The Meticulous Might Guy (Seeking Collection and Recommendations)

"A flower blooms, and a flower fades. Dad, can you sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'? Sure. The river flows east, the stars pay homage to the Big Dipper."

Qifeng hummed a tune, seeming in good spirits.

Even though having his lazy afternoon interrupted wasn't ideal, the morgue now had a free laborer, which was pretty beautiful.

At the same time, Kakashi decided that next time Gai challenged him, he'd just run to the morgue.

There was always a way to shake him off.

While Gai was engrossed in cleaning, Kakashi slipped away.

Ever since Qifeng came to the Ninja World and became a Corpse Collector, he'd discovered a cleanliness obsession he'd never had before.

Especially regarding the morgue's hygiene and the deceased bodies—he was so strict about it that even he was surprised at himself.

So cleaning the morgue at least five times a day could be considered part of his job.

But now it was fine; he could leave these tasks to Gai and be even more of a slacker.

"Senior Qifeng, I've finished cleaning." Gai held a broom, his face full of excitement.

Qifeng patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Good, Gai, that's it! Youth must not be wasted. From now on, whenever you feel tired from training, you can come to me. We'll combine work and rest, complement each other, and become better ninjas."

He looked every bit the senior teaching his junior.

"Yes!" Gai felt it made a lot of sense.

His taijutsu was all about big, sweeping moves, lacking training in finer details. Qifeng's method not only helped him recover his stamina but also trained his precision.

From now on, he'd be a refined Might Gai!

"You'll definitely become an excellent ninja, no worse than Kakashi, maybe even surpass him! I believe in you!"

Aside from his father, Might Duy, Qifeng was the second person to tell him that.

Gai's eyes brimmed with tears, and he swung his arms. "Youth!!"

Shouting, he ran toward the village, even faster than when he'd arrived.

Qifeng watched his retreating figure and couldn't help slapping his forehead.

"What a great kid, tsk."

He lay back in his rocking chair, accompanied by the "creak creak" sound, looking utterly at ease.

The sun set in the west, and the bright moon rose in the east.

Several figures appeared at this remote morgue.

They were ninjas from the Intelligence Department. They'd already extracted the needed intel from the three bodies they'd brought back and were now handing them over to the morgue for processing.

As ninjas who had given their lives for Konoha, they deserved respect. Their contributions might no longer be reflected in themselves, but they could be inherited by their descendants or families.

Their families would receive a substantial pension, and their offspring would earn the title of "Hero's Son."

In the future, they'd get certain privileges in all aspects of Konoha.

Qifeng had to admire Konoha for this.

It was precisely because of such a system that Konoha's ninjas could fight boldly without worries.

Only Konoha, the richest of the Great Hidden Villages, could manage this.

He solemnly took three scrolls from the Intelligence Department ninja.

"Sorry for the trouble," the lead ninja said gravely.

"It's my duty." Qifeng nodded.

They didn't know each other and belonged to different departments, so there was nothing more to say. After completing the body handover, they turned and left.

Qifeng entered the morgue.

The biting cold air that hit him was something he'd long gotten used to. He unsealed the scrolls and released the three bodies.

Though the Intelligence Department had done a simple cleanup, they'd only wiped off the large bloodstains. The nooks and crannies hadn't been cleaned at all.

Especially the wounds—they'd just roughly stitched a few stitches and called it done.

"If the families saw this, I wonder what expression they'd have."

But Qifeng didn't complain. The Intelligence Department's job was to extract information; whether they handled the bodies or not was debatable.

Because this was his job.

If the Intelligence Department did everything, what would he need to do?

He took out his tools—needles, thread, towels, bone-setting pliers, and so on—laid them out one by one, and began working meticulously and skillfully.

Qifeng was especially serious with the bodies.

At first, he'd just thought that if he treated the bodies well, they'd repay him in kind.

But over time, his perspective gradually changed.

The deceased are to be respected. Respecting the dead is an attitude every Corpse Collector should have.

It had nothing to do with stance or interests.

By the time he finished dealing with the corpses, the moon hung high overhead, nearly midnight.

Qifeng began the final main event: looting the bodies.

These three corpses consisted of one Yellow Corpse and two Green Corpses, one of which belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

After a moment's thought, he set the Uchiha corpse aside for last.

A Yellow Corpse might be more valuable, but if he could pull a Bloodline Card from this Uchiha body, it would be far more worthwhile.

He started with an ordinary Green Corpse.

Green Corpse, sixty percent success rate. Loot body? (Current 3/3, Daily 9/9)

Yes!

Success! Obtained a Random Single Attribute +2 Boost Card!

Failure!

Success! Obtained three Wind Demon Shuriken!

Nothing special.

Qifeng was used to Single Attribute Cards. White Corpses usually yielded +1 Attribute Cards, Green Corpses gave +2, and by the same logic, Yellow Corpses would give +3.

As for Red Corpses, he'd only looted one so far, so the specifics were unknown.

The boosts from these cards felt weaker with each use as his overall strength increased.

But these very cards were the key to his steady, continuous growth.

As for the "Wind Demon Shuriken," this was his first time getting them, though he wasn't sure if he'd ever have a chance to use them.

Next, the Yellow Corpse.

As a Jonin corpse, Qifeng hadn't encountered many.

Most bodies in the morgue were Genin, with a few Chunin, and a Jonin might not show up even once a week.

After all, Jonin were the highest tier in some smaller villages.

Even in a major village like the Great Hidden Village, the number of Jonin was very limited—publicly known to be only a few hundred—making them the absolute backbone.

Failure!

Failure!

Failure!

Qifeng froze on the spot.

For the first time!

Since acquiring the system, this was the first time he'd gone three attempts without looting a single thing.

Had he used up all his luck last time?

Was his unlucky nature finally showing through?

Wasting such a precious Yellow Corpse opportunity, Qifeng felt a pain in his chest so sharp he could barely breathe.

He clutched his chest, frozen for a long time, before finally recovering.

He could only shift his focus to the last remaining corpse—the Uchiha Clan Green Corpse.

"Buddy, I went through a lot to bring you back here. Don't let me down."

Getting an Uchiha corpse into the morgue wasn't easy.

Uchiha bodies that had awakened the Sharingan were usually taken directly by the Uchiha Clan, and those who hadn't awakened it found it hard to become Chunin.

He'd tried before—Uchiha Genin corpses couldn't yield special Bloodline Cards.

He'd had a few Chunin ones, but the probability was too low.

He still hadn't collected a full set.

Green Corpse, sixty percent success rate. Loot body? (Current 3/3, Daily 3/9)

Yes!

Success! Obtained a Rusty Kunai!

Huh?

It felt like another item with a story.

He took the rusted kunai out of the system, and as he focused, a slideshow slowly unfolded before his eyes.

"Kagami starts school tomorrow. You'll definitely become a great ninja. Grandpa gives you this gift—it was used by Kagami Uchiha, whom you admire so much."

"Wow! A kunai!"

"Grandpa, I graduated! I'm a Genin now! I'll keep going to become a Chunin, a Jonin, and even Hokage!"

"Heh heh, then Grandpa will be waiting to see that."

"Grandpa, do you think I'm unworthy of the Uchiha bloodline? Three years after graduating, I'm still just a Genin, and I haven't opened my eyes."

"Don't think like that. In Grandpa's eyes, Kagami, you're the most remarkable ninja. Keep chasing your dreams."

"Grandpa, it's been six years, and I'm still just a Genin. People say that without awakening the Sharingan, I'll never become a Chunin."

"The Sharingan isn't a shortcut. Without it, you can still be outstanding."

"Grandpa, no! Don't do this! I'd rather give up the Sharingan than lose you! This nonsense has no logic at all! You said it yourself—even without the Sharingan, I'm still a ninja!"

"Kagami."

"Ten years later, I've finally become a Chunin. But Grandpa, I've also come to understand—I'm not special. I just want to do what I can."

"My Kagami has finally grown up."

"Grandpa, I did something big this time. We obtained crucial intelligence from Kirigakure! But... this time, I might not make it back, Grandpa. I wish I could see you one more time."

The slideshow displayed Uchiha Kagami's journey—from a dream-filled youth, to facing setbacks, to accepting reality, and finally seeing through it all.

Interspersed throughout was a grandfather's companionship and encouragement, along with the bitter bond that tied them together.

A plain story. An ordinary journey. A realistic ending.

Qifeng squeezed the kunai in his hand. He had no family in this world, but he could still feel Uchiha Kagami's longing for his grandfather.

Silently, he tucked the kunai into his Ninja Tool Pouch.

He said nothing. He didn't try to communicate with the corpse.

Everything was understood without words.

Success! Obtained Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique Ninjutsu Card!

Success! Obtained Uchiha Clan Thin Bloodline Card (1/3)!