Chapter 48: I Love Konoha
Qifeng pulled out the "Konoha Jonin Nakagami Ryo Experience Card (Rare)" like he was about to activate a particularly expensive lottery ticket.
After his previous experiences with these mystical ninja trading cards, he'd begun to understand the system's twisted logic. It was like having a gaming manual written by someone who'd clearly spent too much time thinking about the philosophical implications of temporary power-ups.
[Activating Konoha Jonin Nakagami Ryo Experience Card (Rare), calculating numerical compatibility...]
[Konoha Jonin's Blessing triggered!]
[Successful activation! Compatibility: 70%!]
[Ability Assessment Changes:]
[Character: Maruyama Qifeng]
Age: 13 years old
[Attributes: Fire, Earth]
[Strength: Jonin]
[Bloodline Limits: Dead Bone Pulse (Medium), Sharingan (Single Tomoe)]
[Taijustu: 59]
[Chakra: 58]
[Ninjustu: 49]
[Genjutsu: 62]
[Control: 50]
[Hand Seals: 51]
[Taijutsu: Flowing Sword Technique]
[Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques, Fire Style - Great Fireball, Earth Style - Rock Hiding Technique, Earth Style - Earth Shore Return, Fire Style - Flame Bullet, Water Style - Water Array Wall, Wind Style - Great Breakthrough, Shadow Clone Technique]
[Equipment: Huoshi's Obsession, Inherited Forehead Protector (Equipped), Special Puppet Scroll (Part 1), Konoha Jonin's Blessing (Equipped)]
The physical enhancement was about as impressive as a gentle breeze—barely noticeable. But the genjutsu boost? That was like getting hit by a freight train made of pure mental prowess. His illusion capabilities had skyrocketed past his taijutsu specialization in one magnificent leap.
Finally, he wasn't just a meat-headed brawler anymore.
A flood of genjutsu knowledge crashed into his mind like a tsunami of tactical information. Suddenly, he understood illusions the way a fish understood water—naturally, instinctively, perfectly. It was like downloading years of experience directly into his brain, except less sci-fi and more mystically ninja.
But something else caught his attention about these experience cards. They weren't just simple addition problems—his base attributes seemed to amplify the card's effects. The stronger he got, the more he could squeeze out of each card. It was like compound interest, but for ninja abilities.
A cluster of small text on his interface caught his eye. He clicked it with the casual curiosity of someone poking a potentially dangerous button.
[Compatibility Bonus: Base matching 50%]
[Single Tomoe Sharingan +10%]
[Konoha Jonin's Blessing +10%]
[Total: 70%]
"Well, would you look at that," Qifeng muttered, staring at the breakdown like he'd just discovered his bank account had more money than expected.
Wait.
He remembered reading something in the experience card manual—buried somewhere around Article 136 in the supplementary materials that nobody ever bothered to read. Something about "behavioral codes, emotional resonance, and desire intensity" affecting compatibility rates.
It was the kind of fine print that lawyers dreamed about and normal people ignored.
After a moment of hesitation that felt like standing at the edge of a diving board, Qi Feng spoke tentatively, his voice carrying the uncertainty of someone testing whether the ice would hold: "I love Konoha?"
The system interface popped up immediately, like an overeager customer service representative.
[Love for Konoha +10%]
"..."
The sheer absurdity of it all hit him like a brick wall made of pure bureaucratic nonsense.
So in the future, if someone got Jiraiya's experience card, they could just shout "I love hot springs research!" If they got Tsunade's card: "I love calculated risks involving dice!" Orochimaru's card would probably require... well, he'd rather not think about what Orochimaru loved. The man's hobbies were disturbing enough without detailed analysis.
The whole system felt about as reliable as a chocolate teapot in a sauna.
Completely, utterly, magnificently unreliable!
But hey, he'd figured out a useful exploit for future reference. Knowledge was power, even when that knowledge was deeply stupid.
[Compatibility raised to 80%]
Various attributes shifted and improved with minor adjustments, like fine-tuning a musical instrument. But his overall strength evaluation remained firmly within jonin parameters—apparently there were limits to how much temporary power-ups could push him.
The system clearly had more secrets than a government facility, and he made a mental note to actually read those supplementary materials when he had time. All several hundred pages of bureaucratic ninja nonsense.
For now, though, he had more pressing concerns.
"Time to deal with that Rock ninja," he murmured, his single tomoe Sharingan spinning with anticipation that bordered on predatory satisfaction.
The experience card had enhanced his sensory abilities, and he could feel his pursuer had given up on the shadow clone and doubled back. Like a hunting dog who'd realized he'd been chasing a stick instead of a rabbit.
Using Earth Release again, he tunneled upward with the efficiency of a supernatural mole.
He emerged silently near the Iwagakure jonin, positioning himself like a ghost with excellent timing and questionable life choices.
Genjutsu specialists had one massive advantage: if their opponent had weak mental defenses and zero preparation, they could end fights before they properly began. It was like bringing a sniper rifle to a knife fight, assuming your opponent didn't know snipers existed.
This was why the Sharingan was so terrifyingly effective. Sure, not every three-tomoe owner could copy thousands of techniques like Kakashi—that guy was just showing off. But even basic Sharingan genjutsu could turn elite ninja into confused vegetables.
Take Shisui, for instance. He'd perfected the art of combining illusions with instant movement to delete people from existence with pinpoint accuracy. No muss, no fuss, just there-one-second-gone-the-next efficiency.
The dirty secret of the ninja world was that most fighters had genjutsu resistance about as strong as wet paper. Even Orochimaru—a genuine Kage-level monster—had been thoroughly brutalized by thirteen-year-old Itachi's illusions. The snake Sannin's soul had been damaged so badly that even his body-swapping jutsu couldn't completely fix it.
And Itachi at thirteen? He was talented beyond measure, sure, but he was still just a kid with one foot in Kage-level territory thanks to his Mangekyou. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was a veteran powerhouse who could go toe-to-toe with other Kage-level fighters and come out grinning.
That told you everything about genjutsu's potential. It was the ultimate all-or-nothing fighting style: either you crushed your opponent so completely they forgot their own name, or they crushed you like a bug under a boot. No middle ground, no draws, no honorable defeats.
Qifeng had initially wondered if using a genjutsu specialist's card was the right call for direct combat. But now that he'd experienced the upgrade firsthand, he realized something profound:
Genjutsu was basically a cheat code for the entire ninja world.
His hands flowed through seals with practiced precision, muscle memory enhanced by borrowed expertise.
"Genjutsu: Kokuenko!" (Darkness genjustu technique)
His enhanced mental energy wrapped around the Rock ninja like an invisible net, instantly severing the man's connection to visual reality and plunging him into absolute darkness.
The sudden sensory deprivation hit the Iwagakure jonin like a slap to the face with a wet fish.
"Genjutsu!" he snarled, his experience recognizing the attack even as panic clawed at his composure.
After a brief moment of "oh shit" realization, his training kicked in with admirable professionalism.
"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"
**BOOM BOOM BOOM!**
The ground rumbled like an angry dragon, rock formations erupting around him in a defensive circle. In seconds, he'd created a fortress of stone, protecting himself from attacks he couldn't see coming.
Smart move. Genjutsu might mess with your senses, but it couldn't stop a kunai to the face if you were properly barricaded.
Illusions were essentially elaborate lies told to the brain's sensory processing centers. Skilled practitioners could manipulate chakra flow in enemy neural pathways like conducting an orchestra of confusion. It required intelligence, tactical thinking, and a deep understanding of how minds worked.
Breaking free wasn't impossible, though. Unless you were dealing with eye-based genjutsu (which had their own special rules), you could disrupt your own chakra flow to snap out of the illusion. Standard counter-genjutsu 101.
The Iwagakure jonin was already preparing to do exactly that.
Unfortunately for him, Qifeng had no intention of giving him the chance.
Sure, he was using a genjutsu specialist's experience card, but that didn't mean his original abilities had vanished like smoke. He was still the same corpse-collecting, bone-wielding, Sharingan-sporting problem child he'd always been.
Gritting his teeth with determination that bordered on manic, he activated his bloodline limit.
**SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**
White bones erupted from every part of his body like a grotesque flower blooming in fast-forward. Within seconds, he resembled a human-shaped porcupine with serious anger management issues.
Dead Bone Pulse in full display!
With Houshi's Obsession masking his identity, he could finally use his most distinctive abilities without worrying about explanations later. Sometimes the best part of wearing a disguise was the freedom to be yourself.
"Bone Release: Bone Spear!"
He extended his right hand, and his ulna, radius, and various hand bones flowed outward like liquid calcium. They twisted and merged with his arm, forming a wickedly sharp spear that looked like it could punch through tank armor.
In the next heartbeat, he moved.
His entire body became a projectile, bone spear leading like the world's most disturbing javelin throw. He struck the earth wall with the force of a small meteor.
**BOOM!!**
The defensive barrier exploded in a shower of rock fragments. The high-speed rotating bone spear carved through stone like a hot knife through butter, revealing the shocked face of the Iwagakure jonin whose eyes were still clouded with genjutsu-induced blindness.
But the direction of the crumbling wall gave away Qifeng's position like a neon sign reading "ANGRY NINJA HERE."
The Rock ninja made his decision with the speed of someone whose life depended on quick thinking. Gritting his teeth, his hands flew through seals with desperate precision.
"Earth Release: Earth Splitting Spear!"
The surrounding walls collapsed as a massive earth spear materialized in front of him, pointing toward Qifeng like an oversized stone arrow. It launched with a sound like the world's angriest whistle.
Qifeng didn't even blink.
His left hand extended with casual confidence.
"Bone Release: Bone Wall!"
Bones from his left arm, torso, waist, and back flowed together like liquid architecture, forming a solid barrier that looked like it belonged in a Gothic cathedral's nightmare.
**BOOM!!**
The earth spear collided with the bone wall, producing a sound like thunder trapped in a bell. The impact was deafening, but the wall held firm.
Qifeng's Sharingan tracked every movement of his opponent's jutsu with predatory focus. While his skeletal defenses handled the physical attack, he withdrew his hands from maintaining the bones and flowed into new seals.
"Genjutsu: Narakumi no justu!" (Hell Viewing Technique)
Reality shifted around the Iwagakure jonin like a kaleidoscope of terror. A massive, roaring ape materialized before him, beating its chest with earth-shaking violence. Simultaneously, blazing fireballs began raining from the sky like divine punishment.
The Rock ninja's eyes widened in horror, his instincts overriding his logic. He raised his arms defensively, trying to shield himself from the illusion of falling fire.
For just a moment—a crucial, fatal moment—he forgot where he really was.
By the time his rational mind caught up and realized this was another genjutsu, it was already too late.
**THUNK!**
The bone spear punched through his chest like a white lightning bolt, piercing his flesh and bone. All the hallucinations vanished instantly, reality returning with crystalline clarity.
What he saw in his final moments was the spinning red tomoe of a Sharingan and the twisted elegance of white bones that shouldn't exist in any normal ninja's arsenal.
Disbelief filled his dying eyes. His mouth opened to speak—maybe to ask how this was possible, maybe to curse his luck—but only blood emerged.
**THUD!**
His body hit the ground with the finality of a closing book. His last coherent thought was a mixture of shock and recognition:
'Sharingan and Dead Bone Pulse? How is that even possible?'
The question would go unanswered, lost in the growing silence of the forest.
*****************
Additional chapters on Patr*n
35 Advanced chapters of Corpse Picker of Konoha
20 Chapters of Naruto : Blazing Legend
patre*n*com/IchigoTL