Kitahara Kaede snapped his eyes open.
The first thing he saw was the yellowing ceiling above his bed. Instinctively, he clutched his stomach. His fingertips didn't et sticky blood, but the dry fabric of a t-shirt. There was no puncture wound; his body was completely intact.
Kaede let out a long, ragged breath and collapsed back onto the bed.
'This damn simulator's pain feedback... is absolutely lethal.'
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Even now, with every breath he took, a ghost of a pain still lingered in his gut.
But it was worth it.
The mont he thought about the wooden box and the letter he had left behind in the simulation. Given Tsunade's personality, once she saw those things, the emotional aftermath would be far more than she could handle.
Just then, a *ding* echoed in his mind. A holographic screen flickered into existence in the dim room.
[Simulation ended. Calculating evaluation...]
[Evaluation: S-Rank White Moonlight.]
[Comnt: You used the most tragic death and the most perfect lie to carve an indelible mark upon her heart. You have beco an insurmountable wall in her life.]
As he read those two lines, the light in Kaede's eyes grew brighter. It had been worth it to tank that final blow without dodging.
He had secured the S-rank!
The text on the screen continued to scroll, arriving at the main event.
[Distributing settlent rewards...]
[Chakra extraction efficiency permanently 15% (Original base increase: 5%)]
[Ninjutsu effect enhancent permanently 10% (Original base increase: 5%)]
[Physical fitness permanently 10% (Original base increase: 5%)]
Boom!
The mont the rewards hit, Kaede slamd his eyes shut. He could clearly feel the 130 trillion cells in his body operating frantically, as if they had been injected with a powerful stimulant. ntal and physical energy fused in a perfect, unprecedented ratio.
Previously, the chakra in his body had been like a drying creek—he had to scrape and squeeze just to get a trickle out. But now?
The floodgates had opened.
A torrent of majestic chakra, like a river bursting its banks, surged through every ridian in his body. How could he describe it? His small fra felt as though it were being stuffed full by a massive volu of chakra. It was an agonizing pressure, yet it felt exhilarating enough to make his scalp tingle.
Even the leg wound he'd suffered from a shuriken a few days ago began to itch under this terrifying cellular activity. He looked down to see the wound scabbing, peeling, and growing fresh, pink flesh at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Kaede clenched his fist, his knuckles popping. Power. Real, tangible power.
'Now this is the kind of capital one needs to survive in the shinobi world.'
Before he could fully enjoy the feeling, the screen flashed again.
[S-Rank evaluation detected. Triggering additional special reward!]
[Perfectly inherited special talent: Toxin Immunity Constitution!]
[Acquired innate Lightning and Water Nature Transformations!]
Kaede froze. Then, wild joy surged through him.
The toxin immunity was great—on a battlefield, that was essentially an extra life. But the real prize was the dual Lightning and Water attributes!
In reality, he was just an unremarkable Fire-attribute Genin. He had been stressing over the fact that while he had mastered Chidori and Water Style in the simulator, those skills would be useless in the real world without the corresponding attributes.
Starting Nature Transformation from scratch? He'd be training until he was an old man! Now, the system had simply delivered the package to his door.
He raised his right hand and flicked his index finger.
*Zzzzt.*
A spark of pure blue electricity leaped from his fingertip, the piercing prelude to a bird's cry. With a flick of his wrist, he extinguished the arc.
Kaede took a deep breath, forcing down his excitent as he assessed his current combat power.
His chakra reserves had exploded, he possessed three Nature Transformations—Fire, Lightning, and Water—and he had the Toxin Immunity Constitution, not to ntion twenty years of taijutsu experience and combat intuition honed in the simulator.
He had gone from a cannon-fodder Genin who could die to any random AOE attack to soone who had firmly crossed the threshold of a Chunin. He could probably even outmaneuver a few Special Jonin.
But... it wasn't enough.
Reason told him not to let success go to his head. He couldn't explain the source of the high-level ninjutsu he'd learned in the simulation. A civilian orphan with no background and no teacher suddenly unleashing an A-rank, seal-less Chidori? The ANBU and Root would drag him away for dissection before dawn.
'At this stage, I cannot reveal my high-level techniques. Playing it safe is the only way.'
Kaede rolled off the bed, walked to the table, and downed a large glass of cold water. The icy liquid hitting his stomach helped him regain his composure.
It was currently the 47th year of the Hidden Leaf, and the Third Shinobi World War had just begun. According to his mories, the horrific "Battle of Mt. Kikyo" would break out in about a year. Thousands of Stone Village elites had nearly reached the gates of the Hidden Leaf. At that point, even a Jonin's survival wouldn't be guaranteed, let alone a Chunin's.
Even a ninety percent survival rate was equivalent to a death sentence for soone like Kaede. He had to be stronger.
'Fortunately, I have the simulator. As long as I hit a few more S-rank evaluations and stack my stats...'
Full of anticipation, Kaede summoned the system panel and looked at the bottom. A second later, the smile on his face froze.
[Condition to unlock next Advanced Simulation: 5,000,000 Ryo.]
"Ones... tens... hundreds... thousands... ten thousands... hundred thousands... millions..."
Kaede stared at the string of zeros, counting them three tis. Expressionless, he turned his head to look at the shriveled coin purse in the corner of the table. Inside was the entirety of his life savings, accumulated after clawing his way out of piles of corpses several tis.
Fourteen thousand eight hundred Ryo.
It wasn't even a rounding error!
"Five million Ryo?!" Kaede couldn't help himself and cursed loudly. "System, why the fuck didn't you just tell to go rob a bank?!"
What did five million Ryo even an? He knew the Hidden Leaf's mission paynt standards better than anyone:
B-rank missions: 80,000 to 200,000 Ryo.
A-rank missions: 150,000 to 1,000,000 Ryo.
Only S-rank missions could potentially break the million mark!
What was his current status? A Genin! He had to check the mood of his lead Jonin just to take a C-rank mission. Where the hell was he supposed to find five million?!
'Maybe a gamble at the casino?'
The thought appeared and was imdiately slapped away. Nine out of ten gamblers lose; he had no intention of associating with gambling or drugs. Furthermore, he didn't have Tsunade's connections—he couldn't just default on his debts. If he dared to take a high-interest loan to gamble, he'd be floating face-down in a river by tomorrow.
'It seems I have to take the legitimate route.'
Kaede walked to the window and pushed it open. The night wind rushed in, clearing the stifling heat of the room. His gaze gradually sharpened.
'First, I'll start with standard warti missions. Using my current strength, I'll rack up so genuine military rit on the front lines and promote to Chunin as quickly as possible.'
'Once I have the status of a Chunin, I'll be eligible for those lucrative solo missions or high-risk assignnts.'
'The front lines are strained right now. To boost morale, the Hidden Leaf high command has likely allocated a massive military budget.'
Kaede tapped his fingers lightly on the windowsill, his decision made. Since he was short on cash, he would use the war as an opportunity to fleece the Hidden Leaf higher-ups.
Five million Ryo.
The Battle of Mt. Kikyo.
'Ti is tight...'
"In that case, let's set a modest goal: first, survive on the front lines, and then... make a killing to fuel my simulations!"
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