Unresolved Regrets

Late at night, Lin Mu sat cross-legged on the bed, a faint blue glow radiating from his body like a firefly.

They had originally planned to go straight to find Tsunade, but Sasuke was still very weak.

So Jiraiya had them spend the night at the inn while he returned to Konoha to take Sasuke back.

"Zzz..."

Listening to the waves of snoring beside him, Lin Mu felt a row of black lines appear over his head.

Naruto Uzumaki had spent the day shouting about how hard he was going to train, yet the moment night fell, he'd climbed into bed and started snoring.

And so loudly, too!

"Ugh! My chakra has hit a bottleneck. I'm just one step away from breaking through. What should I do?"

Lin Mu felt deeply troubled. He had spent half the night gathering chakra, but he still felt as though something was missing.

His strength had stalled at the peak of the upper Chunin level.

And now Lin Mu was beginning to feel anxious.

Since the Chunin Ninja Exams, his strength had increased at a terrifying rate, but he was still unsatisfied.

The many battles he'd fought over the past few days had made him realize all over again just how dangerous this world was.

If he didn't improve his strength as soon as possible, how would he handle the dangers that lay ahead?

Truth be told, although Lin Mu seemed laid-back and calm, that wasn't how he really felt.

Deep down, he had plenty of unresolved regrets!

Before he'd crossed over, he'd been a devoted Naruto fan. Every time he watched the anime, it stirred his emotions.

Naruto had brought him a lot of joy, but it had also shown him countless regrets.

Back then, he had nothing to do with this world. He was just an ordinary person from Earth.

No matter how much he regretted what happened, he could do nothing about it. All he could do was lament it in his heart.

But now things were different.

He had crossed into the Naruto World, and he possessed the Naruto Template System.

Under these circumstances, he could become the "variable" in this world.

That's right—a variable!

A factor capable of changing the world.

If the Naruto World followed its original course, many beloved characters would leave this world in the years to come.

Itachi Uchiha would die, Jiraiya would die, Chiyo would die... and in the end, even Neji Hyuga would die!

Some of them might be old, while others were still young.

All of them had something precious they wanted to protect, and in the end, they gave their lives for it.

It was moving—and it left people with regrets they couldn't let go of!

But things were different now. With the right approach and the right timing, Lin Mu could change this world!

And Lin Mu's greatest source of support was the Naruto Template System.

With this mysterious and powerful system, he could obtain all kinds of things and increase his strength at a staggering speed.

Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World!

Besides, he knew the timeline of the Naruto World and the order in which events would happen.

He could stop these tragedies before they occurred, or use overwhelming power to suppress them as they unfolded.

Even if he couldn't make it in time to take part in those events, he might still be able to save the people who were supposed to die in them.

Even defying fate was within the system's capabilities!

Since he'd come to this world and gained such a powerful system, Lin Mu didn't want to live an ordinary life.

If he could change this world, why shouldn't he?

"In the Naruto World where I, Lin Mu, exist, I won't allow so many regrets!"

Lin Mu's emotions suddenly surged. He felt as if his heart were swelling with ambition.

Bzzzz—

As though it sensed the change in Lin Mu's state of mind, the chakra that had been quiet inside him began to stir.

It seemed to sense that it had been entrusted with an indescribable responsibility.

It cheered, it rejoiced, and it wanted to grow stronger!

"Ding! Congratulations, host. Your cultivation has broken through. You have reached the lower Jonin level!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have received a breakthrough reward: Senju Hashirama Template Fragment ×1."

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have learned the ninjutsu: Wood Style: Multiple Wood Clone Technique."

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have learned the ninjutsu: Wood Style: Explosive Spear Tree."

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have unlocked the right to purchase Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique."

"..."

One system notification after another rang out in Lin Mu's mind.

The barrage left him a little dazed.

Before he could recover, a vast amount of information flooded straight into his mind.

He had learned two advanced techniques just like that!

He carefully studied the two techniques. They were both famous Wood Release techniques he knew well.

Wood Style: Multiple Wood Clone Technique: Creates a large number of Wood Release clones identical to the user. Ordinary people cannot tell them apart.

Wood Style: Explosive Spear Tree: A powerful Wood Release technique suited to both offense and defense. It could defend against attacks while also delivering astonishingly powerful blows. Multiple wooden vines and branches could sprout from the user's body and instantly grow into trees to devour enemies. Alternatively, the user could create a giant tree from an arm in an instant to block an enemy's attack.

The first technique, Wood Style: Multiple Wood Clone Technique, was an advanced ninjutsu similar to the Shadow Clone Technique. Only those who could control Wood Release could use it.

These Wood Clones not only looked incredibly lifelike and were difficult to distinguish from the real thing, but also possessed a portion of the user's strength.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Senju Hashirama had used this technique to fight Uchiha Madara.

Although they never actually fought because Uchiha Madara refused, this alone showed how confident Senju Hashirama was in the technique.

The second technique was Wood Style: Explosive Spear Tree.

It seemed to Lin Mu like an upgraded combination of Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs and Wood Style: Tree Barrier.

This technique had a unique power, whether in attack or defense.

With this technique, his combat ability would increase tremendously!

After a brief silence, Lin Mu absorbed the vast amount of information in his mind and opened the System Shop.

First, his gaze fell on the Senju Hashirama Template Fragment in the last row of the shop.

Senju Hashirama Template Fragment (use to unlock 5% of the Senju Hashirama Template)

Price: 3000 Gold Coins

It was still the same old Senju Hashirama Template Fragment, but its price had tripled.

He had to buy it, no matter how many times the price had gone up!

Lin Mu's hand trembled a little as he clicked confirm.

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully purchased the System Shop item: Senju Hashirama Template Fragment ×1."