White smoke billowed from the man as he rolled around trying to save himself. The flames on his body were also put out with water.
The others pulled him out of the gutter and laid him on the ground.
His whole body was caked in mud, but his eyes were fixed on Zhou Cheng.
"You... actually know ninjutsu!"
"You... you're already... a ninja?"
Zhou Cheng stood quietly, his expression unchanged. A ninja?
In a sense, I'm a god—weak, yet invincible.
"Boss, your burns are really bad. Hurry and get to Konoha Hospital!"
The boss lay on the ground in unbearable pain, barely able to look at him.
"Do you have money for the medical bills?"
The others instinctively patted their wallets, then all shook their heads.
"No!"
Zhou Cheng saw through them. They were just a bunch of fair-weather friends. Even if they had money in their wallets, they'd claim they didn't.
"Want to recover?"
The boss froze for a moment, then nodded instinctively. If burns like these weren't treated promptly, they'd soon become infected and inflamed. Then all he could do was wait for death in despair.
"Tomorrow, go to Uchiha Plaza. There's an Arena there. If you attack the person running it and manage to hurt him, you'll get a reward. If you're lucky, you might even recover."
After speaking, Zhou Cheng glanced at the others. They were so frightened that they hurriedly backed away.
Hmph. At least they hadn't abandoned their friend and run off. They weren't completely hopeless.
"You can go too. If you're lucky, you might even become ninjas!"
Then he left without looking back, heading for his room and leaving the others staring at one another.
An Arena?
Attack the person running it and get a reward?
What was he talking about? Was he crazy?
Only the boss, eyes half-closed with pain, seemed to be pondering something.
When Zhou Cheng got home and opened the door, a pungent stench hit him.
He immediately threw the door wide open and looked at the place, which had only a bed and not even a window. He shook his head helplessly.
It was obvious there couldn't be any food here. And if there was, mice or some other animal would've carried it off long ago.
He looked at the blackened quilt on the bed, frowned, and turned to leave the house.
He hadn't brought anything with him, and there was nothing here worth taking.
He walked out onto the street and found a hotel to stay at.
In the hotel bathroom, he had just finished washing up. Wearing a bathrobe, he stood in front of the mirror.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again. His dark eyes had turned scarlet, and a single Tomoe guarded his pupils.
Zhou Cheng nodded to himself.
The Sharingan!
This visual sensation felt pretty good.
I wonder what Three Tomoe will feel like.
With a thought, he brought up the system panel before him.
[Host: Uchiha Zhoucheng.] [Age: 15.] [Strength: Genin.] [Shield HP remaining: 9,999,999,991,797.]
Looking at that long string of numbers, Zhou Cheng felt his scalp tingle. Who knew how long it'd take to break through that shield?
I hope Itachi and the others tell Fugaku and those old geezers about the Arena when they get back.
If I can draw them here, the shield-breaking speed will definitely increase a lot.
I'll be able to obtain all kinds of abilities, too.
But I can't focus only on the Uchiha Clan. I should set my sights on the whole Hidden Leaf.
Just imagine if every ninja in the village came to break the shield!
I hope word of the Arena reaches people outside the clan!
As for the Advanced Ninjutsu Experience Card, I'll save it for now and use it after I learn an advanced ninjutsu. It'd be a waste to use it on a C-rank ninjutsu.
With the Poison-Avoidance Pill, I won't have to fear any poisons.
That night, word spread rapidly throughout the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Zhoucheng wasn't as useless as he seemed.
He'd been experiencing life, and all the different sides of the human condition.
In truth, he was an ancient monster who'd lived for who knew how many years.
He was absolutely tired of living and sought death with all his heart, so he'd set up an Arena to welcome challenges from anyone.
As long as you attacked him and managed to hurt him, you could get a Blind Box reward.
The Blind Boxes could contain all kinds of rewards.
The clan head's youngest son, Sasuke Uchiha, had awakened his Sharingan instantly after receiving a reward.
This caused a huge stir in the clan, and those who were interested grew eager to give it a try.
But most people scoffed. How could anyone like that exist?
Someone attacks him, and he gives them a reward?
Even a complete fool wouldn't do something like that!
He'd get attacked, not take revenge, and even give his attacker a reward?
Especially that reward that could make someone awaken their eyes. Only an idiot would believe it.
Everyone in the clan who awakened their eyes was a genius. If a single reward could make someone awaken them, what was the point of training so hard? They might as well cling to that person.
In the meeting hall, Uchiha Fugaku listened to Itachi's account, his heart in turmoil.
If anyone else had told him this, he would've cursed them out without hesitation.
But the ones telling him were his two sons and a talented clan member he thought highly of.
What's more, they hadn't heard it secondhand. They'd experienced it themselves.
He could make Sasuke awaken his Sharingan instantly, directly increase his chakra, and permanently boost the power of ninjutsu.
Even a Kage Level powerhouse couldn't do something like that.
Had I misjudged him?
Was that universally acknowledged useless idiot actually an ancient monster who'd lived for who knew how many years?
Was he simply tired of life, seeking death and rewarding anyone who could hurt him and bring him closer to it?
Unbelievable!
"Clan head, this person is just trying to sway people. How could anyone or anything like this exist in the world?"
"Increasing chakra and ninjutsu power directly, without any training..."
"Isn't this just encouraging everyone to stop training hard?"
"If this goes on, it'll inevitably corrupt the values of our clan!"
"They'll only think about getting something for nothing!"
"Besides, if he really is as Itachi says, why would he willingly stay in our clan for over a decade, enduring humiliation and scorn?"
Sasuke stubbornly raised his chin as he argued. In his heart, Big Brother Zhou Cheng was a wonderful person.
We attacked him, but he still gave us rewards. He never even got angry!
He wouldn't let anyone slander Big Brother Zhou Cheng.
"Big Brother is experiencing all kinds of different lives!"
"I don't know how long he's lived, but I'm sure it's been a very, very long time."
"Long enough for him to have experienced all kinds of lives. That's why he has nothing left to wish for and seeks death with all his heart."
Itachi and Shisui also nodded, agreeing with Sasuke.
Senior Zhou Cheng is a good person!
And you don't believe him?
"Elder, everything I've said is based on what I experienced myself. I'm not making any of it up!"
"Other things could be fabricated to deceive people, but Sasuke's Sharingan is real."
"And it's a fact that Shisui's ninjutsu became more powerful."
Itachi's expression grew serious. Most important of all was the vision of the future!
"Senior Zhou Cheng gave me a warning!"
Fugaku furrowed his brow. What warning?
"He showed me a glimpse of the future!"
"The Uchiha Clan will be exterminated. Shisui will die, and Sasuke and I will fight to the death!"
Everyone present, except Itachi, was struck as if by lightning!
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