Plundering Fate

Yecheng slowly walked through the front door.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back."

Shizune was washing the dishes.

She seemed quite busy. She hadn't even had time to change out of her white medical uniform before putting on an apron.

"Yeah, I'm back, Shizune. Is Teacher here?"

"Lady Tsunade had some drinks this evening and has already gone to bed. Did you need something?"

Shizune smiled as she wiped the water off her hands. "If there's anything you don't understand about medical ninjutsu, you can ask me too.

"Don't let appearances fool you. I'm an elite medical ninja myself."

"Yeah, I know. If I have any questions, I'll ask you, Shizune."

Yecheng answered with a smile.

"Actually, it's about tomorrow. I promised to go out and have some fun with Hinata, so I won't be able to study medical ninjutsu with Teacher during the day. I wanted to ask for the day off."

"Oh, that..."

Shizune thought for a moment, then smiled. "That should be fine. Lady Tsunade is quite considerate toward her students."

"That's good."

They chatted a little more before he returned to his room.

He acted exactly like someone for whom nothing had happened.

No one knew that this student of Tsunade's had struck to kill just over ten minutes earlier, ambushing and killing an elite Root ninja!

Once Yecheng returned to his room, he could barely conceal the excitement on his face.

It wasn't because he had killed someone.

He had already witnessed plenty of life and death.

Yecheng had been reborn into this world with his knowledge intact. He even remembered everything from when he was still an infant in swaddling clothes, and he had grown accustomed to the stench of blood covering the ground back then.

Killing a single ninja now was no big deal.

What truly stirred him was the information from the system, completely different from anything before.

[Enemy killed. Fate Points plundered. Obtained 3 Random Fate Cards.]

Only after examining it carefully did Yecheng understand how useful it was.

These Random Fate Cards converted the abilities of enemies he killed into individual cards. They could yield Enhancement Cards, Item Cards, or Skill Cards.

He might draw something good, or he might draw trash. Either was possible.

An idea stirred in Yecheng's mind. The world of Naruto was undoubtedly dangerous, but it was also full of opportunities.

Wasn't killing enemies and plundering their Fate Points a good way to seize other people's opportunities?

Perhaps he could use this method to plunder kekkei genkai and secret techniques that were difficult to pass down, or even weapons of mass destruction like the tailed beasts!

He couldn't be blamed for wanting them. The world of Naruto was simply too dangerous!

Leaving aside more distant events like the Fourth Shinobi World War and Pain's slaughter of the village, the conflicts and pressures between the various factions within Konoha had already reached their limit!

Judging by the original story, the Uchiha Clan would probably be wiped out next year!

A perfectly fine clan would be slaughtered overnight, leaving Sasuke Uchiha as its sole survivor!

It was terrifying!

Without enough strength to protect himself, Yecheng couldn't even sleep soundly.

"Draw the cards! System, show me your limits!"

Within a field of vision only Yecheng could see, the mysteries of the three Random Fate Cards were slowly unveiled.

[Obtained Skill Card: Shuriken Throwing.]

White trash.

[Obtained Enhancement Card: Chakra.]

Blue. Not bad.

[Obtained Skill Card: Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique.]

Another blue!

Two blues and a white. That Root Anbu must not have had anything good on him!

It definitely wasn't his own bad luck!

Yecheng immediately used all three cards.

The [Chakra] Enhancement Card gave his chakra reserves a small boost, much like the [Cursed Energy] Enhancement Card.

The [Shuriken Throwing] Skill Card brought Yecheng's shurikenjutsu up to the level of that Root Anbu in a short time, as though he had spent all those years practicing hard himself.

The [Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique] Skill Card allowed Yecheng to learn this C-rank ninjutsu outright. Like a veteran who had spent years mastering it, he knew its chakra manipulation and hand seals by heart.

It also opened the door for Yecheng to begin training in fire chakra nature transformation.

That was pretty good.

With this Fire Release technique, he only needed to use his Six Eyes to learn the Uchiha Clan's Shuriken Manipulation Technique, and Yecheng would feel confident enough to attempt the subjugation of [Nue], the fourth of the Ten Shadow Shikigami.

Yecheng very much wanted that prestigious flying unit.

Early the next morning.

Yecheng arrived at the entrance to the Hyuga Clan Estate.

He silently marveled.

The Hyuga Clan certainly had reason to call itself Konoha's foremost clan. Its estate was truly imposing. Not only did it occupy an enormous area, but its decorations and clan crests all displayed exceptional taste and refinement.

Even though Yecheng knew little about such things, he could tell at a glance that the Hyuga Clan was a great clan with a long heritage.

In that light, it was hardly surprising that their family traditions were so feudal and insular.

Tsk. They needed a Huang Chao.

"Lord Yecheng."

There was no clichéd scene of snobbish guards looking down on him. Upon seeing Yecheng, the two Hyuga ninja guarding the entrance immediately bowed slightly.

"The Head of the Household has already instructed me to take you to see the Young Lady when you arrive."

"All right. Sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all. This way, please."

After crossing the central courtyard, passing through three stretches of corridor, and walking past a half-closed flower-adorned gate, Yecheng was shown into the reception room.

There were particular rules here. Beyond the flower-adorned gate was an area only members of the main household could enter. Male servants and outside guests were forbidden.

Anyone who broke that rule could simply be branded a thief and beaten to death on the spot, and no one would protest the injustice on their behalf.

In the saying often found in storybooks, "never stepping beyond the main gate or passing through the second gate," this was what "the second gate" referred to.

Yecheng was still an outside guest and could not enter yet.

"Yecheng-kun!"

Yecheng hadn't been seated long when he heard a delighted voice.

Then Hinata emerged from behind the screen.

She wore a Japanese-style jinbei with pink cherry blossoms adorning the sleeves, its hems fluttering lightly. A cherry-blossom hairpin rested in her hair. She looked like a porcelain doll stepping out of an ukiyo-e print, childlike yet dignified.

Beautiful!

Even with the perceptiveness of Yecheng's Six Eyes, he could hardly find a flaw. She was simply adorable!

Oh-ho!

"Y-Yecheng-kun, how do I look?"

Hinata anxiously poked her fingertips together, terribly afraid that her outfit wouldn't be to Yecheng's liking.

"Yeah, you look lovely. It really suits you, Hinata."

Yecheng smiled. "You'll definitely make a wonderful bride someday!"

Huh?

A bride?

An image immediately formed in Hinata's mind.

She was wearing a bridal shiromuku with an uchikake over it and a wata bōshi on her head, exchanging bows with someone as husband and wife.

As her gaze slowly rose, the face of the person opposite her came into view. It was Yecheng-kun, dressed in a montsuki haori hakama, looking at her with a smile.

"Poof..."

Hinata's little face instantly flushed bright red with embarrassment, and even the tips of her ears turned rosy.

"Hinata? I'm here to take you out."

At that gentle call, Hinata came back to her senses. She looked at Yecheng's face, which gradually overlapped with the image in her imagination...

"Ooh-"

As though steam were spurting from the spout of a boiling kettle, wisps of steam rose from Hinata's little head too.

This is so embarrassing!