Although the feeling of pulling for rewards without any drawbacks was an exhilarating process in his subconscious self, the rational thought of saving some of the tickets still prevailed and continuously rang in his mind.
"I only got 3 Gold Tickets to pull and this Curse Seal might be inspected in the near future, a troublesome crisis indeed." Yoichi crossed his arms and mumbled, calming his inner desire to gamble those tickets at a single move.
In his mind, once his curse seal was gone and suddenly investigated by the Ame-Nin, there was no other alibi that could help him in this regard.
[Do you wish to draw for (Silver Roulette)?]
"Yes." As the 6 mystical silver colored tickets began to materialize, Yoichi ripped each one while the scenery changed inside his consciousness.
「Silver Roulette」
[Food] (30 P)
[Demonic Bone Forging Pill] (30 P)
[Introduction to Alchemy]
[...]
[Drawing...]
Through the revolution of the roulette wheel, Yoichi saw different exotic and typical items with various uses.
[Congratulations on winning (Food)!]
[Congratulations on winning (Demonic Bone Forging Pills)!]
[Congratulations on winning (Blood Ganoderma Ointments)!]
[Congratulations on winning (Qi Blood Pills)!]
[Congratulations on winning (10 Gold Bars)!]
[Congratulations on winning (Food)!]
Soon, the magical items gradually emerged from the ground while Yoichi assessed the rewards and situation.
"Do I really need to kill just to improve my proficiency?" Yoichi frowned and fell into a deep contemplation.
The Qi Blood Pills were essential for his proficiency but there was an alternative he could technically operate with some drawbacks in his already numb mind.
The Forgotten Goredrinker.
"Perhaps some foolish idiots might pick a fight against me in the future... Anyway, pull one gold ticket!"
With a thought, Yoichi put his ideas in the back of his mind and spawned a gold ticket in his hands.
[Do you wish to draw for (Gold Roulette)?]
Certainly.
In a moment, Yoichi returned to his deeper consciousness with a dazzling roulette in front of him.
「Gold Roulette」
[Purification]
[Secret Technique: Face Changing]
[True Qi Pills] (30 P)
[...]
"Purification?! That might be the only thing that could release me from this seal!" After seeing a ray of hope, Yoichi began to mentally note the particular ability.
In his mind, Purification meant two things. It's either purifying someone's debuffs or cleansing his own debuffs.
[Drawing...]
[Congratulations on winning (Mortal Strike)!]
[Mortal Strike] (Gold)
—1% chance to ignore all defenses against opponents.
After seeing the prompt, Yoichi was surprised until he considered the difference between Prismatic and Gold passive.
"So Prismatic Passive works effectively with no requirements or just a little bit of consideration in terms of activation."
"As for Gold Passive, it works with a probability or numerous conditions to activate such as my Old Skin and Self-Healing Constitution."
With his pragmatic mindset, the Mortal Strike could be considered a little bonus in terms of the offensive end.
As such, golden abilities like his Old Skin and Self-Healing Constitution were extremely useful in his healing prowess and progression of his Martial Arts techniques and methods.
Really... Time flies by instantly and it's now my 1 year here in the Naruto World. 5 years old with power but it's still not enough. I should take it as a day and practice more techniques tomorrow...
Soon, his day ended with Yoichi falling asleep amidst the warmth of his friends, sinking into the dream as his companions snuggled alongside him.
...
In the luxurious estate, late at night.
"I'm deeply sorry about my incompetence, Kouji-sama!"
If Yoichi and his friends were having a good time, Masaru and Sabito were in a hot seat, kneeling in prostration while being visited by Kouji, the leader entrusted with the revitalization of the nobility faction and the Clan Head of the Himejima Clan.
"Stand up, Masaru. You look more and more unbecoming of your shinobi dreams. Tell me, what's wrong?" Kouji gently replied with elegance and a hint of pride in his countenance.
After noticing his superior's modest face, Masaru and Sabito sighed, beginning to explain the details in full swing.
"Hmmm... So it's about Hayate's recommended child," Kouji cupped his chin with reflection, "Don't fret over some trivial things, Masaru. In honesty, you could do so many things you are unaware of."
"Please, give me your guidance!" Masaru bowed slightly while his eyes shone through the night like a bulb.
"Having a creative mind is a must, Masaru. You could threaten his friends, annoy them, or even kill them silently in all possible ways. Use your wits, manpower, and resources to deploy or scheme things behind the scenes. I will leave this task to you."
"Thank you for your grace, Kouji-sama!" Masaru replied with politeness before his eyes glinted in malice.
"Great, you are back on your path. But don't disappoint us anymore, Masaru."
With that being said, Kouji left the room unhurriedly while Masaru began concocting a conspiracy against his arch-nemesis.
I'm truly sorry... Genji, Hikari, and Yoichi... But I should have to do this. That's right, for survival.
Sabito thought. Without any hesitation left in his mind, he recalled some manpower in his hands and ordered the lackeys to patrol around Yoichi's hideout, trying to learn their schedule or weaknesses in covert.
...
In the morning.
"Yoichi! Get up! We have important visitors!" As Genji tried to awaken Yoichi from sleep, Towa and Hikari greeted the visitors with significance.
"Good morning, Hayate-sama! Motoyasu-sama!"
"Hahaha, relax kids! We're just paying attention to your well-being here in Amegakure. But from the looks of it, you found such a great shelter!" Motoyasu waved his hands and praised the children for their success.
While Motoyasu was enjoying the attention he got from the children, Hayate couldn't help but notice the fist marks and cracks in the walls.
"Did Yoichi do this?" With his remarks, Motoyasu and the children looked at the catastrophe in the walls.
"Yes, Hayate-sama. Yoichi said he practiced Extreme Taijutsu with his strong body due to the lack of techniques. But in my opinion, he was diligently focused on Taijutsu, practicing the techniques for hours without a single second of losing focus!"
Haruhiko proudly replied as if he were the one who had done the man-made deterioration of the walls.
"Tsk tsk... Extreme Taijutsu huh? Looks like you're not paying attention enough, Hayate. If he's on my squad, I'll spoil the hell out of this talented brat!"
Motoyasu patted Hayate's shoulder and shook his head, stating that he could do better, and a little bit of mockery on how Hayate does things.
"Everything must be earned by themselves, Motoyasu. Our fame, fortune, and reputation were built through the bones and blood of our fallen enemies. If he couldn't withstand the pressure, somebody would without any hesitation!"
Hayate rebuked and looked at Motoyasu with an indifferent expression.
"Then, why don't you tell that to your past self?" After his sudden remarks, Motoyasu felt a chilling gleam in the eyes of Hayate, glaring at him.
"Hahaha, I'm just joking!" Motoyasu took back his statement, incredibly afraid of Hayate's retaliation.
In the past, he fought against Hayate and lost miserably. Now, he was still slightly frightened by Hayate's tactics and experience as a shinobi who survived the Warring States Period and the First Shinobi War.
"...Greetings to Motoyasu-sama and Hayate-sama." At this point, Yoichi woke up with messy hair and welcomed the two valuable guests.
"Come kid, let us stroll around the neighborhood." As Hayate left with words, Motoyasu and Yoichi soon followed him with an interested expression on their faces.
"Just wait for me here, alright?" Yoichi said. Noticing the cues of the Jōnin, the group gradually nodded.
"Got it, bro! Don't worry about us!" Haruhiko commented.
Soon, the two older guys and a child wandered through the streets of Amegakure with countless onlookers, who were deeply focused on them.
"Whoa! That's Motoyasu-sama and Hayate-sama! The Blood Hound and Gale Tempest of the Rain!"
"They looked so cool, no? I dreamed of being a famous shinobi like that!"
"What about that child though? Is he an exceptional talent?"
With the praises and admiration of the crowd, Hayate broke the silence between the group and said, "I heard that you knew how to forge weapons, is that right?"
"What?! Yoichi could forge a weapon?!" In his surprised face, Motoyasu felt extremely jealous of Hayate's boundless fortune.
"... I just learned a bit more about forging. That was merely an alibi when trying to seek some foreign shinobi, sir. That's all." Instead of being grateful, Yoichi simply stated the obvious.
Why do the child's phrases feel irritating to hear even though it was only humble words? Motoyasu thought.
"Hmmm," Hayate crossed his arms, "You're still as cautious as ever. Then why did you pick a blacksmith's job instead of another job out there?"
"The salary I earn was pretty good. Similarly, the job could be another way to lessen the stress and learn to forge my own kunai or sharpen my tools at worst." Yoichi indifferently replied.
While Hayate nodded in his explanation, the group's conversation turned again into stillness.
As they walked on the streets, Yoichi suddenly stopped and said, "Sir, if I may ask, can you state the reason for your sudden visit?"
It's either trying to see my loyalty to Amegakure or paying attention to my well-being... Those two could be tied together as a reason for the visit.
As a young man in a child's body, Yoichi comprehended the gist of their ulterior motive at a glance. There's no point in trying to personally seek him when someone was reporting for them every day.
After hearing his words, Motoyasu sighed and peeked at Hayate until he declared, "I'll find a food stall so we can eat together in privacy."
Soon, Hayate and Yoichi were alone in the streets, looking at each other with an intent in mind. Then, Hayate said, "Do you want to hear a story?"
"Yes, Hayate-sama." Yoichi nodded.
What might he tell me was his past... This should be a snoozefest or a tragic memory lane.
______________
(Current Progress)
「NEW!」
—Mortal Strike (Gold)
—2 * Food (30 Portions)
—Demonic Bone Forging Pills (30 P)
—Blood Ganoderma Ointments (30 P)
—Qi Blood Pills (30 P)
—10 Gold Bars
____________
There's gotta be a time skip next chapter so we could finally get into the plot and its drama.
Thanks for reading the chapters and bookmarking the novel. See ya! XDD!