A call from Zhou Yan

Lin Jin stood up and walked to the window.

It was nighttime. Outside were familiar streets and passersby hurrying along; everything looked just like his original world.

He was about to head out for a look when the phone sitting beside his bed suddenly rang.

Lin Jin walked over and picked it up. The name on the screen made him pause.

Zhou Yan.

His best friend from before he crossed worlds, a brother he had grown up with, and an orphan like him.

Although the date on the phone was only three days after the day he crossed worlds, twenty years had already passed for him.

(The protagonist only spent twenty years in the Hokage world in this setting. Now that his physical body has been reconstructed, it is twenty-three years old too. His mental age is beside the point. If you ask, he is mature; if you argue, you are right.)

Lin Jin took a deep breath and answered.

"Little Lin!!!!"

The moment the call connected, a deafening howl came through.

Lin Jin held the phone a little farther away, but the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily.

The same familiar voice, the same familiar nickname.

"Little Lin, why the fuck did you take so long to answer! It's barely dark, and you're already jerking off?"

"I just woke up," Lin Jin replied casually. "What's up?"

"Something huge happened!" Zhou Yan sounded distinctly panicked. "Would you believe me if I said I just saw a ghost?"

Lin Jin's gaze sharpened. He remembered the system mentioning that supernatural horrors existed in this world.

He asked, "A ghost? What kind of ghost? Take your time."

"It was... it was that kind of... you know? Something unclean!" Zhou Yan rambled. "I was sleeping at home when I suddenly couldn't breathe. I opened my eyes, and this black thing was lying on top of me."

Lin Jin listened quietly without interrupting.

"I was terrified. I tried to shout for help, but that thing seemed to be pinning me down, and I couldn't make a sound."

"I panicked, and then... then..."

"Then what?"

"My fucking hands caught fire!" Zhou Yan's voice suddenly rose. "Seriously! Two balls of fire came out of my palms and burned that thing. I heard it scream, and then it turned to ash!"

"..."

"Hello? Little Lin? Are you listening? Do you believe me? Don't think I've gone crazy. I really... hello?"

"I believe you."

Lin Jin answered him.

The other end went silent for a second.

"Huh? You believe me just like that? You don't think I'm nuts? You're not going to ask if I'm on drugs?"

"If I didn't believe you, could you still be calling me?" Lin Jin walked to his wardrobe and started changing. "Wait at home. I'm coming over."

"Huh? You're coming? Yes, yes, hurry! I'm a little scared here alone. That thing burned away, but I still feel like there's something in the apartment."

"Hey, do you think I've awakened some kind of superpower? Like in novels? Am I going to save the world now?"

"Hanging up."

"Hey, don't..."

Lin Jin hung up.

He pulled on a black jacket, opened the door, and left.

As he stepped out of the building, he looked up at the sky.

Night had fallen, and the sky was cloudless.

But beneath that dark sky, he could sense the natural energy in the air.

This world really was different.

Lin Jin lowered his gaze and headed toward Zhou Yan's home.

The route to Zhou Yan's home passed a secluded alley.

Lin Jin had only intended to walk past, but he suddenly stopped at its entrance.

There were several unusual energy fluctuations.

He had not expected to encounter them so soon.

These fluctuations were different from chakra, but similar in nature. There was also an energy carrying malice, deep inside the alley.

Lin Jin changed direction and slipped silently into the alley.

He concealed his presence and crept closer. Years as a ninja had made him accustomed to staying hidden in any environment; that instinct was etched into his bones.

The farther he went, the clearer the energy fluctuations became.

Soon, he saw the battle.

Five people in black combat uniforms were surrounding and attacking a strangely shaped creature.

It was roughly two meters tall and pitch-black, with no fixed shape, like a constantly writhing mass of shadow.

Countless tentacles extended from its body, lashing wildly in every direction.

The five were clearly losing. Two lay on the ground, their fates unknown, while the remaining three were covered in injuries. One young woman had a long gash across her left arm, and blood dripped from her fingers.

"Retreat!" the man leading them roared. "This thing is stronger than C-rank! We can't beat it!"

"No! If we retreat, it'll rush into the residential area!" the injured woman said through clenched teeth. "Hold on a little longer! Backup will be here soon!"

Lin Jin stood in the shadows, observing quietly.

C-rank?

He sensed the intensity of that bizarre mass of energy. By the standards of the Hokage world, it was somewhere between a Genin and a Chunin.

Lin Jin immediately used the Investigation Technique on the creature:

Target: Shadow Wraith

Strength: C-rank (Genin to Chunin)

Danger level: Low

Lin Jin had mixed feelings. In the Hokage world, this strength would only put it on the level of someone who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Yet here, it could force these five into a desperate struggle.

He used the Investigation Technique on the five as well. Their strength ranged from awakened early stage to peak stage, and their danger levels were also low.

"The awakened stage?"

Although he did not know how this world classified supernatural power, that did not affect his assessment of their strength.

Seeing that they could no longer withstand the creature, Lin Jin used the Body Flicker Technique to land between it and the five, forming hand seals with one hand.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

Scorching flames erupted from his mouth, over three meters in diameter, engulfing the creature in an instant.

It did not even have time to scream before the heat reduced it to ash.

[System: Host has killed a C-rank supernatural horror. Gained 10 points of world power.]

After disposing of the creature, he used the Body Flicker Technique to leave without looking back.

The entire process took no more than three seconds. It only took three because he had formed hand seals to look cool.

The five stood frozen, unable to react for a long time.

"C-Captain," one of them said shakily. "Just now, that was..."

Their leader struggled to his feet. He looked at where the creature had vanished, then in the direction that figure had disappeared, shock and wariness flashing in his eyes.

"I couldn't sense any energy fluctuations at all. When he appeared and disappeared, I couldn't catch even a trace of his presence."

He took a deep breath. "Everyone, write a report when we get back. Say an unidentified powerhouse helped us and killed the creature in one hit. Identity unknown, strength unknown."

"Captain, was that a fire-type awakened ability he used?"

The captain fell silent for a moment. "It didn't seem like it. I've seen fire-type awakened people, but never energy that pure and highly concentrated, without the slightest waste. It was like a skill honed through countless repetitions."

He paused and looked in the direction Lin Jin had disappeared.

"Another extraordinary figure has appeared in this city."

Zhou Yan lived in an old residential complex, in a six-story building without an elevator.

Lin Jin quickly reached the fifth floor and knocked.

The door was immediately pulled open, and a familiar face peeked out.

Zhou Yan looked the same as ever: thin, with a round face and eyes that narrowed into slits when he smiled. But right now, that face was full of panic.

"Little Lin!" He dragged Lin Jin inside, quickly shut the door, and secured both locks.

Lin Jin watched without saying anything.

"You really came!" Zhou Yan turned to him with a complicated expression. "I thought you were just comforting me on the phone."

"Of course I had to come check on my son when something happened to him." Lin Jin looked around the apartment. "Where's that thing you mentioned?"

"Fuck off!" Zhou Yan cursed irritably.

Then he pointed beside the bed. "It was lying on me earlier. It's ash now. There's just a black mark left!"

Lin Jin walked over and looked down.

There was indeed a scorched patch on the bedsheet, with faint energy fluctuations lingering on it. They resembled those of the creature in the alley, but were much weaker.

The earlier one was C-rank. This one was E-rank at most.

He stood and turned to Zhou Yan. "Let me see your hands."

Zhou Yan held out both hands. His palms were clean, with nothing unusual about them.

But Lin Jin could sense a faint current of energy flowing inside him, so he used the Investigation Technique:

Target: Zhou Yan

Level: Awakened early stage

Ability: Fire-type

Danger level: Low

"There's energy flowing inside you now." Lin Jin released his hands and said evenly, "You've probably awakened an ability."

Zhou Yan paused, looked down at his hands, then abruptly raised his head. "So... I really am a superman now?"

"Hahahaha! Starting today, I'm never eating beef again!"

"Little Lin, call me your godfather! Daddy will protect you from now on!"

"Protect me? The way you are now, you'd struggle to light a cigarette. Try it if you don't believe me," Lin Jin said bluntly, taking him down a peg.

Hearing that, Zhou Yan curled his lips in defiance.

"Struggle to light a cigarette? No way! Who are you looking down on?"

"I'll show you!"

He took a deep breath and stared wide-eyed at his right hand, straining until his face turned red.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

His palm remained empty.

Zhou Yan's expression went from confidence to confusion, from confusion to embarrassment, and from embarrassment to despair.

"Why isn't it working? Am I out of mana, like in a game? Or is it on cooldown?" He shook his hand hard. "But it went so smoothly when I burned that thing earlier!"

Lin Jin leaned against the wall with his arms folded, looking as though he were enjoying a show.

"You need to feel the energy flowing inside your body. Why are you straining so hard? You're not taking a shit."

Zhou Yan: "..."

Following Lin Jin's advice, he took several deep breaths and tried to relax.

He closed his eyes and recalled the feeling from earlier: fear, tension, the urge to survive. Then a warm current rose from his abdomen and flowed toward his hands.

This time, his palm finally reacted.

A tiny flame sprang up with a soft puff, wavering as though it might go out at any moment.

Zhou Yan opened his eyes and looked at the little flame, almost jumping with excitement. "It worked! It worked! Little Lin, look!"

Lin Jin glanced at it. "Mm, not bad. Enough to light a cigarette. Stop swiping my lighters from now on."

Zhou Yan: "..."

Ignoring Lin Jin, he carefully brought the flame toward the cigarette pack on the coffee table and actually lit a cigarette.

He put it between his lips and took a smug puff.

"It really is pretty useful. What do you think? Daddy has superpowers now too!"

"But, Little Lin, you know so much. Could you also be...?"

Zhou Yan had only just realized that Little Lin seemed to understand abilities better than he did.

Lin Jin said nothing, merely watching him quietly.

His stare made Zhou Yan uneasy. "W-What?"

Lin Jin raised his right hand, spreading his fingers slightly.

"Lightning Release: Chidori."

Blue lightning instantly gathered in his palm, and the piercing cries of birds filled the room.

Electricity crackled through the air, illuminating Zhou Yan's terrified face.

The energy fluctuations from that mass of lightning were at least dozens of times stronger than those from Zhou Yan's little flame.

The cigarette fell straight from Zhou Yan's mouth to the floor.

"H-Holy shit!!!"

He stared wide-eyed at the dazzling lightning in Lin Jin's hand, his mouth open wide enough to hold an egg.

"Y-Y-Y-You..." He pointed at Lin Jin, his finger trembling. "You really are awakened too! Is that lightning?"

"Your power looks way stronger than mine! We're both awakened, so why is the difference so huge?"

Lin Jin dispersed Chidori, and the room instantly darkened. Only the cigarette Zhou Yan had dropped on the floor still glowed with embers.

"My ability isn't just lightning," Lin Jin said evenly. "You'll find out later."

"Not just lightning?" Zhou Yan froze for a moment, then caught on. "You mean you can use other powers too?"

Lin Jin said nothing, tacitly admitting it.

"Well, well! Little Lin, I bare my heart to you, and you play mind games with me!" Zhou Yan pointed at Lin Jin and complained, "If I hadn't called you today, how long were you planning to keep me in the dark?"

"All right, all right. I only awakened my powers three days ago myself." Lin Jin looked at him helplessly. "I know a little fire stuff too. How about I teach you a few moves?"

Zhou Yan froze for three seconds after hearing that, then did something that caught Lin Jin completely off guard.

He lunged over and wrapped his arms around Lin Jin's leg.

"Godfather!!!"

The corner of Lin Jin's eye twitched.

"From today onward, you're my real dad!" Zhou Yan held on for dear life, his face pressed against Lin Jin's knee. "Honored godfather, I, Yan, have drifted through half my life. I wish to serve at your side. Please grant my wish!"

"Get up."

"No! Not unless you promise to teach me that crackling lightning!"

"That's Lightning Release. It requires a lightning ability. The ability inside you is fire-attributed. They're different."

Zhou Yan looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. "So I can't learn it?"

"Forget Lightning Release, but you can learn fire release. I can teach you fire release techniques."

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, and he sprang to his feet. "Really, Little Lin? Teach me!"

Lin Jin looked at him, recalling the way this guy had just called him godfather, and was left speechless.

"I'll teach you how to control the energy inside you first."

He pointed at the chair beside the bed. "Sit down."

Zhou Yan obediently sat down like a well-behaved elementary school student.

Lin Jin sat down opposite him and began explaining.

"The energy for your ability has been inside you since you awakened, but right now, it's a mess, like a pot of boiling water with nowhere to flow. What you need to do is make it obey you."

"How do I make it obey?"

"Sense it," Lin Jin said. "Close your eyes, feel the flow of your energy, and let it spread throughout your body in a regular pattern."

Lin Jin guided him. "The source of the energy is in your abdomen, where the body's dantian is. Imagine it as a stream of water. You need to make it flow along your meridians into your hand."

Zhou Yan furrowed his brows, trying hard to sense it.

Ten minutes later, a flame appeared in his palm again. It was considerably larger than before, about the size of a lighter's flame.

"Very good." Lin Jin nodded. "Hold it there. Keep it in your palm. Don't let it go out or grow any bigger."

Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and held on, and the flame stabilized.

"Next, make it flow through your body, from your palm back to your dantian, then from your dantian to your other hand."

Zhou Yan did as instructed. The flame in his right hand went out, then a burst of flame puffed into existence in his left.

"I did it!" He opened his eyes excitedly.

"Keep going." Lin Jin's face was expressionless. "Only when you can control it at will will you have a basic grasp of your ability."

That practice lasted the entire night.