Chapter 2 — Rin
Obuya focused his mind on the spot between his brows. The pentagram on his forehead flickered with a ghostly light, and a black scroll appeared before his eyes. When he opened it, several lines of information were displayed:
1. Personal Information
2. Ability Attributes
3. Devil Missions
Obuya opened the "Personal Information" option, and the details appeared:
[Name]: Obuya (Devil Fruit User)
[Level]: Apprentice Demon (Next level: One-Star Demon)
[Ability]: Surgery Fruit Power (Ultimate Devil Fruit power to modify human bodies. Power has no upper limit and possesses infinite possibilities.)
[Modifications]: No prior body modifications
"Of course it's the Surgery Fruit… but what does 'Apprentice Demon' mean?"
Obuya looked puzzled.
But soon, his attention was drawn to the second option. He opened the "Ability Attributes" page, and several lines of information appeared:
[Apprentice Demon] (Skills already awakened):
Barrier: Human Reassembly — Releases a spherical enclosed space in which limbs can be cut and reassembled. Beings cut inside do not die, do not bleed, and are not injured in any way.
Cardiac Shock — Releases high-frequency electric shocks to the heart, causing paralysis or even cardiac arrest. At its limit, it is comparable to the Chidori-style attack.
[One-Star Demon] (Not yet awakened):
Barrier: Human Modification — Within a spherical enclosed space, allows surgical modification of others or oneself. Not only can body parts be transplanted, but bloodlines and souls can also be transferred.
Lethal Injection — Strikes the enemy with incredible speed. Within the surgical barrier, the opponent cannot dodge. At full potential, the speed rivals the Flying Thunder God technique.
[Two-Star Demon] (Not yet awakened):
Barrier: Absolute Control — Releases a spherical enclosed space, allowing manipulation of non-living entities within. Can reverse enemy ninjutsu and reflect it back at them.
Gamma Blade — Condenses a blue light blade in the palm, capable of cutting internal organs without damaging the exterior, inflicting irreversible damage. At full potential, rivaling the Rasenshuriken.
[Three-Star Demon] (Hidden; requires second awakening of Devil Fruit)
[Four-Star Demon] (Hidden; requires second awakening of Devil Fruit)
Obuya's mind shook violently.
"So I'm an Apprentice Demon now. That means I already have the two abilities of an Apprentice Demon?"
He stretched out his right hand, palm facing down, and attempted to release the Surgery Barrier.
To his surprise, the process was exceptionally smooth. This ability seemed almost instinctual.
A white vortex of light appeared in his palm, suddenly expanding into a semi-circular dome, covering a radius of ten meters.
"Success!"
Obuya was overjoyed.
Within this space he created, he felt like the master. His strength, speed, and agility all increased to varying degrees.
Conversely, if anyone else entered this space, they would be fully suppressed, unable to fight at their true potential.
"My stamina is depleting fast… so releasing the Surgery Barrier consumes physical energy."
With this first experience, he began experimenting further.
After multiple trials, he concluded that the longer he charged, the wider the barrier's range. At his current limit, the maximum radius was fifteen meters.
Satisfied, he dismissed the barrier and moved on to try his second ability.
Ziii!
Blue electricity flashed across his hand.
Obuya glanced around, his gaze landing on the large tree in front of him.
Approaching it cautiously, mindful of his previous failures, he didn't try brute force. Instead, he gently pressed his blue-electricity-charged palm against the trunk.
"Ssshhh!!!"
The crackle of electricity ran through the air, and in an instant, everything returned to calm.
The surface of the tree showed no damage at all—not even the scorch marks he had expected.
Yet Obuya couldn't hide his excited smile.
Only he knew that the heartwood inside the tree had already been reduced to sawdust.
"So this is the true power of Blue Lightning… no wonder this ability is called Cardiac Shock. If used on a person, it wouldn't just cause paralysis—it could incinerate their internal organs to ashes."
As he basked in the thrill of his newfound power, the system's voice suddenly rang out:
[You have a Devil Mainline Mission. Please check it promptly…]
"A mission?"
Obuya's spirits lifted.
From the information he already knew, the only way to grow from an Apprentice Demon to a One-Star Demon was clear: complete the Devil Missions.
His gaze shifted to the third line of information: the "Devil Missions" option. Upon opening it, a line of text appeared:
Apprentice Demon Mission · Mainline
[Content]: One month from now, the Third Great Ninja War will begin. The balance of the ninja world will shift. You must survive this war and obtain a Kekkei Genkai—Sharingan—to complete your first Devil Body Modification.
[Consequence]: Success grants access to subsequent missions. Failure will result in the revocation of your Devil Fruit ability, stripping away the rebirth granted. If you die, you vanish forever.
"Ah?"
Obuya's face drained of color at the final line.
"Fail… and I'll vanish forever?"
His heart clenched.
"One month… only one month. I have to level up as quickly as possible."
"According to the mission, obtaining the Sharingan is necessary to pass. But to complete the mission, acquiring the Sharingan is only the first step. The second is unlocking the 'Barrier: Human Modification' ability, which requires growing into a One-Star Demon."
"One month to ascend to One-Star Demon… can I do it? I'll just have to give it everything I've got."
Obuya clenched both fists, silently making a firm resolve.
Meanwhile, in the distance…
A petite, cute figure hid behind a large tree, quietly observing the "lonely" figure, letting out a soft sigh.
"Obuya… right now, you must feel helpless. How can I help you?"
The girl adjusted her mood, stepped out from behind the tree, and waved cheerfully in his direction.
"Hi, Obuya. So you really are here! I went to your house to look for you, but you weren't there—I knew you'd be here training…"
The sudden voice startled Obuya, who had been lost in his own world. When he looked up and saw the girl waving at him from afar, a rare smile spread across his face.
"Rin!!"
Seeing Rin's smiling face gave him even more courage to fight for survival.
During the year he had been in Konohagakure, he had only two friends. One was Uchiha Obito—bonded through shared hardships. Obito was born into the prestigious Uchiha Clan but was called the clan's disgrace. He had poor talent and endured the disdain of his own people.
Of course, "poor talent" in the Uchiha context still counted as genius compared to ordinary ninja.
The second friend was Nohara Rin.
Rin was the kindest and gentlest girl Obuya had ever met since arriving in this world. To a large extent, it was thanks to Rin's selfless help that he had survived and not starved to death.