A lush forest stretched all around, and Uzumaki Senshi strolled along at a leisurely pace. As he walked, he opened his system menu.

  “Time for a ten-pull!”

  [1000 ission Points deducted! Remaining points: 21]

  [Drawing…]

  [gratutions, you have received:]

  ? 10 Shuriken

  ? 2 Kunai

  ? 20 Military Rations Pills

  ? Earth Release Chakra Level +1

  ? Lightning Release Chakra Level +1

  ? 10 Explosive Tags

  ? +2 chakra bars

  ? New Jutsu: Lightning Release: Lightning Burial

  ? 5 Shuriken

  ? 1 Kunai

  Senshi frow the results. It felt like a total rip-off.

  What kind of junk is this? Seriously? Lightning Burial—that’s practically a suicide jutsu! Damn it, give me a refund!

  Shaking his head in disgust, he shifted his attention to the small girl slung over his shoulder—Karin—and began thinking about what to do with her. She looked around ten years old, not yet the feisty young dy she would bee. Despite her age, she was clearly sharp. Senshi could tell she’d actually been awake for a while but, likely uain about her situation, had chosen to py possum. Of course, with someone of Senshi’s caliber, that little trick wasn’t going to do much.

  After walking for a bit, he stopped, smiling faintly with an almost zy air.

  “Karin, sweetie, how long do you pn to keep pretending to sleep?”

  Startled, Karin didn’t hesitate. She sprang up, pg both hands on Senshi’s shoulder and shoving off, trying to break free. Too bad the instant found her dangling in midair, held by the back of her colr as though she were a kitten. Realizing the huge gulf between her abilities and his, Karin stopped struggling a him hold her there.

  Seeing her settle down, Senshi put her on the ground and squi her.

  “So, what’s your pn?”

  Karin just turned her head away, refusing to speak. Senshi found her little dispy both amusing and exasperating. He knew she really didn’t have ao go: her mother was deceased, leaving her aloh no meaningful pce to return to. Plus, sidering she’d been kidnapped—if she went baow, those same people would likely just e for her again. Though it was obvious he wasn’t part of that group, she still didn’t know who Senshi really was.

  As Senshi resumed heading toward the Amegakure, Karin followed silently behind. He expected her to ask where they were going, but iingly, she kept quiet.

  They traveled on for some time. When Senshi noticed the sun edging toward the horizon, he began looking for a pake camp. Karin had spent the entire journey secretly Senshi. Seeing his bright red hair and sensing that familiar chakra, she guessed he was also a desdant of the Uzumaki —but that alone wasn’t enough for her to trust him pletely.

  When Senshi started sing the area, Karin thought to herself,

  So he’s looking for a spot to spend the night? But this forest doesn’t seem to have any good camping spots.

  Karin was clever, with strong observation and sensory abilities. After a moment, she realized what he intended. Sure enough, Senshi made his way into a wooded area, and Karin hurried to keep up. This was the wilderness, after all—there could be bears or other dangerous creatures roaming around.

  In fact, in the inal storyline—assuming nothing ged because of Senshi’s arrival—Karin had indeed once run into a bear during a test. Now, trekking alongside Senshi through the forest, she soon saw he fidently located a small stream filled with fish and shrimp, with plenty of dry wood nearby—enough to build a temporary shelter or use for fire. There was fresh water, food, and fuel. Put them all together, and you’d be set for a fortable campsite.

  While Karin looked on in astonishment, Senshi drew a ninja bde. Though he didn’t have Kamui’s space-time ste, he did have his system’s iory. That’s where the bde had e from.

  Swish, swish, swish, swish!

  Walking into the woods, Senshi began chopping here and there in a casual yet effit manner, leaving Karin clueless until the results became clear.

  Thump, thump, thump!

  Tree ses dropped ly oer another, some long, some short, each piece apparently cut for a specific purpose. , Senshi skillfully stripped bark and wove it into ropes. He tied the logs around the perimeter in a smooth, seamless process. Before long, he had built a snug little shelter with his bare hands—plete with two “rooms” of different sizes and a couple of makeshift beds from dry twigs and straw.

  Karin was dumbstruck. Just a single ninja bde, and he’d structed a funing ! Meanwhile, Senshi was oblivious to just how much he’d impressed her. He simply walked to the stream, musing inwardly:

  “If only the system would grant me Wood Release. Then I could just cp my hands and—boom—Wood Release Vil, ready to go!”

  Though he’d learned a wide variety of ninjutsu, he hadn’t obtained Wood Release. At the water’s edge, he didn’t bother fishing normally. Instead, he carefully surveyed the creek, formed a series of seals, and pressed both palms down on the ground.

  “Lightning Release: Earth Slide!”

  In the ninja world, electro-fishing wasly frowned upon, so he could go all out.

  Crackle, crackle, crackle!

  Bolts of blue lightning shrough the water. Fish floated to the surface, stunned by the electricity. Karin stood by, one hand over her mouth in wide-eyed amazement.

  So that’s how you use Lightning Release?

  Senshi gathered up the fish and skillfully gutted and ed them. Living the life of a merary meant a lot of traveling on foot and camping in the wild, so he had plenty of practice. As he lit a campfire with some dry wood and pced the fish above the fmes to roast, he retrieved a small bottle from his tool pouch (really from his system iory) taining salt and other seasonings. After all, grilling fish or chi without spices would be far less tasty.

  The sky gradually darkened, and Kariled down by the fire. Having observed him so long, she felt more or less vihat Senshi posed no threat. Soon after, he handed her a piece of grilled fish.

  “Here, eat up. Wouldn’t do to let you go hungry, or you’ll lose your value.”

  Karin swallowed a bit of saliva.

  Value? Does he pn to sell me?

  Still, the aroma of that grilled fish was irresistible—there must have been some special method to his cooking. After a brief hesitation, she took the fish and bit in. To her astonishment, it was the best meal she could remember having. Even in such a rough setting, it tasted amazing: crispy oside and juiside, with the perfect blend of seasonings.

  Senshi, unaware of Karin’s internal turmoil, joked as she wolfed down her food:

  “You know, I saved you from those kidnappers, and I’ve been taking care of you all this time. Teically, you owe me a fee.”

  Karin had been silent almost the eime, likely shaken by her ordeal. Startled by his ent, she huffed:

  “Hmph! I never asked you to rescue me! And whatever those people wanted from me, they would’ve fed me a me safe until they got what they needed. Now that you’ve taken me away from them, that responsibility falls to you!”

  She spoke harshly, but inside she was uneasy. She had no moo pay him, and no way could she afford someoh his skills. She also worried that if he really abandoned her, she’d be stu the middle of nowhere, which was seriously dangerous for someone her age.

  To her surprise, Senshi just burst out ughing.

  “Hahaha… I get it—you’re broke, right?”

  At that, Karin’s cheeks flushed red, embarrassed that he’d guessed her true thoughts so easily.