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The wooden door creaked as Kuro pushed it open, he stepped through the doorway and closed the door behind him. He didn't bother turning on the light. The glow of the streetlamp outside bled through the curtains just enough for him to see the mess he'd left behind.
And honestly, he didn't even care at the moment.
His body moved on its own, the muscle memory guiding him through the clutter of his small apartment. He barely made it five steps in before his arms dropped his bag to the floor. The zipper split open slightly on impact, revealing a glimpse of scrolls shoved inside.
Kuro stepped out of his sandals, not even bothering to line them up like he usually did.
The floor creaked beneath his weight as he reached the edge of his bed and just let gravity take over. His body dropped forward like a collapsing tree, landing face-first into the mattress with a dull thump that shook the bedframe.
A long, slow breath escaped him, muffled into the covers. His muscles sank into the softness, the contrast from days of sleeping on dirt and rubble making it feel like he was melting.
He rolled onto his back and stared up at the cracked ceiling. 'Since I've got free time now... I might as well check my rewards,' Kuro thought, his eyes still half-lidded as he laid on his back.
He slowly lifted his hand up toward the ceiling and with a small flick of his fingers, his system interface blinked into view.
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[INVENTORY ]
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[ EMPTY WATER CANTEEN 1x ] - Common..
[KUNAI 2x ] - Common..
[SHURIKEN 13x ]- Common..
[HOLLOW-TOOTHED NECKLACE 1x ] - Rare..
[TELEPORTATION STONE 1x ] - Uncommon.
[REDUVIA, THE BLADE OF BLOOD 1x ] - Rare..
[RANDOM MEDIUM GRADE LOOT BOX 2x ] - Rare..
[RANDOM CURSED LOOT BOX 1x ] - Rare..
. . . .
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'Which one should I pick first…' Kuro thought, rubbing at his chin with a dull expression. His eyes lazily drifted across the icons floating in front of him. There were three boxes in total, two medium grade ones and one cursed grade. He stared at the high-grade loot box for a second longer than the others before shaking his head.
'I should save the best for last,' he smirked to himself.
He tapped on the medium grade box icon. And a second later two swirling lights formed, condensing and shaping themselves into the form of two medium-sized boxes, both glowing a light blue with faint runic patterns trailing across their surfaces.
Kuro sat up in bed with a small grunt and swung his legs off the edge. The room was still a bit dim, so he got up and flicked on the light switch near the door. The flickering bulb buzzed once before steadying, casting a yellowish hue over the room.
He made his way to the small table tucked against the wall and placed the boxes down. For a second, before he reached down and slipped the ribbon off the first box. It unraveled easily, falling to the side. He lifted the lid slowly and inside were two tightly rolled scrolls, each one wrapped with a green ribbon.
(C-RANK) – [WATER STYLE JUTSU: HIDDEN MIST JUTSU] – Added to Dex.
[HIDDEN MIST JUTSU INFO: Creates a thick layer of mist in the surrounding area, greatly limiting visibility for anyone caught inside. ]
(C-RANK) – [FIRE STYLE JUTSU: GREAT FIREBALL JUTSU] – Added to Dex.
[GREAT FIREBALL JUTSU INFO: Allows the user to exhale a large fireball from their mouth, scorching anything caught in its path.]
Immediately right after, both scrolls dissolved into a soft, pixelated light..fading from his hands like dust caught in the wind. Then it hit him, a sudden wave of information slammed into his mind all at once, details like how to mold chakra for each element, how to direct it properly, and the exact hand signs tied to both jutsus. His temples throbbed slightly as it all rushed in, but the headache faded just as quickly as it came.
Kuro rubbed the side of his head, his fingers pressing into his temple to ease the leftover throb. "Ugh… not the best feeling," he muttered under his breath. "But this is good."
He leaned back a little, letting the moment settle in. Up until now, he'd only had one good offensive Jutsu, but it was tied to a single nature release. That meant his fighting style was predictable and fairly limited. But now... the more jutsu's he had, the more options he'd have in a fight.
And the hidden Mist Jutsu was especially useful in that sense. He could use it if he was ever outnumbered or in a tight space like a dungeon corridor. Or he could even use it to blind a whole group of enemies at once, giving him room to breathe or go in for the stealth attack.
Still, it had one major downside..if the enemy couldn't see, neither could he. That was the tradeoff. So he'd have to start training his hearing, maybe work on his reflexes more, anything really to help him track movements even without seeing. If he was born a sensory-type ninja, this wouldn't be an issue… but he wasn't.
'But... if I invested enough stat points into my sense stat… would that make me a sensory type ninja?' Kuro thought, rubbing his chin slowly as he crossed his arms. It was a curious idea, one that made sense in theory. The system already boosted his physical strength, chakra pool, and other abilities through stat points..so logically, raising his sense stat should make him sense chakra. But even then, he wasn't sure if simply boosting a number would grant him that kind of advanced perception. Sensory type ninja were rare for a reason…
He could try it later, maybe experiment and test it out. But for now, he shelved the thought, pushing it to the back of his mind.
Though what really caught his attention was the Fireball Jutsu.
Now that... was something he could actually put to use.
The idea of channeling fire chakra through his lungs and releasing it as a massive flaming sphere sounded like a huge step forward in combat power. A direct hit could turn the tide of a fight, especially against multiple targets or even a bigger boss enemy. It gave him ranged offense, and something with real stopping power.
Like every other Naruto fan growing up, the Fireball Jutsu was always one of those things that lived rent-free in Kuro's head. Right up there with going Super Saiyan or swinging around with Spider-Man webs. It was that one childhood fantasy, that looked cool no matter how many times you saw it. And now, it wasn't just a dream anymore... He could actually do it.
Kuro's gaze drifted toward the second box sitting on his table. He shifted his weight a little and leaned forward a bit. 'Alright... let's see what's in this bad boy,' he thought, reaching out and pinching the edge of the ribbon between his fingers.
With one smooth motion, he tugged it loose. The box gave a soft creak as he flipped open the lid.
Inside, laid out perfectly, was what looked like a folded black cloak. Its fabric had a slight shimmer to it, but more like a faint glint that only showed when the light hit it just right.
Kuro raised a brow, then reached in and carefully lifted it out. The cloak hung loosely in his hands, surprisingly light, but with a texture that felt tough, like it could take a hit if it needed to. He held it up a bit higher, letting the fabric unfold under its own weight as he studied the stitching. It had a high collar, and silver thread lining the inside hem, almost hidden unless you knew where to look.
'Now this... this is nice.'
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[-ITEM INFO-]
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( RARE ) – [ITEM: HALLOW, THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY]
[TYPE: CLOAK ]
[LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: B- ]
[-HALLOW INFO-]
- (EFFECT), "INVISIBILITY": When equipped, you can go temporarily invisible for two minutes.
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Kuro stared at the cloak in his hands for a long second, his brain processing what he just read from the item description. His eyelid twitched slightly before he took a slow, wide blink.
"Invisibility cloak...?" he mumbled under his breath. "Is this some Harry Potter-type shit?"
The corner of his mouth curved into a grin. As much as it sounded like something out of a fantasy book, he couldn't deny how insane the combo would be. "Using this with my Hidden Mist Jutsu...would actually be kind of busted," he said, already thinking it through.
The Hidden Mist already blanketed an area in fog thick enough to blind anyone inside it. But adding full invisibility on top of that? It wasn't just overpowered, it was straight up unfair. Even if someone managed to see through the mist somehow, they'd still have to deal with the fact that Kuro would be literally invisible inside of it.
But of course it had its drawbacks, a sensory-type ninja could still easily detect where he is by his chakra, and anyone with trained hearing could probably track the sound of his movements. But that would mean he would just have to train so that his footsteps become near silent.
Still...
For an average opponent? It'd be more than enough.
With a swipe of his hand, his inventory popped up in front of him in the familiar blue light. Kuro tapped the cloak and sent it into storage, watching as it shimmered briefly before disappearing into the digital space.
'This... is going to come in handy,' he thought.
Kuro's eyes then shifted toward the top corner of his inventory screen, looking at the box icon just sitting there. Raising a finger, he tapped on it.
In an instant, a sharp red light burst across the room, painting the walls in a flickering red hue. A pixelated glow spiraled out of the air and formed in his hands, the particles swirling faster and faster until they began to take shape. The energy slowly hardened, folding in on itself, and finally settled into a solid form.
It was a box.
A jet black box from top to bottom with a deep red ribbon crossed over the center, tied in a sharp knot. 'A cursed random loot box... its the first time I've gotten one of these,' he thought, squinting slightly. 'I can't remember what exactly they give, but if the name's anything to go by... it's probably better than anything else I've opened so far.'
He reached forward, his fingers brushing over the ribbon. It came undone easier than expected, the fabric slid off dropping beside him. Then, he reached for the lid of the box and flipped it open.
As the lid cracked open, a sudden heavy gust of air burst out from the box, the wind hitting him in the face, pushing his hair back slightly and making the flame of his nearby lamp flicker.
Slowly the corner of his mouth pulling into a crooked grin. 'What the hell...' he thought, leaning forward.
He peered into the box.
Sitting perfectly centered on a bed of black velvet was a miniature tower, and directly at the bottom, barely sticking out, was a short, blood-red key embedded into its base.
A small glow hovered just above the object.
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[-ITEM INFO-]
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( CURSED ) – [ITEM: THE TOWER OF MADNESS]
[TYPE: KEY ]
[LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: SSS+ ]
Opens a gate to a dungeon.
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Kuro's eyebrows shot up so fast they nearly touched his hairline.
"S...S...S!?" he blinked hard, staring at the screen like it had personally offended him. "What the hell? A dungeon? Seriously? I wouldn't have minded getting an SSS-class weapon or even some rare armor...but a dungeon?" He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I might as well dig my own grave if I go walking into something like that."
Still, even as he complained, he didn't toss the key aside.
He stared at it for a second longer.
"But... a SSS rank dungeon does mean better drops," he muttered under his breath, the gears in his head already turning. "If I just peek inside, see what I'm dealing with, I could always dip out with a teleportation stone if it's too much to handle."
He nodded to himself, throwing the key into his inventory. "Greed's gonna get me killed one day," he sighed, but he didn't sound all that mad about it.
Kuro leaned back, stretching both arms behind his head with a quiet yawn.
"To be fair... I'm not disappointed. I mean, I got two new Jutsu's, an invisibility cloak, and now a key to a dungeon that could drop some of the rarest loot I've ever seen?" He let out a short laugh. "Not a bad haul for a week that started like complete shit."
"But its time to call it a night..." Kuro muttered, letting out a long yawn that made his jaw pop. "Nyagh..." he stretched, dragging his feet across the wooden floor as he made his way toward his bed.
The second he pulled the blanket back—
RIIIIINNNNGGGGG... RIIIIINNNNGGGGG
The sharp, shrill ring of the wall-mounted telephone echoed through the room. Kuro's shoulders slumped instantly as he let out an exhausted sigh, his fingers letting go of the covers.
"For fuck's sake..." he grumbled under his breath.
He turned back around and dragged himself over to the phone, the old cord swinging gently as he reached for the receiver. Grabbing it off the hook, he pressed it to his ear.
"Hello...?" he answered.
There was a brief pause.
"Is this Kuro?" A soft, almost girlish voice replied from the other end.
Kuro blinked, his tired eyes narrowing just a bit as his brow lifted. "Yeah... it is," he said, shifting the phone slightly against his ear. "Why? Who's asking?"
"Um... I don't know if you remember me, it's Rina Yui? The girl at the front desk?" the voice on the other end said, a bit shy, like she wasn't sure if calling had been the right move.
Kuro rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm, still half-drowsy from almost falling into bed. "Yeah, I remember," he muttered. "But... why are you calling me this late?"
There was a pause, just long enough to make the silence noticeable.
"I was wondering if we could meet up and t-talk," she said, her voice soft but clear. "I know a place, there's a good restaurant that sell good food."
Kuro blinked, the sleep fog slowly clearing from his mind.
He paused, unsure how to answer at first. The offer caught him off guard, not because he didn't know what to say, but because deep down, he already knew the answer. He might've been a boy, but he was still a man and Rina? She was... well, let's just say there were more than a few Genin who purposely faked questions just to get in her line at the mission desk.
"Yeah... of course," Kuro said, with zero hesitation. A small smirk crept across his lips as he leaned against the wall, a bit of life returning to his voice.
"Just name the time."
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