Lin Mu paid no attention to Shikamaru Nara's shout.
He tensed his muscles and lunged forward in a single burst.
Seeing this, Shikamaru had no choice but to keep gathering chakra, strengthening his hold on the eight enemies.
In the space of a breath, Lin Mu had already reached the enemies.
Chakra far denser than an ordinary Chunin's gathered in his right hand. Its color gradually darkened until it looked like ironwood.
Bam!
Pinned down by Shikamaru's desperate restraint, the ninja had no choice but to brace himself and take the punch head-on.
Lin Mu's right fist slammed into the chest of the man in front of him.
As if struck by a giant tree, the ninja's chest caved in and he was sent flying.
He hit the ground, spat blood, and never got up again!
The first ninja was dead!
Shikamaru was stunned at first, then overjoyed.
There was still hope!
Chakra surged through him again as he desperately restrained the ninjas, creating openings for Lin Mu.
Lin Mu didn't pause after killing the first ninja.
He spun and struck with his elbow. A wooden gleam flashed across it!
Bam!
The ninja had no power to resist either. His skull cracked under the blow, blood streaming as he fell and lay still!
Without stopping after landing the hit, Lin Mu extended his arm, and a wooden spike appeared in his palm.
He swung twice in quick succession, piercing two enemies cleanly through the neck.
Two more dead!
Cough!
Just as Lin Mu was about to press the attack and kill the remaining four enemies, something unexpected happened.
Shikamaru coughed, and his jutsu faltered for an instant.
He had used up too much chakra and could no longer control his jutsu perfectly!
The enemies seized that brief opening and broke free!
They worked together with remarkable coordination. Instead of fleeing as soon as they escaped, they pulled out kunai and charged straight at Lin Mu.
Two from the front and two from behind, they closed in from both sides, hoping to kill him in one strike.
Seeing this, Shikamaru shut his eyes. His longtime classmate was probably going to die here!
Lin Mu panicked at first. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
But he quickly regained his composure. He knew that the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he needed to be.
His gaze swept across the four enemies' positions, then he crossed his arms to shield his chest and head.
Chakra coursed rapidly through his body, gathering in his arms and across his back.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Four sharp sounds rang out.
Shikamaru sighed, but immediately opened his eyes.
Those didn't sound like kunai piercing flesh. They sounded more like kunai striking wood!
But the four enemies were even more shocked.
The kunai couldn't pierce him?!
You're going to let your guard down in the middle of a fight to the death?
Lin Mu seized the opening. He thrust both hands forward, crushing the ribs of the two enemies in front of him.
At the same time, his chakra spread out. The surrounding trees responded, rapidly extending two wooden spikes that pierced the two ninjas behind him in an instant!
By then, seven of the nine enemies were dead and two were gravely wounded.
Seeing Lin Mu turn the tables, Shikamaru hurried over to him.
"Lin Mu, you..."
"I'll explain later. We need to hurry and catch up with Naruto and the others!"
Shikamaru was still puzzled, but he stopped asking when he heard that.
He was a smart man. He knew this matter might be complicated, and that catching up with Naruto and the others was more important right now.
Without another moment's hesitation, he worked out which way to go and led Lin Mu after Naruto and the others.
On the road.
Lin Mu looked at the wound on his arm as it slowly healed and couldn't help feeling lucky.
At the last moment, he had gathered all his chakra into his arms and back, barely managing to withstand the four enemies' desperate attack.
He was still short on experience!
But more than anything, Lin Mu was thrilled!
Just as he had killed the enemy hiding in the shadows—
Ding! You have killed a lower-ranked Chunin. Reward: 50 Gold Coins. Ding! The host has acquired system currency. System Shop unlocked. Lottery System unlocked.
The Naruto Module System had finally unlocked new features!
But the situation had been urgent at the time, so Lin Mu hadn't had a chance to study the system's two new features.
Only now did he have time to look into them.
He opened the shop!
With a thought, the shop interface appeared before Lin Mu.
The shop had been available for years, and Lin Mu had browsed it many times, but he'd never had any Gold Coins.
Now that he'd earned Gold Coins by killing enemies, the shop had finally activated.
Lin Mu scanned it. Sure enough, the items had changed from gray to colorful.
That meant they were available for purchase!
But when he saw the prices, Lin Mu couldn't help smiling wryly.
They were far too expensive!
Even the cheapest items in the shop, the Primary Healing Pill and Primary Chakra Pill, cost 50 Gold Coins each!
Fifty Gold Coins was the reward for killing one Chunin!
Still, according to the system's rankings, a lower-ranked Chunin was worth 50 Gold Coins. Killing a mid-ranked or upper-ranked one should earn him more.
Lin Mu focused his thoughts and opened the detailed description of the Primary Chakra Pill.
Primary Chakra Pill: A Chunin can recover 20% of their chakra within ten seconds.
A miraculous pill!
Ninja of the same rank didn't differ much in strength. If he had one of these Primary Chakra Pills on hand—
When both sides were nearly out of chakra, he could take one.
Then he could defeat his opponent, or even turn the tables!
Lin Mu continued browsing.
Chakra Pills to restore chakra, Healing Pills to treat injuries, Military Ration Pills to stave off hunger, Refreshing Pills to sharpen the mind and ease pain...
The shop had pills with all sorts of effects.
Lin Mu's eyes swam as he stared, swallowing hard.
Unfortunately, his pockets were empty, so for now all he could do was look.
"Hm?"
Lin Mu kept browsing until his gaze stopped at the bottom of the first page of items.
Item: Senju Hashirama Module Fragment
(Note: This item is a limited-time special offer.)
Price: 300 Gold Coins
Effect: Unlocks 5% of the Hashirama Module
The moment Lin Mu saw this item, he took a deep breath and bought it without hesitation.
Ding! Purchase successful: Senju Hashirama Module Fragment!
As soon as he heard the purchase confirmation, Lin Mu opened his system inventory.
He selected the Hashirama Module and chose to use it.
In an instant, Lin Mu felt a strange energy fill his entire body.
Unlike the tingling sensation he'd felt when fusing with Hashirama Cells, this time the sensation was cool.
The energy seemed to carry a powerful vitality, transforming Lin Mu's body and making him stronger.
"Mmm..."
The indescribable sensation of comfort made Lin Mu let out a moan.
???
Shikamaru glanced at Lin Mu several times, his face full of suspicion.
Why did Lin Mu seem so strange today? Not only had he suddenly become so powerful, he was also making odd noises for no reason.
But Lin Mu had no idea what Shikamaru was thinking.
Before you continue