35 Cards

[Ding! Congratulations, you have received 70,000,000 Value Points.]

[Would you like to recharge 70,000,000 Value Points and exchange them for 7,000 Gold Coins?]

[Recharge successful. Congratulations! You have received 7,000 Gold Coins.]

[Current balance: 7,040 Gold Coins]

...

[Host: Natsume

Attributes: Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Yin

Chakra: 9 cards

Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God Technique (S-rank · Space-Time Ninjutsu), Eight Gates Released Formation (S-rank · Taijutsu), Spirit Transformation Technique (S-rank · Soul Ninjutsu), Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (A-rank · Genjutsu), Triple Rashomon (A-rank · Summoning Technique), Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique (A-rank · Ninja Art), Shadow Clone Technique (B-rank · Clone Technique)...

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Mangekyō)

Taijutsu: One Thousand Years of Death, Leaf Whirlwind

Special Skill: Chakra Extraction Method

Special Weapon: Kunwu Blade

Current balance: 7,040 Gold Coins]

Natsume first reviewed his basic information.

Just looking at this dazzling personal profile put him in a good mood.

Who would have thought that three months ago,

he had been nothing but a mediocre trainee ninja who had just turned ten and hadn't even awakened his Sharingan.

And now, he had mastered three S-rank ninjutsu, three A-rank ninjutsu, and a whole host of other techniques; awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan; wielded a legendary weapon; and become a powerhouse whose strength nearly rivaled that of a Super Kage!

And all of this, besides his own hard work,

"was thanks to my omnipotent and all-powerful system daddy, right?"

Hoping to build up a little luck, Natsume shamelessly buttered it up despite having no confidence whatsoever.

If the system actually had a will of its own,

it would probably be cursing Natsume, its scumbag host, by now.

After mastering several chakra-hungry techniques and making a trip to Iwagakure, Natsume had become increasingly aware that his chakra reserves were insufficient.

If he had plenty of chakra,

he wouldn't have had to trudge over a thousand kilometers from the Land of Earth to get back.

He could've just used Flying Thunder God to teleport straight back to his village.

How quick and convenient!

So, after entering the system,

Natsume didn't exchange for anything else. He spent 2,600 Gold Coins outright

to raise his chakra capacity by 26 cards.

That pushed his total chakra reserves all the way up to 35 cards!

That was equivalent to the combined chakra of thirty-five elite jonin.

Of course, this amount still couldn't compare to the Uzumaki Clan or Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts.

But among Kage-level shinobi, it was still above average.

Considering that one card could power six to eight A-rank techniques,

even the chakra-hungry Flying Thunder God Technique would be enough for him to use dozens of times over short distances.

And on top of that, his ocular powers had grown considerably, too.

Next time he activated Susanoo, he wouldn't need to nervously count the seconds as he used it.

All in all, for the time being,

35 cards of chakra should be enough.

There was no bottom to the money pit that was spending on the system.

In the blink of an eye, 2,600 Gold Coins had vanished like water down a drain.

It made Natsume wince.

With 4,440 Gold Coins left, Natsume became much more cautious about spending in the System Shop.

In the end, after browsing around for a long while,

he bought only a few necessities.

Sealing Technique: Contract Seal (B-rank) — 200 Gold Coins (Can sever a Summoning Technique contract)

Taijutsu: Thousand Flame Blade (B-rank) — 200 Gold Coins (A powerful sword technique. Works with a weapon and packs a punch)

One high-grade healing "pill" — 500 Gold Coins (Can quickly heal any injury. Kept as a trump card)

One high-grade chakra-restoration "pill" — 500 Gold Coins (Can instantly replenish chakra. Kept as a trump card)

He spent 1,400 Gold Coins in total.

They were expensive, but still well worth it.

After all, with these two life-saving pills, Natsume would have a chance to turn things around even if he found himself in dire straits.

Of course, as things stood,

across the entire Ninja World,

he could count on one hand the powerful enemies who could truly push him into a corner.

Once he had finished exchanging,

Natsume didn't keep going with the gacha.

His luck had been far too good during the last ten-pull.

Even the Goddess of Luck needed to rest after showing him such favor.

With his rotten luck,

if he forced himself into another ten-pull now, he'd probably lose even his underwear.

So Natsume planned to save the remaining 3,040 Gold Coins.

Just in case.

Or maybe he'd wait until he was feeling luckier and try another ten-pull.

Hmm...

"Say, why does the water in this hot spring feel so much cooler now?"

"And where did this hot spring even come from?"

Natsume stretched contentedly and looked around.

Only then did he notice a fire pit behind the pool, used to heat the spring water.

"I see."

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A torrent of flames shot out and poured into the fire pit.

Before long,

the water throughout the pool had warmed up again, bubbling in several places.

A thick mist quickly filled the bathroom.

At the same time, a little red panda that looked as if it had been boiled began to float to the surface...

After soaking for over an hour, Natsume finally emerged, refreshed, with a towel wrapped around him.

He also pulled out the little red panda.

Just then,

"Knock, knock, knock..."

There was a knock at the front door.

Natsume opened it.

A beautiful woman stood outside, holding a steaming dinner.

It was Izumi's mother, Hazuki Uchiha.

Her husband had been a teammate of Natsume's father, and the two had been close friends.

Sadly, one had died in the Third Shinobi World War, and the other had perished beneath the night sky of the Nine-Tails Incident.

So, when he was young,

Hazuki had looked after Natsume quite a bit while he lived in Konoha, often bringing him all kinds of food.

She'd practically treated him like one of her own sons.

"Aunt Hazuki, what brings you here?"

"I saw Toh and Nichiyo go home, so I figured you must've finished your seclusion."

"Judging by the time, you probably haven't had dinner yet, right?"

"I made you a little something and brought it over."

"Most of the clan's burdens are on your shoulders now. You can't neglect your health!"

The woman spoke with gentle concern and handed him the food container.

Natsume took the dinner and breathed in its tempting aroma. Warmth filled his heart.

Who said the Uchiha Clan were cruel by nature, bloodthirsty killers?

That was complete nonsense!

And it was to protect this kindness and tenderness in his fellow clansmen that he had taken up the sword!

"Thank you, Aunt Hazuki!"

"Come in and sit for a while."

"I'd better not. I still have to take dinner to the construction crew. You just enjoy your meal."

"By the way, Izumi?"

Aunt Hazuki called out and pulled her daughter, Izumi, out from behind her.

"Didn't you have something you wanted to ask Natsume?"

"Once you've asked him, remember to come straight home. Don't keep Natsume too long."

"Y-yes, Mother."

Izumi Uchiha fiddled with the hem of her clothes and answered nervously.

"Izumi, what did you want to talk about?"

Looking at Izumi, who was thirteen and half a head taller than him, Natsume was especially gentle. When they were little, she'd often treated him like her younger brother and teased him.

It was precisely because he thought of her as something like an older sister that, on the night of the defection,

he'd deliberately ordered his subordinates to take Izumi's entire family away.

Even though Izumi probably hadn't wanted to leave Konoha, or Itachi... ...