"Is that child really the core of the squad?"
After Hakken and the others left, Hizashi Hyūga's face showed clear confusion.
No matter how he looked at it, Kakashi Hatake and Shisui Uchiha were obviously the ones meant to lead. Those two children were, at best, just there to make up the numbers on the front line.
Shaking his head, Hizashi let out a quiet sigh.
"I hope everything goes smoothly for them."
...
Only by stepping onto the battlefield does one truly feel that suffocating pressure—that kind of oppressive air that makes people cherish peaceful days even more.
Itachi had once said he hated war.
Yet, for the sake of peace, he chose to do things that went against his own will. That meant becoming part of the battlefield.
When he was young, Itachi had witnessed the chaos of war firsthand—the constant deaths, the endless flames. Years later, that suffocating feeling returned.
Along the border, the scent of battle was unmistakable. Patrol squads hurried past, medical units carried the wounded. Everywhere, there were signs of past skirmishes and ground stained deep with blood.
Kakashi and Shisui were already used to scenes like these. But for Hakken, this was his first real taste of the battlefield.
The metallic tang of blood, the strange, unsettling aura—only the fierce pounding of his heart reminded him he was still alive!
Fight...
Why are you just standing here?
Voices like that kept echoing in his mind. Instinct drove him to tighten his grip on his sword until veins bulged along his hand.
"Two options," Kakashi said. "We can go around that mountain range and infiltrate the Land of Lightning. It'll take more time, but it's much safer."
"Or," Shisui added, "we can cut straight through the weakest point in their defenses. It's risky, but according to the intel Hizashi Hyūga provided, the Fourth Raikage has returned to the village to prepare for negotiations with Iwagakure. He's not on the battlefield right now—so success isn't impossible."
Ahead lay the Land of Lightning. One more step, and their presence would be detected by enemy sentries in moments. By all accounts, the first plan was clearly the safest.
"Ding! Optional Advanced Mission triggered."
[Mission Title: True Shinigami]
[Mission Objective: Bloom amid slaughter, master your instincts, and let your Zanpakuto taste blood. From today, harvest three thousand soul energies.]
[Mission Rewards: Complete fusion of spiritual pressure, mind, and body—become a true Shinigami. Officially awaken your Zanpakuto! Template progress +5%, 1000 basic slash points.]
[This mission may be accepted or declined at the host's discretion. No time limit.]
An advanced mission!
Unlike his daily blade tasks, this one appeared suddenly. Harvest three thousand souls—the meaning was obvious.
Kill.
Keep killing—until he reached three thousand!
He could choose to accept or not. No deadline. No punishment.
The long-dormant system, upon reappearing, delivered an unexpected shock to Hakken.
As for the mission's reward, he found no reason to refuse it.
Closing his eyes, as his spiritual pressure spread, all soul fluctuations from the battlefield ahead imprinted themselves in his mind. Among them, only one fluctuation stood out as the strongest.
If he wasn't mistaken, it was undoubtedly the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee.
Withdrawing his spiritual pressure, Hakken glanced at his system panel.
[Host: Hakken Yoru]
[World: Naruto]
[Unlocked King of Normal Attacks Template: Zaraki Kenpachi, White Hollow]
[Zaraki Kenpachi Template Unlock Progress: 14.2]
[White Hollow Template Unlock Progress: 4.2]
[Second Template reaches 20% to unlock the next character template]
[Next Basic Attack Trait Awakening: Second Template White Hollow progress reaches 5%]
[Basic Attack Points: 595 (Exchangeable for template progress or shop items)]
[Chakra: 180 (Elite Chūnin Level)]
[Physical Attributes: 270 (Exceptional. Reaching 300 will activate one gate of the Eight Inner Gates in its standard state)]
[Spiritual Pressure: Unknown]
[Activated Trait: Chakra Blade]
[Template-Inherent Trait: Instinct Power]
The above represented his complete strength.
Since the daily missions had been upgraded, his attributes had been growing rapidly each day. His chakra reserves were a bit low, but Hakken never relied on chakra quantity to overpower his opponents. The amount of chakra didn't define a ninja's strength—and even the concept of "chakra tiers" was vague at best.
After all, even a genin like Naruto had chakra reserves that surpassed ninety-nine percent of jōnin. The number was merely a point of reference.
Likewise, Hakken's chakra amount was only one part of his overall power. As a swordsman, the progression of his template was the true key to determining his strength.
Closing the interface, the youth lifted his mask, grabbed his gourd, and took several heavy gulps.
Aside from the third template requiring ten percent more progress than the second to unlock, there wasn't anything particularly surprising. Still, everything shown on the interface gave Hakken a clear, intuitive grasp of his own power.
His physical enhancement had reached a point where he could swing his blade without restraint.
Mastering the power of the demonic swordsman, Zaraki Kenpachi, was no simple task. It was a terrifying force—so overwhelming that even the man himself could barely contain it.
If not for the Daily Quest upgrades that allowed each swing of his blade to improve his physique, it might have taken years before he could fully adapt to that strength.
But now...
His eyes gleamed with sharp light as he released the gourd, his chest rising and falling heavily. His body, nearing the level of a constantly open first gate, could now withstand the full strain of an all-out strike!
Yet Hakken understood that this "physical rating" didn't mean he had truly opened a gate—it was just a reference value.
"Follow me."
"The slaughter begins!"
As he fastened his mask, the demon's razor-sharp fangs were fully bared.
He chose to pierce straight through the enemy's defenses head-on!
...
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