A whole morning spent studying ninjutsu had left Izumi feeling worn out. His stomach was growling too, so he decided to head toward Ichiraku Ramen. This time, knowing the way, he didn't get lost.
When he arrived, he spotted a familiar figure—Uzumaki Naruto.
Although he recognized Naruto, Izumi made no move to start a conversation. For one thing, they weren't exactly friends yet. For another, he was certain there were at least a few ANBU keeping constant watch over the boy. Walking up to Naruto without good reason would be the fastest way to draw unwanted attention.
After finishing his ramen, Izumi wandered aimlessly through the village. Before he knew it, he had drifted near the Hyūga Clan compound. The sight reminded him of the time he had escorted Hinata back here… and of how much he missed that perpetually blushing girl. She was, after all, one of his favorite female characters.
Naturally, there was no way someone like him could just waltz into the Hyūga estate, much less directly seek out Hinata. So he turned and began heading back toward the training grounds. Unbeknownst to him, not long after he left, a small figure appeared where he had been standing moments before. Watching his retreating back, her cheeks flushed crimson.
When Izumi returned to the training field, he was surprised to find it completely empty—Shisui and Itachi were nowhere to be seen. Not that he was worried; it wasn't like the two could stay there all day anyway.
Just as he was about to resume studying Phoenix Sage Fire, a familiar mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
Ding. "Side mission complete: Help Uchiha Izumi fulfill her wish. Points System unlocked. Character System unlocked."
The Points System he understood immediately—everything in the system required points to redeem, and until now, his balance had been stuck at zero. Now, however, there was finally a number displayed. But… Character System?
"System, what the heck is this Character System supposed to be?"
"By altering the original ending of an existing character, you can earn special rewards."
"Special rewards? Like what? I don't see any reward here. And how do I even earn points in the first place?"
"The rewards are in your inventory. Next time, before asking, try opening your eyes—and using your brain. As for earning points: now that the Points System is active, you can gain them by completing missions. You can also take on real-world tasks to earn points. E-rank missions: 1 point. D-rank: 5 points. C-rank: 10 points. B-rank: 100 points. A-rank and above: 200 points."
"…System-bro, are you seriously messing with me? A single Great Fireball costs 100 points in your store—that's just a C-rank ninjutsu! And you're telling me A-rank and S-rank missions are worth the same amount? Anyone with half a brain knows those two are worlds apart! This isn't playing fair!"
Izumi was almost in tears. A C-rank jutsu cost 100 points, a B-rank would be at least a thousand, and anything higher was tens of thousands. At that rate, he'd have to grind missions until he dropped dead just to afford one technique.
"I'm not messing with you. When you redeem a jutsu from me, it comes with guaranteed mastery and ignores your natural chakra attributes. In other words, even if you have no Water Release affinity and normally couldn't use Water Style—or could only produce a pitiful trickle—anything you learn from me will work at full power without any reduction."
Even with that explanation, Izumi still felt cheated. But no matter how much he complained… what could he really do about it?