Chapter 1 — If You Want Me to Deliver, I'll Just Sell It Instead
Year 38 of Konoha.
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools.
"This is a pain…"
"What do you mean we're supposed to keep an eye on the Mist and stop them from invading Konoha?"
"If I remember correctly, I'm just a freshly graduated genin, you know?"
Namikaze Yami stared at the Hokage's sealed order in his hand, feeling helpless—so much so that he briefly wondered whether he'd offended someone higher up.
It had been twelve years since he transmigrated into the ninja world. Aside from the future "Yellow Flash" Namikaze Minato, the Namikaze clan barely produced anyone with real ninja talent. Their background was squeaky clean—three generations traceable, no skeletons in the closet.
As for Yami himself? He'd only just graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy. An utterly ordinary genin. One among thousands.
Yet somehow—probably because the front lines were stretched thin—he'd been dispatched to the border as soon as he graduated, listed as a reserve force.
What really caught him off guard was the contents of the latest mission order.
His squad had been instructed to enter the Land of Whirlpools and conduct reconnaissance.
According to the intel, Kirigakure was currently locked in a fierce battle with Uzushiogakure, and the latter had already sent out a plea for aid to Konoha.
Their squad, however, was nothing more than a standard 1+3 formation—one jōnin leading three genin. The jōnin in charge was named Itō Makoto.
Sending a lineup like that into the Land of Whirlpools?
That wasn't reconnaissance. That was sending people in as human sandbags.
"Senior Itō, let's head out immediately."
The other two Konoha genin looked almost eager, urging Itō Makoto to move at once.
As a seasoned jōnin, Itō Makoto naturally understood how dangerous this mission was.
But a ninja's duty left him no room to refuse a direct order from the village.
He took a long, hard look at the three genin under his command, already forming a plan in his mind.
"Kato Taka, Shimizu Kenma, Namikaze Yami—stay close to me. We'll infiltrate along the coastline."
"Yes!"
After crossing the long, narrow stretch of coast and setting foot on the Land of Whirlpools' border, they were met with an eerie sight—
There wasn't a single Uzushiogakure ninja standing guard.
Everything along the way screamed one thing: the Land of Whirlpools was already on the brink of collapse. Even the border guards had been recalled to the interior.
There hadn't even been time to erase tracks. Chaos was written everywhere.
"Stay concealed. Heighten your vigilance."
Itō Makoto whispered to the three behind him, his heart growing heavier by the second.
What he didn't know was that Namikaze Yami looked even more grim.
Unlike the other two genin, who were barely suppressing their excitement, Yami only wanted to turn around and run.
As a transmigrator, he knew exactly how this story ended.
Every sign pointed to one terrifying conclusion—
This might very well be the night the Uzumaki clan was annihilated.
"I'm dead. I'm so dead."
"I haven't enjoyed a single transmigrator perk, and now I'm getting dragged out to be cannon fodder."
Yami felt utterly hopeless. He had no illusions about the intensity of the coming battle.
He didn't have the godlike reflexes of his future clansman Minato. His chakra reserves were pitifully low.
Calling him cannon fodder was already being generous.
Boom—boom—
A series of violent explosions erupted in the distance.
If nothing unexpected had happened, that direction could only be Uzushiogakure itself.
Powerful chakra fluctuations rolled toward them, mixed with anguished screams and furious roars.
The Land of Whirlpools… was already burning.
The sound stabbed at the squad's nerves, tightening hearts that were already stretched to the limit. Even the hands gripping their kunai were beginning to sweat.
They continued forward under cover, suppressing their presence, until the scene ahead gradually came into view. Only then did they stop.
Up ahead, large numbers of ninja wearing Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure forehead protectors were locked in brutal combat. Although this was clearly the Uzumaki's home battlefield, the current situation left no doubt—
The Mist ninja held an overwhelming advantage.
Many Uzushiogakure shinobi could only band together, forming large-scale sealing arrays to protect their civilians.
Even so, countless ninja—and even villagers—were being cut down, unable to withstand the Mist's assault.
What stood out the most were several grotesque, almost monstrous figures at the center of the carnage—
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Seeing this, Jōnin Itō Makoto's expression turned grave. Even Kato Taka and Shimizu Kenma, who moments ago had been eager to rush into battle, now stood frozen in shock.
They were experienced genin, yes—but they had never witnessed a battlefield of this magnitude.
Only Namikaze Yami appeared to relax instead.
A strange sense of relief washed over him as he stared fixedly at the translucent panel that had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
---
[Ding!]
[Detected: extremely high-density rare bloodline "Uzumaki Clan Bloodline" undergoing large-scale dissipation. Activation conditions satisfied.]
[Multiversal Rare Pawnshop—at your service.]
[Would the host like to perform a valuation scan on the current scene?]
---
"It's here… it's finally here!"
Yami's emotions surged violently. His adrenaline spiked so hard it nearly made his vision blur. If the situation weren't so dire, he might have thrown his head back and laughed aloud.
No one knew the hardship of his past twelve years.
From anticipation, to disappointment, to near despair.
In the ninja world, he had no powerful bloodline, no system, and no one paying attention.
If the world hadn't continued to unfold exactly as he remembered from his past life, he might have started believing those memories were nothing more than delusions.
And yet—
This cold, mechanical voice now ringing in his ears made him feel like crying from joy.
"Confirm."
---
[Scan complete. Unclaimed pawnable items detected:]
Uzumaki Clan corpses (intact) ×53
Valuation: 80 points per unit
Dissipating Uzumaki souls ×83
Valuation: 20 points per unit
Hyūga—no, Yuki Clan corpse (intact) ×1
Valuation: 50 points
Kaguya Clan corpses (intact) ×3
Valuation: 80 points per unit
Damaged ninja tools…
[Please approach rare items to complete containment and pawning.]
---
"I've struck it rich! So this is what they mean by profiting from war?"
But immediately, a problem surfaced.
How was he supposed to get close?
If he rushed in recklessly, he'd be killed like a stray dog without anyone even sparing him a glance.
As he was pondering this, Itō Makoto suddenly issued an order in a low voice:
"Yami and Kenma—stay behind and provide support.
Kato, continue the infiltration with me."
The moment the words fell, Kato lived up to his name—his body trembling uncontrollably, shaking like an electric toothbrush. He didn't respond for several seconds.
In his mind, squads like theirs were supposed to follow Uzushiogakure into an easy victory.
This… this was far beyond anything he'd expected.
"Genin Kato!"
Itō Makoto's tone sharpened, a hint of reprimand seeping through.
"I'll go."
Yami spoke up immediately.
He had been worrying about how to get closer in the first place—if Itō Makoto decided to withdraw, everything would be over.
This was perfect.
Just when he needed a pillow, one was delivered to his head.
Kato looked at Yami as if he'd been granted salvation, shooting him a grateful glance. Itō Makoto said nothing more, merely waving for Yami to follow.
The two moved through the shadows cast by collapsed buildings, carefully avoiding the fighting on both sides. Now and then, stray waves from powerful ninjutsu forced them to detour.
Itō Makoto's face was dark and tense, his focus absolute—he didn't dare allow even the slightest mistake.
What he failed to notice was the expression on Yami's young face behind him.
An uncontrollable smile had already begun to spread.
On a battlefield soaked in blood and death, it looked deeply unsettling.
---
[Ding! Successfully pawned one Uzumaki clan soul. Points acquired: 20]
[Ding! Successfully pawned one high-quality Uzumaki clan soul. Points acquired: 40]
[Ding! …]
---
"I've...struck it rich."