NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 6: The Prodigal Son
The confrontation ended exactly thirty minutes after it began. From start to finish, Orchid faced twenty clones. The session began with taijutsu, transitioned into kenjutsu, and escalated through ninjutsu, genjutsu, and shurikenjutsu until all forms of combat were permitted.
In the end, he defeated every clone. The reason was simple: they lacked his durability and resilience. Their upper limits were defined by the strength of the original.
Nevertheless, the clones were invaluable. Over the past two months, Orchid had used this forest as his training ground, refining his skills. Whether it was learning taijutsu and kenjutsu from scratch or improving the ninjutsu he had acquired, he had made significant progress.
Retrieving his mana blade, he stored it in his inventory before addressing the cleanup crew clones. "You know what to do."
These clones were tasked with managing the aftermath of the battle, ensuring no trace of their activities remained. They would extinguish any fires and repair the damage done to the area. Orchid suspected that he was already under surveillance, but he didn't care.
The clones nodded and got to work, while Orchid retrieved his cat mask from his inventory. Placing it on, he vanished, heading toward the city.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, the city soon came into view. He began leaping from building to building, moving like a shadowy ninja in the night.
Within minutes, he reached his apartment. It was late—just past midnight. Entering carefully through the window, he removed his mask along with the Ninja style outfit over his normal wear.
"My plans are progressing perfectly," he muttered to himself. After drinking a glass of water, he settled on the couch and summoned the system interface. "System~," he called.
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Name: Orchid Green
Age: 27
Height: 188 cm / 6'2"
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Skills:
[Sage Body, Cursed eye: Basic ]
Jutsu:
[Fire style: Majestic Demolisher Flames(A), Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique(A), Water Style: Surging Sea(B), Shadow Clone(B), Earth style: Earth Tremor(B), Wind Style: Great Breakthrough(C), Three Body Technique(D), Body Flicker Technique(D)
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• Achievement Points: 410
• Reputation Points: 11,230
• Justice Points: 500
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Function:
• Gacha
• Shop||Infinity Shop
• Inventory: Mana Blade×1, Shuriken×35, Ninja Wires×20.....
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As Orchid scanned the jutsus he had acquired—either through the gacha or purchased from the Ninja Store—he couldn't help but reflect on their rankings.
Why were techniques with such immense potential often ranked so low? Take the Body Flicker Technique, for example. Its effectiveness depended entirely on the user. The stronger or more skilled the practitioner, the more powerful the technique became. With sufficient theoretical and practical understanding, it could even evolve to new heights.
Shisui's legendary mastery of the Body Flicker Technique came to mind as a prime example. In the Ninja World, there were also elemental variations of the technique, each surpassing the original in complexity and effectiveness.
Still, he didn't dwell too much on the matter. He had already deduced that jutsu rankings were based on their learning difficulty, not their potential. After all, only a rare few could elevate a technique to such extraordinary levels.
Shrugging off the thought, he shifted his attention to his collection of elemental jutsus. Most of them had come from the gacha, though a few were exceptions—jutsus he had personally acquired, including the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Earth Style: Earth Tremor, the Three Body Technique, and the Body Flicker Technique.
The D rank Jutsus were especially cheap, ranging from 10-100 reputation points, C rank Jutsus were in-between 100-1,000, B rank 1,000-10,000, A rank 10,000-100,000. S rank was between 100,000-1,000,000. SS 1,000,000-10,000,000, SSS 10,000,000-100,000,000.
At the moment, he could already purchase low-ranked A-rank Jutsus, but the selection was underwhelming. Only high-tier A-rank Jutsus, like the Rasengan and Chidori, priced close to a hundred thousand, seemed worth considering.
In his opinion, the Rasengan was superior to the Chidori. The reason was simple: the Rasengan was pure energy manipulation, while the Chidori already incorporated an elemental nature—lightning.
The Rasengan's lack of elemental affinity made it far more versatile, allowing for countless variations, as seen in the anime. Some even reached planet-busting levels in the next generation.
However, he reminded himself that he was now in the Marvel Universe, where the rules had likely changed. The Chidori might be enhanced in unique ways here, but his preference remained with the Rasengan—that was simply his opinion.
Closing the system interface, he headed to the shower. His body was covered in sweat and grime, exuding a faint, burnt smell.
Taking off his shirt in front of the mirror he smiled slightly. Orchid's transformation was nothing short of remarkable. Standing at 6'2 his presence was commanding, and his physique had undergone a dramatic change over the past few months. Once lean and unassuming, his body was now a masterpiece of strength and refinement.
Every muscle was sculpted with precision, exuding power and agility. His chest was broad, his shoulders strong, and his abs defined in neat, symmetrical lines.
His skin had a slight glow of vitality, the result of his Sage Body, and his posture radiated confidence. What was once an average face had transformed into something striking. His jawline was sharper, cheekbones more pronounced, and his piercing eyes—framed by dark, neatly groomed brows—held a depth that spoke of experience and determination.
Even his hair added to his aura of intensity, falling in slightly tousled, dark waves that seemed effortlessly styled. As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, a small, knowing smile curved his lips.
He has become so striking that he barely even recognized himself, something he couldn't help but just stare in the mirror for a good ten minutes before he could tear his eyes away.
After a moment of self-reflection, he stepped into the shower. The warm water quickly washed away the sweat and grime, and before long, he was done. He stepped out, drying his body with a towel.
Reaching for his phone on the table, he began scrolling through various social media platforms and posts. This had become part of his routine—a way to stay updated on the Marvel timeline.
After a few minutes of scrolling, he came across a post mentioning Tony Stark receiving the Apogee Award just the day before.
It was now the beginning of March, which meant it wouldn't be long before Tony's kidnapping. That event would officially kickstart the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He had already devised several strategies to handle the situation and turn it to his advantage. One of them was to assist in Tony's rescue just as he completed building the suit—and potentially save Yinsen in the process.
To achieve this, he planned to purchase the Mystic Palm Technique, a powerful healing ability. Saving Yinsen's life would make Tony far more receptive to his requests. With that leverage, he could either negotiate for a small stake in Stark Industries—0.5% to 1% would suffice, considering the company was worth billions—or request a significant monetary sum.
The money could then be used to strategically purchase Stark Industries stock when Tony announced the closure of the arms division. It was a calculated plan, one that could yield massive benefits with minimal risk.
The reason he had come up with this plan was simple: the money he earned from his Naruto novels and comics wasn't nearly enough to make a dent in acquiring Stark Industries stock.
Speaking of the novel and comic, they were actually doing quite well. He had already started receiving contracts and earning royalties from various publishing platforms. However, contrary to his initial expectations, it hadn't become an instant sensation in the novel community.
Perhaps due to its origin, the series was gaining more traction in western regions.
Still, engagement continued to grow steadily with each passing day. This slow but consistent rise in popularity had also contributed to some of the gacha points he used for spinning the wheel. He had discovered that each achievement in his system had multiple levels. For instance, the novel-publishing achievement was based on popularity, and every level-up awarded him 10 to 100 achievement points.
Though progress wasn't as fast as he'd hoped, it was enough to fund small upgrades and build a foundation for bigger plans.
People's engagement and recognition of the novel had also contributed to his growing reputation points. By now, the novel had already reached over one million readers. Initially, he had expected his reputation points to skyrocket, but he quickly realized the system had a more nuanced approach.
Reputation points were not just about quantity but also quality. The way they were earned played a crucial role. Unfortunately for him, the system didn't place a high value on being an author. Writing novels and comics, while impactful, didn't carry the same weight as deeds that were seen as heroic, groundbreaking, or directly influential in the world's affairs.
It was a humbling revelation, but it also drove him to seek other avenues to build his reputation more effectively. The novel's success was still a valuable stepping stone, even if it didn't yield the results he had initially hoped for.