"When will I get another special mission?"
Late at night, Lin Mu lay in bed, still unable to fall asleep, and sighed to himself.
A mission that rewarded him with two thousand Gold Coins was much more satisfying than these little tasks.
But he knew that the better the mission rewards, the more dangerous the mission was.
Last time, he had gotten such a good reward because he had to face a Tailed Beast.
After tossing and turning a few more times, Lin Mu, still unable to sleep, opened the Lottery System's draw panel.
He hadn't drawn anything in a month.
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he could take a look at the Lottery System.
After staring at it for a while, Lin Mu sighed helplessly.
There was no way to get anything out of this system. The draw panel didn't refresh automatically on a regular basis at all.
He looked at how many Gold Coins he had left.
Gold Coins: 3400
Not bad!
This time, Lin Mu didn't hesitate and clicked the upgrade button.
"Ding! The Lottery System is upgrading. Estimated time: ten minutes."
Lin Mu glanced at the night sky outside the window and continued to wait.
"Ding! The Lottery System has finished upgrading. Current level: Intermediate."
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have received an upgrade reward: Senju Hashirama Template Fragment ×1."
When he heard that the Lottery System had successfully upgraded, Lin Mu remained calm.
But the moment he heard about the upgrade reward, he shot upright.
An upgrade reward from the Lottery System? A Senju Hashirama Template Fragment?
Lin Mu was a little dazed by the system's move.
He quickly grew excited.
He opened his inventory, selected the Senju Hashirama Template Fragment, and immediately chose to use it.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully used the Senju Hashirama Template Fragment."
A familiar, cool sensation swept through Lin Mu's body.
He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling. Sure enough, all his physical attributes had improved, and his control over his Wood Style Body had grown stronger once again.
He should be extremely close to reaching the level of a jonin now!
"Ding! Congratulations, host. Your Senju Hashirama Template has reached 20% completion."
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully learned Wood Release: Great Forest Technique."
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully learned Wood Style: Four Pillar House Technique."
A sizable flood of information poured into Lin Mu's mind, instantly teaching him how to use both techniques.
Wood Release: Great Forest Technique: Multiple wooden vines and branches extend from the user's arms to capture enemies.
Wood Style: Four Pillar House Technique: Instantly creates a complex wooden residence.
The unexpected rewards left Lin Mu deep in thought.
It seemed the Senju Hashirama Template advanced in stages of 10%, and he received a reward each time he completed one.
As for the techniques he'd just learned...
Wood Release: Great Forest Technique and Wood Style: Cutting Technique had some similarities.
The only difference was that one extended wooden spikes from the user's arms, while the other extended branches and vines.
One was an offensive technique, while the other was for restraint.
But this Wood Style: Four Pillar House Technique...
According to Lin Mu's memories, a few years later, when Pain destroyed Konoha, Yamato would use an upgraded version of this technique—Wood Style: Four Pillar Prison Technique—to instantly build rows of houses during the reconstruction.
Yamato was practically the head of Konoha's real estate company!
"Heh heh heh... If I put this technique to good use, I could make a fortune."
Lin Mu pondered to himself, a sly grin spreading across his lips.
As an orphan, he'd spent a long time living in poverty.
Of course, he also knew this technique wasn't meant for making money.
The Naruto World had harsh environments in many places, and it was normal for ninja traveling outside to be exposed to wind and rain.
But once he mastered this technique, he could create a house to live in anytime, anywhere. It would greatly improve his ability to survive in the wilderness!
Not bad, not bad!
Lin Mu was very pleased.
While Lin Mu was still imagining how he might use the technique to make his fortune, a voice suddenly came from beside the window.
Lin Mu's heart lurched, and he quickly looked up.
A figure was sitting on the table beside the window. The sound had come from him setting down his teacup after finishing his drink.
Whoosh—
Lin Mu's back was drenched in cold sweat, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
He didn't know how long the man had been sitting there, or even when he had come in.
Silent and ghostlike.
If the man hadn't clinked his teacup against the table just then, Lin Mu might still not have noticed him.
"Don't be afraid!"
The man shifted the chair and sat down beside Lin Mu's bed.
In the moonlight, Lin Mu could now make out his appearance.
He was tall and broad, with long, spiky white hair that fell to his waist. His Forehead Protector bore the character for "oil."
This was...
Jiraiya!
"My name is Jiraiya. You've heard of me, right?"
As Jiraiya introduced himself, he grinned, a smile spreading across his face.
"Lord Jiraiya! Of course I've heard of you. I often hear people in Konoha telling stories about you!"
After realizing it was Jiraiya, Lin Mu's pounding heart gradually calmed.
He already had a vague idea why Jiraiya had come to see him!
"Hahaha, so I'm famous even among kids!"
Hearing Lin Mu's answer, Jiraiya burst into laughter. He took an instant liking to the boy before him.
After laughing for a while, his expression gradually turned serious. He said solemnly:
"You should know that the Third was my teacher. Before he died, he entrusted me with something important. It has to do with..."
Jiraiya watched Lin Mu's face, observing his expression. At his age, a child couldn't help revealing what he was thinking through his face.
"Wood Release!" Jiraiya continued. "When the First fought the Third, he told the Third that among the Chunin Ninja Exams candidates, he sensed someone with a physique similar to his own."
Jiraiya stared at Lin Mu, feeling rather pleased with himself.
Just as I thought!
He'd seen a trace of panic in Lin Mu's eyes, the sort that came from having a secret exposed, though the boy was doing his best to hide it.
Hahaha! As expected, once I, Lord Jiraiya, stepped in, everything became simple!
"Hahaha, don't be afraid. Having this kind of physique isn't a bad thing. You could even say it's a very good thing."
"You should have already experienced all the benefits of this physique, right?"
"The Senju Clan does have descendants who ended up scattered outside the clan. I suppose you must be one of them..."
"Of course, judging by the way you look, you probably don't know your own background. But only someone with pure blood could have this kind of physique."
"You must be a descendant of the Senju Clan!"
Lin Mu was dumbfounded. Jiraiya had just made up his entire background with that string of deductions.
He couldn't get a word in edgewise!
Before you continue