Jiraiya

"Tch, if we're talking about cheating, who's afraid of whom! If the system didn't have so few missions, I would've gone to resurrect Madara myself, then soloed Kaguya Otsutsuki. Fighting you small-fry all day is just so boring."

Thinking about the 3,000... no, 4,000 Luck Points that didn't belong to him yet, Uchiha Isho felt an itch in his heart, a wave of discomfort.

"Uchiha Isho, I will come for you again!"

Gaara finished in a low, gravelly voice, turning to leave with visible reluctance. Temari and Kankuro stared at Isho in silence for a few seconds before departing with equally heavy hearts.

"Isho, I will never give up. One day, I will definitely surpass you and defeat you!"

Neji Hyuga made his vow, still unconvinced, the tree bark beside him turning into sawdust under his clenched right hand.

"The benefits of an Elite Experience Card for 100 Luck Points are truly immense. Even though the experience ended, the force-application techniques and combat experience I retained under the enhancement of my Sharingan, once internalized and applied, are a qualitative leap for my current self."

As Isho muttered to himself, he heard the heavenly sound once more.

[Ding! New mission triggered]

[Mission 1: The eavesdropper in the night is facing mortal danger. As a member of Konoha, you have an obligation to prevent this tragedy. Successfully prevent the death of Gekko Hayate, reward 15 Luck Points,...]

"That's it? It really only gave one mission."

"Whatever, something is better than nothing."

Recalling that he couldn't quite remember where Gekko Hayate was eavesdropping, Isho immediately set off to find his target.

He searched for the entire afternoon without catching a glimpse of the man. Unable to come up with a good excuse to ask other teachers, he had no choice but to stand on the highest rooftop, waiting quietly for signs of a fight.

Late at night, Isho, who had been forcing himself to stay awake out of boredom, finally reached the moment of harvest.

He saw dust rising in the west, and the massive body of the One-Tail Shukaku appeared briefly, which helped Isho locate his destination.

When Isho approached via Body Flicker to observe, what he saw was Dosu Kinata covered in blood, lying motionless—presumably dead—while the killer, Gaara, breathed heavily.

Crouched on the reverse slope of the roof, Isho could see Baki and Kabuto Yakushi holding a secret meeting below. Although he couldn't hear the content of their conversation, Isho guessed it had to do with the plan to destroy Konoha.

A moment later, noticing Kabuto Yakushi preparing to leave while Baki wore a cruel expression, Isho understood that the two had actually discovered Gekko Hayate long ago.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"

Hearing the two discuss eliminating the mouse that was eavesdropping, Gekko Hayate turned to flee. But thick fog began to permeate the surroundings, making it impossible to distinguish directions under the faint moonlight.

"Teacher, follow me."

Isho revealed his figure within the mist and whispered, having already used a Shadow Clone to create noise and distract the enemies.

Gekko Hayate looked astonished, but upon seeing Isho's face and his Sharingan, he followed Isho as they fled with Body Flicker.

By the time the two reached a safe distance, Baki's Wind Style had completely blown away the surrounding white mist. He used a Wind Blade to finish off the Shadow Clone Isho had left behind, but the two were already nowhere to be found.

"Damn it! There was actually a helper.

What do we do now?! If they pass the intelligence to the Konoha high command, they will surely be on high alert for the Chunin Exams, and the damage caused by the plan will be greatly reduced!"

Baki looked at Kabuto Yakushi with urgency, only to find his expression remained calm.

"It doesn't matter. Even if they are on guard, they know nothing about our preparations for this time! Heh heh."

[Ding! Mission 1 complete, reward 15 Luck Points. Current Luck Points: 656]

Gekko Hayate asked Isho a few confused questions, which Isho brushed off with the excuse of just passing by. Too preoccupied to think further, he hurried toward the Hokage Building.

"Phew, my chakra reserves are still too low. It took most of my chakra just to create a mist capable of confusing a Jonin and a Chunin."

Seeing the mission complete, Isho strolled toward home. He wasn't the least bit worried that Sunagakure would identify him as the one who intervened and come to ambush him in retaliation.

"Naruto said he was going to train with Ebisu; he must have run into Jiraiya. Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen a shadow of him all day, forcing me to eat my barbecue feast alone."

Isho shook his head helplessly, thinking of his remaining savings of over 7 million ryo, and suddenly felt that money was still too scarce.

[Ding! New system mission triggered]

[Mission 1: Meatballs in the left hand, bird calls in the right. Learn the Rasengan and Chidori, and use them simultaneously. Reward 20 Luck Points,...]

"As expected, missions triggered by following the protagonist group are the most frequent. Look at that, another new mission. Heh heh."

At noon the next day, inside Ichiraku Ramen.

"So, Lord Jiraiya asked for my help to find creative inspiration?"

"Ho hahahaha! Kid Isho, it's said your Transformation Technique is even more perfect than Naruto's. Let's go somewhere quiet later to test it; it will help me create more moving characters. I hope you won't refuse."

"That's completely an excuse! The Pervy Sage... he just wants to see it himself."

Naruto, suddenly having his mouth covered by Jiraiya, struggled free and glared at Jiraiya with disgust.

"It's not impossible, but Lord Jiraiya has to teach me a high-power ninjutsu in return."

After wiping out the ramen in his bowl, Isho proposed his condition. He thought to himself, it really is a case of someone bringing a pillow just as I'm getting sleepy.

"This... you show me first, and we'll talk if I'm satisfied."

Jiraiya scratched his chin, hesitating slightly.

By a stream where the sounds of girls playing could be heard from time to time, Jiraiya looked at Isho with anticipation and focus.

"Transform!"

A fashionable and elegant purple dress, soft and full red lips. The tall S-shaped figure and perfect lines were not only stunning but also radiated an intense, irresistible charm.

"Jiraiya-senpai~~ I'm begging you~ Senpai."

Yi Xiang's voice was low and sexy, like a cat's paw gently scratching at the heartstrings, making one's heart flutter uncontrollably.

"Ya-ho-ho-ho, leave such a small matter to me! You beautiful young lady!"

Jiraiya lunged in front of Yi Xiang with a lecherous grin, circling him to look him up and down, while drool dripped incessantly from the corner of his mouth.

Poof. Unable to endure the scorching gaze of this elder-generation pervert, Yi Xiang dispelled the Sexy Technique.

Jiraiya's expression instantly turned regretful, and his tone became much more dejected.

"As long as you maintain that state from just now, I can teach you Fire Style: Flame Bullet. What do you think?"

"No, I'm not lacking in Fire Style ninjutsu."

Without a second thought, Yi Xiang refused directly.

"What about Earth Style then?"

"Don't want that either."

"Kid, that's only because you haven't seen the power of these ninjutsu when used by this Sage. Once I demonstrate them to you, you'll want to learn everything."

A few minutes later, in a deserted area where Jiraiya had confidently demonstrated his ninjutsu, he saw Yi Xiang still shaking his head in refusal.