Chapter 10 – An S-Rank Jutsu?
Pain in life is fleeting. People who laugh the most often hide their sorrows the deepest. The memories of childhood—woven from dreams and traumas—cling like stains to the soul.
From as early as he could remember, Tatsuro's father was a drunk, constantly beating his mother. When he was five, they divorced. His mother wanted a fresh start and didn't take him. He was left with the man who hurt them both.
His mother's confused farewell, the despair he felt upon learning the truth, and his father's mad laughter—all played in his mind like a broken trilogy. All the things he wanted to forget… now clawing their way back.
The world was black. A dim fire flickered. Familiar yet terrifying faces stared at him. Everything felt twisted and disturbing.
Tatsuro panicked. He staggered through the darkness, shouting:
"Wake up! This is a dream—wake up!!"
A wooden door suddenly appeared. It creaked open.
Inside, a boy in tattered clothes sat on a stool, muttering:
"I'm so hungry… It hurts… I want to eat something…"
It was him—his past self.
"No! No! I don't want this! Stop showing me this damned memory!!" he screamed.
"NO! I DON'T WANT IT!!"
Suddenly, Tatsuro jolted awake, gasping for breath. His eyes scanned the room in a frenzy before he slumped against the headboard, drenched in sweat.
He was out of the dream. But his heart was racing, and his thoughts were a mess.
Why now? Why did all those memories come back?
Could it be the Sharingan?
Everyone said the Sharingan evolved through intense hatred and despair. But no one ever mentioned it dragging out buried trauma too.
Enough already…
Trying to distract himself, Tatsuro opened the system panel.
> Host: Tatsuro
Cursed Energy: 400 (Grade 3 Sorcerer)
Stamina: 15
Eye Technique: One-Tomoe Sharingan
Ninjutsu: None
Taijutsu: None
His stamina had increased from 7 to 15. Not bad.
As for his points…
He opened the shop. The top right now showed: [5].
Nice… Wait—still useless.
Even the cheapest basic jutsus—the Three Basic Jutsus—cost 50 points. At this rate, he'd need until next century to afford one.
Wait a second…
What's that?
A large, colorful wheel appeared in the top left corner of the system screen, glittering and spinning faintly, practically begging to be clicked.
Even Tatsuro couldn't resist the temptation. No harm in checking it out, right?
He tapped it.
Then—a bright flash.
> You've entered the Ninja World Lottery Wheel. Entry cost: 1 point.
"…ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Scammer! This system was 100% a scam!
One point just to enter?!
"Drop the whole 'strongest ninjutsu system' title. Just call yourself 'strongest scam system' already."
Tatsuro clutched his chest. It hurt. He had worked so hard for those 5 points. Now one was gone just for looking.
"Tch…"
Still, he gritted his teeth and looked anyway. No point in backing out now.
A giant golden roulette wheel appeared on the screen.
It had:
S-Rank Jutsu,
Bloodlines,
Eye Techniques,
A-Rank, B-Rank, C-Rank Jutsu,
Summoning contracts,
Taijutsu,
Ninja tools…
…and, of course, the dreaded "Thank You For Participating" slots, which made up half the wheel.
Tatsuro wanted to cry.
One draw for 1 point seemed like a good deal on the surface. Even a C-Rank was worth at least 100 points in the shop. If he got one, he'd profit big.
But… this felt way too generous. The system wouldn't just hand out freebies.
Screw it. Let's do four draws. Go all in.
Fueled by desperate gambler's spirit, Tatsuro hit the "Multi-Spin" button.
The golden wheel began spinning. Lights flashed. The colors blurred together. His heart pounded with excitement.
He dreamed of clutching a Rasengan in one hand… blasting off Fire Phoenix Jutsus… or unlocking Sage Body abilities…
Any of those would be OP as hell.
The wheel slowed.
Each time the pointer passed over a "Thank You" space, his heart raced.
It drifted past A-Rank Jutsu… past white zones… hovered over Taijutsu…
Then, it inched into the S-Rank Jutsu sector.
It moved as slowly as a clock hand. It looked like it was stopping… but still shifted forward.
Tatsuro clasped his hands, eyes closed, praying with all the desperation he could muster:
"Please! Old Man Tai Shang! Jesus Christ! Buddha! Jade Emperor! Anyone—give me an S-Rank jutsu and I'll believe in you for the rest of my life!!"
With this absurd four-way prayer combo, he opened his eyes full of confidence.
> [Result: Thank You For Participating]
"…"
There's no way.
S-Rank was right after C-Rank. How could it jump straight to the white zone?
He rubbed his eyes. Looked again.
Still Thank You For Participating.
"…FU—!!"
He couldn't hold it in anymore. This damn system must've changed the data while his eyes were closed.
Scam! Total scam!
Three draws left.
Should he go all in?
This time, he stared at the wheel the entire time. No cheating.
Second spin… from "Thank You" straight back to "Thank You."
"…I'm gonna vomit blood."
Third spin. Still full of hope.
The pointer slowly ticked forward.
Cursed Jutsu… Taijutsu… past the white zone…
He gulped.
It passed another white section… then finally slowed and landed squarely on—
> [Congratulations! S-Rank Jutsu: Flying Thunder God Fragment]
You have received 1/40 fragments. 40 fragments required to unlock jutsu.
"…You son of a—!!!"