Naruto spent the next morning doing something Jiraiya had been trying to teach him for weeks. He sat down, stayed there, and actually thought before doing anything stupid. No training, no clones destroying a field, and—most importantly—no charging after Orochimaru because he was angry.
Six sheets of paper eventually covered the floor around him. Orochimaru wanted Kimimaro healed, Kabuto was dangerous enough to accompany a Sannin, and Kimimaro possessed something called the Shikotsumyaku. More importantly, Tsunade hadn't refused Orochimaru's offer.
That bothered Naruto more than anything else.
He knew how to fight somebody trying to kill him. He had no idea what to do if Tsunade willingly chose Orochimaru.
Naruto found her around noon sitting outside a restaurant with Shizune. There was no alcohol on the table, which somehow worried him more than if she'd been surrounded by empty bottles. Tsunade noticed him approaching and immediately frowned.
"If you're here to lecture me again, leave."
"I'm not." Naruto pulled out the chair opposite her. "What's Shikotsumyaku?"
That got her attention.
"It's an extremely rare kekkei genkai associated with a clan from the Land of Water," Tsunade said. "I haven't personally seen it, but reports connected the clan with Kirigakure."
"Mist?"
Naruto's thoughts immediately returned to a bridge covered in fog. Haku had possessed a rare bloodline too, one that had left him hunted, alone, and eventually willing to throw away his life just to be useful to Zabuza. Now Orochimaru had another dying kid with another rare bloodline.
"Can he control his bones?"
"Possibly. Without examining him, I can't tell you much more."
Naruto nodded and stood. "Thanks."
Tsunade blinked. "That's it?"
"Pretty much." Naruto made it several steps before glancing back. "The Mist had kids like him too. Kids everyone wanted something from."
Tsunade's expression shifted.
"I met one."
Naruto left before she could ask anything else.
Jiraiya found him back at the inn surrounded by papers.
"You forgot unknown reinforcements," Jiraiya said after looking over the notes.
Naruto immediately wrote UNKNOWN SUPPORT beneath Orochimaru's name. "Fixed."
Then he told Jiraiya everything.
By the time Naruto finished explaining Orochimaru's offer and Edo Tensei, Jiraiya was standing. "Why didn't you tell me immediately?"
"I was pissed."
"That's not an answer."
"I was pissed at you."
Jiraiya stared at him before rubbing his face. "We'll discuss that stupidity later. Where are they meeting?"
"I don't know."
Jiraiya's eye twitched.
"But Orochimaru needs Tsunade," Naruto quickly added. "So we don't find him. We follow her."
Jiraiya paused.
Then he smiled faintly. "Now you're thinking like a shinobi."
Their plan was simple. Jiraiya would occupy Orochimaru, Naruto would keep Kabuto and Kimimaro away from Tsunade, and Shizune would remain near her teacher. Most importantly, neither of them would attack until Tsunade made her decision.
"What if she accepts?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto stared at the stone they'd used to represent Tsunade.
"Then we stop her from healing Kimimaro."
"And she becomes our enemy."
Naruto's jaw tightened.
"Until she isn't."
That night, Naruto opened the Shinobi Codex.
System Points: 675
His eyes immediately found the Skill Evolution Stones. Three would cost six hundred points, giving him three chances to transform techniques into something stronger. A few weeks ago Naruto would've bought them before finishing the thought.
Now he stared at the price.
He knew almost nothing about Kimimaro's abilities and wasn't sure what he'd need against Kabuto. Spending nearly everything on three items he might not even use suddenly sounded incredibly stupid.
"Being responsible sucks."
Naruto purchased one.
Skill Evolution Stone Acquired!
System Points: 675 → 475
His next choice was easier.
He'd never spent many points on stats. With so much unknown in the coming 24 hours Naruto decided it was time.
47 Small Stat Boosts Purchased!
System Points: 475 -> 5
Naruto hovered over his agility and strength, increasing them by 24 and 23 respectively
PING
+24 Agility
+23 Strength
Naruto looked over the purchases.
One Evolution Stone for emergencies, progress toward awakening his Uzumaki bloodline, and a vast increase in his agility and strength.
"Way better."
Naruto leaned back and stared at the glowing five for a moment. Nearly every point he'd saved was gone, which normally would've made him feel like he'd just lost his life savings at one of Tsunade's gambling tables, but this time he couldn't complain. He'd gotten stronger in ways that actually mattered, and he still had several useful items sitting in his inventory.
His eyes moved down the list.
Current Inventory:
Damaged Uzumaki Record (Fragment)
Medium Skill Experience Pack x1
Chakra Stabilization Band — +15% experience gain to Chakra Control Training
Skill Evolution Stone x2
Destiny Breaker x1
Naruto's attention immediately settled on the two Evolution Stones. He'd held onto them because wasting something that rare on the first technique that looked interesting would be stupid, but tomorrow he might be fighting Kabuto and a guy who could apparently grow weapons out of his skeleton. If there was ever a time to stop hoarding them, this was probably it.
He opened his skill list and scrolled until he found the first technique.
Earthen Dominion
Naruto had gotten more use out of the skill than he'd originally expected, but its biggest weakness had always been speed. Manipulating large amounts of earth took concentration, and against someone fast enough to close the distance before he finished shaping the battlefield, that delay could get him killed. Kimimaro didn't exactly look slow.
Naruto pulled the first Evolution Stone from his inventory.
Would you like to evolve: Earthen Dominion?
YES / NO
"Do it."
The stone shattered between his fingers.
Golden fragments dissolved into chakra and raced up Naruto's arm before vanishing into his body. His vision flashed, and suddenly he could feel the floor beneath him with an intimacy that hadn't existed a second earlier. Every crack in the stone foundation, every uneven patch of earth beneath the building, and every point where one material pressed against another became strangely obvious.
PING!
Skill Evolution Successful!
Earthen Dominion has evolved!
Unique Skill Acquired: Sovereigns Grasp!
Naruto's eyes widened.
Sovereigns Grasp
Type: Unique Earth Ninjutsu
By placing one or both hands against connected earth or stone, the user may rapidly channel chakra through the surrounding terrain and reshape it at fast speeds. Earth within the user's chakra influence can be raised, lowered, compressed, fractured, redirected, or formed into defensive and offensive structures with minimal delay.
Earthen material infused by Sovereigns Grasp receives a large increase in density and durability for as long as the user's chakra remains present. Increased chakra output expands the affected area and allows more complex terrain manipulation.
Naruto slowly placed his palm against the floor.
Chakra spread.
The reaction was immediate.
Stone surged upward beside him so quickly that Naruto nearly fell over. A thick pillar formed in less than a second, but instead of the rough, crumbly stone his old technique usually created, this one looked compressed enough to make him wonder whether punching it would hurt him more than the pillar.
Naruto knocked against it with his knuckles.
THUNK.
"...Oh."
A grin slowly stretched across his face.
He put both palms down.
The stone flowed.
A section of floor rose into a wall, folded sideways, sank back down, and erupted several feet away as three sharpened pillars. Naruto barely had to picture what he wanted before the earth responded, and the speed was completely different from his old Earthen Dominion.
It felt less like performing a jutsu.
It felt like the ground belonged to him.
Naruto immediately imagined Kimimaro charging.
A wall could rise under his feet.
The ground could collapse beneath him.
Stone could wrap around an ankle, launch Naruto into the air, or turn an open battlefield into a maze before Kimimaro crossed half the distance.
"Okay," Naruto whispered. "Now we're cooking."
The System offered no disagreement.
Naruto dismissed the skill description and looked at his remaining Evolution Stone. There were several techniques he could justify using it on, but his eyes eventually stopped on one he'd been developing under Jiraiya.
Basic Toad Fist
Naruto frowned.
Jiraiya's fighting style looked stupid until you actually tried hitting him. The old pervert fought like somebody had taken normal taijutsu, gotten it drunk, and then taught it how to cheat. His movements could look loose and almost lazy right until an elbow, kick, hair technique, or giant fist came from an angle Naruto hadn't expected.
Naruto selected the skill.
Would you like to evolve: Basic Toad Fist?
YES / NO
He pressed YES.
The second Evolution Stone broke apart.
This time, the change hit his entire body.
Naruto's stance shifted without him consciously moving. His shoulders loosened, his weight settled lower, and dozens of small lessons Jiraiya had drilled into him suddenly connected in ways Naruto hadn't understood before. Footwork, feints, awkward angles, heavy strikes, chakra-assisted movement—it all stopped feeling like separate tricks.
PING!
Skill Evolution Successful!
Basic Toad Fist has evolved!
Advanced Toad Fist Acquired!
Advanced Toad Fist
A high-level taijutsu style derived from the combat principles of the Toad Sages and refined through Jiraiya's teachings. Advanced Toad Fist emphasizes deceptive movement, irregular rhythm, powerful chakra-reinforced blows, unconventional attack angles, and constant adaptation to the surrounding environment.
The user gains increased efficiency when chaining taijutsu with ninjutsu, terrain manipulation, summons, feints, and improvised attacks. Familiarity with an opponent's rhythm progressively improves counterattacking and evasive movement during extended combat.
Naruto stared at the final sentence.
Then he looked at Earthshaper Dominion.
His grin became dangerous.
He could raise the ground beneath his feet to change direction instantly. He could create walls mid-combination, attack around them, collapse the terrain beneath an opponent and use the movement to launch himself into another strike. Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Naruto could make changing the battlefield part of his taijutsu.
Kabuto liked precision.
Kimimaro apparently fought with bones.
Naruto now had a fighting style built around being impossible to read and an Earth technique capable of changing the terrain almost as quickly as he could move through it.
He slowly cracked his knuckles.
"Oh, they're gonna hate this."
A new notification appeared.
Free Lottery Rolls: 8
Naruto's grin widened.
"And now for the fun part."
Then the System chimed.
PING!
SPECIAL ZONE EFFECT UPDATED
The Legendary Sucker — Condition Inversion Detected!
Naruto frowned.
Extreme emotional stress has altered Tsunade Senju's Luck Modifier.
NEW EFFECT: Loaded Fate
Tsunade Senju's Luck increases during high-stakes events.
Individuals within her area of influence suffer -3 Luck.
Current Luck: 16 → 13
Naruto stared toward the wall.
"That's probably bad."
Jiraiya looked up. "What?"
"Nothing good."
Another screen appeared.
Free Lottery Rolls: 8
Naruto stared at the rolls.
Then at his reduced Luck.
He pressed the button anyway.
Common Reward!
Water balloons landed in his lap.
"...Okay."
Second roll.
Rubber Ball x3
Naruto frowned.
Third roll.
Water Balloon Pack
His eye twitched.
"STOP GIVING ME BALLOONS!"
The next four rolls produced senbon, shinobi wire, a ration pack, and another rubber ball. By the final roll Naruto was glaring at the System like it had personally insulted him.
"One cool thing. That's all I'm asking."
The wheel spun.
PING!
Rare Reward!
Naruto jumped up. "YES!"
Smoke burst across the room before a brightly illustrated orange book landed in his hands.
Icha Icha Paradise — Signed Collector's Edition
Naruto's smile disappeared.
The door opened.
Jiraiya froze.
His eyes locked onto the book.
"Where did you get that?"
Naruto slowly looked from the book to his teacher.
"Your fucking porno."
Jiraiya lunged.
"GIVE ME THAT!"
Naruto shoved it into his inventory. "NO!"
"THAT EDITION IS OUT OF PRINT!"
"GOOD!"
"I'M THE AUTHOR!"
"THAT MAKES IT WORSE!"
Naruto went to sleep angry.
The next morning, Tsunade left Tanzaku with Shizune.
Naruto and Jiraiya followed using a chain of shadow clones spaced far enough apart that discovering one wouldn't reveal the others. Several hours later, the forward clone reached a valley surrounded by broken cliffs and detected three powerful chakra signatures.
The memory returned to Naruto.
"Orochimaru."
Jiraiya's expression hardened.
They moved.
Orochimaru waited in the center of the valley with Kabuto and Kimimaro beside him. Kimimaro looked worse than before, his skin pale and his breathing shallow, but he remained perfectly straight despite clearly being in pain. Tsunade only needed one look to know the truth.
He was dying.
Orochimaru smiled. "Have you reached your decision?"
Tsunade didn't answer.
Her eyes remained on Kimimaro. "Why do you want to live?"
Kimimaro responded immediately.
"To serve Lord Orochimaru."
Something twisted inside her.
Nawaki had wanted to become Hokage. Dan had wanted to protect Konoha. Kimimaro wanted to serve Orochimaru.
Different dreams.
The same willingness to die for them.
Orochimaru extended his hand.
"I can return them to you, Tsunade. Your brother. Dan. They'll remember you, speak to you, know your name."
Tsunade's hand trembled.
She could see Nawaki smiling.
Dan reaching toward her.
All she had to do was save one life.
Then Naruto's voice came from above.
"Quit rushing her."
Everyone looked toward the cliffs.
Naruto stood beside Jiraiya.
Tsunade's expression twisted with anger. "I told you to stay out of this!"
Naruto jumped down and landed between the groups. "Yeah. I'm really bad at that."
"This isn't your decision."
Naruto's expression sobered.
"I know."
That stopped her.
Naruto looked at Tsunade instead of Orochimaru. "I don't know what it's like to lose a little brother. I don't know what it's like to watch somebody you love die, so I'm not gonna tell you that you shouldn't want them back."
Tsunade's jaw tightened.
"Then what are you telling me?"
Naruto thought about Hiruzen's funeral.
"The old man died protecting us."
Orochimaru's expression darkened.
"I hated it," Naruto continued. "If somebody told me they could put him back in his office tomorrow, smoking his pipe and yelling at me, I'd want that too."
His fists tightened.
"But he knew he might die fighting Orochimaru, and he still went."
Tsunade looked away.
"The ninja in the Leaf are proud of people like that," Naruto said. "We're proud of the old man because he protected everyone. We're proud when shinobi protect their teammates and their village even when it costs them everything."
Naruto stepped closer.
"But that doesn't mean we want them to die."
Tsunade looked back at him.
"The old man died because somebody had to stop Orochimaru." Naruto pointed toward her. "You can't stop people from sacrificing themselves for Konoha, but maybe you can make it so fewer people ever have to."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You're the best medical ninja around. You changed how teams use medics, didn't you? How many ninja already came home because of something you taught?"
Tsunade looked at her hands.
Naruto continued.
"If you become Hokage, people will still die. I'm not stupid enough to say they won't." His voice became quieter. "But maybe fewer kids need to throw their lives away. Maybe the next Hokage doesn't have to fight alone until he dies."
Shizune's eyes watered.
"Maybe the next idiot who thinks dying is his only option gets dragged home instead."
Tsunade stared at him.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"And if I become Hokage first, I'll probably screw half that stuff up anyway. So you should probably come back before me."
A broken laugh escaped Tsunade.
Then Orochimaru spoke.
"Very touching."
His gaze returned to Tsunade.
"But words don't return the dead."
Orochimaru extended his hand again.
"I do."
Tsunade stared at it.
For several long seconds, nobody moved.
Then she stepped forward.
Shizune gasped.
Naruto's entire body tensed, but he stayed where he was. This had to be Tsunade's choice.
She stopped before Orochimaru.
Her hand slowly rose.
Nawaki.
Dan.
She could hear them again.
She could see them.
Her fingers moved toward Orochimaru's.
Then Naruto's words returned.
We're proud because he protected us. Not because he died.
Tsunade's hand stopped.
Her fingers curled into a fist.
"I hadn't decided when I came here," she said quietly.
Orochimaru's smile faded.
"Part of me wanted to say yes."
Tsunade touched the necklace around her neck.
"A very large part."
She looked directly into Orochimaru's eyes.
"But Hiruzen didn't die because he wanted to."
Chakra rolled outward from her.
"He died because you made it necessary."
Orochimaru's expression hardened.
"And if I accept your offer, then everything Nawaki and Dan believed in becomes something I traded away because I couldn't live without them."
Tsunade smiled coldly.
"Dan would hate me for that."
Naruto grinned.
"And Nawaki would probably call me an idiot."
"Smart kid," Naruto said.
"Don't push it."
Orochimaru's killing intent exploded through the valley.
Kimimaro stepped forward.
A white spike pushed from his palm before lengthening into a blade.
Naruto stared.
Bone.
Shikotsumyaku.
Jiraiya dropped beside him as his chakra surged. Across the valley, Orochimaru turned toward his former teammate.
"Jiraiya."
"Orochimaru."
Kabuto drew a kunai.
Kimimaro lowered his bone blade.
Then Naruto's System chimed.
PING!
Hidden Objective Complete!
Prevent Tsunade from Assisting Orochimaru!
Another message appeared.
Combat Conditions Detected!
Loaded Fate ACTIVE
Luck Modifier: -3
Naruto's eyebrow twitched.
"Oh, come on."
Kimimaro vanished.
Naruto barely ducked beneath the bone blade aimed at his throat before his foot landed on a loose stone. His balance slipped just as Kabuto appeared behind him with a glowing chakra scalpel.
Naruto twisted desperately aside.
Kimimaro attacked again from the front.
Kabuto moved from behind.
Naruto formed the Shadow Clone seal as a grin spread across his face.
Two against one.
One enemy he knew almost nothing about.
Another he'd underestimated since the Chūnin Exams.
One Evolution Stone waited in reserve, his chakra control felt better than ever, and his Luck had apparently decided to betray him.
Smoke exploded across the battlefield.
Dozens of Narutos appeared.
The original immediately slipped on another loose rock.
Kabuto's chakra scalpel descended from above.
Kimimaro's bone blade came from the side.
Naruto's eyes tracked their movements, his visual acuity increasing since his recent dump into agility. He performed 3 rapid hand signs before lowering his palms to the ground, his opponents nearly upon him.
As Kabuto's glowing hand and the bone blade headed to pierce him from other side, two large earth spikes erupted from the ground, each aimed at their respective throats.
Both opponents destroyed the assailing projection; Kabuto's scalpel cutting off the tip of the earth spear, Kimimaro punching the point with a modified bone shield sprouting from his forearm in an instant.
Both the white haired weirdos backpedaled, their assumptions of Naruto's strength being completely blown out of the water.
Naruto readied himself. He was confident he could hold out at least until Jiraiya and Tsunade forced Orochimaru away.
A brown haired modest girl appeared at Naruto's side, senbon clenched between each knuckle, crouched in fighting stance. Shizune was going to be the blonde's plus 1 in the coming battle.
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Village: Konohagakure
Rank: Chunin
Stats
Strength: 162
Agility: 186
Endurance: 159 (+40%)
Intelligence: 151
Charisma: 108
Luck: 16 (13)
System Points: 5
Inventoryxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Flash Anklet - 20% move speed buff for 60 seconds, 300 second cooldown
Shinobi Mesh Undershirt - Reduced damage against slashing/piercing attacks, +10% physical and elemental damage resistance. Contains 4 sealing formula locations
Chakra Weaver gloves - +10% Chakra Control, +10% Fuinjutsu inscription speed
Phantom Step Sandals - Greatly reduces sound during movement
Suppresses chakra during movement, makes wearer harder to detect/track
Once every 60 seconds, rapid movement leaves behind a brief chakra afterimage that continues in the user's original direction for several meters.
Uchiha Gunbai -
Effect 1: Chakra Reflection
Effect 2: Wind Amplification Wind Release techniques channeled through the Gunbai receive increased area, stability, and force.
Uzumaki Death Seal Mask
Effect 1: Perceive spiritual entities/chakra normally invisible to normal humans.
Effect 2: Reaper's Bargain
Once per year, User may offer a permanent sacrifice of stats, chakra capacity, bloodline progression, years of life, system perks etc to temporarily invoke the authority of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal without immediately sacrificing User's life.The greater the requested effect, the greater the demanded sacrifice.
The Reaper may refuse an insufficient offering.
Effect 3 Uzumaki Resonance
Wearing this mask while studying Uzumaki Fūinjutsu grants +50% comprehension toward soul-binding, containment, and sacrificial sealing formulas.
WARNING: Prolonged use may attract unwanted spiritual attention.
Earrings of the Sage -
Effect I — Sage's Affinity: UNLOCKED
Effect II — ???
Effect III — ???
Effect IV — ???
Damaged Uzumaki Record (Fragment)
x1 Medium Skill experience packs
Chakra Stabilization Band: +15% experience boost to Chakra Control training
1 Destiny Breaker
Balloons
Rubber Balls
Icha Icha limited edition signed copy
Skillsxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Trap Making – LVL MAX
Advanced Toad Fist – LVL 1 (1/10)
Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu – LVL 5 (27/50)
Shadow Shuriken Jutsu LVL 6 (10/60)
Tree Walking LVL MAX
Water Walking LVL 1 (5/10)
Advanced Fuinjutsu LVL 8 (67/80)
Wind Release: Cyclone LVL 9 (22/90)
Wind Release: Rail Pierce LVL MAX
Water Release: Tidal Wave — LVL 6 (32/60)
Earth Release: Sovereigns Grasp: LVL 1 (1/10)