Chapter 11 — Unusually Challenging C-Rank Mission
[Defeat an enemy with a Kekkei Genkai Sharingan to gain 1 Demon Point. Demon Points can be used to upgrade Devil Fruit abilities.]
The sudden system voice ringing in his ears made Obuya, who was walking along, freeze in place.
"Demon Point… what is that?"
He stopped and focused on the five-pointed star demon mark on his forehead. Activating the system, he opened his personal information page to check.
The information page now showed some changes:
[Name]: Obuya (Devil Fruit User)
[Level]: Apprentice Demon (80 Demon Points away from One-Star Demon)
[Awakened Abilities]: Barrier·Human Body Reassembly (Stage 1), Cardiac Shock (Stage 2)
[Body Modification]: No demon body modifications performed
[Remaining Demon Points]: 1 (can be used to upgrade the rank of one ability)
This time, opening the "Personal Information" page, Obuya saw a few useful details.
The first was that he was still 80 Demon Points away from reaching One-Star Demon.
The second was the previously puzzling "Demon Point."
Given his identity as a transmigrator, Obuya immediately understood its purpose. Essentially, it was just like the skill points in the games he played in his previous life.
"So the rank of my abilities can also be increased with Demon Points. That's amazing! Judging by my battle against that Uchiha ninja, it seems these points are earned through combat."
After his excitement subsided, he began to ponder where to allocate this single Demon Point.
"Human Body Reconfiguration seems like it's a prelude to body modifications once I reach One-Star Demon. If I put the point here, it would likely increase the range of the Barrier effect…"
"But Cardiac Shock is currently my most important, perhaps my only effective means against enemies. Allocating the point here would improve my actual combat power the most."
After deciding, he opened the "Ability Attributes" page and, with the system's assistance, applied the Demon Point to Cardiac Shock.
What was originally Stage 2 became Stage 3. The ability itself also underwent slight changes, now described as:
Cardiac Shock · Stage 3: Precise control of high-frequency currents. Can channel electricity into a specific body part, significantly enhancing its capabilities.
Obuya seemed to have a revelation and raised his right hand.
Accompanied by a "zzz-zzz" crackling sound, his hand became completely enveloped in electric blue light. He clenched his fist, which now glowed like cobalt electricity.
Obuya sensed that, while this punch might not be as powerful as when in Beast Mode, it was sustainable. In other words, he could fight for extended periods without worrying about the electricity dissipating after a single strike.
He continued experimenting with control.
The electric light faded from his hand and gathered at a single fingertip, forming a bright cobalt point.
Obuya's heart raced. That single finger now functioned as an indestructible surgical blade, capable of slicing through flesh with ease.
After the electric glow dissipated, a surge of electricity shot out from beneath his feet.
Taking a step forward, the electricity traced a blue streak across the ground, and he blinked out of sight, appearing ten meters away.
"In the world of One Piece, even someone like Law with this Devil Fruit hasn't developed this technique, right?" Obuya muttered excitedly.
He concentrated the blue electricity at his feet and sprinted wildly toward his residence.
His speed was so fast it was as if he had become a blue shadow, moving faster than the wind. When encountering obstacles, a single leap cleared heights of five meters effortlessly.
Obuya felt exhilarated.
For the first time, he truly felt he now had the means to survive in the Ninja World.
That night, he didn't sleep, spending the entire time imagining his future.
The next day.
Obuya rose early.
Standing in front of a mirror, he solemnly affixed the ninja headband he had acquired yesterday to his forehead. As for the vest, its design was too crude for his taste, so he left it in the wardrobe.
Looking at his reflection, he muttered, "Now that I'm a Konoha ninja, I should start doing what a Konoha ninja is supposed to do."
…
Obuya walked along the village streets, and passersby frequently cast curious glances at him.
"Isn't that Obuya? Why is he wearing a Konoha ninja headband?"
"You've been out of the loop. I heard yesterday that the Hokage personally issued a decree, officially recognizing Obuya as part of Konoha. He's now a legal citizen of the Land of Fire."
"Really?"
"I also heard that Obuya possesses a rare Kekkei Genkai, and even Kirito was subdued by him. No wonder the Hokage values him and allowed him to join Konoha."
The surrounding whispers had no effect on Obuya. He made his way to the Konoha Mission Office.
This was where missions were issued.
Completing missions of varying difficulty granted differing amounts of money, and completing missions would also build a ninja's career record.
For ninjas without a strong background or side jobs, this was a chance to earn quick money and enhance their reputation in the Ninja World, so many participated.
Most missions posted here were low-risk. A- and S-rank missions were usually personally assigned by the Hokage.
The missions were posted on a bulletin board—anyone could accept them, and most were unique. Once one person completed a mission, it was automatically considered failed for others.
Obuya scanned the board. Most were D-rank missions, like delivering messages or finding lost dogs, with rewards ranging from 100 to 200 ryō depending on time spent.
Having been in the Ninja World for years, Obuya was familiar with the currency system and its purchasing power.
In the Ninja World, 1 ryō equals 10 yen. A bowl of ramen typically cost 500 yen, or 50 ryō.
So even completing the most tedious D-rank mission would only earn enough for Obuya and his three companions to have a single meal, and that would be the cheapest ramen.
Message delivery or dog-finding missions were clearly not what Obuya wanted to do, even though he needed money.
He focused on searching.
"Got it! A C-rank mission."
Obuya's gaze sharpened.
He almost had to dig through piles of paper to find it, half-hidden under other postings, indicating that this mission had previously been overlooked.
[C-Rank Mission: Land of Earth. A rogue ninja from Iwa Village has infiltrated our Land of Fire and is hiding in the Devil's Forest. Eliminate this individual. Reward: 1,000 ryō.]
[Note: The rogue ninja, named Tōki, is a lower-tier Iwa Village ninja. Intelligence reports indicate he is injured. While not particularly dangerous, exercise caution and show no mercy.]
"Iwa Village?"
Obuya frowned.
As far as he knew, the Third Great Ninja War was initiated by a surprise attack from this very village against Konoha.
And now, less than a month remained before that war began.
This forced him to suspect that this might be a ruse from Iwa Village, using this method to probe Konoha's defenses and prepare for the coming attack.