Minato Namikaze POV
The clan leaders, elders, and other council members gradually trickled into the meeting room, their eyes inadvertently drawn toward where Fugaku was sitting.
It seems that most, if not all the important people knew about Ren by this point. Or suspected something at least. And everyone wanted answers.
At last, the 3rd Hokage and the Sannin entered the room and took their respective seats beside him as his trusted advisors. With a simple gesture, he signaled his Anbu to close the room, sealing it shut.
"Now that everyone is present, let's commence this meeting. I'm sure all of you have questions." He said, and the flood gates opened instantly.
"Why does Ren Uchiha have such a large bounty on his head?" "Is it true that he defeated Ringo Ameyuri on his own?" "Can he really fly?" "Does he really have a second bloodline?" "Why was this all hidden from us?"
The questions continued coming till he slammed his hand into the desk, silencing them.
He eyes went to each of the clan leaders before he spoke softly. "One at a time please." He then looked toward the Hyuuga clan leader and gestured for him to speak.
Hiashi Hyuuga stood up in his seat and gave a glance toward Fugaku Uchiha before staring at him. "As much as I want to know about the boy, I'm more concerned about the increased activities along our borders. Hokage-sama, what are your plans to deal with that?"
"This meeting has been brought forth to discuss just that. And we'll get to that once you learn the reason for it." He answered before he gestured for Tsume Inuzuka to speak up.
"Did the boy really defeat Ringo Ameyuri, one of the seven swordsmen?" She asked.
A cacophony of loud murmurs filled the meeting room as each person seemed to have caught wind of their own rendition of the story detailing the course of the battle.
He still hadn't been able to find the person who spread these rumours, which said a lot about their counter-intelligence abilities.
He would've suspected Danzo if not for the fact that both him and his trusted Root subordinates have been confined to their homes and kept under watch at all hours.
He tapped his desk again and once the meeting room fell into silence, he started speaking. "Yes. Ren Uchiha defeated Ringo Ameyuri, an S-class Rogue-nin of Kiri in single combat."
He wanted to deny it but it was too late to do so now so he might as well tell them the truth.
His answer raised the floodgates once again and everyone started to bombard him with questions until he managed to calm them down, again.
He had a feeling that this entire meeting was going to be chaotic mess.
Then he turned to Shikaku Nara gestured for him to speak.
"I think that I speak for everyone when I say that we're quite curious about Ren Uchiha's second bloodline which allowed him to accomplish this otherwise impossible feat."
Oh, making it seem like Ren's secret bloodline was the main reason why Ren was able to defeat Ringo Ameyuri and not because the boy was an S-class monster himself.
This was good. Very good. As expected of Shikaku.
"Well… I obviously cannot share all the details about Ren's bloodline with you. But… one of its main abilities allows Ren to learn Genjutsu skills at an incredibly fast pace. Thanks to that, Ren had become so good with Genjutsu that even an unprepared S-class Shinobi may fall to it."
Murmurs started in the meeting room once again before he gestured for the Kurama clan head to speak up.
"I'd like to inquire if Fugaku-san would consider the prospect of the young man marrying a woman of the Kurama clan and uniting our two families through the union of that boy and my daughter."
"That…" He felt speechless at that and looked to Fugaku for an answer.
"I'll discuss this matter with Ren and give you his answer." Fugaku said which spread out another serious of murmurs in the room.
Before matters could get out of hand, he gestured for Inoichi Yamanaka to speak up.
"I just wanted to ask if it is really safe to have Ringo Ameyuri stay with Ren."
"Yes. We've sealed her chakra and have given the key to that seal to Ren. " He said "Besides, she has acted cooperatively with us thus far and we trust her to not risk her life needlessly. Not to mention that having her join Konoha willingly would be a huge boon for all of us. I'll take no further questions on this topic. Next." He said, gesturing at Shibi Aburame.
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I wanted to ask if you'll send the boy out of the village on any further question. Especially considering all the bounty hunters that have come out of the woodwork due to his increased bounty."
He shared a look with Jiraiya before he spoke up. "No. We'll not send him outside on any missions until it is deemed safe to do so. Trust me, I'm more aware than most about the potential that Ren represents. And I'll not risk his life needlessly no matter what. Next."
So so and so, the questions came and went. And finally, when the clan leaders and council members' curiosity was sated, it was time to move on to the main topic.
"Now, let's talk about the increased attacks on our border outposts and the potential of a 4th Shinobi war." He said, his eyes serious as the atmosphere in the room became grim instantly.
After all, almost everyone in the room had taken part in the 3rd Shinobi war, some even having fought in the 2nd one, and none of them wanted another one to erupt so soon.
But at the same time, they were all now aware of a fraction of the potential that Ren Uchiha represents. And none of them were naive enough to believe that the other villages will simply let the boy be without doing their utmost to nip him in the bud.
—
Ren Uchiha POV
He stared out over the lake and listened to the sound of Itachi and Rin Nohara sparring with one another.
If there was one good thing that came out of this entire Bounty fiasco, then it was that he and Itachi were in talking terms once again. Though, she was still a bit curt with him.
"What's on your mind, kid?" Ringo inquired, settling down beside him, her face glistening with sweat after finishing her own training routine.
He remained silent for a moment before meeting her gaze. "You know, I almost chose not to become a shinobi."
"Really, why?" She asked, looking both confused and curious.
"Because I knew that I would be a deadly one. That if I chose this path then I'd inevitably end up taking many lives, and I didn't want that" He said "I was afraid of what kind of person I would become if I came to enjoy all that violence. The killing."
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"You did kill quite a few bounty hunters in that fight. Did you enjoy the rush of the you find satisfaction in severing heads from bodies, pulverising bones into paste, or merely using your Ninjutsu to impale them to death?"
He pondered the question for a moment before releasing a sigh. "I didn't. I didn't derive pleasure from it. But I didn't despise it either. Ending their lives felt as simple as crushing ants. And that's what worries me. What if I grew into a monster? Who would even have the ability to stop me?"
Ringo appeared unsure of what to say, so she opted for silence. And the two of them sat in companionable silence, staring at the beautiful shimmering lake reflecting the golden hue of dawn.
"I was 5 years old when I was shunted into the Kiri shinobi academy." Ringo suddenly started speaking, her eyes staring into a distant point. "My mother was a whore but my father was from one of the clans, though he never adopted me. Because I had a lot of chakra, I was thrown into the academy without anyone even asking about what my opinion. I can still remember how terrified I felt during my early days at the academy."
That was… a rather interesting. He had always assumed that Ringo was from an accomplished clan or something. But in hindsight, he didn't remember there being any clan in Kiri named Ameyuri.
He stared at her, waiting for her to continue and she did.
"…I came to enjoy the violence." Ringo said. "Or rather, I forced myself to enjoy it. Because I knew that if I didn't enjoy it then I wouldn't fight. If I didn't fight then I wouldn't improve. And if I didn't improve, then I would die during the graduation exam."
"That… explains so much about you." He said and they both broke out into light chuckles at that before she continued.
"My induction into the Seven Swordsmen was nothing more than a twist of luck you know." She told him.
"Luck. How?"
"Well, the Kiba blades can only be wielded by someone with the Lightning affinity. And Lightning affinity is quite rare in Kiri. That's one of the reasons why the wielder of these blades selected me as his apprentice, along with three others.""
"You must've fought tooth and nail to get these blades then." He guessed and Ringo broke out into chuckles.
"Hell no! Those three died during one of the missions. And since I was the only surviving apprentice, Sensei decided to put his whole focus on improving me." Ringo said with a soft chuckle. "I think that he was still looking for another apprentice because he didn't think that a girl would be good enough to wield these blades. But then he died as well, and these blades fell on me."
"Ah…"
"I felt so unworthy at that time. I knew I shouldn't be the one using these blades. And the others knew it too. They knew that I was weak and so I was often bullied by the other shinobi." Ringo said. "Being rejected by everyone led to me having suicidal thoughts, which pushed me to participate in more and more battles. But instead of dying, I kept surviving. Kept improving. And eventually, I became good enough that… well, I was able to beat up anyone who talked shit to me. And that's how Ringo Ameyuri came to be reluctantly accepted as one of the seven swordsmen of Kiri. Not such a riveting tale, is it?"
"…on the other hand, I think that your tale is rather inspirational." He said. After all, he would be in a similar position if he was reincarnated into the Uchiha clan without any Waifu Catalog or Gamer System.
Ringo chuckled at his words before she paused and looked at him, her eyes boring into his own. "Sometimes, becoming a monster is necessary. If not for yourself, then for your family, or your loved ones. You should not fear becoming a monster, Ren. You're already one. And even if you're not, you should become one. And then you should learn how to control that monster within you."
He remained silent after she'd finished speaking, his mind churning a mile a minute as he thought on her words.
He thought about on the bounty hunters he had killed, and wondered if they had families anxiously awaiting their return—unaware that their loved ones had already met their end at his hands.
"What if I only want peace? Is it right of me to chase after that even after killing many people. What right do I have to a peaceful life, when I sit upon a mountain of corpses? What right do I have to a happy family when I have destroyed so many other families?"
"If you seek peace, you must fight for it. This world is teeming with monsters, and if you're weak, they'll destroy you and seize everything you hold dear." Ringo let out another chuckle. "Or did you think that the First Hokage created this peaceful village without having created a mountain of corpses of his own."
"…"
"Even now, there are hundreds if not thousands of Konoha shinobi out there, fighting to keep the monsters at bay so that their families in here can live in peace." Ringo said before she finally got up from her seat. "It's a good thing that you're afraid of becoming a monster and harming others. But don't let your fear control your life brat. Living in fear will make your life miserable. Plus…"
She bent down and cupped his chin before planting a kiss on his cheeks.
"…it's not attractive to women, or anyone else, really." She said with a grin and a wink before she turned around and sauntered away, her hips swaying from side to side as she did so.
'Did… did I just got hit upon?' He thought with mild incredulity before he shook his head and got up from his butt.
He still wasn't very comfortable with the idea of becoming a monster. But the thought didn't scare him as much as it once did.
He felt like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulder as he carried heavy weights and started jogging around the lake.
Halfway through, on his eighth lap, a notification appeared in front of it.
(Plus) 1 to Vitality!
And then, a string of other notifications followed.
Ding!
You've unlocked the Loot System!
Ding!
You've unlocked the Achievement System!
Ding!
You've unlocked the Skill Book System!
Halting his jog, he retrieved his Company Device from his pocket, noting a faint vibration signalling a new notification.
He unlocked its screen and found that he had finally reached Tier 6. The realm of S-class. Or Kage-level, as some people call it.
About time as well. Since he had defeated Ringo who was already a 6th tier waifu.
And then another string of notifications appeared in front of him eyes.
Ding!
You graduated as a Rookie of the year!
Achievement unlocked: Genius.
(Plus) 20% to Int, and Wis.
Ding!
You've learned 3 Ninjutsu!
Achievement unlocked: Ninjutsu novice!
(Plus) 5% experience when learning or practicing Ninjutsu.
Ding!
You've learned 10 Ninjutsu!
Achievement unlocked: Ninjutsu adept!
(Plus) 10% experience when learning of practicing Ninjutsu.
Ding!
You've lear…
And he watched as more and more Achievements started to pour into his screen.
Some were as simple as him running 1, 10, 100 and 1000 Kilometers and gave him (Plus) 1, (Plus) 3, (Plus) 5, and (Plus) 7 in Agi and Vit.
Others measured how many Fuinjutsu scrolls he'd made and gave him either additional levels, or a simple title that made learning and practicing Fuinjutsu easier in the future.
By the time the barrage of Achievements ended, he had gotten a total of over 147 Achievements, and the boons he gained from them made him about… 130% stronger than he was before he gained those achievements.
If he were to face Ringo once more, it wouldn't be so much a battle as it would be a one-sided curb stomp.
And that was not even the end of it.
Ding!
Congratulations! You've met the required conditions for the evolution of your eyes!
You've unlocked…
And then he felt a sharp pain in his eyes and had to close them shut. And when he opened them…
The world felt like it had gone from a black and white TV to a 4K LED one.
He could see so many new colours that he had been incapable of seeing before. His perception had increased to the point where he was now able to focus on a single mosquito a kilometer away. And time seemed to flow at such a slow speed that the mosquito's buzzing wings seemed frozen to his eyes.
Then he focused on the present and stared at his notifications in front of him.
Congratulations! You've unlocked Mangekyo Sharingan!
(Plus) 25 Levels to Ocular Genjutsu when using these eyes.
(Plus) 100% to Chakra.
(Plus) 25% to all stats.
Ding! You've gained a new skill: Susanoo!
Ding! You've gained a new skill: Amenokawa!
Ding! You've gained a new skill: Soratatsu!
He immediately knew that these were the abilities given to him by his Mangekyo Sharingan eyes and looked into it.
Susanoo: An etherial warrior made out of chakra. Can be manifested by the users of Mangekyo Sharingan to defend themselves and attack their enemies.
Amenokawa: This technique casts a Genjutsu on the world itself, removing any injuries the user might have suffered and bringing him back to perfect health.
Soratatsu: This technique casts a Genjutsu on the world itself, removing Chakra Exhaustion from the user and returning all his Chakra to him.
He blinked his eyes as he read the description of the techniques. Again and again. And then he chuckled to himself.
He found it very amusing that both is Mangekyo Sharingan techniques cast a Genjutsu on the world in order to turn a false reality into a true one.
He guessed that it came from his propensity to use his Genjutsu by spreading his chakra out into the world, ensnaring people into his Genjutsu and using that to speak to them rather than doing so himself.
Both these techniques were similar to Izanagi. But while Izanagi rewrote the reality to bring a person back to life, these two techniques rewrote reality to bring him back to full health, or full Chakra.
It was… he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
On one hand, it was neat. He now had access to health and chakra cheat code.
But on the other hand, it wasn't something cool like Kamui, which would make him impervious to all attacks and give him a personal Pocket dimension. Or Kotoamatsukami, which would've been very useful if he ever wanted to make an enemy kunoichi fall in love with him and capture her that way.
Still… none of that changed the fact that his Chakra had just doubled. And his stats all went up by 25%.
How the fuck did that even worked.
Well… he could now feel an immense amount of Yin Chakra in his body, so that explained the increase in Chakra. But the increase in stats was still a bit confusing.
Not that he minded. The opposite really. He was rather happy with these new increase in stats and chakra.
With these new additions, he was sure that he just went up from a Low S-class shinobi to a mid S-class shinobi. Or Low Kage-level to Mid Kage-level.
Hm… might as well go to High or Peak Kage-level in one fell swoop now that I'm here already.
With a flourish, he took out the copy of Hiraishin scroll from his Inventory.
He stared at the scroll with the intent of learning it and smiled when a notification popped up in front of him,
Do you want to learn Hiraishin?
Minimum conditions for learning this skill:
a. 100,000 Chakra Points.
b. 250 Agi.
c. Chakra Sensing Skill Level 75
d. Fuinjutsu skill Level 90
You meet all conditions!
Do you want to learn the skill? Yes/No
He selected Yes.
And the next moment, the entire scroll turned into particles of light and entered his mind. And he found himself with the knowledge on how to use Hiraishin.
Ding! New skill gained!
Hiraishin Level 1 (0%): Hiraishin, also known as the Flying Thunder God Technique, is a high-speed teleportation jutsu. By marking objects or individuals with special seals, the user can instantly teleport to those locations at will.
He stared at the description for a moment before he burst out into laughter filled with happiness.
He'd finally done it!
He doubted that he was capable of defeating enemies like Six Paths Madara or Kaguya at this point. But aside from that, no other shinobi in the Elemental Nations would be a problem for him.
Because if he cannot defeat someone, then he can just retreat from the fight with a simple thought. Or, he could use Hiraishin to teleport the enemy to a far corner of the world.
And the best thing? He could give his Hiraishin signature kunai to his loved ones. And then teleport to their side whenever they got in a life threatening situation.
With this, he was finally free to go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants in his life.
—
He was still in a happy mood half an hour later when he sensed an anbu rush toward his location.
"Hello Kakashi." He said to the anbu as soon as the guy reached him.
"Please don't say my name while I'm wearing my anbu attire. Hokage-sama has summoned you." Kakashi said without any preamble before he turned and left.
He raised and eyebrow at the urgency in Kakashi's words before he used Shunshin to catch up to Kakashi and ran beside him till they arrived at the Hokage Tower.
He entered the Hokage's office and saw the figures of Minato. Kushina and Jiraiya waiting for him.
"Yo." He said as greeting before he took out a chair from his Inventory and sat in front of them. "So… what is this about?"
"Before we get started, here's your monthly profits." Minato said before handing him a check of about 12 million Ryo.
He hummed a happy tune and put the check inside his Inventory.
This money came from people wanting to learn Jutsus that he had created.
There were basically 5 ways to learn Ninjutsu in Konoha:
1. Your Sensei teaches it to you.
2. Your Clan teaches it to you.
3. You learn it from your teammate or buy it from someone else as a favour.
4. You create or recreate it yourself.
5. You buy the Jutsu from the Hokage Tower.
Since he'd submitted a fair amount of new Jutsu into the Hokage's Ninjutsu Archives, whenever someone bought one of his Jutsu, half of that money went to him while the other half will go to the village as tax.
And after he dies, that money will go to his children and his grandchildren.
It was a method created by the 2nd Hokage to make the village shinobi more willing to share their Jutsu with the village.
Now, he didn't really submit his newly created Jutsu to the Hokage with the intention of making money from it. But he wasn't going to deny it either.
"As much as I enjoy getting these monthly checks, I doubt that you called me here for them." He said, motioning for Minato to get on with it already.
"You're right." Minato nodded. "We called you here to discuss your new team placement."
"What?"
—
AN: Tier explanation.
Tier 1: Civilain with no useful skill, power or special trait.
Tier 2: Has a useful skill. Most mundane people fall in this category. An engineer, doctor, martial artist, teacher, etc.
Tier 3: Pushes the upper limit of mundane skill, or has a minor power, untrained power, or special trait.
Tier 4: Has at least one extraordinary skill/power/special trait. Street level power.
Genin to Chunin.
Tier 5: Has at least one well-trained/versatile/useful extraordinary ability. Multiple City Block level power.
Chunin to Elite Jounin
Tier 6: Has at least one skill/power/special trait of notable potency. City level power.
Low-Kage like Rasa to Peak-Kage like Sage-mode Jiraiya.
Tier 7: Country level power.
Super Kage like Hashirama Senju, Madara, Might Guy, and Nagato.
Minato and Tobirama are also in this list because of their Teleportation power.
Plus Naruto and Sasuke.
Onoki and 3rd Raikage should probably be in this list as well. Onoki due to just how OP his bloodline is. And 3rd Raikage due to the fact that Naruto, even in his Tailed Beast Mode, was unable to defeat Raikage in a front-on confrontation.
Tailed Beasts are also in this level of power. Though I personally believe that 1, 2 and 3 tails are weak enough to fall under Tier 6 category.
Tier 8: Continent level power.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, or the Ten Tails.
Tier 9: World level power. Otsutsuki Kaguya. Or that's what the Catalog says at least. I personally think that she should be Tier 8, but whatever.
For added information. Plus: 6th Tier Waifus in Naruto world: Tsunade, Sakura (future), Itachi (future), Kushina, Ringo Ameyuri, Mito Uzumaki, Mei Terumi, Pakura, Konan, Nii Yugito, and Fuu (future).
There's Chiyo, Katsuyu and White Snake Sage as well but I don't count them.
And if Orochimaru became Orochimama then he/she will be in this tier as well.
7th Tier Waifus: Naruko (future) and Satsuki (future). Though MC will probably not go for them. Since he babysit them and all that.
Delta should fall in this category as well. But fuck Baruto.
With that said, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.