Beside him, Sasuke had already shifted to physical taijutsu strikes just like Lee. After unleashing five Chidori, his chakra reserves had inevitably run dry.
Only Hayate Shiranui remained with a vast, overflowing sea of chakra. Forget five; he could unleash five more Chidori without feeling the slightest strain.
Hayate wove his hand seals once more, striking the seal with another surge of lightning. With this final blow, the barrier blocking Hayate's path finally shattered into crystalline fragments.
As the seal broke, the trio ceased their assault. Meanwhile, above ground, Stick and his men had already discovered the excavated tunnel and were preparing to descend.
As the dust settled, the colossal skeleton of the dragon was revealed. Hotaru gasped, "It's a dragon... an Oriental dragon!"
"Heavens, such a creature actually existed. If archaeologists found this, it would shock the entire world."
Hayate chuckled softly. "Even if outsiders discovered it, believe me, Hotaru, the news would never reach the public, let alone shock the world."
"You have to remember, we aren't the first ones to hunt for Dragon Bone."
Hearing this, Hotaru immediately thought of Madam Gao, who had been kidnapped while searching for this very treasure.
Hayate didn't say more. Now was the moment to verify if the Dragon Bone could be used for a system top-up.
As he stepped forward, his ears twitched. "Hotaru, we have intruders. Take the Adjudicators and intercept them."
The team's expressions shifted instantly. Hotaru barked, "All Adjudicators, grab your weapons! Follow me to intercept the enemy!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
The High Table tactical team members dropped their shovels and pickaxes, swapping them for bulletproof vests and submachine guns stored nearby. They moved out with Hotaru toward the tunnel entrance.
Hayate glanced at Rock Lee and Sasuke, the latter of whom was sitting on the ground trying to recover his chakra.
Hayate reached into his storage space and pulled out two bowls of Delicious Ramen along with chopsticks. "Eat these, then go support Hotaru."
Lee stepped forward to take the ramen. "Rest assured, Lord Hayate. Sasuke and I will support Miss Hotaru in no time."
The two began eating the magical ramen at a frantic pace. With the situation settled, Hayate turned back to the massive dragon skull. As his hand drew near, a long-awaited prompt echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Special energy detected. Can be converted for top-up. Proceed?]
A smile spread across Hayate's face. The Dragon Bone was exactly what he expected. Without hesitation, he thought: Top-up.
In an instant, the massive skeleton began to warp and distort, being absorbed into the system through Hayate's palm. The entire underground passage began to shake violently. The sudden removal of the dragon's mass left a gaping void in the cavern floor.
Lee and Sasuke, having finished their ramen, didn't stop to gawk at the disappearing bones. Instead, they sprinted toward the surface to reinforce the defensive line.
Hayate ignored the tremors, focusing entirely on the Naruto System interface in his mind.
[Ding! Top-up successful!]
On the system interface, the gold coin count—which had started at 72—began to spin wildly.
500... 1,000... 2,000...
The numbers climbed until they settled at 8,472.
He had gained 8,400 gold coins. His VIP level also jumped from VIP 1 to VIP 3.
Hayate was genuinely delighted. This was ten times the value he had received from the Loom of Fate. It seemed Shou-Lao the Undying truly lived up to his name; if a mere discarded skeleton was worth this much, what would the living dragon be worth?
As for the 8,400 coins only jumping two VIP levels, Hayate was already used to the system's "greed." After all, his first 840 coins only got him to VIP 1. Reaching VIP 3 was a solid win.
[Ding! Congratulations! Reached VIP 2. Reward: 12,000 Copper, 70 Prestige, 1 Secret Jutsu Scroll, 1 Ninja Recruitment Scroll.]
[Ding! Congratulations! Reached VIP 3. Reward: 14,000 Copper, 80 Prestige, 1 Secret Jutsu Scroll, 1 Ninja Recruitment Scroll.]
The extra scrolls were a welcome bonus. But more importantly, VIP 3 unlocked the ability to create an Organization, something Hayate had been looking forward to.
Trusting his subordinates to handle the fight above, Hayate didn't exit the menu immediately. Instead of exploring the Organization feature, he went to the Deployment Slots.
He clicked the "+" sign next to his current team.
[Ding! Consume 1,000 gold coins to unlock a new deployment slot?]
He clicked unlock without hesitation. Now he could have four ninjas out at once. With 7,472 gold left, he kept going.
[Ding! Consume 2,000 gold coins to unlock a new deployment slot?]
"Acceptable," Hayate muttered. He clicked again.
Now he could summon five ninjas to this world simultaneously. He checked the next requirement.
[Ding! Consume 5,000 gold coins to unlock a new deployment slot?]
Seeing the 5,000-coin price tag, Hayate stopped. For now, he needed more ninjas, not more slots.
Without further delay, he dragged Shizune's card into the newly opened slot.
A second later, Shizune's figure manifested directly beside him in the darkened cavern.