"…Most of your injuries have already healed. The rest just need proper rest."
Rest.
That sounded fine. With my condition, there was no way I would be sent back to the front lines anytime soon.
"Thank you," I said, giving a small bow before turning toward the door.
I fully noticed it the nurse's gaze lingering on my empty left sleeve.
Pity.
A quiet, unspoken acknowledgment of weakness.
For a shinobi, losing an arm wasn't just physical damage. It meant losing options. Most ninjutsu required hand seals, and while one-handed techniques existed, they were limited. Even those who mastered them couldn't use every jutsu the same way as before.
I hadn't expected to come back from the battlefield unscathed.
But losing an arm…
I let out a slow breath.
At least I'm alive. That was what mattered.
The corridor outside was crowded.
Shinobi lined the walls, waiting their turn to be examined. Some were missing small things like an eye, an ear, fingers. Others, like me, were missing limbs entirely. Arms. Legs.
These were the ones who had returned from the front.
Field medics existed, but battlefields weren't places for careful treatment. They patched you up just enough to keep you breathing. Proper checkups came later, here.
Stepping out of Konoha Hospital, I looked up at the gloomy sky. The weather felt like a perfect reflection of the village's state.
Casualties had risen drastically. Over the past few years, the village elders had started pushing students to graduate early, sending them straight to the front lines as little more than cannon fodder.
Children became meat shields.
Most were cut down before they ever had a chance. Others survived, only to return missing something an eye, a limb..or more.
Compared to many, my condition was still considered better.
Being part of a clan especially the Uchiha meant I had options. Resources. Support. Civilian shinobi didn't have that luxury. When they broke, there was often no one to catch them.
Still, everyone was bleeding now.
Especially the clans.
They were forced to pour money from their treasuries into village support, and even their private shinobi were being drafted into military service.
Was this punishment?
A punishment for letting the White Fang fall?
Looking at the losses, it was obvious. Only after something is gone do people realise its value. Regret always comes late.
Many small clans have already perished in this war. Most roots are so crippled that they can't be called clan anymore but a family. The number of years it would take them to increase good quality shinobi will be atleast a decade. Even then they can't be compared to what they were.
Just like the Senju.
During the Second Shinobi War they were like the tank and so their losses had been so severe that the clan practically vanished. Not entirely, of course some still carried the name. Others abandoned it, took new surnames, and lived as civilians. The bloodline continued quietly.
Those people would have be perfect subjects for Orochimaru's Wood Release experiments.
Yamato probably has Senju blood too, I thought.
Speaking of uncle snake… there was barely any news about him lately. The same went for Tsunade and even Fugaku. Their achievements never really reached the villagers.
Only one name echoed through the streets.
The Yellow Flash.
Good PR, I had to admit.
At this point, Minato Namikaze becoming Hokage felt inevitable.
People said the Hokage was "chosen by the people," but that had never truly been the case. From the very beginning, power decided everything.
Hashirama was chosen over Madara not because he was some saint, but because he was the strongest. He had killed just as many as Madara since childhood.
Then Hashirama chose Tobirama without consulting anyone.
No one objected, because Hashirama was still alive.
Tobirama chose Hiruzen the same way, disregarding other clans' opinions. That time, objections did arise but they were silenced with deals and benefits.
And now, history was repeating itself.
Hiruzen had chosen Minato.
And everyone understood that message clearly.
Well, not that it mattered to me. Whoever became Hokage wouldn't change the Uchiha's position in the village. The outcome was already set.
Which meant one thing.
I had to prepare for the genocide.
That one-eyed rat won't let us go.
Sigh.
It would be great if I had some kind of sys—
DING
Congratulations. You have survived 3,456 days and fulfilled the hidden conditions required to unlock the system.
System unlocked.
Selecting system type…
Random system detected.
Gacha System selected.
Adjusting parameters…
Synchronization in progress…
Process complete.
"…"
For a few seconds, I just stood there.
The rain kept falling, but I didn't move an inch.
I glanced around, checking if anyone else could see this but no one even slowed down. People rushed past me like normal, completely ignoring the translucent screen floating in front of my eyes.
So… only I could see it.
Could this be genjutsu? Maybe. But, even if it was, I didn't care. I am going to enjoy it while it lasted.
I started walking toward the clan compound, letting my thoughts drift as the system's functions became clearer almost like the answers were being fed straight into my head.
Points.
Spend points to draw cards.
Cards could contain anything from across the Omniverse, someone's powers, experience, skills, weapons… or even consumable cards.
It also seemed like other gacha-related functions might unlock later.
Yeah. A standard gacha system.
The real question was how did I earn points?
…Oh.
One point, automatically, every day.
Not bad. That meant I didn't have to rely on killing, souls, or other messy conditions just to roll.
I focused on the interface.
Only one function was available for now , General Spin.
Checking the description, I saw the requirement.
Three points per card.
"Huh…"
So, one card every three days.
Not amazing but not terrible either.
I didn't bother cursing the system for being stingy. Just its existence alone was already enough to change my life. Soon, I'd have options. Real ones. And that alone was worth being grateful for.
Something was always better than nothing.
And for the first time in a long while, I finally had something.
******************
Card's Suggestions