WebNovels

Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: The Gaze of a God

Chapter 15: The Gaze of a God

"Tenchi! Where is he? Let me through!" Hiruzen's voice was strained as he tried to push past the med-nin guarding the tent's entrance.

"Lord Sarutobi, please! This is a medical station. We are doing everything we can for the wounded. You must wait outside." A masked medic stood his ground, his tone firm but weary.

"I... I understand. I'm just... Do your best. Please." Hiruzen's shoulders slumped, the fire gone from his voice, replaced by a raw worry.

"You have our word." The medic gave a curt nod and slipped back inside the tent flaps.

Just as he disappeared, the flaps parted again, and I walked out.

Hiruzen stared, his jaw slightly agape. He looked me up and down, his eyes searching for some catastrophic injury that wasn't there. "Tenchi? You... you're just walking out? Are you alright?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Brother Sarutobi, do you want something to be wrong with me?"

"Of course not! They said you were injured! I came straight here! But you look... fine?"

"Please. Not every injury is a missing limb. I had a cut. I got it bandaged. Now I'm back to have the dressing changed so it doesn't get infected in this frozen hellscape. That's all."

Relief washed over his face, and he clapped a hand on my shoulder. "A surface wound. I thought it was something serious." His gaze then drifted past me towards the medical tent, and his expression sobered. "Their facilities are... rudimentary. They can only do so much."

I nodded, following his gaze. The sounds of quiet moans and the smell of antiseptic and blood were palpable even from outside. "It's a field hospital. They patch you up if they can. If you're too far gone..." I let the sentence hang. We both knew the rest.

"Right." Hiruzen took a deep breath, pulling his focus back to me. "I'm just glad you're back in one piece. Get some rest. We make our move soon." With a final, assessing look, he turned and strode away, his mind already back on the war.

Back in the privacy of my own tent, I finally let the excitement bubble to the surface. I closed my eyes and summoned the system. The moment I'd crossed into the camp's perimeter, a notification had flashed.

[Hunter-Nin Mission: Perfectly Completed.]

[Total Points Acquired: 181,000.]

[Bonus Objective Achieved. Rewarding: Mangekyo Sharingan Evolution.]

I stared at the number. One hundred and eighty-one thousand. A laugh, giddy and unrestrained, escaped my lips. I'm rich! I can finally afford the Mangekyo!

Then, the system's energy surged behind my eyes. The three tomoe of my Sharingan began to spin, faster and faster, until they blurred into a single, swirling pattern. A shape began to form within the crimson iris, a complex, sharp-edged design that was both beautiful and terrifying.

AHHH!

A searing, needle-sharp pain lanced deep into my optic nerves. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing the heels of my hands against them, trying to smother the agony. I felt a warm, wet trickle down my cheeks. Blood.

Just as suddenly as it came, the pain vanished. Cautiously, I lowered my hands and opened my eyes.

The world was different.

It wasn't just clearer. It was more. I could see the individual threads in the fabric of my tent, the minute fluctuations of chakra in the air around me. A profound, intoxicating power hummed within my gaze.

So this is the Mangekyo... I breathed, wiping the blood from my face. The sheer volume of pupil power was staggering, a heady wine that threatened to make one arrogant. No wonder Sasuke thought he could take on the Five Kage. With this power... you feel like a god.

For a fleeting, insane moment, I felt the urge to find Tobirama and test this new power against his.

Then, cold reason reasserted itself. Calm down. Remember what happened to Uncle Izuna. He had the Mangekyo too, and Tobirama still killed him. Bide your time. Tobirama's days were numbered. I just had to stay alive and watch it happen.

Wait a minute. I focused inward. I don't feel any specific techniques. Did the system swallow my unique pupil abilities?

[Ding! As the host's Mangekyo was obtained via system reward, your unique ocular techniques are also system-issued.]

You dog! I mentally snarled. If I hadn't asked, were you just not going to give them to me?

[The host may freely select two (2) ocular techniques. Susano'o is inherent to the Mangekyo and does not require selection.]

My irritation vanished. I can choose my own two techniques? That was better than a random lottery. A lot better.

I pulled up the list. Every legendary technique was there. And each one cost a mere 10,000 points. With my current wealth, it was pocket change.

I didn't hesitate. My choice was immediate and absolute: Kamui.

In the world of Naruto, any technique with "God" in its name was broken. Kamui, the power of spatial distortion, was the most hax of them all. Its own pocket dimension, the ability to phase through any attack, to teleport oneself or parts of an enemy away... with one eye, Obito had toyed with the entire shinobi world. With two? The possibilities were limitless.

Next, I spent another 20,000 points. Amaterasu. The black flames of hell that never extinguished. And Kagutsuchi. The power to shape and control those flames.

A sense of absolute, unshakable security settled over me for the first time since I'd arrived in this world. The constant, background hum of fear was gone.

"Now," I whispered to the silent tent, a genuine smile finally gracing my lips. "Now, I'm not afraid of anyone."

For the first time in years, I fell into a deep, untroubled sleep, the smile still on my face.

The next morning, the sun rose over the snowfields, its weak light doing little to fight the cold but offering a psychological warmth.

Outside the Konoha camp, the assembled shinobi stood in ranks. I stood among them, feeling the new power sleeping behind my eyes.

"Brothers and sisters of Konoha!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice, amplified by chakra, rang out across the clearing. He stood on the same rocky outcrop, but today he was every inch the commander. "Ten miles from this spot lies the camp of the Cloud ninja! Our mission is to drive them from the Land of Iron, to protect our home!"

He paused, letting his gaze sweep over the sea of faces.

"I have always believed in one truth! So long as there are leaves that dance, the fire of will shall burn! The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village, and new leaves will bud once more!"

His voice rose, filled with a passionate conviction that was hard to resist.

"Show them your courage! Your strength! For the families waiting for us in Konoha, for the Will of Fire that burns in our hearts... ADVANCE!"

A roar erupted from the gathered ninja. I roared with them, but inside, my mind was calm, focused. I was no longer just a soldier in this war. I was a player. And I was finally armed.

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