I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 42: Overall Rating Rises Again, Officially Becomes a Jonin!

"One task, three rewards, a win-win-win situation—wait, I win three times!"

Looking at the two gleaming A-grade and one B-grade [Ninja Scrolls] on the panel, Nara Rankei was filled with joy.

"Old Man Kakuzu is actually a very nice person!"

Through this mission, Nara Rinka felt as if he had triggered a bug in the [Lazybones System].

Did he kill Kakuzu?

Killed twice.

Is Kakuzu still alive?

They must still be alive.

Have you completed the battle mission?

No, on the contrary, at the very last moment before failing, I chose to speedrun and then claimed the guaranteed win.

"Ending an enemy's life while they are still alive counts as completing a combat mission, and the cooldown period for completing a combat mission can be ignored..."

awesome!

Nara Ranka gradually came to understand everything.

Whether this is a bug in Kakuzu's character or a bug in the "Lazy System" is another matter.

Nara Ranka only knew... he could endure even more!

"Theoretically speaking, I can farm a maximum of five A-rank rewards from Kakuzu's A-rank battle missions!"

"Of course, if I wanted to achieve a sustainable cycle, I should destroy all four of his hearts and then choose speedrun..."

A surge of wickedness welled up within Nara Rinka's pure heart.

"Furthermore, in the ninja world, there are only a handful of people as difficult to kill as Kakuzu, but he is not the only one."

"This flexible method of completing tasks by using one fish in multiple ways is fantastic; it could be replicated!"

While Nara Rinka was still pondering which other ninjas in the ninja world possessed multiple levels of life.

Nara Kano, Akimichi Choza, and Yamanaka Inoichi were still scanning their surroundings with extreme vigilance.

The Mismatched Ino-Shika-Cho squad did not have a virtual panel to report messages and was unaware that Kakuzu had already fled the battlefield.

All they can do now is to be more vigilant and work together.

However, the condition of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was indeed not good.

Having just clashed head-on with "Lightning Release: False Darkness", Akimichi Choza looked extremely disheveled.

His body was charred black, his armor was torn, and large patches of his skin were radiating heat, as if he had almost been roasted alive by the high-voltage current.

Nara Kano, standing to the side, was also pale, having exhausted his chakra.

Only Yamanaka Inoichi's condition remains intact.

"Chu, prepare the three-colored dumplings."

Nara Kano knew that Akimichi Choza was not in good condition, but he had no other choice.

"Inoichi, activate your senses and locate the enemy!"

The three major ninja clans, Ino-Shika-Cho, have cooperated for many years, and the coordination between their secret techniques is considered perfect.

Even with the perfect teamwork of the Ino-Shika-Cho team, "challenging opponents of higher levels" remains an extremely difficult task for them.

Especially when facing a "small hexagonal monster" like Kakuzu.

Even ninjas of the same rank, even those with intelligence on Kakuzu, would find it extremely difficult to deal with him.

Not to mention that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's strength is already inferior to Kakuzu's, and they don't even know anything about him!

If it weren't for the intrusion of that "invisible ninja," the Ino-Shika-Cho team would probably have lost members by now.

Kakuzu has disappeared, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio have lost sight of each other and can only huddle together, standing back to back, scanning the battlefield at the same time.

With a resolute expression, Akimichi Choza took out a set of transparent boxes from his ninja tool bag. The boxes contained three different colored dumplings: red, yellow, and green.

This is the Akimichi clan's last trump card...

"Uncle Kano, I can't sense Kakuzu's presence."

Yamanaka Inoichi's gaze was fixed on a clump of "air" not far away, and he reported to his superior in a low voice.

"But another ninja was still present, though he remained standing still and did not take any action."

"The ability to make things transparent?"

Nara Kano deliberately turned his head to look in the other direction.

"This is really unfriendly to ordinary ninjas like us..."

"friend!"

At the end, Nara Kano suddenly raised his voice.

"Kakuzu has already left, so we'll take our leave!"

Not to mention that the "invisible ninja" cannot yet distinguish friend from foe.

After their battle with Kakuzu, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio are no longer at their peak.

At this point, I didn't want to continue fighting.

"Uncle Kano, that invisible ninja has disappeared underground, apparently to pursue Kakuzu."

At this moment, Yamanaka Inoichi discovered something else and quickly reported it to his superior.

"Earth Release ninjutsu, combined with that ability to become invisible, is somewhat similar to the secret techniques of Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village) - Lady Tsunade just updated this information a few days ago."

"Perhaps this invisible ninja is from Iwagakure..."

Nara Kano nodded slightly, but made no judgment.

He first ruled out the possibility that the "invisible ninja" was a Konoha ninja.

One reason is enough to explain it.

If they were Konoha ninjas, they should have joined up with them by now.

"A ninja from Iwagakure? Hunting down Kakuzu? Or perhaps they're spying on the Land of Fire? Or maybe they're spies from another ninja village?"

Nara Kano's mind was racing, and he couldn't come to a conclusion for the time being.

"Forget it, I don't need to think about this kind of thing. When I get back to the village, I'll just tell three generations of my family about it, and then I'll retire and go home to raise deer..."

"Haiyi, go and call all the children back—no, let's just go there ourselves."

Nara Kano gave his final instructions.

"Cho-za, hang in there a little longer."

The Mismatched Pig-Deer-Butterfly Squad begins to reunite with another group.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Asuma's squad had arrived at an open area and were silently waiting for news.

Nara Rinka's expression shifted slightly. He pretended to bend down, but instead picked up the [Chakra Crystal] ring from the ground and put it back on.

In the recent battle against Kakuzu, the Shadow Clone used the Chakra Crystal on the ring to unleash the Camouflage Concealment technique.

After all, the Shadow Clone can only use the Yin Release techniques mastered by the original body, and the Camouflage Concealment is not among them.

"Having said that, after this battle, I realize that my previous approach was completely wrong!"

Nara Rinka gently stroked the ring on her finger, lost in thought.

"Essentially, [Camouflage Concealment] is a molecular-level chakra manipulation technique; it doesn't involve matter itself."

"The so-called camouflage refers to wrapping a thin film of water molecules around the human body or other materials to achieve an optical camouflage effect."

"The key to merging the [Shadow Technique] and [Camouflage] techniques lies not in creating invisible shadows, but in coating the shadows with a layer of water molecules to conceal their movement!"

Specifically, it means transforming the chakra used to perform the [Camouflage Concealment] technique from regular chakra into Yin Release chakra! Making it a ninjutsu driven by Yin Release chakra.

Nara Ranka gradually cleared her mind and then summoned the control panel.

"While we have time, let's see what's inside those three [Ninja Scrolls]!"

The virtual panel expands.

Nara Rinka gazed intently at the [Ninja Scroll].

After some deliberation, the first one he opened was still the B-grade roll.

"Let's use a Rank B secret scroll as a buffer first..."

[Opening...]

[This B-rank ninja scroll includes: Techniques]

[Rank B Technique: Earth Release: Earth Spear]

[Spell Description: The physical body can defend against all things, like a diamond]

[Technique Effect: Utilizes Earth Release chakra flowing throughout the body to harden the skin and maximize defense, while also enhancing the user's [Power] attribute and offensive destructive power. It is extremely versatile.]

[Surgery Evaluation: Drink! Iron block!]

"【Earth Release: Earth Spear】! This is Kakuzu's defensive technique!"

Nara Rinka's eyes lit up as he looked at the information that popped up on the panel.

He was deeply impressed by Kakuzu's defensive technique of withstanding the "Flesh Bomber Needle Chariot".

But the information that pops up on the panel is not just that.

[Having learned the B-rank technique [Earth Release: Earth Spear], your [Ninjutsu] and [Sage] attributes have been enhanced! Overall rating improved!]

Overall Rating: B- (Special Jonin) → B (Jonin)

"A B-level physical defense skill has significantly improved my survivability and raised my overall rating!"

Nara Rinkachi exhaled softly, calming his emotions.

"However, we cannot ignore the speed reduction effect of [Earth Release: Earth Spear] during its execution, nor can we ignore the fact that Lightning Release is effective against it!"

Nara, riding the wave of success, is moving on to the next A-grade scroll.

[Opening...]

[This Rank A Ninja Scroll includes: Techniques]

[Rank A Spell: Flaming Wind Chaos]

[Technique Description: A composite ninjutsu, a combination of wind and fire techniques]

[Technique Effect: Simultaneously gathers fire and wind chakra and releases the B-rank technique [Fire Release: Head Carving] and the B-rank technique [Wind Release: Pressure Damage], drawing in the wind to fan the flames, creating a vast sea of ​​fire.]

[Spell Evaluation: Ah! This wind! Ah! This fire!]

Nara Rinka frowned slightly as he looked at the [Rank A Technique: Flaming Wind Waves] that popped up on the panel.

Compared to [Earth Release: Earth Spear], the power and effect of [Flame Wind Chaos Wave] are definitely greatly enhanced.

"But all in all, isn't this just a combination of two B-rank ninjutsu? At most, it has the effect of 'using them simultaneously,' but the power hasn't increased much..."

Nara Rinka was not entirely satisfied with the contents of the second scroll.

He deliberately waited a moment before opening the last A-rank [Ninja Scroll].

[Opening...]

[This Rank A Ninja Scroll contains: Miscellaneous Items]

[Grade A Miscellaneous Item: Mask Forging Method]

[Item Description: Knowledge and Technology]

【Item Effect: Made from materials rich in chakra, this 【Nature Mask】is crafted to the corresponding attribute. After wearing it, you can freely use the chakra energy contained within the 【Nature Mask】.

The grade of a [Nature Mask] depends on the amount of chakra invested, with the highest grade being A.

[Item Evaluation: Bull Warrior (X) - Ninja (√) never takes off his mask]

Kakuzu is really strong.

The changes in the properties of the five elements alone are already beyond the reach of ordinary people...

For ordinary ninjas, there is simply no way to counter Kakuzu's five nature transformations.

Non-lightning attacks are basically unable to break through the defense of [Earth Release: Earth Spear].

Illusion magic is also ineffective against [Earth Grudge Fear], which can move freely.

Kakuzu himself has an exceptionally rich combat experience.

Calling him a "small hexagonal warrior" is perfectly fine, Ashin thinks.

-

The 【Attribute Mask】 is inspired by Kakuzu's five attribute masks.

(End of this chapter)