Naruto: My Unique System

Chapter 18: Ninjutsu Scrolls

A mere three days had passed since Tatsuma concluded his lunch and meticulously organized his living space. The tranquility of his room, however, was abruptly disrupted as the window adjacent to his bed swung open with unexpected force. In a display of agile prowess, a shadowy figure gracefully vaulted into Tatsuma's house. Unfortunately, the intruder's entrance was not flawless, as a brief stumble on the modest rug beneath the bed culminated in an undignified sprawl across the neatly arranged sheets.

"Who dares trespass?"

Caught off guard while attending to the final details of his room's cleanliness, Tatsuma shifted his attention swiftly. A white-haired man, face obscured, executed a series of stealthy movements. Despite the unexpected intrusion, Tatsuma couldn't suppress a wry smirk.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya, currently reclined on Tatsuma's bed, could barely contain his chagrin at his own folly. Despite years of ninja experience and a plethora of successful infiltration missions, he found himself floundering in a child's room.

"I'm invisible, you can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me," Jiraiya muttered, almost like a desperate mantra. Tatsuma, with an eye roll, played along, saying, "Who are you? You've actually invaded my room, come out quickly!"

Tatsuma's unexpected cooperation momentarily threw Jiraiya off guard. Given his size sprawled across the bed, Tatsuma couldn't possibly miss him. The only plausible explanation was that Tatsuma was graciously "saving his face"!

Contemplating this, Jiraiya felt a sudden surge of emotion. Swiftly dismounting Tatsuma's bed, he executed a Body Flicker Jutsu, effortlessly perching on the windowsill with casual finesse.

"Kid, I didn't anticipate you spotting me so quickly. Your vigilance is truly commendable!"

"Jiraiya-sama?!"

Tatsuma displayed a "shocked" expression, the garbage bag in his hand meeting the ground with a resounding thud. Fortunately, the robust bag held firm, preventing any spillage.

Observing Tatsuma's theatrics, Jiraiya couldn't help but sport a few bemused lines on his face. "Alright, brat, your dramatic flair wouldn't even qualify you for a role as an extra, let alone a ninja. You've got a long road ahead in honing those acting skills."

Having spoken, Jiraiya cast a discerning eye across Tatsuma's room. It bore a striking resemblance to the apartments allocated to other war orphans – a confluence of living space, dining area, kitchen, and bedroom, accompanied by a modest study space.

While the room didn't boast an abundance of possessions, everything occupied its designated place, contributing to an overall aura of impeccable neatness. Despite the slight disarray caused by Jiraiya on the bed, the room could almost be deemed a paragon of order.

"Kid, I didn't expect your place to be this tidy. It's different from what I had in mind."

"Different from what you imagined? You should say it's different from your place."

Tatsuma lifted the garbage bag and gave a nonchalant shrug. Jiraiya's expression darkened slightly; he indeed had a penchant for overlooking cleanliness. The recollection of three days ago surfaced—this kid had woken up, and the first utterance was a complaint. The memory only served to heighten Jiraiya's irritation.

'After the next mission, I'll definitely hire a cleaner to tidy things up!'

Jiraiya resolved internally, then absentmindedly scratched his head, chuckling, "Ahaha~ Everyone's got their own way of living. I'm usually too busy, no time to tidy up."

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma maintained a neutral stance. To him, sustaining home cleanliness was a daily practice with the highest cost-effectiveness. Devoting a mere ten to twenty minutes each day sufficed. However, negligence over time could escalate the task to several hours, with the difficulty and intensity amplifying significantly. At that stage, some might opt to forgo cleaning altogether.