play.
In his fight with Kakashi, Sumashi strained with all his might until he finally seized a fleeting opening. He secretly rejoiced and hurriedly formed hand seals, nearly finishing the last one so he could unleash a ninjutsu counterattack.
But at this critical moment, Aragaki Yasushi arrived.
The two of them were still some distance apart, but Aragaki Yasushi didn't hesitate for a moment. He activated the Energy Scroll on the spot.
It was an instant cast, with no hand seals needed—he could unleash it at will. Against Sumashi, it was a completely overwhelming attack.
A dazzling beam of green light shot out in an instant, moving so fast that Sumashi didn't even have time to react. The light swallowed him whole, reducing him to nothing on the spot—not even a speck remained. He probably never understood how he'd ended up dying at the hands of two brats.
The corners of Aragaki Yasushi's mouth lifted slightly, but not because he was especially happy about taking out Sumashi. The mission was complete.
At that moment, the system panel appeared before Aragaki Yasushi.
[Mission "Blow Up Kannabi Bridge" completed!] [Reward: Points +2000]
Two thousand points!
Aragaki Yasushi's eyes lit up.
What was he waiting for?
The sooner he pulled, the sooner he could enjoy the rewards.
He swiftly opened the banner and immediately did a ten-pull without the slightest hesitation.
[Original Recipe Chicken]
[Hot and Spicy Chicken]
[Uncle's Alchemy Pot]
[MIM-104 Patriot Missile]
[Dark Chi Detector]
[Talisman Tracker]
[Super Moose Doll]
[Iced Tea]
[El Toro Fuerte's Mask]
[Ox Talisman]
Aragaki Yasushi's mouth twitched as he looked at the first few prizes.
Seriously?
Had KFC invaded this banner?
They'd even put in Original Recipe Chicken and Hot and Spicy Chicken?
What were those things good for besides eating?
But when he saw the last prize, all his complaints vanished in an instant. His eyes shone, and excitement surged through him.
Holy crap! A gold!
He'd actually drawn a Talisman!
He'd never expected to get one on only his third ten-pull.
Was the drop rate on this banner really that generous?
Or was he just unbelievably lucky?
The Ox Talisman might not rank very high among the Twelve Talismans—it was, at best, an NPC-tier Talisman—but he didn't mind at all.
A brave little ox fears no hardship!
Pure stats could be fun, too.
The Ox Talisman's effect was to increase the user's strength, greatly boost their stamina, and significantly enhance their physical capabilities, turning them into a walking powerhouse.
However, the boost was based on the user's own stats.
Take Jackie Chan in the original series, for example. Even clutching the Ox Talisman, he wasn't as strong as Shendu without a Talisman. That was what happened when your own foundation was too weak—you wasted a Talisman that good.
But from another perspective, stat multipliers were incredibly valuable.
When you were weak, the boost was only so-so. But once you were already powerful, the boost could still multiply your strength several times over.
It was a late-game Talisman—you had to build up your stats first.
After looking over the Ox Talisman, Aragaki Yasushi finally took his time to check the other prizes.
[Uncle's Alchemy Pot: Uncle's Alchemy Pot can be used to brew magic potions]
Uncle's Alchemy Pot?
It sounded pretty impressive, but you'd need to know how to make magic potions to use it.
He was a ninja in the Naruto World who only knew how to chant, "Evil demons and monsters, go away!" What use did he have for it?
To him, the thing was no different from an iron pot for boiling water and cooking rice. It was completely useless.
[Dark Chi Detector: A device modified by Uncle from a metal detector. Its gauge lets you observe the strength of Dark Chi nearby]
Another supernatural gadget that looked pretty intimidating.
But there wasn't any Dark Chi in the Naruto World!
If he put this detector here, its needle wouldn't budge at all. It'd be like a broken toy—another filler item.
[Talisman Tracker: A magical device Shendu used to locate the Twelve Talismans. When it detects a Talisman, the dragon head pointing toward it lights up]
Unlike the first two, this one was at least a little useful!
If Aragaki Yasushi ever lost his Talisman, he could use it to find it again. That made the pull somewhat worthwhile.
That said, Aragaki Yasushi had a system inventory. If he put the Talisman in there, he couldn't lose it in the first place.
Still, better safe than sorry. A Talisman was just an external object, after all. If someone stole it one day, it'd be too late to cry.
He'd have to think about whether he could absorb the Talisman's magic power into his body. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about losing it at all. Better safe than sorry.
The rest of the items were even worse than those three.
Aragaki Yasushi glanced over them and wasn't interested in the slightest.
There was no need to mention the KFC Crazy Thursday fragments. Without the Rat Talisman's power, the Super Moose Doll was just a doll and completely useless.
Without the Ox Talisman's power, El Toro Fuerte's Mask was just as useless.
The Patriot Missile at least looked like it might come in handy.
But he only had the missile—no launcher and no instruction manual. Was he supposed to throw it with his bare hands?
The Apache Helicopter he'd drawn earlier was more useful. At least he could get in and fly it.
After complaining about a pile of bizarre gadgets, Aragaki Yasushi casually opened the panel.
[Points: 1150]
He still had enough for one more ten-pull!
What good were points if he saved them? They couldn't reproduce, and he couldn't spend them like money. They'd just sit there, so he might as well use them!
If he got another Talisman, it'd be a huge win.
Hesitation meant defeat!
Just pull!
Before you continue