Under the night sky of the Poisonous Punishment Forest, Haruto Saito moved underground for over ten kilometers before finally stopping.
It wasn't actually that far, but this distance was enough for Haruto to shake off the possible pursuit of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
Emerging from beneath a towering ancient tree, he swiftly leaped onto its canopy. Using his Concealment Jutsu, he completely suppressed his presence and hid himself.
The treetop was shrouded in darkness, but Haruto's crimson left eye allowed him to see in the night.
It was time to count his spoils!
He first reviewed his achievement rewards—besides gaining 20,000 reputation points, he also acquired two Tenfold Mental Enhancement Cards and an S-rank Forbidden Jutsu Random Card. Among these, Haruto was most pleased with the Tenfold Mental Enhancement Cards.
And there were two of them!
Haruto immediately consumed the two cards, which was equivalent to using twenty Mental Enhancement Cards at once. His total chakra reserves surged dramatically!
Next, it was time for the S-rank Forbidden Jutsu Random Card!
Haruto placed the card into his mouth and bit down.
"Ding! The host has acquired the S-rank Taijutsu Secret Art: Eight Gates Released Formation!"
"Holy crap!" Haruto nearly jumped in surprise.
The Card Emperor Spirit continued, "Due to the special nature of the Eight Gates Released Formation, the host will not directly obtain all eight gates. Instead, your body will be enhanced to meet the requirements for Eight Gates training, and you will be granted the ability to open the First Gate: The Gate of Opening."
"Oh… just the First Gate…" Haruto calmed down.
The Eight Gates Released Formation had a total of eight gates, each unlocking an exponentially greater power boost. The First Gate alone would remove the brain's limits on the body, allowing a ninja to use 100% of their physical abilities!
This was actually a good start!
The First Gate's enhancement depended entirely on the user's base strength and speed. The stronger the user, the greater the boost!
For a mere Genin, opening the First Gate wouldn't provide much of an increase.
But for an elite Jōnin specializing in Taijutsu, the First Gate would grant a significant power-up!
Haruto estimated that while his skills were diverse and his Ninjutsu was more developed than his Taijutsu, his physical combat abilities were at least at the level of an elite Jōnin. After all, he had mastered many Samurai techniques, undergone previous body enhancements, and was proficient in the Gentle Fist style!
Now, with this power boost, Haruto's overall strength had definitely reached the pinnacle of Jōnin—on the verge of Kage level!
However, he was still weaker than Hyuga Domon!
Despite ultimately defeating Domon, Haruto had used enhancement cards during battle to restore his chakra and heal his injuries. Domon, on the other hand, had already been wounded and had expended a significant amount of chakra before their fight.
If Haruto had fought Domon in peak condition without using any cards, victory would have been uncertain!
Now, it was time to check the loot!
Hyuga Domon was the strongest opponent Haruto had faced since arriving in the world of the Hidden Leaf. His reputation alone exceeded 20,000 points, almost rivaling the likes of Tsunade!
A total of 207 dropped items!
Since Domon was slain as a boss, nearly all of his possessions had been dropped!
Among them were over 140 skill cards, all related to Ninjutsu and Taijutsu!
However, they weren't solely Gentle Fist techniques. Domon had also trained in fundamental Taijutsu and some high-level techniques that enhanced speed and strength. Everything was now in Haruto's possession!
There was one particularly noteworthy card—another Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation card!
By consuming it, Haruto's Rotation technique would be further enhanced, doubling its defensive power!
Moving on!
Other dropped items included:
- 19 Basic Healing Cards
- 10 Basic Chakra Recovery Cards
- 4 Intermediate Healing Cards
- 2 Intermediate Chakra Recovery Cards
- 10 Mental Enhancement Cards
- 5 Three-Thousand Reputation Cards
- 1 Special Weapon Random Card
- 3 Double Drop Rate Cards
- 2 Reputation Store Lock Cards
- 2 Reputation Store Refresh Cards
- 1 Soul Fragment Card
Haruto consumed the usable cards and stored the rest!
Soon, only two cards remained in his hands—one Special Weapon Random Card and one Soul Fragment Card!
The Soul Fragment Card was the most crucial drop from a boss fight! Only by consuming this card could Haruto absorb the slain boss's experience and fully integrate the acquired abilities.
He bit down on the Soul Fragment Card!
A massive influx of memories surged into Haruto's mind!
Though it felt like an eternity, only a brief moment had passed before he had fully processed the information.
Now, only the Special Weapon Card remained!
"Heavenly spirits, grant me something good…" Haruto muttered, recalling how his past Special Weapon Cards had given him the Heavy Mountain Blade, the Rapid Strike Blade, and the Shadow God Kunai.
All of them had been excellent!
He had high hopes for this one!
*Crunch!*
Haruto bit into the card, and golden light erupted, enveloping his body.
The energy coalesced over his right arm, swirling and condensing before forming an enormous scythe with an intricate, ominous design—resembling the weapon wielded by the Grim Reaper!
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Special Weapon: Reaper's Scythe!"
The weapon was massive, with a handle over two meters long and a curved blade measuring 1.5 meters. The blade was dark crimson, while the handle was jet black.
"Reaper's Scythe!" Haruto murmured before asking, "What are its attributes?"
"Special Ability: Dimensional Cleave. The host must charge the weapon with sufficient chakra to activate the attack sigil within. Once triggered, the scythe will unleash a single, devastating strike. Afterward, the weapon must be recharged before it can be used again."
"Got it!" Haruto responded.
It was a simple yet powerful ability—store chakra, unleash a single powerful attack, then recharge for future use.
Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei had a similar function with its "Hiramekarei Unleashed" attack!
"This is a great weapon!" Haruto admired the scythe before storing it in his inventory.
It wasn't something he'd use in regular combat, but it would serve as a trump card, a last-resort attack that could turn the tide of battle when needed!
The only question was—just how powerful was Dimensional Cleave?
The night deepened.
Haruto was exhausted and wanted to rest, but after careful thought, he decided against it.
It was simply too dangerous!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were somewhere in this forest. The sooner he found the hidden treasure and escaped, the better!
Staying here even a minute longer increased the risk!
With that in mind, Haruto flipped his wrist!
A new card appeared in his hand.
The Treasure Map Card!
Without hesitation, he bit into it.
*Crunch!*