The System Continues to Be Unhuman

"Uchiha Chen, you have done well."

"Third Hokage, this is only what I should do. We are all one family in Konoha; seeing a comrade in danger, anyone would have stepped in."

The same words were spoken, yet when said to Hinata, they were Uchiha Chen's sincere feelings, while to the Third Hokage, they were merely a perfect excuse.

"Heh, you are right. Everyone in Konoha is one family. However, since you captured a criminal, you should be rewarded. Tell me, what is it that you want?"

"Third Hokage, may I have a ninjutsu?"

"Ninjutsu? Which one?"

"Fire Release, Flame Bullet. I have a fire affinity, but I only know the Great Fireball Technique. Itachi and the others think I am not strong enough, so they refuse to teach me any other ninjutsu."

This time, Uchiha Chen was not lying. Whether it was Shisui or Itachi, both were concerned that Uchiha Chen was too young and that mastering too many techniques might cause him harm. Although Uchiha Chen did indeed possess a large amount of chakra, Konoha was currently peaceful and there was no need to go to the battlefield, so it was better to progress step by step.

"Ninjutsu? That is not a problem."

Flame Bullet was only a C-rank ninjutsu. Since Uchiha Chen could already use the Great Fireball Technique, it meant he was fundamentally capable of using techniques of that level. Therefore, the Third Hokage was not stingy.

Having obtained the Flame Bullet, Uchiha Chen immediately began to study it. Because it was not acquired through the system, the learning process clearly could not be skipped. As for how the Third Hokage would negotiate with Danzo, Uchiha Chen had no intention of concerning himself with that.

"Hey, didn't you say you planned to lie low and develop? By handing that person over to the Third Hokage, aren't you essentially sabotaging Danzo? Is courting death in such a fancy way really a good idea?"

The system chimed in with another snarky remark, yet Uchiha Chen ignored her.

"System, you have a way to get me outside of Konoha, right?"

"I can, but are you planning to defect from Konoha?"

"Not exactly. Now is not the time to defect, but I must prepare for it. I need both money and influence. So, I am counting on you to help me leave without alerting Konoha."

Uchiha Chen spoke, hoping in his heart that the system wouldn't screw him over this time. After all, if he wanted to leave Konoha without a trace, he had to rely on the system. Come to think of it, having to rely on a system he found annoying was truly a pain in the ass.

"Fine, this system will show mercy and help you out. I will set up a teleportation barrier at a fixed location, so you can use it as long as you reach that spot. However, I must warn you in advance: this teleportation requires a ten-second cooldown, meaning you must remain completely still for ten seconds."

Uchiha Chen nodded; he was not surprised by this.

Back home, the system left behind the teleportation barrier, and Uchiha Chen tested it out, successfully arriving outside of Konoha at a considerable distance from the village. This way, unless he was extremely unlucky, he wouldn't be discovered upon leaving.

Next, the issue was how to conceal his activities during his absence as much as possible, and the Shadow Clone Technique was clearly the best method. Of course, besides using a shadow clone, Uchiha Chen also deliberately sought out Uchiha Izumi to explain that he would be busy thinking up new traps and wouldn't be able to see her for a while. This was to minimize contact and avoid any slip-ups.

With everything prepared and having confirmed the Third Hokage would not be looking for him, Uchiha Chen left Konoha.

Once outside, Uchiha Chen took out a pre-prepared map to confirm his route.

"Hey, where are you planning to go?" the system suddenly asked.

"To make money, of course. The Underground Bounty Association is a pretty good place for that."

As he spoke, Uchiha Chen put on his mask. It was better to keep his identity hidden as much as possible.

"Ding. System notification: Bounty missions enabled. Hunting bounty targets will grant corresponding rewards."

"What is this?"

"You're going to the Underground Bounty Association to take missions anyway, so you might as well complete these at the same time. Isn't it sweet to earn double rewards for a single mission?"

The system's smug voice rang out, leaving Uchiha Chen speechless.

"Earning two rewards for one mission is indeed sweet, but the missions you post are at the very least elite chunin, and most of them are jonin!"

"Are you trying to get me to complete a mission, or are you planning to send me to my death?"

Uchiha Chen was truly speechless. How could this unscrupulous system be thinking of screwing him over at every turn? Could it be that he did something to offend the system in his past life, leading it to seek revenge?

"Stop, I really didn't set you up this time."

"Do you think I believe that?"

"Although the strength in the Naruto World is divided into Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and Kage-level—with further distinctions like Elite Chunin, Elite Jonin, and Special Jonin—these rank certifications are not standardized. They are merely determined by each individual village or faction."

"What do you mean?"

Hearing the system's words, Uchiha Chen felt there was something fishy going on.

"Simply put, do you really think Naruto and Sasuke, those two eternal Genin, are equal to the strength of a standard Genin? Likewise, are the strength levels of the various Hokage of Konoha even close to one another?"

"That does seem to be the case."

"The ranks in the ninja world are all defined by the factions themselves. A Jonin from a small village or minor faction might only be considered a Chunin within the Five Great Shinobi Villages based on pure strength. In some villages, you only need to know one or two ninjutsu to be called a Jonin. How much water do you think is in a rank like that?"

Uchiha Chen nodded. Put that way, the so-called faction rankings were indeed filled with inconsistencies.

"In short, apart from the ninjas of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the power scaling in other villages is extremely erratic. It is perfectly normal for some Jonin to be inferior to Chunin or even Genin."

"So, if I only look at the strength described in the mission briefing, there's no way to tell if you're scamming me, is there?"

Although he understood what the system meant, Uchiha Chen suddenly felt that the power scaling in the ninja world was far too easy for the system to manipulate.

"Damn, when has this system ever scammed you? It's clearly your own lack of ability, yet you blame it on me. Do you want me to issue a mission for you to forcibly kiss Danzo?"

"Get lost!"

Hearing the system's words, Uchiha Chen fell straight out of the tree.

Damn it, forcibly kissing Danzo—the system really knew how to come up with ideas.

If such a mission actually existed, Uchiha Chen would rather abandon it than ever complete it. Even if completing that mission granted him the constitution of the Sage of Six Paths, he absolutely, positively would not do it.

Thinking of Danzo's constipated face, Uchiha Chen couldn't help but retch; it was just too damn disgusting.

"System, I give up. You really are a dog."

"It's good that you know this system's power. If you slander this system again in the future, you'll have a hard time. As punishment for slandering me this time, hee hee..."