"My mother told me to pick the very best one, and you are it," I rhymed, bringing my finger to a firm stop.
It landed squarely on [OPTION B: ALL FOR ONE].
If I was being completely honest with myself, I would have picked this option regardless of where my finger landed. Earning a guaranteed plus-ten levels, a massive payout of Ryo, and a Legendary item that granted infinite mana for an hour was just vastly superior to the alternative. The rewards were simply too good to pass up.
The moment I picked the option, the deafening alarm chime ceased. The translucent screens shattered into pixels, and the world instantly unfroze.
The roaring of the crowd, the explosions from the village, and the clashing of steel all crashed back into my eardrums at once. The suspended smoke billowed into the sky, and the falling debris finally hit the ground with heavy thuds.
I kept my position on the edge of the stone balcony railing and briefly tapped into my mental link with the Soldiers in my shadow.
"Sorry guys," I apologized mentally to my dormant army, feeling their restless anticipation. "It looks like it isn't the time to unveil ourselves to the world just yet."
"Do not apologize, my Liege!" Beru's voice instantly rang out in my mind, vibrating with fanatical devotion. "We exist only to serve your will! If you wish to conquer this realm with your own two hands, we shall gladly watch you paint the earth in their blood from the abyss!"
I smirked at the Ant King's dramatic bloodlust. With my decision locked in, it was time to get to work. If I couldn't use my [Shadow Army] to cover the vast battlefield of the Leaf Village, I would just have to go in an alternative direction.
I brought my hands up in a single hand seal, while flaring a large amount of my chakra.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU]
Thick plumes of white smoke rapidly exploded all along the length of the competitor's balcony, completely obscuring the area. As the smoke cleared, over a hundred identical copies of myself stood shoulder-to-shoulder, packing the stone tiers.
"Alright y'all, I want you to—"
But before I could even give them an order, a red warning screen flashed in my eyes.
[WARNING!: DIVIDING YOUR 14,540 CP ACROSS 100+ ELITE-LEVEL CLONES THAT WILL ENGAGE IN HEAVY COMBAT AND CAST JUTSU WILL DRAIN YOUR TOTAL RESERVES QUICKLY. THIS MAY PROVE TO BE A MASSIVE TACTICAL RISK.]
I felt the sudden, hollow drop in my chest as the majority of my chakra was partitioned out to the army standing around me. My main body was essentially running on a fraction of a tank, and the moment these clones started throwing around high-tier Jutsu, that remaining sliver was going to drain even faster.
I adjusted my dark lenses, unfazed.
Well then, I thought, rolling my shoulders as a confident smirk formed on my face. I'll just have to move very efficiently.
"Y'all heard that, did you not?" I asked my clones. "After you finish with your respective areas, disperse immediately, so that my total reserves expand again."
I extended my arm forward, pointing out toward the burning village and the chaotic stadium.
"Now, go forth, and show no mercy!" I commanded.
In perfect, resounding sync, over a hundred voices echoed back at me.
"Yes, Sir!"
They instantly blurred into motion, scattering in every conceivable direction—leaping over the railings, scaling the stadium walls, and bounding toward the civilian sectors to intercept the Sound and Sand forces.
With that taken care of, I turned my attention upward toward the Kage box.
I guess it's time to see the errors of my planning, I thought, as I began to make my way up.
I bounded up the stadium wall, my eyes locked on the disaster unfolding on top of the Kage box.
Hiruzen and Orochimaru were completely sealed inside a massive, multifaceted crystal prism. Just outside of that crystal, Jiraiya was pacing like a caged tiger, trapped inside the secondary, massive box of searing purple fire. Standing completely on the outside of the roaring flames were three Leaf Anbu, frantically analyzing the barrier and trying to communicate with the Toad Sage trapped inside.
As I walked up, one of the Anbu noticed me approaching.
"Hey! You shouldn't be here!" the masked shinobi bellowed, stepping into my path. "It's way too dangerous! You should be down below, getting villagers to safety!"
"Uh-huh," I said, completely ignoring their order as my eyes scanned the purple flames. "Can you guys get in there?"
The three Anbu exchanged hesitant glances, but none of them answered.
"I'll take that silence as a no," I said with a smirk. "Right now, y'all need all the help y'all can get. And now that help has arrived, you're saying no? Shame on y'all."
"Listen kid, we saw your match. And we can admit that you're strong for your age," the lead Anbu said, their tone turning grave. "But this right here is way above your pay grade." They pointed to the flame barrier. "That flame will incinerate anything that touches it. Even a Sannin needs to be cautious with it. What chance do you have?"
"How do you know that I have no chance when you haven't even seen me try?" I countered smoothly. "Besides, what other options do y'all have?"
I pointed a thumb over my shoulder toward the sky, where Guren's crystal dragons filled the air. "Somebody has to stop those things, and he's the right person to do it." I gestured toward the trapped Toad Sage.
"You can get me out of here?!" Jiraiya questioned through the flickering purple flames.
"He's bluffing," a smug voice echoed from the corner anchor of the barrier. I glanced over to see Kidomaru smirking at me. "Our formation is flawless. The moment you even touch the flames, it's game over."
Sakon chimed in from his own corner, sneering. "Yeah, buzz off, brat. Go aid some civilians or something while our Lord kills your Kage."
I smiled a dangerous, challenging smile and stepped right up to the roaring wall of fire.
"Hey, wait!" one of the Anbu exclaimed, but I paid them no mind.
"Get ready," I called out to Jiraiya.
System, I commanded internally, keeping my face perfectly composed. What do you think of me using a high-tier Earth Jutsu to disrupt the ground underneath the barrier?
[PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS: 0.03%]
0.03%?! What?! I mentally exclaimed. System, I'm already standing in front of the flames! I can't back down now, or those Sound bastards will look like they're right and gain smug expressions. Why's the probability so low?!
[NOTICE: THE CRYSTAL RELEASE USER (GUREN) HAS SUPPORTED THE BOTTOM OF THE SOUND FOUR'S FORMATION, CREATING A DOUBLE LAYER OF STRUCTURAL PROTECTION, COMPLETELY NULLIFYING STRUCTURAL DISRUPTION.]
I shifted my gaze down to the base of the barrier. Sure enough, a faint, pink crystalline sheen coated the stone tiles beneath the flames.
Ah man, what the fuck?! I groaned internally, as a brief wave of panic washed over me. These bastards thought of everything!
On the outside, my expression remained completely calm. I looked like I was deeply analyzing the barrier, but on the inside, I was losing my shit.
Damn! What can I do?! I thought frantically, as I watched the way the purple flames flowed and consumed the oxygen around them. System... would Ice Release work?!
[PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS: 84.7%]
[DROPPING THE LOCALIZED TEMPERATURE TO ABSOLUTE ZERO WILL MOMENTARILY DISRUPT THE COMBUSTION CYCLE OF THE FLAMES, CREATING A MICRO-FISSURE BEFORE THE BARRIER INCINERATES THE ICE. IT WILL REQUIRE MAXIMUM CHAKRA OUTPUT.]
Shiiiit, say less, I concluded.
I pulled out my new [Winter's Bite] daggers. The air around the blades instantly plummeted, a thin layer of frost forming on the hilts.
If the temperature needs to be absolute zero, then a little added boost should improve the odds even more, I mused, before activating a skill.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: ICE RELEASE: FROST CARAPACE (MAXIMUM OUTPUT)]
I coated my arms and torso in a layer of thick, rapidly regenerating ice to nullify the blistering environmental heat radiating off the barrier.
Through the flames, I watched Jiraiya's jaw practically unhinge. The Anbu next to me physically recoiled, their masked faces snapping toward the ice coating my body in absolute shock. Even Orochimaru, who was standing inside the crystal prism, turned his serpentine eyes toward me, his pupils contracting into thin slits.
"H-How?!" I heard one of the Anbu stutter, as I swung both blades forward in a cross-slash.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: ICE RELEASE: GLACIAL WAVE (MAXIMUM OUTPUT)]
A massive AoE blast of freezing air collided with the barrier. The purple flames hissed as the intense heat was completely snuffed out by the overwhelming cold, and a section of the barrier violently sizzled, turning into a cloud of thick white steam.
"Now!" I roared.
Jiraiya, breaking out of his shock, didn't hesitate. Recognizing the split-second micro-fissure, the Sannin blurred through the steam and appeared right next to me just as the purple flames roared back to life, sealing the gap behind him.
The Sound Four were visibly stunned, their smug expressions completely wiped away.
I wanted to gloat and give them the nastiest smirk they've ever seen in their lives, but I couldn't. My chakra began to drain rapidly from the expenditure, as well as from what my clones were already engaging in. I quickly opened my inventory, materialized a high-grade [Chakra Potion], and downed the glowing blue liquid in three gulps. I felt my depleting reserves steadily replenish.
Just a couple of max output jutsu and my chakra is nearly spent, I mused, wiping my mouth with my arm. I hope my clones finish their assignments quickly before I get to Gaara.
"Kid..." Jiraiya breathed out, bringing me out of my musings and staring at the frost melting off my arms. "How in the hell do you have Ice Release?"
"Some things happened, but there's no time for long explanations," I deflected, pointing a frost-covered dagger toward the sky. "You need to handle her and her explosive dragons. I have to go."
"Wait! You need to stay!" one of the Anbu protested, stepping forward. "Since you figured out a way to get Lord Jiraiya out, you need to help us figure out a way to break that crystal so we can get to Lord Hokage!"
"Can't," I countered sharply. "Gaara of the Sand is about to fully transform into a Tailed Beast in the forest. If I don't stop him now, he'll cause monumental chaos and wipe out everything in sight."
The words "Tailed Beast" hit them hard. The Anbu stiffened, their body language instantly shifting from frantic urgency to absolute dread. Jiraiya's eyes widened as he adopted a contemplative expression.
"A Tailed Beast..." one of the Anbu whispered, the panic evident in their voice. "If it gets loose... the entire village..."
Jiraiya gritted his teeth, looking torn between saving his sensei and stopping a localized natural disaster. He looked at me, his gaze heavy with the sheer weight of the situation.
"Can you hold it off?" the Toad Sage asked, his voice dead serious.
"Hold it off? No," I shook my head, getting a look of surprise from the Sannin.
"Then why do you want to go—"
"I can win," I stated confidently, without a shadow of a doubt. "I'll stop it. You best believe that."
Jiraiya stared at me for a long moment before exhaling a sharp breath. "Go," he commanded firmly. "We'll handle the sky and figure out this crystal. Do whatever it takes to keep that monster away from the village!"
I gave a firm nod, but before I blurred away, I glanced back at the Anbu. "Aye, have faith in the Old Man," I said, tossing my empty potion vial to the ground. "He's been through much tougher things than the likes of Orochimaru, right?"
Without waiting for another word, I blurred away, leaving them to handle things on this end.
As I leaped from rooftop to rooftop, leaving the stadium behind and rushing toward the dense forest perimeter, a sudden wave of information flooded my brain.
POOF.
A few of my clones had successfully completed their assignments and dispersed, returning their remaining chakra and experiences back to my main body. I felt my split reserves tick upward slightly, easing the tight knot in my chest.
A smirk crossed my face as the first memory integrated into my mind. Four of my clones had perfectly hijacked Danzo's little political maneuver. The Root operatives that planned to swoop in and "rescue" the Fire Daimyo and his nobles to curate favor for their boss were beaten to the punch by my clones. They blocked the Root operatives' designated paths with massive piles of collapsed debris, transformed into standard Leaf Jonin, and ushered the nobles away to a secure bunker before Danzo's goons even made contact.
Ha ha ha, get fucked you one-eyed bastard, I mused.
POOF.
Another memory hit. Clones were ruthlessly eliminating Sound operatives who were trying to break into the underground civilian shelters.
POOF.
Then another. My clones had hunted down and assassinated a squad of Stone ninja. The Iwa spies had used the invasion to mark down sections of entry into Konoha. When they finished mapping out their findings, they were ready to leave the village and report back to their home. However, they didn't get the opportunity to do so.
But the most interesting piece of information didn't come from a dispersing clone. It came from the Shadow Soldier that was stationed back at the Kage box to observe the battle between Hiruzen and Orochimaru.
I tapped into my [Shadow Link] while running, viewing the fight through my Soldier's eyes. Orochimaru had finally engaged his old master. The snake Sannin slammed his hands together, and the dark, vile chakra of the Edo Tensei rippled across the roof.
Two wooden coffins violently rose from the roof tiles. One bore the kanji for 'First', and the other bore the kanji for 'Second'.
I kept watching through my Soldier's eyes, waiting for the next part. I waited for the third coffin, but it never came. Only the first two coffins opened.
What? I thought he tried to summon a third coffin too with the kanji for 'Fourth' on it, I mused, furrowing my brow as I vaulted over a wide alleyway. Oh, that's right, that was an anime-only thing, I realized. Minato was still sealed inside the Shinigami, so Orochimaru was only able to summon Hashirama and Tobirama in the manga.
But then, I started to think about other things I might have forgotten about the situation.
Wait a minute. I freed Minato from the Reaper weeks ago. I pondered quickly, my mind racing. Wouldn't Orochimaru be able to bring him back from the Pure Lands now, just like the jutsu is supposed to? What's going on?
A blue screen materialized in my eyes, answering my question with absolute clarity.
[NOTICE: BECAUSE YOU FREED MINATO FROM THE REAPER AND RECEIVED AN ECHO—THE REMNANT OF HIS WILL MANIFESTED FROM THE 'SYSTEM'—MINATO IS TECHNICALLY ANCHORED TO THE 'SYSTEM.' AND BECAUSE OF THAT, OROCHIMARU LACKS THE ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY TO SUMMON A SOUL BOUND TO THE SHADOW MONARCH, MAKING ANY ATTEMPTS BY HIM OR ANYONE THAT IS NOT YOU FAIL.]
I stared at the glowing blue text for a second before a genuine, loud laugh escaped my lips.
No admin privileges, huh? I laughed, shaking my head as I channeled more chakra to my feet and picked up my pace. Sorry, snake-boy, but my security clearance seems to be higher than yours.
My laughter quickly died down, however, when I received another sudden ping from a completely different Soldier. It had come from a Soldier assigned to monitor Sasuke and the Rookies. I instantly accepted the memory transfer, my vision flashing as the Soldier's recent observations downloaded directly into my brain.
And from what I'd seen, I could safely say that things had gone to hell.
Kiba had alerted the group that they were being tracked by multiple hostiles. Thinking on his feet, Shikamaru quickly devised a plan to split the squad. He, Ino, Choji, and Tenten would act as the diversion team, using their varied skill sets to cover the area with traps. Meanwhile, Sakura, Kiba, and Hinata would push forward to back up Sasuke, utilizing their two trackers and combat specialists to find and aid him.
It was a solid plan, right up until they got ambushed by another group of Sound and Sand ninjas. The Rookies quickly got swarmed and dispersed, forcing Shikamaru and Sakura to become the default backup team.
Through the Soldier's memories, I saw how the enemy ninjas pressed them from all sides. But what made me go on high-alert were the shinobi waiting on the sidelines, waiting for the perfect opening. They wore the forehead protectors of the Hidden Cloud.
So, they see an opportunity to make a move, huh? I thought, narrowing my eyes. I was wondering when they'd pull it, but it seems that their patience is about to lead them to an early demise.
I pushed my pace, blurring through the forest branches toward the group's destination.
After a couple more minutes of running, I heard the sounds of battle echoing through the trees. I broke through the canopy just in time to see the Rookies getting completely overwhelmed.
While Tenten was dealing with a group of Sound and Kumo ninja with her new weapons, one of the massive Kumo shinobi had managed to slip past the [Storm-Tethered Kunai] she threw at him and dashed toward the direction of a cornered Hinata.
He extended his muscular hand forward, angling his shoulders to sprint in another direction upon grabbing her. He probably thought he could grab her and leave before any other obstacles obstructed him, but he found out very quickly how wrong he was.
I dropped into the clearing like a thief in the night, landing squarely between Hinata and her potential attacker.
Before the Kumo ninja could even register my arrival, I channeled my chakra and unleashed my newest offensive jutsu. One I thought he might find interesting.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: LIGHTNING STYLE: THUNDERBOLT (MEDIUM OUTPUT)]
A blinding, crackling surge of condensed electricity erupted from my palms, striking the Kumo ninja point-blank. The high-voltage blast instantly fried his nervous system, sending his blackened, smoking body flying backward into his comrades, who had been flash-fried by the residual energy.
I spun on my heel, targeting the wave of Sand and Sound shinobi rushing Ino and Choji from the flank.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: WATER STYLE: RISING WATER SLICER (MEDIUM OUTPUT)]
I inhaled sharply and swung my head in a wide arc, exhaling a high-pressure wave of water that erupted across the damp forest floor, transforming into razor-sharp liquid blades. The jutsu cleaved effortlessly through the enemy ranks, slicing through standard kunai, armor, and the shinobi holding them, dropping half a dozen enemies in a spray of crimson.
The remaining enemy leader—a scarred Sand Jonin—realized his squad had just been decimated in less than three seconds. He abandoned his attack on Kiba and lunged at me with a desperate, chakra-laced kunai strike.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: RASENGAN (MEDIUM OUTPUT)]
I stepped directly inside his guard, casually dodging the kunai, and drove the spiraling sphere of chakra directly into his sternum. The impact was deafening. The Sand Jonin was violently launched off his feet, spiraling through the air like a ragdoll before crashing back down, dead before he even hit the floor.
The clearing fell into a stunned silence.
I stood in the center of the carnage, the residual electricity and chakra still sparking around my hands. It had taken me exactly five seconds to annihilate them.
I looked over my shoulder. Hinata was staring at me, her Byakugan deactivated, her pale eyes wide with absolute awe. Ino had her mouth hanging open. Tenten's grip on her summoning scroll had gone completely slack, and Choji was frozen mid-step. Even Kiba and Akamaru were frozen in surprise.
"N-Naruto...?" Kiba stammered, his eyes darting to the decimated bodies surrounding us. "What the hell was that...?"
"Uh, you know, a little of this and a little of that," I said quickly, opening my inventory. With a flick of my wrist, I materialized a handful of high-tier [Health Potions] and [Chakra Potions] and tossed them to the group. Choji and Tenten scrambled to catch the glowing vials. "Just like last time, drink those to heal your wounds and recover your chakra."
I pulled out a high-grade [Chakra Potion] for myself and popped the cork, while I turned to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?!" Ino questioned.
"Why, to save the rest of the team, of course," I replied, downing the blue liquid in two massive gulps.
I didn't wait for another response. I blurred away, putting a few dozen yards of dense foliage between us.
Safe from prying eyes, I tapped back into my [Shadow Link] to see exactly what I was walking into.
Through the eyes of my Soldier, I saw a scene that demanded my immediate intervention.
Yea, I guess it's go time, I mused, as the shadow beneath my feet engulfed me.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SHADOW EXCHANGE]
My vision warped, and the world dissolved into a vortex of pitch-black shadows before instantly reassembling itself into the dense canopy of the forest.
I stepped out on a thick tree branch just behind the three depleted Rookies.
The situation was even worse in person. I felt the suffocating weight of demonic chakra pressing down on the forest air.
Sasuke was slumped against a tree trunk a few yards away, completely tapped out. The black, flame-like patterns of the Curse Mark were rapidly receding back into his neck, leaving him gasping and paralyzed by agonizing pain.
In front of him, Shikamaru and Sakura stood shoulder-to-shoulder. They had their kunai drawn, standing defensively, but the violent shaking of their hands made it obvious they knew they were completely outmatched.
And standing across from them was the cause of that terror.
Gaara had mutated into a grotesque monstrosity of compacted sand and raw, demonic chakra. One half of his body was bloated and transformed into the visage of a monstrous tanuki, complete with a massive, clawed arm and a thick tail that thrashed violently against the trees.
Goodness gracious, that's definitely nightmare fuel, I mused, as the Sand Jinchuriki's mismatched eyes locked onto the paralyzed Uchiha.
"Is this all you have, Sasuke Uchiha?!" Gaara roared, his voice a distorted, dual-layered demonic screech.
Bloodlust exploded from him as he lunged forward, his massive sand-claw raised to crush the three of them in one devastating sweep.
Gaara was faster than they could blink, let alone dodge.
The duo tensed up as the jinchuriki soared through the air at them with lethal intent.
"It's over!" he laughed maniacally, inching closer, and closer, until…
WHAM!!
Before Gaara's massive claw could even descend, I drove a chakra-enhanced side-kick squarely into the center of his monstrous face.
The impact sounded like a cannon going off.
Gaara's forward momentum was violently halted. The force of my strike sent him rocketing backward like a cannonball, crashing through one, two, three—a dozen massive tree trunks before coming to a dead stop in a cloud of splintered wood and dust.
I slowly lowered my leg, exhaling a calm breath.
"N-Naruto...?" Sakura let out a gasp, her voice trembling in disbelief.
Shikamaru's eyes were wide enough to fall out of his head, and even Sasuke managed to lift his head slightly, staring at my back in shock.
I opened my mouth to tell them to relax, but before a single word could leave my lips, a familiar, high-pitched chime rang out in my ears.
Suddenly, the falling splinters of wood froze in mid-air. The dust cloud kicked up by Gaara's crash hung completely motionless. The wind stopped howling. The panicked breathing of the three ceased.
The world had completely frozen.
A bright, glowing red screen materialized directly in front of my face, casting an ominous crimson glow over the motionless forest.
[ALERT!: BOSS BATTLE INITIATED!]