"...I've been going around in circles in this damn forest for over an hour now," irritated, Takeshi slammed his fist into the trunk of a tree to vent his frustration. "...damn, that hurts."
He immediately regretted his action, but still put on a dignified face. Getting angry like that wasn't going to help him get back any faster; he knew he had to keep a cool head so his judgment wouldn't be clouded.
I wonder if she made it back safely, he thought as he let himself drop down beside the tree. He couldn't stop thinking about that girl. Should he have taken her with him instead of leaving her there? Deep down, didn't he simply not want to abandon her?
All kinds of unanswered questions flooded his mind. He tried to convince himself that it had been the best thing to do. She might have a family dragging her along with him, when his own future was uncertain, would have been selfish, right? And besides, he hadn't even gotten a good look at her face… what a complete mess this whole thing was.
Takeshi let out a sigh, closing his eyes to get a bit of rest. He hadn't properly closed his eyes in quite some time. Then, suddenly, a memory came back to him.
"Hey, system…" Takeshi murmured as he opened his eyes and sat up straight.
[System] — How may I assist the host?
Almost instantly, the translucent screen appeared, as if it had been there all along, lurking in the shadows and only waiting for a word from Takeshi to manifest.
"After that performance, I did get a reward, right?" Takeshi asked, unable to hide his pride the image of the trembling girl spurting all over his chest was still etched into his memory.
If he was right, she had to be a shinobi. Otherwise, why would she call that other idiot "Captain" and strut around in this forest?
He was already salivating, impatient to find out what skill he had obtained this time. I hope it's not something uselessly shitty…
[System] — Indeed, after the host's most recent successful conquest, the host obtained 30 PM, increasing the total stock to 230 PM…
"What?!" Takeshi exclaimed, visibly disappointed. "You've got to be kidding me, damn it! You expect me to believe that a performance worthy of the greatest Olympic athletes only deserves a measly 30 PM?"
Why was the reward so ridiculously low? If he remembered correctly, Mei gave him around 50 PM. Compared to that, he had been far more impressive today. Had this damn system bugged out or something?
[System] — The host seems to be overlooking certain details before passing judgment. The current target was only of Genin level, whereas Mei was of Kage level. It is therefore natural that she grants far more PM. Does the host require further explanations?
"Tch… I see, so the number of PM varies depending on the level…" Takeshi muttered as he stroked his fake beard. "...but wait, Mei, who's Kage level, only gives me about 50 PM at best isn't that a damn injustice?"
Takeshi felt like he was being shaken down by the system, but the worst part was that he couldn't do anything about it just shut up and move forward. It's not like he could complain to some kind of administrator or other bullshit like that.
"I guess there's nothing I can do anyway," he sighed. "Well… I only received PM? Don't tell me you're about to say that anyone below Kage level doesn't give skills…"
[System] — The host has indeed received a skill, but unlike Mei, you only obtain a single technique.
"...damn it all, I'm starting to believe you'd rather see me dead than anything else…" Takeshi cursed when he read the second part of the sentence.
Thinking back, the last time he had been quite surprised to see that the skill he obtained was mastery over Yōton. It had been very broad… but apparently it hadn't been a mistake. It had just been another trap set by the system.
"So what's the technique, then…?" Takeshi asked, restraining himself from exploding in anger.
[System] — Press here to view the skill description.
Without hesitation, Takeshi pressed the indicated spot. The interface changed.
[System] — New skill acquired: Suiton: Water Mirror
Seeing this, Takeshi raised an eyebrow. Just who was that girl to be able to use such a jutsu? If he remembered correctly, it was a technique mastered by Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage.
A smile spread across his face. He already had the Yōton of the Fifth Mizukage, and now, one way or another, he had obtained one of the Fourth's techniques as well. What kind of luck was that?
Still, he kept reading to confirm his thoughts. It would be truly embarrassing to fantasize so much about a technique only to realize it belonged to someone else with the same name.
[System] — …It allows the creation of water mirrors capable of reflecting all types of attacks…
As he read those lines, Takeshi's smile widened. It was indeed the technique he had been thinking of. It was a very interesting jutsu, both defensive and offensive exactly what he needed.
Excitement surged through him. He no longer felt like resting and was already brimming with energy. Like a child who had just received a new toy, he wanted to try it out immediately.
"...Still, I should rejoin the others first… it would be troublesome if they got attacked,"
Stretching a bit, Takeshi calmly resumed his journey.