Naruto's Apartment - Late Night
The adrenaline from the Bell Test had faded, replaced by the itch of curiosity. I sat on my bed, the moonlight filtering through the window, illuminating the blue screen hovering before me.
I was stronger now. I knew that. But I needed to know exactly how strong I was. And I needed to be able to manipulate everyone's perception of my strength. After all, in a world of ninja, information was deadlier than a kunai.
System, I thought. Break down my attributes. Give me the practical application.
[PROCESSING...]
[ATTRIBUTE ANALYSIS GENERATED]:
STR (Strength): 78
Classification: Elite Jonin.
Capabilities:Your muscles are very dense. You can casually punch through solid steel doors or shatter a boulder into dust with a standard kick. In a physical clash, if a low level Chunin tries to block your punch with their forearms, their bones will snap. You also don't need chakra enhancement to exert destructive force; your raw, resting physical strength hits like a sledgehammer.
CON (Constitution): 107
Classification: Juggernaut / S-Rank Vitality.
Capabilities: Breaking the 100-point barrier is a massive milestone. Standard weapons (kunai, shuriken, senbon) thrown by Genin or Chunin will bounce off your skin. However, high-level elemental Ninjutsu or heavily chakra-infused blades from Jonin-class enemies will still pierce. You can sprint at top speed for 48 hours without needing sleep.
DEX (Dexterity): 91
Classification: Elite Jonin (Temporary burst with [Dash]).
Capabilities: Your reaction time is borderline precognitive. To anyone without a fully matured Sharingan or Byakugan, you appear to teleport. You can catch thrown weapons out of the air effortlessly. When you activate [DASH], your speed spikes, allowing you to easily outpace someone like Kakashi in a short sprint or completely blindside an opponent before they can weave a single hand sign.
INT (Intelligence): 96
Classification: Jonin-Level Processing & Chakra Capacity.
Capabilities: Your brain processes information like a supercomputer. You have zero chakra waste. At your current stat level (96), you officially have the ability to wield all five elemental affinities.You can look at a complex A-Rank jutsu scroll, instantly comprehend the chakra math, and execute it flawlessly on the first try. Your CP pool is massive, allowing you to spam jutsu that would exhaust a normal Jonin.
WIS (Wisdom): 86
Classification: Master Sensor / Genjutsu Immunity.
Capabilities: Your situational awareness is supernatural. When you focus deeply you can map out an entire battlefield, track hidden enemies by their heartbeats or breathing, and detect the faintest traces of killing intent from miles away. Because your mind is so heavily fortified by this stat, any standard Genjutsu (B-Rank or lower) will shatter like glass the moment it attempts to make contact.
CHA (Charisma): 96
Classification: Conqueror's Presence.
Capabilities: You dictate the gravity of any room you walk into. If you release your killing intent, civilians or low-tier Genin will likely pass out from the sheer weight of it. Even hardened Chunin or Jonin will feel a suffocating, paralyzing dread. You can terrify an entire room without ever raising your voice.
"So, a tank that moves like an assassin," I mused, then laughed. "That's pretty busted."
[SYSTEM NOTICE]:Raw attributes represent physical and mental potential, but do not account for Enemy Level Disparity, Combat Experience, or Jutsu Mastery. A higher-level opponent with lower stats can still inflict fatal damage through technique.
Potential, huh? I mused, then I placed a hand to my chin. "So basically, I can fight and keep up with enemies that are at a significantly higher level than I am because my raw stats are high. But, it's very possible that I'd still get dog-walked because my level is insufficient to theirs."
[CORRECT.]
That's annoying, but it makes perfect sense, I thought. It's the equivalent of a 145 pound fighter thinking they'd beat a 200 pound fighter just because they have knockout power. The 145 pounder has to get to at least 180-185 pounds to even lay a dent in the 200 pounder.
"Fine," I smirked a bit."I'll just have to get my level up to make sure my raw stats hold proper weight."
But I wasn't done. I needed to grind through the E & D-Rank fodder to unlock the C-Rank Keys.
SOME TIME LATER…
[THE GOBLIN STRONGHOLD — D-RANKED DUNGEON]
The air smelled of sulfur, rot, and unwashed bodies. I stood in a massive cavern lit by sputtering torches.
[ENEMIES DETECTED: GOBLIN HORDE]
It wasn't just a group. It was a carpet. Hundreds, if not thousands of green-skinned, screeching creatures swarmed the floor, brandishing rusted spears, daggers, and crude clubs.
"Holy Shit!"
I drew the [Alpha's Twin Fangs] and ran into the tide.
I was a natural disaster, cutting through the first line of goblins without breaking stride. My high [STR] allowed me to cleave through their wooden shields and the goblins behind them in a single swing. Green blood sprayed the walls.
[XP GAINED]
[XP GAINED]
[XP GAINED]
[SYSTEM WARNING: LEVEL DISPARITY DETECTED]
[NOTICE]: Player level heavily exceeds enemy levels. Experience gained from low-tier enemies has been severely reduced. (0.01% XP per kill).
"Tch, ain't that a bitch," I clicked my tongue, reading the purple text as I sliced through another goblin. "So I can't just farm the weak ones forever. That's fine, I planned on moving on to bigger prey anyways."
I carved a path to the inner chamber. A creature twice the size of the others stood on a raised platform. It wore rusted iron armor and was surrounded by elite goblin guards.
[MINI-BOSS DETECTED]:
[HOBGOBLIN COMMANDER]
The Hobgoblin was tall and muscular. Had ashen grey skin, sharp eyes, sharp teeth. He was encased in armour and roared, pointing a spiked mace at me. "Kreeegh!"
Instantly, the twenty goblins moved. But unlike the fodder outside, they didn't just charge blindly. They moved in a coordinated swarm, locking their crude wooden shields together to form a living wall, bristling with rusted spears.
I activated [DASH].
I blurred forward, slamming into the center of the line. I used a spinning roundhouse kick to shatter the shields of the three closest goblins, sending them flying. But the rest of the elites didn't break. Instead, two of them dove straight for the dirt, wrapping their grubby, muscular arms around my calves to anchor me in place.
"Get off!" I snarled, driving the pommel of my dagger into one's skull.
But the momentary delay was exactly what the boss was waiting for.
The Hobgoblin Commander launched itself off the raised platform, using its massive weight to bring the spiked mace crashing down directly toward my head.
With my legs pinned, dodging wasn't an option. I crossed the [Alpha's Twin Fangs] above my head and braced my core.
CLANG!
The impact sounded like a bomb going off. The ground beneath my boots shattered, spider-webbing outward from the sheer kinetic force. My high [STR] stat kept me from being crushed flat, but my arms trembled under the immense weight.
While my blades were locked with the Commander's mace, one of the surviving elite guards lunged from the flank, thrusting a jagged spear directly at my exposed ribs.
I twisted my torso as much as my pinned legs would allow, but I couldn't avoid it completely. The spear tip tore through my orange jacket and slammed into my side. The [Chakra Metal Mesh Vest] did its job, stopping the blade from piercing my organs, but the blunt force trauma still cracked against my ribs like a baseball bat.
[CRITICAL HIT AVOIDED]
[-8% HP]
I gritted my teeth, tasting copper. "Okay. Now I'm annoyed."
I inhaled sharply, channeling my chakra. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
I blew a point-blank, concentrated gale directly into the Commander's face. The sudden blast didn't do much damage, but it threw the massive Hobgoblin off balance and kicked up a blinding cloud of dust and debris.
With the pressure on my daggers relieved, I freed my legs with a vicious stomp, crushing the goblin grappling me.
I stepped smoothly into the Commander's guard before it could recover its vision. I ducked under a panicked, sweeping backhand, aimed my [Rat King's Fang] upward, and drove the jagged bone blade deep into the creature's armpit—the only unprotected gap in its rusted armor.
[EFFECT TRIGGERED: PARALYSIS]
The Hobgoblin stiffened instantly, its red eyes bulging as the poison locked its muscles. I didn't give it a chance to recover. I ripped the blade out and spun, using the momentum to bury my silver dagger into the side of its thick neck.
The Commander gurgled, dropping the mace before collapsing into a heavy heap of black smoke.
[MINI-BOSS DEFEATED]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[FULL RECOVERY ACTIVATED]
[LOOT OBTAINED]: Refined Iron Ore (x5)
[RYO EARNED]: (92% HP x 50 ryo) x 2.5 Rank Bonus = +11,500 ryo
I exhaled a sharp breath, rubbing my bruised side as the remaining guards began to back away in terror. "Next time, I'm using clones for the fodder."
I kicked the doors to the final room open. The heavy wood splintered off the hinges.
[NOTICE: BOSS DETECTED]:
[OGRE (EVOLVED HOBGOBLIN)]
It was massive. A hulking brute with leathery grey skin, standing easily fifteen feet tall, with yellowed tusks the size of my forearms protruding from its underbite.
The Ogre bellowed, a sound that rattled my teeth, and from the deep shadows of the cavernous room, dozens of glowing red eyes snapped open. Another fifty goblins poured out, chittering and scraping rusted blades against the stone.
"Kill!" the Ogre grunted in a broken, guttural common tongue.
The swarm rushed me like a tidal wave of green flesh. The Ogre, however, stayed back. It wrapped its massive, warty hands around a ruined marble support pillar and effortlessly ripped it out of the ground, wielding tons of solid stone like a baseball bat.
"Fifty against one?" I smirked, crossing my fingers. "Let's even the odds. Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF. POOF. POOF.
Twenty clones materialized in a wall of smoke around me.
"Keep the small fry off me!" I ordered. "The big guy's mine!"
The clones roared, drawing their weapons and clashing with the goblin horde. The cavern instantly devolved into chaotic warfare. I activated [DASH] and blurred straight through the frontline, aiming right for the boss.
The Ogre saw me coming. It planted its feet, hauled the massive marble pillar back, and swung it in a devastating, horizontal arc.
My danger sense screamed. I dropped to a slide, intending to glide right under the swing, but the Ogre was horrifyingly fast for its size. The sheer wind pressure of the swinging pillar disrupted my slide. I couldn't duck low enough. The edge of the solid marble clipped my shoulder and chest.
CRACK.
I was launched sideways, skipping across the stone floor like a pebble across a pond until I slammed into the cavern wall.
[CRITICAL HIT AVOIDED]
[-23% HP]
"Gah!" I wheezed, coughing up a spatter of blood. My [Chakra Metal Mesh Vest] absorbed the worst of the friction, and my [CON] kept my ribcage from turning to powder, but it still felt like I had just been hit by a speeding freight train.
I scrambled to my feet just as the Ogre raised the pillar to crush me like a bug.
I flickered to the side, leaving a crater where I had just been. I closed the distance, swiping the [Alpha's Twin Fangs] across the back of the Ogre's calf to sever the Achilles tendon.
SKRRRRK.
Sparks literally flew off the beast's leathery grey hide. The daggers barely left a white scratch. The Ogre didn't even flinch.
Damn, he's tanking everything, I thought, ducking under a backhand that shattered the wall behind me. I need to do something quickly before my CP runs out and the horde overwhelms me.
I backflipped away from a stomping foot, vaulted off the shoulders of a nearby goblin, and used the momentum to launch myself high into the air. The Ogre looked up, raising the pillar to swat me out of the sky.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
I blasted a point-blank gale directly into its eyes. The Ogre roared in surprise, blinded by the wind and dust, swinging the pillar wildly. I slipped past its flailing arms and landed squarely on its broad, muscular back.
It thrashed violently, reaching back to grab me. I locked my legs tightly around its thick neck, scanning its hide.
There.
Hidden beneath its matted hair was a slightly softer, paler patch of skin right where the cervical spine connected to the base of the skull. The armor plating of its muscles didn't fully cover the joint.
"Let's try this."
I reversed my grip on my dagger and funneled a massive, highly compressed surge of chakra directly into the blade. I didn't let it leak out; I forced it to coat the edge, vibrating with a white-hot, lethal intensity.
[SKILL UNLOCKED: CRITICAL STRIKE (ACTIVE SKILL)]:
Effect: Inflict Critical Damage By Bypassing Standard Defense.
Cost: 70 CP Per Activation.
"Be Gone!"
I drove the glowing blade downward with every ounce of my strength.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
The chakra-coated blade punctured seamlessly through the tough hide, sliced through the dense muscle, and severed the spinal cord completely.
The Ogre froze. Its red eyes rolled back into its head.
For a second, the massive beast just stood there. Then, like a demolished building, it collapsed straight forward, creating a localized earthquake and crushing a dozen of its own goblin guards underneath its immense weight.
[BOSS DEFEATED]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[FULL RECOVERY ACTIVATED]
[RYO EARNED]: (77% HP x 50 ryo) x 2.5 Rank Bonus = +9,625 ryo
[TOTAL RYO ACCUMULATED]: 11,500 + 9,625 + 20,000 (Completion)= 41,125 ryo.
[489,350 ryo → 530,475 ryo]
[NEW LEVEL: 72]
"Hehehe, look at all that money," I laughed as I prepared to leave the space.
ONE MONTH LATER…
Team 7 had become a machine. We cleared missions efficiently, mostly because I used clones to do the boring stuff while the real me trained or rested. Unfortunately, Kakashi had specifically mandated no clones for today's assignment to "build character."
Tch, annoying bastard.
"Naruto! Stop pulling the herbs!" Sakura yelled, waving a pristine green leaf in my face.
"These are weeds," I said, tossing a handful of grass into the basket.
Sasuke grunted, ripping a dandelion out of the ground aggressively a few feet away. "This is a waste of time."
He wasn't wrong. We've been doing a large amount of these bogus ass D-Ranked missions; walking dogs, picking up prescriptions, making deliveries, finding lost animals. They were boring but they paid the bills. And I certainly needed as much money as I could get. The System Store was always updating with new items and materials for every Gate I cleared.
Suddenly, my danger sense flared.
It wasn't a monster. It was something far more terrifying.
I sensed a familiar chakra signature approaching fast from the main road. Fast, agile, and carrying a lot of metal.
Tenten. My eyes narrowed.
I stood up instantly, dropping my basket. "I gotta piss. Don't wait up!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, scoffing quietly at my lack of discipline.
"What? Again?!" Sakura snapped, putting her hands on her hips. "You go to the bathroom every time we're near the commercial district! Hold it!"
"When you gotta go, you gotta go!" I called over my shoulder, already running off.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: DASH]
I vanished in a blur of orange, leaping over the fence and disappearing into the alleyways just as a girl with buns in her hair rounded the corner.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" Tenten yelled, waving a scroll. "I know you're here! You promised me rare weapons! Stop hiding!"
From a rooftop two blocks away, I watched her harass a confused Sasuke and Sakura.
I can't face her yet, I thought, crouching behind a chimney. I have the weapons. I have tons of them from the dungeon drops. But they are Soul-Bound for some reason. If I hand her a sword and it zaps back to my inventory, she's going to think I'm pulling a fast one on her.
"System," I whispered. "I need a fix. How do I get weapons she can actually hold?"
[INITIALIZING…]
[SUB-QUEST UPDATED: SHARING IS CARING]
[CURRENT STATUS]: Incomplete.
[HINT]: Items dropped by "Constructs" or "Beasts" are Soul-Bound to the System User. Items dropped by "Humanoid Weapon Users" in C-Rank Gates or higher have a chance to be Unbound.
[NEW SUB-QUEST: THE ARMS DEALER]
Objective: Obtain 5 Unbounded Weapons.
Reward: Guild Trade Permission (Allows gifting of System items to non-System users).
Oh shit, that's huge. I thought, eyebrows raising.
"Humanoid weapon users," I muttered. "I guess I need to find a dungeon with people in it? Or perhaps, human-like monsters?"
Good thing I had already leveled up my gate access.
Over the past month, I hadn't just been pulling weeds. I hit my quota—defeating 350 monsters—and finally unlocked the C-Rank Gates. I even crossed the Level 80 threshold, prompting the System to reward me with +8 SP and a massive 160,000 Ryo for finally being strong enough to handle multiple Chunin-level threats simultaneously.
My [INT] stat had also broken past 100, unlocking the basic knowledge for all five elemental affinities. I was a walking arsenal, even if I hadn't splurged on any of the ridiculously expensive jutsu in the Store yet.
The C-Rank Gates were a completely different beast by the way. They swirled with a dangerous blue energy, and the monsters inside required actual strategy instead of just raw power. The last gate I cleared earlier this week proved that well:
[C-RANK GATE KEY ACTIVATED]
[DUNGEON: THE QUARRY OF THE ANCIENTS]
I stood in a sprawling canyon made of jagged grey stone. The air was dry and completely devoid of life. No birds, no bugs. Just the eerie grinding sound of rock scraping against rock echoing through the gorge.
[ENEMY DETECTED: STONE GOLEM]
The ground trembled. A walking boulder made of solid granite and marble pulled itself out of the canyon wall. It was ten feet tall, faceless, and moved with a heavy, relentless momentum.
"Alright, let's see how tough you are," I muttered.
I blurred forward with [DASH], drawing the [Alpha's Twin Fangs]. I slashed horizontally across its thick legs, aiming to hamstring it.
CLANG!
Sparks showered the air. The impact vibrated violently up my arms, numbing my wrists. I hadn't cut it; I'd merely scratched the surface.
The golem didn't even flinch. It swung a massive stone fist.
I ducked, feeling the wind pressure ruffle my hair as the fist smashed into the canyon wall behind me, leaving a massive crater.
"Okay, blades are useless," I grunted, leaping back. "Let's try blunt force."
I channeled chakra into my legs and launched myself directly at its chest. I drove a straight right punch, backed by every ounce of my strength, squarely into its torso.
CRACK.
My knuckles throbbed. Spider-web fractures spread across the golem's granite chest, but it didn't stumble. Instead, it brought both arms down in a crushing hammer blow. I crossed my arms to block, but the sheer weight of the stone sent me skidding backward through the dirt, my boots digging deep trenches into the ground.
[-5% HP]
"Tch. Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" I yelled, exhaling a massive gale.
The wind hit the golem head-on... and did absolutely nothing but blow the loose dust off its shoulders. It just kept marching toward me, slow and inevitable.
Damn it, I thought, shaking out my stinging hands. Blunt force isn't enough, blades bounce off, and wind just tickles it. I need to find a weak point.
I stopped attacking and focused. I activated my [Chakra Sensitivity] and analyzed the lumbering giant. At first, it just looked like animated rock. But as I stared at the spider-web cracks I had made on its chest, I noticed something.
A faint, pulsing blue light was leaking from deep inside the fractures. The ambient chakra wasn't spread evenly throughout the stone; it was concentrated entirely in the center.
"The core," I realized, a grin spreading across my face. "You're just a mech suit made of rocks."
The golem lunged again. This time, I didn't waste energy hitting its limbs. I slipped past its guard, planted my feet, and delivered a rapid-fire flurry of concentrated kicks directly to the cracked granite on its chest.
CRACK. CRACK. SHATTER!
The stone armor finally gave way, exploding outward in a shower of pebbles. Exposed in the center of its hollow chest cavity was a glowing, fist-sized blue crystal.
I didn't punch it. If that crystal exploded, I didn't want my hand anywhere near it.
Instead, I slipped an [Explosive Tag] from my inventory, slapped it directly onto the glowing blue heart, and backflipped away.
BOOM!
The muffled explosion echoed from inside the golem's chest. The blue light flickered and died. For a second, the massive stone construct just stood there, completely inert. Then, the magic holding it together vanished, and it collapsed into a mundane pile of gravel and dust.
[XP GAINED]
"Break the shell, blow the core," I breathed, dusting off my hands. "Got it."
I spent the next three hours turning the canyon into a demolition zone. It was a grueling, repetitive process of dodging lethal haymakers, cracking their armor, and setting the charges.
Break, Tag, Boom. Break, Tag, Boom.
By the time I cleared the final wave of the dungeon, I was covered in grey dust and my knuckles were bruised purple, but the notification made the exhaustion melt away.
[DUNGEON CLEARED]
[LEVEL UP!]
[FULL RECOVERY ACTIVATED]
[NEW LEVEL: 88]
[STATS UPDATED]:
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 12
Class: Genin of Konoha, Beast Slayer, Shadow Monarch (In Progress), etc
HP: 2,660 / 2,660
CP: 2,440 / 2,440
[STATS]:
STR: 104 (Base 104)
CON: 133 (Base 103 + 20 Passive + 10 Gear)
DEX: 117 (Base 102 + 15 from [Alpha's Twin Fangs])
INT: 122 (Base 102 + 20 Passive)
WIS: 112 (Base 102 + 10 Passive)
CHA: 122 (Base 102 + 20 Passive)
Stat Points Available: 172
Total Ryo: 1,280,975
"Level 88," I whispered, dusting stone dust off my jacket. "I'm not where I want to be yet, but at least I'm not too weak."
Hokage Tower - Mission Office
The room was busy. Hiruzen sat behind his desk, smoking his pipe. Iruka and two other Chunin were organizing scrolls and stamping mission reports.
Team 7 stood before the desk. We had just turned in our report for weeding the medicinal gardens.
"Good work," Iruka said, smiling warmly. "Your team is setting records for D-Rank completion. I have another mission here for—"
"Actually," Kakashi interrupted, stepping forward. He eye-smiled lazily. "I think they're ready for something a bit more... stimulating."
Iruka paused, his brush hovering over the paper. "Are you sure? They've only been Genin for a month. Naruto especially... he can be unpredictable."
Aye yo, what the hell?
"Naruto is efficient," Kakashi corrected, his voice gentle but firm. "He is not the prankster you remember, Iruka. D-Ranks would only hinder their growth at this moment. So, I recommend a C-Rank mission."
Iruka frowned, looking protective. "Lord Hokage, is that wise? A C-Rank implies potential combat with bandits. They aren't ready for life-or-death situations."
Hiruzen looked at us. He looked at Sasuke's eagerness, Sakura's nervousness, and my complete lack of reaction.
"Kakashi knows his team best," Hiruzen decided. "Very well. I have a request for an escort. Protection against highwaymen on the road to the Land of Waves."
Oh, so it's this mission, I mused. I wondered when it would get here.
He nodded to the Chunin by the door. "Send the client in."
The door opened. A man stumbled in, smelling of cheap sake. He wore a sleeveless shirt, a towel around his neck, and carried a half-empty bottle.
Tazunathe Bridge Builder.
He looked at us with bleary eyes, taking a swig of his drink. He pointed a finger at me.
"What's this? A bunch of snot-nosed brats?" He glared at me specifically. "And you... the short one with the idiotic face. Are you really ninja? You look like a joke."
Oh, really? I like my face though, I don't think it's bad. In fact, I think I could be a model if I wanted to.
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[URGENT QUEST: EXPOSE THE LIE]:
Objective: Force the client to confess the true A-Rank nature of the mission before leaving the Hokage's office.
Reward: 5,000 XP, +10 SP, Golden Loot Box.
I paused, my eyes locking onto the glowing blue text.
I was originally just going to play along and wait until the Demon Brothers showed up in those stupid puddles to say anything. But 10 Stat Points and a Golden Loot Box?Sorry, Old Man. I can't let that get away from me, you're getting exposed.
I crossed my arms and stared at him. "So, a standard C-Rank, huh? Just protecting you from some random thugs and bandits?"
Tazuna didn't look at me. He took a slow, deliberate swig of his sake, his face set in a grumpy scowl. "That's what the paperwork says, kid. If you're already scared of a few nameless bandits, do us both a favor and stay."
A deflection. Classic move. Attack my pride so I drop the subject, I mused. But he's forgetting one thing, that only works on people with shame, and I don't got none of that.
"Right, right," I said slowly, nodding my head. "But if it's just nameless bandits, why are you shaking then?"
"Naruto, shut up!" Sakura hissed, stepping forward. "Stop being so disrespectful! He's our client—"
Tazuna scoffed, shifting his weight. He gripped his bottle a little tighter, but kept his voice completely flat. "It's a hangover, brat. Now are we leaving, or are you going to keep whining?"
He was playing it well. Outwardly, he just looked like an annoyed, hungover old man.
But the System didn't care about his acting skills.
[PERCEPTION ACTIVATED]
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
His heart was racing fast. Too fast for a drunk. His sweat smelled of alcohol, but underneath that was cold, nervous sweat. The scent of genuine terror was slowly spreading across his body.
Damn boy, you trying so hard to hide it. You've gotten this far, but let's see what it takes for you to crack.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: BLOODLUST (LOW OUTPUT)]
The air in the room grew heavy, thick, and suffocating.
Sakura choked on her next scolding, her breath catching in her throat as she instinctively took a step back. Beside her, Sasuke stiffened, his hand twitching toward his kunai pouch on pure survival instinct.
Tazuna flinched as he looked into my eyes and saw nothing but cold blue steel. The bottle shook in his hand.
"Aye, old man," I said, my voice dropping to a quiet, terrifying whisper that echoed in the silence. "I can hear your heart beating. You're terrified, why?"
"I-I'm just..." Tazuna stammered, sobering up instantly.
"Then, let's try this again. You asked for a C-Rank," I continued, relentlessly. "Standard protection against bandits. But your body says otherwise. So, who's after you? Bandits or Shinobi?"
The room went dead silent. Hiruzen put his pipe down, Iruka dropped his pen, and Kakashi's eye narrowed, locking onto Tazuna.
"Naruto," Kakashi warned.
"This isn't just a normal mission, is it?" I asked, not breaking eye contact with Tazuna. "If we walk out that gate expecting bandits, will we get bandits or will we get something else?"
Tazuna crumbled. He slumped against the doorframe.
"Gato," Tazuna whispered. "Gato of the Gato Company."
"The billionaire tycoon?" Hiruzen asked gravely. "He employs rogue ninja. This makes the mission A-Rank, potentially S-Rank."
"I can't pay for an A-Rank!" Tazuna yelled, tears forming in his eyes. "My country is broke! If you don't help me, I'll die, and the bridge will never be finished! The Land of Wave will be doomed!"
The room was silent.
"Well," Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Since the client cannot pay the fee, we cannot accept the mission. It's against protocol to send Genin on an A-Rank mission anyway."
Iruka nodded vigorously. "Exactly! It's too dangerous!"
"How much?" I asked.
Everyone looked at me.
"How much is the difference between a C-Rank and an A-Rank?" I asked Hiruzen.
"More than 100,000 Ryo," Hiruzen answered, confused by the question.
"Oh that's all?" I asked in an indifferent manner. "I'll cover it then."
Silence.
I reached into my inventory—disguising it as reaching into my pouch—and pulled out a heavy sack. I tossed it onto Hiruzen's desk. It landed with a heavy thud, the sound of coins clinking together echoing in the office.
"There's 150,000 Ryo there," I said casually. "Cover his fee and upgrade the mission."
[-150,000 ryo]
[1,280,975 ryo → 1,130,975 ryo]
[URGENT QUEST COMPLETE: EXPOSE THE LIE]
[REWARDS GRANTED]:
+5,000 XP
+10 SP
Golden Loot Box
Silence descended on the room like a physical weight.
Sasuke's jaw dropped slightly before his teeth clicked shut, grinding together. He stared at the heavy sack, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides. I could practically see the gears jamming in his head as he tried to comprehend how the "Dead-Last" orphan was casually throwing around a small fortune while he lived off a strict clan survivor's stipend. The gap between us wasn't just physical anymore; it was resources.
Sakura's eyes simply bugged out, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
But Kakashi's reaction was the most telling. His visible eye widened, his lazy, slouched demeanor vanishing entirely in a fraction of a second. His posture straightened into something dangerous and coiled. His gaze flicked from the heavy sack of untraceable cash to me, his eye piercing and analytical. He was in full ANBU mode, likely trying to calculate if I had robbed a bank or was running a black market syndicate.
"N-Naruto..." Iruka stammered. "Where... where did you get this kind of money?"
"I save well," I lied smoothly.
Then I turned to Tazuna. "Now the mission is paid for. We'll save your country. So you can build your bridge."
Tazuna looked at the money, then at me. His eyes welled up with tears. He fell to his knees. "I... Thank you! Thank you!"
I looked at Hiruzen. "Do we have a deal, Old Man Hokage?"
Hiruzen looked at the money, then at me. He saw the unwavering confidence in my eyes. He saw the capability. He knew it was risky, but denying a fully paid mission that could save an entire nation went against the village's principles.
"Very well," Hiruzen nodded slowly, making a decision. "Team 7 is assigned to escort Tazuna to the Land of Waves. I will officially classify this as a B-Rank mission to allow your team to proceed, but rest assured, the payment has been noted."
Tch, B? I guess he has to skirt the rules to let Genin go. Whatever.
I grinned nonetheless.
And so it begins.