Okay, let's do this.
I breathed in and out, composing myself and taking my water-bending stance. I was silent all around, my breathing filled my ears with a rhythm. I took a deep breath and moved.
A wave of water rose up, towering easily over the trees of the clearing, then flowed, battering against the rocky hill wall in front of me. It didn't disperse, but coalesced into globes of water mid-air, which froze into sharp ice spears that stuck true the wall. Another gesture had them flying out and striking the trees, most missing, but some cleaving clean through.
PING!
I ignored the notification and released the spikes from my control, and mentally focused on the grass around me. Like everything living, as Hama once said, plants are filled with water, too. I narrowed my eye in concentration and twirled on the balls of my feet with flair, whipping out the water that helped the grass remain living until it hovered in the air in front of me. A gesture of an explosion had the water molecules I controlled vibrating madly, making the tiny water amount I held erupt into steam.
PING!
I relaxed, dusting imaginary dust off my clothes. I knelt, then, tugging a single spike of ice off the nearest tree with a gesture, shifted it to water and brought it closer to me, eventually allowing it to engulf my hands and the spot on the ground where I was without it seeping through.
Concentrate. Allow the water to flow with energy.
The water around my hand began to glow a bright cyan, filling the semi-fogged clearing with light. Underneath my fingers, I felt the shriveled grass flick, then swell again.
PING!
I stood once I was done, hands connected to a still-glowing globe of water, and then, with a gesture, had the glowing wave splash at my feet and surge outwards. Whatever grass it touched was rejuvenated, and though there was still a ring of semi-dark grass around the edge of where I pulled water from, most of it lived again.
PING!
There was one last thing I could do to level my bending that didn't involve blood. I took a running start and dived cleanly into the water. Even though it was at about half of its original level, it was enough for me to stay properly submerged. I began to use the water as leverage to spin, eventually letting my bending take over, and then surged upwards, shooting out of the surface of the lake on a vortex made entirely of the liquid, and remaining at the level for a small while until I heard a PING, at which point I descended to the surface, using chakra to remain standing. I flicked the Mark towards the river as an absent thought and shot a jet of water into it to help t regain its volume.
The good thing about basically having three different energy sources, even if one was a derivation of the combination of the other two, was that I could simultaneously use a lot of compatible skills. This would, undoubtedly, allow me more versatility when it came to water-bending.
I finally turned to acknowledge the floating screens to my side.
[Water-bending has levelled up multiple times!
Water-bending (Active) Lv 54 (2.1%)
By using your body's energy to redirect and flow with change, you are able to control the healing element of water in solid, liquid, and gaseous states.
Limit: 540l.
Healing limit: 50HP per sec.
Cost: 1QI/sec.]
I have to say, my secret weapon (well, mostly; the ANBU watching me even now were surely reporting all this to the Hokage) was coming along just fine. The next full moon will be Danzo's last. I still wasn't confident enough in my abilities to attack tonight.
With a giggle of happiness, I launched out of the water with a simple gesture. Bending was so fun! I'd always fantasized about being an element bender back in the other world, and to see my dream come true like this, even with an element other than what I originally wanted, was very fulfilling. It was a bit of balm to the soul for the tiny child still tucked in the deepest recesses of my heart, somewhere. Once I max-out water-bending, I was so gonna try earth. That particular element in keeping with the Avatar Cycle, of course; there had to be a good reason why such a pattern was prevalent.
For now, though, it was time to go home.
It had been a week, I mused as I began leaping away. A whole week since I gave Naruto the Ice Release, and so far, there hasn't been any outward effects, either of discomfort or of the limit itself. However, his eyes did lighten by a couple of shades, although I couldn't remember exactly what shade of blue they were supposed to be so that's probably just me not paying enough attention. Given my solid grounding in [Water-bending] now, once he does exhibit any signs, it should be easy enough to train him.
Not that he'd have a shortage of trainers when the time comes. The village was a thousand times more receptive to the little tyke than was shown in canon. Regular outings had made sure that they viewed him as an adorable little brat. He already had fangirls, would you believe it? I guess it had something to do with the whisker marks. It doesn't help that he's rarely out of my arms when we're out, unless I decide to meet up with Mikoto and Sasuke, Hitomi and Hinata, or even both together in the Uchiha district.
Naruto and Sasuke hit it off like you wouldn't believe. Add in a shy Hinata, and you've got a budding friendship-for-the-ages kinda deal. I was so fucking certain that Hiruzen was going to place them together on a team if their friendship continued – it was a reason I made it a point to take Naruto out in the evenings to meet either one or both of them every day after I got back from the Academy, and then drop him off back at the orphanage to go and train.
Speaking of which, I had finally gotten around to practice throwing pointy things at wooden targets. A good thing, too, when I read the description of the skill that popped up.
[Marksman (Passive) Lv 27 (9.23%)
Whether physical objects or energy projectiles, one requires a good degree of proficiency to ensure that they hit the mark.
Accuracy: 27%
Highest throwing speed: 27 projectiles/5sec ]
Bruh, this was basic as fuck! When I got the skill at level 1, it only had a one percent accuracy rating, which meant that if I threw a hundred kunai, I'd only land one hit where I wanted it to. Thankfully, I was able to scour a few training grounds and managed to scavenge fourteen kunai and thirty-one shuriken, which I currently hold in a hand-crafted pouch on my leg.
Speaking of which, I expected a crafting skill to pop up when I sat down with the leather and sewing kit (stolen from Mika's office… and put back quietly later), but nothing did. It was a curious circumstance, one which I had absolutely no intention of investigating right now. I'd probably go into a depression if I realized that there was no crafting sill in the game at all and that everything had to be done manually.
I landed in my room clean through the window via a neat roll. As I stood and stretched, the hustle-and-bustle of an evening in a place filled to the brim with kids finally reached my ears. Honestly, even though the people around here were real nice, I was leaving the orphanage asap. Once I became a Genin and began doing regular missions I'd have a stable income to rent out an apartment for Naruto and me.
Thinking of him made me want to go and see him, so I quickly walked out of my room and into the slightly-larger one where all the babies had their cribs set up. I slid over to his crib… and he wasn't there. Odd. I looked around and saw just about every crib was occupied.
I shrugged. Maybe Aoi was feeding him downstairs? I walked down to the kitchen and asked her the same.
"Nah, boy. We already fed the little brats a while ago. He should be in his crib; you can go up and see him if you want."
Okay, now I was worried. I quickly returned to the baby's room, just to check if maybe I looked into the wrong crib (impossible, I'd memorized his crib on day one), but no luck. I quickly apparated into my room to see if the boy had crawled over somehow… but he wasn't there.
[Gamer's Mind] quickly worked down my manic panic as I apparated onto the orphanage roof, and then to a building smack-dab in the middle of the village. Thankfully I'd already worked out a method of tracking during my downtime, although I'd had no opportunity to use it yet. Well, no time like the present.
I wasn't a sensing prodigy, nor did I have the capability to be a sensor, that I knew of. I also hadn't magically realized that I could see or smell or taste chakra, that wasn't really ever in the picture. But Naruto was the only Jinchuuriki currently in Konoha, and the only Uzumaki to boot. His physical and mental energies were already influenced by Kurama's chakra both while in his mother's womb and out of, so it was bound to feel different.
I took in a breath and focused. I'm manipulating my Reiryoku. I can make it flow as I do water. I am now pulsing it out… pulsing it out… pulsing it out!
I felt a near-tangible wave erupt from my form and rush outwards, speeding through the air. I don't know what effect it had on the people of Konoha as I suddenly had a very strong headache, but… my mind was already busy.
I could feel them. I couldn't see or feel who or how they were, but I could feel the spiritual energy of everyone. It was overwhelming, it was painful, and I fell to my knees from the drain, but I was a hundred percent sure I felt everyone within a set distance. Almost immediately, however, I felt better as the wind rushed back to me with some of my energy riding it…
PING!
[Due to a special action, a skill has been created!
Pesquisa (Active) Lv 6 (6.21%)
A sensing technique used only by the most proficient spiritual energy users, by pulsing your own spiritual energy and calling it back in, you can pinpoint beacons of spiritual energy around you via spiritual resonance.
Max sphere radius: 500m.
Cost: 95% of RR. ]
I waved the screen away and shakily stood, panting. That… nearly did me in. A fucking sensing technique nearly did me in! What use would I be in saving Naruto if I just died?!
I was calmed almost instantly and decided to focus on the here and now. My RR would be back to being usable in thirty seconds when my regeneration kicked in. But, thankfully, I had already gotten a lock on a… a strange type of energy.
Where all of the energies around me had a distinctly fiery feel, this one had the feel of… loneliness. Absence. Like the shivers up your spine when you hear a mourning wolf howl. Kurama… was in pain. Emotional pain.
I shook my head. I could deal with that later. What was important now was Naruto.
I focused on the spot I felt Naruto in, grasping a kunai tightly just in case, spun on my heel and apparated.
When I appeared, I had to hastily deflect a blade with the kunai. In front of me, a blank masked ANBU, currently on a treetop, had a crying Naruto grasped tightly in his arms… too tightly. I snarled, leaping on him quicker than he probably expected, slamming the kunai into his elbow and wrenching Naruto out of his grasp. A blast of water from my palm sent him flying away.
ROOT.
Fucking ROOT.
I looked down on a crying Naruto and tried to calm him. "It's okay, Naruto. I'm here, I'm-"
I heard the whistle of metal on the wind, and reacted without thinking, turning around the take the blow meant for Naruto on my own person. A momentary blinding pain took over my senses, and I cried out.
Naruto's wails and my own pain weren't helping my temper. Above me, high in the sky, the full-moon gleamed. Without thinking much, my free hand reacted of its own accord, reaching forward and making a motion.
The rustling of leaves abruptly died.
"Shh, little one. You are safe now." I tried, kissing Naruto's forehead. Surprisingly, this seemed to bring him down from his panic, and his eyes opened, lighting up instantly when they saw me.
"Gu- gu!" He gurgled, feebly reaching to my face with his hands. I saw a bruise on his hand when he did this.
And just like that, my rage shot to new heights. A motion with my hand had the ROOT member flying back to my position until he hovered in the air above me, mask hiding his expression from me, although I doubt that there would be any at all.
"Do you know what I do to people who hurt my family?" I whispered, turning to look up towards him with a glare. "Would you like to find out?"
I gestured with my fingers, and he… exploded.
PING!
[Gamer's Mind] kicked in as blood rained down on me, bathing me in a sheen of gore and body matter. I was able to shield Naruto from all of it, thankfully, and looked down at him to see his reaction. I was beyond grateful when I saw that he was asleep. Something in my heart fluttered when I realized that he felt safe with me.
"Hush. I'm going to do something a little uncomfortable, so don't throw up on me, okay?" I whispered, not… fully there. I spun on my heel and vanished, appearing back in the baby's room in the orphanage. I was dripping blood, then, but I didn't care. I carefully set him down on his bed and kissed his head.
"I'll get them for you. They won't trouble you again." I assured him.
Screw waiting for a month. Danzo was going to die today.
I pulled all the blood off the floor using [Water-bending], compressing it down and throwing it out the window. It was then that I noticed the few notification screens that hovered in front of me.
[Water-bending has leveled up multiple times!
Water-bending (Active) Lv 67 (72.5%)
By using your body's energy to redirect and flow with change, you are able to control the healing element of water in solid, liquid, and gaseous states, in various forms.
Limit: 670l.
Healing limit: 50HP per sec.
Cost: 1QI/sec]
That must have been because of… the….
HOLY SHIT! I just blood-bended! DUDE! This was so awesome! Being able to blood-bend was an overpowered skill, but now it was going to be my trump-card for my assault on ROOT, so I'm not going to complain. Might swear off of it after I master [Water-bending], though. Don't want things to be too easy, after all.
[ Defeated ROOT Chunin! +5000 EXP!
You have Leveled Up!
You have Leveled Up!
You have Leveled Up!
You have Leveled Up!]
Hold on… of course! I totally forgot that you get experience from killing enemies! It seems tonight may be extremely productive after all!
And HOLY SHIT FIVE THOUSAND EXPERIENCE POINTS FOR KILLING A GUY?! No wonder missing-ninjas are so strong! Holy fuck. Was this the standard rate for a Chunin, or did that scale with my level, too? Unfortunately, there was no question mark icon in the corner of the screen, so I just shrugged and closed it.
I opened my game menu and navigated over to the [Character Page]. I was now level sixteen, just like that. Something tells me after tonight I'll be chasing down the [Location Collectibles] tomorrow. So… twenty points… three each into each stat, and two into [LCK], because BOI was I lucky to catch Naruto in time.
[Character Page
Gundan – Level 16
Title: Outsider's Chosen
Next Level: 1160/1600xp
HP - 270
QI - 270
RR - 270
CON - 17
STR - 17
AGL - 38
INT - 17
LCK - 39
WIS - 17]
Better.
That done, I waved the screen away. I needed the location of ROOT, and the only way I could get that was from a ROOT agent. How to get them to spill…?
Wait… I didn't need to! I had a skill that would let me get the information anyway!
I activated [Void Gaze] and looked around. If ROOT kidnapped Naruto, surely, they had their eye on this building even right now, watching for me, perhaps? Sure enough, there was a blank-masked ROOT on the opposite side of the regular ANBU that I usually saw observing me. Woah, wait. Is that ho I think it was?
I could only barely make it out, but I'm pretty sure Kakashi was one of them. There was also a Hyuuga … Hizashi?! Hyuuga Hizashi was an ANBU?! And an Aburame who I saw a lot at the pet store... Odd, where was the fourth member?
I put that out of my mind and gathered my bearings, twisting on my heel and appearing behind the ROOT member. I quickly grabbed onto him and vanished soundlessly, away from prying eyes and ears.
I appeared at the bottom of Naka lake. I quickly spun in place, creating a tunnel of sorts to the surface for air. A gesture of my hand saw the ROOT member suspended above me, not even twitching.
"You know, I'll make this easy for you. Tell me where your headquarters are, and I'll kill you relatively pain-free… I think." I mused, twirling a strand of my hair around my fingers. "I'm not sure whether what I'm going to do now will hurt you or not."
No reaction. Nothing. I wonder if it's because of the tight control I have over him because of blood-bending? Eh, I don't really care. I was going to do this anyway.
"Your loss." I smirked and focused on him. Like, I really poured all of my concentration into just connecting with his form. What is he thinking? What is he feeling? I want to know.
The [Mild Telepathy] skill seemed to activate then, and the world around me vanished. Instead, I was floating in darkness. High above… a brain. Wow. I'm officially a pseudo-Yamanaka. But… I don't know the structure of the human brain well enough to locate the memory cortex, nor do I particularly care about any collateral damage. I'm too impatient to sort through it all, too. I don't know how time passes by here compared to the outside world! There has to be a quicker way! Hm… how about…
I reached out with my hands, and mimed compression. The brain floating below me shrunk, and shrunk, until I could no longer see it. I could still feel it though and willed it to float over into the palm of my hand. It obeyed without question.
Well… now what?
I sighed, knowing there was only one way that made sense.
I am searching for the location of my base. I pictured my intent clearly in my mind as my face slowly edged closer to the brain. Sure enough, I was being drawn into a particular section of the brain, and I let myself be pulled along.
The darkness around me flashed, and suddenly I was at the top of the Hokage Monument. My body began to move on its own as it wove through the groves of trees, eventually coming across a broad boulder. A quick set of hand-signs later, the boulder moved aside, showing me a long series of steps deep down. At the bottom, there was a metal door. A slidable portion opened to show a speaker. "The tree stands tall."
"As long as the roots are strong." I felt myself say, and then the door opened.
And just like that, I was back out, floating over the brain.
Well… that was easy.
I used the same technique to quickly find out many things. The layout of their base, other entrances, emergency exits, the security systems… it seems this Yamanaka Fuu was next in line to be Danzo's personal aide.
Hold on… Yamanaka Fuu… Fuck! This guy was one of the people to be Danzo's escort in his brief stint as the Rokudaime! Oh well, who cares? For pure vindictiveness, I drew a kunai and sliced into the brain. It gave a crumbling effect and vanished in white light.
PING!
[You have purged Yamanaka Fuu's memories. Select a skill to learn/advance:
Stealth Yamanaka Clan Hijutsu Chakra Control]Nice! So, every time I destroy someone's mind, I get to learn or advance a new skill? That's good, at least it's not super OP where I learn every single skill they have or something. That'd be depressing to deal with.
Well, my control is already maxed out, and I really don't need the Hijutsu because of telepathy. So…
PING!
[Stealth had leveled up!
Stealth (Active) Lv 83 (3.00%)
Minimizing the noise you make and the amount another can see you, you have learned to remain unnoticed.
83% chance of success.
-2% chance of working for every ten levels affected NPCs are beyond you.
+18% chance of working for every ten levels you are above affected NPCs. ]
Super sweet! That alone would have taken me ages to level up! I think I'll make it a point to do this to every expendable character I find if only to max out my skills.
And… well… I'm going to go into a nest full of them! And they don't have their home-field advantage because I know so thoroughly about it!
I backed out into reality when the white light full vanished. Several screens were ready to greet me, but I ignored them for now. Approaching Fuu, I removed his mask and put my fingers under his nose…
Dead. Oh well. This fuck and his little goth clique tried to kidnap my tiny tater tot. I just hope it was painful.
Wow… I just realized how much Naruto has come to mean to me in these months. Do I really consider him mine… my family? Yes, yes, I did. He was my little brother, and no one was going to hurt him on my watch.
I quickly took off the teen's gear. It was a couple of sizes too big, but I had an idea for that. I did my work methodically and opened up my inventory, throwing the armor and one tanto into my inventory. Then, I equipped them from there.
I guess it was wonderful that, in games, it was one item fits all. Sure, if a game had a different race or something of the sort, the weapon appeared automatically resized to be bigger or smaller, but, if one were to switch the weapon back onto a human, it would shrink down again. I used this to my advantage as I equipped the gear from there.
[Metal Mesh Undershirt
A metal mesh undershirt worn by almost all shinobi.
-15% damage.]
[Sleeveless Battle-kimono (Brown)
A well-crafted battle-kimono created especially for shinobi operations, tied with a thin black obi.
-2% damage.]
[ANBU Pants (Black)
A well-crafted set of shinobi pants typically worn by ANBU.
-3% damage.]
[ROOT Jacket
A well-crafted black short-jacket with red holding straps typically worn by members of ROOT.
-5% damage.
+10% chance for positive REP with ROOT members.]
[Gloves (Black)
A well-crafted pair of black gloves that are typically worn by shinobi.]
[Shinobi Sandals (Black)
Standard shinobi sandals.
-1% damage.
+1 AGL]
[Root Edition Tanto (Black Sheath)
A well-crafted tanto typically used by ROOT agents.
DMG: 15+STR
Bonus Critical Chance: 45%]
[Shinobi Hooded Cloak (Black)
A well-crafted cloak made of strong material. Good in any weather.
+5% to Stealth skill.]
The gear was super awesome and probably better than anything I'll be able to get for a long while, unless somehow, magically, I get the skill to create Instant Dimensions. However, now I felt much better about walking into ROOT without any major offenses besides [Chakra no Mesu] and [Water-bending].
That done, I grabbed onto his body and apparated, leaving it in the Forest of Death while I appeared again on the top of the Hokage Monument. It was then that I turned to acknowledge my screens.
[Defeated ROOT Chunin! +5000 EXP!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!]
Just in time, too.
[Mild Telepathy has leveled up multiple times! MAX level reached!
Mild Telepathy (Active) Lv MAX (100%)
You understand the world around you by taking a closer look. Attuned to the living, your scrying skills now allow you to see into the mind of the person you are observing.
12 CP per second while looking into someone's mind.
Skill has evolved!
Telepathy (Active) Lv 21 (0.00%)
You understand the world around you by taking a closer look. Attuned to the living, your scrying skills now allow you to see into the mind of the person you are observing.
1 sec in target's mind is 1 sec in real life.
10 CP per second while looking into someone's mind.]
[Telepathy has leveled up multiple times!
Telepathy (Active) Lv 34 (8.22%)
You understand the world around you by taking a closer look. Attuned to the living, your scrying skills now allow you to see into the mind of the person you are observing.
Time Dilation: 1 sec in target's mind is 0.5 sec in real life.
10 CP per second while looking into someone's mind.]
What a major boost! Something tells me that's because I destroyed the guy's mind, and not just because I used it. The skill is now even more useful – I'll be able to halve the time I need to do crap in people's minds!
I waved the screens away and assigned my fifteen points quickly. This time, however, since my [AGL] and [LCK] were so high because of the Path of the Rogue, I brought them up to fifty each and then assigned the remaining four points as one point each to the other stats.
[Character Page
Gundan – Level 19
Title: Outsider's Chosen
Next Level: 760/2500xp
HP - 280
QI - 280
RR - 280
CON - 18
STR - 18
AGL - 50 (+1)
INT - 18
LCK - 50
WIS - 18]
Shouldn't it be 2400 to level up to the next level? Oh well, maybe it's one of those ten-level shenanigans again. I do remember that when I crossed level 10, the amount to level up increased. I just hope it's not too drastic this time.
The moment I closed the screen however, two other screens popped up.
PING! PING!
[Due to crossing the 50-point threshold for Agility, you have gained a new skill!
Minor Speed Force Connection (Active) Lv MAX (100%)
The Speed Force has turned its gaze upon you, watching and weighing. For now, you have fleeting use of its capabilities.
Increase speed by 10 times when active.]
Woah, woah, hold on a second! Why was there no cost requirement? WHY WAS THERE NO COST REQUIREMENT!?
Um... In the comics and books that I've read, the only thing stopping speedsters from speeding along all the time was… getting tired, and metabolism! Both of which don't apply to me here because of [Gamer's Body]! And since I'm partially connected to the Speed Force which is essentially energy, I don't need to expend any of my own!
WHY IS THIS SYSTEM SO SET ON MAKING ME OP?! HOLY SHITPISS! I'M SO PISSED OFF RIGHT NOW-
That... I... Oh. Well. Having your anger calmed by [Gamer's Mind] can be really disconcerting sometimes.
So, I was essentially Ninja-Flash now, huh? I'm not happy about it, but I guess it does have its uses. I just can't imagine what the upgraded versions will be like. I'm already sped up ten times when I want to be! I guess I can save this skill as a last resort type of deal since it costs nothing. But since I'm still around Genin level, I guess I can use it tonight.
Oh, who am I kidding? I'm just so damn excited to be able to run that fast!
I waved the screen off and regarded the next one.
[Due to crossing the 50-point threshold for Luck, you have gained a new skill!
Protagonist's Luck (Passive) Lv MAX
Interesting events will happen to you more frequently as time passes on.]
That… does not make me happy at all… Why was I having a strange feeling in my gut again…?
"…long as the roots are strong."
The heavy door slid open, and I struck.
There was only one member currently standing guard behind the door. I Threw four kunai at the camera in the corner. One hit, disabling the device. I blood-bended the guard onto the floor and immediately delved into his mind. I didn't need any information, so I destroyed it immediately.
PING!
I'd deal with that later! I backed out and grabbed my kunai from the walls and the destroyed electronic equipment, immediately shifting into stealth and hiding behind a partition, waiting.
Two ROOT members rushed passed me, and I did my work again. Using blood-bending, I set them on the floor, and delved into both their minds and destroyed them without thought.
There were many PINGs, but I ignored those again, slipping into the Speed Force and racing down the hall. A fit of curiosity came over me and I chanced a small glance behind me, showing me that there were black lightning bolts arching behind me. Different, but nice. At least the light from a bright color won't give me away.
I came across a wide room with seven ROOT members in it. I didn't take any chances this time, slashing at their throats before they even knew I was there until I finally turned to behead the second-last one…
And failed. My tanto clanged against hers, and she held me at a stalemate with ease. Fuck, I forgot that Jonin are usually so fast when compared to Genin, that the latter can't even keep track of them!
"Traitor." She proclaimed with dull eyes behind the plain white mask she wore.
I heard the whistling of metal moving quickly through athe ir behind me and ducked. Throwing four kunai. One whizzed through his eye-hole and buried itself deep into his eye-socket. I whirled, aiming to slash my tanto across her neck again, but she blocked it, performing one-handed seals with her other hand. I jumped back, prepared to strike.
"Earth Style: Mud Dragon Bullet!"
Fuck! I dogged the projectiles by running along the circular wall and threw some shuriken this time. She deflected them all and leaped, blade raised and ready to be brought down on me…
Until I reached out with my blood-bending and froze her in place. I cut off her leg tendons with my [Chakra no Mesu] activated in my left hand, and delved into her mind, destroying it rapidly. I backed out into reality just in time to notice and dodge a brace of kunai flung in my direction. A single ROOT member had emerged, and he had two tanto sheaths strapped to his back. He drew them both and jumped.
I don't have the time for this small-fry! I need to get into the innr0sanctum before the base's defense mechanism closed the doors!
I froze him in place with blood-bending and broke his mind before collecting my ammunition and moving on. Thankfully, the giant metal gates hadn't fully closed, but they were well on their way there! I destroyed the camera before considering the humans. I didn't bother with [Telepathy] this time and slashed the two ROOT members across their necks after freezing them in place using blood-bending, then moved in, not stopping or slowing my pace all the while.
As I just saw, I was useless in frontal combat! I had to exploit the element of surprise as quickly as possible! According to Fuu's memories, there were twenty-seven ROOT members in the base, and I had taken down thirteen, which meant there were fourteen still present. Danzo was not included in that number, and god knows how many more that he simply didn't know of!
I moved, not willing to stop. I sped for the archives, encountering three ROOT members within who were rapidly working on destroying the files. I couldn't have that. I froze them in place with blood-bending and used my enhanced speed to chuck everything I could see into my inventory. Then I delved into and destroyed all three minds.
Now with proof on hand that ROOT had been doing utter crap under the pretense of pro-Konoha black ops for Hiruzen, I made my way deeper into the base. I came across eight ROOT members in the room before the main chamber, however, and tried to deal with them quickly. I managed to kill one before I was suddenly blasted away from my path by a fireball.
I didn't relent, ignoring the damage to my person, and flowing back into the Speed Force and moving, trying another slash at a ROOT member, but it was in vain because the ground erupted and something slammed me against the ceiling.
Seeing my rapidly declining HP, I quickly activated my [Water-bending] and froze them all in place. The earthen geyser battering me ceased immediately, and I fell with a (very manly) squeak to the ground.
I shook it off and worked into a jog, quickly delving into and destroying each of their minds, before speeding into the man chamber.
It was a large space, like the inside of a tower. Surprisingly, sunlight streamed in from the top. It made sense for fresh air since the air conditioners in this world still made a lot of noise, but I wondered how no one found that vent at all. There was a throne-like chair in the center, atop which Danzo sat, eye still looking almost-closed, with two ROOT members at his sides. This meant the last one was either escaping or was trying to one-shot-critical me. How rude.
"What do you hope to-"
I ignored his diatribe and activated [Void Gaze] looking around as quickly and thoroughly as I could. I found the little bastard trying to line up a crossbow shot at me, so I took off, managing to behead him in a single swipe, then ran back down the wall towards the other three. Danzo now stood, Mokuton arm bared. Thankfully, he had absolutely zero Sharingan on his person. However, he was younger than when Sasuke faced him, and, undoubtedly, these two flunkies were going to be the strongest present, so I simply acted on instinct and froze them all into place.
I approached Danzo first, cutting off the Mokuton arm and throwing it into my inventory. Then I delved into and destroyed both the flunkies' minds methodically, being quick about it. Then, and finally then, I turned to Danzo.
I took off my mask and smirked as his eyes widened the tiniest fraction – unnoticeable to anyone who wouldn't be staring at him intensely. "Hello, Shimura Danzo. I am Gundan. Pleased to meet you." He remained silent, so, curious this time, I let him go from my control. I could always re-establish it in a second, anyway.
"You… are a talented person." He acknowledged, and my eyebrow quirked when I noticed he didn't use 'child' or 'kid'. "We have had you under our surveillance for quite some time, but we never anticipated… this."
"I'm not easy to predict." I offered, establishing control over him for a moment and forcing him to sit. "Have a seat. Make yourself at home. Would you like some tea?" I bend over, slashing two throats, and ran two fingers through the blood of his fallen underlings. "It's freshly made."
He seemed impassive. "Goading me will have no reaction."
"Hey, I tried." I sighed dramatically, shaking my head. "You know, I would have left you well and enough alone if you hadn't tried to kidnap my baby brother."
"Bonds of love." Danzo scoffed. "They blind you from the truth. Ending me will damn the village for all time."
"How do you know I want to kill you and not, say, squeeze your eyes, cut off your tongue and limbs, destroy your eardrums, and heal you just enough to live before dropping you off at your best friend's place?"
He didn't show any fear. "You haven't shown any sadistic tendencies."
"I mask them well." I replied, non-plussed. "Now, what should I start with…?"
I wasn't stupid. I heard the two ROOT operatives enter as soon as they did. I let them approach me, smirking at Danzo all the while, before freezing them in place just as their blades were centimeters away from my neck.
"You know, you may have mastered all the jutsu in the world… but it won't help you if you don't have defenses against your opponent's techniques." I offered, turning to examine the two of them. Now that I had the time, I read their titles.
[002 – ROOT Commander – Lv 63]
[105 – Root Trainee – Lv 27]
I arched an eyebrow. The only reason I was still alive… was because of blood-bending and the Speed Force. There was literally no other way that I could have barged into ROOT headquarters, even when the majority of its forces were out of the village and bulldoze my way through the place.
I turned to look at Danzo.
[Shimura Danzo – ROOT Founder – Lv 84]
Wait… I could see his level. I could see a very strong shinobi's level. How much experience had I gotten from abusing [Water-bending]? I was already overpowered!
Then why was the game trying to heap more powers on me?
I shook my head to discard my mind of those thoughts. Instead, I delved into both the goons' minds and destroyed them.
"How pitiful. Your supposedly elite force… brought down by an Academy Student." I chuckled, shaking my head. "What would Tobirama think of you, Danzo? I guess he was right when he chose Hiruzen over you."
Danzo's eye narrowed. "How-"
"To stoop so low as to launch a smear campaign against your own Jinchuuriki so that he's impressionable." I started, holding up one finger. "To maintain surveillance over your own citizens with malicious intent. To try to kidnap your own Jinchuuriki because you were too impatient to have him under your thumb. To launch countless intervillage-political-climate-manipulating missions so you can take the Hokage hat." I now held four fingers up. "For these crimes, Danzo, I sentence you to death."
"Do it, if you must. But remember, this mistake will-"
"Ah, but not so fast." I shushed him, locking him in place while I caressed his cheek. "Why not give the little root a nice… shaving first?"
"Academy Student Gundan, step away from Councilor Shimura."
The quiet voice snapped through my mindset like a hot knife. Disbelieving, I turned rapidly to see Hiruzen himself standing there, eyes narrowed at the both of us, flanked by the ANBU squad that normally watched over me, now complete with the missing civilian-heritage ninja. Ah, so she went to summon the Hokage. But what tipped them off, and… how did they find me inside ROOT – a place heavily secured with seals that mask its presence from even the Byakugan?
My expression turned thunderous. "He tried to-"
"I know what he has done, child." He spoke, not unkindly, by the time my [Gamer's Mind] took over. "And I can also understand your rage. But that man… has the key to many mysteries that will help Konoha."
Odd. Wasn't he mad…?
"Naruto-kun is safe now, Gundan-kun." He spoke, walking slowly closer. "Relax."
Oh. OH! He thought I flew into a fit of rage and massacred the entire place because Naruto was almost harmed! Well, that's true, but I also wanted Danzo gone, and all of his scrolls from the archive.
Well, time to play.
The tanto clattered as it hit the ground, and I fell to my knees, uncaring of the blood. Hiruzen was quick to approach, gathering me in his arms. I made a show of looking at my now-blood-soaked hands and then screaming incoherently until someone seemed to try to knock me out with a strike to a pressure point.
Hilarious attempt! That wouldn't work on me, would it-
[Affected by debilitation: Unconscious]
Oh shit.
When I opened my eyes, I was staring at a white ceiling. A hospital… perfect.
I hated hospitals.
I sighed and sat up, fully aware that I must have been taken advantage off in my sleep – they must have taken my blood, bone marrow samples, etcetera, etcetera. This was a ninja village, and, child or not, I literally waltzed into a highly-secure ANBU-equivalent and massacred everyone inside. I was lucky that the Hokage didn't seem hostile then. If I was in his place, I would be.
The notification screens were still hovering in front of me from before.
[Defeated ROOT Chunin x 18! +90000 EXP!
Defeated ROOT Jonin x 9! +67500 EXP!
You have leveled up multiple times!]
HO. LEE. FUCK.
HOLY FUCK.
HOLY FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK-
Ahem. Thank you, [Gamer's Mind]. But… hot damn! Is this the reason why Itachi was so strong? Nah… don't sell his talent short- he took out his whole clan (with some unspecified assistance from Obito) after all.
But… oh god, where even was I on the level scale?
I waved the screen off to the side and examined the others.
[Due to a special action, a skill has been created!
Amateur Kenjutsu (Passive) Lv 16 (19.87%)
Created through self-practice and tempered in the heat of battle, your sword technique is as devastating as it is new.
+16% damage with bladed weapons.
-16% chance for your opponent to dodge .]
Oh. Nice, I guess. That's just another skill to master. I waved it away.
Following that were the skill requests from the minds I had destroyed. There were nineteen in total. I spent two maxing out stealth, at which point it evolved.
[A skill has evolved due to reaching the highest possible rank!
Subterfuge (Active) Lv MAX (100%)
A master of the unseen, you are able to stay hidden even in the most unorthodox of circumstances. Unless the target has a massive advantage, you cannot be found.
-99% chance to be detected.
+50% chance of landing a Critical Strike .]
That made me finally, truly, relax. I had now mastered one of the rogue fundamentals. Now, if I didn't want to be found, I wouldn't be. The world beyond the gates just opened up for me, ninja or not!
I spent ten maxing out the kenjutsu skill I just got.
[A skill has evolved due to reaching the highest possible rank!
Kenjutsu Mastery (Passive) Lv MAX (100%)
A master of the blade, your self-taught style in conjunction with several others makes you a fearsome opponent.
+100% damage with bladed weapons.
-99% chance for your opponent to dodge.
+50% chance for a critical strike .]
And another six maxing out the [Marksman] skill.
[A skill has evolved due to reaching the highest possible rank!
Master Marksman (Passive) Lv MAX (100.0%)
You are a master at hitting your target, whatever the type of projectile you use.
Accuracy: 100%
Accuracy penalty: -20% for every 500m after 500m.
Highest throwing speed: 10 projectiles/sec. ]
And I spent the last one on the only [Silver-Tongue] option I got.
[A skill has leveled up!
Silver-tongue (Passive) Lv 95 (0.00%)
Your mastery with words allows you a greater chance to persuade targets, allowing them to see your view of thinking and, more often than not, gently tugging them onto your path.
69% chance of working.
-2% chance of working for every five levels the target is beyond you.
+18% chance of working for every positive REP with target.]
I… was pretty overpowered already, wasn't I? And I wasn't even out of the fucking Academy yet! Ugh! Life is so unfair.
Anyway. The next few notifications just told me I'd greatly progressed my [Physical Resistance] to level fifty-six, my [Telepathy] to level sixty-two, and my [Water-bending] all the way to level eighty-two, so I quickly moved on before I could get even more depressed at being so over-powered. I did vanquish many ROOT agents, and use a lot of those while doing it, but I never gave a thought to...
Ugh.
I took a look at my Character Page next.
[Character Page
Gundan – Level 37
Title: Outsider's Chosen
Next Level: 11,760/17,000xp
HP - 280
QI - 280
RR - 280
CON - 18
STR - 18
AGL - 86
INT - 18
LCK - 86
WIS - 18]
With ninety points to spend. NINETY. Fucking hell, man. Well, at least I won't be leveling up every time I kill a Chunin or Jonin. That's a relief.
I spent twenty on the four non-rogue stats and five each on the rogue ones. I'm not really sure I want to cross the 100-threshold with my main abilities yet.
[Character Page
Gundan – Level 37
Title: Outsider's Chosen
Next Level: 11,760/17,000xp
HP - 480
QI - 480
RR - 480
CON - 38
STR - 38
AGL - 91
INT - 38
LCK - 91
WIS - 38]
Okay. So… now what? Wait, I didn't get any experience for killing Danzo. Eh, I was knocked out. Maybe the Hokage did it. Hopefully, they burned the remains once they dealt with digesting the fact that their honored Elder has an arm grown from the cells of the Shodaime.
Wait… Orochimaru grew that arm! Would he be chucked out of Konoha for that?! Fuck, I did not think this through!
I opened my inventory and quickly pulled out every single one of the scrolls I had 'napped from ROOT HQ, ignoring the dozen or so technique scrolls in there. If I could find evidence that Orochimaru was compelled… or forced…
This was the sight that Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, and third God of Shinobi walked into, followed closely by a certain white-haired toad sage.
"Glad to see you are awake, Gundan-kun." Hiruzen spoke, pulling my attention from the scrolls in front of me.
Oh crap. What to do, what to do… yes! "Hokage-sama!" I answered, looking panicked. "There are many reports mission from here! There was one about the arm that Danzo had, and-"
"Relax, Gundan-kun." He said, walking in swiftly and laying a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. On our way to you, we encountered a burning room that looked like some sort of library. Perhaps you missed a few mission scrolls."
Wait… there was another room? Of course. Danzo is one paranoid bastard. He'd have to have back-ups. "O… oh… Hokage-sama, is Naruto alright? How long have I been here? Is everyone okay? Is Danzo dead? What-"
"Holy hell. Relax, kid." Jiraiya groaned. "You just took down what's got to be an ANBU copy. Take a break, will you?"
I turned to him with a fiery determination that was not in the least faked. "I won't relax until I know Naruto is okay. Don't think I don't know who you are! Mika Oba-san once told me of a white-haired pervert she had beaten up who was spying on her in the hot springs! Stay away from me and my brother!"
Jiraiya's mouth popped open, while Hiruzen started laughing out loud. "Oh! Oh Kami, I haven't laughed like that in quite the while."
I leveled him a dry look. "If you say so."
"We need to talk about your… cleaning house." He sobered pretty quickly. "What happened?"
I took a dep breath. The words I spoke here can make or break my shinobi career. "They kidnapped Naruto and were going to do God-knows-what with him. He's my whole world... I regret nothing."
Jiraiya and Hiruzen both relaxed a little at that. "Be that as it may, it is difficult to wrap one's head around it." the former huffed, crossing his arms. "Explain."
I offered him an annoyed gaze, but dutifully turned to Hiruzen. "I… know you have people watching me, Hokage-sama. I could sense them always. And I know you think I have a bloodline."
"Don't you?" Hiruzen asked rhetorically, pulling over the spare chair at the side for visitors and taking a seat. Jiraiya leaned against the wall. "You, only a talented Academy student, waltzed into an elite shinobi base and wiped out every single one of them. You were able to incapacitate even one of the strongest veteran shinobi in Konoha. Or at least, he used to be."
That perked my interest. "You executed him?"
"Yes, I did." Hiruzen answered plainly. "I wouldn't let a traitor escape us without exacting justice on him."
The irony of that statement wasn't lost on me. "Well, that's... nice? Anyway, what you think of as a bloodline… is just really good control."
He arched an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. "Is that so?"
I looked meaningfully towards Jiraiya, who shifted uncomfortably. "May I?"
"By all means." Hiruzen gestured, to which Jiraiya gave an indignant scoff.
I smiled a small smile. "It won't hurt, Ero oji-san." I then raised my hand. "I've always had very good control. I know this because I was able to perfect chakra control exercises even before I entered the Academy. I… I actually stole some control techniques from the hospital to test myself out." I offered, and saw HIruzen's eyes soften a bit... a fond memory, perhaps? "This normally wouldn't inspire me on its own, but I've been told I look very much like a certain former Hokage." I whipped my hand out in a gesture, and the water from the bed-side vase erupted out, forming a globe in front of me as it hovered. "I don't have any chakra nature. This, I found out pretty quickly. However, if I push my physical energy into water, I can control it as if it were an extension of me."
"Intriguing, I will admit." Hiruzen muttered. "I can't sense a single sliver of chakra in it. But what has this got to do with how you bund Danzo?"
I nodded, waving my hand to send the water back where it came from. "What you may be forgetting, Sandaime-sama, is that the human body has a lot of water." I gestured towards Jiraiya this time, and stilled my hand. The man immediately went ramrod straight. I began to make my fingers dance, and so did he. "By controlling the water in a living organism that has plenty of it and has a lot of mobility, I can control it, too. I call it [Water-bending], because I bend it to my will. This particular skill, I call blood-bending."
"Fascinating." Hiruzen acknowledged, leaning back. "Can anyone learn this?"
"To accomplish this, you need two prerequisites." I said, stopping my control over Jiraiya, who fell to the floor with a squawk. "One, you need to have chakra that is not at all inclined to any element. I tried slipping hidden lessons to my friends, but none of them could do it. Two, you need to have complete mastery over both your physical and spiritual (or mental, if you prefer) to keep the two energies form mixing. Without these two aspects, learning bending is impossible."
"How do you know that you require no elemental inclination? Maybe your friends were simply not the right type?" Jiraiya asked, standing and dusting his clothes. "This sounds too useful to not be taught to everyone."
I internally cursed. I could not, would not give away this. This was my hidden trump card against which no one had any defense. No one was going to have it. But how to spin this…. Aha!
I touched the back of my hand as if remembering something. "I just know." I said, turning my head away. "And it would be better if you didn't ask anyone to try. Wouldn't want them to explode." I offered, voice quieter.
I couldn't see his expression, but I could tell that Hiruzen had just given him a meaningful look. "About that mark, Gundan-kun…"
"It's… a long story. I just... it's complicated. I don't want to talk about it... please?" I 'begged', 'shuddering'.
They bought it. "If that is what you wish." Hiruzen allowed, but this I could tell was not dropped. He reached into his robes and pulled out an envelope. "Essentially, you just completed an S-rank mission. Here is your payment."
WHOOP! But I couldn't seem like a brat. "Hokage-sama, I was just trying to protect Naruto from any future threats. I can't accept this." I 'protested', pushing his hand. Internally, I was crying at the amount of money I was giving up - the envelope was quite heavy.
"Please... accept it. If not for your deeds, consider it a thank you for looking after Naruto as you have been doing... and for all you've done for him." he smiled, eyes much like my grandmother's used to be in... my past life. Dammit, it was really hard to think straight with those eyes on you! Thankfully, [Gamer's Mind] kicked in soon after.
"Thank you." I said instead, taking it. I could see how much it was, later. My gear is clearly not on me, and I didn't take the time to shove any ROOT gear into my inventory... so I essentially need to start from scratch. Hopefully, the armaments store has something worthwhile. "I will put it to good use."
"I have no doubt." He smirked, then slipped into a solemn expression. "What is left, is your future." He reached into the folds of his robes and put forwards a headband in my lap. "Your deeds qualify you to become a full-fledged Jonin if that's what you wish." He said, raising a hand to forestall an argument from an open-mouthed Jiraiya. "You've already proved your capacity t teach, as well as your prowess. You will be instated immediately if that is what you wish."
I looked at the headband with mixed feelings. On one hand, this practically gives me the license I want. I'll be an official ninja, already far enough up the ranks that I can be in the front-lines in the next war. I could already reach my goal.
Itachi's expression as he touched Sasuke's forehead when he died crossed my mind.
My hand, which had been reaching forward for the headband paused, then pushed it away. "Sorry, Hokage-sama, but I must decline. I want… I want to stay with my friends so that I can protect and nurture them. I can't abandon them just because I can advance."
He studied me for a long moment, my mismatched eyes crossed his brown ones in an intense staring match; one which I was far from liable to lose. During this while, Jiraiya gathered up all the scrolls on my bed.
"When you bend water, your blue eye glows." He said suddenly, shocking me out of it. He stood with a genial smile and walked out, Jiraiya close on his heels.
I stared at the door in open-mouthed surprise. This... this whole meeting had been a test! Holy-
I noted it in my mind, seared it into my brain: don't fuck with the Sandaime. The man was scary good.
"Gundan!"
Again, I jerked as my friends all began piling in. Mai was wailing loudly. Itachi studied me from a step away with a worried frown. Hideki and Ryosuke were crying in equal amounts and hugging me incessantly. Kitsuna sat down next to me to hold my hand. Biko just started full-on lecturing me on how troublesome I could get.
"We were so worried!"
"Two weeks! What kind of technique leaves that kind of backlash?!"
"You're so troublesome, you little brat-"
"Uwaaaaah!"
For a moment, I was shocked… and then I smiled.
Yes… I made the right decision.