'Three?'
'Wow, there are three system rewards!'
Rubbing his hands excitedly, Naruto clicked on the first one.
[It is detected that the host has stayed in Amegakure for one hour. Sign-in successful. Reward: 'The Rain' and Sealing Wand!]
'The Rain? Sealing Wand?'
Naruto muttered inwardly, 'What kind of reward was 'The Rain'? And why did 'Sealing Wand' sound so familiar?'
Before he could think it through, a card appeared in the system inventory.
[The Rain: One of the Clow Cards, capable of summoning magical rain.]
"Ah, this…"
Naruto's enthusiasm fizzled out.
If it were a Pokemon's move like 'Rain Dance', it could have been useful for his Wartortle, allowing it to manipulate weather and activate its Rain Dish ability.
But this required him to cast a spell manually, and using the Clow Cards wasn't that simple.
'What I worried about most is...'
Before Naruto could finish his thoughts, the system's devilish voices rang out.
[Friendly Reminder: Using a Clow Card requires the Sealing Wand, which, in its default state, is a key. The host must recite the following incantation:
Key which hides the powers of the dark,
Reveal your true form before me.
I, Uzumaki Naruto, command you under our contract.
Release!]
'No, please, no!' Naruto groaned, feeling secondhand embarrassment just imagining himself chanting such a line.
When he was younger, Cardcaptor Sakura had seemed fun and intriguing, but as he grew older, he realized how ridiculously over-the-top it was.
Saying something like that out loud would be mortifying, and he'd rather face a thousand battles.
'Um, system, can this reward be transferred?' Naruto asked hopefully.
'If it can be transferred, then there will be no problem in giving these things to Wartortle.'
[Friendly Reminder: System rewards are not transferable and can only be used by the host.]
"Ugh…"
With no other options, Naruto shoved the Sealing Wand and The Rain into the furthest corner of his system inventory, vowing not to look at them again.
'Let's hope the second reward is better. Please, anything but this level of humiliation.'
Naruto prayed inwardly and clicked on the second reward.
[It is detected that the host has stayed in the Akatsuki's headquarters for one hour. Sign-in successful. Reward: Aura of Menace.]
'Aura of Menace?'
'What is this?'
Naruto immediately checked the description.
[Aura of Menace: Passive ability. Enhances intimidation factor, creating an aura of dread that instills fear in others.]
[Friendly Reminder: Aura of Menace cannot be activated simultaneously with Charm Technique. The host must switch between the two manually.]
Naruto was delighted when he saw the skill's introduction.
While the ability might seem superficial, it was perfect for creating a commanding presence. Activating it would certainly make him look terrifying and awe-inspiring, which is a great tool for showing off.
However, Naruto decided against switching to it for now. After all, his Charm Technique was still essential for dealing with Konan, as it enhanced female goodwill and significantly reduced their guard.
Without it, interacting with Konan, which is already difficult, would become downright impossible.
He resolved to switch to the Aura of Menace when he left the Akatsuki's base for missions or other activities. For now, he needed to focus on maximizing his gains.
Feeling more optimistic, Naruto clicked on the third reward.
[It is detected that the host has stayed in Konan's room for one hour. Sign-in successful! Reward: Dance of the Shikigami.]
Along with the system prompt, Naruto's body suddenly split apart into countless pieces. Surprisingly, there was no pain… just an odd sensation, as though he were piloting a remote-controlled airplane, freely maneuvering every part of himself.
[Dance of the Shikigami: A B-Rank that allows the user to transform their body into countless pieces of paper, which can move and reshape freely. The paper can be formed into spears, butterflies, or other shapes. Drawbacks: Contact with oil disrupts transformation, and excessive Chakra consumption will end the technique, reverting the user to their original form.]
"Hiss!"
Naruto took a sharp breath, unable to hide his excitement.
When he went to Konan's room, one of the rewards he wanted most was this Dance of the Shikigami.
Not for practicality, but simply because it was cool.
Being able to transform his body freely? Style points: 100.
Beyond the cool factor, this Ninjutsu also had actual benefits. It allowed him to evade conventional damage effortlessly.
It's cool and he won't get beaten.
Hit me? Good luck!
It was the ultimate ability to frustrate opponents.
After closing the system panel, Naruto let out a long sigh of satisfaction.
Though the first reward had filled him with embarrassment, the latter two had completely turned his mood around.
With his current strength, apart from incredible abilities like the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan, the reward Naruto looks forward to most is all kinds of fancy things suitable for showing off.
If it couldn't make him invincible, it at least needed to make life entertaining.
Naruto reflected on how he'd read countless novels in his previous life, many featuring protagonists filled with angst, who'd go rogue or become dark and edgy at the slightest provocation.
It was the same in the original work Sasuke… grim, brooding, always caught up in revenge.
It was not easy for him to travel through time and space and become Uzumaki Naruto, so how could he continue with the old routine? He knew what would happen after he turned evil, so how could he repeat the old path of others?
What he wanted was very simple, to live well and live carefree. If he could achieve immortality and become a living deity, even better. That would be the ultimate win.
Some might say comfort is for the dead, but Naruto didn't agree. In his previous life, it was all about work and more work. He'd barely had time to enjoy life before it was cut short unexpectedly.
As the saying goes, take your own path and just let others talk.
Anyway, as long as he could live freely and happily, that was all that mattered!
"Naruto-kun, what are you doing there?" Itachi frowned slightly.
Naruto pouted and said, "Why do you care about me? Just go to sleep. By the way, I learned a new Ninjutsu. If you don't want to sleep, you can accompany me to experiment with it. How about that?"
"Snore, snore~"
Without the slightest hesitation, Itachi closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, letting out fake snores loud enough to fill the room.
Being Naruto's experimental subject? Dream on!
No one would be willing to do that unless they are a fool!
Looking at Itachi's reaction, Naruto couldn't help but chuckled. Who would've thought the stoic and reserved Itachi could be like this?
In fact, now that Naruto thinks about it carefully, Itachi is just a child. In his previous life, he should still be in high school, but he'd borne unimaginable burdens and sacrifices.
Since Itachi has become his servant, Naruto vowed to never let Itachi tread that tragic path again.
With these thoughts, Naruto gradually drifted off to sleep.
Nothing important happened that night.
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly, a rare sight in Amegakure, where rain was the norm.
Naruto got up early and made his way to the top of the tower.
After obtaining the Dance of the Shikigami in Konan's room yesterday, Naruto decided to strike while the iron was hot. His plan? Sign-in at Pain's room and see what he could get.
Knock, knock, knock!
He knocked on the door, and a cold, distant voice replied from inside, "Come in."
Naruto pushed the door open and strode in confidently.
As he expected, Nagato wasn't here, and this place is where Pain usually stayed. Of course, corpse did not need to sleep, so it should be a false impression created by Nagato, to keep others from discovering their leader is actually just a puppet.
However, before Naruto could say a word, Pain suddenly stood up and said, "You're just in time. I was about to summon you..."