His First Move

"Big Brother Yun Xi, the fish is ready! Come eat!"

Just as Yun Xi got up, Naruto came over.

He was holding two plump carp. The even char marks on their sides made it clear that—

Naruto had clearly gotten very good at grilling fish.

"Thanks. I'll dig in."

After everything that had happened, from the entrance exam that morning to meeting the Hokage that afternoon, Yun Xi was naturally starving.

Faced with such a delicious-looking grilled fish, Yun Xi certainly wasn't going to turn it down.

He took the fish Naruto held out and had a bite. To his surprise, it tasted pretty good.

"Big Brother Yun Xi, how does the fish taste?"

After Yun Xi tried it, Naruto took the initiative to ask, looking a little nervous.

"It's pretty good. Great, actually!"

Yun Xi praised the fish as he ate.

Then he asked Naruto, "Do you grill fish often? You're really good at it!"

"Yeah. I'm alone most of the time, so when I have nothing else to do, I come to the Back Mountain to grill fish."

Naruto answered honestly when Yun Xi asked him. He looked a little pitiful.

"Mm, I understand."

After hearing Naruto's answer, Yun Xi felt a pang of sympathy. After a moment's silence, he said, "We're friends now. Next time you grill fish, you can invite me."

In the original story and now, Naruto had been a tragic figure in his early years.

His parents had died when he was young, and as he grew up, people misunderstood him and even bullied him...

He was undoubtedly one of the most unfortunate protagonists.

"Really?"

Naruto looked at Yun Xi in disbelief.

He longed for friends and hoped to have someone to share a friendship with, but the insults and exclusion from his peers had made him wary.

Yun Xi's words left Naruto utterly stunned...

"Yeah. Let's come again tomorrow. For now, let's head back."

Yun Xi looked at Naruto and nodded again.

After finishing his fish, he walked Naruto home first, then returned to his own place.

After greeting the neighbors, Yun Xi went back to his bedroom.

Should I teach Naruto the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique?

That night, the thought suddenly occurred to Yun Xi.

No. The Multi-Shadow Clone Technique has a complicated history. Teaching it to Naruto might affect Uncle Heiwa...

In the end, Yun Xi abandoned the idea.

Still, he hadn't changed his mind about helping Naruto get stronger. He simply switched from teaching him the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to teaching him how to control chakra.

It wasn't that Yun Xi was being overly kind. He had other reasons.

Aside from his earlier concerns, the main reason he'd considered it was Naruto's identity.

The Fourth Hokage's son.

The descendant of a Konoha hero.

One of the biggest powerhouses in the later stages of the story.

Most importantly, Naruto was one of the original story's protagonists.

If Yun Xi befriended Naruto early on, his safety in Konoha would improve by another notch.

There was also a practical reason: Yun Xi had spent all the funds from the Third Hokage on the Pay-to-Win System.

If he didn't take Naruto out to grill fish, how else could he complete the Third Hokage's task...

"Who's there?"

Just as Yun Xi was making plans, a faint sound suddenly broke the silence in the room!

"It's you again!"

He immediately activated his Sharingan and discovered two masked ninjas in black robes.

They were outside Yun Xi's house, keeping watch, and hadn't realized he'd spotted them.

"Root Division again... If you've come this time, you're not leaving!"

Realizing that Root Division's ninjas were spying on him, Yun Xi was furious.

He'd already given Root Division a chance before, but he hadn't expected them to come back again!

"Sharingan!"

"Heaven Curse Mark: State One."

Since he'd decided to strike, Yun Xi naturally chose to hit them with overwhelming force!

As chakra surged from Yun Xi's body, he underwent a dramatic transformation.

Black markings instantly spread over his once-pale skin, and the cursed seal on his shoulder and neck unfurled into black wings.

At the same time, a six-pointed star appeared in the Mangekyō Sharingan in his left eye!

"Even State One of the Heaven Curse Mark boosts my chakra and strength this much?"

Yun Xi had clearly underestimated the Heaven Curse Mark.

Just by activating State One, the chakra inside him multiplied several hundred times!

His chakra reserves soared from Chunin level to those of an average Kage Level ninja.

He was practically a human Tailed Beast!

"Don't come looking for trouble again!"

After gauging his strength, Yun Xi didn't hesitate. He struck at once.

Since it was already night, using a Fire Style jutsu would inevitably draw the attention of the nearby Anbu Ninjas.

So Yun Xi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan instead.

"Amaterasu!"

With a soft utterance, purple-black flames appeared in Yun Xi's left eye.

"What's going on?"

Seeing that his Amaterasu seemed different from the one in the original story, Yun Xi was puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it.

He directed the purple Amaterasu toward the two Root Division ninjas.

"Ah..."

The two Root Division Chunin were swallowed by Amaterasu without making much of a sound.

All that remained where they'd stood was a pile of dust...

"Can it kill a Chunin instantly?"

After using Amaterasu once, Yun Xi had a much clearer understanding of his strength.

Though he'd caught them by surprise in his first battle, their strength was not to be underestimated.

Everyone in Root Division was a talented disciple from one of the major clans.

They were undoubtedly among the strongest of their rank.

The two Root Division ninjas who'd come to spy on Yun Xi were both elite Chunin.

That showed just how powerful Amaterasu was...

"Ding. Purple Amaterasu was formed automatically by the fusion of the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Heaven Curse Mark."

After Yun Xi had cleaned up the traces of the battle, the system suddenly explained.

"How is it different from the Amaterasu in the original story?"

With the system offering an explanation, Yun Xi continued to ask.

He was obviously curious about the mutated Amaterasu.

"Compared with the original Amaterasu, the fused version is more powerful. It also carries a dark attribute that can affect the enemy's mind..."

This time, the Pay-to-Win System didn't ignore Yun Xi's question.

Instead, it explained all the reasons behind the changes to his Amaterasu.

It also described its main functions.

"An enhanced Amaterasu?" Yun Xi muttered after hearing the system's explanation.

The system didn't reply this time, so Yun Xi could only investigate it himself.

He summoned Amaterasu again and soon noticed what was different.

Aside from the change in color, the Amaterasu he summoned also carried a slight genjutsu effect.

Even Yun Xi was affected by it after obtaining the Mangekyō Sharingan...

"A combination of Amaterasu and a low-grade Tsukuyomi?"

After a brief guess, Yun Xi couldn't be bothered to think about it any further.

Once he'd checked that the battlefield bore no traces of him, he went straight back inside...