The system suddenly laughed, sending a chill down Uchiha Chen's spine.
"Hey, what are you thinking? Whatever it is, I'm not accepting any missions."
Chen had always thought the most terrifying person in the Naruto World was Orochimaru.
After all, that guy was practically impossible to kill. Aside from Kekkei Mōra and Infinite Tsukuyomi, there didn't seem to be anything that could truly take him down.
Other than Orochimaru, perhaps Danzo was the most terrifying.
That guy was always stirring up trouble. Aside from doing good deeds, there was nothing he wouldn't do.
But now Chen understood that the system was the real nightmare.
Its abilities aside, the key problem was that it was always trying to screw people over—and always trying to screw Uchiha Chen in particular. That was terrifying.
"Don't be so nervous. I'm in a good mood this time, so I'll let you choose a mission you want to complete. The reward will be the Flying Thunder God Technique you want.
"How about that? Pretty generous of me, right?
"Now hurry up and kneel down to lick my toes in gratitude!"
"Uh...
"Never mind whether I'd kneel. You don't even have a body, so where would you get toes?"
Chen was at a loss. The system didn't just like screwing people over; was it also becoming a bit of a tsundere?
Who knew what it would turn into if this kept up?
"Oh, right. I don't have a body yet. That really is a problem."
The system sounded a little dejected, but soon returned to normal.
"Forget it, you don't need to lick my toes. Anyway, I'm planning to issue a mission, and you can more or less choose what it's about.
"Consider it a perk for you. The Flying Thunder God Technique will be the reward for completing the mission."
"This..."
Uchiha Chen hesitated. The system's usual style was to screw people over without mercy.
With things suddenly changing like this, Chen found it hard to believe.
But he really did want a powerful technique like Flying Thunder God.
It might not be as overpowered as Kamui, but it was extremely useful both for escaping and for developing new ways to fight.
As long as he didn't face an enemy on the level of the Six Paths or Kaguya, Flying Thunder God would be a trump card that could save his life.
"Whatever. Fortune favors the bold. I accept the mission.
"If possible, I'd like a mission in the Land of Snow or the Land of Demons."
"Oh? I thought you'd pick a high-bounty mission."
"In that case, I feel like you'd just make me assassinate some Kage."
Chen couldn't help complaining.
He had chosen the Land of Snow and the Land of Demons because he wanted to build his own force, and that force would obviously need time to grow.
The Land of Snow was buried in snow all year round, and outsiders had no intention of targeting it.
The Land of Demons was a sensitive region because of the Shrine Maiden and Moryo. Even if someone investigated it, they wouldn't act rashly.
After all, even the Five Great Nations had to consider how the other four would react.
"Ding! System notification: Go to the Underground Bounty Station and accept the Land of Demons daimyo's commission, 'Protect the Shrine Maiden's Bell.' Complete the mission to receive the full Flying Thunder God Technique, LV1.
"Shion, the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons, must not die during the mission. Bonus rewards will increase based on the mission's completion rate and Shion's evaluation.
"Mission failure conditions: Shion dies; the bell that contains the Shrine Maiden's power is destroyed; or Shion uses her hidden power.
"Failure penalty: Share a passionate kiss with Orochimaru."
"Damn you, system! You said you wouldn't screw me over! What the hell is this?
"What kind of system has a punishment like that?"
Uchiha Chen was utterly speechless. He'd thought the system had suddenly changed its ways, only to find it had been setting a trap all along.
A passionate kiss with Orochimaru?
Forget trying it—just thinking about it made him sick!
If he'd known things would turn out this way, Chen would rather have gone without the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Don't panic. That's only the punishment. Just complete the mission and you'll be fine.
"The choice is yours. As long as you do well, everything will turn out for the better, right?
"Complete the mission and, besides the reward from the Underground Bounty Station, you'll also get the Flying Thunder God Technique. Do well and there'll be bonus rewards, too.
"Isn't that a win-win?
"I'm not trying to screw you over at all.
"As for the punishment, it's just meant to spur you on."
The system prattled on, leaving Chen utterly speechless.
That was true enough on the surface, but Chen still felt this mission wouldn't be simple.
But at this point, he had no choice. If he left things alone, the mission would fail anyway.
Just as the system had said, if he ignored the punishment, everything seemed fine. And besides...
Chen made up his mind to complete the mission, then hurried toward the nearest Underground Bounty Station.
In less than half a day, Chen reached his destination.
"Uh... Does whoever runs this Underground Bounty Station have some kind of weird fetish? Why does the entrance have to be in a restroom?"
Chen was utterly baffled. Kakuzu had entered a bounty station through a restroom, too, and now Chen had found one the same way.
He couldn't help wondering whether all the entrances were like this.
The entrance wasn't the only bizarre thing. The rules for joining the Underground Bounty Station were strange, too: kill the guard.
In other words, anyone guarding the place could be killed at any time by someone who wanted to join the Underground Bounty Station.
"Where'd you come from, brat? Quit hanging around in front of me."
A random thug who looked like cannon fodder suddenly spoke up. From the looks of it, he was the guard here.
"Are all the people at the bounty station as useless as you?
"If so, joining might be a mistake."
At Chen's words, the thug immediately realized the kid in front of him had come for the Underground Bounty Station—and that this was his first time.
Which meant he was an enemy.
"Die, brat!"
The guy somehow pulled out a spiked club and charged straight at Chen.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball appeared. At LV2, the Great Fireball Technique was already powerful enough to rival a B-rank jutsu.
In an instant, the poor thug was reduced to ash.
"Uh, was he really that weak?
"And how am I supposed to get into the bounty station? Do I have to crawl through the toilet?"
Just as Chen was wondering if he should have disposed of the body, someone suddenly appeared. Before that person showed up, Chen hadn't sensed him at all.
This guy's probably only a little weaker than Orochimaru. A Jonin?
Chen had never witnessed a Jonin fight firsthand, so he couldn't accurately judge the man's strength.
"You've passed. You may enter the bounty station. Follow me."
As he spoke, the man opened a hidden door. Chen also felt someone watching him; there seemed to be others nearby.
As expected, there's more to this place than meets the eye. But that's what makes it interesting.
Don't you agree, system?
Before you continue