The memory shifted again.
[Day 16 Task: Incomplete]
[Completion Streak: 15]
Naruto sat by the pond, eating grilled fish, when footsteps approached.
"Good evening," an old voice said.
Naruto looked up.
The Third Hokage.
So this is the test, Naruto realized instantly.
"I'm hungry," Hiruzen said gently. "Could you spare some food?"
Schemer, Naruto thought. You arrive now. You call yourself Grandpa.
If he refused, the pond would disappear tomorrow.
Naruto forced his expression to soften. "I'm not used to people talking to me," he said shyly. "I didn't know what to do."
He handed over a large fish.
Hiruzen smiled, clearly pleased.
They talked. Stories were shared. Naruto laughed—real laughter, trained from a previous life, used now as a tool.
I've learned how to smile at people I hate,For profit. Naruto thought calmly
When Hiruzen prepared to leave, Naruto tugged at his sleeve.
"Grandpa… can I see your home?"
Suspicion flickered in the Hokage's eyes—but vanished just as quickly.
I'm being paranoid, he told himself. He's just a child.
They walked.
Naruto took long detours on the way back, pretending to be lost.
[Day 16 Task: Complete]
[Completion Streak: 16]
The flashback faded.
Naruto lay on his bed.
[Ding]
Host Physiology Integration: Final Stage Initiated
Host will experience extreme pain.
Movement and voice restricted. Consciousness mandatory.
Three.
Two.
One.
Pain exploded.
His body convulsed silently as muscles tore and reformed, bones strengthened, blood burned. His soul was crushed and reforged—Shinigami essence, diluted Ōtsutsuki chakra, and D-clan constitution merging violently.
Naruto screamed inside his mind—but stayed awake.
Three hours later, darkness claimed him.
Afternoon sunlight woke him.
He stood.
[Ding — Monthly Task Failed]
[Penalty: Monthly Tasks Suspended for Two Years]
Naruto froze.
"What?" His voice was hoarse. "I completed it."
[Ding]
No ownership detected. Pond invalid.
Silence followed.
Then—
[Ding — Free Resource Store Locked]
Requirement: Monthly Task Completion
Naruto stared at the air.
Then he laughed quietly.
So that's how it is.
No shortcuts.
No mercy.
No free rewards.
And this time… he understood the rules perfectly.