Night, dark clouds gathered, wind and sand filled the sky.
The villagers had closed their doors and windows, hiding inside to escape the wind and sand. The entire village was quiet, with only the howling of the wind and sand audible.
Aka came up from the basement holding a scroll.
Outside the window, a black shadow flashed past.
Aka paused, her gentle eyes turning cold. A slender steel needle appeared in her hand without her noticing when.
Click!
The door lock turned silently, and the door opened a crack. An eye peered through the gap, looking inside.
Whoosh!
A silver flash streaked by. There was only a soft 'thud', followed by the sound of something heavy falling outside.
The door was blown open by the wind, and the sound of blowing sand suddenly rushed in.
Aka walked unhurriedly to the door and saw the body lying outside. Dressed in black and masked, no forehead protector... The steel needle had entered through the eye and pierced out from the back of the head. The person was dead beyond any doubt.
Aka looked left and right. Seeing no one else, she stored the body in a scroll, cleaned up the bloodstains, and then returned inside as if nothing had happened.
...
"I see."
After listening to Aka's account of what happened, Ryuji pondered slightly. "It must be those higher-ups. Hard to tell if they're the old geezers scheming for the immortality technology or the ambitious ones who don't want the Third Kazekage to wake up."
"Should we release the Scarabs to investigate?" Aka, the maid with wine-red shoulder-length hair, suggested.
"They're just worms. Rather than waste time on them, it's better to research new puppets." Ryuji pouted disdainfully. "Go reheat the food, I'm hungry."
"Alright."
Watching Aka leave, Ryuji sat on the bed in a daze for a while, then got up, pushing the covers aside.
He went down to the first-floor hall, where the food was already set on the table.
Two dishes and a soup, all simple home-cooked meals.
"Does Master find tonight's meal satisfactory? If not, I can remake it." Aka stood by holding a serving tray.
"It's fine."
Ryuji sat at the dining table and began eating leisurely.
Aka was a puppet with an autonomous soul and consciousness, capable of independent thought and improvement.
Ryuji usually checked in daily, obtaining many otherworldly cookbooks and chef training books, all of which he gave to Aka.
Her skills were now at the level of a five-star chef from his previous life. As long as the food wasn't a type he disliked, it was fine.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just then, the door was knocked.
"I'll get it."
Seeing Ryuji nod, Aka turned and walked toward the door.
"Ryuji, explain clearly to me what that eye signal in the meeting room meant?"
As soon as the door opened, Chiyo barged in, shouting.
Ryuji glanced at her and smiled. "Granny Chiyo, have you eaten? Interested in joining me?"
"Do you think I'm in the mood to eat right now?" Chiyo glared at him, annoyed. "My brother and I have usually taken good care of you, and my grandson gets along well with you too. Why couldn't you let him off?"
"I wanted to let him off at the time, but..."
"It's Pakura, right? That brat has grown wings now, doesn't take me seriously anymore." Chiyo was filled with anger, her expression twisted because of it. Her aura leaked out, blowing things around the room into disarray.
'At her age, to still have such Chakra Reserve... truly, the old blade hasn't dulled!'
Ryuji thought to himself but showed a helpless expression. "Granny Chiyo, Pakura was just doing her job..."
"You're speaking up for her?"
"She's been my teammate for seven years, sharing life and death."
Chiyo's gaze turned cold, and Ryuji also revealed a cold smile. "I respect you as a senior and value the care you've given me in the past, so I won't comment on your tantrum. But don't mistake my silence for agreement."
"Fine, fine, fine!" Chiyo laughed angrily. "I never thought I'd be so blind, raising an ingrate..."
"You've got it wrong." Ryuji stared coldly at the old woman before him. "It was the village that raised me, not you. I'm grateful for your past care, and I'll repay that kindness. But it's not capital for you to use against me."
"You..."
"Enough, stop. You just want to save your grandson, right?"
Chiyo paused, reining in her sharpness.
"He won't die, and nothing will happen to him. But he will become a Missing-Nin from Sunagakure and be expelled."
"This... must he be expelled?"
Looking at the troubled old woman, Ryuji couldn't help but laugh. "Sasori of the Red Sand assassinated the Kazekage. For such a serious crime, did you think it could be treated as if nothing happened?"
"Of course I don't think that, but isn't there any other way to make up for it?"
"What do you think?"
"...Then so be it. It's better than dying." Chiyo sighed, then asked, "So what will you do? Is there anything I need to help with?"
"I need Sasori to cooperate. Visit him, tell him about today's meeting, and let him know I'll save him. He'll know what to do."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Then I'll go now."
"Tomorrow is fine too." Ryuji called out to the old woman, tapping his bowl with chopsticks. "Looks like you haven't eaten all day. Will join me?"
"It's already midnight, not in the mood!"
With those words, Chiyo hurriedly left.
"It's already 12:00?"
Ryuji rubbed his nose and opened the system panel.
[Name]: Senki Ryuji
[Points]: 10790
[Experience]: 306
[Consecutive Check-ins]: 3602 days
The system shop had very few items, only various books and materials.
And what Ryuji got most from daily check-ins were materials and books. Point expenses were low, so quite a bit remained.
As for experience... Ryuji knew many skills, and leveling up consumed a lot, so there was almost none left.
'Forty-eight days until the ten-year check-in. I wonder what big prize a ten-year consecutive check-in will bring.' A trace of anticipation appeared in Ryuji's eyes.
Even a slacker's check-in system would yield many good things after many consecutive check-ins.
Besides the first check-in, which gave a beginner's reward… the knowledge of Aozaki Touko.
Later, he also obtained quite a few good things.
For example, after checking in for a month, he got 'Detailed Explanation of Electromagnetic Cannon' from some future world; after half a year, 'Mozi' from some fantasy martial arts world; after one year, 'Golems and Dragons' from some traditional Western fantasy world; after two years, a Philosopher's Stone (not from Fullmetal Alchemist)...
These were all quite good, but only just 'good'.
Especially those knowledge books. Although each was incredibly precious knowledge in their own world, in different worlds, most of that knowledge couldn't be applied.
At best, he could experiment based on their concepts and ideas, combining them with the laws of the Shinobi World to research new technologies.