Chapter 79: Is This Really a Return to One's Ancestral Bloodline?
Konoha shinobi were meticulous when it came to their work.
After receiving a difficult mission, they wouldn't rush straight into action. Instead, they would rest, evaluate the situation repeatedly, and make sure the mission was within their capabilities.
If it was, they would first gather intelligence, determine the mission objectives, and only then complete the assignment.
Get plenty of rest!
"Are we really here to rest?"
Iruka looked around the rather luxurious inn and clicked his tongue.
"How much is this mission paying?"
Hyūga Hanabi set down her luggage, picked up her chopsticks, and sampled the local cuisine.
Hmm.
This mission wasn't completely pointless after all.
Those instructors who dragged their teams into the wilderness to eat ration pills couldn't compare with Asuka-sensei at all.
As a member of the Hyūga clan, she had some experience with good food.
The food here was delicious.
Extremely delicious.
As for the price, it certainly wasn't cheap.
After a moment of silence, she looked around at the elegant surroundings and calmly said,
"The cost of this meal and one night's accommodation is higher than the reward for this mission."
Iruka's expression darkened.
The food here really was better than what his mother made.
But it was way too expensive.
Thinking the mission reward was only thirty thousand ryō, Iruka quietly took out his wallet and counted his money.
It seemed he only had enough for one and a half meals.
"Stop counting."
Hanabi glanced sideways at Iruka as she counted her own money, then took another bite of vegetables.
"Our teacher is rich. Why would he use the mission reward to treat us to a meal?"
"He's obviously paying out of his own pocket."
Hearing that, Iruka remembered the story Asuka had told them on the way here. His eyes widened.
"But Sensei said that when he first took a C-rank mission, the reward was thirty thousand ryō, and they spent twenty-eight thousand on the journey."
"Not every jōnin is as wealthy as our teacher."
"Besides…"
Hanabi tapped the table.
"Most instructors are only around chūnin level."
"How much money could they possibly have?"
As she spoke, she glanced around.
After confirming that only the three of them were nearby, she lowered her voice.
"You know those cans of cat food that our teacher's cat eats?"
"I saw the exact same brand at the clan head's house a few days ago."
"Apparently, the clan head's wife bought an entire case of them, and the pain on her face was obvious."
"But our teacher?"
"Almost half a room in his house is piled with those cans."
"They're premium canned food from the Land of Birds."
"One can probably costs more than what we're spending today."
"Just look at that fat cat. How many cans does it have to eat to get that fat?"
Iruka shuddered.
Not long ago, Asuka-sensei had even tried to persuade him to sign a contract with the Ninja Cat clan.
He had enthusiastically described all sorts of benefits to having a contract with ninja cats.
Companionship.
Sleeping together.
Even watching the ninja cats transform.
Seeing the worried expression on Iruka's face, Hanabi turned toward Yūgao Uzuki, who was eating nearby.
"Where's Sensei?"
"He's in his room. Looks like he has something to do."
"He told us to eat without worrying about him."
---
Meanwhile, inside the room.
Asuka stared at his reflection in the mirror.
His three-tomoe Sharingan stared back at him.
He looked somewhat puzzled.
"Has it already returned to its ancestral state?"
[Bloodline refinement complete. The host's bloodline concentration is now closer to that of his ancestors.]
Asuka stared at the system's notification.
He blinked hard and began testing the new abilities of his Sharingan.
One minute passed.
The delight on Asuka's face gradually faded.
Two minutes passed.
He calmly stared at his reflection.
Five minutes passed.
At last, a change appeared on his previously expressionless face.
It became somewhat gloomy.
Ten minutes later.
Asuka rubbed his aching eye sockets with his index finger and said darkly,
"Doesn't returning to the ancestral state mean I've developed some of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's characteristics?"
"Even if I didn't inherit her Rinne Sharingan, and even if I didn't inherit any of her kekkei genkai…"
"There should at least be some kind of change, right?"
"Where's the extra stuff?"
After a full ten minutes of testing, he discovered that his body hadn't changed in the slightest.
His chakra hadn't increased.
His Sharingan hadn't advanced.
His physical abilities remained exactly the same.
Nothing had changed.
[...]
After a brief silence, the system displayed another line.
[Ancestor: Refers to one's forefathers or predecessors, generally including grandparents and those of earlier generations.]
After reading the system's explanation, Asuka fell silent.
This time, it was his turn.
Did "returning to the ancestral state" really only mean it literally?
He licked his dry lips and narrowed his eyes.
"System, are you saying that having my bloodline become closer to that of my grandparents also counts as returning to my ancestral state?"
[Logically speaking, there is no problem with that.]
Smack!
Asuka slammed his right hand against his forehead.
"What an incredible miracle of returning to one's ancestral bloodline!"
It was like disguising dog meat as mutton.
At least they were still selling meat.
But this reward had originally been described as a drop of blood containing the bloodline of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
And now?
It had been downgraded directly into the blood of an Ōtsutsuki descendant.
Only now did Asuka realize that there had been a word game hidden inside the reward description.
[This drop of blood can purify the host's bloodline and make it closer to that of his ancestors.]
"Your 'ancestor' was my grandfather, wasn't he?"
"Damn it!"
Just as he was about to close the system, another line suddenly appeared on the screen.
[New Mission Issued: Although you ranked first in the entrance examination, your classmates all know that powerful shinobi clans begin training their children two years in advance.]
[The only difference between you and them is time.]
[They firmly believe that, given enough time, they will eventually stand alongside you—or even surpass you.]
[Please achieve excellent results once again in this semester's final examination and widen the gap between yourself and your classmates.]
[This mission may be abandoned.]
[Mission Rewards: Sharingan Awakening Progress +1 level; Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's Training Insights—System Edition; and a weight-loss pill capable of making the user thin simply by taking it.]
Asuka's eyes lingered on the weight-loss pill for a moment.
Then he said expressionlessly,
"Abandon it."
Although a weight-loss pill that could make a fat person thin was tempting, compared with going back to school for another mission, Asuka would rather take the pill and go running to lose weight.
The Ninja Academy was giving him a headache now.
Was there really no mission that could let him compete with the others on equal footing?
[Mission successfully abandoned.]
[New Mission being issued.]
Seeing the system screen light up again, Asuka raised an eyebrow.
In the past, whenever he abandoned a mission, the system would usually remain silent for half a month or even a month.
He hadn't expected it to be so persistent today.
[New Mission: Your Ninja Academy semester begins the day after tomorrow, but you aren't happy about it.]
[Although attending the Ninja Academy will allow you to make many friends, what you truly desire most is the companionship of your older brother.]
[For some reason, you've noticed that your older brother has been extremely busy recently. He always comes home very late, and every time he returns, he gets into heated arguments with your father.]
[Sometimes, you can even hear your mother's sighs.]
[Whenever your brother sees you, he simply apologizes before leaving home again.]
[You don't understand why this is happening, because you haven't done anything to upset your brother.]
[Only after leaving your hometown and meeting Uchiha Izumi does a realization suddenly strike you.]
[You should have realized it sooner.]
[Why does your brother, who normally listens so obediently to your parents, suddenly keep arguing with them? Why does he always come home so late? Why doesn't he have time to accompany you?]
[It turns out that the reason is a girlfriend.]
[You've often heard people say that men in love are hopeless, and that their behavior is incomprehensible to outsiders.]
[Your brother's recent behavior fits that description perfectly.]