Should We Wait to Get Struck by Lightning?

Chen had no idea that simply taking on a large number of easy assassination missions had brought Kakuzu's attention to him.

But even if he had known, Chen probably would have just been speechless.

After all, with the Flying Thunder God, Kakuzu alone couldn't stop him from leaving.

Unless Kakuzu killed him instantly without Chen noticing.

But Chen clearly thought that was unlikely.

After all, he looked like nothing more than a little kid.

Unless someone already knew his identity and abilities, who would try to assassinate a four-year-old, let alone by going straight for the big guns?

Chen soon reached his destination, and the moment he saw Yuzuki Ryoma, he realized he'd been set up again.

Yuzuki Ryoma really was a Chunin, but the destination was a place that looked like a bandit stronghold.

Chen could see more than a dozen ninja there.

He couldn't judge how strong they were, but he really wasn't confident about facing so many ninja.

"System, you're definitely messing with me."

"I'm not."

"More than a dozen ninja, and they're clearly on the same level as Yuzuki Ryoma. That means they're all at least Chunin. Are you asking me to fight ten people at once?

Even Itachi only fought seven at a time. Is it really appropriate to ask me to take on ten? Do you think I'm Ip Man?"

Chen was genuinely fed up. He kept getting set up by this system without even realizing it. Couldn't they just have a pleasant working relationship?

"Are you an idiot? Can't you think of a way to draw them out and pick them off one by one?

They're clearly all missing-nin. Taking them all out would earn you quite a bounty. See how much I'm looking out for you?"

"Thanks a lot."

Chen didn't want to say anything more. There wasn't a soul for ten miles around the stronghold, so waiting for the enemy to leave clearly wasn't an option.

And he didn't seem to have any good way of luring them out, either.

"Why not turn into a pretty girl and make them die of exhaustion?"

"Get lost!

What on earth is going through your head?"

Chen clearly couldn't take them head-on with his current abilities, and he couldn't think of a good way to lure them out.

Sneaking in was risky, too. If someone could lead a group of Chunins, their leader was very likely a Jonin.

Standing in a tree, Chen quietly watched his surroundings, hoping to find a good solution. But there was nothing nearby he could use.

Just then, thunder rumbled in the sky. Not wanting to become a lightning rod, Chen hurried back down to the ground.

"I've got it."

As he looked at the lightning in the sky, Chen's eyes suddenly lit up.

Then he turned and headed for the nearby town.

Ten kilometers was nothing to Chen, especially since he had already left a Flying Thunder God Mark there.

"Hey, what are you planning to do? Tell me. Maybe I can help."

"If you'd just shut up and stay quiet, that would be a huge help."

Chen didn't want the system causing any more trouble. His system was already enough of a menace as it was.

When he reached the town, Chen bought the materials he needed, then used the Flying Thunder God to return to where he'd been.

"A kite? How's that supposed to deal with these ninja?"

"Of course a kite can't. But look at the sky."

"You're planning to use the lightning?"

"That's right. Think of it as a bootleg Kirin.

This stronghold is already up high, and these kites with their steel-wire frames should be enough to draw down the lightning. And now for the next part."

As he spoke, a large number of shuriken appeared in Chen's hands.

Simply guiding the lightning down to the ground wasn't enough. He needed to use it to kill his opponents.

The system was puzzled by Chen's plan. Chen simply created a Shadow Clone, then threw a Kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God.

The next moment, the Shadow Clone appeared inside the stronghold.

"A kid?

Was that Body Flicker just now?"

The people inside the stronghold spotted the Shadow Clone as soon as it appeared.

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

The Shadow Clone immediately launched an attack. The missing-nin hurriedly dodged, and the attack drew even more of them out.

As more and more missing-nin appeared, the Shadow Clone didn't wait for them to attack. It immediately launched a large number of shuriken.

Each shuriken had a thin steel wire attached, with the other end tied to one of the kites in the sky.

"By the way, have you thought of something?"

The system spoke up.

"What?"

"Aren't you worried the lightning will destroy your Shadow Clone?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"What do you mean?"

"I used a Shadow Clone precisely because I was worried the lightning might strike early.

By the way, what would happen to you if you got struck by lightning?"

Chen didn't really understand how the system worked, but he instinctively suspected that it had something to do with electronic devices. If he used Lightning Release Armor, would it affect the system?

Chen wasn't planning to destroy the system. But teaching her a lesson so she'd stop being such a nuisance sounded like a good idea.

"You can try. But I think you'd be the one to get struck dead first, and then I'd go find another host.

What do you think?

Want to give it a try?

If you want, I can issue you a mission. Then you can test your theory and get a reward, too.

How about I offer Six Paths Power as the reward? Go on, try seeing what it feels like to get struck by lightning."

"Uh..."

Maybe not.

Chen had only thought of it on a whim. Actually waiting around to get struck by lightning didn't sound like a very good idea.

Besides, the system had even offered Six Paths Power. There was a ninety percent chance she was just trying to trick him.

"Forget it. I think it's better to get stronger little by little. Becoming too powerful all at once would be boring."

As soon as Chen finished speaking, a thunderclap exploded overhead, wiping out his Shadow Clone and a large number of the missing-nin.

The missing-nin had been on guard, wondering what special attack Chen's Shadow Clone might use. After all, plenty of ninja in the Shinobi World used things like steel wires to attack.

But who could have imagined that someone could guide lightning itself?

That was what came of a lack of knowledge. A scientific genius of the Shinobi World like Orochimaru would never have just stood around waiting to get struck by lightning.

"Why do I get the feeling that lightning struck just to hit you?

What you just said sounded so insincere."

The system kept taunting him, but Chen acted as if he hadn't heard.

The lightning had badly injured the missing-nin inside the stronghold, but it hadn't taken them all out.

So Chen immediately rushed in to finish them off.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

The B-rank jutsu burst forth. Thanks to Fire Style Mastery, the power of Chen's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had already surpassed that of a normal B-rank jutsu.

But that wasn't the end of it. Two Shadow Clones followed right behind him, forming Hand Seals almost simultaneously.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

Three Fire Release jutsu struck at once, dealing another devastating blow to the missing-nin before they could recover. The entire stronghold was soon engulfed in flames.