So he chuckled.
"Hi... Lord Hiashi, I'll take my leave now!"
With Hinata reluctant to see him go, Uchiha Sora left and headed back to the Uchiha Clan under the glow of the setting sun.
Compared to the flourishing Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan had fallen into decline. In the vast compound, only he and his younger brother Sasuke remained.
At that moment, Sasuke was already waiting at the front gate.
When he saw Uchiha Sora, he said excitedly,
"Big bro! Your predictions were all right. The answers on those practice papers matched this exam exactly!"
Uchiha Sora smiled and tapped Sasuke on the head.
"Of course. Go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow's exam will be even harder."
Then Uchiha Sora offered another reminder.
"Remember, be wary of the shinobi from the Land of Rain tomorrow! They're no ordinary opponents!"
Sasuke nodded blankly. By now, he knew that his big brother always saw the bigger picture, and he couldn't go wrong by listening to him.
After seeing everyone off, Uchiha Sora finally returned to his room.
He closed his eyes and began to claim his system rewards!
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You've completed the mission perfectly and earned Ibiki's praise. The system will award you an extra bonus!"
"Reward one: System Shop unlocked. The host can browse and make purchases at will!"
"Reward two: 5,000 gold coins. Gold coins can be earned by completing missions or salvaging items, and can be used to purchase items in the shop."
"In addition, gold coins can be used to enhance the host's equipment. The cost depends on the equipment's strength!"
"Reward three: Technology level increased by one!"
"The host can browse the details at will!"
"Reward four: Bonus reward. Since the host cheated using Morse code, the host is awarded Cipher Ninjutsu!"
"With this ninjutsu, you can use all kinds of sounds and details to create ciphers. You can also transmit messages directly into someone's mind!"
Looking at the string of rewards, Uchiha Sora felt overwhelmed for a moment.
But he quickly collected himself and examined them one by one.
"First, the tangible rewards. The gold coins go without saying; I can use them to buy items. I'll find out what's available when I check the shop in a bit."
"The important thing is the ninjutsu. This can transmit messages directly into someone's mind? That means I wouldn't even need a code if there's another exam!"
Uchiha Sora was thrilled. The ninjutsu didn't seem very powerful, but used well, it could have surprising effects.
Only then did Uchiha Sora open the system interface in his mind.
He found that, in addition to the Synthesis tab, there were now Technology and Shop tabs.
He opened Technology first.
Once inside, he found that Technology showed the current upper limit of technological development.
It was also the limit of what the system could synthesize.
At present, the system could synthesize gunpowder, firearms, and some simple vehicles.
There were many other inventions at the same level, too.
But things like interstellar battleships and atomic bombs were beyond its reach for now.
Even if he had the materials, they were locked and would need to be unlocked first.
That was understandable. It wasn't as if he could just make an atomic bomb with his bare hands right from the start.
Uchiha Sora didn't look any further. Instead, he selected the Shop tab.
As soon as it opened, Uchiha Sora drew in a sharp breath.
The shop was filled with all kinds of supplies.
Most of them were components, but even that was enough to astonish Uchiha Sora!
"Item one: Plastic. Description: Solid blocks of plastic, melted and molded for storage. Can be melted over a flame and shaped into any form. Ten gold coins per ton!"
"Item two: Bullet casings. Purchase the size needed for your desired caliber. Ten gold coins for one thousand!"
"Item three: Complete chemistry lab set. Includes beakers, graduated cylinders, hoses... The entire set costs 500 gold coins!"
Looking at the dazzling array of goods, Uchiha Sora drew in a sharp breath.
The plastic blocks went without saying. If he wanted to make some lightweight yet durable equipment later, he could buy some to use as raw material.
The second item was downright outrageous!
Bullet casings—did that mean that combining gunpowder chakra with bullet casings could increase the power?
The third item needed no explanation, either. As technology developed, Uchiha Sora would definitely need to tackle the world of microorganisms.
A complete chemistry lab set was a bargain!
However, none of these things would help Uchiha Sora right now. Or rather, he wouldn't have any use for them in the short term.
So Uchiha Sora continued scrolling down.
Soon, he spotted a tab labeled Ninja!
"Could there be ninjutsu in here, too?"
Uchiha Sora was thrilled and immediately selected it.
Inside, he found a veritable encyclopedia of ninjutsu.
But these techniques were different from ordinary ninjutsu.
They were all disguised techniques. For example, one might look like Wind Release and appear to fire wind blades, but in reality it condensed gunpowder and detonated it, creating an invisible shock wave.
In short, most of them were disguised ninjutsu that made it easier to conceal his gunpowder chakra.
But there were some genuine techniques, too.
For example, right in front of Uchiha Sora was one called Rifling Compression!
As the name suggested, once he learned it, he could compress gunpowder chakra inside something like a rifled barrel.
And he wouldn't need any supporting tools. Like Susanoo, he could create a rifled barrel with his bare hands.
That was insane! A rifled barrel! It was specifically designed to increase the power of artillery shells.
Ordinary artillery shells packed more power and gained greater accuracy after being spun up!
And it only cost 20 gold coins!
That was pocket change to Uchiha Sora!
Without a second thought, Uchiha Sora chose to buy it.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. Purchase successful! You've obtained Rifling Compression!"
Then, a new memory appeared in Uchiha Sora's mind. It was a ninjutsu technique.
He decided to try it out. He went to the backyard and raised his arms, as if he were holding an invisible rocket launcher.
His chakra rapidly compressed, just like the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb!
Once he had compressed the energy to its limit, he channeled it through the spiral rifling inside the phantom barrel, compressing it faster and faster!
Then he fired in an instant.
Uchiha Sora saw a fireball flash before him, hurtling at terrifying speed into a rockery.
Rumble!
The entire rockery was leveled, and even the ground at its base was blasted into a crater dozens of meters deep!
"Holy crap! That's practically as powerful as a missile!"
"And it only takes a tiny bit of chakra. Damn, does that make me a walking RPG?"
Uchiha Sora was thrilled.
He realized that the bombs created with gunpowder chakra were even stronger than real Black Powder.
As Uchiha Sora thought it over, he quickly found the answer.
"Maybe it's because real Black Powder is a powder or solid, so after it explodes, some of the energy always escapes."
"It's like a bottle full of rocks. There are always gaps between them."
"But chakra is a gas, so it's different. It can fill the entire bottle, saving space and greatly increasing the power!"
Before you continue