System

I strolled from stall to stall, gorging myself on delicious treats like takoyaki, teppanyaki squid, grilled pork chops, fried radish balls, colorful dango, specialty hot spring eggs, and oden. After walking through several snack streets, I was barely half-full; after all, a martial artist is full of vigor, and high consumption is only natural. Besides, Uchiha Zhuang cultivates chakra energy, meaning every single cell in my body is constantly training! As I walked along holding a large cup of mint-infused sparkling lemonade, I happened to run into some people from the Senju clan. Watching a few of them chase after a lively, sturdy-looking girl, I thought about the timeline and realized it matched up—that must be Tsunade Senju! Ignoring them, I continued on and spotted a white-haired kid and another with a gloomy temperament. I guessed they were Jiraiya and Orochimaru; after all, the world line still has to follow its rules. It was time to go over and mooch a bit. Uchiha Zhuang stealthily approached and reached out to stop the two. The pair looked at the tall, sturdy, and ruffian-like youth (who was actually younger than them), noting the Uchiha clan crest on his clothes. They exchanged glances and, without a word, tried to walk around me. "Wait, you two brats. You look pretty cool, want to be my friends? I want to treat you to some food; would you be willing to come with me?" Uchiha Zhuang said as he looked at them. The two were reluctant to hang out with a ruffian-like youth, as their parents often taught them not to play with strangers or pick up bad habits from hoodlums. The white-haired Jiraiya said, "You look like a thug. I want to eat, but I have no money. If you treat us while we walk, we'll hang out with you. How about that?" Orochimaru, standing to the side, nodded as well. He lacked the aura of the great scientist he would become decades later, but of course, he was still just a child, so one shouldn't demand too much!

"No problem! I'm Uchiha Zhuang, and I'm twelve years old! I've been training in my clan, and I know ninjutsu! What are your names?" Without needing any further enticement, the moment they heard "ninjutsu," the eyes of Jiraiya and Orochimaru lit up. The three of them chatted as they walked, buying snacks from street stalls along the way. Jiraiya, mouth full of giant squid, said, "Big Brother, why are you so rich? My monthly allowance is only a few hundred, and there are so many snacks I want but can't afford! I believe I'll make a lot of money in the future, but no one believes me!" "I believe in you, Jiraiya!" Orochimaru said, looking at Jiraiya while chewing on a takoyaki. A strange sense of accomplishment ignited in my heart. Uchiha Zhuang smiled and said, "I believe in you too. Your dreams are my dreams. Orochimaru, what do you want to do in the future?" Orochimaru thought for a moment and replied, "I want to be with my parents forever, and I want to be with my friends forever. I hope this kind of life is never broken." Looking at the glow of happiness in Orochimaru's eyes, Uchiha Zhuang sighed again. How simple and kind the wishes of a future great scientist were in his childhood! Yet, the world is murky, creating endless tragic stories. "Don't worry, we're friends now. How about this: you two take me as your big brother, and I'll teach you ninjutsu so you can work toward your dreams!" The two innocent boys were overjoyed. This big brother, who was rich, spoke gently, and knew ninjutsu, must have been sent by Amaterasu to look after them! They nodded eagerly. Uchiha Zhuang said, "No rush, let's do it tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, we'll meet here again. I'll lead you in an oath and a ceremony so that our dreams will be blessed by Amaterasu and come true smoothly! Don't you agree?" "Yes, Big Brother Zhuang is absolutely right! I agree!" "I agree too." Looking at the young faces of the two comrades, Uchiha Zhuang felt both excited and delighted. He had actually taken the future heavyweights of the ninja world as his underlings; a sense of achievement welled up within him. The three ate and drank their way along, with the stall owners greeting them warmly, thinking to themselves: these three kids are so easy to make money off of! Another few hundred yuan in the till! After wandering around for a while, Uchiha Zhuang sent Jiraiya and Orochimaru home, as children shouldn't be out too late or their parents would worry and scold them.

Walking on the streets at night, I checked the watch I had just bought; it was only nine o'clock. What should I do now? Let's see what Akihime is up to! Uchiha Zhuang slowly walked toward the Hyuga compound. The guards at the gate saw the Uchiha fan crest and stepped forward, shouting, "Uchiha, what are you doing here?" "I want to see Hyuga Hinotori. She and I are friends." "Lady Akihime is not here. Please leave." Uchiha Zhuang scratched the back of his head and left the Hyuga compound. He knew he wouldn't be able to get in, but this was just to show his sincerity and let Akihime know he had come. Uh, why am I acting more and more like a pathetic simp? To love but not be able to have, to find it hard to let go, to hate the separation—is this the mindset of a simp?

On the way back, Uchiha Zhuang opened the system and looked at the three thousand points he had accumulated over this period; it was time to buy something! Let's see what heaven-defying items are in the Myriad Worlds store first! After browsing for a long time, the powerful items required too many points, and he didn't need the weak ones. Uchiha Zhuang turned to the lottery panel. One thousand points per draw, and the prize pool contained everything in the heavens and worlds. No tiers. That was actually quite fair. I decisively pulled twice. After a moment, Ding, congratulations to the traveler for obtaining two lottery keys. Ding, congratulations to the traveler for obtaining a Legendary-grade gift box and a Rare-grade gift box. Opening them, I received "Fire Attribute Enhancement Pill" (Gold; the system kindly used a universal name since the ninja-world translation of the pill's name was garbled) and five Senzu Beans (Blue). Good grief, even Senzu Beans were only blue, and this untranslatable pill was just forced stupidity! The system didn't answer, falling silent after dispensing the items. Uchiha Zhuang didn't dwell on it; he could take the pill tonight and see the effects.

Back home, Uchiha Zhuang ran into his room and locked the door. He redeemed the pill, looked at the malt-ball-like sphere, wondered if it would be bitter or sweet, and then popped it into his mouth and chewed. Hmm! Sweet. It was actually quite tasty. Not long after, the usual side effects kicked in: I collapsed onto the bed, twitching in pain, and then lost consciousness. The next day, the sun shone on Uchiha Zhuang's face. Feeling refreshed all over, he sprang out of bed and carefully sensed his body. His fire-attribute chakra seemed extremely active, and there was a warm, fluid energy slowly rotating in his dantian. The feeling was very novel. It didn't require him to circulate it; his dantian was doing it on its own. How magical. The first thing to do after waking up was breakfast. I ate the massive portion Meiko had specially prepared for the growing Uchiha Zhuang: a basin of pork chop and squid ball udon noodles plus a bucket of milk. Good grief, she was really raising me like a pig. After a satisfying breakfast, Uchiha Zhuang headed early to the commercial street from last night, waiting for his two little underlings to appear.