"The Hokage succession ceremony?"
Minato Namikaze looked at Jie Uchiha in surprise. He was certain Jie hadn't called him out just to discuss a succession ceremony. But since Jie had changed the subject, Minato decided not to press the issue.
Minato knew Jie had been unpredictable since childhood. During the Night of the Nine-Tails, when everyone else had hidden in the shelters, only Jie had dared to fight alongside him against the invading enemy. If Minato had survived that night, he might have even considered taking Jie as his disciple.
But now, this little guy standing before him was about to become the Hokage himself.
Minato thought for a moment, a faint smile appearing on his face, and spoke gently. "The Hokage inauguration requires the village to submit a formal application to the Fire Daimyo. Once he approves, Jie, you will officially be the Fifth Hokage. Your face will even be carved into the Hokage Monument."
"..."
Jie appeared to be listening intently to Minato's explanation, nodding from time to time. In reality, his mind was completely elsewhere.
'The System is being way too generous this time. With a reward margin like this, is it just telling me to go ahead and unify the ninja world?!'
Recalling the flood of notifications that had just chimed in his head, Jie was still reeling from the shock.
[Ding! Host killed Akatsuki member Kakuzu. Settlement complete. Reward: Full Mastery of Shape and Nature Transformation for all five Chakra natures.]
[Ding! Host killed Akatsuki member Sasori of the Red Sand. Settlement complete. Reward: Living Core Creation Technique, Puppet Technique: Human Puppet Manipulation.]
[Ding! Host defeated Akatsuki member Hidan. Settlement complete. Reward: Resurrection Coin.]
The rewards for dealing with the Akatsuki members were bountiful. But to Jie, they were just icing on the cake. Only one thing truly caught his eye: the Resurrection Coin from Hidan's settlement.
This was the first time Jie had received an item that fundamentally didn't exist in the ninja world. Even better, it was the first reward he had ever rolled that could be used on other people.
The coin's effect was simple and brutal—it brought the dead back to life.
If Jie used it on himself, there were no strings attached. Instant revival upon death. But if he used it on someone else, it triggered a "judgment phase."
The method? A simple coin flip.
The Resurrection Coin had two sides. One read 'Plus One Life', while the other bore the portrait of a man Jie didn't recognize. When activated, the coin would flip into the air on its own. If it landed on the deceased with Plus One Life facing up, they would instantly revive. But if it landed on the portrait, the resurrection process would be delayed by a full year.
Jie didn't quite understand the underlying mechanics, but he didn't care. He was more than satisfied. Who wouldn't be thrilled with a literal extra life?
However, this alone wasn't enough to make him give up his pursuit of the Yin Nine-Tails. No, what truly made him feel like the System was handing him the world were the rewards that followed.
[Ding! Host ordered Orochimaru to release the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and the Yin Nine-Tails. Settlement complete.]
[Reward: Flying Thunder God Technique, Flying Thunder God: Second Step, 50% of the Yin Nine-Tails.]
[Ding! Host ordered Orochimaru to use Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation on Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju. Settlement complete.]
[Reward: Kekkei Genkai Wood Release and accompanying Ninjutsu, 10% of Asura's Reincarnation Chakra, Tobirama Senju's Special Edition Water Release Full Mastery.]
[Note: Because the Host possesses an Intermediate Sage Body, Asura's Reincarnation Chakra has been converted into Sage Body proficiency.]
[Ding! Host's Intermediate Sage Body has evolved into an Advanced Sage Body.]
[Ding! Host succeeded as the Fifth Hokage. Settlement complete.]
[Reward: Full Mastery of all Ninjutsu within the Scroll of Seals.]
The sheer volume of the barrage made Jie's scalp tingle.
For a moment, he genuinely wondered if the System was about to crash. Was it desperately dumping every top-tier item it had into his brain before it died?
The Flying Thunder God Technique was the signature space-time Ninjutsu that made Minato Namikaze a legend. Aside from Kaguya Otsutsuki's Yomotsu Hirasaka, it was arguably the strongest space-time jutsu in existence.
It had zero cast time, consumed minimal Chakra, and boasted an insane teleportation range. Other than its steep learning curve and the need to set up coordinate markers, it was practically flawless.
Then there was the Yin Nine-Tails.
Since the System had directly rewarded him with a perfectly obedient 50% of it, Jie had zero need for Minato's half. He wouldn't even have to waste time taming the fox's legendary malice himself.
Even better, because his body already contained traces of both Yin and Yang Nine-Tails Chakra, the portion currently residing inside him was passively absorbing the nearby Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Chakra to complete itself...
In short, as long as this passive absorption kept running, his Nine-Tails Chakra would automatically replenish and reach full power over time—even if he never got another System reward for it.
Because of this, Jie needed Minato's Yin Nine-Tails even less.
And the rewards didn't stop there.
Whether it was the Advanced Sage Body or the Wood Release, dropping either of these into the ninja world would cause nations to bleed themselves dry fighting over them. Yet the System had just casually tossed them both right into his lap.
Backed by the Advanced Sage Body, his Wood Release might not match Hashirama Senju's absolute peak just yet, but capturing a few Tailed Beasts would still be as easy as a flick of the wrist.
Jie could already picture it.
One glare from his Mangekyo Sharingan to crush the beast's consciousness, followed by a sky-scraping Gigantic Wooden Human to just scoop them up like little toys.
Just imagining the scene sent a rush of adrenaline straight to his head.
He had an even bolder idea.
Once he upgraded his Advanced Sage Body to a Perfect Sage Body—matching Hashirama's peak—he could learn Sage Arts. Then, he could clad the Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands in a Perfect Susanoo Majestic Attire.
Combining the ninja world's two ultimate techniques...
Jie could hardly fathom the earth-shattering devastation it would unleash. If he truly reached that level, probably only a resurrected Kaguya Otsutsuki would be fit to fight him.
But that dream was still a bit far off.
His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan still needed upgrading, and he had to find a way to advance his Sage Body.
As for the Sage Arts? That part was simple. He just needed to find the time to take a trip to Ryuchi Cave. Even if the System didn't hand him a training manual, Jie was confident. With his sheer talent, mastering it on his own would be a piece of cake.
Then there were the remaining rewards.
Whether it was Tobirama Senju's Special Edition Water Release or the Full Mastery of the Scroll of Seals, either one would normally trigger a massive spike in his combat power. But right now? Standing next to Wood Release and the Nine-Tails, those legendary jutsu almost felt like afterthoughts.
Tuning out Minato's ongoing explanation, Jie silently claimed all the rewards at once.
When he opened his eyes again, Minato sensed a sudden, inexplicable shift in the young man before him. It was a transformation of a distinctly qualitative nature.
"Jie, you really are a genius!" Minato said, looking at him with deep admiration. "In just this short amount of time, you've improved yet again. Lord Hashirama choosing you as Hokage was truly farsighted."
'Improved?' Jie smiled inwardly.
The recent shift in his strength couldn't merely be described as an 'improvement'—it was a complete metamorphosis. Based solely on his current power level, Jie felt he could casually thrash two of his former selves with one hand tied behind his back.
'It's a pity, though. Why didn't Nagato show up?'
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