Haruto Saito took his time consuming all the ability cards he had set aside, while the ones that were not immediately useful were returned to his storage space.
There were still a few cards left in his hand, with the topmost one being a Special Weapon Random Card!
This was the third time he had acquired such a card. The first two times he used it, he obtained the Heavy Mountain Blade and the Shadow God Kunai, both of which had proven to be extremely practical weapons.
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, bless me!" Haruto muttered superstitiously.
He bit down on the Special Weapon Card, and golden light erupted, flowing into his mouth before dispersing from his skin. The light coalesced, rippling like liquid as it circled his shoulder, spiraled down his right arm, and finally solidified in his right hand.
A long blade took form!
Another sword!
Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the special weapon: Swift Blade!
At first glance, the Swift Blade appeared completely ordinary—just a standard katana. However, upon closer inspection, its craftsmanship was exceptional, looking as if it had been forged by a master blacksmith.
"What's the special trait of this sword?" Haruto asked internally.
Trait: 'Swift Strike'—when the user wields the Swift Blade for slashing attacks, attack speed is doubled.
"Nice!" Haruto grinned in satisfaction. He tucked the Swift Blade beneath his black cloak.
Now he carried two swords. With his current level of swordsmanship, dual-wielding was no problem. The Heavy Mountain Blade was best for raw power, while the Swift Blade emphasized speed—one for overwhelming force, the other for rapid strikes. A perfect combination!
Haruto still had five Shop Refresh Cards. Two were recently acquired, while the other three had been saved up.
Currently, his prestige points had surpassed seventy thousand! He had barely spent them before because the Prestige Shop only refreshed ten exchangeable items per day, most of which were of little use to him. Some high-end items had caught his eye—such as the Sage Body, which had appeared multiple times—but its absurdly high price made it unattainable.
With five Shop Refresh Cards, this was the perfect opportunity to gamble for something good!
Haruto stared at the Prestige Shop interface and bit into the first Refresh Card.
The exchangeable items forcibly refreshed!
A new set of ten items appeared.
Haruto scanned through them. Nothing useful. He bit into a second Refresh Card.
Refreshed again! Still nothing useful.
A third time!
A fourth!
Haruto stopped, his gaze locking onto something.
Mist Concealment Jutsu Card – 100 Prestige Points
"Hmm… System, if I consume another Mist Concealment Jutsu Card, will it still be effective?" Haruto asked. He had already eaten six of these cards, amplifying the technique's base effectiveness thirty-two times.
'Mist Concealment Jutsu' has already reached its maximum stackable effect. Consuming another card will have no additional benefit.
"Damn, what a waste!" Haruto sighed in disappointment.
With one Refresh Card left, he took the gamble!
Fifth and final Refresh Card consumed!
New exchangeable items appeared!
Haruto's eyes sharpened as he scanned the list.
B-Rank Secret Technique: Shadow Clone Jutsu Card – 2,600 Prestige Points
Haruto had already consumed three Shadow Clone Jutsu Cards, achieving four times the base effectiveness. Unlike normal jutsu improvements, Shadow Clone Jutsu didn't make the clones stronger—it only made them more realistic, easier to control, and extended the control range.
But even that was invaluable!
A well-used Shadow Clone was an unstoppable tool!
"Exchange!" Haruto immediately swapped his points for the card and ate it.
Now his Shadow Clone Jutsu had eight times the base effect—a huge upgrade!
Then his gaze stopped again.
A Bloodline Limit Card had appeared!
Byakugan Bloodline Limit Card – 28,000 Prestige Points!
Exchange!
No hesitation! This was a must-have!
After obtaining the Byakugan Card, Haruto's Prestige Points dropped to just over 40,000—not enough for any more major purchases.
He consumed the Byakugan Card.
This time, the change was immediate and intense. His eyes burned with a dull ache, followed by a refreshing coolness. When the sensations finally faded, Haruto's vision had completely transformed. Everything appeared sharper, more detailed—so much so that for a moment, the excessive clarity made him feel dizzy.
He took a deep breath and activated his Byakugan.
Veins bulged at the sides of his eyes as his vision expanded instantly, revealing every corner of Ryusui Village in 360-degree clarity. His Byakugan's base perception range had been massively amplified.
Without focusing, he could now observe his surroundings within a two-kilometer radius.
If he concentrated, his vision could penetrate forward for sixteen kilometers!
That was terrifying.
Even among the Hyuga Clan, few could extend their Byakugan range beyond ten kilometers.
Haruto began adjusting his focus, scanning Ryusui Village. Previously, he had to directly focus on a person to analyze their identity information, but now, he could see it automatically.
His Byakugan's perception speed was so fast that every name, rank, and affiliation appeared in his mind just by glancing at someone.
"Damn, this buffed Byakugan is insane!" Haruto grinned. He was about to deactivate it to conserve chakra when suddenly—
"Huh?"
His expression hardened as he spotted a suspicious individual.
On Ryusui Village's main street, five Hidden Mist ninjas moved in a tight formation. All of them were Jōnin, but the leader stood out—
A short, elderly man wearing glasses. Unlike the others, he had less of a warrior's presence and more of a scholar's aura.
Name: Fujita Asa
Affiliation: Hidden Mist Village, Vanguard Corps Intelligence Division, Special Squad Captain & Anbu Intelligence Instructor
Prestige: 5,789
Relationship: Hostile
Specialty: Intelligence Analysis
Haruto's brows furrowed.
This wasn't just any Mist ninja—this was one of the 35 high-priority assassination targets listed in Konoha's Anbu Execution Order.
Taking him out was an S-rank mission!
Despite only being a Jōnin, Fujita Asa was one of the greatest intelligence analysts in the Mist Village. His investigative and deduction skills were legendary. If there was a single word to describe him, it would be "Detective".
The Mist Intelligence Division was the nerve center of the Mist's war machine.
Fujita Asa was its core.
He had clearly come to Ryusui Village because of last night's assassination of Kaguya Rakuba. Since the killer remained unknown, he was personally leading an investigation team.
Haruto's fingers twitched over his sword handle.
"Should I take him out?"