[Ding, detecting Host has arrived at Shin'ō Academy, Achievement Soul King System activating...]
???
The sudden system notification in Seiryū's mind left him filled with questions. He thought he was hallucinating.
What's going on?
Did the stupid system just activate?
Wait, when did he arrive at Shin'ō Academy?
Is this dumb thing malfunctioning again?
Just as Seiryū was confused and completely lost, the system notification rang out again.
[Ding, Achievement Soul King System activated!
[As the Host, the future Soul King who will govern the Three Realms, your starting point is crucial. Shin'ō Academy is the Shinigami training institution of Soul Society and an indispensable part of the Host's path to becoming the Soul King!]
[Mission issued: Become a first-year student at Shin'ō Academy!]
[Mission Reward: Spiritual Pressure aptitude increased!]
...
The repeated notification and the glowing text in front of him made Seiryū fall silent. This wasn't a hallucination. It just made him speechless as he sank into deep thought.
This system isn't just dumb, it's clearly bugged.
Ninja Academy = Shin'ō Academy?
Fine, if that's how it wants to play, so be it.
He had already given up on relying on the system and was mentally prepared to live his life with no cheats, using the system as a glorified bedtime reminder.
He never expected this sudden twist.
Damn it, it really is his ridiculous system. The way it activated is just... clever?
He knew it. Using bugs was the right idea. He just hadn't figured out the correct angle before.
Ninja Academy and Shin'ō Academy did share some common ground. Both were schools for training the next generation. It made sense. It actually made a lot of sense!
No, I can't be too happy just yet. What if this is a false alarm? This dumb system has always been unreliable…
Plus, these are two completely different worlds. Even if the reward is issued, whether it can be used or not is a whole other matter…
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Seiryū reminded himself not to get carried away. He had to wait and see if the mission reward would really be given and whether it would take effect before he could relax.
There was a reason he called this system idiotic. It was just too shady. He had to stay cautious.
Besides, Shinigami and the Naruto world belonged to different settings entirely. Just because the system activated didn't mean the reward would be useful here. And even if it could be used, it might not work the way it should.
Didn't that saying go? Receiving a gift doesn't mean you agreed to it, and getting a reward doesn't mean you can actually use it. If this ended up being a false hope, Seiryū would only feel more frustrated.
Caution is key!
Seiryū thought to himself, The mission is to become a first-year student at Shin'ō Academy. If there's a shared context, it should mean becoming a first-year student at the Ninja Academy, right?
If he remembered correctly, the Ninja Academy also had grade levels.
The Ninja Academy had grades one through six. Shin'ō Academy had first through sixth-year students. There was definitely overlap.
As he continued walking with Kurenai and Shinku, Seiryū's mind was focused on the mission reward.
Looking at the system message, Seiryū muttered, Spiritual Pressure aptitude increased? Spiritual Pressure is the power measurement on the Shinigami side, right? And aptitude increase probably means enhanced talent?
Speaking of Spiritual Pressure, it was how a Shinigami's power level was gauged.
It was divided into twenty ranks.
The higher the Spiritual Pressure rank, the stronger the combat power. Rank three and above meant Captain-level.
If his Spiritual Pressure aptitude increased, that likely meant a talent boost.
Once the mission was completed, he'd see if the reward really worked. If it did... Thinking of the cheat-like life awaiting him, Seiryū couldn't help but grin.
"Hehe…"
Hearing Seiryū's strange laugh, Kurenai tilted her head in confusion.
"Seiryū, what are you laughing about?"
"Cough…" Seiryū coughed lightly, quickly shifting his expression to one of seriousness.
"Just thinking about getting half your pocket money makes me inexplicably happy."
Kurenai stared blankly at Seiryū, then pouted and snapped, "I never agreed to that!"
"Then I'll leave," Seiryū shrugged.
"That way you won't get any pocket money at all."
"You're so unfair!" Kurenai got flustered and tried to bargain.
"No, half is too much. Only... only one-third!"
Seiryū clapped his hands.
"Deal!"
Seeing him agree so easily, Kurenai suddenly realized she'd been tricked again. She raised her hand and pounced angrily.
"Ahhh, hateful Seiryū, you tricked me again! I'm gonna beat you up!"
The little girl's punches were soft and light, more like a massage. Seiryū raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the people around them.
"Stop. People are watching…"
"Mmm…" Prompted by Seiryū, Kurenai noticed the stares and instantly blushed. She quickly stopped, hiding behind Shinku and shrinking her presence.
She glared at Seiryū with eyes that screamed—you just wait!!
Seiryū smiled calmly and returned a meaningful look—One-third of the pocket money!
...Kurenai understood that look perfectly. Her teeth itched with frustration.
But maybe this isn't so bad… Shinku smiled slightly as he watched the two children argue.
Ever since his wife passed away unexpectedly a year ago, Kurenai had changed. Probably not wanting her father to worry, she had become very mature.
Being mature was good, but Shinku preferred his lively daughter. In these past two months since Seiryū's arrival, Kurenai had slowly started to return to her old self.
The enrollment process was simple and quickly completed.
From today on, Seiryū and Kurenai were officially students of the Ninja Academy, Class B, first-year, and desk mates.
As he received his Ninja Academy student ID, Seiryū heard the system notification again.
[Ding, mission completed, reward being distributed...]
Somehow, Seiryū felt a subtle change in his body. It was hard to describe. Warm and somewhat comfortable…
It worked!
Feeling the changes, Seiryū's eyes lit up with excitement. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile that gradually grew wild.
The bug exploit worked.
This meant... in the future, as long as he could find shared traits, he could keep using these system missions and get rewards.
Achievement Soul King System.
The Soul King in Bleach was a scam, reduced to a limbless torso sealed in crystal, forced to become the stabilizing pillar of the Three Realms. Couldn't move, couldn't speak, truly a miserable fate.
Who would want to be that Soul King?
But in the Naruto world, there were no such dangers.
Now, Seiryū had a new goal.
Achieve Soul King status in Naruto!
(To be continued.)