Chen was at a loss for words. This system was unbelievable.
It really could pull out anything.
What Chen didn't know was that, thousands of miles away, a lecherous white-haired old man had just stepped out of a bath, only to discover that one of his clothes was missing.
Jiraiya's expression at that moment was truly a sight to behold.
"System, is this the task you issued?
You can mess with me, but does it have to be like this?"
"It's not my fault. The reward is random within a certain time frame, and this task lasts for one month.
If you learn another B-rank ninjutsu within the month, you can claim another reward.
Of course, the second reward will definitely be better than the first, and the third better than the second. In short, the more you learn, the better the rewards.
But let me remind you: the Rasengan is untyped, so it doesn't count. It will only count if you can infuse it with an elemental nature."
Faced with the system's excuses, Chen couldn't be bothered to complain. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd been screwed over.
So, in a bad mood, Chen turned around and went to have a friendly spar with Sasuke.
"Sure enough, beating up Uchiha Sasuke does wonders for your mental and physical health."
After giving Sasuke a thorough beating, Chen finally felt much better.
"I don't mind you beating that guy up, but aren't you worried Itachi will come after you when he gets back?"
"It won't come to that. Sure, I was beating up Uchiha Sasuke, but I also genuinely taught him some combat techniques, didn't I?
It's his own fault if he's too stupid to learn. You can't blame me for that."
Chen looked perfectly at ease, while the system silently despised him.
Oblivious to the system's thoughts, Chen returned home. Just then, the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had specially made began to react.
Chen opened the letter. It was from Shion.
With the resources at her disposal, she had adopted many orphans in the Shrine Maiden's name and had already begun training them as ninja.
In her letter, Shion had written both to report on their recent training and to ask whether these people should be given special seals.
All the samurai in the Land of Demons had special seals, which ensured they would protect the Shrine Maiden without question.
Even if it meant trading their own lives for hers, they wouldn't hesitate.
Shion was now hesitating over whether to do the same to these future ninja.
Reading the letter, Chen was somewhat conflicted.
Deep down, he didn't want to use this kind of seal. It made him feel as though he was becoming too much like Danzo's Root.
Danzo used the Tongue-Sealing Curse Seal to control Root and prevent defections, and Chen was deeply opposed to such methods.
" Sigh..."
After letting out a helpless sigh, Chen finally decided to write back to Shion.
"You object to what Danzo did to Root.
Why would you agree to what Shion suggested?"
"What choice do I have? You never know what people are really thinking. I don't have the time to slowly cultivate a group of trusted followers, and even though Shion is the Shrine Maiden, she can't read people's minds.
If we want their loyalty, this is the only option.
But I'm not Danzo. As long as they don't betray me, I won't make unreasonable demands of them."
Chen felt somewhat helpless. There was still plenty of time before both the Uchiha Clan Massacre and the Otsutsuki incident.
But it was basically impossible to train a group of loyal ninja in that time.
So he had no choice but to resort to special measures.
"System, give me a mission outside the village. I want to get out and stretch my legs."
Chen was in a foul mood. He'd always hated methods like Danzo's.
"Ding! System notification: Bounty mission. Eliminate the Kusagakure rogue ninja Yuzuki Ryoma. Bounty mission now active.
Yuzuki Ryoma, Chunin of Kusagakure, bounty: thirty thousand ryo. Water Release ninja.
Mission reward: Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
Mission failure penalty: XXXXX."
Seeing the mosaic covering the failure penalty, Chen chose to ignore it. The system had screwed him over plenty of times before. He was used to it by now.
"Hey, aren't you going to complain this time?"
Seeing Chen give no reaction, the system was a little curious.
But Chen had no intention of acknowledging it. After leaving behind a Shadow Clone, he used the teleportation array to leave Konoha.
"Hey, if you still don't say anything, believe me, I'll give you a mission to run around Konoha wearing Guy's underwear!"
"That's enough! I just didn't talk to you. Do you really have to go that far?"
"Why are you getting worked up? I was only joking.
Don't you want to know what the penalty is this time?"
"Even if I wanted to know, would you tell me?"
"This time, I'll be merciful and tell you. If you fail, you'll be teleported straight in front of Orochimaru."
In Chen's mind, the system burst into laughter, sounding just like a wicked sorceress.
What could Chen say to that besides being speechless?
"Hey, why aren't you reacting at all?"
"How am I supposed to react? Apart from completing the mission, I don't think I have any other options."
"Tch."
Faced with Chen's attitude, the system could only sigh in frustration. It felt like punching cotton, so it stopped bothering him.
Chen first went to the Underground Bounty Station to take on the mission. Besides hunting down Yuzuki Ryoma, he accepted a few other tasks as well.
Since he was already out, Chen planned to earn as much money as he could. Establishing a ninja village in the Land of Demons would surely cost a fortune.
Although Shion controlled everything in the Land of Demons, a country's finances were limited. They couldn't spend without end.
Only after accepting more than a dozen missions did Chen set off for his destination.
"Damn it! Who took on so many bounty missions?!"
Not long after Chen left, a rogue ninja with beady green eyes stormed out of the Underground Bounty Station, clearly displeased.
Chen hadn't taken every mission, but there weren't many simple ones to begin with.
As a result, the Akatsuki's financial minister, Kakuzu, was suddenly left with no easy jobs.
"Haha, it's rare to see you looking so gloomy. I never thought even the mighty Kakuzu could get beaten to the punch."
"Shut your mouth, Kisame. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to rip out that shark's heart of yours."
As temporary teammates, Kakuzu and Kisame didn't like each other much.
But they were both powerful, and the Akatsuki forbade open infighting, so the two of them just barely managed to maintain their partnership.
"If you could actually do that, I wouldn't mind. It's just that Samehada doesn't like the smell of you."
"Hmph.
Whoever dares to compete with me for bounty missions will pay for it!"
Before you continue