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The walls were cracked and discolored with old patches of mold crawling near the ceiling, and the smell of dust lingering in the air. It wasn't much, just a single room with a busted heater, a flickering light, and a stained mattress shoved in the corner. The bathroom barely worked. The kitchen wasn't even worth calling a kitchen, just a sink, with a half-broken stove, and a mini-fridge that buzzed louder than it cooled.
But it was his.
But it was still better than where he used to sleep back in the army.
No tent. No roof. Just dirt, rocks, and sometimes, if he was lucky, a half-broken cot during deployments. Rain, heat, bugs, all of it. Compared to that, this rundown apartment with its cracked walls, leaky faucet, and paper-thin mattress was practically luxury.
"Fifty-eight… fifty-nine…" Kuro grunted, sweat rolling down his face as he strained through another push-up. His arms trembled slightly, despite the lack of space, he'd carved out a small area in the center of the room, just big enough for a workout mat, a set of makeshift weights made from bricks and duct tape, and his body. That was all he needed.
"Sixty."
He collapsed on his back, panting. 'I guess my max is sixty…not bad.' He grunted, collapsing onto the floor, sweat dripping off his chin. In his old life, he could crank out a hundred pushups easily. Now? Sixty had him feeling like his spine was about to snap in half.
He laid there for a second, staring up at the ceiling like it had answers.
'Inventory…' he thought, calling the system up with a sigh.
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[INVENTORY ]
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[WATER CANTEEN 1x ] - Common..
[KUNAI 3x ] - Common..
[CHIPPED SHORT SWORD 1x ] - Uncommon..
[SHURIKEN 13x ]- Common..
[DUNGEON KEY 1x ] - Uncommon..
[RANDOM MEDIUM GRADE LOOT BOX 1x ] - Rare..
. . . .
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Compared to how it looked a month ago, his inventory had definitely leveled up in it's own way. The old rusty kunai and shuriken he had was scrapped the second he rolled actual weapons from the random loot boxes. But that only came after pulling absolute shit loot… literally.
He still remembered the time the box coughed up a steaming pile of something labeled "dog shit." with 2+ to health when consumed. He didn't even know if it was supposed to be funny, but it wasn't.
Luckily, not long after, he managed to pull a chipped short sword from one of the loot boxes. It wasn't good by any means, the blade was slightly dull, with a few nicks along the edge, and the grip was worn out, but it was still a step up from the rusty kunai.
It wasn't ideal to say the least, but it was better than swinging around glorified scrap metal.
For now, it would have to do… until he got his hands on a real weapon.
And then there was that..the box.
A single unopened loot box sat quietly at the bottom of his inventory. [Medium Grade]. The reward he earned after hitting level 10 in all his Jutsu and completing the Genin-in-Training quest.
He'd been holding off on opening it. No real reason, just hadn't had the time today.
His finger hovered over the option.
'This better be good. No fucking way I just spent a whole damn month grinding just to get shit again…' he thought, eyes narrowing.
Tapping the box icon, the system responded with a soft chime. A second later, light flickered in front of him as a chest-sized loot box materialized in his hands. It was decorated in a gold trim with a red ribbon tied on top.
"Oh-ho... let's see what you got for me." he muttered, licking his lips.
He unraveled the ribbon slowly, savoring the moment, with a low creak, the lid opened.
Inside were two scrolls with a green tag on one and a red one on the other.
(B-RANK) – [WIND STYLE JUTSU: VACUUM BLADE] – Added to Dex.
[VACUUM BLADE JUTSU INFO: Allows the user to coat their weapon in wind chakra, enhancing cutting strength or launching wind based attacks from a distance. The more chakra you pour the stronger the jutsu gets. ]
(C-RANK) – [WIND STYLE JUTSU: GALE PALM] – Added to Dex.
[GALE PALM JUTSU INFO: Allows the user to generate a strong burst of wind from their palm with a simple thrust. This gust can be used to launch projectiles with greater force, or to knock back enemies. ]
His lips curled into an "O" as he stared at the description, then let out a low whistle. "Now we're talking…"
This was exactly what he needed for the evaluation next week. A C-rank Jutsu wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but for someone stuck at the bottom like him, it was a step up, one that could actually give him a shot at earning those C-rank missions. On top of that, he got a B-rank jutsu under his belt, which only made things better. Most genin's didn't even get their hands on a B-rank until way later, let alone one they could actually use properly.
And the fact that he got both a B-rank and a C-rank jutsu so easily...gave him some hope. Maybe, if things kept going like this, he'd get strong enough to at least survive another year.
But even with that win, there was still a problem.
If he used it during the combat test, people might start asking questions. A clan less genin like him, barely scraping by on D-rank chore work, suddenly pulling out a B-rank and C-rank Jutsu. People might start wondering how he got his hands on a jutsu like that. And if they pressed him for answers, he wasn't sure what he'd say.
They might think he's a spy or something worse, so it's better to keep the new Jutsu to himself, for now. 'So if I can't use my jutsu's, then I'll have to rely on my stats…' he mused, scratching at his chin. Though, even that thought didn't exactly bring comfort. The truth was, he had no idea how his stats stacked up against other Genin. For all he knew, he was still dog shit compared to everybody else.
He glanced at the ten ability points he'd been saving. It sounded like a lot, but it wasn't. The daily quests barely scrape together enough ability points, to make a big difference.
He sighed, dragging a hand down his face.
'Fuuckk…'
The only option that made any real sense right now was the one he kept pushing to the back of his mind, a dungeon. The XP, the loot, the ability points… it could give him what he needed. But If he went in unprepared, he could die.
Again.
And the thought of dying twice without even getting the chance to really live wasn't something he was ready to accept. Not yet.
He wasn't scared, far from it. He'd been through worse in the army. Missions where death sat on your shoulder like a second shadow, where stepping left instead of right meant your squad didn't come home. He was used to the feeling, he was used to the gamble.
But this? This was different.
There was no intel, no map, no mission briefing, and no squad to cover his blind spots. It was just him and whatever the dungeon decided to throw at him. And if there was one thing he learned from the army, it was that without prep, things went sideways fast.
Eighty percent of the time, shit always hit the fan.
And besides… he really didn't want to be face-to-face with some ugly-ass goblins or fighting giant ass golems, that could crush his head in one stomp.
But now, with two decent Jutsu's in his pocket, there was a chance. A small one, sure, but it was better than nothing. Before this, his chances of making it out of a dungeon alive were zero. Not even a maybe. Just a hard, cold no. But now?
Now he had a better chance.
A shitty one, maybe ten percent, if he trusted the gut feeling gnawing at him. But hey, ten was better than none. And for someone like him, that was enough to roll the dice.
Truth was... he liked the gamble. Always had. Army or not, he was still a gambling addict at heart. That itch to take a risk, to bet on something with everything stacked against you, that never went away. If anything, being in the army just fed it more.
"The most successful people gamble."
That was something his old senior officer used to say to him and It always stuck with him. It stuck even now... in this second shot at life, short as it already was.
This was fairly good. This was definitely a starting point. With his other three jutsu, he couldn't say for sure whether he was ready to take on a dungeon, honestly, with how unreliable they were, he would probably die on the spot. But this changed things.
It gave him something solid to work with.
This was exactly what he'd been waiting for before stepping into a dungeon. A reason to feel like he had at least some chance. It didn't guarantee his survival, but it gave him an edge, and that was enough.
He still wasn't eager to rush in. He didn't know what kind of enemies were inside or what the layout of the dungeon would be. But he knew that the rewards inside would outweigh the risk. At least, that's what he hoped.
Getting up from the floor, he dusted himself off and grabbed a clean set of clothes from his drawer. 'But I shouldn't rush in yet… not without testing the jutsu's first.' He knew better than to step into unknown territory with untested tools. He needed to be smart about it. But that could wait till tomorrow.
A yawn slipped out as he collapsed onto his thin mattress, the springs underneath creaking in the process. Shortly after, he dozed off like a prime Snorlax.
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The sun barely peeked over the treetops, painting the training field in soft hues of orange and gold. Dew clung to the grass, the air still carrying the chill of the night before. It was quiet...except for the sharp whoosh of wind cutting through the air.
Kuro stood in the center of the field, his eyes focused, a kunai gripped in his hand. He exhaled slowly, centering his chakra.
"Wind Style... Vacuum Blade."
[ACTIVATING VACUUM BLADE JUTSU] Lv.1
A low hum filled the air as wind-nature chakra channeled into the blade. It buzzed faintly in his palm, the edge gleaming unnaturally as faint currents of wind wrapped around it.
He swung forward.
SHHH-CRACK!
A clean cut split across the old wooden dummy a few meters away. The top of its head chipped up, a nasty diagonal scar cutting across its face.
He stepped forward, flicking the kunai in his hand as wind chakra sparked again around the blade. This time he slashed diagonally and sent a sharp wave of wind outward, a visible arc of compressed air shooting forward like a flying blade. It tore through the air, ripping into a second dummy and knocking it back with enough force to splinter it.
He sighed, his breath curling faintly in the morning air as he stared at what was left of the wooden dummy, half-split, jagged at the edges.
"Status," he muttered.
The translucent screen appeared in front of him with a soft ping.
━─━─━─≪◈ STATS ◈≫─━─━─━
[NAME] ➤ Kuroshin Kagemura
[AGE] ➤ 13
[LEVEL] ➤ 1
◇───INFO───◇
[JOB] ➤ NONE
[TITLES] ➤ Courage Of The Weak...
[HP] ➤ 300/300
[CP] ➤ 680/1000 (GENIN)
[FATIGUE] ➤ 20
[AVAILABLE ABILITY POINTS: 0 ]...
◇───STATS───◇
[STRENGTH] ➤ 25.5
[AGILITY] ➤ 13.5
[SENSE] ➤ 10.5
[HEALTH] ➤ 15.5
[INTELLIGENCE] ➤ 18
◇───SKILLS───◇
[BASIC TAIJUTSU TECHNIQUES] ➤Lv.6 (PASSIVE.) [ Basic Melee attacks inflicted on an opponent is increased by 18%. ]
[BASIC SHURIKENJUTSU TECHNIQUES]Lv.3 (Passive) [ When throwing small concealed weapons, damage inflicted is increased by 10%.]
[WIND AFFINITY] ➤ Lv.1 (PASSIVE.) [ Whenever a Wind Style jutsu is used, its power is increased by 10%.]
[BASIC KUNAI TECHNIQUES]Lv.7 (PASSIVE) [ Basic kunai attacks inflicted on an opponent are increased by 15%.]
◇───JUTSU'S───◇
[TRANSFORMATION JUTSU] ➤ Lv.10
[BASIC CLONE JUTSU] ➤ Lv.10
[SUBSTITUTION JUTSU] ➤ Lv.10
[VACUUM BLADE JUTSU] ➤Lv.1
[GALE PALM JUTSU] ➤ Lv.1
━─━─━─━─≪◆≫─━─━─━─━
Five into Strength* Five into Health*
He tapped the screen, feeling the faint surge roll through his body. It wasn't anything really, but there was a noticeable shift. His grip tightened around the kunai in his hand. He felt… stronger.
He could've dumped it all into Vitality, and honestly, a part of him wanted to. It was safer, smarter. But being all defense and no offense wouldn't get him anywhere. If he couldn't kill whatever came at him in a dungeon, it didn't matter how much HP he had. That's just prolonging the inevitable.
'It's just precaution,' he told himself, rolling his shoulder. Still, maybe it was a little PTSD from the shit he'd been through in the army.
The Vacuum Jutsu was alright at best. It had enough power behind it, but monsters weren't training dummies...
He groaned, 'Although... it drains way too much CP.'
Compared to his D-rank jutsu, which only cost about 50 CP use, this new one burned through 250 CP in a single cast, and the output didn't even feel that worth it. If he didn't have the [WIND AFFINITY] skill backing it, he was sure the jutsu would've felt like throwing a breeze at someone's face.
But it was still just level one. Judging its potential now would be short-sighted. The system worked like a game, and in games, skills always got better with use. He just had to grind it out.
However, he'd also tested the Gale Palm Jutsu, and while it wasn't terrible, it barely rocked the training dummies. For a C-rank jutsu, it felt underwhelming. The Vacuum Blade might've drained a chunk of chakra, but at least it packed a punch. Gale Palm, on the other hand, cost 150CP just to push some air. For something that weak, it felt like a ripoff. 'Fucking scam ass system…'
Sighing, he dusted off his shinobi uniform. Nothing fancy, just the standard Konoha green flak jacket, a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, black pants that cut off at his shins, and the usual bandage wraps leading down to his open-toed sandals. Functional, a little worn, but it did the job.
[Green Leaf flak Jacket:5+ speed, 5+ sense. ] - Uncommon.
He found that certain pieces of clothing gave stat boosts, but only if they were system-registered gear. Normal clothes didn't do anything. Adjusting his forehead protector, he squinted up at the rising sun as it bathed the village in a soft orange glow.
[Forehead protector:3+ strength.] - Common.
Nothing special, but every little stat boost counted.
Cracking his knuckles, he reached into his inventory. The chipped short sword appeared in his hand with a familiar weight, and he sheathed it behind his back. The kunai went back into the holster on his thigh.
He gave himself one last check over. "Alright," he muttered under his breath, a small grin curling at the corner of his mouth. "Let's go kill some ugly fucks."
With that, he pulled up his inventory screen and equipped the Dungeon Key.
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[ NOTICE]
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Do you wish to open the Dungeon Key?
[Y/N]
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Scanning his surroundings first, just to make sure no one was around to see, he turned his gaze back to the system screen hovering faintly in the air.
"Yes..." he muttered under his breath, confirming the prompt.
And just as he did the space in front of him cracked.
It didn't tear loudly or explode with light, it split quietly, like glass under pressure, forming a jagged rift that pulsed with unnatural energy. A cold breeze swept out from the opening, carrying with it the faint scent of blood and something else he couldn't quite place.
He stared at it for a second longer, taking a slow breath in once more, he stepped forward and walked in.
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