Leaf Calendar, Year 37, May 1st, Rain Country, Leaf Camp Frontline.
"Awesome, I survived again."
"This goddamn world!"
Itoshiki Furukawa furiously pulled a blood-stained kunai from the chest of a Rain ninja.
His chest heaved violently, each breath feeling like an all-out effort, the heavy, bloody air choking him almost to suffocation.
The bandage on his arm had long been dyed a shocking crimson, the wound burning with intense pain.
A year ago, he had suddenly arrived in this world he had only seen on screen: Naruto.
An ordinary Leaf Chunin, without a prominent surname or amazing talent.
He had once been passionate, dreaming of punching Madara Uchiha and kicking Kaguya Otsutsuki, becoming a legend standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world.
Reality, however, was a resounding slap in the face.
In just ten months, the dark clouds of the Second Shinobi World War enveloped the entire ninja world.
He was drafted, assigned to the advance team, and thrown into the meat grinder that was the Rain Country.
In the early stages of the war, the major powers still retained some pretense of probing.
But in just one month, it had completely turned into a meat grinder of life.
Even the most routine patrol could mean never returning.
Just now, his ten-man squad was ambushed in an area that had recently been marked as 'safe'.
Itoshiki gasped laboriously, his chest feeling like a broken bellows.
Each breath carried a nauseating stench of blood and the reek of mud.
The newly replaced white bandage had already adhered to the wound on his arm, and the slightest movement sent a piercing pain throughout his body.
He dragged his heavy steps, mechanically moving through the mud and blood, trying to find surviving comrades.
As far as the eye could see, there were only fallen figures.
Those were his comrades, who had spent day and night with him, struggling on the line between life and death.
Their faces still held shock, pain, or resentment.
Now, they were just gradually cooling corpses, lying quietly on this blood-soaked land.
Never again would they complain, never again would they laugh.
"Damn it, war!" Itoshiki's voice was hoarse, with an uncontrollable tremor.
He bent down, trying to lift a comrade who had fallen face down.
Just then, an extremely faint groan, like a candle flickering in the wind, drifted into his ears.
"You guys are really lucky!"
Itoshiki's hand trembled uncontrollably, he tore open the last first-aid kit he carried, clumsily but carefully treating the only survivor's wounds.
After bandaging him, he looked around again, confirming that there was no other sign of life.
Then, he gritted his teeth, picked up his weak comrade, and, with his last strength, staggered towards the Leaf Camp.
He had only one thought: Return, survive!
Rushing into the infirmary behind the camp, a strong odor of disinfectant, blood, and sweat mixed together assaulted his senses.
Coughing, groaning, and suppressed sobbing could be heard everywhere.
Everywhere he looked, it was overcrowded.
Almost all the beds were filled with suffering wounded, and stretchers covered with white cloths were silently carried away from time to time.
Itoshiki handed the comrade in his arms to the nurse who hurried over.
As soon as he let go, a strong sense of dizziness swept over his brain like a tsunami.
The world spun.
Everything around him was distorted and blurred.
The nurse's anxious calls became distant and distorted.
"Itoshiki! Itoshiki!"
The sound grew farther and farther away until it disappeared completely.
He seemed to be in an absolutely empty, void space.
No light, no sound, only suffocating silence.
Consciousness was rapidly dissipating.
"Am I... going to die?"
The thought appeared, but he felt no fear, only a sense of relief.
Perhaps, it would be better to die.
Just as his consciousness was about to completely sink into the darkness of the last moment.
A cold, mechanical, emotionless voice, like a thunderclap, exploded directly in the depths of his soul.
[Host's near-death state detected, activation conditions met...]
[The Strongest Mission System is starting...]
This voice!
Like the last straw grasped by a drowning man! It instantly pierced through all of Itoshiki's numbness and despair!
System? Mission? The golden finger that every transmigrator needs?!
After struggling for a year since transmigrating, on the verge of death, it had finally arrived!
Itoshiki's almost stagnant brain began to run wildly.
[95%... 99%... 100%!]
[The Strongest Mission System has been successfully activated!]
Boom!
As if the universe had just begun, a torrent of information instantly rushed into his mind.
Everything about this "Strongest Mission System" was clearly displayed in his consciousness.
Very simple.
Complete the missions issued by the system to receive rewards.
The rewards are varied: powerful ninjutsu, forbidden taijutsu, dream bloodline limits, magical tools, and even elusive lifespan!
The triggering of the mission is related to "Echoes of Destiny".
"This, this is simply..." Itoshiki Furukawa's stagnant heartbeat seemed to recover, beginning to beat violently, his eyes bursting with unbelievable light.
A new lease on life!
This is truly a new lease on life!
With it, what is war? What is the identity of a commoner ninja?
As long as he completes the missions, he will become stronger! Constantly stronger!
He will have the opportunity to truly control his own destiny, and even stand at the top of this world!
"Itoshiki Furukawa!"
The nurse's worried voice pulled him back to reality.
He was still in the infirmary, and the nurse was looking at him with a concerned expression.
"Itoshiki , how do you feel? You suddenly fainted just now, it scared me! You are also injured, rest here first and wait for the medical ninja to give you a full check-up."
Itoshiki took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the ecstasy and excitement in his heart, and squeezed out a somewhat pale smile: "It's okay, maybe I'm a little exhausted, thank you, I'll wait here for the check-up."
He murmured in his heart: "System, open the attribute panel."
A translucent light curtain, visible only to him, quietly appeared in front of him.
[Host: Itoshiki Furukawa]
[Age: 18 years old]
[Identity: Leaf Village Chunin]
[Chakra Attribute: Fire, Wind]
[Mastered Ninjutsu: Basic Three Body Technique, C-Rank Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique, C-Rank Wind Release: Great Breakthrough]
[Taijutsu: Leaf Style Taijutsu (Proficient)]
[Overall Strength Evaluation: Chunin (Average Level)]
"As expected." Itoshiki's mouth twitched into a wry smile.
The evaluation was really merciless.
"System, open the mission panel." He muttered again.
The light curtain switched.
The mission panel was blank, with only one option flickering slightly in the corner.
[Newbie Mission]
Itoshiki's heart moved, and his consciousness focused on it.
[Newbie Mission: Confess Loudly to Tsunade]
[Mission Description: The gears of fate have begun to turn, you need a shocking debut! Within seven days, find Tsunade, one of the Leaf's Sannin, and perform a 'confession' to her, trying to gain some kind of 'approval' from her.]
[Mission Reward: S-Rank Nin-Taijutsu: Strength of a Hundred Healings]
[Mission Deadline: 7 days]
[Mission Difficulty: A-Rank]
The smile on Itoshiki's face instantly froze.
He blinked, confirming that he had not misread.
Confess to Tsunade?
And get her "approval"?
Is this system serious?
Is this a newbie mission?
Isn't this a newbie death mission?!
A-Rank difficulty? System, do you misunderstand "difficulty"? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to add two more S's after that difficulty, considering Tsunade's fist can blast Susanoo!
"Strength of a Hundred Healings."
S-Rank Nin-Taijutsu, Tsunade's signature ability that made her famous, a huge temptation.
But this mission...
He had no doubt that if he was really stupid enough to run to Tsunade and say something like "I like you", the most likely outcome would not be getting her approval, but being punched into the wall, unable to be pried out.
This isn't a matter of difficulty, this is a matter of survival!
"System, is this 'confession' what I think it means? What does 'approval' mean?" Itoshiki tried to communicate with the system in his heart, with a hint of luck.
The system's cold voice rang out again: [The mission description has the sole right of interpretation, please explore the completion method yourself.]
Seven days, confess to Tsunade, get approval, S-Rank Strength of a Hundred Healings.
Itoshiki's eyes flickered, his brain running at an unprecedented speed.
Force it? That's suicide.
Must find another way!
This mission definitely has a pit! Or rather, some kind of exploitable "rule".
"Confession" is definitely not just the literal meaning!
"Approval" is definitely not romantic love!
Itoshiki's eyes gradually sharpened.
This damned, tempting, and extremely dangerous newbie mission!