After letting White Zetsu go, Hoshiyomi felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
He didn't rest there, though. After all, this was the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. While it was sparsely populated, that didn't mean no one ever passed through. The commotion from his battle with Madara had been massive—there was no guarantee it wouldn't draw attention.
If his luck was bad and someone reported his presence to Ōnoki, that would be a bit troublesome.
It wasn't that Hoshiyomi feared Ōnoki, but after that fierce fight, he didn't have the strength or patience to deal with him.
Following the principle of "the less trouble, the better," Hoshiyomi stepped onto his flying sword, Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade, and flew toward a nearby town in the Land of Fire to rest.
He found a random inn, rented a room, and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
He slept for almost half a day straight.
When he finally woke up, refreshed and alert, the sky outside had already darkened—it was the evening of the next day.
When he went downstairs to have dinner, Hoshiyomi overheard the townspeople talking. Apparently, they had already discovered the traces of his battle with Madara. The locals, having never seen such devastation, were calling it a divine miracle left behind by the gods.
Some were even planning to visit the so-called "holy site" in hopes of receiving a blessing from the "Heavenly God," completely unaware that this "God" was sitting right beside them, listening with amusement.
Hearing all these "praises," Hoshiyomi couldn't help feeling a swell of pride. Of course, he wasn't just eavesdropping for vanity's sake—he also managed to pick up some useful information.
For instance, he learned that Iwagakure shinobi had already been dispatched to investigate the area. That confirmed his decision to leave the battlefield immediately rather than rest there—definitely the right call.
He also heard that Iwa's shinobi were still searching for the cause of the strange phenomenon, which meant that White Zetsu had likely already retrieved Madara's body. Otherwise, knowing Ōnoki's temperament, he would have ordered a total information lockdown by now.
After dinner, Hoshiyomi quietly reflected on the battle and whether it had been worth it.
To be honest, the whole thing had been rather reckless. If Black Zetsu had anticipated him and set a trap, Hoshiyomi's stubborn headstrong charge might have cost him dearly.
And now that he'd fought Madara head-on, there was no doubt he was already on Black Zetsu's radar—hardly a comforting thought.
On the other hand, if he hadn't acted so decisively, Madara might have pulled something unexpected in his final moments.
Besides, by now his warning message should have reached Black Zetsu. If it had come from anyone else before, Black Zetsu probably would've ignored it completely.
But things were different now. Hoshiyomi had personally defeated the legendary Madara Uchiha—
a feat that would make even Black Zetsu think twice before making a move.
In that sense, Hoshiyomi had, through his own actions, earned a kind of protective charm—for his friends and his family.
After thinking it through, Hoshiyomi concluded that this mission was neither a loss nor a gain.
No real surprises, but no regrets either.
Still, he decided that if he ever took the initiative to act again, he should think carefully first.
After finishing his meal in record time, Hoshiyomi didn't rush back to Konoha. Instead, he spent another night resting at the small inn.
That evening, bored with nothing to do, he opened something he hadn't touched in a long while—
his Sword Heart System.
Truth be told, Hoshiyomi had almost forgotten it even existed.
The reason was simple: his experience points grew painfully slow.
Ever since Hoshiyomi defeated the Third Raikage and advanced to the Grandmaster level of swordsmanship, the experience points he gained from daily sword training had become almost negligible.
It had already been, what—two or three years since that battle?
And yet, all the experience he'd accumulated from his daily practice in that time didn't even add up to ten points.
As for the fights that had actually yielded experience, there were only a few worth mentioning:
the battles with the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Yagura (Three-Tails' Jinchūriki), Six-Tails, and finally, the Nine-Tails.
Among those, Yagura, a Kage-level opponent, had only given him seven points.
The Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails combined had provided sixty points.
The Nine-Tails, though—it should have been a massive experience jackpot.
But for some reason, the damned Sword Heart System hadn't registered that Hoshiyomi defeated the Nine-Tails.
Instead, it declared the result a draw.
Could it be because, when he tricked the Nine-Tails into stopping the fight, he'd joked that they were "even"?
Was the system really that literal?
Either way, the cursed system had only awarded him 40 experience points for that battle.
Still, that did highlight the difference between the Nine-Tails and the other tailed beasts—
beating down the Four-, Five-, and Six-Tails only netted twenty points each,
but drawing with the Nine-Tails was worth forty.
If he had actually defeated the Nine-Tails outright…
Hoshiyomi didn't even dare imagine how much experience he would've gained.
Even after adding everything together, his swordsmanship experience only stood at:
Grandmaster Swordsmanship: 120 / 500
He was still far from the 250 points needed to unlock his next skill draw.
With no major battles on the horizon to boost his experience quickly, that remaining 130 points felt like it could take five, six, maybe even eight years to grind out.
Hoshiyomi had even resigned himself to the idea that he'd probably have to wait until Naruto started elementary school before he could draw another skill.
But when he opened the Sword Heart System this time—
he was completely shocked.
Displayed clearly on the screen were the words:
Grandmaster Swordsmanship: 200 / 500
Hoshiyomi: [pure joy.jpg]
Staring at the number, he almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Then, a thought struck him. He quickly switched to the Experience Log tab—
and sure enough, there it was:
Defeated Uchiha Madara (Elderly, Dying State): +80 EXP!
So that was it!
After screwing him over during the Nine-Tails incident, the system had finally given him some compensation.
After all, Madara—having awakened the Rinnegan—could practically be considered a half-step Sage of Six Paths–level being.
Even though he had been old and near death, his overall tier of power still stood at that level.
So while the system had reduced the experience gain due to his weakened condition, it still counted Hoshiyomi's victory as a cross-tier triumph, rewarding him with a massive 80 points in one go.
Seeing that number, Hoshiyomi couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
All those thoughts he'd had earlier—about how the fight was "neither a loss nor a gain," how he should "be more cautious next time"—
yeah, he tossed all of that straight out the window.
Now, only one thought echoed in his head:
"This one… this one's an absolute jackpot!"
Lying on the bed, still high on excitement, Hoshiyomi couldn't help fantasizing about the battles yet to come.
He hoped Black Zetsu would hurry up and find someone who could use Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu)—
to resurrect all those legends: Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, and the rest.
Once he devoured that Edo Tensei Deluxe EXP Feast, he'd make sure to show Black Zetsu firsthand—
what a real surprise looks like.
What a glorious, jaw-dropping surprise truly means!
...
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