Shang Qi currently had both good news and bad news.
The good news was that he had finally been saved. The renowned Red Sand Couple of Sunagakure had descended like divine warriors, driving away those ruthless, bloodthirsty shinobi, and he had successfully followed the people of the Land of Artisans into Sunagakure.
The bad news was that no matter how hoarsely he shouted, he heard no response from the familiar system, nor any kind and amiable replies from a mentor living in his mind.
With a trembling heart, Shang Qi quietly lifted his shirt and looked at the birthmark on his waist. At this single glance, he felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar, turning instantly as paralyzed as a wooden chicken.
That birthmark, which had accompanied him from childhood and was a full finger's length long, unmistakably showed that this body was actually his original body!
This was truly terrible. Even that last shred of hope—the possibility of rising to prominence through a special bloodline—had completely vanished into thin air.
As a time-traveler, he had no almighty system, no omniscient mentor in his head, and no enviable bloodline limit.
When writing his own novels, he always arranged an incomparably powerful golden finger for the protagonists to highlight their uniqueness. But when his turn came, how could he be left with nothing more than a pair of eyes good at analysis?
What use was mere analysis? Could it instantly make him an overpowered dragon king? Or could it stop him from eating beef?
Just as Shang Qi was sighing bitterly over his tragic plight and bewildering future, the little girl from the carriage earlier hopped down lightly, broke into a trot, and ran straight toward him.
"My name is Nisaka Hiyori. I'm really grateful to you for guarding the carriage earlier. What's your name?"
Shang Qi knew very well that the little girl had misunderstood his actions of seeking cover just then, but he couldn't be bothered to explain: "My name is Shang Qi."
"Dad said once we enter Sunagakure, we'll be safe. Don't be scared," Nisaka Hiyori blinked her innocent, wide eyes, assuming Shang Qi was still lingering in fear, and hurriedly offered comfort.
Sunagakure attached great importance to these people from the Land of Artisans, especially the puppeteer lineage. After all, the more exquisite the craftsmen's skills within the village, the more pronounced the boost to their overall combat strength.
Precisely because of this, Sunagakure assigned the people from the Land of Artisans to a relatively central location in the village, and Shang Qi shared in this benefit.
Shang Qi clearly remembered that Sunagakure was most famous for sand manipulation and puppet control techniques. As for other slightly more obscure ones like the Reincarnation of the Reborn technique, he wasn't sure whether they had even been invented yet.
A good memory is not as reliable as a bad pen. Shang Qi borrowed pen and paper from Nisaka Hiyori and meticulously wrote down every single opportunity he could remember from his memories, intending to emulate Orochimaru in modifying his own body, vowing to live a carefree and unrestrained life in this lifetime.
Fortunately, Shang Qi had once written Naruto fanfiction and had thoroughly researched the timeline and theatrical versions of Naruto, which was why he could remember them so clearly.
While thinking this, Shang Qi secretly rejoiced in his heart that he hadn't traveled to the world of One Piece, where the setting and timeline were simply a complete mess.
Just as Shang Qi was fully focused and writing furiously, a knock on the door suddenly broke the peaceful silence.
Shang Qi flurriedly hid the densely written papers, which looked like scribbles of ghosts and talismans, before opening the door.
"Shang Qi-kun, I am Nisaka Hiyori's father, Nisaka Yukigoka." Standing outside the door, Nisaka Yukigoka bowed to Shang Qi and said politely.
"Please come in." Shang Qi hurriedly stepped aside to invite Nisaka Yukigoka into the room to talk.
However, he did not know that the moment he opened the door, Nisaka Yukigoka had already quietly begun observing his every move, action, and word.
"I wonder what brings Nisaka-senpai to see me today?" Seeing Nisaka Yukigoka sit down, Shang Qi poured him a cup of water.
"Our team happened to encounter Shang Qi-kun, and my daughter acted out of kindness to rescue you. Later, when you woke up, you guarded my daughter's carriage right away—this can also be considered a rare bond. I just don't know where Shang Qi-kun comes from, and where you plan to go?"
Shang Qi shook his head and said, "To tell you the truth, I have lost my memories of the past and plan to settle down here temporarily, making other plans after some time. If there is anywhere you need me, I will definitely do my utmost to pitch in."
"However, from what I can see, your skin is fair, and you have no calluses from labor on your hands. I'm afraid you won't be able to endure the hardships of the work we do here," Nisaka Yukigoka furrowed his brows slightly, saying with no little concern.
"Don't worry. As the saying goes, only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above others. I will definitely grit my teeth and persist."
"Very well. Starting tomorrow, you can come help out at my place, and I'll pay you wages."
"Then many thanks to Nisaka-senpai for your kindness in taking me in."
After leaving Shang Qi's room, Nisaka Yukigoka muttered softly to himself:
"This Shang Qi is probably a fallen noble. From his demeanor and actions, the poise instilled by a great family is revealed everywhere. If he really can endure hardship and hard work, he wouldn't be a bad, reliable person to whom I could entrust my daughter's future."
Shang Qi had no idea that Nisaka Yukigoka was harboring the intention of testing him. He had made up his mind to stay in Sunagakure first.
On one hand, he wanted to leverage the relationship between Sunagakure and these artisans to learn more skills for self-defense and survival. On the other hand, since he currently had no identity, he would be suspected wherever he went, so he might as well slowly accumulate strength in Sunagakure first.
After seeing Nisaka Yukigoka off, Shang Qi fell into deep thought. He figured that since the essence of chakra was the perfect combination of physical energy and spiritual energy, as long as both the body and the mind were continuously strengthened, one would definitely possess more abundant chakra.
Regarding strengthening on the spiritual level, Shang Qi did not yet have a clear and definite plan. But in terms of physical strengthening, in Shang Qi's memory, the world of Naruto had numerous methods, such as the Eight Gates, the Seven Heavenly Breathing Method, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and so on. Furthermore, whether it was the bizarre special abilities of White Zetsu or Hidan's immortality, both held immense value for in-depth research.
You must eat your meals one bite at a time and walk your path one step at a time; he should first firmly plant his feet in Sunagakure.
That night, Shang Qi full of anticipation attempted to cultivate chakra. When that first wispy thread of chakra appeared within his body, Shang Qi pleasantly discovered another of his own unique and magical abilities.
After consuming a large amount of chakra, Shang Qi's hands produced a mysterious force that seemed capable of synthesizing all things in the world.
Shang Qi fused and modified a pair of arm guards he had picked up during the day, successfully turning them into a concealed mechanism arm guard. As long as he gently touched the mechanism, an incomparably sharp short sword would instantly extend from the front end of the arm guard.
This scene was somewhat similar to the hidden blades in Assassin's Creed, except that this short sword extended from the back of the hand.
Shang Qi mobilized chakra to circulate and explore his entire body once more, finally confirming that he currently possessed only eyes capable of discerning all things and hands capable of synthesizing all things.
Shang Qi named these two unique abilities the True Sight Eye and the Synthesis Hand respectively.
The next day, Shang Qi went to help out at Nisaka Yukigoka's forge. Nisaka Yukigoka and his people came from a family in the Land of Artisans that specialized in forging alloys. They had unfortunately been defeated in a struggle for mineral deposits with a sword-smithing family and hunted down mercilessly, forcing them to flee the Land of Artisans.
That sword-smithing family had the powerful Kirigakure of the Land of Water backing them up, and it was rumored that the terrifyingly powerful Thunder Saber: Kiba was meticulously forged by them.
Shang Qi watched Nisaka Yukigoka's alloy-forging process intently, his eyes shining brightly as he thought to himself:
"An ordinary iron ore, after a series of complex impurity-removal and refining processes, combined with the corresponding elements, can become a valuable, suitable alloy. Then I too can undoubtedly forge myself into the most powerful person in this world through unremitting effort!"