Chakra Reward

Oh, so this was my fault.

Nebula Kotetsu quickly tried to remember whether any of his girlfriends had an ex-boyfriend named Sarutobi, or a current boyfriend named Sarutobi.

The first person who came to mind was Asuma Sarutobi, but then he realized something was off! Asuma Sarutobi liked Kurenai Yuhi, but Kurenai had always been cold to him. And he hadn't stolen anyone's girlfriend, either?

Still, there were plenty of guys with the surname Sarutobi at the Academy. He had so many girlfriends and ex-girlfriends that he couldn't keep track of them all.

While he was silent, Kotetsu Hagane spoke up. "Don't worry. You don't have to handle this. I'll take care of it myself."

Nebula Kotetsu asked, "How?"

Kotetsu Hagane raised his right fist and clenched it in front of his eyes. "I'll train hard and win next time."

"Don't worry. I don't care about a few punches. I just need to train harder."

"If I can't even deal with one Sarutobi Taiga, how can I become a jonin and restore the Kotetsu Clan?"

Nebula Kotetsu said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"The Kotetsu Clan isn't down to just you. You've still got me."

Kotetsu Hagane gave him a speechless look.

You?

A dead-last student who'd repeated two years—how were you supposed to restore the Kotetsu Clan?

By having a hundred children?

The thought flashed through his mind, but Kotetsu Hagane didn't say it aloud.

After all, he was his older brother. He didn't want to hurt his feelings too much.

Though this older brother had terrible talent and a weak constitution, and hadn't managed to graduate for two years in a row, he'd spent the past two years indulging in wine and women, always chasing after girls.

But until two years ago, he'd always worked hard to be a good older brother.

He made sure they ate balanced meals three times a day, took meticulous care of the household, and trained diligently morning and night. If only he weren't so weak, he would have been the perfect older brother.

Unfortunately, two years ago, he changed.

He stopped caring about the family and stopped working hard. All he did each day was get involved with girls of every kind.

Kotetsu Hagane had tried to talk him out of it, but it hadn't helped.

He knew his brother had probably been crushed by how poor his talent was.

From now on, he would have to carry the Kotetsu Clan's honor by himself.

Not wanting his older brother to worry, he said, "All right, I understand."

"I'll turn off the light and go to sleep."

After turning off the light, he settled down to rest.

As he lay there, lost in thought, Nebula Kotetsu's voice came from outside the room.

"If something's wrong, don't try to tough it out."

"There are two of us brothers. We'll definitely restore the Kotetsu Clan to glory."

"And if you can't take the beating, tell me. I'll go talk to the Third Hokage."

In the darkness, Kotetsu Hagane's lips curled into a smile, and a bit of warmth stirred in his heart. But a moment later, a bucket of cold water doused it.

"Oh, right. Don't save me any dinner tomorrow night. I'm going on a date. And I'll probably be busy for a while, so take care of yourself."

Kotetsu Hagane: ...

Nebula Kotetsu had no idea that Kotetsu Hagane was kicking his blanket furiously.

After going to the living room and drinking the delicious chicken soup, he returned to his bedroom.

He checked the system.

[Bound target: Rin Nohara (instance—Obito Uchiha).]

[Current mission: Ice-Breaking (completed).]

[Mission reward (choose one): 1. A pair of goggles just like Obito Uchiha's; 2. Shuriken-throwing skill increased by 50%; 3. 0.3 chakra.]

The mission-complete notification had sounded while he and Ririko-senpai were studying the principles behind fishing nets. He'd been too busy to check it then, and only had the time now.

"Claim reward 3."

As Nebula Kotetsu silently repeated the words in his mind, 0.3 chakra was automatically added to his reserves, and the mission details began to refresh.

[Host: Nebula Kotetsu]

[Charm: 99]

[Equipped title: Hand of the Succubus]

[Chakra: 0.31 cards, status: healthy]

[Taijutsu: Big Slap Lv. 1 (can inflict minor mental damage)]

[Ninjutsu: Transformation Jutsu Lv. 0, Basic Chakra Extraction Lv. 0]

[Genjutsu: none]

[Inventory: none]

[Bound target: Rin Nohara (instance—Obito Uchiha).]

[Current mission: First Contact (make physical contact with the bound target for three seconds in front of Obito).]

[Mission reward (choose one): 1. 100 bottles of oil paint specially made for Rin Nohara; 2. 100 premium Kunai; 3. Medical Ninjutsu Upgrade Card, 100x.]

Looking at the refreshed mission, Nebula Kotetsu furrowed his brow. His eyes lingered on the words "in front of Obito," and a hint of confusion rose in his heart.

"System."

"Tell me, is my bound target Rin Nohara or Obito?"

"System?"

[...]

The next day, at the Ninja Academy.

When Nebula Kotetsu walked into the classroom, most of the boys and girls turned to look at him. Nebula Kotetsu was used to being watched. To the girls, he was a magnet for attention; to the boys, he was a target for their hostility.

Today, though, was different. A gaze brimming with hostility made Nebula Kotetsu instinctively go on guard.

He followed his sense of danger and, sure enough, saw Obito Uchiha—the boy he'd stood up.

"You!" Obito Uchiha panted heavily, faint dark circles still visible under his eyes. Yesterday, he'd waited at the school's back gate until dark before finally realizing that Nebula Kotetsu had stood him up. He'd been so furious that he'd barely slept all night.

"Why didn't you show up yesterday?"

"Oh." Nebula Kotetsu replied nonchalantly. "Something came up."

Obito Uchiha asked, "What? Was it more important than our duel?"

Nebula Kotetsu said, "The family rooster laid an egg."

Obito Uchiha: "[○･｀Д´･○]!!"

He shot to his feet, ready to challenge Nebula Kotetsu on the spot. Just then, the teacher walked in.

"Everyone."

"Head to the training ground. We have sparring class this morning."

Obito Uchiha's eyes immediately lit up!

Great! Another sparring class! Now he could take care of Nebula Kotetsu fair and square!

He was the first to leave his seat. As he passed Nebula Kotetsu, he gave a cold snort and strode toward the training ground.

Seeing that, Nebula Kotetsu knew there was no avoiding this fight.

Sure enough, once they'd reached the training ground and lined up, the male teacher took out the roster to call out names, and Obito Uchiha stepped forward.

"Teacher."

"May I challenge someone?"

The male teacher lowered the roster in his hand and asked, "Challenge someone? Who do you want to challenge?"

Obito Uchiha said, "I want to challenge Nebula Kotetsu."

The male teacher frowned slightly. Teachers generally neither forbade nor encouraged students to challenge each other, unless there was a huge gap in their abilities.

He knew Nebula Kotetsu, of course. He'd heard the boy was a flirt, with poor talent and little strength.

Obito Uchiha wasn't one of the top students either, but compared to Nebula Kotetsu, the difference in strength seemed rather large. Just as the teacher was about to reject the challenge, Obito Uchiha added,

"Teacher, Nebula did very well in yesterday's sparring class. I was careless and lost."

"This time, I'd like to challenge him again."

"Oh?" The male teacher looked toward Nebula Kotetsu, who was surrounded by girls.

"Nebula, what do you think?"