Lin Mo was an anomaly. At least at the Ninja Academy, he was.
Unlike the other students who focused on cultivating their ninjutsu, he often tinkered with things that no one else understood. You couldn't even call them ninja tools; what kind of killing power could a black, hollow tube have? If it weren't for his decent grades—he was consistently in the top three of his class—his homeroom teacher might have even wanted him to drop out.
It was precisely because of these actions that his classmates didn't think much of him. Why bother with these useless things when you could be practicing for the ninja exam? He was just ruining his future!
But Lin Mo didn't care at all.
What did they know? This was technology!
Lin Mo wasn't originally from this world. He was a regular high school student from Earth. He had no idea what bad luck had befallen him to cause him to transmigrate to the world of Naruto.
On top of that, he had a "Starry Sky Technology System." The name was so evocative, and as a science fiction enthusiast, Lin Mo had assumed it would immediately grant him "space-based weapons" or something similar. It turned out he was overthinking it.
The system's purpose was to help Lin Mo manufacture technological weapons. At the moment, Lin Mo's system was still in "Sequence 1," and the weapons he could create were merely gas-powered guns, which were practically useless.
Still, he was close to leveling up. The requirement to upgrade from "Sequence 1" to "Sequence 2" was to manufacture ten gas-powered guns (9/10). And the barrel in his hand was for the last one.
While the teacher was lecturing at the podium, Lin Mo pulled the parts from his desk drawer and skillfully assembled a gas-powered gun. With a soft "click," the last piece locked into place.
Finally, the system gave him a notification.
"Host has completed the promotion mission: Assembly of ten gas-powered guns complete."
"Promoting from Sequence 1 to Sequence 2."
"Skills acquired: Precision Manufacturing, Firearm Structure."
Lin Mo let out a long sigh of relief. He had finally completed the promotion mission before the end of the year. The timing of his transmigration was unfortunate; it was one of the most chaotic periods in the ninja world:
Konoha Year 25.
His body was 9 years old, and it was now Konoha Year 34, one year after the start of the Second Great Ninja War. If things went as expected, he would be forced to graduate this year and be sent to the battlefield, a so-called "cannon fodder."
Ninjas from civilian families like him would likely only know the "Three Basic Techniques" and the most fundamental taijutsu. Only if they were lucky enough to survive one or two battles might they be able to learn a minor ninjutsu. This was how Minato Namikaze struggled to survive.
But Lin Mo didn't plan to follow the path of those civilian students. He wasn't the kind of person to passively accept his fate, especially since he had a system.
It was just that gas-powered guns were useless, which made him appear so peculiar.
As Lin Mo was engrossed in the joy of his promotion to Sequence 2, a ninja suddenly burst into the room. The loud slam of the door drew everyone's attention, and Lin Mo was no exception.
Lin Mo recognized this ninja.
He was the director of the Ninja Academy's Education Department, a veteran Chunin.
He cleared his throat, looked at the academy students, and spoke in a commanding tone, "In one week, the graduation exam will be held, which will determine your team assignments..."
"I hope you all make the most of this opportunity."
Lin Mo wasn't surprised at all. The war... wasn't going to spare them just because they were children.
After saying this, he left immediately and headed to the next classroom.
Almost without a doubt, students from the third year and above would be forced to graduate.
The atmosphere in the classroom became somber.
Although most students were happy about this, finally being able to graduate and become an official ninja, there were also many students with foresight, just like Lin Mo.
Connecting this to the start of the Second Great Ninja War last year, they could also guess what this graduation meant.
But this had nothing to do with Lin Mo.
He was currently looking at the hot weapons he could now manufacture.
Hmm...
The weapons available in Sequence 2 still hadn't surpassed the level of a regular Jonin. However, they could have a decent effect in a war.
Submachine guns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles with a range of up to one thousand meters.
In addition, there was another somewhat useless weapon: grenades.
These might be useful in other worlds, but in the world of Naruto, there were "Explosive Tags," which were just as powerful in terms of explosive force. The only advantage a grenade might have over an Explosive Tag was that it didn't have a chakra signature, making it harder to detect.
Lin Mo's thoughts drifted, and then his gaze shifted downwards, settling on the conditions for promotion to Sequence 3.