The food at Sanmaiya was even more delicious than Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, and Genma Shiranui had imagined.
And when they found out that Yamanaka Shinno actually owned a 40% share of the restaurant—not only allowing him to eat for free but also earning him a significant dividend every month—the three of them wasted no time in stuffing themselves to their heart's content.
Even Kurenai, the most refined among them, ended up eating so much that she could barely sit up straight. She couldn't help but marvel at the situation.
She had actually worried that a Konoha Jonin, who was mean enough to use an ultimate-level genjutsu combo on Genin, might be struggling financially?
She was truly too naïve!
"Sensei, when are we going to start taking on missions?" Genma Shiranui asked after finishing his meal, eager to know what lay ahead for their team.
Kurenai and Guy also turned their expectant gazes toward Yamanaka Shinno.
Both Genma and Guy had been inactive for quite some time since Ebisu transferred to a desk job. With their wallets practically empty, they had been living a rather frugal life.
Kurenai, having worked in logistics for nearly a year, had managed to save up a decent amount. But she had hardly gone on any real missions before being forced into the logistics team, so she was just as eager to finally experience some action.
Seeing their excited expressions—and wanting to test the system's "drop rate" through missions—Shinno naturally didn't delay.
"We'll head to the mission office in a bit."
"The flames of youth are about to ignite once more!" Might Guy leaped up from his seat, brimming with energy.
But before he could even strike a signature pose, he clutched his overstuffed stomach and bent over slightly.
Seeing Genma's exasperated look, Guy remained unfazed and quickly added, "The path of youth may have its occasional setbacks, but worry not! This afternoon, I will put in 200% effort and sweat!"
"Yeah, yeah~" Genma sighed.
Even after two years of working together, he still had no idea how to deal with Guy's personality.
Kurenai propped her chin up with one hand, smiling as she watched the two bicker.
Somehow, she had a feeling that the days ahead would be anything but dull.
...
About ten kilometers southwest of Konoha, in the village of Nakayoshi, a massive wild boar—easily weighing over a thousand pounds and resembling a walking fortress—rampaged through the area. Its body was riddled with kunai, though none had pierced deeper than an inch. With bloodshot eyes, it charged madly in all directions.
Walls and makeshift traps along its path shattered as if they were made of paper.
Might Guy and Genma Shiranui engaged it from the front, drawing its attention while Kurenai prepared to cast her jutsu.
After several attempts, she finally managed to trap the boar in an illusion—"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique."
With its vision distorted, the boar was lured straight into a pre-dug pit.
The moment it fell in, over a dozen steel spears embedded in the pit impaled its massive body. It struggled for over ten minutes, letting out agonized roars before finally going still.
Exhausted, the three of them wiped the sweat from their foreheads and let out a collective sigh of relief.
Standing on a nearby rooftop, observing the entire battle without intervening, was Yamanaka Shinno. He carefully noted the strengths and weaknesses each of them had displayed during the mission.
Just as he was about to give them some feedback, a familiar system notification sounded in his mind.
[Beep~ D-rank profession mission "Eliminate the Wild Boar Destroying Farmland" completed. Reward: None.]
[First-time completion of a profession mission—granted two Trait Extraction and one Trait Gifting opportunity.]
Shinno paused for a moment.
He hadn't expected the system to consider the mission complete just by killing the boar, even before they returned to Konoha to report it.
And since it was his first time completing a profession mission, he had been directly awarded two trait draws and one gifting opportunity.
As for the lack of rewards for a standard D-rank mission, it wasn't surprising.
After all, probabilities were just that—luck-based.
Besides, it was highly likely that rewards scaled with mission difficulty.
If a D-rank mission—one that mostly involved traveling and barely took an afternoon—could reliably yield rewards, then in less than a month, Shinno would be strong enough to drag the Sage of Six Paths out of the Pure Land for a fight.
"This damn system doesn't even have a proper manual..."
Shinno grumbled internally about how unhelpful the system was.
Then, looking at the two trait draws available on his status panel, he decisively chose to use them.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Blue Trait "Memory Palace" and the White Trait "Fragile but Tenacious." ]
Memory Palace (Blue): A combination of talent and training enables optimal brain development. Allows proficient use of the memory palace technique, increasing learning speed, speed-reading ability, and memory retention.
Fragile but Tenacious (White): Until your body reaches Jonin-level durability, you have an increased chance of encountering powerful enemies and life-threatening situations. However, you also have a slightly higher chance of breaking through in battle and surviving.
"One blue, one white—not bad."
Shinno reviewed the traits' descriptions and immediately activated "Memory Palace."
Whether for learning or research, memory was always a valuable asset.
As for "Fragile but Tenacious"...
For someone already past the newbie phase, it wasn't particularly useful.
If anything, it was the kind of ability that only protagonists blessed by fate could survive with during their early struggles.
Otherwise, no matter how high the breakthrough or survival rate, it wouldn't mean much when enemies and crises kept coming non-stop!
[Detected that the Blue Trait "Memory Palace" can be fused with the Green Trait "Slightly Skilled." Would you like to proceed with fusion?]
"...Fusion."
After a brief hesitation, Shinno chose to proceed.
This was his first time encountering trait fusion, but since both traits related to learning and memory, there was little risk of a bad outcome.
Suddenly, a flood of memories surged through his mind like a tide.
Scenes flashed past like a fast-forwarded slideshow.
Even memories from his previous life—going back to when he was just four or five years old—became crystal clear!
Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, university...
A vast sea of memories was neatly categorized and stored within his mind's "Memory Palace."
Among them, every detail he had ever learned about Naruto—from watching the anime to reading various forum discussions—was carefully filed away in its own section.
Once his past-life memories were sorted, his current-life memories followed suit.
Even those he had extracted from others' minds while working at the interrogation unit were now systematically archived.
As the mental turbulence settled, the system's notification rang once more.
[Fusion complete. Congratulations! You have obtained the Blue Trait "King of Knowledge – Ninja World Edition."]
King of Knowledge – Ninja World Edition (Blue): A perfect application of the Memory Palace technique grants near-infinite memory capacity. The combined knowledge of two lifetimes provides vast experience, secret information about the ninja world, and mastery of various ninjutsu and techniques. Learning speed, speed-reading ability, and memory retention are significantly enhanced.
"Damn! This is a straight-up cheat code!"
Feeling the clarity of his mind, Shinno's eyes lit up with excitement.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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