The System Opens

Over the next few days, Team 7 received all kinds of ninja missions.

Like catching Granny Akita's cat...

Giving Grandpa Genben a massage...

Helping Miss Kawajima buy underwear...

In short, none of the missions posed the slightest challenge.

Naruto and the others had been complaining about it for days.

"Kei, when are we going to get a mission that's actually challenging?"

Naruto slumped to the ground, his head covered in weeds.

Today, their mission was to help Grandpa Watanabe clear weeds.

The sun blazed overhead...

Beside him were two equally bedraggled figures.

Sasuke panted heavily, sweat soaking him from head to toe.

Sakura looked even worse. Her normally fair face was bright red, and streaks of yellow mud clung to it.

Naruto and Sasuke had only been pulling weeds.

She had to pull weeds, loosen the soil, and plow the field!

But Sakura still didn't dare complain.

The last time she'd been left hanging from a tree for a whole day and night, she'd screamed herself hoarse, yet no one had come to save her.

That night, she'd been cold and hungry, all alone in the dark.

After that, she'd been both terrified and wary of Uchiha Kei, and she'd never dared disobey him again.

A few meters away, Uchiha Kei was reclining comfortably in a homemade rocking chair, with a large parasol shading him from the scorching sun.

He took a sip of chilled juice and let out a contented sigh.

"I'm talking to you, Kei!"

At the sight of him, all three were furious. Naruto even ran straight over and snatched the juice from his hand.

He thought about throwing it away to make a show of his anger, but that cool, refreshing sensation in his hand...

So Naruto chose to gulp it down instead.

Refreshing!

Sasuke and Sakura watched Naruto enviously.

That stuff...

It looked so delicious and thirst-quenching!

"What kind of challenging mission do you want? You're only Genin, after all."

Uchiha Kei shrugged helplessly.

"That doesn't mean we should get stuck doing all these ridiculous little jobs every day! Just look at this!"

Naruto was about to lose it.

"Don't worry, don't worry. It should be soon."

Going by the calendar, Team 7's first mission outside the village should be coming up.

Just then, a ninja dressed as Anbu appeared in the distance.

"Lord Kei, the Hokage requests your presence."

Here it comes!

Uchiha Kei got up from the rocking chair and motioned for the three of them to come over.

"Wanted a mission, didn't you? Come with me."

The three lit up at his words and eagerly trotted along behind him.

The Hokage Building in Konoha.

When Uchiha Kei and the others entered the office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was talking with a man dressed like a farmer.

When they came in, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped talking and looked at Uchiha Kei.

"Kei, I called you here today because I have a mission for Team 7."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured to the farmer beside him.

"This is Tazuna, a distinguished bridge expert from the Wave Country. Your mission is to protect him until the bridge connecting the Wave Country to the mainland is completed."

"Don't worry! Leave it to us. Nothing will go wrong!"

Before Uchiha Kei could say anything, Naruto jumped forward and thumped his chest.

Uchiha Kei rapped him on the head, but didn't object.

Of course he wouldn't object.

He'd been looking forward to this mission, too.

After all, this mission would bring them face-to-face with a Kekkei Genkai and...

A formidable swordsman.

Tazuna, who looked like an old farmer, seemed hesitant.

"Lord Hokage, aren't they a bit too young?"

Tazuna's doubts were understandable.

Team 7's average age was only eleven.

Even Uchiha Kei, who looked the most mature, still had a trace of childishness on his face.

The other three were even worse.

They were practically a bunch of schoolkids!

He'd paid the going rate for a D-rank mission, but he knew better than anyone what the mission's real rank was.

Those four kids in front of him weren't even fit to be served up as a meal!

"Tazuna, with Team 7's abilities, nothing will go wrong on this mission."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a genial smile, casting a meaningful glance at Uchiha Kei.

For three years, he'd tried every method he could think of and still hadn't managed to get a read on the boy.

Would this obviously suspicious mission finally let him see what the boy was capable of?

Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking forward to it.

"But..."

Tazuna was still uneasy.

"Mr. Tazuna, don't worry. We're more than enough for this mission."

Uchiha Kei spoke calmly, radiating absolute confidence.

Haku and Momochi Zabuza were formidable opponents in the early part of the Naruto story.

But for him as he was now, taking them down wouldn't even require the Rinnegan!

Tazuna opened his mouth, then let out a reluctant sigh.

He was paying D-rank mission rates. What more could he expect? He'd wanted a sports car, but he'd be lucky to get a bicycle to pedal.

After packing a few supplies for the trip, the five of them left Konoha.

"Kei, are we going to the Wave Country?"

On the way, Naruto chattered away, asking all sorts of questions.

This wasn't his first time leaving the village, but it was his first time carrying out a mission of his own.

It was easy to imagine how excited he was.

The farther Tazuna walked in the middle of the group, the more despair he felt.

Were these really ninja? They looked like four kids who'd just walked out of school.

At this rate, the chances he'd make it back to the Wave Country were practically zero.

Uchiha Kei ignored Naruto's prattle.

The moment he left the village, the system's long-silent voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Ding. The system has finished upgrading."

"Over the past three years, 10,000 Shock Value points have been collected sporadically. The host has 17,300 Shock Value points remaining."

All along the way, Uchiha Kei weighed his options. He now had enough Shock Value to draw an Intermediate Ninjutsu again.

But drawing an Intermediate Ninjutsu came at a cost.

He would have to undertake a Space-Time Mission.

Now that he had the Rinnegan, a powerful weapon in his arsenal, he could protect himself as long as no Otsutsuki descended upon the Shinobi World.

Did he still need to draw another Intermediate Ninjutsu?

After weighing the pros and cons, Uchiha Kei decided not to draw one for now.

Better to master what he already had than to take on too much.

In three years, he'd only just begun to understand and master the Rinnegan.

Getting another ability on the same level would be a poor trade.

"System, besides drawing ninjutsu, can Shock Value be used for anything else?"

After a moment of silence, the system finally answered.

"Yes. Shock Value can be used to precisely exchange for ninjutsu you have already obtained, increasing their power and level. However, this only applies to ninjutsu that can grow."

Uchiha Kei was stunned.

Ninjutsu that could grow?

This was the first he'd heard of it.

"Currently available growth-capable abilities: Rinnegan, Swordsmanship Proficiency, and Jonin-level chakra."

Uchiha Kei's mind jolted.

The Rinnegan...

Could its level be raised, too?

As far as he knew, the Rinnegan was already the pinnacle of ocular jutsu.

If its level rose again...

What would it become?