Seeking Death with All One's Heart

Year 56 of the Konoha era, Konoha Village!

In the plaza of the Uchiha clan's district, the largest clan in Konoha, someone had erected a makeshift fighting ring.

Two flags were planted on either side of the ring, each bearing an inscription:

"Seen through the vanity of the world, I seek only death!"

"Strike me and receive a reward!"

As this was the main thoroughfare for entering and exiting the Uchiha district, the ring immediately drew the attention of the passing clansmen.

Sitting cross-legged on the platform was a black-haired youth of about fifteen or sixteen.

He had handsome features, though he appeared somewhat frail.

"Isn't that Zhou Cheng?"

"Life is meaningless, seeking only death?"

"What could have driven this child to such despair?"

"Could it be the trauma of his parents both perishing while on a mission?"

The Uchiha clansmen gathered in growing numbers, pointing at Zhou Cheng on the stage, their faces filled with bewilderment as they read the words on the flags.

"Who in their right mind would seek death in broad daylight under everyone's gaze?"

"Look, 'Strike me and receive a reward'—what is that supposed to mean?"

Seeing that enough people had gathered beneath the ring, Zhou Cheng dusted off his backside and stood up, calling out to the crowd:

"Uncles, aunts, I am Zhou Cheng!"

"Having seen through the vanity of the world, I find life dull and seek only death!"

"As fellow clansmen, I hope someone will see me off on my journey!"

"Of course, I will not treat those who help me unfairly!"

"As long as you can inflict damage upon me, I will hold no grudges and will provide rewards based on the severity of the injury!"

Zhou Cheng's expression turned indifferent as he coldly scanned the crowd.

"However, I am in a hurry to reach the world of the dead, so those with significant strength need not waste my time!"

The moment these words left his lips, the crowd erupted in an uproar!

All eyes were fixed on Zhou Cheng, as if they were looking at an idiot.

"This child must have lost his mind!"

"Seeking death and yet so arrogant—is he afraid he isn't dying fast enough?"

The crowd murmured among themselves, yet no one stepped onto the ring.

Most of them had known Zhou Cheng's parents, and no one was willing to harm a fellow clansman.

Seeing this, Zhou Cheng sighed, muttering to himself:

Damn system, you glitched and now I have to suffer the consequences!

Zhou Cheng was not originally from the Naruto world; he had transmigrated here a few days ago, becoming a member of the Uchiha clan. This body had mediocre talent and couldn't even refine chakra.

Furthermore, it was the 56th year of the Konoha era, with less than a year left until Itachi Uchiha wiped out the clan.

Fortunately, he had awakened a system.

As long as he activated the system, he could obtain a body and strength equal to the Sage of Six Paths!

However, just as he was about to bind the system and claim his rewards, it encountered a bug. To protect itself, the system had encased him in a shield with a trillion points of health.

Only by breaking the shield could he continue to activate the system.

Fortunately, to assist Zhou Cheng in breaking the shield, the system promised that anyone who could inflict damage upon it would receive a blind box.

Opening a blind box would grant a random reward, while Zhou Cheng would receive a critical-hit reward, gaining an additional item of higher quality.

After much racking of his brains, he came up with the "seeking death" charade.

He chose the bustling Uchiha plaza, where ninjas of all levels came and went.

As long as he could goad them into attacking him, breaking the shield was only a matter of time.

"Hey, kid, your tone is a bit arrogant!"

A middle-aged man pushed through the crowd and arrived at the edge of the ring.

"If you want to die, go die somewhere else; don't occupy the plaza of our district!"

Zhou Cheng stood silently, thinking, Let me give you a little push:

"Those who can't even trigger a reward like you shouldn't waste my time!"

The middle-aged man's face changed, and with eyes glaring, he stepped onto the ring.

"Kid, a piece of trash like you who doesn't even have chakra—I could blow your head off with a single punch!"

"It's not too late to beg for mercy now!"

Zhou Cheng smiled faintly. The fish had taken the bait!

"If you can shatter me with a single punch, I'll give you a reward you couldn't enjoy in a lifetime. I'm afraid you're just all talk and no action, just blowing hot air!"

The middle-aged man's eyes were practically spitting fire; he was clearly enraged to the extreme.

"I'll send you to see your dead parents right now!"

He clenched his sandbag-sized fist and swung it fiercely toward Zhou Cheng's face!

Many of the women watching couldn't bear to look and closed their eyes.

That man was a genuine Genin. Although his strength wasn't great, it wasn't something a commoner like Zhou Cheng, who couldn't even refine chakra, could compare to.

Thud!

A dull sound rang out.

Immediately followed by a miserable scream.

The crowd looked over, expecting to see Zhou Cheng in a wretched state.

Instead, they discovered that the one screaming was the Genin!

He was kneeling on the ground, clutching his hand and howling, while Zhou Cheng, who should have been knocked down, stood steadily without even a change in expression.

Zhou Cheng cracked his neck and smiled indifferently.

"It seems your fist isn't hard enough!"

"You couldn't even trigger the reward!"

"However, everyone gets two chances a day. You still have one left!"

The middle-aged man looked up, his eyes filled with wariness. Just a moment ago, he felt as if his fist had struck a steel plate; his skin had split, and his bones had nearly shattered!

This guy clearly had no chakra fluctuations on him—how was this possible!

"A Genin attacks a commoner, and in the end, the one who gets hurt is the Genin."

"Did you see what happened?"

"Hmph, he underestimated his opponent. If he had used chakra in that punch, he wouldn't have been injured like this at least!"

Feeling the hundreds of gazes from beneath the stage, he felt he couldn't save face. With a ruthless heart, he pulled out a kunai with his other hand, lunged forward, and stabbed fiercely at Zhou Cheng's chest.

Gasps!

The onlookers erupted in an uproar. If that hit the heart, it would be certain death!

Just as everyone was shocked, a crisp sound was heard.

The kunai in the middle-aged man's hand snapped, and everyone saw two numbers float above Zhou Cheng's head.

-10!

[Damage dealt: 10 points!]
[Remaining HP: 999,999,999,989!]
[Damage Grade: White!]
[Obtained reward: White Blind Box!]

Gasps!

Seeing the kunai shatter, the onlookers all cried out in alarm.

"Even a kunai can't pierce his body?"

"Is he really just a commoner?"

"How come we never noticed he was this strong before?"

The middle-aged man's face was filled with horror. How could this be!

His left hand was trembling slightly, and the web of his thumb was torn.

He finally understood that Zhou Cheng had been playing the pig to eat the tiger all along!

His face turned ashen, and he turned to slink off the stage. If he stayed any longer, he would lose all his dignity!

"Wait, I said that as long as you deal damage, you get a reward!"

"Catch, this is your reward!"

A white square box appeared in Zhou Cheng's hand, which he tossed toward the middle-aged man!

He caught the box, looking completely bewildered!

"Open it. Inside is the reward that belongs to you!"

"I said, the higher the damage, the better the reward!"

The middle-aged man looked suspicious, but he endured the pain in his hand and opened the box.

Inside the box was only a single piece of paper—a banknote from the Naruto world.

"One thousand taels!"

[Host has received a critical reward: ten thousand taels!]

Zhou Cheng's lips curled into a smirk; he was finally no longer penniless!

"It's yours!"

"Take this to treat your hand!"

The middle-aged man looked stunned. Was this for real?

The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar. One thousand taels—it wasn't a fortune, but it certainly wasn't a small sum!

It was enough to buy several kunai; not a bad deal at all!

The kid hadn't been bluffing; he really did have rewards to give!

"My turn!"

"I'm next!"

Many were itching to jump in!

But a small figure had already appeared upon the stage!