After wandering through the lively and prosperous streets of Konoha, Shin finally returned to the morgue.
By now, the sun had set. The entire Hidden Leaf Village lay beneath a veil of moonlight, giving it a hazy, ethereal beauty.
A few medical-nin stood at the entrance.
Upon seeing him, they wordlessly handed over several scrolls containing corpses. After exchanging a few polite words, they left immediately.
Even medical-nin weren't fond of corpses. No one liked lingering around the morgue longer than necessary.
Shin didn't mind. In fact, he appreciated the peace and quiet.
Spending time alone with silent corpses, it wasn't so bad.
But as he unsealed each scroll and laid the bodies onto the white-draped wooden tables, he suddenly froze.
He stopped in front of a burly male corpse, its body covered in wounds.
Because this one was glowing.
Not white, green, or yellow like he'd seen before... but red.
A faint red glow.
White meant Genin, green meant Chūnin, yellow meant Jōnin, and red...
Shin's heart skipped.
Kage level?
But he quickly shook his head.
Impossible.
He wasn't bragging, but if there were any Kage-level ninja with even the slightest reputation, he'd recognize them—whether from Konoha or the other four great villages. This corpse, though damaged, was still recognizable, and Shin had no recollection of him.
Of course, there was always the possibility of an unknown powerhouse who kept a low profile.
But if such a person didn't care about reputation, why would they appear now, on the eve of the Third Great Ninja War?
Which led Shin to a more plausible theory: this man wasn't Kage level.
More likely, he was in that hazy tier between Jōnin and Kage, what people often called an "Elite Jōnin" or "Quasi-Kage."
There weren't many of these either, but certainly more than actual Kage-levels.
Still, it was enough.
Ninja ranks had always been a vague concept, with standards shifting depending on the era.
Some ninja, while officially ranked Genin, might be promoted to Chūnin due to a single exceptional skill.
Others might wield power on par with a Jōnin or even a Kage during bursts of potential, but due to institutional limits or lack of recognition, they remained Genin—like Might Duy, or even Prince Naruto.
Konoha was infamous for such cases.
There was even a saying among fans in Shin's past life: "Better to provoke a Konoha Jōnin than a Konoha Genin." You could never predict what a Konoha Genin was truly capable of.
Shin himself was technically still a Genin.
Unfortunately, he'd already used up today's corpse-touch attempts, so the system gave no prompts.
Staring at the enticing, red-glowing corpse, Shin felt a sudden craving—like an addict running out of internet time just as he got a legendary, unrestricted-use weapon... and he had no more tokens to play.
It was painful.
But he could only endure.
Maybe that was the true essence of a ninja—learning to smile through frustration.
"Tomorrow. I'll draw again tomorrow."
He consoled himself with the thought that this added some suspense. Maybe the system would reward him with something unexpected tomorrow.
Though he couldn't draw today, he still had work to do.
After cleaning and bandaging the corpses, it was already deep into the night.
The early excitement had worn off, and Shin began to feel the fatigue. He tidied up and got ready to head back and rest.
Rustle... rustle...
He perked up. Faint sounds came from outside.
Someone was nearby.
It was well past midnight. The morgue was in a secluded part of the village, surrounded by forest.
Anyone moving around here at this hour likely wasn't up to anything good.
If it were ANBU, they'd come openly. No need to sneak.
Shin frowned, tension rising.
He didn't know who it was, and frankly, he didn't want to find out.
Konoha had plenty of powerful shinobi—it wasn't his place, a lowly Genin, to get involved.
He blew out the candle and stood silently inside the morgue.
A moment passed.
Phew..
Shin exhaled softly. Judging by the retreating footsteps, the intruder had likely seen the light go out and decided to leave.
Then-
Just as Shin relaxed his guard, the morgue's window shattered.
In the moonlit sky outside, streaks of light flickered, followed by the sharp whistle of something cutting through the air.
Five or six shuriken whizzed toward him, sealing off every possible escape path.
"Damn!"
Shin cursed under his breath. With a swift flip of his palm, a kunai appeared. He deflected each incoming shuriken with sharp, clean motions, sparks flying.
He might have mediocre talent and a Genin rank, but that didn't mean he was helpless.
In fact, his lack of talent had driven him to hone his basics to the extreme.
After all, he'd survived a year of missions under a Jōnin squad leader—he had real combat experience.
He leapt sideways, pressing himself against the wall beside the broken window and peeked out.
Under the moonlight, a silhouette stood outside.
The man wore ninja garb but no forehead protector. His origin was unclear—but one thing was certain. He wasn't from Konoha.
"…?"
The man, Firestone, glared back coldly.
He was an Iwagakure spy, a master of disguise and an elite Chūnin, planted in Konoha over a decade ago. Even during the Second Great Ninja War, he had only relayed minor intel and never revealed himself.
But this time was different.
He had received a secret mission from Iwagakure—one that demanded revealing his identity and abandoning years of careful buildup.
All for one corpse in the morgue.
Yes, the red-glowing one.
It belonged to a high-ranking Iwa ninja with access to many of the village's secrets.
If he could retrieve it and return, Firestone would be welcomed as a hero. He would finally go home, to the land he'd left as a child.
And the only thing in his way was this lowly Genin—a mere corpse collector.
He didn't know everything about Konoha's ninja, but he had access to records on graduates like Maruyama Shin, who had been given special assignments.
He knew Shin's strength.
An average Genin.
The fact that Shin had blocked his shuriken had been mildly surprising, but only just.
"This has to end quickly."
This was Konoha. Any drawn-out noise or prolonged fight would bring trouble—and possibly death.
"He's not after me."
Shin, crouched inside the morgue, quickly deduced the attacker's goal.
"So that red-glowing corpse has a serious background…"
Didn't this guy know that the dead deserve dignity? That corpses are sacred and must not be desecrated?
He could take anything from the morgue—but not the bodies.
That was duty. That was belief.
Besides... he hadn't drawn his reward yet.
Shin's frustration boiled over.
Another concern gnawed at him.
If a battle broke out here, the morgue might get destroyed. Losing the job was one thing. Losing his chance to draw from the system was unacceptable.
He made up his mind quickly.
In a flash, he darted toward the glowing corpse, swept it into a scroll, and burst out the back door.
Firestone paused briefly, stunned by Shin's speed and decisiveness. His expression darkened.
He's trying to flee with the body.
If he reached ANBU, the mission would fail. Worse, he'd die right here.
Without hesitation, Firestone gave chase, even faster than Shin.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!