"This system is a conscientious system. We've always been honest and fair, young or old. When have I ever ripped anyone off?
"Don't you dare slander me. Believe it or not, I'll give you a mission to hunt down Pain right now!"
The system complained.
Chen was rather curious. If this guy had a body, would he blush when he said things like that?
As it turned out, the system never blushed, no matter how many lies it told.
"Boss, I was wrong. I must've been blind, okay?"
Ignoring the system, Chen immediately performed the Great Fireball Technique.
It wasn't much, but Chen could still tell that the amount of chakra it consumed had decreased.
Two percent wasn't a lot, but it was better than nothing. And for techniques that used a great deal of chakra, even two percent was useful.
As evening drew near, Chen got to his feet and walked over to Sasuke, who was exhausted to the point of collapse.
"Hey, Sasuke, you're not doing so well. Your task was three laps, and you've barely done one. It's one thing to be weak, but how can you be in such terrible shape too?"
Chen looked at him with contempt, while Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger.
Sasuke wanted to argue, but he was simply too tired. At only three years old, he hadn't even begun training as a ninja. Running one kilometer was already impressive.
Although Chen didn't like Sasuke, he wasn't planning to work him to death. If Sasuke died, Itachi would probably fight him to the death.
So Chen picked Sasuke up by one hand and headed home.
"Chen? What is that you're carrying?"
Near home, he happened to run into Izumi. It had grown dark, and although she could see that Chen was carrying something, she couldn't make out what it was.
"Oh, him? He's not a thing. He's Itachi's idiot little brother, Sasuke."
"You're the one who's not a thing!"
"So you're a thing, then? What kind of thing are you?"
"I..."
Poor Sasuke was stumped by Chen's question and had no idea what to say.
"Chen, honestly. Why are you picking on Sasuke for no reason?
"If Itachi finds out, he'll be upset."
Izumi looked rather helpless. She knew Sasuke, after all. Itachi doted on his little brother.
"I'm not picking on him. He's just too weak, and he begged me to train him.
"You can see the result for yourself. It's only been one afternoon, and he's already like this."
As he spoke, Chen let go and dropped Sasuke on the ground.
"Sometimes I wonder if this guy is really Itachi's brother. How can he be so different from Itachi?
"Izumi, do you think Itachi found him somewhere? They're brothers, but the gap between them is huge."
"You're the one who was found somewhere! Your whole family was found somewhere!
"I challenge you!
"Uchiha Chen, I've learned the Clone Technique. I'll beat you today, just you wait!"
"Uh..."
Both Chen and Izumi were at a loss for words. Learning the Clone Technique was impressive, but did Sasuke really think that meant he could beat Chen?
Then again, on second thought, every time Sasuke learned something new, he seemed to think he was suddenly invincible.
"If you're asking for a beating, I'll be happy to oblige."
"Hmph! You're the one who's going to get beaten!"
As he spoke, Sasuke charged at Chen.
And then...
"AAAH!!!!"
After a shrill scream, Sasuke went flying once more.
"Hidden Leaf Secret Taijutsu: One Thousand Years of Death, complete!"
Chen held the pose for One Thousand Years of Death, while Izumi blushed helplessly beside him.
As a girl, she knew just how powerful that move would be if it hit one.
"Chen, when did you learn such a weird technique?"
"Izumi, you don't understand. This is one of the signature techniques of the Copy Ninja, Kakashi.
"And the person who created it was the White Fang of the Leaf, Hatake Sakumo—Kakashi's father."
Izumi shook her head helplessly, clearly unconvinced that someone like that could have come up with such a technique.
Chen didn't bother explaining. Sasuke, meanwhile, went home alone, sadly holding his backside.
One day wasn't enough for Chen to learn a B-rank ninjutsu with ease, so over the next few days, he devoted most of his energy to learning techniques.
"Hey!
"I've finished running. Hurry up and teach me ninjutsu!"
Sasuke came over, panting. After several days, he had finally managed to "run" three kilometers.
Seeing that it was already noon, Chen decided to take a break.
"We'll get to ninjutsu later. First, learn Taijutsu.
"I'll attack, and you defend. Once you can block my attacks, I'll teach you ninjutsu."
As he spoke, Chen charged straight at Sasuke.
The next second, poor Sasuke went flying and slammed into the big tree behind him.
"That was cheating! You didn't even say start!"
"Are you stupid? Do you think your enemies will say 'start' before they attack?
"I really wonder if you're Itachi's little brother.
"Or did you grow up by burning through all your brain cells?"
"I didn't!
"I'll beat you today!"
Sasuke charged at Chen like a little puppy, but even without ninjutsu, Chen still wiped the floor with him using nothing but Taijutsu.
There was no helping it. Even Chen's Taijutsu alone was at Chunin level.
Of course, that didn't count a certain big shot who wore a green jumpsuit.
That guy was fierce enough to nearly kick the whole story to its ending with a single kick.
"The Eight Gates are powerful. Should I learn them too?
"Even without opening the Eighth Gate, the first few seem pretty useful."
As he used Sasuke as a punching bag, Chen pondered.
Chen had already learned from the system that, if he wanted, it could issue missions related to the Eight Inner Gates.
But Chen was worried the system would pull something on him, and he was also concerned that the Eight Inner Gates might not suit him.
"Forget it. I already have ninjutsu and Kido, plus a Zanpakuto. My Taijutsu doesn't need to be that strong. I'd better focus on ninjutsu."
After much deliberation, Chen finally made up his mind. By then, poor Sasuke had been beaten until his face was swollen and bruised, thanks to Chen's unconscious attacks.
"Uh... Who are you? Where's Sasuke?"
Looking at the kid in front of him, whose face was swollen like a pig's and only vaguely resembled Sasuke, Chen was startled.
"I'm not 'Sasuke.' My name is Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke."
Holding back his tears as he explained, Sasuke felt terribly aggrieved. But he wanted to learn ninjutsu so he could make his big brother look at him with admiration, so he gritted his teeth and endured it.
"Damn, you really are Sasuke. You look terrifying. Go play by yourself."
Chen turned and walked away, leaving Sasuke standing there in the wind, utterly confused. Why had he taken a beating for so long?
And so, Chen spent his days learning ninjutsu, and whenever he got tired, he used Sasuke to stretch his muscles. Before long, half a month had passed, and Chen had truly mastered the Fire Release technique Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
"Ding! System notification: Side mission complete. Learned the B-rank ninjutsu Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. Mission reward: Jiraiya's worn..."
"System, you bastard!"
Before you continue