There are only two restaurants open at this time of night in the entire village. One of them is Ichiraku ramen, Konoha's most value-for-money restaurant, and the other is Yahiku Q barbecue restaurant, which only caters to ninjas' extremely high protein needs while still providing them with a sense of enjoyment.
The first day, I was incredibly hungry, so I considered eating meat, but the moment I entered the restaurant, my resemblance to the stereotype disappeared. Then, thanks to a hint I received in the system, I learned what the problem was. Rekt is actually both money-hungry and stingy...
How can someone be both money-hungry and stingy?
I mean, this is ridiculous!
Because you're a money lover, you'll have plenty of it, but because you're a stingy person, you won't be able to spend it. So, if you don't like spending money, why resort to inhumane methods to make it?
Learning that Trader Rekt is a stingy person almost reached my breaking point.
I'd have breakfast before sunrise and get ready for work, and I'd keep working until nightfall, when even the ninjas would have gone home. And all by myself...
And at the end of the day, I'd get a plate of ramen in return.
That damned stingy template wouldn't even let me have a fancy ramen.
You can imagine what happened when I came home at the end of the day, undernourished, overworked, and sleep-deprived, only to wake up very early the next day and go back to work.
I didn't even have to pretend to be mean anymore.
I was so frustrated by all this torture that I even considered fighting the template for two months and finally finishing it with over 50% similarity.
But then it occurred to me that ninja school will start in just two years. It's important to remember that Naruto and Sasuke are five this year. So, along with ninja school, the original story only has two years left until it begins.
If I want to be more than just cannon fodder, I only have seven or eight years to get stronger quickly.
If the system keeps churning out templates of characters like this, nothing will truly change in my life.
And I need to change. Even if it's not entirely me who's changing, something has to change.
I can't spend my life sitting idle, waiting for something to happen.
What if I make a mistake beyond my control and I'm still there when Pain attacks the village?
Am I going to die? Will I be able to return without any problems? Will it really be me who returns, or a clone of me who thinks it's me?
"Fuck!"
I finally let myself out because my thoughts were starting to spiral out of control, and that reminded me of where I was.
I wanted to lift my head and look around, but my head was resting on a pillow. The familiar ceiling frame was before my eyes.
When did I eat? When did I leave Yainiku Q? When did I come home and go to bed?
I stretched my legs, kneaded my face roughly with both hands, and got out of bed and went to the bathroom.
I wasn't sure of the answers to any of the questions I'd just asked, but as I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized I'd learned the answer to the most important question I'd been afraid to ask.
"No, of course I don't want to gamble my life away and settle for a boring life. Damn it!"
After saying these words with such fervor, almost as if I were cursing my face in the mirror, I realized my breathing had become uneven.
It was probably the adrenaline I was releasing.
After all, just a few seconds ago, I'd made a decision that would change my entire life.
I noticed a strange smile creeping onto my face, and I decided to divert my attention to something else to calm the adrenaline rush.
And I already have something pretty good to focus my attention on.
[Congratulations, you've completed the one-star template "Trader Rekt" with the highest similarity level.]
[Click this box to start distributing your rewards.]
It actually worked.
I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and bent my neck to the side, then clicked the box the system prompted me to click.
[Congratulations, you've leveled up for the first time. You've unlocked your profile page and skill page.]
[You've earned three specialization cards as a reward for completing the template.]
…....
I've been too busy to write a chapter for the past few days. Sorry...
-------------------
And I have bad news...
I hear Thanos is rapidly approaching our world. If he gets his hands on all the power stones we have, he will destroy us.
So I have a plan: Give me all the Power Stones you have, and I'll keep them safe before the Great War.
---------------------
As I looked at the screens floating before me, a wild possibility occurred to me.
Perhaps the whole point of the first mission was to learn that I wasn't worthy.
All the system screens I'd seen before had been quite basic, but the ones floating before me now gave me a tech-like vibe, as if I'd escaped from the year 2099 and arrived here.
Come to think of it, the first template I bought was one of the many one-star templates available in the universe, the one with the highest probability of costing me my job.
Unbelievable.
Perhaps I'm exaggerating.
Time to stop thinking and learn what this new system screen means.
...
Even though I was sleep-deprived, it didn't take me long to understand the new system, as this system design shares similarities with the general game screens of my previous life.
------------------------------
Level: 1
Strength: 2 (+2)
Durability: 3 (+1)
Soul: 5
Intelligence: 3 (+1)
Chakra: 15
Physical Skills: []
Physical skill cards you have: [Firearms: D]
Soul Skills: []
Soul skill cards you have:
Godly Skills: []
Divine skill cards you have:
Expertise: []
Expertise cards you have: [Farming: S], [Traps: B]
-----------------------------
The section marked "Level" simply shows my level. I'll probably level up by completing templates.
Below my level are my various stats. Considering my own health and my previous world, the average human stat should probably be 1 point.
Perhaps because everyone is naturally gifted with chakra, the physical quality of healthy people in this world far exceeds that of my previous world.
What really caught my attention on this system screen was the section below it.
As I did earlier, I reached out and picked up the card labeled [Farming: S], dragged it, and placed it in the Expertise section. Although I had two cards suitable for this area, I only had room to place one.
After I moved the card, a question appeared at the bottom of the screen asking if I wanted to save my changes.
Ignoring the question for now, I placed my firearms card in the physical abilities section. Before saving the changes, I asked the system something I was unsure about.
"Hey system. What exactly do the numbers in parentheses next to my stats mean? Are they indicators of the stat points I received from Rekt?"
[No, host, those stats are the ones that will be added to your stats over time. If you want to gain those stat points faster, I recommend sleeping.]
An unexpected surprise. So, my stats will increase soon. At first, I thought those symbols were my increased stats, but I was also feeling a pang of disappointment because I felt no sense of empowerment.
So, I stopped procrastinating any longer, placed the skill cards, the rewards of my hard work, in the appropriate slots, and recorded the changes.
For a brief second, everything blurred, as if my blood pressure had dropped and I was starting to lose consciousness because I'd suddenly stood up. But then, that feeling quickly faded away, and I regained my balance.
Oddly, I didn't feel anything extraordinary.
The thought that one of the cards I was using had been downgraded to S-rank made me question my own farming knowledge.
"Growing rice is primarily a matter of patience and water. If you're patient enough and good at playing with water, you can grow rice. First, you need to thoroughly water your field until it's as thick as mud. Then, you start carefully planting the seeds you've already sprouted, one by one, and then you leave the rest to patience. Of course, don't neglect your field during this time; you need to give it the love it needs. You adjust the water level according to the season. Too many roots and your rice will drown; too few roots and your soil will dry out... What the hell did I just say?"
The moment I started talking, I realized he was smiling softly and speaking in a calm tone, like an old man talking about something he loves. Moreover, talking about rice cultivation felt so pleasurable that I almost couldn't stop talking.
The fact that this skill card is designated an S-rank is definitely not a coincidence. I hadn't even gotten to the truly unusual part of this information. For example, I know how to increase the amount of photosynthetic pigment in rice by using biosynthetic silver nanoparticles to increase its growth rate and boost yields. Which is crazy!
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to make the lab materials needed to do this.
I was so astonished by my own wisdom that I even forgot the fatigue that had been building up for days for a few seconds.
Of course, after the initial excitement, sleep overtook me again, and I stripped off my clothes and collapsed into bed.
In fact, I was so sleepy at the time that I didn't even notice the system notification until I woke up around noon the next day.
[Searching for a new template: Estimated search time: 2 months]
----- 2 mounth later
When my plate was empty, I placed the disposable plate on the ground next to the large fire and looked back.
I made my decision.
Terumi Mei...
If I ever want to get married, she will be one of the first people I visit. Being an elite jonin at this age, not being a character who dies early in the story, and not having a complicated personality makes her suitable for me.
Also, I haven't seen her have a serious relationship with anyone in the anime, so I won't have any jealous thoughts bothering me, and she looks prettier than in the anime because she's young, plus there's only a 2-year age difference between us.
Of course, I didn't tell him that. I told him my age as if I were two years older than him. I hope he doesn't forget me and my flirting attempts right away, and that our next meeting goes more smoothly.
After my thought process was complete, I turned my head and looked in the direction of Kirigakure, where the trade convoy was heading.
Two months ago, after completing the template, I didn't want people to see my personality suddenly change again, so the next day, my first task was to make an agreement with the Hokage, rent my shop and trade agreements to the village, and leave the village on the pretext of a business trip and come to Kirigakure.
Speaking of Kirigakure, I believe Obito is in control of the village at this time.
There is undisguised tension between the Kaguya clan and the village, and I saw a few ordinary villagers looking disgustedly at the ninjas who possess kekkei genkai.
I guess it won't be long before the kekkei genkai hunt begins and the village is closed off to the outside world.
I need to sort out my business relations with Kirigakure soon. I don't want to lose money if the village suddenly closes off access to the outside world.
I should quietly terminate my agreements there.
Anyway, those are things to think about later...