[Failure!]
Staring at the glaring red message, Maruyama Shin took a deep breath.
"Calm down. A fifteen percent success rate—this is normal."
Any reasonable person would understand that with only a fifteen percent chance, hitting the jackpot on the first try was unlikely. This wasn't just about probability—it was a matter of luck and fate.
"Maybe… if I get the chance, I'll send your body back to the Land of Earth. That is, if Konoha allows it."
Shin crouched beside the corpse, as if trying to negotiate.
Worth a shot.
He whispered soft words for over ten minutes, sweat collecting on his palms, before placing his hand down once more and trying again.
[Success! Acquired Rare: Trial Kage Experience Card – Akagi Shi of Iwagakure!]
Success!
Excited, Shin waved his hand in triumph.
"Thank you, Buddha! Thank you, God! Thank you, Sage of Six Paths!"
He had used one Jōnin-level experience card and got in return a Trial Kage-level card, plus "Obsession of the Firestone" and a +2 Single-Attribute Enhancement Card.
This wasn't just a good trade.
This was a huge win!
"See? Even corpses deserve respect. If you talk to them sincerely, they'll respond."
Shin felt he had finally grasped the secret to 'corpse-touching.'
If you show respect, even to a corpse, it might just return the favor. Perhaps it was mere coincidence, maybe just his imagination.
But what did he have to lose by going the extra mile?
What if it really worked?
The outcome today only strengthened his resolve to treat every fallen soul with dignity, helping those with lingering regrets fulfill their final wishes.
Give, and receive. A fair exchange. Peace of mind.
With a success on the second try, he didn't care whether the third yielded anything. He was already ahead.
But sometimes, Murphy's Law didn't just apply on Earth—it seemed even the ninja world wasn't safe from it.
[Success! Acquired Earth Attribute Chakra Amplification Card!]
Huh?
Another one?
Shin blinked at the crimson-hued card resting quietly in the system interface, its surface etched with patterns like jagged stone.
A fifteen percent chance, and he hit twice?
He only had one question.
Who else could do this?!
Confirmed. The bloodline of the Lucky King flowed within him.
Everyone, sit down. Nothing to see here. Just standard operations.
He tapped to view the details of the newly discovered card.
[Name: Earth Attribute Chakra Amplification Card]
[Description: As a shinobi, how can you limit yourself to a single attribute?]
[Effect: Increases affinity with Earth-style chakra. Attribute Gained: Earth]
[Note: None (Do you really need a note for this? Hurry up and use it!)]
"Tch." Shin smacked his lips.
Earth chakra.
As a ninja, he knew very well—chakra nature affinities were typically innate. Apart from the hidden Yin-Yang release, the main types were Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Water.
And the number of chakra natures one possessed was often a reflection of talent.
Of course, there were powerhouses who pushed a single nature to the extreme—like those brutes from Kumogakure.
Most people had just one. A few possessed two. A rare handful had three. Those born with all five were practically cheating.
But that was talent. With hard work, one could still develop other elements postnatally. It was just incredibly difficult and exhausting—few ever tried.
After all, if you haven't mastered one nature, why waste time developing several?
Not having a certain chakra nature didn't mean you couldn't use that style's jutsu—but the power would be heavily reduced.
As someone who originally possessed only Fire chakra, Shin had now gained Earth. With the right jutsu, his combat style could become far more versatile. The synergy between Fire and Earth techniques could lead to devastating effects.
This was a long-term benefit. One that would only grow more apparent with time.
"Thanks," he muttered sincerely, joy welling up inside him.
His efforts to protect had not been in vain.
He still had three draws left, but he didn't use them all at once.
There might be a better quality blind box arriving tomorrow.
He yawned.
Tired.
It had been a long night.
After locking up, he shuffled back to the small den nearby, collapsed onto his bed, and quickly fell asleep.
…
Konoha, Morgue Corner
It had been two months since Shin slew the hidden Iwagakure agent.
During that time, his life had fallen into a steady rhythm. Sleep until noon, receive corpses from the Anbu or Medical Corps, fulfill the dying wishes of those who still clung to this world in the afternoon, clean their blood and wounds by dusk, and conduct his draws in the deep quiet of night.
Except for Asuma, who occasionally came to visit him under the guise of "chatting"—but really just wanted a quiet place to sneak a smoke.
Anyone with a smoking habit knew—smoking alone was loneliness. Smoking together? That was just smoking.
During their chats, Shin had picked up both useful and useless tidbits.
Like how Asuma liked the red-eyed beauty Yūhi Kurenai, or that Hiruzen Sarutobi was wearing red underwear today.
And sometimes, Shin caught snippets—words like war, Iwa-nin, Kiri-nin.
Their ages were close, and they shared the same vice. Shin had become one of Asuma's few friends.
Asuma often asked, "Don't you get bored? Isn't it creepy, being around corpses all day?"
Shin replied, "The dead deserve dignity. We must respect what remains of them in this world."
But Asuma couldn't understand his joy.
Two months had passed.
Shin's growth was obvious.
Thanks to the system, he gained something new each day—mostly kunai, shuriken, or rations, with the occasional attribute or jutsu card. But experience cards and bloodline cards were increasingly rare.
He still lacked one piece to complete the Thin Uchiha Bloodline Card. But so far, no luck.
After all, Uchiha corpses weren't common.
The only ones sent here were those who never awakened their Sharingan. And only those that reached the 'green corpse' level even had a chance of dropping a bloodline card, making it even harder.
Still, he wasn't in a rush.
The closer the world came to war, the more restrained the Hidden Villages became. Friction decreased, as if everyone was preparing for something big. As a result, fewer corpses came in—and the ones that did were nothing special.
He sat on his rocking chair, a cigarette between his lips. Only the occasional smoke ring and the movement of his eyes gave away the fact that he was still alive.
Life as a salted fish was so comfortable, he'd nearly forgotten he was a ninja.
Like some old man guarding a gate.
He glanced over his current stats, two months later:
[Name: Maruyama Shin][Age: 13][Attributes: Fire, Earth][Rank: Chūnin][Body: 25][Spirit: 24][Ninjutsu: 22][Genjutsu: 19][Control: 27][Seal: 22][Jutsu: Clone Technique, Fire Style: Flame Blossom, Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole, Earth Style: Earth Reversal, Fire Style: Flame Bullet…][Items: Thin Uchiha Bloodline Card (2/3), Obsession of the Firestone, Rare Akagi Shi Experience Card…]
Two words:
Utter bliss.
But sometimes, surprises came when you least expected them.
Just as he was enjoying his peaceful afternoon, a figure appeared out of nowhere.
"Maruyama Shin. The Hokage has summoned you."
The masked Anbu spoke in a low tone. Before Shin could even respond, the figure vanished.
The Hokage… Sarutobi Hiruzen… wants to see me?
Shin froze for a moment. A corpse handler with barely any presence—he needed to be summoned personally?
Isn't that… a bit too much?
Strangely, an earlier memory surfaced—he and Asuma, smoking.
"Haaah, Shin, you really should go out more. You're rusting in here."
"Huff, Kid, you don't understand grown-up happiness."
"Huff, you're only a few years older than me! And with war looming, what'll you do on the battlefield?"
"Haaah, cling to a corpse and survive, maybe."
The two of them, surrounded by curling smoke.
He hadn't thought much of it then, but now he realized.
It had to be Asuma!
If he casually mentioned Shin's name a few times to Hiruzen, someone known to remember every villager by name, then of course he'd take notice of the forgotten Genin rusting away in the morgue.
Shin scratched his head in frustration.
What could he do? The Hokage had summoned him. Not going wasn't an option.
He flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, stomped it out with a few hard twists, then disappeared in a flash, heading toward the Hokage's office.
*********
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!