Chapter 13 — Achievement Unlocked — Strongest Combat Power in the Ninja World?
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully subduing Shukaku. You have obtained the Sage of Six Paths ninja tool: the Bashō Fan!"
A large red-and-white fan instantly appeared in Seiki's mind.
"With unlimited chakra plus the Bashō Fan… now that's nice."
Having just received the Sage Tool, Seiki eagerly gave it a wave.
But since he had no chakra, the Bashō Fan produced nothing more than a faint breeze…
In any case, using the Bashō Fan required no practice, so Seiki stored it in the system inventory.
"Ding! Detected that the Host momentarily achieved the title of Strongest Combat Power in the Ninja World!"
"Reward: one Super Template Lottery Ticket!"
The moment he heard the system notification, Seiki nearly burst out laughing.
"Just by opening Seventh Activation, I'm already the strongest in the ninja world? How weak is this era exactly?!"
(Note: Being the Strongest doesn't mean he's unbeatable, just like Superman)
Still, with a reward on the line, he didn't bother complaining. If he could draw another Super Template comparable to Superman's, that would be even more exciting.
"It's a free ticket anyway. Whatever I draw is profit. Sooner I draw, sooner I enjoy it. Let's go!"
The system immediately replied, "Please wait. In order to match the Host's current strength, the system will now begin a version upgrade… Once the upgrade is complete, the Host may voluntarily proceed with the lottery…"
Seiki blinked. "What? You need to upgrade?"
"Apologies. This system autonomously upgrades based on the Host's combat power value."
Seiki was speechless. If triggering the system upgrade required bursting out like that, it seemed he couldn't casually unleash his full strength in the future.
"How long does one upgrade take?"
"Ten days."
Seiki fell silent. After steadying himself, he forced out another question.
"During the upgrade, can I still use the Superman Template?"
"Apologies. It will be temporarily unavailable."
"What the hell?!"
Seiki felt like kneeling on the spot. He had just maxed out his account and the server shut down—who could endure that?
"Ten days? If Jiraiya doesn't make it back, I won't even see tomorrow's sunrise!!!"
Seeing Seiki's despairing expression, the system added, "The Host may use items stored in the inventory."
"Oh, sure. Planned this perfectly, didn't you? First you give me ten days of unlimited chakra, and then your version upgrade conveniently lasts ten days?!"
The system gave no further reply. The interface simply displayed: Upgrading…
"Forget it. Maybe I can still run—"
He paused.
"Yeah right!"
Only now did Seiki notice he was surrounded by dozens of Sand shinobi.
"Sarutobi Seiki, weren't you locked in the detention cell by the Fourth Kazekage?"
One Sand jōnin who had participated in the pursuit of the rogue ninja Sasori asked in confusion.
The others had already drawn their kunai and shuriken.
Seiki gave a helpless smile and explained, "Don't get worked up. I came to help you stop Shukaku. Now that Shukaku's sealed, I can head back."
With his hands in his pockets and whistling casually, Seiki took two steps toward freedom—
And was immediately seized.
"What's the use of unlimited chakra? I don't even know how to form hand seals!"
"The Bashō Fan's fine for bullying brainless White Zetsu, but System, you've doomed me! If I'd known this would happen, I would've just flown out of the Sand Village earlier…"
Wrapped up like a rice dumpling in chains, Seiki was carried back to the detention center.
"Yashamaru, we've brought Sarutobi Seiki back."
Seeing Seiki's bedraggled state, Yashamaru froze for a moment before asking, "Sarutobi Seiki, didn't you go to stop the Tailed Beast?"
"Listen to that! Listen to that! I did go to stop the Tailed Beast!"
Seiki darted behind Yashamaru like he'd spotted family.
"Isn't this Konoha brat our enemy? He'd help us stop the Tailed Beast out of kindness? Don't joke around!"
A Sand shinobi who had just lost a comrade shouted emotionally.
"Trust me. Sarutobi Seiki absolutely did not leave the detention center to escape."
Yashamaru, as the Fourth Kazekage's brother-in-law, held considerable prestige within the Sand Village. The others fell silent.
Once the shinobi gradually left the detention center, Seiki quietly said, "Thanks for that."
"No… I should be thanking you…"
Yashamaru shook his head gently. "I believe you must have contributed to stopping the Tailed Beast. On behalf of the Sand Village, thank you."
Seiki paused, then shrugged with a smile. "I didn't even get the chance to make a move. Shukaku was sealed by your brother-in-law."
He had no intention of claiming credit for protecting the Sand Village.
First, he had only acted to fulfill his promise—not to save the village. Second, being hailed as a hero by a foreign village sounded like a hassle.
As the saying went: people fear fame as pigs fear being fat. Famous shinobi often die young.
"As long as the Tailed Beast isn't destroying the village anymore, that's enough."
Yashamaru didn't press further, simply clutching his chest in relief.
At that moment, Rasa returned to the detention center atop a golden sand platform, transporting the black tea kettle. He immediately noticed that the Third Hokage's grandson had escaped earlier.
"Sarutobi Seiki, why are you outside as well?"
Before Seiki could respond, Yashamaru quickly said, "Fourth Kazekage, I let him out. I wasn't sure whether this place would be destroyed by the Tailed Beast…"
Seeing Yashamaru's expression, Rasa instantly sensed they were hiding something.
But out of trust for his brother-in-law, he chose not to expose the lie publicly.
Using Magnet Release, Rasa opened another detention cell and said sternly, "Sarutobi Seiki, get inside yourself."
"Sure thing. And please send another meal in."
Seiki pointed at the trampled food on the ground. "Such a waste. Even if you didn't want us to eat it, there was no need to dump it all on the floor."
"Where is Yura?!"
Rasa's anger finally erupted.
Earlier, the mysterious powerhouse had specifically demanded that Yura be buried alongside Bunpuku. Rasa already suspected Bunpuku's death was connected to Yura.
Now the evidence lay before him. Rasa knew that unless Yura died, the souls of the Sand shinobi who perished in this Tailed Beast attack would never be appeased.
"He passed out…"
Following Yashamaru's gaze, Rasa saw Yura collapsed in the corner. His face darkened as he formed hand seals and summoned a Golden Sand Arm, which violently clenched around Yura's body.
Yura jolted awake in agony. Before even seeing who stood before him, he began shouting, "You damned monster! You brat! Lord Rasa won't forgive you!"
"Lord Rasa?"
Rasa laughed—but the sound was icy cold.
As Yura's vision cleared and he saw Rasa's furious expression and Bunpuku's corpse, he instantly realized that his abuse of the Jinchūriki had been exposed.
"Fourth Kazekage… I'm sorry. I know I was wrong."
The Golden Sand Arm tightened further. Yura felt as though his body would be crushed.
Rasa said coldly, "Yura, letting you die like this would be too merciful."
"Baki, hang Yura on the village execution platform immediately!"
Yura broke down. Being placed on the execution rack meant dying slowly under the blazing sun and starvation.
But to the Sand shinobi, only hatred remained for what Yura had done.
......
Five days later, the skeletal Yura died on the execution rack.
Cause of death: dehydration, starvation, and the hatred of the entire Sand Village.