The dazzling white light from the projection room had not yet completely faded from his retina.
Shigure suddenly sat up from the creaking wooden bed.
His chest heaved violently, as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat, and his whole body trembled slightly from the uncontrollable ecstasy.
"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"
Shigure almost blurted out that exclamation, then called up the system panel that only he could see.
"Emotion Value Balance: 48,800 points!"
"Forty-eight thousand eight hundred points…?"
He stared at the numbers on the panel, his eyes nearly popping out, and quickly rubbed them, unable to believe he wasn't seeing things.
Immediately after, a huge wave of pleasant surprise surged over him.
"I'm rich! I'm rich! This time, I've really hit the jackpot!"
The gains from the second dream far exceeded his imagination.
Shigure had originally estimated that even if the dream content had upgraded, getting a little over ten thousand Emotion Points this time would be good.
After all, he had only gotten a little over six thousand points the first time.
However, he never expected that the appearance of Minato and Kushina would cause such intense emotional fluctuations, leading to an explosive growth in Emotion Points.
Especially Kakashi.
That guy was practically a walking, super Emotion Value ATM.
And Naruto.
Throughout the entire dream, though that kid was mostly just blissfully happy, he actually managed to get a special reward for "Dream Fulfillment" at the end, netting a full ten thousand points in one go!
While Sasuke and Sakura's contributions weren't much, a mosquito's leg is still meat, better than nothing, and every little bit adds up.
Hehehe…
He was one big step closer to his ultimate goal of exchanging for the Rinnegan, the Ōtsutsuki Bloodline, and even helping Teuchi-san open ramen shops all over the Ninja World.
"Calm down! Calm down!"
Shigure shook his head sharply, forcing himself to calm down from the euphoria.
"Now is not the time to pop champagne!"
"No matter how many Emotion Points I accumulate, if I don't quickly convert them into strength, they're just a bunch of numbers that could reset to zero at any time if I kick the bucket!"
Shigure knew better than anyone how dangerous the Ninja World he was currently in was.
The death rate here was definitely among the top of all the myriad worlds.
Without enough strength, there was no sense of security whatsoever.
Forget about protecting his own small patch of land, he might not even be able to save his own life.
"I need to quickly convert all these points into combat power!"
A hint of determination flashed in Shigure's eyes, and with a thought, he reopened the dazzling mall interface.
On the interface, various exchange options were clear at a glance: Bloodline Limit, Ninjutsu Scrolls, Taijutsu Secret Techniques, Item Equipment, Special Abilities…
Shigure directly skipped the ridiculously expensive Bloodline Limit section and clicked on the "Ninjutsu" and "Special Abilities" tabs.
"Last time, I randomly received affinity for Water, Lightning, and Yang Chakra natures…"
Shigure stroked his chin and mused, "Yang nature is mainly for support and healing, accelerating recovery, but it lacks offensive means. So… for now, the focus should still be on Water Release and Lightning Release."
Just as he was about to meticulously select from the numerous Ninjutsu lists like last time—
A sparkling new icon suddenly popped up in the upper right corner of the interface!
The icon continuously flashed with cool, dynamic text: "This Week's Promotion! Limited-Time Discount! Don't Miss Out!"
"Holy crap, there's such a good thing?!"
Shigure's eyes lit up, and he unhesitatingly clicked on the promotion icon.
Whoosh!
A brand new mall page popped up.
The page listed several tempting special offer packages, each bearing eye-catching labels like "Limited-Time Steal" and "Buying is Earning."
Shigure enthusiastically scanned these dazzling packages.
"Wood Release Beginner's Great Gift Package: Feel the power of the Senju of the Forest! Contains 'Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence (Trial Version),' 'Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu (LV1),' 'Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Jutsu (LV1),' and can slightly increase Wood Release Chakra affinity! Limited-time special price: 88,888 Emotion Points!"
"Holy crap! Wood Release… Wait, eighty-eight thousand?!"
Shigure almost drooled.
"I don't have the Wood Release Bloodline, so I can't use it even if I buy it… Damn it, it's making me so greedy! You dog system, always teasing people!"
He forcibly tore his lingering gaze away and continued to look down.
"Uchiha Fire Release Mastery Package: Let the world feel the art of flame! Contains 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (LV1),' 'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique (LV1),' 'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique (LV1),' and an additional gift of Uchiha Style: Shuriken Jutsu (LV1) (Note: More effective when used with Sharingan). Limited-time special price: 50,000 Emotion Points!"
"Fire Release… Uchiha… Still no good, can't use it. Next!"
"Wind Release: Gale Storm Package: Feel the power of the raging wind! Contains 'Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (LV1),' 'Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere (LV1),' 'Wind Release: Wind Blade (LV1),' and can greatly enhance the cutting ability of Wind Nature Chakra! Limited-time special price: 30,000 Emotion Points!"
"Wind Release? Pass!"
"Earth Release: Immovable as a Mountain Package: The ultimate art of absolute defense! Contains 'Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall (LV1),' 'Earth Release: Hardening Technique (LV1),' 'Earth Release: Earth Spear (LV1),' and Earth Nature defense effect doubled! Limited-time special price: 35,000 Emotion Points!"
"Tsk… It seems this week's promotional packages are not for me."
Shigure was somewhat disappointed and about to close the promotion page to slowly choose from the Ninjutsu list later, but he suddenly noticed there was a page-turning button on the interface.
His heart stirred, and he quickly switched to the next page.
Upon seeing this, his previously downcast eyes immediately became incredibly fervent.
His gaze was fixed intently on the first package after turning the page.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Demon Swordsman Selection Pack: Silent killing intent from the Village of the Bloody Mist! Control flowing water, transform into an Asura of the night! Contains 'Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu (LV1),' 'Water Release: Water Clone Jutsu (LV1),' 'Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu (LV1),' 'Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu (LV1),' 'Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu (LV1),' and an additional gift of top-tier assassination technique 'Silent Killing' (LV1)! Limited-time rock-bottom price: Only 8,000 Emotion Points!"
Hidden Mist Demon Swordsman? Zabuza?
The man who almost pushed the future Sixth Hokage to a dead end in the early stages of the original plot?
His signature Water Release secret techniques… all here?!
Water Prison Jutsu! Trapping enemies to win, max control!
Water Clone Jutsu! Hard to distinguish true from false, disrupting vision!
Hidden Mist Jutsu! Concealing one's form, simply unstoppable when combined with assassination!
And Water Dragon Bullet and Great Waterfall—two incredibly powerful Water Release offensive Ninjutsu!
More importantly… this package even included "Silent Killing"!
You know, Zabuza's lack of power in the later stages was only because he died too early in the initial plot.
But his combat philosophy and assassination techniques were most in line with the essence of a Ninja.
If he could cultivate this set of abilities to the "Sea Release" level like Senju Tobirama…
Tsk tsk, this package was practically tailor-made for Shigure!
And the price…
If bought individually, the original price would be at least twenty thousand, but now the bundle is only 8,000 points?
Not buying it? Wouldn't that be foolish!
"Buy it! Must buy it!"
Shigure was uncontrollably excited, and he unhesitatingly clicked the confirm purchase button.
"Ding! Successfully purchased 'Water Release: Hidden Mist Demon Swordsman Selection Pack,' consuming 8,000 Emotion Points."
Buzz!
Accompanied by a low hum, a vast amount of knowledge about Water Release Ninjutsu flooded into Shigure's mind at an unimaginable speed.
The principles of constructing the Water Prison Jutsu, the Chakra application secrets of the Water Clone Jutsu, the execution techniques of the Hidden Mist Jutsu, the hand seal sequences and power control of the Water Dragon Bullet and Great Waterfall…
In an instant, all the experience and insights of these five Water Release Ninjutsu transformed into instinct, deeply etched into his soul.
Not only that, his body also seemed to undergo some subtle changes.
A bloodthirsty assassination instinct lurked within his limbs, greatly increasing his sensitivity to surrounding breath, sounds, and light and shadow.
How to silently stalk in stillness, how to take a life in darkness…
Even though "Silent Killing" was only LV1, he had already initially grasped that invisible killing intent.
After acquiring the Water Release package, Shigure immediately turned his attention to the Lightning Release promotion package.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Fast Entry Package: Swift as lightning, strike when unprepared! Contains 'Lightning Release: Ground Bare (LV1),' 'Lightning Release: Discharge (LV1),' 'Lightning Release Chakra Mode (LV1),' Limited-time special price: 3,000 Emotion Points!"
"I need some Lightning Release too," Shigure grinned and muttered, "Ground Bare can paralyze enemies at medium range, Discharge is suitable for close-range sneak attacks, and Lightning Release Chakra Mode can be attached to weapons or enhance Taijutsu… Although it's just an entry package, three thousand points isn't expensive, so I'll buy it!"
"Ding! Successfully purchased 'Lightning Release: Lightning Fast Entry Package,' consuming 3,000 Emotion Points."
In an instant, knowledge regarding the use of Lightning Release flooded into his mind.
A moment later, Shigure slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
Now, his Emotion Value balance remaining: 37,800 points.