"There are only three minutes left... Why does time crawl the slowest when it matters most?"
The clock ticked to 23:57. Each second felt like a taunt, the digits on the screen jumping with deliberate sluggishness—as if teasing Youyue's anticipation.
His heart had already flown to midnight.
And then, almost as if someone had flipped a switch—
Ding!
[Daily benefits have arrived]
[You have successfully rewritten the fate of 3 group members. You have received 1,500 gold coins.]
A spark of joy bloomed in Youyue's chest.
This was the exclusive perk of being the group leader: earning gold coins by helping group members alter their tragic destinies. Every midnight, like clockwork, the daily reward would arrive.
And these gold coins weren't just some decorative number—they were real, with the power to shake the very fabric of the ninja world.
"Let's see… Clone Technique, max it out!"
[Command accepted]
[Training complete. 50 gold coins deducted. Clone Technique proficiency: Transcendent Divine.]
In an instant, an enormous wave of knowledge surged into Youyue's mind—techniques, applications, theory—as if he'd spent decades perfecting the art of replication.
He quickly formed a hand seal.
Poof! A puff of white smoke.
A perfect clone stood beside him, mirroring him to the finest detail.
"Whoa… this is amazing!"
Not long ago, his clones looked more like deflated mannequins than proper illusions. But now? Now he was in a league of his own.
And this… this was only the beginning.
"Open the Gold Coin Mall."
With a thought, a virtual panel unfolded before him, brimming with vibrant icons and categories—items, weapons, scrolls, jutsus, bloodline limits, eye techniques, even divine artifacts.
He skimmed through the goods.
[Eye Technique: Sharingan (Obito Variant) – 300,000 coins]
[Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God (Minato Version) – 200,000 coins]
[Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God (Tobirama Version) – 100,000 coins]
Youyue blinked.
"Minato's version costs double the original inventor's? Why?"
Then realization struck. The Second Hokage created the jutsu, yes—but he never reached its full potential. Minato, on the other hand, made it legendary.
"Still, I won't be buying this."
"Why spend money on things I can get through favors?"
Instead of purchasing expensive jutsus, Youyue had a better strategy: build good relationships with group members and let them teach him.
And as for the Sharingan?
"No matter how close I get to Obito, I doubt he'll be thrilled to rip out his own eyes and hand them to me."
He yawned and stretched.
"Okay, time for bed."
But just as he was about to drift off—
Ding!
[Alert!]
[Group member Senju Hashirama has greatly altered the course of history.]
[Hashirama receives: 200,000 gold coins.]
[Group Leader bonus activated. You also receive: 200,000 gold coins.]
"WHAT?!"
Youyue jolted upright, sleep gone in an instant.
"Two hundred thousand?! What did that tree-hugging legend do now?!"
In the group, both leader and member could earn gold by changing fate—but 200k was massive. That meant something huge had changed.
Then he remembered: Hashirama had sworn to bring Madara back to the light.
"He actually pulled it off?"
If Madara truly gave up the Eye of the Moon plan… if the two of them rebuilt Konoha together…
The entire future of the ninja world would change.
No Great Ninja Wars. No Akatsuki. No pain.
"This is insane. Worth every coin."
Energized, Youyue dove back into the mall.
"Now I don't have to wait. Time to shop!"
He locked onto the item he'd been eyeing for days.
[Bloodline Skill: Wood Style – 80,000 gold coins]
"Buy, buy, buy!"
As soon as the transaction completed, he felt a new force awaken within his body.
The Wood Style—a legendary power born from Hashirama Senju himself. The fusion of water and earth, capable of generating life itself.
His fingers formed seals on instinct.
Crack.
A small blade of grass sprouted through the floor.
He stared, eyes wide with awe.
"It's weak… but it's real."
This was only the beginning.
And he wasn't done yet.
"Next up—Sage Body."
[Item: Sage Body – 100,000 coins]
[Buy?]
"Buy it now!"
The moment he confirmed, his body convulsed.
Chakra erupted from within like a beast unshackled. The air itself trembled.
It was as if a dormant power had awakened—raw, overwhelming, limitless.
His muscles surged with strength. His breathing deepened. His very life force had expanded.
"This… this is what power feels like."
The Sage Body wasn't just chakra. It was regenerative strength, durability, and monstrous physical force. He could probably punch down the building he lived in—and walk away without a scratch.
"No wonder Hashirama was a monster. This body is the real deal."
Now he understood why Wood Style alone wasn't that powerful. Yamato had it, but never reached greatness.
Because what truly made it terrifying…
…was Hashirama himself.
His chakra pool. His regeneration. His Sage Body.
Without it, Wood Style was a candle.
With it? A wildfire.
"Now then—maximize my Wood Style proficiency!"
[Training complete. 10,000 coins deducted. Current proficiency: Transcendent Divine.]
"Oof… that one hurt the wallet."
Still, as the knowledge poured into his mind—battle styles, techniques, instinctual control—he knew it was worth every coin.
Now, he didn't even need seals.
A clap of the hands, a whisper of intent—and Wood Style would bend to his will.
He looked down at the sprouting grass on his floor.
With a single thought, it could become a towering wooden dragon, spiraling through the ceiling.
"So this is what it means to be a 'Mini Hashirama'," he said with a grin.
With Wood Style and the Sage Body combined, only someone like Might Guy in his Eighth Gate form could possibly stand a chance.
For the first time, he felt true peace—unshakable security.
The kind of calm you could only have at the top.
"Time to sleep."
He turned off the lights, slid under the covers, and drifted into slumber with a content smile on his face.