Have you ever witnessed divine punishment?
Staring up at the massive ice sphere looming above — like a miniature meteorite — the Mist-nin were certain that what they saw could only be described as that.
A god's wrath is like a prison. A god's wrath is like the sea.
Irresistible. Inescapable.
Like the coming of the apocalypse, the ice sphere descended with an ear-piercing shriek toward the terrified Mist-nin. It was as if it carried tens of thousands of tons of explosives. From a distance, Mizunotsuki Ye watched silently, admiring his own masterpiece — watching those who had hunted him like a stray dog now scatter in panic.
"Useless…"
The true power of the Ice Meteor wasn't in the fall itself, but in the massive shockwave that followed. Even if they escaped its direct impact zone, survival was impossible.
Finally, as Mizunotsuki Ye softly murmured, the ice sphere struck the ground. For a moment, even time seemed to freeze. A violent blast wave erupted outward in relentless waves. The ground was stripped bare; rocks and broken branches shot in every direction.
A spiraling column of dust rose into the sky like a dragon — or a ladder to the heavens. When everything settled, a massive funnel-shaped crater lay where the forest had been. In its center, embedded like a jewel in a crown, sat the ice sphere.
As for the Mist ANBU who had pursued Mizunotsuki Ye — they were nowhere to be seen.
"Ding! Collecting battle data…"
"Data collection complete. Congratulations, player — you've gained massive experience points. These can be used to upgrade your equipped card."
"Ding! Congratulations on achieving your First Battle Achievement. Reward unlocked."
"Ding! Reward automatically received. Player has obtained a Two-Star Pet Card. Please check your inventory."
…
"Hah…"
Looking at the scorched, lifeless battlefield where not even bones remained, Mizunotsuki Ye exhaled in relief. "That should keep me safe for now," he muttered, then turned his attention back to the mechanical voice echoing in his mind.
He noticed that his currently equipped Esdeath Card now displayed increased experience points — its level had risen from 1 to 2. All attributes had increased by two points, and he could clearly feel the difference: a surge of strength and vitality coursed through him.
Both his stamina and chakra had improved slightly. After checking, he found he had only about one-fifth of his chakra left — meaning that last Ice Meteor had nearly drained him completely. Still, the result: more than ten Chūnin dead.
After roughly gauging his current power, Mizunotsuki Ye concluded that even most Jōnin would be no problem now.
A six-year-old Jōnin! Not even in the Warring States Era had such a monster appeared!
"Another pet card, huh? Let's see what I got."
This mysterious system had already become his greatest reliance in this dangerous world. The moment it bound to him, he had instinctively known how to use it — the knowledge implanted directly into his mind.
He deftly opened the system's inventory. A translucent grid interface appeared before his eyes — visible only to him. In one slot sat a single card. Focusing on it, a stream of information flooded his mind.
[Gluttony]Nickname: "The Devourer"Type: Pet CardLevel: 1Experience: 0 / 3000Strength: 45Speed: 30Constitution: 60Spirit: 5Energy Type: None
(Two-Star Pet Card: When equipped, the player can summon a pet projection. The pet inherits 40% of the card's stats and all its skills.)
Skill 1: ImmortalitySkill 2: DevourHidden Skill 1: ??? (Locked)
"Ding! Player has three unequipped card slots. Equip this card?Note: Only one pet-type card may be equipped at a time."
"Gluttony? Isn't that the Homunculus created by Father in Fullmetal Alchemist?"
Information about the card instantly surfaced in his mind. He quickly understood its mechanics.
'Immortality' stemmed from Gluttony's Philosopher's Stone — as long as it wasn't depleted, he could resurrect infinitely.'Devour' allowed Gluttony to treat all living beings as food — converting their life force into Philosopher's Stone energy at a set ratio.
"Pretty solid tank material… but seriously, aren't pets supposed to be cool or cute? Why'd I get this thing?"
Mizunotsuki Ye couldn't help but complain as the image of Gluttony's dopey face surfaced in his mind. Still, with no other pet cards available, he had no choice but to equip it.
A faint tremor rippled through the air as a wide, rotund figure began to take shape in front of him — about 1.5 meters tall, wearing a long vest, and sucking on his thumb. The creature stared at Mizunotsuki Ye with blank, childlike eyes — full of dependency.
"Yoru… I'm hungry."
Seeing the goofy little fatty before him, Mizunotsuki Ye twitched his lips — yet he felt a strange sense of connection between them.
Rustle!
Suddenly, his expression shifted. Someone was nearby — the faint sound of branches being brushed aside.
Someone's here!
"Another Mist pursuer? No…" He frowned slightly. Sending over a dozen Chūnin after him was already an overreaction — they wouldn't dispatch more. Mist Village wasn't exactly overflowing with manpower.
Could it be Konoha?
That seemed the most plausible guess.
"Konoha, huh…"
His eyes flickered with thought — and then determination. He made his move.
"Captain, we've reached the impact zone!"
"Spread out and start analyzing the scene. Now!"
"Roger!"
Kakashi gazed in disbelief at the devastated land before him. The sight was terrifying — a massive funnel-shaped crater scarring the forest, a wound that might take decades to heal.
"Ice Release, maybe?"
Crouching near the crater's edge, Kakashi examined the massive frozen sphere embedded at the bottom. His expression grew thoughtful.This level of destruction was easily on par with an S-rank jutsu — possibly with strategic value. In terms of danger, it qualified for the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll.
"Could one of the Yuki clan's elites have escaped? But didn't the Third say there was only one child left?"
The Mizukage — or rather, Uchiha Madara — had long planned the Yuki Clan's extermination, ensuring not a single loose end. Every Yuki was under surveillance; only a few unawakened or unimportant members managed to slip through. Mizunotsuki Ye's grandfather had risked everything to help him escape — otherwise, he'd never have survived.
"Captain, I found something— Ah! Look out!"
Kakashi's eyes widened at the warning shout. He instantly darted toward the source of his comrade's voice.