Wood Release's Might, System Lottery

Lin Mu ignored the shouts of Shikamaru Nara.

He tensed his muscles and lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed.

Seeing this, Shikamaru Nara had no choice but to continue channeling his chakra, strengthening his hold on the eight enemies.

In the span of a single breath, Lin Mu had already reached the front of the enemies.

Chakra, far denser than that of an average Chunin, gathered in his right hand, causing the color of his entire hand to darken until it resembled ironwood.

"Bang!"

Because of the desperate restraint from Shikamaru Nara, the ninja had no choice but to brace himself and take the punch head-on.

Lin Mu's right fist slammed fiercely into the ninja's chest.

It was as if he had been struck by a giant log; the ninja's chest caved in, and he was sent flying backward.

He hit the ground, vomited blood, and could no longer rise!

The first ninja, dead!

Shikamaru Nara was stunned at first, then felt a surge of joy.

There was hope!

Chakra surged within him once more as he desperately restrained the remaining ninjas to create an opening for Lin Mu.

Lin Mu did not pause after killing the first ninja.

He struck out with a backhand elbow, a wooden glow shimmering upon it!

"Bang!"

This ninja also had no power to resist; he was struck directly, his skull cracking and blood streaming down as he fell to the ground, unable to get up!

After his successful strike, Lin Mu did not stop; he extended his arm, and a wooden spike manifested in his palm.

With two swift, precise swings, he drove them into the necks of two more enemies.

Two more killed!

"Cough!"

Just as Lin Mu prepared to finish off the remaining four enemies in one go, a sudden change occurred.

Shikamaru Nara, standing to the side, coughed, and his ninjutsu faltered for a split second.

His chakra consumption had been too great; he could no longer maintain perfect control over his technique!

In that mere instant, the enemies seized the opportunity and broke free from their restraints!

These enemies coordinated with tacit understanding; instead of fleeing, they reached for their kunai and charged directly at Lin Mu.

Two in front, two behind, they flanked him, intending to kill Lin Mu in a single strike.

Seeing this, Shikamaru Nara couldn't help but close his eyes; he feared his classmate of many years was going to die here!

Lin Mu panicked at first, never having expected such a situation to arise.

But he immediately calmed himself, knowing that the more dangerous the situation, the more composed he had to be.

His gaze swept across the area, observing the positions of the four enemies, before he crossed his arms to protect his chest and head.

Chakra circulated rapidly within his body, condensing upon his arms and back.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Four crisp sounds rang out.

Shikamaru Nara sighed inwardly, but then immediately opened his eyes.

The sounds did not resemble kunai piercing flesh; they sounded more like they had struck wood!

But the four enemies were even more horrified.

The kunai... they couldn't pierce him?!

"You dare to space out in a life-or-death battle?"

Lin Mu seized this opening, thrusting his hands forward to shatter the ribs of the two enemies in front of him.

At the same time, his chakra expanded, affecting the surrounding trees, which instantly extended two wooden spikes to impale the two ninjas behind him!

With that, seven of the nine enemies were dead, and two were severely wounded.

Seeing Lin Mu turn defeat into victory, Shikamaru Nara immediately walked toward him.

"Lin Mu, you..."

"I will explain this to you later. We must leave immediately to rendezvous with Naruto and the others!"

Although Shikamaru Nara was filled with questions, he stopped pressing the matter upon hearing this.

He was a smart man; he knew this situation might be complicated, and he knew that catching up to Naruto and the others was more important right now.

Without further hesitation, he identified the direction and led Lin Mu as they chased after Naruto Uzumaki and the others.

On the way.

Lin Mu watched the wound on his arm slowly heal, sighing in relief at his narrow escape.

At the very last moment, he had concentrated all his chakra into his arms and back, barely managing to block the desperate, final strike of the four enemies.

I am still lacking in experience after all!

Yet, Lin Mu felt more surprise than anything else right now.

Just as he had slain the enemy hidden in the shadows:

"Ding! Killed one low-tier Chunin, rewarded 50 gold coins."

"Ding! Detected that the host has obtained system currency. System Shop unlocked, Lottery System unlocked."

The Naruto Module System had finally unlocked new functions!

But the situation had been critical at the time, so Lin Mu hadn't had the chance to carefully study the two new features.

Only now did he have the time to investigate.

Open Shop!

With a thought, the shop interface appeared before his eyes.

This shop had actually existed for a long time; Lin Mu had browsed it many times over the years, only to be frustrated by his lack of gold coins.

Now that he had earned gold coins by killing an enemy, the shop had naturally activated.

Lin Mu swept his gaze across it, and sure enough, the items had changed from gray to color.

This meant they were available for purchase!

But upon seeing the prices, Lin Mu couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

This was far too expensive!

Even the cheapest items in the shop, the Healing Pill and Chakra Pill, cost 50 gold coins each!

50 gold coins was the price of killing a single Chunin!

However, according to the system's classification, a low-tier Chunin was worth 50 gold coins; if he were to kill mid-tier or high-tier ones, the price should increase accordingly.

Lin Mu focused his mind and clicked on the detailed description of the Chakra Pill.

Chakra Pill: Allows a Chunin to recover 20% of their chakra within ten seconds.

A divine pill!

The gap in strength between ninjas of the same rank was very small. If one had this Chakra Pill in hand, and both sides were about to exhaust their chakra, popping one of these could allow one to defeat the opponent, or even turn a defeat into a victory!

Lin Mu continued to browse.

Chakra Pills to restore chakra, Healing Pills to treat injuries, Military Ration Pills to stave off hunger, Refreshing Pills to sharpen the mind and dull pain...

There was every kind of pill imaginable.

Lin Mu was dazzled, his mouth watering.

But unfortunately, his pockets were empty, so for now, he could only look.

"Hmm?"

Lin Mu's gaze continued to drift, stopping at the very bottom of the first page of items.

Item: Senju Hashirama Module Fragment

(Note: This item is a special limited-time offer)

Price: 300 gold coins

Effect: Unlocks 5% of the Senju Hashirama Module

Upon seeing this item, Lin Mu took a deep breath and clicked purchase without a moment's hesitation.

"Ding, Senju Hashirama Module Fragment purchased successfully!"

Hearing the confirmation, Lin Mu immediately opened his system inventory.

He clicked on the Senju Hashirama Module and selected "Use."

Suddenly, Lin Mu felt an inexplicable energy flood his entire body.

Unlike the tingling sensation he felt when fusing with Hashirama Cells, this feeling was cool and refreshing.

This energy seemed to carry a powerful vitality, reshaping and strengthening Lin Mu's body.

"Mmm..."

The indescribable sense of comfort made Lin Mu groan aloud.

???

Beside him, Shikamaru Nara eyed Lin Mu, his face full of suspicion.

Why does Lin Mu feel so strange today? Not only has his strength become so formidable, but he's also making these weird noises.

However, Lin Mu was completely unaware of Shikamaru Nara's inner monologue.