Konoha Hospital.
After completing the mission while injured, Kirito and the others returned to Konoha and were admitted to the hospital.
"Kirito-kun… you really defeated that Jonin enemy?!"
Lee's body was wrapped in bandages. Opening the Eight Gates had left him with some aftereffects. Fortunately, he had only opened the first three gates before being interrupted, so the damage wasn't too severe.
"…"
Neji, standing nearby, kept a calm expression on the surface. But inwardly his heart tightened, and he quietly pricked up his ears.
Clearly, he was also extremely curious.
After all, this clan member who had been labeled a failure had somehow managed to deal with a Jonin.
Kirito simply waved his hand casually.
"How could that be?" he said calmly. "I just got lucky with a successful sneak attack at the start, gained a small advantage, and then used a little trick afterward to scare him away."
"Is that so?"
Tenten nodded as if suddenly understanding.
Then, with her straightforward personality, she turned to Kirito and thanked him directly.
"Kirito-kun saved me and my teammates when we were in danger. Thank you."
Kirito spread his hands and joked half-seriously.
"In that case, how about repaying me by marrying me?"
"Rejected."
Instead of blushing like a typical girl, Tenten immediately countered.
She raised a finger and waved it in front of Kirito with a smile.
"Do three things that make me happy. Today counts as one."
"Do two more in the future, and I might give you a special reward."
---
Meanwhile — Wilderness of the Land of Fire
Beside a river, the corpse of the man who had been stabbed repeatedly and left to die lay on the ground.
A shadow appeared before the body.
The man was wrapped tightly in clothing and wore a mask. Only a pair of strange gray-green eyes without visible whites could be seen.
"The first wound was a stab from behind… directly piercing the heart with precision."
He examined the wound calmly.
"From how clean the wound is, the victim probably didn't notice the attack at all."
"An enemy skilled in assassination techniques… and likely not acting alone."
His gaze swept across the surrounding area.
The ground was filled with numerous footprints of different sizes.
But soon he noticed something strange.
Those footprints disappeared abruptly after only a few steps—
as if Shadow Clones had dispersed.
"Another partner of mine has died…"
His tone contained no sadness at all.
Instead, it was completely calm.
Using a surgical knife, he skillfully cut off the dead man's head and wrapped it carefully.
"This head can be exchanged for money."
"Money… is supreme."
He turned and left.
As he moved away, his cloak became visible—
a black robe decorated with red clouds.
---
Back in Konoha
After returning from Konoha Hospital, Kirito finally returned to his dorm.
He was somewhat exhausted.
This mission outside the village had been extremely dangerous. One mistake could easily have resulted in death.
However—
the greater the danger of a mission, the greater the reward.
He had already received payment for escorting the convoy.
Because Kirito had played a key role in completing the mission, Tenten and her teammates agreed to give him nearly 60% of the C-rank mission reward.
But in truth—
the real reward Kirito obtained was something no one else knew about.
After closing the windows and doors, Kirito began checking the lottery rewards he had obtained for completing the mission.
---
First Reward
With a thought—
"Swish!"
A weapon appeared in Kirito's hand.
Name: M700 Light Sniper Rifle
Length: 1117 mm
Weight: 4.6 kg
Range: 800 m
Muzzle Velocity: 777 m/s
Magazine Capacity: 10 / 20
Damage: ?
The rifle had a completely black body and felt surprisingly light in his hands.
This M700 sniper rifle was the first modern firearm Kirito had ever obtained.
The system could not give an exact damage value.
But Kirito understood why.
In this world, enemies were ninjas. Their physical durability varied greatly, not to mention the many defensive ninjutsu that existed.
However, one thing was certain—
The killing power of this rifle was far beyond kunai or shuriken.
And the speed of the bullet was astonishing.
At long distances it might still be possible to dodge.
But at close range—
a sudden shot would be extremely difficult for anyone to avoid.
---
Second Reward
Name: Boots of Swift Movement
(Type: Conceptual Equipment – not a physical item. Unique equip.)
Effect:
Movement Speed + ?
After leaving combat for 5 seconds: additional movement speed ?
This reward was extremely unusual.
It was Kirito's first conceptual equipment.
After equipping it, a golden light flashed briefly around his feet, forming the outline of boots before disappearing.
When he stood up and tried walking—
he immediately noticed that his movements felt lighter and faster than before.
He kicked the air slightly.
He could sense something was there—
but there was no physical contact.
That was when Kirito fully understood what "conceptual equipment" meant.
---
Third Reward
Name: ?
State: Asauchi (Unreleased Zanpakuto)
Description:
A Zanpakuto that has not yet obtained its true name and remains in an unawakened state. Through continuous battle, its true power can gradually be released.
Kirito examined the seemingly ordinary katana in his hand.
Although its hidden power had not yet awakened, it could at least help compensate for his weakness in close combat.
---
These were the three rewards Kirito received from completing the B-rank hidden mission.
Because the mission was completed without any casualties on their side, he also received bonus attribute points.
To be honest, Kirito knew the mission had been extremely lucky.
The enemy possessed Jonin-level strength and had defeated Neji and Lee in a single exchange.
Kirito had relied entirely on an assassin's Presence Concealment, as well as deliberately creating the illusion that he had been instantly killed at the start.
That misjudgment gave him the one opportunity he needed to launch a devastating sneak attack.
If anything had gone wrong—
or if that single ambush had failed—
the outcome for Kirito would have been disastrous.
However, now that he had obtained these three pieces of equipment, he finally had some ability to protect himself.
---
Attribute Point Allocation
The system allowed him to choose one attribute to increase:
Strength
Stamina
Agility
Endurance
Kirito thought carefully.
Strength:
He lacked close combat skills. Even with the Zanpakuto, he didn't yet know proper sword techniques.
Stamina:
His combat style relied on quick decisive battles, not prolonged fights.
Agility:
The speed bonus from his assassin abilities was already sufficient for now.
Endurance:
In simple terms—his ability to take hits.
As an assassin, if an attack failed, enemies would likely counterattack immediately.
Having more durability could mean the difference between life and death.
After careful consideration—
Kirito invested the extra attribute point into Endurance.
---
If you want, I can also explain something very interesting about this chapter:
The Akatsuki member who appeared (it's actually a canon Naruto character).
Why Kirito's footprint illusion trick confused him.
And why the Zanpakuto reward is extremely overpowered later in the story.