Chapter 53: So Taunting Weapons Really Do Exist
After a long absence, he finally returned to the village.
Standing alone in the middle of the road, Uchiha Asuka watched the distant figure gradually disappear from sight. He pursed his lips, lost in thought.
Just a few minutes earlier, he had stood there saying goodbye to Pakura as she set off on her journey across the shinobi world with her luggage in hand.
Officially, she claimed she was traveling to clear her mind.
But from the murderous glint hidden in her eyes, Asuka knew she still hadn't let go of the anger she felt over her village's betrayal.
Their farewell hadn't been romantic.
They exchanged a few simple words, embraced once, smiled at each other...
Then went their separate ways.
"I still need to get stronger..."
Hearing Asuka mutter to himself, the orange ninja cat lounging atop his head snorted disdainfully.
"She's already gone."
"When are you going to replace that blind eye?"
"Right now."
Asuka reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a sealed scroll.
Unrolling it, he looked at the black Seal character inscribed on its surface before placing his right hand over it.
Poof!
A puff of white smoke rose into the air.
The sealing mark vanished, revealing a glass container filled with a special preservation solution.
Inside...
An eyeball floated quietly.
Taking a deep breath, Asuka reached toward his blind right eye.
Without hesitation, he removed it and replaced it with the preserved Sharingan.
"...Haa."
After using medical ninjutsu to reconnect the transplanted eye, Asuka let out a long sigh before opening both eyes again.
"Having only one eye really is inconvenient."
The orange cat leaned forward, staring as the new eye gradually regained its natural black color.
Its eyes widened.
"So this is the loophole you were talking about?"
"The Uchiha can actually avoid permanent blindness just by replacing their eyes?"
Its whiskers twitched thoughtfully before it asked another question.
"By the way..."
"Pakura was around earlier, so I didn't feel comfortable asking."
"Considering how special the Uchiha Clan is..."
"...surely lots of people have coveted a power like this."
"So why have I never seen anyone else use it?"
Asuka sighed while adjusting to his newly transplanted eye.
"After the Uchiha joined Konoha..."
"...the clan experienced a major internal conflict because of Izanagi."
"Later, under the guidance of our ancestors, the methods of using both Izanagi and Izanami were sealed away."
"Only a handful of clan members still know those techniques."
"I only learned them by chance."
"As for the other reason..."
He shrugged.
"That internal conflict completely exhausted the clan's stockpile of three-tomoe Sharingan."
"Every time one is used..."
"...that's one fewer remaining."
"No one wants to spend the rest of their life with only one eye."
"I see..."
The orange cat nodded in understanding.
Then its attention immediately shifted to the pale white eyeball resting in the jar.
"I never expected you to have a spare three-tomoe Sharingan."
"..."
Asuka suddenly fell silent.
The orange cat quietly lowered its head as well.
It already knew where that eye had probably come from.
The battlefield.
After a long silence, Asuka shook the memory from his mind—the image of the comrade who had entrusted him with that eye.
He resealed the container inside the scroll before relaxing his shoulders.
"Let's go."
"Back to Konoha."
"Any left?"
"No more three-tomoe."
"Shichinosuke only entrusted me with one."
"I do still have two two-tomoe Sharingan..."
The orange cat's eyes immediately lit up.
Its whiskers trembled excitedly.
"Can cats use them too?"
Asuka recalled how Itachi had implanted a Sharingan into a crow.
After thinking it over, he nodded uncertainly.
"...Probably."
"What about me?"
"You can't."
"Why not?"
Asuka slowly looked the orange cat up and down.
Without even realizing it, the trademark Uchiha arrogance slipped onto his face.
"It would be horrifying."
"I don't think I'd ever sleep peacefully again."
The orange cat froze.
Several seconds later, it finally snapped out of it.
It slammed one paw into the dirt, sending dust flying everywhere.
"Uchiha Asuka!"
"You're going to regret this!"
Along the village road...
The sweet, adorable voice of the orange cat continued cursing him all the way home.
---
When Asuka arrived at his front door, he suddenly remembered something.
His system mission...
...should have already been completed.
At the time, however, Pakura had accepted his confession.
He'd been so happy that he'd completely forgotten about the reward.
Thinking of that, Asuka glanced back at the orange cat, which was still sulking by itself.
Closing his eyes, he called out inwardly,
"System?"
Congratulations, Host.
You wisely realized that sealing a tailed beast inside yourself and using its chakra would allow you to become a humanoid artillery platform, ensuring you never have to worry about insufficient chakra again.
"...Settle the rewards."
The corners of Asuka's mouth twitched.
For some reason...
He always felt the system was trying to imply something.
Everyone in the ninja world knew that becoming a jinchūriki dramatically increased one's chakra reserves.
The real problem was...
There were only nine tailed beasts.
Besides...
Every bit of the tailed beast chakra he had sealed away had already been spent casting the forbidden technique One's Own Life Reincarnation Technique.
Even that hadn't been enough.
He'd still needed to borrow chakra from the ninja cats.
Suppressing the urge to complain, Asuka took a deep breath.
"Reward settlement."
The moment the words left his mouth...
A familiar warm current once again flowed through his optic nerves and into his eyes.
"This feeling..."
Enduring the sharp sting inside his eyes, Asuka finally smiled with relief.
The system...
Actually came through for once.
Judging from the amount of strengthening...
The improvement was roughly equivalent to two months of focused training.
If converted into numbers...
His progress toward awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan was now approximately:
4,000 / 10,000
"Hm..."
"At this rate..."
"It'll probably take another three or four years."
As usual, Asuka gave the system a thumbs-up.
"Good system."
Then his attention shifted toward the remaining two rewards.
---
Taijutsu Training Acceleration Card (30 Days)
Question: If I train taijutsu for one day while everyone else trains for three, how long will it take me to catch up?
Answer: Use the incredibly powerful Taijutsu Training Acceleration Card. One day of your training will equal three days of theirs.
Question: Some people are simply born with extraordinary physiques. Every time I look at those geniuses, I feel inferior. How can I ever catch up?
Answer: Use the miraculous Taijutsu Training Acceleration Card. In just one month, you'll stand shoulder to shoulder with geniuses.
Asuka stared at the description...
For an entire minute.
"...Damn."
"So it's just triple training efficiency."
"The description is unbelievably misleading."
Realistically speaking...
It wasn't going to let him instantly master the Eight Gates.
With little interest, he tossed the card aside.
His gaze settled on the final reward instead.
A hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
A weapon...
Similar to Samehada.
Samehada's dark blue, scale-covered blade wasn't merely capable of cutting people.
It could absorb an opponent's chakra and transfer it directly to its wielder.
More importantly...
It was a living sword.
It only acknowledged someone it genuinely liked.
Recalling the scene where Samehada had enthusiastically abandoned Kisame for Killer B, Asuka couldn't help twitching at the corners of his mouth.
He wasn't particularly fond of flatterers.
Of course...
People flattering him didn't count.
Thinking that, he lowered his head and opened the instruction manual.
«Weapon resembling Samehada.»
«Personality: Wild by nature. Frequently bursts into the unrestrained laughter characteristic of the Uchiha. Normally well-behaved, but when excited it enjoys screaming, swearing, and occasionally mocking its opponents.»
After finishing the description...
Asuka fell silent once again.
For some reason...
A very bad feeling suddenly crept into his heart.
This weapon...
...didn't seem to be what he had imagined.
If he remembered correctly...
Samehada couldn't speak.
But whatever the system had given him...
...not only could it talk...
...it also had an exceptionally foul mouth.
Asuka rubbed his aching forehead.
"So..."
"There really is such a thing..."
"...as a weapon whose special ability is taunting people?"