Rewards

In the shop, Uchiha Zhuang saw an incredible variety of goods: cultivation techniques, manuals, equipment, intelligent software and hardware, even glowing orbs in all shapes and colors, dazzlingly beautiful. There were also mecha like Gundams, exotic beasts, all sorts of potions and elixirs, herbs and materials—everything one could imagine. Uchiha Zhuang's eyes nearly glazed over, but he collected himself and looked at the search bar. Even the search bar's saved categories of frequently purchased goods had tens of thousands of options. Put simply, if he entered "food," the search bar would display tens of thousands of choices, including food from the Celestial Realm, the Demon Realm, the Human Realm, and food for exotic beasts and elves, among countless other subcategories. Uchiha Zhuang suddenly felt how insignificant he was. Compared with certain great beings, he was only just getting started. Wasn't there some famous line in a book from his previous life about how Heaven would never give birth to me, and the sword path would last for ages? It had been too long; he couldn't remember the rest. Looking at the six thousand points in his hand, he summoned the AI spirit and asked, "Based on my current physical condition and number of points, select items that will focus on strengthening my personal abilities, and make me a list." "The spirit has received your request." A pleasant voice rang out, and a large number of items appeared before Uchiha Zhuang. He carefully examined the list. After a long while, he chose the Seal-less Ninjutsu Release Potion (Permanent) for five thousand points, then spent five hundred on scrolls containing every Water Release and Fire Release Ninjutsu in the ninja world. He kept the remaining five hundred points in reserve. Once he had made his selections, he immediately exited the search. In his inventory, he saw the reward for completing the bandit-clearing mission: a "Nano Healer (Home Edition)," complete with an instruction manual.

Uchiha Zhuang opened his eyes and pretended to form hand seals, but actually redeemed the healer at once. As Delia and the others stared in shock, he picked it up and said to Delia, Ootama, and Tsugutama, "Take off your clothes." He didn't mince words. Uchiha Zhuang's mind was perfectly calm. His heart was righteous, so his gaze was clear and pure. The women obediently took off their clothes. Their bodies were thin, their skin rough and covered in scars, and the most shocking wounds—on their private parts—had yet to heal. Uchiha Zhuang didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and scanned each wound. The Nano Healer was handheld; when he scanned an injury, a streak of light flashed across it and then vanished. Minor wounds healed at a visible speed, while old injuries and serious wounds took longer and showed no apparent change. But the streak of light contained nanocells that could cure almost any illness or injury; the home edition was simply slower. With the mindset of a great healer, he treated their whole bodies. Uchiha Zhuang remained completely unruffled, focused and attentive. The women went from surprise to amazement, and finally to gratitude. Their master truly was benevolent! The women knelt together, and Delia spoke. "Arigatō gozaimasu. Thank you for your benevolence and kindness, Master Samma. We will serve you with all our hearts." As she spoke, Delia slowly shuffled forward on her knees. Uchiha Zhuang knew what she wanted, but he wasn't in the mood. His great undertaking had only just begun; if he indulged himself now, how could he achieve his grand ambitions? Besides, his body hadn't matured enough to enjoy such pleasures. Uchiha Zhuang's expression turned stern, and he refused Delia. "Just take care of my daily needs for now. There's no need for any other kind of service." "Hai!" Delia stopped. Uchiha Zhuang closed his eyes in pain. Damn this old society! Was this how the noble lords enjoyed themselves? Infuriating! Whether Uchiha Zhuang hated the old society, or hated that he couldn't enjoy himself, was hard to say.

The next day, Uchiha Zhuang woke naturally. With Ootama attending him in bed—chastely—he washed, dressed, and had breakfast. Then he told the three women not to disturb him and sat alone in the corridor. He took out the Seal-less Ninjutsu Release Potion (Permanent). The potion was colorless and transparent, and he drank it in one gulp. Uchiha Zhuang felt wave after wave of dizziness rise through his head, as if a tide were surging inside it. He was overcome by a powerful urge to vomit; his head throbbed, his veins bulged, and he collapsed to the ground, struggling against the excruciating pain and dizziness. Before he knew it, everything went dark, and he lost consciousness. When he woke again, he found himself lying in bed. He slowly turned his head and saw several women sitting nearby, mending clothes. When Delia saw that Uchiha Zhuang had woken up, she hurried over to check on him. "Master, you're awake. How are you feeling?" "How long was I asleep?" "Two days and one night, Samma. Would you like something to eat? Some water?" "Mm." Tsugutama went downstairs and brought up warm soup, rice, and tea. Uchiha Zhuang leaned against Delia's thigh and enjoyed being fed. After eating, he regained some strength and sat up. He felt the changes within his body and tried to release a ninjutsu without hand seals. "Fire Release!" A small flame shot from his mouth. Uchiha Zhuang knew he had succeeded: from now on, he could release ninjutsu without hand seals. Only a handful of powerful late-stage fighters could do that. His strength had advanced once more. The women stared in amazement at the flame he had breathed out. In the ninja world, commoners had little chance to interact with the powerful adults who wielded strange and mighty abilities. Minor nobles were no different. Only the Daimyo of a country might be able to speak with them as an equal. Uchiha Zhuang ignored their astonishment, lay back down, and began to think.

Konoha was still under the rule of the Second Hokage, Tobirama. Tensions in the village were not yet too severe. The Senju Clan remained a prestigious and powerful family, an unshakable pillar of the village; the Uchiha Clan had monopolized Konoha's police force and held considerable authority to enforce the law, and they too were a prestigious and powerful family. The Hyuga Clan ranked slightly below them. Their eyes were extremely valuable, and the clan was powerful overall; they were a renowned family. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans, the Sarutobi, and others were still second-tier noble families. Smaller clans like the Shimura, Aburame, and Moonlight were merely major clans, with even smaller families beneath them. But by the time the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, returned to the position and appeared in the anime, when the original story began, the Senju Clan had been wiped out, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, and the Hyuga Clan had become the Hokage's loyal dogs. The smaller clans had sided with the Hokage, and the Ino-Shika-Cho and Sarutobi clans were all in cahoots. The reasons were obvious. Uchiha Zhuang had no intention of becoming Hokage. Besides, the waters at the Konoha High Command ran too deep. They would never allow an Uchiha the slightest chance of rising to power; suppressing the Uchiha was a shared consensus. As for the Senju Clan, they could only be said to have faded away bit by bit, like frogs boiled slowly in warm water.

So what was the plan? As a transmigrator, Uchiha Zhuang wondered whether, if he watched the place where he'd grown up and the people he knew get killed by schemes, he would be filled with hatred. After all, he wasn't some imaginary animal or inferior machine; he was human. A transmigrator consumed by hatred could follow the sort of path he'd read about in fan fiction back on Earth: "Annihilate the Shinobi World and find a new home; decisive killing means you're no human; cold as steel, an emotionless eunuch." Having no passions or desires, insisting on becoming a god, breaking through the void, and chasing illusory power while failing to appreciate life's pleasures—that was boring.