C4 The Opening of the Shopping Mall

Observing Hong's self-assured demeanor, Ino suddenly realized that he was quite handsome!

Hong approached Sasuke and initiated Medicine Ninjutsu to provide initial treatment, then proceeded to apply God Level Healing Arts.

[Ding! You've healed the unconscious Sasuke. Shuriken Mastery Manual (Proficient) has been obtained, along with 1000 points.]

[You've reached 10,000 points. The System Merchant Shop is now unlocked. Please explore the details on your own!]

Upon hearing the system alert, Hong was momentarily surprised, then felt a mix of delight and vindication.

'I knew it, the system couldn't be that straightforward. There had to be a System Merchant Shop!'

However, now wasn't the time to peruse the Merchant Shop, as Sasuke was stirring back to consciousness.

"Father!"

Sasuke sat up suddenly, calling out loudly, only to quickly realize he wasn't at home.

He scanned his surroundings, confirming his safety once he saw that the person was absent, and then he began to catch his breath heavily.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?"

Sakura hurried over, gripping Sasuke's arm with evident concern.

Ino, witnessing Sasuke's awakening, didn't rush over immediately to check on him – she was too stunned.

She had inquired about Sasuke's condition at the medical station earlier, where the Medicine Ninja had informed her that Sasuke's spirit had sustained damage and couldn't be healed instantly; recovery would require time, possibly days, before he could awaken.

Yet, the scene before her defied her expectations. She couldn't fathom how Hong had managed what even a professional Medicine Ninja had deemed impossible.

Intrigued, she cast a curious glance at Hong, sensing there was more to him than met the eye.

Unaware of Ino's curiosity, Hong would have warned her that curiosity is often the prelude to entrapment!

"Now that Sasuke is alright, I'll be taking my leave. My father is waiting for my assistance!"

Seeing that Sasuke was awake and no longer in need of his help, Hong said his goodbyes and prepared to depart.

"Wait! Was it you who healed me?"

Sasuke looked down, his fists clenched. Having overcome his initial confusion upon awakening, he now fully grasped his predicament.

When he woke up, he hadn't noticed at first, but it quickly dawned on him that he was completely free of pain. His body felt unusually healthy. If not for his vivid memories and the undeniable presence of the Sharingan, he might have thought the previous night's events were nothing but a dream.

The man he had faced would never have gone easy on him, so there could only be one explanation: someone had healed him.

Yet, in the hospital ward, there were only a few people present, and the only one capable of such healing was Haruno Hirome, whom he had previously underestimated.

Hirome glanced back at Sasuke and said, "Don't sweat it. If my not-so-adorable little sister hadn't asked me to, I wouldn't have bothered with you. You weren't going to die anyway." With that, Hirome strode out of Sasuke's ward.

Ino, for reasons she couldn't quite fathom, found herself following him.

"Why are you following me?" Hirome asked, genuinely puzzled. He had expected Ino to be vying for Sakura's attention, not trailing after him.

"Um, well... I... Actually, I wanted to ask you, how come your Medicine Ninjutsu is so powerful?" Ino stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She didn't understand why she had left behind the object of her long-standing affection to follow Hirome.

Now, she had asked such a silly question, and she felt utterly mortified.

"Just asking that? Really, there's no special reason. If you must know, it's talent. Anyway, I've got things to do, so I'll be on my way!" Hirome said, feigning nonchalance as he turned to leave. But after a couple of steps, he turned back, gently lifting Ino's beautiful blonde hair, "Your hair is very beautiful."

With a flirtatious gesture, Hirome quickly departed.

Watching Hirome's retreating figure, Ino's face burned red, and her heart pounded in her chest.

'Hirome was so cool just now. He's not only handsome and gentle, but his talents are exceptional too. Compared to him, Sasuke is only slightly more handsome, and he's neither nice nor gentle. I've made up my mind; Hirome is the one truly worth my affection!'

Hirome would never have guessed that Ino would so unexpectedly forsake her long-time crush, Sasuke, in favor of him. But then again, it made sense—without comparison, there's no disappointment.

...

That night, Hirome returned to his room, locked the door, and accessed the newly appeared System Merchant Shop.

A dazzling array of products appeared on the system's display screen.

Hirome scrolled down and discovered a vast array of items, ranging from modern technological lifestyle products to magical items and abilities from other worlds.

With a casual click on some product icons, detailed descriptions of the items popped up.

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit, hailing from the world of the Pirate King, was one of the superhuman Devil Fruits. The user could freely cause vibrations in the atmosphere and the ocean, earning it the moniker "the power to destroy the world" and the reputation of being the strongest superhuman type. (500,000 points)

Senbonzakura, the Zanpakutō of the captain of Squad Six of the Gotei 13 in the Soul Reaper world, Kuchiki Byakuya. (250,000 points)

Electromagnetic Railgun (300,000 points)

...

Hirome drooled over these items, wishing he could buy them all. But the sticker shock hit him hard when he saw the prices.

These items, costing several hundred thousand points each, made him balk.

The most enticing was the Saitama Ability Card, valued at one million points. With this card, he could punch Uchiha Madara, kick Ootutuki Kaguya, and even dominate the Ninja Realm with ease.

However, with only 10,000 points to his name, he was limited to purchasing everyday essentials or items and abilities with lesser combat effectiveness.

It seemed he would have to grind for points to acquire these coveted abilities.

Yet, earning points was no simple task. So far, only Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sasuke had managed to accumulate points.

"Uchiha Fugaku is already dead, leaving just Sasuke. I can't possibly capture him, beat him half to death, heal him, and then repeat the process!" Hirome couldn't help but grumble.

Wait, if Sasuke and Fugaku, as narrative characters, could earn points, then other characters in the story should be able to as well!

That's right, I've healed Naruto before, but I didn't earn any points then!

Could it be that there are specific requirements for injuries? Perhaps minor injuries don't qualify for earning points?

The more Haruno Hirome thought about it, the more excited he became. "Alright, let's work hard to earn points!"

He felt a surge of boundless energy, eager to transform and give Naruto and the others a thorough beating, then heal them from a distance. Wouldn't that be a fast way to rack up points, easily earning millions a day?

But it was just a fleeting thought. Besides, Haruno had a good relationship with Naruto and couldn't bring himself to do it.

Moreover, Haruno couldn't bring himself to stoop to such shameless tactics!

"Ah well, I'll just take it one step at a time. There's no rush, after all!"

Bored, Haruno started his daily routine of admiring his personal Data Panel.

Host: Haruno Hirome

Abilities: God Level Healing Arts, Medicine Ninjutsu (Proficient), Physical Technique (Middle Ninja), Three-body Technique (Low Ninja), Kunai Throwing (Low Ninja), Mangekyo Sharingan (Uchiha Fugaku, concealable), Gougakyu Arts, Chakra (Elite Upper Ninja), Shuriken Mastery

Points: 10,000

Upon seeing the Mangekyo Sharingan, he tried activating and concealing it, which was incredibly convenient, requiring just a thought.

"Let's try divination!"

To Haruno's surprise, he was unable to predict the future.

He didn't mind; after all, he preferred to create his own future!

With a sense of optimism, Haruno slowly drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had been discharged from the hospital and returned to his home.

Thanks to Haruno's intervention, Sasuke came home early, preventing the Shadow Department and Root from having the chance to plunder the Uchiha Clan's estate.

After securing all the valuable items from his clan, Sasuke freshened up and gazed at the Sharingan reflected in the mirror.

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