Chikage nearly spat out the tea he had just sipped.
He coughed several times and hurriedly set his cup down.
"Uncle, you've got to be joking."
"I'm a Genin who can't even use the Three Body Technique properly, and you want me to be deputy squad captain?"
"Would those hotheads who yell about cutting people down every day ever listen to me?"
Fugaku waved a hand.
"Strength isn't the issue."
"The Konoha Military Police Force needs brains, not brutes who only know how to fight."
"With me backing you as captain, who would dare object?"
Chikage shook his head like a rattle.
"No, no."
"I'm not doing it."
Fugaku froze.
In the Uchiha Clan, serving as a deputy captain in the Konoha Military Police Force was an enormous honor.
Countless people would fight tooth and nail for that position.
Yet this brat had turned it down outright.
"Why?"
Chikage held up his fingers and began counting off the costs.
"A deputy captain has to plan patrol routes. That means taking the blame."
"He has to settle disputes among his subordinates. That means getting yelled at."
"He also has to report to the Hokage Building regularly and dance to someone else's tune."
"Worst of all, he has to be on call whenever an emergency comes up."
"That would seriously interfere with me leaving work on time."
"I have to leave at five sharp every day. I'm not staying a minute longer."
"I don't want the position. Find whoever else you like."
Fugaku listened, dumbfounded.
Other people refused promotions because they lacked the ability or were being modest.
But this brat?
He practically had "no overtime" written across his face.
"Why don't you have even a shred of ambition?"
Fugaku was exasperated by his lack of drive.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to develop your skills!"
Chikage picked up a Vegetable Bun and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Can ambition put food on the table?"
"I'm perfectly happy being a clerk here."
"I copy reports and balance the books every day."
"When it's time to leave, I'm gone. No hanging around."
"If you really want to reward me, just give me a raise."
"Skip the empty gestures."
Looking at Chikage's stubborn refusal to budge, Fugaku felt a headache coming on.
But he knew how important Chikage's brains were to the Uchiha right now.
He had to get this brat firmly on his side.
"How about this?"
Fugaku began to compromise.
"You take the deputy captain title."
"You won't have to handle field assignments."
"You won't have to settle disputes among the officers."
"All you'll do is advise me and handle documents involving the village leadership."
"I'll give you your own office."
"You'll be paid at the deputy captain's rate. Double your current salary."
"Most importantly, I'll give you special permission to leave on time every day."
"I won't assign you a single minute of overtime."
Chikage stopped chewing.
He carefully considered the offer.
No work.
Double the pay.
A private office.
And I could still leave on time.
This was the dream job he had longed for in his previous life.
"Uncle, will you keep your word?"
Fugaku thumped his chest.
"As the Uchiha Clan Head, would I really lie to one of my subordinates?"
Chikage immediately broke into a smile.
"Deal."
"Deputy captain it is."
"For the future of the Uchiha, I suppose I can make a little sacrifice."
Watching his expression change so quickly, Fugaku's lips twitched twice.
He pulled an Appointment Letter, already prepared, straight out of his robe.
He slapped it onto Chikage's desk.
"Sign it."
"From this moment on, you're the deputy captain."
Chikage picked up his pen and cheerfully signed his name on the document.
The instant he finished the final stroke...
A notification suddenly rang out in his mind, much louder than usual.
Ding. Change in host's position detected. Current position: Deputy captain of the Konoha Military Police Force's Second Squad. Position rating: Junior management. System requirements met. Check-In System upgrade commencing.
Chikage froze in place.
The pen in his hand dropped straight onto the desk.
A system upgrade?
He had been bound to this lousy system for three years, and aside from handing out ten points and one unit of chakra on schedule every day...
It had never changed at all.
Getting promoted had actually triggered an upgrade today?
System upgrade complete. Check-in reward rules updated. Daily clock-in and clock-out points for current position increased from ten to one hundred. Intermediate and advanced access to the System Shop unlocked. Special redemption catalog added. Please review at your convenience.
Chikage's breathing quickened.
One hundred points a day!
That was ten times what he used to earn.
Before, he had to save for a month to redeem a C-rank ninjutsu.
Now, it would take only three days.
Seeing Chikage's dazed expression, Fugaku thought the Appointment Letter had overwhelmed him.
"Chikage?"
"Are you all right?"
Chikage snapped out of his daze.
He hurriedly tucked the Appointment Letter into his drawer.
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Uncle, I'm just so excited."
"Go take care of your work. I'll familiarize myself with the deputy captain's duties."
Fugaku nodded in satisfaction.
"Do a good job."
"Don't embarrass me."
With that, Fugaku walked out of the office, his hands clasped behind his back.
The moment the door closed...
Chikage immediately summoned the system panel in his mind.
He went straight to the System Shop, which was flashing with golden light.
The shop interface had been crude before.
The product list had contained nothing but basic items.
Substitution Technique, Transformation Technique, Clone Technique.
Shuriken Throwing Mastery.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
The most expensive offerings had been a few S-rank ninjutsu, which took over half a year's worth of points to redeem.
But now...
The shop interface had changed completely.
The previously grayed-out intermediate and advanced sections had all lit up.
Chikage looked at the first row of products.
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Ice Release kekkei genkai: Price-5,000 points. Lava Release kekkei genkai: Price-5,000 points. Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai: Price-8,000 points.
Chikage swallowed.
He kept scrolling.
The next row was even more outrageous.
Wood Release kekkei genkai (Yamato): Price-10,000 points. Flying Thunder God Technique: Price-12,000 points. Mount Myōboku Sage Mode (perfect version): Price-20,000 points. Shikkotsu Forest sage body: Price-15,000 points.
Chikage leaned back in his chair.
His head was buzzing.
He had always thought his system was purely for slackers.
All he had to do was coast through each day, clock in, and redeem a few ordinary ninjutsu to keep himself alive.
In this Naruto world, where Jonin were a dime a dozen and Kage Level fighters were everywhere...
His original plan had been to keep his head down until the finale.
He would never get involved in any of the main plot.
But now the system had made it perfectly clear.
As long as he had enough points...
He could unlock Wood Release.
He could learn Sage Mode.
He could even buy those lost kekkei genkai outright.
And the only way to earn more points...
Was to get promoted!
The higher his position, the more points he would receive for checking in every day.
Just becoming a deputy squad captain had multiplied his points tenfold.
What if I became a division captain?
What if I became commander of the entire Konoha Military Police Force?
Or even...
What if I became Hokage?
Chikage's heart pounded.
Even his eyes had gone red.
He stood up.
He walked over to the office window.
He looked at the Konoha villagers bustling along the street outside.
Then he turned toward the Hokage Building.
Chikage braced both hands on the windowsill.
An iconic scene from a TV drama he had watched in his previous life surfaced in his mind.
He couldn't help clenching his fists.
I get it.
I get it all now.
I'm done being a slacker.
I'm going to be an official.
I'm going to be a high-ranking official.
I'm going to climb one step.
One step.
One step.
One step at a time, all the way to the top!
I'm going to be the one who calls the shots in Konoha!
Chikage roared inwardly.
Just as he was brimming with ambition...
The clock on the wall chimed crisply.
Chikage turned to glance at it.
Five o'clock on the dot.
"Ding." "Current time detected: 5:00 p.m." "Today's scheduled clock-out completed." "Earned 100 daily points."
The ambition on Chikage's face vanished in an instant.
He snatched his jacket off the desk.
He stuffed the remaining half of his steamed bun into his mouth.
"Time to clock out, time to clock out."
"Climbing to the top can wait until I'm back at work tomorrow."
Before you continue