The next day, at dawn.
Sunlight fell across Fei Shi, who was sleeping in.
"Fei Shi, get up. It's time for breakfast."
Shizune's voice woke Fei Shi. He scratched his butt, then sat up.
Shizune smiled with her lips pressed together.
Fei Shi looked out the window. This is the first time I've slept so peacefully since my father died, he thought.
After his father, Uchiha Ping, died, his mother had been in a terrible state. He took on the responsibilities of a child, getting up early every day to help his mother with all kinds of chores. For the three years after she died, he had struggled just to survive.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered going to Konoha, but back then, he had no means of protecting himself. Even if he brought up his connection to Tsunade, he was sure that old bastard Danzo would get the wrong idea about him.
So he could only wait outside Konoha until he ran into Tsunade and build a bond with her. That way, he'd have a real backer and be safe. Though it might look like he was scheming against Tsunade, she wouldn't lose anything.
On the contrary, with the system, one day he'd awaken the Rinnegan and help her bring Nawaki back to life. Dan Katō? Sorry, I ship Jiraiya and Tsunade.
After breakfast, the three of them strolled around Tanzaku Town.
Tsunade planned to try her luck at gambling again, and Shizune was doing her best to stop her while Fei Shi looked at the system's draw page.
He decided to test his luck and get right to it.
"System, use the ten-draw ticket."
"Ding. Using the draw ticket."
A slot machine appeared before him. It displayed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Byakugan, Shadow Imitation Technique, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, Hurricane Fruit, Flame-Flame Fruit, shared Mental Detection, Nether Poison Fire (kindling), fifty thousand points, five hundred points, three thousand points, two hundred thousand points, a complete guide to Lightning Release Ninjutsu, Mount Myoboku Sage Mode training insights, Enhancement Cards, Super Enhancement Cards, and more.
There were two buttons below, one for a single draw and one for ten draws. Beside them was a draw ticket: Ten Draws × 1.
"Draw ticket used. Starting ten draws."
At the system's announcement, the slot machine screen split into ten sections, and a dazzling array of prizes began scrolling down at high speed.
"Stop!"
At Fei Shi's command, the prizes appeared before him.
Dragon-Patterned Straight Blade (high quality), Chakra Recovery Pill (instantly restores chakra to full), one hundred million yuan (paid in gold), Lucky Emperor Card, fifty thousand points, Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet, ten Kunai (titanium alloy), space scroll, headset (with whatever music you want to listen to), and Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
Fei Shi was thrilled by the prizes. He'd drawn a hundred million, so he wouldn't have to worry about money anymore. The two techniques and fifty thousand points were great, too. In the System Store, fifty thousand points could buy him a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. As for the headset, it'd keep him from getting too bored. He'd have to ask the system about the Lucky Emperor Card. The rest were fairly ordinary, since he already had several space scrolls and rarely had a chance to use the other prizes.
All in all, he'd made a killing.
"System, what does the Lucky Emperor Card do?"
"Host, this item greatly increases your luck, whether at a casino, in system draws, or in everyday life. But its effect only lasts ten minutes."
"Oh, is that so? My luck seems pretty good already. This should be the best prize I've drawn."
"Um, a single draw costs twelve hundred points, and a ten-draw costs ten thousand, right? Heh. System, use the Lucky Emperor Card and do another ten draws."
"Ding. Congratulations, Host. You've obtained... Super Enhancement Card (raises an item's level by two)... Mangekyo Experience Card (Kamui), ten Fūma Shuriken (stainless steel)... Master Chef Insights..."
"System, use the Super Enhancement Card to enhance the Lucky Emperor Card I'm currently using."
"Ding. Successfully used. Luck doubled. Duration: thirty minutes."
"Ten draws."
"..."
Fifteen minutes later.
For those fifteen minutes, Fei Shi kept drawing prizes, earning tens of thousands of points each time along with some good rewards. Meanwhile, he tried to persuade Tsunade not to get carried away with Shizune.
Shizune hadn't managed to stop Tsunade from gambling, and Tsunade had already lost nearly seventy or eighty thousand in just a few minutes.
Tsunade had unexpectedly run into a relative she hadn't been in touch with for years and gained a younger brother, so she thought her luck was finally turning around. It turned out she was just imagining things.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. Your draw prize is... Designated Time Stop Card... Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique... Wind Release: Sickle Weasel, Earth Release: Moving Earth Core..."
"System, stop!"
While he watched Tsunade lose money with Shizune and the two of them bet on how much she'd lose that day, he suddenly heard that the draw had landed on something incredible and told the system to stop.
He looked at the prize he'd drawn. Had he just heard something about stopping time? Wouldn't that mean... heh heh heh.
"Designated Time Stop Card: You can designate any object, living or not, and stop its time for twenty-four hours. It will remain in the state it was in when time stopped. For example, if a person is about to die, a special ability is about to expire, or a weapon is damaged and loses its properties, using this card will let it maintain its previous state and function for the next twenty-four hours. During that time, the card's user can take measures to undo any harmful condition affecting it."
Oh, interesting. It had such an incredible effect? What a great item. If he ever got stabbed in the heart while out on an adventure, he could use this to buy time to save himself or get a new heart.
In that case...
"System, use the Designated Time Stop Card to stop the Lucky Emperor Card's countdown."
"..."
"Ding. You're such a dog."
"Heh, thanks for the compliment."
"If the previous host had been as shameless as you, he wouldn't have died because he wasn't strong enough."
"Oh? How so? Tell me while I keep drawing."
"..."
"You're always looking to take advantage of the situation. The previous host went to the world of One Piece and joined Luffy's crew. He also drew the Lucky Emperor Card and, while it was active, drew the Designated Time Stop Card. But not long afterward, Ace was captured. He wanted to save Ace, so he saved the card for him. He was a One Piece fan and liked Ace's character. But when the Paramount War came, he wasn't strong enough. He failed to save Ace and died himself. He thought having the system meant he was invincible, but the system could only give him opportunities to grow stronger. Whether he became invincible was up to him."
"That's true. Only by becoming stronger yourself can you gain the power to change your fate."
"Host, I suspect you're going to obtain a lot of good things from here on, but I suggest you don't raise your strength too quickly. If it increases too fast, your body might not be able to handle it. Your strength has to match your physical constitution."
Fei Shi nodded. Even with a feast laid out before him, he still had to eat one bite at a time. If he grew too strong too fast, he'd miss out on a lot of fun, too.
"System, if I draw an Enhancement Card, use it to improve my bloodline power. Increase my bloodline concentration gradually."
"Understood, Host."
Noon.
The three of them walked down the street.
Tsunade had lost again. If she hadn't kept a hundred thousand aside because she'd promised to look after him, he was sure she would've gambled until she was penniless.
Shizune had known this would happen and won the bet. Fei Shi hadn't expected that result, and he couldn't help feeling touched.
He honored the bet and gave Shizune gold worth ten thousand.
"Ah, you don't have to, little brother Fei Shi. We were just playing to pass the time. You don't need to take it seriously." Shizune looked embarrassed when she saw him hand her the gold.
"Hey, it's fine. Even though things were rough for me before, I still have enough money for something like this." Fei Shi waved a hand to show he didn't mind.
Tsunade didn't like hearing that.
"Pah, how much money could a little brat like you have?"
"I have a hundred million."
Tsunade: "..."
Shizune: "..."
Tsunade: "Yeah, right."
Before Tsunade could finish speaking, Fei Shi pulled a briefcase out of a space scroll and gestured for her to open it. Tsunade took the case and opened it. Just as Fei Shi had said, it was packed with gold!
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