Not so Simple, a naruto fanfic

It may seem like I'm rushing through this all but I need to set up the basic premise of the story, so going through the early months fast is only temporary.

I behead another bandit with the power granted to me by god. Indeed, I had met the man the day I died, the first time that is and only figuratively. I had lived a life before all of this, a simple and uncomplicated one, one that had ended just as simple. A bullet through the brain, an accident by the attacker as he was not his true target. He just had to be at the wrong side of town on that day, hadn't he?

Ah, no matter. As he died, true to Isekai fashion, he had been reincarnated with a gamer system. It wasn't anything to ride home about by itself, but it did have one useful feature besides trivializing long-form training. Gacha. Yes, quests can be given and what the system calls 'Gacha-Token' of many rarities can be awarded.

It had been a solid year since he had awoken in the Shinobi world, for that was where he had regained consciousness. He was sixteen now, a teenager. He wasn't in any major village and he didn't have a major power but he was in the land of fire. That had opened up opportunities. He had quickly found out that he was at the beginning of cannon, the system had granted him a mini-map and it had helped him greatly in finding Konoha and it's Hokage mountain to discern the date.

A quest had then been ushered in as he set foot in the village, civilian level Chakra reserves and no Jutsu to his name. He was to steal Uchiha Shisui's body before it was irreversibly damaged by falling into the river. The reward? A legendary Gacha Token.

I had asked around the village for the current academy students and, while everybody found me weird, but I had gotten to know that the 'Great Uchiha Heir' Sasuke was just no entering his second year and that meant the massacre was happening in the next few months.

It had given me time to prepare and I had used it to get myself from a civilian to what people back home would consider MMA fighter level. I could probably knock anybody in the ring out in seconds with the STRENGHT I now had.

It was pitiful in the Naruto world.

I had restrained myself from training my Chakra as I needed to stay undetectable for what I was planning and, after locating the Naka River and setting up my homeless camp there, I had just have to wait. And, one night, the river turned slightly crimson as a body floated by. I had grinned to myself as I stored it in my very limited Inventory. Only non-living, physically carriable and weight limited objects where to be able to be stored.

It was enough, I had then vacated Konoha as quickly as possible as I didn't want Danzo on my ass. After making it to a remote location a few kilometers away, not too far as to not be able to act on opportunities as they present themselves in the home of the Main Character, I had opened the token.

[Shrine] Level 1/100

"Stand proud, you are strong."

-Ryomen Sukuna

The Cursed Technique, along with it's Domain Expansion, of The King of Curses is yours to wield. You can perform two types of supernatural cuts and slashes, along with firing a flaming arrow after the use of both of the former.

The short description didn't do one of the most awesome powers imaginable justice. I had started training it first and foremost as it not only became my main source of damage but it also trained up my measly Chakra reserves as it used them instead of Cursed Energy. That was all he had done the past eight months as he slew bandit camp after bandit camp, having gotten over taking another persons life after the very first time he was assaulted in the dead of night.

Now, he stood truly strong... for his world that is. He was barely Chunin level right now, if the anime was accurate.

Name: Kirai

CHAKRA: 1005/1005 (10 Per Second)

HEALTH: 250/250 (15 Per Second)

STR: 13

DEX: 20

INT: 25

Ninjutsu: 4

Genjutsu: 0

Taijutsu: 12

Kinjutsu: 2

Medical Ninjutsu: 0

Chakra Control: 7

I didn't have more. Taijutsu was only that good since I had no weapons most of the time and when I did, it was a kunai I had stolen off a corpse and sloppily thrown at another bandit. I had made my home in this world, having gotten over most of my attachments to my old one. I had died, I shouldn't even be thinking about them, so I shouldn't mourn the loss of my family... it still took a while before my heart stopped aching.

The last bandit falls to the ground as I cleave his head off. The ranged Dismantle, though lacking the adaptability of 'Cleave', has it's uses against weaker opponents. I had made a plan of action regarding what I wanted to achieve in my stay here. First of all, become the strongest. It was not only to have a goal to strive towards, but so too to be able to enjoy whatever I would build in the process of making it to the top without interruption.

I would need both physical and Political power to do that and the best way I could think of achieving both was to either found of take over a hidden village. With knowledge of modern business practices and moves, I could let any village I rule rise in power with my person. So, because creating a new one was too much work for me in a logistical sense, what villages where available to me?

I started looting whatever the bandits had, storing the few hundred Ryo in my inventory along with spare kunai, Shuriken and the occasional Tanto. My red hair, decorated in a pink hue, swayed in the wind as I walked back to my little camp. I looked like Ryomen Sukuna, for whatever reason. It didn't happen when I got the skill but since I woke up here, either the system knew I would succeed the quest and the reward was already predetermined, implying clairvoyant powers, or it was insane coincidence.

I am no philosopher and things like those have nothing more than vague, esoteric uses for me to think on, so I put them out of mind and continued scrolling through my mental catalogue of hidden villages near me. Hidden Rain was out of the running for obvious reasons, not only did Akatsuki scare me to hell and back, but Pain did so two fold...

Wasn't there some village. Tanigakure, if I remember correctly- that was relatively weak and between Sand and Fire? I think it was in the Land of Rivers... I pulled out a map I had plundered and, remembering my pathing from Konoha to here, I was pretty close to it. Only a days travel away, in fact. I can't remember if they had anything special but they where a goal to be sure... well, a plan is set.

As night fell and I packed up my things and stored them back in my inventory, my cooking pot and weak, dark-green tent flickering out of existence, I am thankful that I did not need sleep. While it wasn't a skill, I had some form of Gamers Body. It was made clear when I slept and regained all my HP and all my wounds healed after only three hours.

I shook my head and started making my way through the forest. My Chakra Control was shit, so I did not try using the Shinobi Highway of the trees canopy and instead used the peasants way of walking. I had picked up a leaf and continued trying the leaf-sticking exercise. Anybody without my knowledge in my situation would have no idea how to train his skills, but luckily I knew of many training techniques used by Hokage and Jonin alike to keep upgrading my Gamer- and Ninja skills.

Right now, I only used the leaf sticking one but soon, I would go on to water walking and then starting the Rasengan Training steps. Not only would they secure me an A-Rank Ninjutsu, but they'd train me in shape manipulation greatly.

I sigh and replay vague and broken versions of my favorite songs from back home in my mind as I start traveling for real.

"I wish to speak with the Tanikage." I try and put as much of an authoritative tone in my voice as possible as I utilize the imposing appearance of Sukuna to full extent. While my Chakra reserves where barely enough for a dozen body flickers, as I had found out from when I had plundered the technique from the last bandit camp I looted, I still had enough to strike fear into the barely trained Shinobi of the Village hidden in the Valleys.

The two nodded at each other as I was allowed passage through the singular wall cutting the village off from the outside world. Two gigantic spires, with a range of mountains behind them and arching between each other, surrounded the village. If it weren't for the fact that they lacked proper rule and recourses, they could become a ninja village stronghold. They had the perfect natural defense and, while it did trap them in case of attack, anybody with an earth ninjutsu and enough time could dig through. It would take a lot of time and Chakra, enough that that wouldn't eb an avenue for attack but best for an escape route.

I shake my head and make my way inside the village. It was small, barely larger than a football field. I was sure that everybody knew everybody here. I saw a blacksmith, a singular food vendor and a clothing shop on my way to the slightly larger house that barely qualified as a manor that was the Kage residence.

The Shinobi escorting me was not dressed like one, more like a ninja from back home- or at least, their stereotypical appearance- with the addition of the headband of this village. There was a singular academy in here but it was not more than a house with one teacher that was the oldest Shinobi here. The man complained about how they barely had more than ten mission available at a time, four or more of which where the scraps that either Suna or Konoha didn't accept.

"Here, Tanikage-sama is awaiting you." He said with a regal tone as he stepped aside. I entered the two-story building and walked down the single corridor that lead to two sliding doors to my left and right. The silhouette of a fancily dressed man was to my right and I could vaguely see stairs and a table to my left, so I entered to my right.

"Ah, so you are my visitor?" The Tanikage was a young and... satiated man... Fat, he's fat. Purple robes with the Valley insignia imbedded onto them flow over his rotund body. The Villages headband sign was simple, two slightly curved lines opposing each other that had hooks facing the outside of the headband or clothing each.

I nodded. "My name is Kirai and I offer you a proposal." I say with a fake awe at his supposed 'position of power'. He hadn't the forces necessary to repel me, where I to decide that he is to die. My escort had spilled the beans on their military strength- they had five active shinobi, none above Chunin in strength. None had trained in elemental Jutsu, as my escort had complained about the lack of the necessary scrolls. My escort was the only one truly on the Chunin level, and only because he had drawn lucky at birth and had gotten Jonin level Chakra reserves.

It didn't matter, he probably had not many offensive Jutsu to fire at me.

Still, I can't get overconfident. The Tanikage was still a Kage and probably had connections, otherwise his village would've already been taken over by another.

The man nodded with a grin. "Ah, finally some excitement down here! So, what'cha got?" He leaned slightly forwards on his knees as I, too, got on my shins to get on the same level as him. Well, I was still tall- I had the aesthetics of Ryomen Sukuna after all.

I nodded. Time to play the politics game! "I have a bloodline, Tanikage-sama. I wish to become your advisor for the time being and I want to help this village thrive." I plainly state.

He frowns. "Any proof? Not only for your supposed Bloodline but also for whatever miracle you think you can summon to help us out of dept?" He wasn't the smartest business man it seems, revealing something like their critical financial situation like that.

I look towards the bowl of fruits on the table between us and pick one up. "I shall demonstrate my power first." The apple split into small cubes, dozens of them as they pool in my palm. "I can produce cuts and slashes on anything I touch. They cannot be blocked." I simply say.

They Kage was wowed. Heh, I had him in my pocket the moment I saw his delight at my power. "And you want to serve me?!" He coughs out an ugly laugh. "Sure boy! You're hired!" He continues laughing. I sigh.

I then stand up and bow. "First of all, can you present me with several documents regarding the trade of our great village, Tanikage-sama?" I try and sound as faithful and integrated into the village as possible.

He nodded. "So, you're saying you'll do the work of running my village for me?" I nod as he raises his eye-brow. "Sure, thank you!" He did not consider my loyalty, too greedy for my possible servitude. I could have easily used a seal-less wind Ninjutsu on the apple but he seems to be of the stupid sort. I continue to ask for accommodations, getting a room on the second floor of the Kage manor.

This will a real fixer-upper but it will be worth it... hopefully.

It's been an entire week. A fucking week and I hadn't trained a single minute. I was busy hiring contractors to start mining out parts of the mountain behind us and to make paths to below the very village we stand on as I plan to make an underground housing complex. Not that I had another choice... The money for all of that came from the very mining efforts I had started, it turns out that we lie on both a large amount of oil and various minerals. While oil isn't worth much now, I did have a stint as a mechanic in my past life and am sure I can recreate a motor along with a few engines.

The minerals couldn't be exported all at once, despite the abundance of Tungsten, gold and iron we had due to our competition. Who, you may ask?

Iwagakure.

Yeah, no need to flood the market and become a rival to their main export... We are leaning on the already existing contracts with Suna and Konoha to even get our worth for the metals and I am very aware we're being extorted with their prices.

As for my personal situation, I had become known as the very over-worked secretary of their great Tanikage in the village while the Academy teacher had introduced me to his five students due to my apparent power. I had ate and slept, showering twice this week and nothing more besides that. Only work was left. I had sent letters to Konoha and Suna, an imposing thing that was, for very low-ranked Jutsu scrolls in exchange for a large amount of gold. Suna wanted it due to Rasa and his golden dust, though I didn't know how long until the Chunin Exams, the point where Rasa would be replace with Orochimaru.

But that didn't matter now, since it was a one-time deal. It had been accepted, though with a lot of Ryo along with the gold, something I had to beg the Tanikage for to make him agree. His ego was fanned and he was pleased, returning to his chambers with one of his three wives... whores, more like. I shook my head.

Upon ordering two pairs of Chakra paper, something that lowered our coffers to the bare minimum required to keep the import of Coal, Wood and other amenities for the pleasure of the people up, we had found out that the man who had escorted me- Toshi Matsu, his name was- had a wind affinity and another, Kanemaru Shinshu, had an Earth one.

I had been given authority over the Shinobi force by the Kage and with that power, I had ordered Kanemaru to train with the two scroll provided by Suna and had written down what I knew of the Wind training from the anime to let Toshi at it. The other three ninja, who's names I can barely remember, I had ordered to train through the regular Chakra exercises.

Now, I had about a week for break-time as things where pretty simple now. We where mining out the mountain below and behind us and our Shinobi where training up themselves. I had also gotten a meeting with the Hokage- holy shit I'm nervous for that, by the way- to renegotiate how many missions we where getting from them. That would be next Monday, so I had a week to train myself.

We had a waterfall from the left cliff which when down to a sprawling oasis, where I now when to train. As I walked, and when I inevitably continued my leaf-sticking, I was and would be cutting the grass I treaded upon with Shrine. It was a barely noticeable, easily maintained way to continuously train it. I had also gotten to create a suitable physical training regime that I was intent on following every morning from today onwards.

I remember how the Tanikage had demanded me to go on missions rather than try and improve his village, god I wanted to kill him sometimes. But he had the publics respect, not that there weren't more than a thousand people living here. Still, this was better than founding my own village. I would have to gain even a few dozen people and make contracts with villages from scratch.

I sigh and continue my training, I had no time to try and learn my own affinity or gain whatever basic Jutsu this village had. I need to gain a good baseline, at least Chunin reserves. With my calculations, that would be done by the end of the week, along with greater Chakra control and at least a level 40 Shrine- from the current 27 levels it had.

"Well, let's get to it."

I intently stare at the Hokage as he spoke with the Tanikage. I had gently pried what we wanted into the head of my fake leader and it seems he could hold his pride long enough to finish the contract. As we left, I had only gotten a single last glimpse of the stern eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He wasn't suspicious of me, he didn't care enough to register me as a threat- not that I had done anything to deserve that. For him, this was some boring political deal. For me, it was a major deal Tanigakure needed to survive- I needed the increased missions. We could now receive B-Ranks, before we had, at max, one B-Rank per year. Now, we could receive them as usual.

As we settled into the carriage at the Konoha gates, as I nodded along with whatever drabble spewed out of the Tanikage, I looked at what the week of training had brought me.

Name: Kirai

CHAKRA: 3400/3400 (15 Per Second)

HEALTH: 250/250 (15 Per Second)

STR: 31

DEX: 38

INT: 29

Ninjutsu: 9

Genjutsu: 0

Taijutsu: 23

Kinjutsu: 4

Medical Ninjutsu: 0

Chakra Control: 28

It wasn't anything to gawk at, but it was enough for me to use a single Devine Flame arrow along with a dozen or so Cleaves and Dismantles. The carriage wobbled as another notification opened up, to my surprise.

[Tall Tails]

You're ambition is commendable, but the power needed to succeed is surely lacking.

Objective(s):

Train [Shrine] to level 100 []

Become a Jinjuuriki []

Reach 100 in every stat []

Reach 10.000 Chakra Capacity []

Reach 5000 HP []

Reward: Wet Tinkering, Legendary Gacha Token

My breath had hitched at the sheer audacity of the Quest. What was that supposed to mean? Surely, reaching peak Sukuna Levels of strength would've been enough? Well... Pein, Madara and even the Otsutsuki against Sukuna where a debate that wouldn't end, so maybe I wasn't as invincible as he thought. The carriage rumbled again as I started reluctantly hatching a plan for the only thing that effects the actual canon.

Of course, the best opportunity to gain a Tailed Beast would be in the Konoha Crush, where I will undoubtedly have the best chance at completing this quest early. I shake my head, from the news vendor back in Konoha that I'd paid for a newspaper, I knew that the last Chunin Exams had happened in Kiri and the next where scheduled for six months in the future and where stated to happen in Konoha, so I had as much time to make my village on par with the great five...

I'm fucked, man.

"Ha!" I shout as the boulder in front of me is cut into four. Then eight, then sixteen and so on. I pant as my Chakra has reached... one. Fuck man, I was training hard. I hear footsteps approaching and I try and wipe the dust and grime off of my blank T-Shirt and baggy pants. It was one of the three Shinobi who's names I didn't know. "The mining efforts are finished, Kirai-sama. Also, we've accepted a batch of refugees from a nearby village that was victim to bandit attacks."

I nod as I walk back to the village. It had been a month since I met the Hokage and we've doubled our living space. "The use for oil as a fuel source has really upped our trade, Kirai-sama." The man continues on as I nod. Indeed it had, I had invented cars and the export of them brought in huge amounts of cash. Only Suna and Konoha had a few vehicles for now and only rich merchants and civilians where enjoying their luxury as cars, at the primitive state they where currently in, had no military use.

But they could be easily produced in-house with our metals and the newly constructed factory district that has taken up half of the quarter-kilometer high underground section we have dug out. While sunlight was a problem at first to make it a habitable place, along with aesthetics, it was easily fixed when I had learnt Fujinjutsu.

Yes, the first car trade with Konoha was for introductory Sealing scrolls. I had engineered a sealing language all on my own. How? Well, sealing languages where just that, languages and had an alphabet and words with individual meanings that where then combined with symbols that where the same for ever Sealmaster to factually bend reality. It was coding but magic, simply stated.

I had learnt it enough to boost the new stat to 34 after just half a month, now the highest among my ninja arts. Maybe I had a talent, or maybe using both German and English to have a dual seal language that nobody else knew, a feat masters took decades of their life to achieve, made me this good. But I had hit the limit of what I could do with the battery seal.

Because I wasn't limited by logic, I had made a Chakra-to-energy conversion seal with only 10% energy wasted. I had also figured out how to connect them through large distances, meaning we had a singular main generator below the Tanikage building and then mini-receivers all around the village. It had negated our coal and electricity costs and upgraded our quality of life of each individual civilian by a large margin.

The logistical nightmare of powering each was also solved by the central generator as I could pump three-fourths of my Chakra into it and have power for a week. And as the village grew, so would my reserves, so it was a win-win.

Basic seals like a barrier and storage seal had also been learnt and adapted to my language easily as time went on.

"...you have my vote at the next election, Kirai-sama." I heard the Shinobi exclaim as I was reminded that this village had started out as the very first democratic village in the Shinobi world, which was negated by the fact that nobody besides the Tanikage was in the running. That has changed, though, as the election was happening next month and I had a speech planned for... well, now.

I arrive in the town square and walk up the wooden steps of the hastily constructed podium, Toshi and Kanemaru flanking my sides as I looked upon the thousand or so villagers. I filled my vocal cords with Chakra, one of the many body enhancement techniques that came with reaching 30 Chakra control. "People of Tanigakure!" I addressed them, raising the heads of even those who only came because there was nothing else to do. "I, Kirai, have submitted myself for the running as the next Tanikage."

People flinched and cheered at that, I heard several people shout 'Outsider' and such. I chuckle. "I may be an outsider, dear citizens, but have you not seen the change in just the last few months? Do you think your great Tanikage that had done nothing but sit on his ass and enjoy the frivolities of women for the past years would have done such things?" I chuckle ominously and thank my handsome appearance for charming the female crowd already. Not all of them, mostly the unmarried who think they have the duty of marrying before the age of 30 and think me a candidate.

"No, the seals that give you light, that warm your feet, they are of my design. This is a hidden Village, is it not? Then, should it not be ruled by a powerful Shinobi?" I ask and a few of the older people who had been scoffing at my 'antics' where seeming to perk up at that. Then, a rumble sounded out from the gate only a few meters in front of me. I saw that an explosion had broken through the left side, smoke hiding the attackers.

While the civilians started to flee, I saw my guards tense up. They had learnt a few elemental Jutsu of their own by now and could be counted well within Chunin level. I shook my head. "I will prove myself here, stand back. Wait for a sign." They may see me as the best hope for the future of their village, but they barely cared for me as a person, so they simply shrugged and stood back.

I saw the dust clear and found a group of about ten bandits and a... Suna-Missing nin? Oh, I may be in trouble. The man, clad in bandages and brown-beige Shinobi vests and armor, twitched his head at me as the bandits behind him grinned. "This village is now under the control of Gura!" he shouted through his bandage clad mouth.

I shook my head and stretched forward my hand. The side of the already crumbled wall gained a noticeable cut on both sides as the man widened his eyes and ducked, his instincts assuring his survival. The rest behind him where beheaded instantly, splaying the grass and stone with blood. I grinned, I had become something of a battle-junkie and as such, I will be getting a trustworthy assistant as soon as I became Kage as paper-work wont hold me down.

"Leave." He does not. The man get's visibly angry and flashes through a set of hand signs before a great flood of mud rolls towards me. I pull back my left sleave to reveal a storage seal from which I draw a barrier seal which I furthermore place on the ground. "Fujin!" I push about 100 points of Chakra into it and a red dome forms around me.

The flood crashes onto it but soon steadies and, when spread along the ground, it was only a few centimeters thick. The Rouge Ninja hadn't been doing nothing, though and has already appeared in front of me as my seal disappears due to instability, flickering out of existence. Two Kunai where aimed at my neck but where intercepted a moment before impact by a Dismantle. The rouge-nin is crouched below me and aiming to swipe my feet.

As his leg tries to stretch out to trick me, I simply cut it off with a horizontal, downwards aimed slash. He starts screaming as he bleeds all over me. I cringe, disgusting. I lift him up from where he had crumpled onto the ground. "Where is your camp?"

"I-" He coughs out a wad of blood onto my cheek. I cut off a finger of his for it. He shouts his throat hoars. "-A few k-kilometers s-south... p-plea-" I behead him the next second. I look towards the awed populous and a wide-eyed Toshi. "Cash in his bounty, he's a missing nin of Suna." He nods shakily and I give him a storage seal with which he seals the body and heads off. I turn to a few people I vaguely recognize to have seen on my visit to the construction sites underground. "Fix the wall, I'll pay you with half the bounty." They nod, aware of the high pay-offs of such ventures and too scared of me after my show to argue.

As I turn to the rest of the village, they all take a knee. "Tanikage-sama." They speak in almost unison. I grin, thankful that we had no daimio to worry about, the village having been founded through the arrogance of the current Tanikage's father.

"W-What is this?!" I hear the bloated voice of the current Tanikage, I hadn't even bothered to remember his name, only the title and what it represented as a roadblock for me. I shake my head as I slide the door shut behind me.

Soon after, shouts of betrayal and screams could be heard throughout the upper layer of the village. None seemed to care, after all, sacrifices must be made. Civilians of Shinobi villages where different from regular ones, more accustomed to the rule of the strong and death in general.

The night ended on a red moon, soaked in blood.

"The academy has been successfully expanded and the newest batch are ready for missions as genin under my tutelage, Tanikage-sama." Toshi says from his kneeling position as I sit in the newly constructed Kage tower. It hadn't been built over the past two months simply to satiate my ever-growing ego, no. It was used to house the three new generators needed for powering the fully realized lower level of the village. We sat at a comfortable 2500 people, most if not all immigrants from villages we had 'saved' from bandits we hired, and that had drawn on my energy reserves quite a lot.

My sealing had progressed enough that a refueling of the generators now lasted a month and I could ensure that we didn't crash into the lower levels due to lack of support. While full zero-gravity was out of my reach, reducing weight wasn't and creating pillars from newly learnt earth release Jutsu was no problem after training a bit in the nature training, which was reducing a rock to dust with just Chakra. My nature affinity was also earth, along with wind, which was a appreciated surprise.

I dismissed Toshi and looked upon my circular room. It had a nice, cozy feeling with the carpet and sofa, more a modern business office combined with medieval architecture than anything a Kage would have. I exited the room after finishing the acceptance of upgrading the wall with our metals and pre-prepared barrier seals.

I made for the lower levels, the tower consisting of three in total along with a basement after repurposing the Kage manor, which saved a lot of construction time. Sealing had become something of a hobby of mine as I had begun to simply write up more esoteric seals. Some where failing tries of a Biju sealing script and others where simply warming seals.

But I hadn't neglected my other skills. I had made off with a lot of Jutsu scrolls and even one on introductory Genjutsu. Genjutsu was... complicated. Genjutsu worked on the premise that you somehow got your Chakra, preprogrammed with a Genjutsu in mind, into the brain and Chakra system of another. This is done through sound, smell or even touch as carriers for your Chakra.

I had accomplished nothing more that a simple displacement Genjutsu, making something seem on a different spot than it was supposed to be, but I had focused more on understanding than practical application as I had no use for low-level Genjutsu.

I pass the first floor which was the reception, headed by a beautiful blonde from a nearby civilian clan. She smiled at my and gave me the reverent greeting that all my subjects had been giving me ever since I not only proved to be the best possible future for Tani in the economical and technological sense but also showed them how my overwhelming potential to grow and my current, if not overwhelming, already impressive strength.

The new arrivals from nearby villages didn't know the previous ruler so they had nothing to think back to and simply accepted me as the only true ruler of Tanigakure. I wear the Kage hat of purple color with pride as I make for the basement, my training area and study. First, I entered to courtyard, which was about half a football field wide and had the wall opposing me to be entirely made out of glass. It allowed me to gaze upon my spring underground metropolis as I trained.

It was fascinating what hiring a few Iwa ninja could do to speed up construction, I mused as I looked on with pride. Four massive spires reached for the heavens, buildings dotted along them as a spiral path made for the bottom with wooden bridges connecting each. The floors where similar to Iwa itself in build, only with occasional waterfalls from the ceiling to drip to the bottom, the newly planted trees and dirt already growing through feeding them Chakra to supplant sunlight.

An intelligent and resourceful mind could achieve much in little time in a world such as this. I was glad I made this construction effort when the village was still miniscule because if I intended to grow into a major village, a council of sorts will have to be formed to administer different aspects and they would not be so hasty as to agree to such a reckless undertaking such as this one.

I shook my head as I took off my shirt, revealing a toned swimmers body that I had grown attached to, the yellow lights from below framing my body as I started my workout, having the stat sheet open as motivation in the meanwhile.

Name: Kirai

CHAKRA: 7950/7950 (25 Per Second)

HEALTH: 500/500 (20 Per Second)

STR: 43

DEX: 61

INT: 35

Ninjutsu: 36

Genjutsu: 21

Taijutsu: 41

Kinjutsu: 12

Fujinjutsu: 54

Medical Ninjutsu: 0

Chakra Control: 68

HP grows through a combination of DEX and STR, I had noticed and INT was fundamentally harder to increase than all the rest, while seeing the best rewards. I had learnt to focus on multiple things at once and I've found myself able to recall memories and information far clearer and quicker than before. But INT is increased through mental challenge and only hammering out the infuriating logistics of the underground nightmare I had created, that looked like a paradise, though, had increased it.

Chakra Control reaching past 50 had signaled something and I had gained knowledge, which also confirmed that I did not increase the numbers by gaining knowledge but that I gained knowledge by increasing the numbers, same for the other stats. I could now do the surface sticking thing instinctually and, with focus, could water walk and even run on it. I also knew minute ways on how to preserve more Chakra on each Jutsu I used, from relieving some of a hand sign or two to controlling my Chakra flow better.

I start my squats as I look upon my skills page with immense pride.

[Shrine] Level 67/100

"Stand proud, you are strong."

-Ryomen Sukuna

[The Body Flicker] Level 34/100

"Gotta go fast!"

-A Blue Rodent

A Jutsu used mostly for travel and escape, but can be used for high end combat in greater levels. It allows the user to seemingly catapult large amount of Chakra out of their body to instantly, but without control, teleport themselves to a position normally available by foot.

[Earth Ninjutsu] Level 32/100

"And may they pierce the heavens..."

Encompassing all Earth natured Ninjutsu and other ninja techniques, this skill allows the user to better recall, use, learn and improve upon the earth nature and it's Jutsu the higher the level.

[Charisma] Level 22/100

"Words can be more powerful than any spell."

-an old codger

Your silver tongue let's you ensnare the minds of the people around you while letting them believe it their own decision. Charisma can be anything from giving inspiring speeches on par with Erwin Smith to getting the location of your assassination target from his drunk friend.

I had come to know that skills are rarer than they would be in other gamer settings. They seem to be improvements or overhauls of normal abilities or natural skillsets you could learn as a normal person or Shinobi. While, for example, I could learn to be charismatic naturally over time, the skill simply pushes the knowledge of what to say and how to act to achieve what I want into my mind so naturally, I would almost think it my idea if I didn't know my privately awkward self better.

I had taken off the Kage hat as I trained but after finishing said training after a solid two hours, I made for my study to continue trying to recreate a passible imitation of the eight-trigrams seal. It was hell, I had nothing but it's name to go off and so, had more gone on to create a theory for my own seal than recreate the Yellow Flash's famed one.

It worked on the principal of containing the Chakra and consciousness of a Biju separately and not a the same time. As a Biju was chakra brought to life, I could not truly achieve my goal of separating the two and having access to all the energy for my greedy self. Instead, it would store the mind of the creature in a smaller Chakra energy cell and then stretch it thin like a gummy until only a slight connection remained between the two, working off the basis off the cables I used all over my village.

It was almost impossible, if not for the fact that my dual seal languages made it possible to condense the seal form the size of an entire city block to about the size of my entire back side.

It's other functions where, of course, sealing and containing a Biju, allowing for a connection between host and prisoner for both conversation and chakra exchange and lastly a self-destruct button I had made myself. It worked on the basis that, if I fully separated the conscious fraction that I would separate from the 90% rest of the Biju, it would detonate that larger majority due to instability of natural Chakra.

I sigh as I sit down in the dimly lit, stone cellar room with one, slanted wooden table with art supplies and Chakra paper as I further try and simulate said seal with my own Chakra and a Chakra battery containing Toshi's Chakra, generously donated last week.

But all of that hinged on whether or not I managed to figure out how to make the seal strong and integrate enough to be able to grab onto, and overpower the mind an power of a Biju.

I'm glad I had made Kanemaru into the mission administrator, who's office was on the other side of the first floor of the Kage tower, so I didn't have to do it anymore.

"Yes, the trade routes between the hidden rain, headed by Hanzo the salamander and the land of Iron have successfully been accepted, Tanikage-sama." One of the two Genin teams we had said, led by Toshi and consisting of a very much watered down fuckin' twentieth cousin of an Uzumaki, a regular Academy upstart and a girl that had shown aptitude in Genjutsu.

They had had the mission of being our delegation for the land of rain, which wasn't under Pein currently, and on their way back to journey to the land of Iron to trade for some smithing instructions. We had gotten both, through a lucky streak and I paid the team in full for one A-Rank and one B-Rank. They nodded, bid me a reverent goodbye and left me to my empty, silent office once more.

The wall had been improved and I had made some progress regarding the Biju seal but I had also been planning something. One of the bigger missions I had planned and one that acts upon my meta-knowledge. Rescuing the Chinoike clan.

[Blood in the water!]

Rescue the Chinoike clan from their inevitable fates!

Objective: Integrate all 53 members of the Chinoike clan into your village.

Reward: Ketsuryugan

The quest had appeared when I had mused over the opportunities are already open to me. And so, I stand up from my desk and make for the small, five house large Shinobi district while also talking to my secretary on the way out. "I want you to reserve on of the underground districts for a few people I'll be hopefully bringing home." She had looked at me strangely but nodded still.

Arriving in the general Shinobi lounge and finding two of the Shinobi who's names I should really bother to remember, I wave them towards me. "You two, you'll be joining me on an A-Rank mission. I'll pay you accordingly, now worries." They exchange looks before shrugging and nodding at me, standing up and positioning themselves behind me.

So, we make for the land of Hot Water and try and find the valley of Hell.

"What do you offer?" We had made it past the lacking border patrols of the Hot water Shinobi and Konoha was still too stretched thin to notice us traveling along the outside of the land of fire. Th journey had taken a week but we made it here and now I was in a weird cave with water, colored red through minerals and not blood, talking to the blonde chief of the Chinoike.

I nod. "Well, first of all, a home where you can grow past your limited numbers and enjoy abundant recourses." The man nods but his ten guards behind him scowl for some reason. "Secondly, protection. Though I doubt you will need it once you settle in, in case you are ever under attack, the village will of course help you."

"You wish to enslave us? We are not those Uchiha Bastards." He almost shouts and the men behind him do too, the pool to our left starts to swirl.

I shake my head. "I am not forcing any of you to become Shinobi nor to be workers. You could do nothing for all I care, we have come to enjoy a prosperous past few months and could use the prestige of even having a clan with a Bloodline." I say with as much empathy as I could make it.

The man frowns and turns to two of his guards who nod at him. He turns back to me, sighs and nods too. "We will come, but you are the Kage, no?" I nod. "Then I will fight you. It is our rule, only the strong may lead." I would have thought about it more if he hadn't thrown five spears of crystalized blood at my.

A few hand signs and a hand slammed onto the stone ground produced the wall needed to block them but the Chief had flickered in front of me, his hands coated in the life giving liquid. "Stop." I ask gently.

He chuckles. "Have I won?" He asks as we engage in a fierce Taijutsu battle.

I chuckle as I block two swipes at my right side. "No, I will kill you if you do not."

He chuckles again, more haughtily now. "Battles for the position of leader are always to the death, child." He then uses the water to our left to try and hit me with a tentacle thing.

I dodge and sigh. "If you saw so." And promptly aim for his neck with a Dismantle.

His eyes widen, superhuman reaction times of Shinobi of his caliber letting him dodge to the left, if barely. The slash impacts the cave wall behind him, creating a noticeable dent. I smile, feeling adrenaline pump through my body at the knowledge that somebody survived more than one slash. I start raining them down upon him, some he block with shields made of block but some he tanks with only surface level cuts to show, his Chakra enhanced body obviously helping him survive.

I use my high leveled body flicker to appear in front of him. I can see his eyes widen as my palm hits his torso and he can probably even feel my Chakra enter his body. It doesn't matter, Cleave perfectly adjusts to his strength and let's me cut him in half. His upper and lower body, now separated, drop to the ground. I take a deep breath as I relax my stance again and turn to the rest of the clan.

The look at me with awed expressions but swiftly take a knee and bow. "You have our eyes." I hear one of them say. And I frown before noticing that, indeed, I have gained a new skill through completing my quest.

[Ketsuryugan] Level 1/100

The Bloodline Limit of the Chinoike Clan and a Dojutsu at that. It allows the user to control liquids with high iron concentrations, along with any other substance with a high iron composition in higher levels. Similar to the Sharingan, skin or eye contact allows the user to cast powerful Genjutsu or delve deep into the mind of the target.

I grin to myself as I gaze over both the quest and the people bowing behind the translucent screen. It may not give me the enhanced visual prowess of both the Sharingan or the Byakugan, but it is still a very powerful ability. I hear my two guards mutter something in a low tone. "H-How did he get their eyes?" I flinch, if people found out that I can somehow obtain bloodlines through a non-standard process, I'll for sure be a big target along with my village.

I deactivate my new Dojutsu and look over the fifty or so Chinoike. "We won't be detected on our way back, make sure to either ask for somebody else to cast one or shroud yourself in a Genjutsu." My academic understanding of Genjutsu through my limited experimentation and reading of the scroll has now been enhanced to allow me almost free reign over what I want to do in the illusory sense.

I know the mechanics behind the Genjutsu I cast, something that let's me alter minute details on the fly, which I notice as I test it out on the border patrol of the land of hot water. Skin contact, along with eye contact, being my way to cast the almost unbreakable Genjutsu of my Dojutsu makes it a good tool for stealth.

I continue to train in the illusory aspects of my Dojutsu as we cross through the land of fire and back into my village.

"Piercing Blood!" I shout as I almost successfully recreate the move. While the almost instant spear- or rather laser- of blood isn't as fast as it could be, my heating up of the ball of blood I had sucked out of my palm had been enough to create a passable imitation that had pierced a solid, 2 meter thick wall of steel. I take a deep breath and shake my head.

The Chinoike had settled in well over the past week and, while slightly hostile towards the rest of the civilian population, had been happy to enlist in the Shinobi core. As I had now been recognized as even their clans leader and not only their Kage due to me now having their Bloodline limit, which they haven't yet questioned me on, they have no issue in either becoming one with the work force or strengthening our previously tiny Shinobi forces. We are now 23 Chinoike members stronger in regards to military power and each has passable control over Genjutsu and their blood manipulation, with one even being decently far into Jonin level.

While he may have had more fighting experience, their previous clan leader, who I had killed, did not win because I simply had a more powerful ability. If not for Shrine, I would have had no doubt that I would have been killed, I am only... at the peak of Chunin right now? I am sorely lacking actual battle experience and, while good, the physical and Chakra exercises are getting less and less rewards stat wise.

I shake my head, ending my Ketsuryugan training for now and going to the last step of todays exercise. I go to a wooden box that I had placed in the training grounds and take out a filled water balloon. I think back to earlier today where I had partaken in a parade to honor the arrival of our very first Shinobi clan, the Chinoike of course, which had boosted my reputation with the populous quite well.

It only lasted about three hours but it made me seem more relatable to them and more caring about their everyday problems as I interacted with a few of the drunkards that appeared during the party, listening to their petty worries. While I do care about my people, it's only because I don't wish to have a civil war on my hands.

Right now, they love me. You can actually see how much I had done for this village in just five months by just walking on the now renovated streets. Not to mention the underground sections. I shake my head, clearing my mind to concentrate on the Rasengan training.

-Jiraya The Toad Sage-

The gallant sat in one of his regular bars, women at his side and alcohol in his system. He may seem like he was simply enjoying himself, he was thinking about a very much worrying report one of his spies in the valley country had delivered just yesterday. The hidden Valley village had stepped things up a few notches and has expanded quite a lot. From somehow integrating Fujinjutsu into their infrastructure, something he himself had suggested for Konoha a long time ago but got rejected by the ever so stagnant council, to integrating a lost clan with a powerful Dojutsu.

And all of that came from their new leader. Kirai, his name was, a man that had boycotted the previous Tanikage and had become a political force to be reconned with. He had gotten message that the pervious Tanikage and Kirai had come to Konoha to renew their trade deals and had thought nothing of it but now it seems that Tani is on the rise to become a major force.

No doubt the other five had noticed it too, a previously unimportant shinobi village obtaining their own clan and expanding their infrastructure and economy at such a swift rate is bound to draw attention.

He shook his head, he had already sent the missive to Hiruzen about it, for now, he needs to collect a bit more... inspiration for the next volume of Icha Icha.