Land of Earth border, deep in the forest.
Uchiha Jun was concealed in a dense treetop, gazing through the gaps in the leaves at the battlefield burning on the distant horizon.
The clash between Iwagakure and Kumogakure had lasted a full day and night.
The Third Raikage was at the peak of his strength. Like a god of thunder, he charged through the Iwa-nin encirclement, and every strike claimed the lives of several elite Iwagakure ninja!
But he had gone far too deep. The massive disparity in numbers had left the Kumogakure forces under his command unable to stop a gigantic "grave" from rising out of the ground!
At that very moment, the Iwa-nin surrounding the perimeter were using Earth Style: Ten Thousand Earth Flow Wall to build a massive cage, trapping the Third Raikage and his escort force inside.
Ōnoki's strategy was clear—use a human-wave tactic, no matter the cost, to wear down this Kumogakure war god.
"It's not time to make a move yet."
Uchiha Jun withdrew his gaze and silently calculated. "Going by the information in the original story, the Third Raikage can hold out for at least two days and nights. The 'warm-up' has only just begun, so I'll let Ōnoki and his men keep wearing down his strength and chakra for now."
Uchiha Jun looked around, confirmed that there was nothing unusual nearby, took a deep breath, and focused his mind on the system panel.
[Chakra: 89% (Peak)] [Equipment: Kusanagi Sword (Unmarked), Explosive Tags × several, Ninja World Recruitment Scrolls × 16] [Pending Missions: A-Rank Missions Completed · 3/7] [New Notification: Abundance Chamber meets the requirements to unlock a higher difficulty]
Uchiha Jun's gaze fell on the new notification, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Abundance Chamber... leveled up?"
He opened the details, and a line of information appeared before him:
[Current Challenge Difficulty: B-Rank (Recommended: Elite Jonin strength)] [Challenge Rewards: Large amount of Copper Coins, rare Secret Scroll Fragments, small amount of Gold Coins (first-clear reward), random Tomoe or ninja tool materials]
"B-Rank difficulty, recommended for an Elite Jonin..."
Uchiha Jun stroked his chin and weighed his options.
The "Gold Coins" in the first-clear rewards were a resource he urgently needed. According to the system, Gold Coins were key to redeeming High-Recruitment Scrolls and purchasing the Ninja Scroll.
"Let's do it!"
Having made up his mind, he checked several times to make sure the area was safe and that Uchiha Hikari was ready to guard him at any moment. Then he closed his eyes and sank his consciousness completely into the system space.
[Entering Abundance Chamber · B-Rank Difficulty] [Generating Scenario...] [Challenge Theme: Mechanical Ninja City] [Objective: Defeat all enemies and kill the final BOSS inside a fortress of Explosive Tags and traps] [Rules: Real-world ninja tools are prohibited. Only the system's built-in combat templates may be used] [Randomized Loadout Template: Uchiha Sasuke (Naruto: Shippuden)] [Challenge Start!]
A flash of light, and Uchiha Jun's surroundings abruptly changed.
He found himself standing inside a huge fortress made of steel and stone.
The walls all around him were covered with densely packed Explosive Tags, while the floor was rigged with all sorts of intricate trigger traps.
The air was thick with the mixed scents of smoke and machine oil.
"This place... could be troublesome."
Uchiha Jun looked around, his gaze tinged with wariness.
Just then, heavy footsteps came from ahead.
Thud—thud—thud—
The next second, a giant Puppet Samurai, about five meters tall, emerged from the shadows of the passage.
Its entire body was forged from an unknown alloy, and its surface was covered with densely packed Sealing Jutsu markings. It held an enormous iron sword longer than a person, and its bulky frame radiated a palpable sense of oppression.
[Mechanical Puppet: Guardian] [Level: Elite Jonin] [Special Trait: Super Armor (Cannot be interrupted by non-grab attacks)] [Armed Configuration: Wrists · Senbon Launchers × 4, Chest Plate · Explosive Tag Array, Legs · Hydraulic Charge System, Head · Chakra Cannon]
"Super armor..."
Uchiha Jun frowned.
Without hesitation, Uchiha Jun immediately moved to put some distance between them.
Sure enough, the Puppet Samurai raised its enormous iron sword and swung it down with speed far beyond what its size suggested!
Boom—!
The sword smashed into the ground, sending rubble flying and cleaving a crack several meters deep into the floor.
Uchiha Jun performed a backflip to escape the impact zone, forming hand seals with his right hand at the same time. "Chidori Senbon!"
Zzt—!
Blinding lightning gathered in his palm, crackling with a shrill noise.
"Shu-shu-shu—"
The condensed Lightning Release senbon flew at the Puppet Samurai like a sudden downpour, but vanished without a trace, as if they had fallen into the sea.
"An integrated outer shell?"
"I'll try another approach."
Uchiha Jun immediately canceled Chidori Senbon and released thin steel wires, wrapping them around the surrounding walls and ceiling.
Then, like a nimble spider, he used the taut wires to race across the fortress walls and ceiling, constantly changing his position.
Along the way, he also created a Shadow Clone, which began setting traps around the area.
The Puppet Samurai swung its iron sword several times in succession, but Uchiha Jun easily dodged every strike.
"The mechanical core is at the back of its neck!"
After probing and testing, Uchiha Jun had reached his conclusion.
While dodging, he led the Puppet Samurai toward a trap set by his Shadow Clone.
The moment the Puppet Samurai stepped into the area, the floor collapsed!
Rumble—!!
A huge iron net dropped from the ceiling, trapping the entire Puppet Samurai. At the same time, barbed iron cables shot from the surrounding walls, binding its limbs tightly.
"Now!"
A cold glint flashed in Uchiha Jun's eyes. He formed hand seals, his body turning into a blur as he appeared above the Puppet Samurai in an instant!
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
The Chidori in his right hand transformed into a long spear of lightning, which he drove with pinpoint accuracy into the mechanical core at the back of the Puppet Samurai's neck!
Crack—!!
The sound of breaking metal rang out. The Puppet Samurai's massive body jerked to a halt, then crashed to the ground!
[Defeated Mechanical Puppet: Guardian] [Obtained: Copper Coins × 50,000, Secret Scroll Fragment · Random × 1]
Uchiha Jun landed on the ground and dusted off his hands, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
But he didn't let his guard down. The Abundance Chamber's challenge would never end so easily.
Over the next twenty minutes, he cleared more than a dozen different types of Mechanical Puppets and traps.
There were "sprayer-type" puppets that launched fireballs, "assassin-type" Puppet Ninja Dogs that could turn invisible, and "ambusher-type" Mechanical Puppets that suddenly burst through the walls...
Every enemy had a different attack pattern and weakness.
But with the mobility offered by the Naruto: Shippuden Sasuke template and the insight of the Sharingan, Uchiha Jun could always find the best way to respond right away.
Once he had cleared this wave of enemies, the passage ahead of the fortress opened into a vast space.
A huge circular chamber lay before him.
At its center stood a towering behemoth, ten meters tall and made entirely of hardened steel and magnets. Pale blue chakra flowed across its body, and six mechanical arms extended from its back, each carrying a different ninjutsu device.
[BOSS: Magnet Release Mechanical Giant] [Level: Elite Jonin] [Special Trait: Magnet Release (Can attract and control all nearby metal ninja tools)] [Armed Configuration: Magnet Release: Iron Sand Storm, Magnet Release: Iron Sand Spear, Lightning Style: Dissociation Electric Field, Fire Release: Scorching Jet, Ice Release: Condensation Ray, Wind Release: Vacuum Blade]
"So this is the final BOSS? Two Kekkei Genkai? I'll just take you down by playing dirty."