Chapter 100: The Reincarnation Jutsu Reappears
Stelle was about to lose her mind.
She wanted nothing more than to storm over to the retreating Sunagakure forces, crush Shamon into paste, obliterate the One-Tails, and then punch her own alias, Kazushi, into oblivion just to vent her boiling frustration.
Would the story of Naruto even be the same without Kakashi?
The point was, Kakashi was an irreplaceable figure in the world's timeline; his existence was worth more than the entire Land of Wind's roster combined. And his father, the legendary White Fang, was supposed to die because of some internal political squabble in Suna? This had to be some kind of cosmic joke.
But even if she killed Shamon and the One-Tails, or blew Kazushi to smithereens, it wouldn't change a thing.
After a moment of sheer panic, Stelle made a monumental decision: she had to save Sakumo Hatake. She had to.
With her Reincarnation Jutsu now upgraded to version 5.0, the required lifespan was no longer as outrageously high as it once was. She could afford to save one person. It wasn't like the time she'd resurrected Tobirama, an act that had nearly bankrupted her entire existence.
Thank goodness she had unlocked that research skill.
Her expression grim, she placed a hand on Sakumo Hatake's chest and activated the Reincarnation Jutsu. A vibrant, life-giving green glow bloomed from her palm.
Seeing this, Danzo let out a choked cry, his voice a mixture of astonishment and simmering resentment.
"You know Medical Ninjutsu, too? Then why didn't you save me when I was injured during our siege on the Land of Wind? Is it just because I'm not handsome enough? Are you blind? I'm clearly very handsome—way better looking than Hiruzen!"
Stelle shot him a sinister, sideways glare. The moment she saw her lifespan value begin to tick down, a murderous aura poured from her body, making her look exceptionally terrifying.
She worked herself to the bone day after day for that little sliver of life. Because she found the exchange rate so expensive, she usually only kept a year or two's worth in reserve, converting the rest to meet her daily system upkeep. She lived in constant fear that if the supply was ever cut off, the system would disappear, and she would disappear right along with it.
She just wanted to live a little longer; was that really too much to ask?
And now, she was digging a hole for herself.
It cost a thousand points to exchange for a single day of life, and on top of that, she had to pay a daily upkeep of a thousand emotional value points.
Thinking it over, that troublemaker persona of hers, Kazushi, had been toiling away in the Land of Wind for ages and had only managed to fleece a paltry amount of wool. Now, she was turning right around and using it to save Sakumo, and she even had to dip into a huge chunk of her own savings to do it. Could this get any worse?
Her life… oh, her precious life.
That chilling gaze was enough to frighten even Danzo Shimura.
In all honesty, the look in Stelle's eyes at that moment was more terrifying than when she had been slaughtering the Four Kage. He had the distinct and unsettling feeling that if he uttered one more word, he would be brutally beaten into the ground.
Seeing the Fourth Hokage's distressed expression, the medical-nin crouched nearby began to reflect on their own shortcomings, hating their uselessness for causing their leader such sorrow. They secretly vowed to redouble their efforts and study Medical Ninjutsu with everything they had upon their return.
Just as a heavy gloom settled over the group, they were shocked to find that Sakumo Hatake's wounds were healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. His face, which had been deathly pale, began to regain a healthy, rosy color.
When the light finally faded, his injuries were completely gone.
Sakumo sat up and touched the fatal wound on his chest; it had vanished without a trace. If not for the gaping hole still torn in his flak jacket, he might have thought he had just been caught in a powerful genjutsu.
No… every part of his body, even the most minor scrapes and bruises, had been healed. It was as if he had been reborn.
He felt his throat go dry. Looking at Stelle with an indescribable expression, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Hokage-sama, you… what did you just do?"
"I treated you."
Stelle stood up and took a breath, only to find everyone staring at her as if they had seen a ghost. Their eyes were filled with a fear that she found puzzling.
'It wasn't that big a deal,' she thought. 'This is the world of Naruto. Saving a shinobi who still has a breath left in him is perfectly normal.'
Her second identity was a medical expert of the Senju Clan, after all. Large-scale medical scrolls that had taken Senju Tobirama ages to create, she could now produce in half a month.
'Oh, look at those mood values exploding. They're actually going off the charts! Oh my god, some of my life is coming back. Please, keep it up.'
A smile finally returned to Stelle's face.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? As a shinobi, it's normal to have a few life-saving techniques up your sleeve, right? I am the Fourth Hokage, currently the number one expert in the ninja world. I…"
Her vision suddenly began to dim, a grey void appearing before her eyes. The sounds around her receded into a distant hum. She could hear her own heart thumping—a frantic, racing rhythm, as if sounding a dire warning.
For a full five seconds, she lost all control of her body. It felt as if her very soul was being squeezed out of its mortal shell.
[Holy crap, System, what's happening to me?]
[The System hadn't expected this situation to trigger and quickly reminded her: Host, your lifespan value is flashing red! You need to top up your life immediately, or you will enter a weakened state!]
Stelle hastily opened the system interface. Good grief, the lifespan value really was flashing an aggressive red. The normally black text was now a color she had never seen before.
Her remaining lifespan was exactly 30 days.
[In other words, when I only have one month of life left, my body will undergo… minor changes.]
[The System confirmed: Yes, Host. This is the system's built-in early warning function. It's a signal for you to top up your life as soon as possible.]
Her face must look terrible right now; the weakness debuff was already active.
Otherwise, why would they be exploding with mood values again while she was losing control? Especially Sakumo Hatake, who had already given her seven or eight consecutive bursts of 50,000 points. For someone who was practically a background character in the grand scheme of things, getting this much from him was like hitting the jackpot.
'Treating a comrade to the point of complete chakra exhaustion and physical collapse is also a good way to farm emotions, huh?'
In that case, she would just maintain this state and recover after they returned to the village. She could even farm another wave on the way back.
"I've just… exhausted my chakra. Everyone, don't worry. Let's rest here for a bit, and once I recover… eh…"
Before she could finish, she heard Danzo's panicked voice cut through the air.
"Quick, Sakumo! We're returning to Konoha at top speed! Now! Immediately!"
The next thing she knew, Sakumo Hatake had swept her up into his arms, turned, and was sprinting wildly toward Konoha.
He ran so fast, constantly accelerating as he flew through the trees. The wind whipped past her face so hard she could barely keep her eyes open.
"Wait, I'm just… cough cough… exhausted my chakra, that's all. My legs aren't injured. What are you doing… cough cough…"
The moment she spoke, the wind rushed into her mouth, forcing a series of coughs from her lungs. A deep sense of fragility washed over her. Startled, Stelle didn't dare speak again.
'Is this weakness debuff a little too realistic?' she wondered. She felt utterly drained of strength, like an eighty-year-old woman. 'Next time I don't feel like acting and am too lazy to adjust my state, I can just use this. It's simply too convenient.'
From this day forward, she was no longer a pitiful wretch with two or three years to live, but a poor little thing with two or three months of life who could activate a weakness debuff at any time.
Stelle commanded, "Put me down, quickly! Me, the great Fourth Hokage, being carried back to Konoha horizontally? Do I not want my dignity?"
"You shut up!"
Hearing her words, Danzo roared in exasperation from behind them.
'What's this situation? This money-grubbing version of Danzo is actually starting to roar at me? Does he think he's Tobirama?'
Stelle's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
'Has he awakened? Is he going to establish Root? Is he planning to usurp the throne?'
Sakumo Hatake didn't say a word. He just pushed himself harder, increasing his speed until even Danzo was left a great distance behind.
How fast was he running? By the end, Danzo had been left so far behind he was no longer even a speck in the distance.
Sakumo sped along like a bolt of lightning. Halfway there, feeling his chakra run low, he shifted to a one-handed carry, took out two ration pills from his ninja tool pouch, and chewed them down without breaking his stride. He continued his journey without stopping for a single second.
He didn't even register at the Konoha main gate, blasting through with a Body Flicker Technique. The gatekeepers on duty today included members of the Hyuga clan. Seeing someone rush in, they moved to intercept, chasing for a few steps.
But once they activated their Byakugan and saw clearly that the man was carrying a purple-clad figure, they were struck with alarm.
"Isn't that Sakumo-sama? It looks like he's carrying the Hokage-sama! Is the Hokage-sama injured?"
Sakumo Hatake held his breath, not stopping until he burst into the Konoha Hospital. Rushing into the director's office, his knees finally gave out from exhaustion, and he collapsed to the ground.
Using the last of his strength to hold Stelle up, he roared, "Quick, examine the Hokage-sama!"
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