Chapter 12 — New Mission
Raizen remained unconscious for an entire day before finally stirring.
The first thing that greeted his senses was the pale glow of moonlight. A cold breeze brushed against his face as his eyelids fluttered open. For several seconds, his mind remained blank, caught between dream and reality.
Then awareness slowly returned. The silver light of the moon illuminated jagged stone around him, casting long shadows across uneven ground. When Raizen instinctively reached out to steady himself, his hand touched rough rock.
His brow furrowed.
Stone?
He forced his aching body upright, and the moment his vision cleared, a jolt of shock ran through him.
He was sitting on the edge of a steep cliffside. The forest stretched far below, a dark sea of trees swaying quietly beneath the night sky.
"How… did I end up here?"
The memory of the previous night rushed back into his mind.
The battle in the inn.
The bearded bounty hunter.
The katana pressed against his throat.
And then… UU.
Raizen exhaled slowly. So she must have brought me here after I passed out.
For now, that question could wait. What mattered more was his condition.
Suppressing the pain radiating throughout his body, Raizen immediately opened the system interface.
The moment the panel appeared before him, the screen flickered with a warning glow.
Bright red text blinked urgently.
Current HP: 60%
Raizen's lips tightened slightly. Every movement still sent waves of pain through his muscles, as though his body had been crushed and pieced back together again.
Fortunately, after checking carefully, he realized the injuries were mostly superficial wounds. There was no damage to his bones or vital organs.
The ten magic crystals he had earned from personally killing the bearded man had all been consumed automatically by the system's healing function.
But the healing had only done the bare minimum—stopping the bleeding and stabilizing his life.
His body was still far from fully recovered. Raizen rubbed his temples, his head still slightly dizzy.
Then his eyes suddenly brightened.
The mission reward.
He had almost forgotten about it.
"UU."
His voice echoed softly into the quiet night.
"Present, Master."
The familiar silver-haired girl appeared instantly before him, floating lightly in the air as if gravity held no authority over her.
A faint smile curved on her lips, as calm and polite as always.
"Mission rewards can be claimed through the mission interface."
Sure enough, when Raizen focused on the system again, a new mission panel had appeared.
He opened it.
The blue holographic interface expanded before his eyes.
Only a single mission was displayed—and it was marked clearly in glowing letters.
Completed.
Raizen selected it.
A small window popped up immediately.
Mission Completed.
Reward: Chakra Extraction Method of the Current World
Raizen did not hesitate.
"Claim reward."
The instant he spoke, a flood of information surged into his mind.
It was like opening a door that had always been locked.
Knowledge poured in.
Methods of breathing.
The circulation of energy.
The precise process required to awaken and refine chakra.
Raizen's eyes sharpened with determination.
Without wasting another second, he sat down cross-legged on the cold stone.
Then he closed his eyes.
Chakra extraction was the fundamental ability of every ninja.
It involved drawing energy from the body's 130 trillion cells, combining physical energy with the spiritual energy formed through willpower, experience, and mental focus.
When these two energies fused together perfectly—
Chakra was born.
Raizen slowly steadied his breathing.
One breath.
Two breaths.
He focused inward, sensing the faint warmth buried deep within his body.
At first, there was nothing.
Then, gradually…
A tiny current appeared. Like a weak spark flickering in darkness.
But once the process began, the energy started gathering little by little, circulating through his body's pathways.
The night passed quietly. By the time the first rays of sunlight pierced through the forest canopy, Raizen finally opened his eyes.
The morning sun stabbed sharply into his vision.
"Ugh—"
He raised a hand instinctively, shielding his eyes from the brightness.
After a long exhale, he checked his system panel again.
A new bar had appeared beneath his HP.
MP: 12
Raizen stared at it for a moment.
The amount was pitifully small. Still, it was proof that his chakra refinement had succeeded.
At the moment, however, he possessed no jutsu whatsoever.
This small reserve of chakra could only strengthen his physical movements slightly. He wasn't even capable of performing basic techniques like chakra infusion into weapons yet.
In other words—He was still far from being a true ninja.
Just then—
Growl…
His stomach let out an extremely loud protest.
Raizen blinked. Then he chuckled bitterly.
He hadn't eaten anything for more than a full day. No wonder his body felt so weak.
Pressing his hands against the stone, he pushed himself upright and jumped down from the cliff ledge, landing lightly among the forest trees.
Breakfast came first. Food meant survival.
He began heading toward the nearby town when suddenly a thought struck him.
"My spear…"
His eyes widened slightly.
He had left it behind at the inn. Immediately, he changed direction and hurried back toward town.
He had no spare money left to purchase another weapon. Without that spear, his combat ability would drop drastically.
And although he had learned chakra refinement, he had no idea how to properly use it yet.
He couldn't leap across trees like a ninja.
He couldn't move silently through the forest.
Right now, he could only run like an ordinary person.
Fortunately, UU had not carried him very far away from town the previous night. It didn't take long before the familiar streets appeared.
Raizen bought a quick breakfast from a roadside stall, devouring the food in a few minutes.
Then he visited a clothing shop and purchased a cheap set of replacement clothes.
The outfit he had worn yesterday was soaked in blood and completely unusable. Still, as he counted the coins left in his pouch, regret tugged at his chest.
Spending eighteen thousand ryō on clothes…
That was a terrible decision.
With his finances nearly depleted, he quickly returned to the inn.
The innkeeper froze the moment he saw Raizen walk through the door.
Raizen stepped forward calmly.
"Boss," he said coldly, "where is my spear?"
His gaze locked directly onto the man's eyes.
The innkeeper swallowed. He had heard everything the previous night.
A violent battle.
Blood.
And someone dying.
There was no way he would dare provoke the man responsible.
Forcing a polite smile, he nodded quickly.
"Ah, yes! Master, you left in such a hurry yesterday that the spear was forgotten here. I've been keeping it safe for you."
"I'll go get it right away."
"Please follow me."
Moments later, Raizen retrieved the spear.
Without wasting another second, he left the town. After last night's killing, staying any longer would only increase the risk of trouble.
He had barely entered the forest when UU's voice rang out again.
"Master, you have received a new mission."
Raizen stopped walking. He opened the mission interface immediately.
Two missions appeared on the screen.
---
Mission 1:
Kill ten wanted criminals and exchange their bounties at the Money Exchange Office.
Total reward must not be less than 80 million ryō.
Time Limit: One month
Reward: Three Jutsu
---
Mission 2:
Kill one B-rank rogue ninja.
Time Limit: Seven days
Reward: One attribute enhancement
---
Note: Both missions may be undertaken simultaneously.
---
Special Bonus:
Map of the Money Exchange Office distribution.
Raizen's eyes brightened.
"Claim the money exchange map."
Immediately, a holographic map appeared before him.
It displayed his current position along with several marked locations.
The nearest Money Exchange Office was surprisingly close.
Right at the edge of the town he had just left.
Raizen folded the map away.
Then he turned around. If he wanted to become a bounty hunter, he would first need to register an identity at the exchange office.
After that, he could freely select targets. The exchange would provide information on wanted criminals along with the bounty rewards.
---
Not long later, Raizen stood in front of a small tile-roofed building.
From the outside, it looked completely ordinary. No one would ever guess that beneath it lay one of the underground Money Exchange Offices.
Raizen pushed the door open.
Inside, the room was spacious—but strangely empty.
No counters.
No customers.
Just a quiet interior.
If he didn't already know what this place was, he might have assumed he had walked into the wrong house.
"This must be an illusion," he muttered quietly.
"UU… I'll need your help."
Naturally, Raizen had no ability to break illusions yet.
Only UU could guide him through it.
The silver-haired girl appeared beside him with a faintly exasperated look.
Without speaking, she gestured for him to follow.
They took several steps forward.
And then—
The world suddenly shifted.
It felt as though they had passed through an invisible wall. In the next moment, Raizen found himself standing at the top of a long underground stairway.
The stairs descended deep into the earth, vanishing into a dark corridor far below.
Raizen inhaled slowly.
Everyone down there would be dangerous criminals.
He needed to remain calm. If he showed weakness, he could easily become someone else's prey.
Step by step, he walked down. When he finally entered the underground hall, the atmosphere changed immediately.
The lighting was dim. A lounge area held more than a dozen rough-looking men.
They were drinking, arguing, and loudly bragging about their recent kills.
The environment was chaotic.
Some of them were already fighting each other.
Raizen quietly observed them.
Anyone reckless enough to reveal themselves openly might already be a wanted criminal.
If luck favored him, some of them could even become his future targets.
But as he watched them—Several pairs of eyes turned toward him as well.
Their smiles were cold.
Predatory.
In this place, human life was worth less than money. To them, Raizen looked less like a man… and more like a walking corpse with a bounty attached.
Ignoring the hostile stares, Raizen walked calmly to the front desk. Two cold-faced women were sitting behind the counter.
"Register an identity for me," he said calmly.
The women nodded silently. One of them pulled out a registration form and began writing quickly.
After a moment, she slid the paper toward him.
"Write your code name."
"Registration fee: 12,000 ryō."
Naturally, this identity was not his real name.
It was his bounty hunter alias. No one foolish enough to survive in this world would reveal their true identity here.
Raizen picked up the pen. Without hesitation, he wrote a name.
Kazane.
Then he placed 20,000 ryō on the table and pushed the paper forward.
The two women processed the registration quickly. Efficiency was clearly their specialty.
After finishing, one of them placed a stack of mission sheets in front of him.
"Kazane," she said coldly.
"We'll call you that for now."
"These are the available missions along with target information."
"Choose your target."
Raizen nodded.
He picked up the first sheet and opened it.
His eyes immediately focused on the bold classification at the top.
S-Rank Rogue Ninja
Target: Kakuzu.