Seeing that Shiranui Hayate had no intention of reviewing the mundane personnel files, Hotaru didn't press the issue. Instead, she moved on to the more pressing matters.
"Boss, I've already purchased the Stark Industries shares as you requested."
She paused, flipping to a new page in her folder.
"As for the plot of land in Hell's Kitchen, the application for the orphanage has been filed. Once it's approved, you'll need to make an appearance at the groundbreaking ceremony."
"There's also the matter of charitable tax avoidance," she added. "A press conference will be held eventually. You'll need to attend that as well."
Hearing about the tax avoidance, Hayate felt a sudden, inexplicable pang in his chest. Even with the "charitable" deductions, the numbers were staggering. Given his current income level, he suspected the taxes he owed this year would far exceed several hundred million dollars.
That much money... think of the gear upgrades I could buy with that.
He sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, he had to play the part of a law-abiding citizen with legitimate assets.
"You handle the arrangements, Hotaru," Hayate said. "Just give me a heads-up when you need me to show my face."
Warmed by the Boss's unwavering trust, Hotaru flashed a bright smile and gathered her documents. She had much to coordinate before the day was over.
Once Hotaru left, Hayate set down the newspaper and retreated to the privacy of his room.
Currently, Sasuke and Rock Lee were out on a mission, taking Naruto along with them. His three Adjudicators were equally occupied, tasked with the rigorous screening of potential recruits from the High Table. Once the new base was completed, they would need a small army of capable hands to run it.
Safely inside his room, Hayate closed his eyes. His consciousness surged into the System Space.
He navigated to his inventory and locked onto the Ninjutsu Secret Scrolls.
He had saved up twelve of them. Today, he intended to crack them all open. He was aiming for at least one or two new skills—ideally, a Medical Ninjutsu or a high-level Genjutsu.
Ten-roll summon... Begin!
The scrolls in his backpack erupted with a blinding radiance. In the next heartbeat, they shattered into a cascade of Ninjutsu fragments that swirled before his eyes.
[System Notification]
- Obtained: Lightning Style: Thunderbolt (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Ninja Art: Returning Shuriken (Fragment x4)
- Obtained: Lightning Flash Blade (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Wind Style: Decapitating Air Wave (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Wind Style: Cyclone (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Fire Style: Demon Lantern (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Earth Style: Earth Shaking (Fragment x3)
- Obtained: Water Style: Water Colliding Wave (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Ninja Art: Returning Shuriken (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Earth Style: Earth Shaking (Fragment x1)
Hayate collected the fragments, but he didn't stop to examine them yet. He quickly tapped the remaining two scrolls.
[System Notification]
- Obtained: Mystical Palm Technique: Heal (Fragment x1)
- Obtained: Earth Style: Earth Shaking (Fragment x1)
As the light faded, Hayate began to tally his gains.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't bothered to "pray" to any RNG gods today, but the results were underwhelming. Twelve secret scrolls had yielded only seventeen fragments.
The drop rate is abysmal. He made a mental note: whether it was recruiting ninjas or opening chests, he needed to find a reliable ritual next time.
Hayate opened the Secret Scroll Skill tab.
His current active skills were Ninja Body Art: Protect (Lv.2) and Ninja Body Art: Rage (Lv.1).
From this pull, he had secured a total of five fragments for Ninja Art: Returning Shuriken. In the system, five fragments were exactly what was needed to synthesize a basic skill.
Without hesitation, he clicked the button.
[System Notification]
- Successfully synthesized: Ninja Art: Returning Shuriken (Lv.1)!
[Ninja Art: Returning Shuriken]: Launches a Fuma Shuriken forward, infused with twice the user's physical power to pierce through enemies. After reaching its maximum range, it returns to the owner.
Note: The flight path of the Fuma Shuriken can be manipulated at will.
Hayate nodded in satisfaction. However, considering the massive size of a Fuma Shuriken, "piercing" an enemy usually meant bisecting them at the waist.
With his current strength, the kinetic energy of a thrown Fuma Shuriken would likely surpass that of a standard missile.
Twice the power... Hayate mused. This thing could probably slice right through tank armor. I wonder if Tony's Mark armor could withstand a direct hit?
Beside the shuriken skill, he saw the second synthesizable option: Earth Style: Earth Shaking.
He had also reached the five-fragment threshold for this one.
[System Notification]
- Successfully synthesized: Earth Style: Earth Shaking (Lv.1)!
[Earth Style: Earth Shaking]: Controls the ground within a specific radius, causing it to rupture and rise. Enemies within the area take damage and are launched into the air. The more chakra used, the larger the range and the more devastating the tremors.
The moment the skill was finalized, Hayate felt a subtle shift in his internal chakra.
He opened his status window. In the Elemental Affinity column, beside Fire and Lightning, the word Earth now glowed.
He had officially become a triple-affinity ninja.
Compared to the Shuriken manipulation skill—which merely added the "Fuma Shuriken" item to the System Shop—the acquisition of an actual Ninjutsu provided a much more tangible boost.
While he could have commissioned a Fuma Shuriken in the real world, the system-granted skill ensured a perfect return flight and an unnatural multiplier to his throwing force.
He glanced at the remaining fragments.
He had one fragment each for a variety of Wind, Water, and Fire styles, as well as the one he coveted most: the Mystical Palm Technique.
Fortunately, Secret Scroll skills didn't require the massive fragment counts that Ninjas did—where starting costs ranged from forty to a hundred.
A mere five fragments could birth a technique. Upgrading to Level 2 required ten fragments, Level 3 required fifteen, and so on.
The ceiling for these skills was incredibly high. Hayate wasn't sure what the limit was in this world, but before he had crossed over as Kazuma, he knew players could reach Level 50.
At that level, while a Fuma Shuriken might not literally slice a planet in half, taking down a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier with a single throw seemed well within the realm of possibility.
It was just a shame that Secret Scrolls were so rare. Aside from the recent influx of sign-in rewards, he had only managed to unlock two skills in the three years since the function had been activated.
One was Level 2, and the other was Level 1. He had a long way to go.