If Yun Zhongshan were still alive and heard what his son just said, he would probably show him firsthand what true fatherly love really meant.
Back in the day, the Yunzhong Clan had a notable reputation across the ninja world. So how did it become a mere family of rich buffoons in his son's eyes?
"Sigh, Father! Why are you just like this useless system? Always speaking up after the fact!"
"I had already decided to give up, planned to cling to someone powerful and live a peaceful life, and now you suddenly tell me our family is amazing and has a secret technique?"
"I swear!"
Even while complaining, Yun Zhongqufeng still set off toward his father's former residence to look for the hidden door.
To be honest, when he first learned that their family possessed a secret inherited ninjutsu, he was completely dumbfounded. That shock quickly turned into excitement.
Even though he already possessed Crystal Release, having another elemental ninjutsu meant an extra layer of strength and another card to play in dangerous situations.
Besides, for the Yunzhong Clan—a bloodline that had continued through a single lineage for generations—to persist in the brutal ninja world, the secret technique had to be formidable.
And if it was powerful, then by logic, it couldn't be easy to master.
Otherwise, why had he never once seen his father use it? Clearly, the old man didn't know how!
"Well, might as well check it out first. If I really can't learn it, then that's that."
If he failed to master this Cloud Release technique, Yun Zhongqufeng felt he might just kneel in front of Yun Zhongshan's grave and cry out,
"Father! This Cloud Release is way too hard! From this day forth, let us cut off all ties as father and son. Go find someone more talented!"
True power is born from filial devotion.
His father's residence wasn't far away. After just a short walk, he arrived.
The furnishings inside were exactly as they had been while Yun Zhongshan was alive, though Yun Zhongqufeng had someone come to clean up every few days to keep the place tidy.
He immediately spotted the calligraphy painting his father had mentioned.
With careful hands, Yun Zhongqufeng removed the scroll and placed it on the nearby table.
This was an old family heirloom passed down for generations. Its value was immeasurable.
Sure enough, behind the painting, there was a square-shaped stone in the wall that looked completely out of place from its surroundings.
On its surface was carved the hidden symbol of the Yunzhong Crane.
With a gentle press, the bricks and tiles began to shift. In just a moment, a pitch-black tunnel slowly opened before his eyes.
Without hesitation, he stepped in quickly.
Dim lights flickered to life along the walls. Though faint, they were just enough to illuminate the path.
He walked swiftly and soon reached his destination—a spacious and well-lit chamber.
Inside, rows upon rows of display cabinets lined the room, filled with all sorts of scrolls and ninja tools.
It was clear now—this was the true treasure of the Yunzhong Clan.
Looking at the countless scrolls and dazzling array of tools, Yun Zhongqufeng couldn't help but exclaim,
"Good heavens. I already thought our family was rich. Turns out I was still thinking too small."
"With this many techniques, even if I wanted to master them all, it would take at least ten years."
But these weren't what he came for today. The scrolls weren't going anywhere. The priority now was finding the Cloud Release scroll.
He approached the very center of the room, where a single cabinet displayed only two items.
One was a scroll. The other, an exquisitely beautiful sword. The hilt was engraved with floating clouds, and the sheath bore twin cranes in flight. On the wooden sword rack, three characters were carved clearly: Crane Crying Sword.
"What a magnificent weapon. This one's mine now."
He turned his gaze to the scroll beside it.
"This should be the one that records how to cultivate Cloud Release."
Unfurling the scroll, what he read next nearly made his jaw hit the floor.
Cloud Release, developed by the Yunzhong Clan's ancestor Yun Zhonghuachen, is a Kekkei Tota born from the fusion of water, fire, and wind chakra. Its cultivation is extremely difficult, and it is not something ordinary people can learn.
Once struck by Cloud Release, the victim may suffer organ failure from internal freezing, or in the worst case, their body may dissolve into mist and vanish entirely.
Yun Zhongqufeng stood frozen. His brain felt like it had just shut down.
He had thought Cloud Release was just a powerful Kekkei Genkai—nothing he couldn't handle. But this? Kekkei Tota?
A technique formed by combining three chakra natures.
In the entire Naruto world, only the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, and the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had used such techniques. Their Dust Release was legendary.
Yun Zhongqufeng gave his head a hard shake. This entire day had been a wild rollercoaster, and he felt like he still hadn't woken up from a strange, long dream.
Continuing to read, his head began to throb.
"This is insane. It requires fusing three chakra natures in specific ratios. That's practically impossible."
Five chakra natures interact in complex ways. Extracting and combining three to create one new nature was beyond difficult.
"But... for someone without a system, this is indeed nearly impossible. For me, with a system, it's just the right amount of difficulty."
"System, open the exchange shop."
He had long wanted to see what the shop could offer. Now was the perfect time.
At his command, a translucent pale-blue interface appeared before him.
A wide range of goods filled the screen, making Yun Zhongqufeng's eyes light up in delight.
The more options, the happier he felt. After all, sooner or later, he'd own everything in that store.
Scanning quickly, he spotted a bunch of intriguing items.
"A phone? A computer? Damn, all the good stuff from modern life is in here too!"
Although he was tempted to buy both on the spot, he noticed the prices and nearly choked.
Each item required 5000 Calm Points. Together, that was 10000. Unthinkable.
Then he noticed another item:
Straw Sandals (Slip them on and feel like you're flying!)
"What the hell…?"
He held back his urge to complain. What kind of twisted system stocked things like this?
What could a broken pair of sandals possibly do?
"Focus. I need something that can help me learn Cloud Release. That's the real priority."
Just as he was about to scroll down again, something in the corner of his vision caught his attention.
"Wait a minute. Naruto Mobile Game? This thing costs 50000 Calm Points? Who in their right mind would spend that on a game?"
But as he read the description, a mischievous smile crept across his face.
For every 100 ryō spent by any player in the Naruto mobile game, the host receives 1 Calm Point.
"I take back everything I just said. This game is a blessing."
If he redeemed that game, it meant Calm Points could effectively be earned with money.
Of course, if he only spent his own, one million ryō would only get him 10000 Calm Points.
But Yun Zhongqufeng? Use his own money? Never. Something this good was meant to benefit the entire world.
He would bring the joy of gacha pulls and currency-burning to the whole ninja world.
A grand scheme slowly began to form in his mind.
"This can't be rushed. It needs a long-term plan." He dismissed it for now.
After scrolling for quite a while, he finally found several items that seemed useful for learning ninjutsu.
Clear Mind (Increases ninjutsu learning speed. 100 Calm Points per day)
Fire-Wind Harmony (Speeds up learning of fire and wind style ninjutsu. 4000 Calm Points)
Both looked good, but the first came with a time limit.
At 100 Calm Points per day, it was a risky long-term investment. No telling how long it might take to learn Cloud Release.
The second one only boosted two out of the three chakra types he needed. Helpful, but not enough.
Then he saw it.
The final item.
The one that truly made his heart race.
Genius (Provides deep understanding of chakra nature transformation, allowing for easy development of new ninjutsu. Calm Points required: ???)