Tazuna's House - Land of Waves
Dragging a chakra-exhausted Kakashi through the woods was not how I wanted to spend my afternoon. Well, technically, I wasn't the one dragging him—I had two of my Shadow Clones doing the heavy lifting—but the walk was still draining, mostly because of the heavy atmosphere.
"Is he going to be okay?" Sakura asked for the fifth time, wringing her hands as she hovered near the clones. "He looks so pale."
"He's just out of chakra, Sakura," I sighed, walking with my hands behind my head. "He's not dying, yet. He just needs a nap."
Sasuke walked on the other side of the path, completely silent. He hadn't said a word since the battle. His eyes were glued to the dirt, his knuckles white as he subconsciously gripped his kunai pouch. Facing Zabuza had violently shattered his illusion of strength, and the Uchiha pride was suffocating him.
Tazuna led the way, glancing back at us nervously every few minutes, likely still expecting Zabuza to burst out of the trees.
We finally arrived at a large, two-story wooden structure that had a part of it built on stilts and was situated directly on the coast. Even though it was large, It was still humble and smelled of sea salt and old wood.
"Father!" A pale young woman with long, blue-black hair rushed out, her dark eyes wide with worry. She was dressed simply in a pink, red-collared shirt.
Tsunami.
She ushered us in, shooting a worried look at the unconscious Jonin. We laid Kakashi out on a futon in a spare room.
In the corner of the dining room, a pale little boy wearing a green jumpsuit and a striped bucket hat sat motionless at the table.
Inari.
He looked at us—bloodied, tired, and dragging a body—with cold, dead eyes. He didn't say anything. He just glared at the floor, radiating a cynicism that felt way too heavy for a kid his age.
I refocused my attention back on Kakashi.
[SYSTEM CHECK]
[Kakashi Hatake]:
[Status]: Severe Chakra Exhaustion.
[Recovery Time]: Approximately 1 Week.
A week? Goddamn, that shit's no joke.
"The quicker he recovers the quicker we can get things on the move," I said to a still panicking Sakura. "For now, we wait till he wakes back up."
The Next Day
Kakashi woke up and we gathered in his area. He looked physically exhausted, but his mind was still sharp.
"I've been thinking," Kakashi said, staring at the ceiling. "About the Hunter ninja."
"What about him?" Sakura asked. "He saved us. He killed Zabuza."
"Did he?" Kakashi asked. "Hunter ninja are disposal units. They are supposed to destroy the body on the spot to protect village secrets. They don't haul heavy corpses away."
How odd, with his experience shouldn't Kakashi have known this right away? I pondered. I guess he was just really exhausted from the battle with Zabuza.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Which means..."
"Zabuza's alive," I finished, leaning back from where I sat against the wall. "The hunter used senbon to put him in a false death state. So, he's probably healing."
Sakura looked horrified. Tazuna looked like he was going to be sick.
"We need to prepare," Kakashi said, trying to sit up. "I can't move fully yet. But you three need to be stronger to give us a chance."
The Woods
"Chakra control," Kakashi announced, leaning on crutches. "If you master this, you can fight longer and harder."
He pointed to the trees. "Climb them. No hands."
He demonstrated, walking up the bark casually until he was hanging upside down from a thick branch.
He tossed three kunai at our feet. "Mark your heights. Begin."
Sakura and Sasuke grabbed their kunai, looking determined.
But, I didn't move.
"What's the matter, Naruto?" Kakashi asked. "You getting cold feet?"
This guy, I mentally rolled my eyes.
"No. I just don't think I need to do this," I said.
I walked to the nearest tree and casually strolled up the vertical trunk with my arms crossed. I didn't rush. I just walked up like it was a perfectly flat sidewalk, stopping on a branch thirty feet up. I sat down, leaning my back against the trunk, and looked down at them.
"I mastered this months ago," I called down.
Sasuke's head snapped up, his eyes burning with a mix of disbelief and intense frustration. He looked down at the kunai in his hand, then back up at me, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth.
Sakura was frozen, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to comprehend how the 'Dead Last' was suddenly outperforming them.
Kakashi didn't look surprised, exactly, but his visible eye was calculating.
"Right, the Hokage's report," Kakashi mused aloud. "You underwent remedial tutoring with Ebisu and Anko Mitarashi after your hospital stay. But understanding the theory of chakra control and executing it flawlessly are two very different things."
"Wait... private tutors?" Sakura interrupted, her shock morphing into disbelief. "The Hokage got you private training with Special Jonin?!"
Sasuke's head snapped toward Kakashi, his Sharingan-less eyes practically glowing with resentment. His jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth.
"Anko-sensei's teaching methods were highly... motivational," I replied dryly, completely ignoring their glares.
Kakashi actually shuddered slightly. "I see. Well, that explains the efficiency."
He looked at the other two. Sasuke was glaring daggers at the bark, his competitive pride bruised, while Sakura looked like her entire understanding of reality had just been flipped upside down.
"Well, it's not exactly a bad thing that you're ahead of the curve. This could actually benefit us," Kakashi said, waving a hand at me. "You can guard Tazuna, while I put more attention into these two."
"Actually," I dropped from the branch, landing silently. "I wanted to scout the perimeter. If Zabuza is down, Gato might have other eyes watching us. I can put clones on the old man while he works too."
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye. "Scouting is dangerous. Especially right now. Why not send your Shadow Clones into the woods and stay with the client?"
"Because clones pop in one hit," I answered smoothly. "If they run into that Hunter Ninja, they'll disperse before they can track where he went. But a squad of my clones surrounding Tazuna? That creates a solid shield and a lot of noise if anyone tries to ambush him at the bridge. And I'm a better tracker in my real body anyways."
Kakashi hesitated, weighing the logic. He knew my sensory skills were sharp. He finally nodded. "Fine. But, don't engage anything you can't handle. And if you see Zabuza or his accomplice, retreat immediately."
"You got it, boss," I saluted.
The Forest Perimeter
I moved through the woods, stretchingmy senses out like a radar.
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[NEW REGION UNLOCKED: LAND OF WAVES]
[INAUGURAL GATE KEY GENERATED IN SURROUNDING AREA.]
I stopped as a mental radar pinged in the back of my mind, pointing directly toward the hidden [Gate Key].
Wait, I thought, my eyes widening. So Dungeons exist all over the world? And not just at certain locations that tie to the canon?
[SYSTEM NOTICE]: Dungeons are naturally occurring spatial anomalies. When the Player explores new regions within the Elemental Nations, Inaugural Gate Keys will form, allowing the creation of local entry Gates.
A massive grin stretched across my face. Oh-ho! That's a really big deal. It gives me a solid reason to actually explore the world now, like I've wanted.
"I can just imagine all the possibilities now."
But, I gotta hold off on that for now.
I went back to scouting when my senses picked up a familiar signature. It came from a clearing full of medicinal herbs. I walked towards it and saw a figure already there. It was a girl—no, a boy—in a pink kimono, picking herbs.
Haku.
He paused, sensing my approach, and turned, smiling benevolently. "Oh? I didn't expect to see anyone out here so early."
"I could say the same," I said, keeping my distance. I casually switched my focus to the basket in his hands, letting my high [INT] stat do the analyzing. "Comfrey root and white willow bark. Herbs for treating extensive muscle damage. And ginseng for severe lethargy... interesting combination."
Haku's smile didn't falter, but his dark eyes sharpened a fraction of an inch. "You have good insight. Yes, they're for a friend. They're recovering from a sudden, severe... illness."
"Must be a hell of an illness," I replied dryly.
The air between us grew slightly heavier.
Judging by the way he's leaning slightly, he's probably aware that I know who he might really be.
But neither of us drew a weapon.
"You have sharp eyes," Haku said softly, his voice echoing in the quiet clearing. "But they are the eyes of someone who desires more than what they have. Tell me, what is your purpose?"
"I'm very ambitious," I shrugged, keeping my hands in my pockets. "I want to see exactly how far I can go. How strong I can get."
"Ambition..." Haku mused, his head hanging slightly as he looked at the herbs in his hands. "That is a lonely, fragile path. True strength doesn't come from selfish desire. It only truly manifests when you have someone precious to protect. To live for their dream. Have you ever felt that?"
I don't exactly disagree, I thought as I momentarily stared at him.
I understood his logic, but he was saying it from a place of total, blind servitude. Right now, I wasn't speaking to a person; I was speaking to a proud weapon.
"That sounds exhausting," I responded bluntly.
Haku's head shot back up, genuine surprise crossing his features.
"Tying your entire existence to someone else's dream?" I continued, my voice cold and pragmatic. "Becoming nothing more than their tool? If they break, you break. If their dream dies, you have no reason to live. That isn't strength. That's just dependency."
Haku looked at me for a long moment. The benevolent smile finally faded. A deep sadness flickered in his eyes, quickly buried beneath a chilling, icy resolve.
"A tool is happy as long as it has a master to wield it," Haku said quietly. "It seems we have fundamentally different views on what paths life brings us."
"Seems like it," I agreed.
He picked up his basket and turned his back to me. "Then I imagine our paths are destined to cross again. Goodbye."
He walked away, disappearing into the morning mist.
Ice Release, I analyzed as he left, feeling the lingering chill in the air. It could get dangerous. I gotta find a way to disrupt his mirrors with other jutsu besides Great Breakthrough before we officially clash.
But I needed to figure out exactly where he was going first.
I didn't follow him immediately. Instead, I made a single hand sign behind my back.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SHADOW CLONE JUTSU.]
A single clone appeared silently in the thick bushes. It immediately suppressed its chakra and began trailing Haku from a safe distance.
I smirked, turning my attention back to the mental radar pinging in my head.
Now... time for that [Gate Key].
Dungeon: The Serpent's Hollow (Rank C)
[OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT THE BOSS.]
The world shifted into a damp, dark cave system. The air was thick with the smell of ammonia and rot. The ground was slick with a glowing, bioluminescent slime that offered the only light in the tunnels.
"Creepy," I muttered, drawing my daggers.
I tore through the fodder snakes that were the size of large dogs. They were aggressive, lunging from the shadows, but with my [WIS] stat acting as a radar and my [DEX] stat enhancing my precision, they were barely speed bumps. I sliced them apart, barely pausing to collect the minor loot drops.
I reached the boss chamber. It was a massive cavern with a high ceiling. Coiled in the center was a creature that probably would have made the giant snakes in the Forest of Death look like earthworms.
A massive, cobra-like creature roughly the size of a house. It had glowing amber eyes and scales that shimmered deep blue, acting as natural armor.
[BOSS: BLUE VENOM-FANGED KASAKA]
Rank: C.
Traits:High Armor, Neurotoxin Venom, Aggressive.
"Sssss!" it hissed as it lunged at me.
I dodged the strike. The massive head smashed into the ground where I had been, shattering stone and sending debris flying.
"Fast," I noted, watching the dust settle. "And very slippery."
It lashed out with its tail, a massive whip of muscle and scale. I jumped over it, landing on its back. Then, I slashed at the blue scales.
CLANG.
Sparks flew as my arms jarred from the impact.
High physical defense, I mused. Looks like blunt force with just my daggers alone ain't enough. It's like hitting a tank with a butter knife.
The snake whipped its head around, its throat swelling.
[ALERT!: DANGER!]
My danger sense flared as the snake spit out a jet of purple liquid.
I backflipped, dodging the stream by inches. The acid hit the cavern wall and hissed, dissolving the solid rock into sludge instantly.
"That was too close. A little too close."
I needed to get through its scales somehow.
But how? I thought, eyes looking for a weak spot. "Maybe this might work."
[SKILL ACTIVATED: CRITICAL STRIKE]
My daggers glowed with a white-hot intensity, consuming a chunk of my CP.
I waited for it to lunge again. It reared back, its amber eyes glowing with primal hate, and struck like lightning. As its massive jaws opened to snap me in half, I didn't dodge away.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: DASH]
I rushed directly under the massive fangs. The sickening smell of its venomous breath washed over me as I drove my glowing dagger upward, burying it deep into the soft, pale gums of its lower inner jaw.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
The blade sank to the hilt.
The snake shrieked, a deafening hiss that rattled my eardrums. It thrashed violently, whipping its massive head to the side. I couldn't pull my dagger out in time. The sheer kinetic force of the beast's skull slammed into my chest, launching me across the cavern like a cannonball. I crashed into the solid stone wall, leaving a crater.
[-58% HP]
Oof, I grunted, coughing up a splatter of blood. I definitely felt that.
The battle wasn't over. The snake was thrashing wildly, tearing up the cavern floor in blind agony, my dagger still wedged in its jaw.
I forced myself to my feet, my ribs screaming in protest. I pulled my remaining blade, the [Rat King's Fang], from my inventory. I funneled another surge of chakra into the bone blade, charging a second [Critical Strike].
[SKILL ACTIVATED: DAGGER THROW]
I launched the blade with every ounce of strength and precision thatI could muster. It flew like a bullet.
FOOM!
The dagger shot straight into the snake's open, screaming mouth, piercing through the roof of its palate and exiting cleanly through the top of its skull in a spray of blue blood.
The beast froze. It convulsed once, foaming at the mouth, before its massive tail brought down a final stalactite and it collapsed into a heap of motionless coils.
[BOSS DEFEATED]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[FULL RECOVERY ACTIVATED]
[RYO EARNED]: (42% HP x 50 ryo) x 3.5 Rank Bonus = +7,350 ryo
[TOTAL RYO ACCUMULATED]: 7,350 + 75,000 (Completion)= 82,350 ryo.
[1,130,975 ryo → 1,213,325 ryo]
[NEW LEVEL: 94]
[STATS INCREASED]:
HP: 3,360 / 3,360
CP: 3,160 / 3,160
[STATS]:
STR: 138 (Base 138)
CON: 168 (Base 138 + 20 Passive + 10 Gear)
DEX: 153 (Base 138 + 15 Gear)
INT: 158 (Base 138 + 20 Passive)
WIS: 168 (Base 138 + 10 Passive + 20 Gear)
CHA: 158 (Base 138 + 20 Passive)
"Not bad," I said, walking over to the corpse. A glowing loot orb hovered over it.
[ITEM OBTAINED: KASAKA'S VENOM FANG]
Rank: C
Type: Dagger
Attack Power: +25
Passive: Paralysis Chance (Med).
Passive: Bleed (Target loses 1% HP/sec).
[ITEM OBTAINED: KASAKA'S VENOM GLAND]
Type: Consumable.
Effect: Permanently Hardens Skin.
Buff: Physical Damage Reduction By 20% (+10 CON).
Debuff: STR -35 (Permanent).
"Minus 35 Strength? That's disgusting," I muttered, staring at the gland. It was a pulsating, warm sack of purple fluid. "A crippling double-edged sword. A permanent debuff like that would ruin a normal ninja."
But I wasn't exactly normal, was I?
And I wasn't alone in this body. I had a massive, hateful battery of demonic chakra locked in me that actively destroyed foreign toxins.
My [CON] stat is pretty high, and if the Fox's healing factor kicks in... it might just burn out the debuff and leave the armor intact like how Jin-Woo's blessing did for him.
It was a crazy gamble. But high risks brought high rewards. And I ain't no bitch.
I held my breath and downed the poison gland in one gulp.
It tasted like battery acid and liquid fire. My throat blistered instantly. My veins turned pitch black, bulging visibly against my skin. My muscles locked up in pure agony, and I crashed to my knees, clutching my chest.
Oh shit, bad idea.
[SYSTEM ALERT! TOXICITY DETECTED]
[STR STAT DEGRADING...]
But then, the seal pulsed.
Red chakra flooded my nervous system, aggressive and hateful. The System forced the Fox's chakra to attack the foreign poison like a predator, burning it out of my blood but leaving the mutagenic changes to my skin intact.
[PASSIVE SKILL: NINE-TAILS JINCHURIKI HEALING ACTIVATED]
[POISON NEUTRALIZED]
[DEBUFF REMOVED]
[PERMANENT BUFF OBTAINED: ARMOR SCALES]
Effect:Physical Damage taken reduced by 20% (+10 CON).
I flexed my hand. My skin looked the same—maybe a slightly healthier glow—but it felt... tougher.
"Level 94, a new dagger, 20% damage reduction, and some money too," I grinned, feeling the power settle. "What more could one ask for?"
I checked the time. My clone had just dispelled, sending a rush of memories back to me.
I saw what the clone saw. Haku walking through the forest, entering a hidden hideout a couple miles out near the unfinished bridge construction site. I saw the guards and the layout.
"Day just keeps getting better and better," I said, making my way out of the Gate.