Night had deepened. After the birthday party ended and they'd safely escorted the hiccupping, tear-streaked Iruka-sensei ho, Naruto and Satsuki parted ways at the crossroads. Before leaving, Satsuki looked at him with sothing she wanted to say, but ultimately just snorted softly and disappeared in the direction of the Uchiha compound.
Pushing open his apartnt door, Naruto collapsed exhaustedly onto his bed, yet couldn't help grinning. Today's birthday party had been even more successful than he'd expected—not only had he witnessed Iruka-sensei's rare emotional outburst, but more importantly...
His system points had skyrocketed!
He pulled up the translucent interface only he could see, densely packed with the bond relationships he'd established at school.
Nara Shikamaru, Bond Level 3, 300 points earned.
Akimichi Choji, Bond Level 5, 500 points earned.
Inuzuka Kiba, Bond Level 4, 400 points earned.
Akamaru, Bond Level 5, 50 points earned.
Abura Shino, Bond Level 3, 300 points earned.
Umino Iruka, Bond Level 8, 1600 points earned. (Note: Relationship transformation - Family bond)
Naruto's fingertip hovered over the words "Family bond," warmth spreading through his chest.
Incidentally, the Nine-Tails' bond level was now 5. Through their nightly interactions, it had increased another level, earning him 400 points.
However...
Naruto looked at a na on the interface that should have had data but remained blank: Yamanaka Ino.
Since school started, he'd tried several tis to approach this future mber of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio. But for so reason, every ti he got close, Ino would bounce away like a startled rabbit—either pretending to suddenly rember urgent business or claiming she felt sick and running off imdiately.
Strange... Could it be that the butterfly effect created so reason for her to fear ?
Though calculating points so precisely seed sowhat rcenary, Naruto knew in his heart—he genuinely liked these guys.
The satisfaction of eating barbecue with Choji, the frustration of being intellectually crushed by Shikamaru at shogi, the playful chaos of petting dogs with Kiba—these daily interactions weren't just for show. Naruto truly enjoyed every mont spent with them.
Naruto's gaze lingered on the [Umino Iruka] entry.
Before tonight, Iruka's bond level had remained stuck at 5—already considered quite an intimate relationship.
But even so, Naruto hadn't expected that a single birthday party could cause this bond to breakthrough its limits, skyrocketing from Level 5 to Level 8.
Had Iruka-sensei been suppressing so many emotions all this ti? With this thought, Naruto pulled up his total system points overview.
Current points held: 2450.
This number made him whistle involuntarily. Nearly a year of effort hadn't been wasted. From the initial two people to now having so many companions gathered around him, every bond had transford into tangible rewards.
However, though his points were nurous, he hadn't saved them all. Naruto should have had 3450 points originally, but a few months ago, he'd been unable to resist the urge and pulled a ten-roll.
The result... all blue skies and white clouds. The only consolation was that the ten-pull had at least yielded one sowhat special item.
[Congratulations on obtaining: Fox Mask]
[Item Description: Uzumaki masked man signature mask, extrely durable, and when worn can block reconnaissance-type jutsu, including Byakugan.]
When he'd first obtained the [Fox Mask], Naruto had only noticed its most direct use—blocking reconnaissance jutsu.
This way, even if he encountered wild Hyuga clan mbers while operating as "the masked man," he wouldn't worry about being seen through by the Byakugan.
He'd been quite satisfied when trying it on—the mask fit his face perfectly with clear vision, and he didn't feel stuffy even when breathing. Though the overall lottery results had been poor, at least this mask was practical.
However, as ti passed, this seemingly ordinary prop gradually revealed unexpected value.
In the original tiline, the fox mask worn by "the masked man" was just cheap rchandise commonly found at market stalls.
But ever since Kumogakure began heavily promoting the terrifying legend of "the masked man," this originally unremarkable mask gradually beca viewed by the public as an ominous symbol.
The result was that fox masks were discontinued.
Which made sense—who would buy a "serial killer signature" mask for their children to play with?
Though Naruto could easily use transformation jutsu to simulate the mask's appearance, it felt like sothing was missing. Transformation jutsu was ultimately an illusion—once chakra beca disrupted or interfered with, the disguise would dissipate. But a real fox mask was different—even if the transformation jutsu was dispelled, the mask wouldn't disappear, undoubtedly providing an extra layer of insurance for hiding his identity.
Moreover... changing his signature feature just because production stopped would be rather degrading.
Since "the masked man's" image was already bound to the fox mask, there was no need to change it. Rather, the mask's rarity had beco an advantage—from now on, just appearing while wearing it would eliminate any doubts about his identity.
With this thought, Naruto continued looking at the system interface.
Tonight's breakthrough in Iruka-sensei's bond had directly brought him massive earnings. Combined with what he'd saved before, his total points were now enough for two ten-pulls...
Naruto lay back on his bed, staring at the system interface floating before his eyes. He couldn't rember when he'd last drawn sothing epic—every ti he saved enough points, he'd be filled with anticipation, only to receive basic talents or chakra amplifications.
"This ti it absolutely has to pay off!"
Naruto suddenly sat up. He took a deep breath, his finger hovering over the ten-pull button. After hesitating for a long mont, he finally made his decision. Forget it! No more saving! Even if his luck was terrible, the pity system should kick in by now!
As his fingertip pressed down hard, ten cards glowing with blue light arranged themselves in the void. Naruto swallowed, his fingers trembling slightly as he opened them one by one.
0.1 chakra units... explosive kunai... illusion talent fragnt 5... fuma shuriken...
When he opened the fifth card revealing "Ninja Tool Sealing Scroll," Naruto was already ready to sigh. Just as he was about to give up hope, the sixth card suddenly burst with brilliant purple light!
"Kyun Shugo no Jutsu...?"
Naruto's finger froze in midair, pupils contracting sharply. He stared fixedly at the text description appearing on the card.
[Congratulations on obtaining: Kyun Shugo no Jutsu]
[Item Description: Use summoning jutsu to call the Nine-Faced Beasts into battle, arranged in the order of Blue, White, Vermillion, Black, Void, South, North, Three, and Jade—specifically Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise, Golden Snake, Southern Dipper Sage, Northern Dipper Sage, Death God, and Celestial Maiden. Transford from nine child foxes, each beast possesses considerably powerful special abilities.]
Finally... finally got it!
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