[Ding-]
That familiar sound rang out in his head.
Uzumaki Hayashi perked up on the spot.
Oh?
He had only hollered for the sake of it, never expecting this lousy system to actually respond. Usually, every question got the same answer: [Please explore proactively, host]. Had the sun risen in the west today?
[Quest settlement: Comfort Kakashi Hatake, who was once bullied, and help him make up for his current regrets.] [Quest status: Completed.] [Quest reward: Increased chakra reserves.] [Dispensing immediately.]
Before Uzumaki Hayashi could even finish reading that line-
Hum.
Without warning, a warm current surged from deep within his body, flowing through every limb and bone.
It felt wonderfully warm.
This was the complete opposite of the last time, when he had integrated Ice Release. This time, it felt so good he nearly moaned aloud.
He lowered his head, looked at his palm, and clenched it hard.
Strength climbed from his fist up his arm, and his whole body felt more at ease, like someone who had gone hungry for three days finally eating his fill.
Then he closed his eyes and checked-
Holy crap.
His chakra reserves were on an entirely different scale now. That little elite chunin-level water tank had been swapped out just like that, replaced with a much bigger one.
He probably had special jōnin-level chakra now.
With this much mana, he could even go a few rounds with Kakashi.
After all, Kakashi could hold his own among elite jonin even with the way he carefully rationed every bit of chakra. With Linshi's current reserves, plus the Uzumaki Clan's natural gifts-
Jackpot. This time, I really hit the jackpot.
Still, this quest hadn't just popped up now.
For that, he had to rewind fifteen minutes.
Back then, he still had one foot inside the room, and Kakashi was standing at the door. The moment Kakashi finished saying, "So-would you like to come?" a sudden ding had sounded in his head.
[Quest issued: Comfort Kakashi Hatake, who was once bullied. Please help him make up for his current regrets.] [Quest reward: Increased chakra reserves.]
So during those two seconds of silence afterward, Kakashi had probably stood outside imagining he was about to be rejected.
What had actually happened?
He had spent those two seconds reading the quest panel that had just popped up.
He would have been lying if he said he hadn't been stunned for a moment.
Kakashi? Bullied?
But when he thought it over, well, the system really hadn't gotten it wrong.
Who was Kakashi Hatake's father? Konoha's White Fang. What a legendary figure he had been. Faced with a choice between his mission and his comrades, he had chosen his comrades. And what had happened? The entire village had pointed fingers at him. The rumors and insults grew uglier by the day, until they drove a hero to take his own life in his own home.
If that wasn't bullying, what was? And it had been the entire village ganging up on one man.
Kakashi had grown up carrying his father's reputation. Counting that against him certainly wasn't unjustified.
As for his regrets-
Did that even need any thought? The Shinobi World War was one, and Konoha's White Fang was another. Put those two together, and they accounted for the entire first half of this languid man's life.
So within those two seconds, Linshi had figured it out.
What was Kakashi missing? People he had been able to protect to the very end.
Now the man had come to his door of his own accord and offered to protect him-so why not let him?
All Linshi needed to do was ask one simple question and hand the conversation over. Once Kakashi answered, he could agree without hesitation and place that role of "protector" firmly in his hands.
Total affirmation. Green lights all the way.
Kakashi got to make up for his regrets, and Linshi got his reward. Both sides profited.
That was why he had gone on to ask questions with a trembling voice, mouth words at him, and even pull out the smile of a romance-drama heroine from his previous life-
Did anyone really think he was trying to be cute?
It had all been for that tantalizing chakra reward!
Acting cute? Not a chance. I'm a grown-ass man. Why would I do that?
Sure enough, the moment Kakashi was out of sight, he had hollered for the system to come settle the accounts.
And just as expected, the quest was complete and the reward had arrived, without a single bit missing.
Looking at it now, the reward amounted to much more than just extra mana.
As he clenched his fist, he could clearly feel that this influx of chakra had made his body sturdier, too.
No wonder.
During his last sparring match with Uchiha Sasuke, he had already noticed it-when that kid clashed with him head-on, he hadn't gained the slightest advantage in either strength or toughness.
At the time, Linshi had simply chalked it up to the strong foundation of his Uzumaki bloodline. Now it seemed chakra had been nourishing this body all along.
The bigger the mana pool, the tougher the body.
So I'm playing ARAM and stacking Heartsteel here?
If things kept going this way, he had plenty to look forward to.
Uzumaki Hayashi smacked his lips, raised a hand, and opened the system panel.
[Host: Uzumaki Hayashi] [Age: 12] [Bloodline: Uzumaki Clan (87% purity)] [Chakra reserves: Special jōnin level] [Attributes: Wind, water] [Kekkei genkai: Ice Release] [Abilities: Mind's Eye of the Kagura (beginner), Chakra Refinement Technique (proficient)] [Ninjutsu: Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere (perfected), Three Body Technique (proficient)] [Current quest: Save Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, who have suffered prolonged bullying, and soothe their hearts (in progress).]
In the [Chakra reserves] field, the words "Special jōnin level" sat there quietly.
He stared at them several times, feeling better with every look.
After checking the panel, he rolled over and pulled out the scroll he had received that day from beside the head of his bed.
The Ice Release scroll Kakashi had given him.
He had been so busy bandaging his top-notch bodyguard that evening that he hadn't had time to open it. Now, in the still of the night, he could finally sample the goods.
The scroll had some heft to it. But when he untied the cord and spread it open-
Huh. Only three techniques in all.
First came an A-rank ninjutsu, Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale: transform the surrounding water into an ice whale with a single long horn and use it to attack the enemy.
Uzumaki Hayashi's mouth twitched.
A whale? With a long horn, too?
It certainly sounded impressive. But the way A-rank ninjutsu devoured chakra... his mana pool had only just increased, and he hadn't even had time to enjoy it yet. He couldn't afford that kind of spending.
He would skip that one for now.
The second was a B-rank ninjutsu, Ice Release: Wolf Fang Avalanche: first create an avalanche with chakra, then transform the avalanche into wolves to attack the enemy.
This one seemed practical. But one look told him it wasn't something he could pick up in a couple of tries. It could wait in line until he finished practicing what he already had.
The third-
A C-rank ninjutsu, Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm: transform snow into throwing darts to attack the enemy.
Uzumaki Hayashi's gaze instantly locked onto that line, refusing to budge.
Turn snow into throwing darts?
Throwing darts?!
Wasn't that just free kunai?!
He was an Ice Release ninja. He could make his own snow, as much as he wanted. Rub his hands together, and he'd have a handful. Throw them, then make another batch-
Why would I ever buy kunai again? Why practice throwing them? My ninja-tool expenses would be slashed to practically nothing!
Damn it.
Why did I only get a skill this thrifty now?
Uzumaki Hayashi decided on the spot: this was the one. Everything else could wait.
Delighted, he lay back on the bed, spread the scroll across his chest, and summoned the system in his mind.
Analyze Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm.
[Analysis commencing.]
The familiar progress bar began crawling forward, one segment after another.
Outside, the night was deep.
Inside, as the red-haired boy lay there, his eyelids began to droop. Before long, his breathing grew slow and steady.
And so an ordinary night passed.
Late that night, the open scroll still lay beneath his hand.
At some point, a slip of paper had slid out from between the scroll's layers.
Judging by its position, it had been tucked inside the scroll all along. He simply hadn't noticed it.
With each shift of his ungainly sleeping posture, the note quietly slid closer and closer to his pillow.
Before you continue