Mission Reward, Opening the Gift Pack

The next day.

Ninja Academy.

The classroom was quieter than usual.

The people were the same, but there was something different on everyone's face.

Obito sat in front of Might Guy, twisting his head to scan him up and down.

"You really kicked a Chunin to death?"

Might Guy nodded.

"Yeah."

"In one kick?"

"Yeah."

Obito fell silent.

He stared at Might Guy as if looking at an alien.

"That guy was a rogue ninja from Iwagakure, a legitimate Chunin, and you killed him with one kick?"

Might Guy thought for a moment.

"He didn't die completely from the kick."

Obito's eyes lit up: "Oh?"

"He died after being embedded in the tree."

Obito: "..."

Beside them, Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses, his expression complex.

He had been there at the time and saw it with his own eyes.

That Scarface had been embedded in the tree, eyes wide open, his body caved in.

Even now, thinking about it made his legs feel weak.

"Ebisu."

Ebisu turned his head.

Shiranui Genma, chewing on a toothpick, looked at him.

"Weren't you acting all cocky back then? Still feeling cocky now?"

Ebisu's mouth twitched.

He wanted to retort.

But after a moment's thought, he kept his mouth shut.

Compete on being cocky with that guy?

That guy kicked a Chunin to death.

What had he ever kicked to death?

A few bandit lackeys, and even then, they were tied up.

The classroom door opened.

Ikkaku Umino walked in.

He held several envelopes in his hand.

"Everyone, sit down."

Everyone sat up straight.

Ikkaku Umino scanned the room and began calling out names.

"Team 1, two thousand ryo each."

"Team 2, two thousand ryo each."

"..."

When he reached the fifth team, he paused.

"Team 6, Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu."

The three of them stood up.

Ikkaku Umino looked at them.

"You three handled the most bandits. Especially when Team 7 was in danger, you were the first to arrive and provide support."

He handed over the envelopes.

"Three thousand ryo each."

Ebisu's eyes lit up.

Three thousand ryo!

That was more than his old man gave him for pocket money in a whole month!

Genma took the envelope, his expression blank, though the toothpick in his mouth did a quick spin.

Guy took his envelope and shoved it into his pocket without a second thought.

Ikkaku Umino watched him.

"Guy, stay behind. Everyone else, class dismissed. You have the afternoon off."

Obito stood up, and as he walked past Guy, he lowered his voice: "Treat us later!"

Guy nodded.

"Sure."

The classroom emptied out.

Only Guy and Ikkaku Umino remained.

Ikkaku Umino pulled something out from under the podium.

It was wrapped in cloth.

It was quite long.

He placed it on the podium and unwrapped the cloth.

A large broadsword.

The blade was longer than an adult's arm.

The hilt was wrapped in black hemp rope, glinting with a dull light.

It was the sword belonging to the bandit leader from yesterday.

Guy was taken aback.

Ikkaku Umino looked at him.

"I heard you're practicing with a blade?"

Guy nodded.

"Yes."

"What kind of swordsmanship are you practicing?"

Guy thought for a moment.

"A self-created style."

Ikkaku Umino didn't ask for specifics.

He pushed the broadsword forward.

"This is for you."

Guy blinked.

"For me?"

"Mm," Ikkaku Umino said, "The quality of this blade is decent, better than a standard ninja sword."

He paused, looking at Guy.

"If it weren't for you yesterday, that kid from Team 7 would be gone."

"The child is in the hospital now, his life saved. The doctor said if you had been half a minute later, not even the gods could have saved him."

Guy didn't speak.

Ikkaku Umino continued.

"This sword belonged to that bandit leader. You were the one who kicked him to death, so his blade belongs to you. It's only fair."

"Also—"

He pulled an envelope from his pocket, much thicker than the ones from before.

He placed it next to the sword.

"This is for you personally."

Guy picked it up and opened it.

Thirty thousand ryo.

He looked up at Ikkaku Umino.

Ikkaku Umino waved his hand.

"Don't look at me. This was approved by the village. The child you saved has some connections, and this is their token of gratitude."

"Added to the work you did during the mission, it all adds up to about this much."

Guy was silent for two seconds.

Then, he stuffed the money into his pocket.

"Thank you, Ikkaku Umino."

Ikkaku Umino nodded.

"Alright, go on. Take the half-day off and get some good rest."

Guy picked up the blade.

The blade was heavy.

It was much heavier than the blanks in the Blacksmith Shop.

But held in his hand, aside from being a bit large, it felt unexpectedly comfortable.

He turned and walked out.

Reaching the door, he suddenly remembered something.

He turned back.

"Ikkaku Umino."

"Hm?"

"That classmate, what is his name?"

Ikkaku Umino was stunned for a moment.

"You don't know?"

Guy nodded, feeling a bit awkward.

Having been classmates for nearly a year without knowing a peer's name was indeed embarrassing.

Ikkaku Umino rolled his eyes and said, "His name is Aburame Shikuroo."

Guy nodded.

Aburame Shikuroo.

I'll remember it this time.

When he walked out of the school gate, the sun was directly overhead.

Guy stood at the entrance, looking down at the blade in his hand.

Then he looked at the thirty thousand ryo in his pocket.

He grinned.

A half-day off.

Where to go?

Obviously, the back mountain.

He carried the blade and walked all the way toward the back mountain.

He ran into a few acquaintances on the way.

Ramen Uncle poked his head out, saw the blade in his hand, and froze.

"Yo, Guy, where'd you get that blade?"

Guy gave a thumbs up.

"Spoils of war!"

Ramen Uncle blinked, looking at the blade that was taller than Guy himself.

"This... aren't you tired carrying that?"

Guy shook his head.

"Not tired."

After saying that, he continued walking.

Ramen Uncle watched his retreating figure and muttered to himself.

"This kid, he's getting less and less like a seven-year-old..."

The back mountain.

It was the same clearing.

Guy stuck the blade into the ground and plopped down.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a warm glow.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He had been exhausted like a dog yesterday; after adding his Monk Points to the Yijin Jing when he got home, he had collapsed into sleep without even opening his bag.

Now was the perfect time.

He opened the system panel.

[Host: Might Guy (seven years old)]

[Monk Points: 0]

[Ultimate Technique List]

[Yijin Jing (High Grade): 952 (Pure Perfection)] (Cliff Bond 40 + Bandit Extermination 100 + months of normal cultivation)

[Precept-Breaking Blade (Mid Grade): 348 (Integrated Mastery)]

[Vajra Leg (Low Grade): 1000 (Mastery of Perfection)]

[Vajra Finger (Low Grade): 1000 (Mastery of Perfection)]

[Golden Bell Shield (Low Grade): 87 (Small Accomplishment)]

[Intermediate Gift Pack * 1]

Yijin Jing proficiency, 952 points!

Only 48 points left to reach completion!

However, Yijin Jing only increases by one point of proficiency every seven days.

48 points would take 336 days.

Less than a year!

Might Guy took a deep breath.

At this rate, it wouldn't even take a few months for Yijin Jing to reach its limit.

Of course, this was assuming there were no bottlenecks.

He then looked at another notification on the system panel.

[Random Intermediate Gift Pack × 1, pending opening]

An intermediate gift pack.

It was his first time seeing one.

Might Guy sat up straight, feeling a bit expectant.

"Open."

Golden light burst forth.

Two items appeared in his consciousness.