Maruyama Qifeng opened his eyes.
Rain pattered through the night outside. The room was damp and cold, candlelight flickering over corpses of all shapes and sizes laid out on cold slabs.
Where was this?
Chaotic memories flooded his mind, and he quickly understood from them that he had transmigrated.
This was the chaotic, bloody, cold Naruto World.
In this day and age.
War, unrest, and slaughter were as commonplace as daily meals. Blood and tears intertwined, becoming little more than an after-dinner dessert.
He was a ninja, an utterly insignificant Genin of Konoha.
But he had another job as well: Konoha's corpse collector.
What was a corpse collector?
As the name implied, while other ninjas fought desperately for the village on the battlefield, people like him were responsible for gathering the bodies nearby.
In the Ninja World, corpses contained not only all kinds of ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai, but also all sorts of information stored in their brains, including secrets of various villages.
Therefore, whenever war broke out, every side had its own corpse-gathering squads, and he was one of them.
During peacetime, aside from collecting bodies, his duties also included watching over them, performing simple cosmetic repairs, grooming their appearance, and so on.
No matter the world, the deceased are to be respected. Before burial, people always hoped to leave the dead with an intact body.
Only after the village issued a Martyrdom Order could each family and clan take their relatives, companions, husbands, and wives home for burial.
His predecessor had been an orphan. His parents had died in war, and no matter how hard he worked with his mediocre talent, he could only scrape by as a Genin. Taking this job barely allowed him to make a living.
The room he was in now was undoubtedly a Morgue.
As his gaze swept across it, a chill crept up his spine.
No matter what, staying with so many dead people was bound to make one's skin crawl.
But then, he suddenly saw a wisp of white light emerge from the corpse in front of him, a kunai embedded in its heart.
Was that a soul?
Out of respect for the dead, he did not dare approach it directly and merely hesitated where he stood.
There were undoubtedly souls in the Ninja World. The great scientist Orochimaru had personally changed sex to explain and confirm that fact for everyone.
But... knowing was one thing. Accepting it was another.
Abruptly, a translucent blue virtual box appeared before Maruyama Qifeng. It did not obstruct his vision, yet it drew his attention.
White corpse, 90% success rate. Would you like to loot the corpse? (This time: 3/3, Today: 9/9)
A yes-or-no interface then popped up.
"Hmm?"
Staring blankly at the somewhat modern-looking virtual box, Maruyama Qifeng selectively ignored why it had appeared, his mood growing slightly excited.
Did he have a cheat?
Although transmigrating into this violent, bloody world had left him worried about his uncertain future, the system's appearance gave him hope that he could protect himself and gain a foothold.
Maruyama Qifeng looked at the corpse lying quietly before him and suddenly felt a hint of familiarity.
Familiarity?
The moment that absurd thought arose, he desperately shook his head and suppressed it.
Stop! Don't let your thoughts wander, or something horrifying might happen.
He turned around and looked over the entire morgue.
Every corpse was almost visibly flickering with specks of light. Some were white, some green, and some yellow.
He walked over to a corpse flickering with green light.
Its face was pale, its green vest covered in mottled bloodstains. On one shoulder was a familiar red-and-white fan emblem.
"Uchiha?" Maruyama Qifeng was somewhat surprised.
After members of clans like the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan died, their own clans generally handled the collection and burial of the bodies in order to prevent their bloodlines from leaking out.
The village tacitly approved of this as well.
But there was one exception: when the person had not awakened the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai—the Sharingan, known as "Red Eye Disease," which dominated the entire Naruto storyline and gave rise to the joking title Legend of Ninja Village Mech Battle Eyes!
Green Corpse, 60% success rate. Would you like to loot the corpse? (This time: 3/3, Today: 9/9)
"What do white, green, and yellow mean?"
The colors probably represented corpse grades, perhaps related to factors such as the corpse's strength in life, abilities, and Kekkei Genkai.
He came before the only corpse in the entire morgue that flickered with yellow light.
"Miyura Jonin?"
Coincidentally, he happened to know the original owner of this corpse.
The man was a veteran Konoha Jonin with considerable strength. In his younger days, he had followed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, through many battles and had once served as a member of the Hokage Guard Platoon.
Though he was not Kage-level, he was undoubtedly a Jonin.
Even he had died?
The fall of a ninja of such strength was a signal, both to him and to the entire village.
A signal that enormous unrest would once again begin sweeping through the Shinobi World.
He did not know the specifics, but one thing was certain: if another war engulfing the entire Shinobi World broke out, then a tiny Genin corpse collector like him would be like a lone boat at sea, liable to capsize beneath any wave.
"Does yellow light represent Jonin?" Maruyama Qifeng muttered, steadying himself.
Yellow Corpse, 30% success rate. Would you like to loot the corpse? (This time: 3/3, Today: 9/9)
At the Jonin level, the success rate was only thirty percent.
There was no reason to hesitate any longer. There was no grade higher than yellow in the room.
He decisively chose yes.
Failure!
Failure!
He looted twice in a row, and both attempts failed.
"No way, could my luck be this terrible?"
Going by cumulative probability, three attempts gave him a sixty-five percent chance. If he still could not get anything, he would have to reincarnate and reevaluate his luck.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out again, forcing himself to endure the discomfort of touching the cold corpse.
Success! Obtained Konoha Jonin Miura Ikkou Experience Card (Rare)!
He got it!
Then what?
Other than the yellow light on the corpse vanishing, he did not feel any change.
His body had not grown stronger, nor had an item appeared in his hand.
"Seems like... it's here."
After carefully examining the system interface again, he finally found the word "Panel" in a corner.
Curious, he tapped it, and the process went smoothly.
Character: Maruyama Qifeng Age: 13 Attribute: Fire Strength: Genin Body: 10 Spirit: 12 Ninjutsu: 12 Genjutsu: 5 Control: 15 Seals: 15 Ninjutsu: Three Basic Jutsu Item: Konoha Jonin Miura Ikkou Experience Card (Rare)
How should he put it?
Looking at his own attributes, only four words could describe them.
Too miserable to behold.
Still, this "Konoha Jonin Miura Ikkou Experience Card (Rare)" had truly surprised him.
Anyone who had played games knew that things labeled "Rare" were generally not bad.
Overall.
The initial experience was not bad.
He walked over to the Uchiha Clan ninja's corpse and suddenly grinned.
"Why does this feel like opening a blind box?"
Everyone knew blind boxes were addictive, and he was no exception.
From the very first attempt, he had a feeling that he would not come away empty-handed.
Success! Obtained a Random Single Attribute +2 Boost Card!
An attribute card?
Without checking it, he decided to keep going while he was on a roll.
Success! Obtained Uchiha Clan Thin Bloodline Card (1/3)!
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Clan bloodline?
He could not hold back this time and eagerly opened the panel again.
As his attention fell upon the card with swirling crimson patterns, fine text appeared before his eyes.
Name: Uchiha Clan Thin Bloodline Card (1/3) Description: As members of the Uchiha Clan who had never awakened the Sharingan, their thin bloodline was their final pride. Effect: Collect three of these cards to obtain the Uchiha Clan bloodline. Note: This is a cursed bloodline. Once used, there will be no turning back. Please consider carefully.
What it represented went without saying.
Red Eye Disease!
The Sharingan!
Without getting himself a pair of Sharingan, he would be too embarrassed to say he had ever transmigrated into the Naruto World. As one of the strongest built-in cheats, the Sharingan's importance was self-evident.
As for whether he could awaken it.
What a joke!
Whether he could awaken it did not matter. The important thing was that if others had it, he wanted it too!
He forcibly suppressed his excitement.
Again!
Unfortunately, his third attempt failed.
But Maruyama Qifeng was satisfied.
Overall, it still matched the laws of probability fairly well.
According to the system prompt, he should have three more chances to loot corpses today.
Looking across the entire morgue, Maruyama Qifeng finally settled on the corpse of a female ninja.
It glowed with white light.
The reason he chose her was simple: her corpse was relatively intact, and she was rather pretty.
Success! Obtained one Standard Kunai!
Success! Obtained one pair of Exquisite Earrings!
Success! Obtained one set of Lady's Underwear!
"..."
Things had been fine at first. Why was the tone getting stranger and stranger afterward?
The kunai was one thing, but what the hell were earrings and underwear?
Looking at the items in his inventory, Maruyama Qifeng was a mess.
Just then, somewhat hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
Very quickly, two figures appeared before him.
One was a Medical Ninja in a white coat, accompanied by a short silver-haired boy with lifeless fish eyes and a mask over his face.
"Kakashi, Lord Hokage's intention is that since this companion of yours was an orphan, your team will be responsible for burying... burying... burying..."
Halfway through speaking, the Medical Ninja's eyes widened as he stared at Maruyama Qifeng in disbelief.
His hand was resting on the female corpse's chest.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, a trace of contempt flashing through them.
Maruyama Qifeng knew the current situation was awkward.
More importantly, he had no idea how to explain it.
However, the moment he saw Kakashi, a strange question surfaced in his mind at the worst possible time, and he blurted it out uncontrollably.
"Long time no see, Kakashi. Um... where was your old man buried again?"
"..."
Before you continue