On this particular morning, Sora woke up unusually early, eagerly sitting in his courtyard, awaiting an important moment.
Three years had passed, and today was the day the system would finally awaken again.
After three years of growth, Sora was no longer the child he once was. Though only eleven, he'd grown to 1.65 meters, and his once-adorable face now began showing traces of genuine handsomeness.
He waited and waited, until finally, at noon, a familiar system notification suddenly sounded:
"Ding! System upgrade complete! Foolish host, did you miss me?"
"Heh." Sora chuckled lightly. This system still remembered the teasing from before upgrading—how petty.
But in truth, when Sora first transmigrated, he'd felt anxious and lost; it was the system's constant companionship and its support in helping him grow stronger that reassured him. Sora had long since considered the system as part of his family. How could he possibly be angry over some playful teasing?
"You lazy system, sleeping for three whole years—I thought you were dead already!"
Seeing the system awake, Sora wasn't in a rush to check out his updated interface. Instead, he decided to chat leisurely, happily conversing with the system until evening. After a hearty dinner, he finally asked, "Alright, let's hear about your upgraded abilities."
"After upgrading, I still only have the card-picking function—didn't see that coming, did you? And there's a bunch of restrictions too," the system teased, seemingly hoping to see Sora frustrated.
Yet Sora's expression remained unchanged, causing the system to become somewhat dejected. It hastily explained, "In the beginning, you were weak, so I directly used my energy to support your unlimited card pickups. But now that you're stronger, I don't have enough energy to sustain that anymore. From now on, people weaker than you by a whole tier won't drop cards. Those at your level have only half the original drop rate. Only opponents stronger than you have higher drop rates."
"I already figured that out," Sora said calmly. "Now, show me the new system interface. Did you make it according to my specifications?"
Indeed, Sora had anticipated these changes. Before transmigrating, he'd read countless system novels, none of which behaved quite like his. Initially, anyone fighting would drop cards; later, he had to personally deliver the final blow. Such steadily stricter conditions differed vastly from standard novels.
However, after these three years, Sora understood. It was because as he became stronger, the system had to bear an increasing burden. The earlier leniency was simply the system sacrificing its own energy to help him grow quickly.
He clearly recalled a previous conversation where the system admitted being relatively low-level, without the ability to traverse worlds. Its potential was limited by this world's ceiling—which was at Six Paths level.
Thus, once Sora reached Six Paths, the system would still remain with him, but it would lose the capacity to help him advance further. It was essentially hitting its own maximum limit.
Breaking his contemplation, the system proudly declared, "This interface is fully customized to your requirements, with an additional opportunity for further modifications. Aren't I impressive?"
[Host: Sora]
[Physical Strength: Elite Jonin]
[Swordsmanship: Master Level]
[Taijutsu: Eight Gates Technique]
[Ninjutsu: Ninjutsu (1689 types), Genjutsu (1100 types), Sealing Jutsu (368 types), Medical Ninjutsu (123 types)]
[Overall Strength: Peak Kage-level]
Note: Click on each section for detailed viewing.
After thoroughly inspecting the interface, Sora nodded with satisfaction.
All Bloodline Limits, including the Sharingan, were neatly organized under ninjutsu. The interface was clean, straightforward, and precisely met his expectations.
"Nicely done. You performed quite well this time," Sora complimented, a rare occurrence.
But instead of feeling pleased, the system's voice grew gloomy. "This is my final upgrade. Once you reach Six Paths, aside from displaying the system interface, I'll have no other functions left."
Hearing this, Sora fell silent, unsure of what to say.
Even if the system could traverse worlds—which it couldn't—he wouldn't leave as long as Kushina and Minato were still alive.
Perhaps, in old age, he'd consider such things. But by then, would he even have the strength to support the system's further evolution?
After all, the system's growth depended entirely on him becoming stronger. Without his continued progress, the system couldn't advance.
Feeling somewhat frustrated by these thoughts, Sora quickly shook them away, regaining his calm.
"Then what should I do now to improve? Do you have any suggestions?" he asked the system.
"According to the plot you know, the best choice is to stay patient and wait. Your best opportunity will come when the Fourth Great Ninja War starts."
"Right now, you're already the strongest. There are barely any Kage-level ninjas who can drop cards for you. But after the Fourth War begins, you can vastly improve by fighting powerful reincarnations and Akatsuki members, reaching the peak of Super Kage level."
"Moreover, there will be at least four Six Paths-level beings who could drop cards: Madara Uchiha, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, and the potential replacement for Obito."
Discussing plans with the system through the night, Sora finalized his future strategy.
Following the system's recommendation, he would stay low-key for now, allowing his enemies space to grow and preventing premature confrontation with the Sage of Six Paths.
When the Fourth War commenced, Naruto and Sasuke would have developed significantly. By joining the battles then, he'd swiftly reach the peak of Super Kage-level strength.
Afterward, he'd rely on Naruto and Sasuke to help defeat the Six Paths-level enemies, maximizing the potential card drops.
This strategy was designed to extract maximum benefit. Picking up just one Six Paths-level card would immediately propel him to that tier, making the system obsolete. But by strategically defeating multiple Six Paths-level foes while still at Super Kage level, then collecting all the cards at once, he'd undergo an explosive increase in power.
Even after the system lost its functionality, Sora would at least stand at the pinnacle of Six Paths strength, beyond any threat.
In truth, the system's wholehearted efforts moved Sora deeply. Even knowing its eventual uselessness, it still did its utmost to strengthen him. For that, Sora felt genuinely grateful.