Naruto: Pay-to-Win Ninja System

With the [Flying Thunder God Technique], Shimoku truly moved freely, unstoppable by anyone.

After seeing off Nonou and the group of kids,

Shimoku instantly flashed back to Konoha.

In truth, this time returning to Konoha,

he had three main purposes.

First: fulfill his promise to Nonou and rescue all the orphans from the Orphanage.

Second: lay out a plan to eliminate a squad of Root and further weaken Konoha.

Third: he might as well stop by one more time to see if he could grab a few 'souvenirs.'

As for recently subduing a Byakugan ninja from the Hyuga clan and verifying the powerful effect of the [Recruitment Card], that was purely an unexpected bonus.

If Shinkawa could truly help him undermine the entire branch house of the Hyuga clan, that would naturally be best.

If not possible, it wouldn't be a great loss either.

After all, it was just a spare move—nothing worth paying too much attention to.

Right now, what mattered most to Shimoku

was that tantalizing [Vault] in Konoha!

It's such a rare chance; how could he possibly skip another stealthy visit to the [Vault] to pick up a few souvenirs?

Besides,

he still had over 6,700 coins, only 3,300 short of accumulating ten thousand coins.

Of course, once the [Shipping Company] got started,

within no more than a month, he'd be able to sell jewelry again, earning a massive fortune.

But if he could sneak into Konoha's treasury once more, tonight itself might earn him tens of millions, immediately completing his target of ten thousand coins!

Isn't that enticing?

Well then, first time awkward, second time smooth sailing.

Soon after returning to Konoha, without hesitation,

Shimoku immediately concealed his figure and dashed straight toward the Vault.

Because the fire suddenly rising from the [Orphanage] yet again drew the attention of many ninjas,

it made Shimoku's journey entirely smooth.

He quickly reached the vicinity of the Konoha Vault.

After suffering one theft,

Konoha obviously learned their lesson, replacing the two Chunin guards at the Vault with two highly capable Jonin.

Unfortunately,

this level of defense

seemed practically naked in Shimoku's eyes.

These two Jonin

fell victim to Shimoku's Sharingan Genjutsu the moment they saw him, collapsing instantly.

In a flash, Shimoku shoved open the Vault door and stepped inside.

Yet upon entering, instead of the expected glittering silver and golden treasures,

his sight met nothing but emptiness everywhere.

Obviously,

Konoha had already emptied this Vault.

Leaving behind merely a hollow, empty shell of a "Vault."

"Wow, they really did learn quickly!"

"They've already stripped this Vault clean…"

Shimoku sighed in admiration.

He wasn't too disappointed about it.

In fact, he had somewhat anticipated it already.

When a place gets robbed, its residents are sure to change the locks and move their valuables.

If even that simple precaution hadn't occurred to them, leaving things wide open for the thief to return, then Konoha would truly be beyond salvation.

"Ah well, looks like I won't be getting that 'souvenir' after all..."

Shimoku sighed and turned to leave.

But just at this moment,

A sudden series of sharp whistling sounds came from outside the vault's attic.

The next instant,

A unified cry echoed from all directions:

[Ninjutsu·Barrier: Four Azure Seal!]

Stepping through the gate, Shimoku finally noticed—

Four Anbu ninja had already taken positions at the four corners around the vault, jointly activating a barrier ninjutsu

that completely enveloped the entire building.

This [Four Azure Seal] barrier was a common semi-defensive, semi-restraining technique frequently used by Anbu.

It required at minimum four Jonin-level ninja with substantial chakra reserves working together.

It could generate an extremely resilient defensive barrier, firmly trapping the target inside.

Breaking free from within was incredibly difficult!

Unless one possessed brute force comparable to a Tailed Beast...

Conversely, it was extremely easy to break from the outside.

For this reason, Anbu ninja often used it to trap powerful enemies while awaiting reinforcements.

...

Thud...thud...thud...

Heavy footsteps approached.

An elderly woman emerged slowly from the shadows in the distance, accompanied by two Anbu shinobi.

Konoha's elder advisor: Koharu Utatane.

"Uchiha Shimoku! So you've returned indeed."

"You actually bypassed the village's Ninjutsu Barrier undetected. Looks like you've obtained our new system's security code again, haven't you?"

Koharu narrowed her eyes as she directly confronted Shimoku, sneering coldly.

"You knew I would come?"

"Not exactly..."

Koharu shook her head.

Frankly, she hadn't been certain whether Shimoku would return or not.

By then, all the silver treasures stored inside the Vault had already been removed.

So instead, she decided to set it up as a trap.

She deliberately stationed two guards to maintain a false sense of normalcy,

While secretly positioning other Anbu ninja in hidden ambushes around the perimeter, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Even if they failed to catch Shimoku,

They'd still be able to trap any criminal scum foolish enough to target the [Vault]!

After all, she had lived through so many years and served as an elder advisor for so long.

Such petty tricks and little schemes were nothing to her.

Yet what she hadn't anticipated

Was that tonight would be so fortunate—they had actually managed to capture the legendary rogue ninja 'Uchiha Shimoku' in one fell swoop!

What incredible luck!

...

"Maintain the barrier—don't let him escape under any circumstances!"

"Go notify others to hurry here immediately for reinforcement!"

"And above all, avoid making eye contact with him! Watch out for his genjutsu!"

Though filled with pride, Koharu remained cautious rather than complacent.

She quickly issued orders to the surrounding shinobi.

After all, she had been a ninja for decades, once even serving as one of the personal guards under the Second Hokage, Tobirama.

Besides, Danzo himself had suffered defeat at the hands of this punk kid before.

She naturally wouldn't dare take things lightly.

Nevertheless, in her view,

while this Uchiha Shimoku might be strong,

breaking through such a specialized containment barrier wouldn't necessarily be easy either.

He was already like a turtle in a jar (trapped with no escape).

Even if he could eventually break through the barrier,

it would certainly cost him time.

She had more than enough time to contact the village, summon sufficient reinforcements, and capture this major rogue ninja in one move!

Today would mark the beginning of her glory.

With such a feat, an advisor like her would surely rise in fame once again!

She would finally crush old bastards like Danzo and Sarutobi beneath her feet!

Koharu imagined blissfully.

Unfortunately, ideals are always beautiful.

Reality, however, is brutally cruel.

Before she could even savor her satisfaction for a few seconds,

Inside the barrier, Shimoku spoke again:

"Konoha's advisor, I see not all of you are useless."

"Koharu Utatane, you yourself played quite a role in the extermination of my clan back then, didn't you?"

"Just because of that, you really think you've already cornered me?"

Koharu's eyebrows narrowed. She angrily spat:

"Cursed Uchiha brat! You dare talk big even as death approaches!"

"Indeed, your entire clan were nothing but pests. All deserved death!"

Shimoku smiled slightly, unoffended.

Instead, he sneered mockingly and continued chillingly:

"We may deserve death."

"But who dies first remains to be seen."

As his words ended,

The 'Shimoku' inside the barrier suddenly exploded into a puff of white smoke, vanishing without a trace [Shadow Clones].

Seeing this,

Koharu and others outside the barrier couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"It's a Shadow Clone!"

"Damn it! That wasn't the real one!"

"This shouldn't be possible!"

"Where's his real body then?!"

"Protect the advisor at all costs!"

The Anbu were instantly thrown into complete disarray.

Even Koharu herself felt ice run through her veins as she cursed under her breath.

But before she could react,

That familiar icy voice rang out again—this time from directly behind her.

"Rest in peace..."

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