Forest Peril, New System Mission

Rain threads pierced through the gaps in the leaves, hammering tiny craters into the muddy ground. Su Ye leaned against a tree trunk, stumbling through the forest; with every step, his legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

His chakra was nearly exhausted, and his mental energy was completely overdrawn. The Rinne Sharingan in his left and right eyes had long since reverted to ordinary pupils, leaving only a faint, aching soreness in his eye sockets. He dared not stop—the Uchiha compound on the night of the massacre was a forbidden zone; Obito and Itachi could be in pursuit at any moment, and unknown dangers lurked within this forest.

I must find a safe place to recover my chakra. Su Ye gritted his teeth, forcing his consciousness to scan his surroundings. He recalled from the original host's memories that deep in this forest lay an abandoned hunter's cabin, a secret base the original host had discovered by chance as a child. Perhaps it could serve as a temporary hideout.

He adjusted his direction, pushing forward toward the path in his memory. Rain soaked his hair and clothes, the biting chill seeping through his skin and making him shiver uncontrollably. Just then, a flurry of rapid footsteps sounded from behind, accompanied by the low growl of a beast.

Su Ye's heart tightened, and he whipped his head around—three sturdy ninja hounds were charging out from the woods, their fur matted and wet, eyes gleaming with vicious light, saliva dripping from their jaws.

They were tracking hounds from the Konoha Military Police Force!

Su Ye realized instantly—after the night of the massacre, Konoha would surely have deployed police forces to seal off the perimeter of the Uchiha compound. These hounds must have tracked him by his scent.

"Damn it!" Su Ye turned and ran. In his current state, let alone fighting the hounds, even running normally was a struggle.

The hounds were incredibly fast and quickly closed the distance. The lead hound lunged forward, opening its blood-red maw to snap at Su Ye's calf!

Su Ye's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously channeled the last shred of chakra in his body into his right foot. He jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding the hound's bite, and simultaneously kicked the beast hard in the abdomen.

"Bang!"

The hound let out a pained howl, stumbling backward. But the other two hounds lunged immediately; one bit onto the hem of Su Ye's clothes, while the other snapped at his arm!

Su Ye was yanked off balance and crashed heavily into the mud. Cold, muddy water splashed across his face, and his arm was gashed by the hound's teeth, sending a sharp sting through his nerves.

I cannot die here! A desperate will to survive stimulated his senses. He struggled to reach out, grabbed a thick branch nearby, and smashed it with all his might against the hound biting his arm!

"Crack!"

The branch struck the hound's head, and the beast, stung by the pain, released its grip. But Su Ye had exhausted his final ounce of strength and collapsed to the ground, forced to watch helplessly as the three hounds circled back toward him.

At this critical moment, a system notification suddenly rang in Su Ye's mind:

[Ding! Host's life is in danger. Emergency mission triggered!]

[Emergency Mission: Repel the tracking hounds and reach the abandoned hunter's cabin. Mission Rewards: Chakra Recovery Potion *1, Rinne Sharingan proficiency +10, unlock 'Basic Ninjutsu Library' (includes: Substitution Technique, Clone Technique, Transformation Technique).]

[Temporary Buff Activated: Brief Chakra Recovery (10%), Duration: 30 seconds!]

A faint but clear surge of chakra flooded into Su Ye's body, granting his heavy limbs a glimmer of strength. He snapped his eyes open, a fierce light flashing within them.

"Substitution Technique!"

Su Ye performed the hand seals almost by instinct—this was a basic ninjutsu unlocked by the system, and the method was already etched into his mind. With a soft "poof," his body turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished, leaving only a rain-soaked log in his place.

The three hounds lunged at nothing, barking wildly at the log.

Meanwhile, Su Ye had appeared behind a large tree not far away. He caught his breath, daring not to delay, and immediately sprinted toward the hunter's cabin. The 30-second temporary buff was fleeting; he had to reach his destination before his chakra ran dry again.

Fortunately, the cabin was not far. Relying on his memory, Su Ye soon spotted the small shack hidden behind a thicket. The roof was somewhat damaged, and vines crawled over the walls, making it look as though it had been abandoned for years.

He rushed over, pushed open the creaking wooden door, slipped inside, and quickly shut it, bracing it with a thick wooden pole.

Only after doing all this did Su Ye collapse onto the cold floor, gasping for air. Outside, the barking of the hounds and the sound of claws scratching at the door echoed, but the wooden door was sturdy enough to hold them off for the time being.

"Phew... finally safe." Su Ye let out a sigh of relief, his taut nerves finally relaxing. He took the Chakra Recovery Potion from the system space—it was a blue test tube filled with a viscous liquid that emitted a faint, refreshing scent.

He unscrewed the tube and downed the potion in one gulp. The liquid was slightly sweet, sliding down his throat and into his stomach, where it quickly transformed into a warm flow of chakra circulating through his body. His depleted chakra pool recovered at a visible rate, and the aching soreness in his eye sockets gradually faded.

[Ding! Chakra restored to 60%. Rinne Sharingan can be used normally (it is recommended to avoid continuous high-consumption ninjutsu in the short term).]

[Rinne Sharingan proficiency +10, Current proficiency: 15/100 (Novice), Unlocked Trait: 'Enhanced Dynamic Vision' (can capture high-speed moving targets more clearly).]

Su Ye felt the restored chakra in his body and felt a surge of joy. He attempted to circulate his chakra, and the Rinne Sharingan in his left eye lit up once more. The crimson and indigo patterns swirled within his pupil, and everything around him became crystal clear—even the movements of the hounds outside seemed to slow down by half a beat in his eyes.

Enhanced dynamic vision... this is incredibly useful for combat. Su Ye felt a secret thrill. He stood up and examined the small cabin. It was not large, containing only a dilapidated wooden bed and a table, with some dry branches piled in the corner, likely left behind by the previous hunter.

Su Ye walked over to the wooden table and sat down, beginning to study the basic ninjutsu unlocked by the system. Substitution, Clone, and Transformation—these were the basics every ninja had to master, but for Su Ye, who possessed the Rinne Sharingan, these techniques might be played with in entirely different ways.

For example, combining the Clone Technique with Kamui? A thought flashed through Su Ye's mind. Use a clone to draw the enemy's attention, then activate Kamui to teleport my main body behind the enemy, launching a surprise attack...

Just as he was pondering, the system notification sounded again:

[Ding! Novice mission 'Survive the Uchiha Massacre' completed. Mission rewards distributed (Right eye Rinne Sharingan awakened, Heavenly Hand Power trait unlocked).]

[Main Mission Issued: Join the Konoha Anbu. Requirements: Pass the Konoha Anbu recruitment exam within one month. Rewards: Rinne Sharingan proficiency +50, unlock 'Limbo: Border Jail (Complete Version)', obtain exclusive Anbu ninja tool set (includes: silent kunai, smoke bombs, stealth cloak).]

[Side Mission Issued: Investigate the 'Secrets of the Uchiha Massacre'. Requirements: Obtain more information regarding the massacre (e.g., the attitude of Konoha's high command, Obito's true purpose, Itachi's hidden plan). Rewards: Distributed based on information completeness; maximum reward is the 'Advanced Space-Time Ninjutsu Manual'.]

Join the Konoha Anbu?

Su Ye was startled, then immediately understood the system's intent. The Anbu was Konoha's secret force, reporting directly to the Hokage, and could access many secrets unknown to ordinary ninjas. Joining the Anbu would not only improve his strength but also make it easier to investigate the truth of the massacre, and perhaps even provide an opportunity to get close to Itachi.

However, the Anbu recruitment exam certainly won't be simple... Su Ye frowned. With his current strength, although he possessed the Rinne Sharingan, his basic ninjutsu were not yet proficient, and his chakra reserves were far below those of a formal ninja. To pass the exam, he had to rapidly increase his strength within a month.

He looked at the side mission—investigating the secrets of the Uchiha massacre. This perfectly complemented the main mission; once he joined the Anbu, the investigation would be much more convenient.

Let's start by drafting a training plan. Su Ye made up his mind. First, he had to master basic ninjutsu and combine them with the abilities of the Rinne Sharingan; second, he had to increase his chakra reserves, which required training and absorbing natural energy (though he couldn't use Sage Mode yet, he could slowly accumulate it through basic chakra refinement); finally, he had to utilize the traits of the Rinne Sharingan to develop new ninjutsu combinations.

Just then, the barking of the hounds outside suddenly ceased. Su Ye's heart stirred; he walked to the door and peered through a crack—several ninjas wearing the uniforms of the Konoha Military Police were walking away into the distance, clearly having given up the pursuit.

It seems they think I've run far away. Su Ye breathed a sigh of relief. But he knew he couldn't stay here long. The Konoha Military Police would surely intensify their search and would find this place sooner or later.

He tidied up, gathered what he could use in the cabin (such as the dry branches and an old water canteen) into his system space, then pushed open the wooden door. He observed his surroundings vigilantly, and after confirming there was no danger, he slipped into the depths of the forest.

He chose not to leave the forest, but rather to head deeper into it—where human tracks were scarce and it was better suited for training. Moreover, he remembered from the original host's memories that there was a natural hot spring deep in the forest, where the natural energy was denser than elsewhere, aiding in the recovery and refinement of chakra.

As Su Ye walked, he practiced his chakra refinement technique while using the Rinne Sharingan's dynamic vision to observe his surroundings, remaining alert for potential dangers. He knew that the coming month would be the key to establishing his footing in this ninja world.

"Konoha Anbu... I will definitely get in." A flicker of determination flashed in Su Ye's eyes. "And Itachi, I will definitely uncover the truth of the massacre!"

His figure gradually vanished into the dense forest, leaving only a string of shallow footprints that were quickly washed away by the rain. Back in Konoha, the storm surrounding the Uchiha massacre had only just begun to ferment.