Absurd things keep on happening!

Hearing the system prompt, Satoshi's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, a grin spreading across his face.

"Success!"

Obtaining Kakashi's fragment was one of Satoshi's primary objectives. According to the system, acquiring a ninja fragment required either defeating the individual or earning their recognition. Given Satoshi's current abilities, defeating a ninja—let alone someone of Kakashi's caliber—was out of the question. Even an ordinary Genin was beyond his capability. This left only the second option: earning Kakashi's recognition.

However, gaining such recognition in the ninja world, where the strong held sway, was nearly as difficult as defeating them. Satoshi knew this well and thus decided to gamble on Kakashi's respect for Minato.

Fortunately, Satoshi's gamble paid off. By subtly revealing his connection to Minato, he succeeded in earning Kakashi's recognition. The proof was in the fragment he received.

In the harsh world of ninjas, coldness and indifference were common. A ninja like Kakashi, who valued relationships deeply, was a rarity. Satoshi had banked on this and dared to expose his identity to Kakashi, confident that even if Kakashi didn't recognize him, he would neither harm him nor reveal his secret.

Reflecting on his recent encounter, Satoshi realized that it had been a successful "battle." Not only had he enjoyed a delicious meal, but he had also secured the valuable fragment. It was a rare and promising start.

On his way back, Satoshi excitedly inquired of the system, "System, I have five fragments of Kakashi now. Can I recruit him?"

"Unfortunately, you can't," the system responded promptly. It continued to explain, "Kakashi is a 5-star Jonin, so you need 400 corresponding ninja fragments to recruit him."

"400?" Satoshi exclaimed in shock. "Why so many? And what exactly is a 5-star Jonin?"

"The system classifies ninjas from zero to ten stars," the system explained. "Ordinary villagers can be recruited with five ninja fragments. A 1-star ninja, such as an academy student, requires twenty-five fragments. Genin are 2-star and need fifty fragments. And so on."

Without waiting for the system to finish, Satoshi clapped his hands in understanding. "So, 3-stars require a hundred fragments, 4-stars two hundred, and 5-stars four hundred. That means recruiting a 10-star ninja would need 12,800 fragments, right?"

"Yes, the host is correct."

Satoshi grinned, but the system's next words quickly dampened his spirits. "10-star ninjas are far beyond the host's current reach. Obtaining fragments of a 5-star ninja is already a miracle. However, the likelihood of collecting all required fragments for a 5-star ninja is nearly zero. Please start from zero and proceed step by step."

The system's caution served as a wake-up call for Satoshi. "Yes, this time I relied on Minato's name and a bit of cleverness to gain Kakashi's recognition. But what about next time? How will I manage it then?"

To recruit Kakashi, Satoshi needed 400 fragments. This meant he had to earn Kakashi's recognition seventy-nine more times. The thought was daunting.

"Damn, what method should I use next time to make him recognize me? Should I rely on my monstrous appetite?"

As Satoshi pondered his next steps, he suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground. In a flash, he was whisked away, the scenery blurring around him.

Having experienced this before, Satoshi remained calm. "The Anbu are really fast and efficient!"

It wasn't surprising that the Anbu had found him so quickly. He guessed they had located him while he was at Kakashi's house but had refrained from intervening for some reason.

Soon, Satoshi was brought back to his residence. Hearing the door lock behind him, he shrugged and walked to a small bed nearby. He smiled at Naruto, who was sleeping soundly.

"Stupid little brother, big bro is back after eating!"

Yawning, Satoshi climbed onto his own bed, pulled up the blanket, and settled in. "I ran around all afternoon. I'm exhausted. Time to sleep!"

As the sky darkened, the sound of Satoshi's steady breathing filled the room. While he slept soundly, Kakashi was still deep in thought.

"Where did he get that Flying Thunder God Kunai? Did he have it hidden all along?"

Unbeknownst to Kakashi, Satoshi possessed a magical storage space where he had kept the kunai, a gift from the system. In this space lay two other figures, their bodies bloodied but faces serene as if in sleep. If Kakashi saw them, he would be even more shocked.

These two figures were none other than Minato and Kushina. Half a year ago, when Satoshi activated the Acquiring System, it had stored Minato and Kushina's bodies. When Satoshi regained his composure, he asked the system a crucial question.

"System, how long can the storage space preserve bodies?"

"In theory, permanently. As long as the host is alive. Once the host dies, the storage space will collapse."

Upon hearing this, Satoshi's eyes lit up. "So, as long as I'm alive, Minato and Kushina's bodies will remain as they are now?"

"Yes."

This news filled Satoshi with joy. In the world of Naruto, known for its exploits and forbidden techniques, he saw a glimmer of hope. He thought of a forbidden technique: the One's Own Life Reincarnation.