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Night was thick, rain fell heavy over Amegakure. A few small lights flickered to life in the windows, feeble beacons against the dark.
Hizashi Hyuga walked down a street in the village. Rainwater traced the sharp lines of his handsome face. His expression was resolute, carved from a single, unshakable piece of will.
He had to bring his student home.
Even if it was just a corpse.
His shadow stretched long behind him, solitary even in the gathering crowd.
In Hanzo's office, across the village.
Tsurugi's throat was dry. He took a sip of tea.
Opposite him, Hanzo the Salamander was still holding forth, his voice a relentless torrent detailing his grand ambitions. Rejuvenated, the floodgates of his excitement had burst open. Tsurugi had become his most captive audience.
Under a barrage of Tsurugi's flattery, Hanzo's favorability crept upward in erratic, satisfying increments.
"Only overwhelming force can bring true peace to the Shinobi World," Hanzo declared, a sinister smile twisting his lips. "Let Konoha and the other villages tear each other apart. I will be the fisherman, reaping the rewards!"
"Truly brilliant, Lord Hanzo," Tsurugi sighed with admiration.
Hanzo looked at him. "You fight for our cause in Konoha. When peace finally dawns over this world, you will stand at its pinnacle. You will not be forgotten."
He knew the power of bait. Pure ideals could shatter under pressure. Tangible benefits? Those lasted.
Tsurugi paused. He met Hanzo's gaze directly. "You are right, my lord. Only peace forged by absolute strength can endure. I will serve you, become a cornerstone on that road. Even if my name is lost to history, even if I must work in the shadows… I am content."
Hanzo stared, taken aback. After a long moment, he shook his head, a complex emotion stirring in his chest.
The world never lacked for shinobi with true shinobi hearts.
This Tsurugi clearly was one. Willing to burn himself like a candle in the dark, just to light the way forward.
Such men weren't swayed by profit. Their conviction was ironclad.
Ding! Favorability with Hanzo the Salamander: 45!
Hanzo had always admired such types. Once their loyalty was secured, they were supremely reliable.
He pulled out a blank scroll and began to write. The brush danced for two minutes before stopping.
The contents were clear: A formal peace treaty with Konoha. Drafted by Hanzo himself.
Tsurugi's eyes scanned it quickly. The terms were completely equal.
"Lord Hanzo," he feigned confusion. "I thought you disagreed with signing a treaty?"
Hanzo's smile turned enigmatic. "By signing this, Amegakure remains neutral in the Third Shinobi World War."
Let the mantis stalk the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Let the great villages bleed each other dry. Then, Amegakure would strike with the force of a thunderbolt and conquer all.
Tsurugi saw an opening. "Lord Hanzo, Amegakure could also publicly take in war orphans and rogue ninja."
Not only would it provide more shinobi resources, it would build a reputation for benevolence.
Hanzo's eyes lit up. He nodded. "A good point."
Ding! Favorability with Hanzo the Salamander: 55!
"Take the scroll back to Konoha," Hanzo said, handing it over. "The Hokage will sign it."
With Konoha besieged on all fronts, they couldn't refuse.
"Yes, sir."
Tsurugi took the scroll, but hesitated. "Lord Hanzo… if circumstances change, how should I contact you?"
A valid problem. Hanzo pondered, then placed his hand on the floor.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
POOF!
White smoke billowed. A giant salamander appeared, its thick, three-meter-long body squirming lazily. It made no move to attack.
Hanzo considered. Using a summon was the only real option. But a salamander… He looked at Tsurugi, dubious.
Tsurugi instantly understood. "Lord Hanzo, I lack the power to command a summon like this. I'll find a way to slip into Amegakure to deliver messages instead! It will just take more time. It's fine!" His expression was utterly sincere, the picture of understanding.
Hanzo paused. Timeliness was everything in intelligence. He couldn't possibly agree.
Fine.
He frowned. Consider it an early investment in training a subordinate. This brat couldn't cause trouble for him anyway.
"Here. The summoning contract for the salamander." Hanzo released the jutsu. The creature vanished. He pulled a scroll from a locked case and handed it over. "Whether you can summon it is up to you."
Tsurugi's breath hitched. His eyes grew slightly red, glistening with what looked like tears of gratitude. "Lord Hanzo…"
Hanzo's brow furrowed. Was this kid always so… slimy?
Ding! Favorability with Hanzo the Salamander: 58!
Tsurugi noted the expression, then checked the favorability notice. He raised a brow. So Hanzo was a tsundere.
"Take it!" Hanzo's voice turned sharp.
"Yes, sir!" Tsurugi accepted the scroll with solemn gravity. "I will not disappoint you, Lord Hanzo."
Hanzo gave a curt nod.
After his farewells, Tsurugi leaped from the window, soaring into the rain-soaked night. He danced across the rooftops of Amegakure.
A familiar figure entered his vision. Tsurugi understood immediately why Hizashi had returned.
He stopped, landing right in front of him.
"Tsuru… Tsurugi!" The killing intent hadn't fully faded from Hizashi's face before it froze into sheer shock. He hadn't expected to see Tsurugi alive.
He stepped forward, disbelieving. "Tsurugi? You're… unharmed?"
"…" Tsurugi shook his head, a small smile forming. "Not a scratch, sensei. And I got the peace treaty." He pulled the handwritten scroll from his pouch and offered it.
"This… how?" Hizashi took it, unrolling it. His lips parted as he read. His shocked eyes lifted to Tsurugi. "How?"
"It's a long story, sensei. Let's walk and talk."
"Alright."
On the way to reunite with the others, Tsurugi explained.
"That potion… I really did find it on a battlefield once. I never drank it. But last time we were in danger, Lord Orochimaru happened to learn it had… miraculous effects. This time, I used it as a last resort."
"Somehow, it worked. Lord Hanzo was… very pleased. He decided not to kill me."
"He even wrote the treaty himself."
Hizashi couldn't imagine what kind of effect would sway Hanzo so completely. Guilt washed over him. "This teacher was useless. I failed to protect you all." He was filled with self-reproach. If not for his Byakugan catching Hanzo's eye, none of this would have happened. Tsurugi wouldn't have lost such a precious treasure.
"It's alright, sensei," Tsurugi soothed.
His gains from this trip had been the greatest, after all.
Hizashi escorted them all the way to the border of the Land of Fire before turning back, finally at ease.
Now, standing on a high branch, Tsurugi and Hizashi looked down at the three despondent figures below. Hizashi smiled faintly and dropped down.
"Tsurugi!"
It was Shisui—usually the most composed—who reached him first. He wrapped Tsurugi in a tight hug, holding on as if to convince himself this was real. His hands gripped the back of Tsurugi's shirt, trembling slightly.
Juri rushed over next, annoyed Shisui got there first but overwhelmingly relieved.
Might Dai flashed a gleaming, white-toothed grin. "Yosh! I knew it! I knew Tsurugi would be alright!"
If you ignored his red, puffy eyes, the statement might have carried more weight.
Tsurugi just smiled. Did they really think he'd die that easily?
He hadn't even maxed out all his favorability points yet.
The five of them set off for Konoha.
After the long trek, they finally reached the village gates as the first rays of sun broke the horizon.
Hizashi gently ruffled Tsurugi's hair. "You go home and rest. Leave the rest to me."
Tsurugi nodded.
He gave his teacher one last look, then turned and sprinted for home.
He knew.
They'd returned alive. The Third Hokage would be suspicious. But they'd brought back the treaty. For the Hokage, that wasn't a loss. He would investigate how they obtained it.
Tsurugi was confident. With Hizashi Hyuga's 100 favorability, his teacher would do everything to conceal the potion deal with Hanzo. Exposing it would only bring Tsurugi trouble.
That's why Hizashi had ordered them all to keep silent on the journey back.
Hizashi would go to the Hokage himself and draw a final line under the whole affair.
The moment Tsurugi stepped inside, Xiao Qing eagerly coiled around his ankle.
Takenouchi wasn't home. Tsurugi headed straight for his room and a hot bath.
He pulled up his Favorability Records.
Hizashi Hyuga, Might Dai, Shisui Uchiha—their portraits all showed a perfect 100. Hanzo the Salamander: 58. Yahiko and Konan: 90. Nagato: 70. This mission had been more than worth it.
Ding! Detected max favorability with Hizashi Hyuga, Might Dai, and Shisui Uchiha. Does the Host wish to merge favorability and draw a skill?
Skills drawn from merged favorability were usually something special.
But three maxed-out favorabilities… part of him was reluctant to let them go.
Ding! Please decide.
"Merge."
Right now, he needed a top-tier skill. Anything less, even at max level, wouldn't cut it.
A massive, golden wheel of fortune materialized in his mind.
Tsurugi let out an impressed whistle. "Damn. An upgrade. Worthy of a triple max-favorability draw."
The wheel began to spin.
A minute later, a golden wedge lit up.
Brilliant light flashed. Four majestic characters appeared before his eyes.
[Ancient Void Dragon]
Tsurugi's eyes went wide.
Ancient Void Dragon?
Not that one, right?
What was he supposed to do with a dragon?
[Skill Introduction: From the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, a peak magical beast sovereign family from the xuanhuan novel Battle Through the Heavens by Tian Can Tu Dou. With the disappearance of their rivals, the Ancient Heavenly Phoenixes, the Ancient Void Dragons became the undisputed strongest beast race. They possess innate mastery over spatial forces, capable of traversing the void. At their peak, they hunted the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Tribe as prey.]
[Due to dimensional limitations, the power of the Ancient Void Dragon is capped at the level of Nine Star Dou Saint Zhu Kun.]
It really was that Ancient Void Dragon.
Could he even handle this?
"Host may select a carrier entity. It will exist in the form of a summon/contract beast," the System prompted.
"A carrier?"
"A summon?"
"An Ancient Void Dragon?"
Tsurugi's eyes slid down to Xiao Qing, still wrapped around his ankle.
The little green snake flicked its tongue, looking utterly clueless.
Tsurugi reached down and plucked it up, holding it by the middle. "Lucky you."
To evolve from a common green snake to an Ancient Void Dragon… this wasn't a step up, it was a rocket launch to the heavens.
"I choose this as the carrier!"
Ding! Host confirmation successful. Scanning carrier entity…
Ding! Scan complete!
Ding! Skill conversion successful!
Ding! Detected 0.000001% genetic similarity. Beginning transformation!
1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6…
Ding! Transformation complete.
Xiao Qing lay limp in Tsurugi's palm, barely breathing. Its emerald-green body began to change.
Gold and violet scales erupted, replacing the old ones. Pale golden patterns swirled across them. The scales gleamed with a cold, metallic sharpness, like countless tiny blades.
On the snake's rounded head, a pair of delicate, branching horns pierced through the skin.
Xiao Qing was no longer just Xiao Qing. Now, it was the Ancient Void Dragon, Xiao Qing.
Regaining its energy with shocking speed, the little dragon pushed itself up on Tsurugi's palm. Its claws dug lightly into his wrist as it raised its head high, chest puffed out with new-found pride. Any trace of the dopey little snake was gone.
"Tch." Getting cocky already, Tsurugi thought, a smirk tugging at his lips.
He checked his blue system screen.
A new section had appeared below the Storage Space, labeled Contract Beasts.
Xiao Qing's new image was displayed.
Below it, in small text: Ancient Void Dragon — Xiao Qing.
"…"
If he'd known the System would record the name, he'd have given it something more imposing.
At the very bottom, another line:
Ancient Void Dragon Xiao Qing Evolution Progress — 5% (Infant Stage).
Tsurugi stared. He fought to keep his face from twisting.
"Give me one good reason."
Max favorability should mean a max-level skill.
That meant Xiao Qing should be a fully grown, immensely powerful Ancient Void Dragon.
Why was the evolution progress only five percent?
"Due to the carrier entity's originally weak constitution and low-level genetic structure, it cannot withstand the full power of a max-level Ancient Void Dragon. A buffered progression was selected," the System explained delicately.
"…"
Tsurugi looked down at the little dragon in his hand with profound pity.
"So it's because you're too weak."
His tone was flat.
Xiao Qing, now intelligent enough for basic understanding—even if it didn't grasp every word—knew an insult when it heard one. It dug its claws into Tsurugi's wrist in protest.
Tsurugi looked at his unmarked skin. Not even a red line. Well. That answered any questions about Xiao Qing's current combat effectiveness.
Whatever.
Time to go figure out that salamander summon.
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