Natsume Yō dragged his hungry stomach to the ramen shop, wolfed down a steaming bowl, then headed home for a hot bath. Once clean, he sat cross-legged on his bed, diving into his nightly grind—chakra refinement.
Every tick of experience didn't just level him up; it lit up his cells, toughened his body, and boosted his chakra pool. Compared to others his age, Yō's reserves ran deeper, his recovery sharper.
And after force-feeding his brain both [Wind Shunshin] and [Water Arm Surge], his EXP bar had jumped another clean +100.
No sleep tonight. His body was wired, his mind burning.
—The next morning—
At the ANBU gate, the squad gathered. Whitewater arrived early, but Natsume Yō was already waiting, the first one there. Lion-Hawk gave him a small nod of approval. One by one, Hanazawa, Sakurada, Kikumaru, Chiko, and Tankei appeared.
叮![Mission Unlocked: Sand Intelligence Recon][Reward: +200 Gold, +30 EXP, +1 Mystery Shard]
"Target: Sunagakure, Land of Wind. Objective: gather intel on their movements. Move out!" Lion-Hawk barked.
Without wasting another word, he shot forward. The squad followed in a blur.
The road was long, dull, and punishing—but for Yō, it was a rare taste of freedom outside Konoha's walls.
叮![Data Read: B-rank Wind Style: Divine Wind Technique]叮![Data Read: B-rank Wind Style: Gale Palm]叮![Data Read: C-rank Wind Style: Wind Cutter]
"…no way." Yō's eyes widened. The System could read residual chakra data from the battlefield—techniques left behind by shinobi who had fought here, even decades ago. And just like that, it could materialize them for him.
His thoughts raced. If it can do that… then maybe—Wind Style: Rasengan.
叮![Notice: Data-read → Technique Manifestation feature has a 5-year cooldown. Cost: 5000 gold. Current attempt: free trial. Future attempts: locked.]
"Figures…" Yō groaned, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. "Stingy damn System, never gives me anything without a catch."
叮![Exchange Offer: Divine Wind, Gale Palm, and Wind Cutter → Convert into A-rank Wind Style: Wind Release: Rasengan?]
Yō froze. Breath caught. His heart slammed against his ribs.
"…I didn't mishear that… right?"
He didn't care about Hanazawa's raised brow or the curious stares around him. Eyes shut, System panel up—and there it was in blinding, glorious letters:
[Exchange for: Wind Release: Rasengan?]
"EXCHANGE!" he shouted, voice trembling.
叮![Exchange Successful. Cost: 150 Gold.]
For once, the System's mechanical tone sounded like sweet music.
Even if it burned every coin in his pocket, he didn't feel the slightest regret. Because this was worth everything.
Wind Release: Rasengan.
The thought of combining it with Wind Shunshin sent a shiver down his spine. His body quaked, not from fear—but from sheer excitement at the carnage he could unleash.
"Oi, Tenshin—what's wrong with you? Shaking like that?" Hanazawa's lip curled in mild contempt.
Yō only smiled faintly, hiding the storm raging inside him.
The Stray of Konoha had just gotten his deadliest fang.