Naruto: Divine Reward System

[T/N: In the manga and anime, Haku uses his Ice release to create his needles, I don't know why the author changed it to Haku just using a normal metal needle but let's just say that it's an AU... Well, this is a fanfic, sooo... It is an AU. Anyways! Enjoy reading, and tell me what you think so far by commenting below.]

The atmosphere inside the ice crystal cage was heavy with tension, a silence so thick that even the faint sound of Tatsuya's footsteps echoed clearly.

Clatter! Clatter!

Sasuke and Haku both turned their attention to him, their gazes filled with anticipation and wariness.

"Sasuke, you did well," Tatsuya said, his voice steady. "Now, take care of Naruto. Leave the rest to me."

Sasuke frowned, clearly unsatisfied. His Sharingan had just awakened—he finally had the power to fight on equal footing. And now Tatsuya wanted to take over?

"But—"

"No buts." Tatsuya cut him off, his tone firm. "You and I both know you're not in the best condition to continue this fight. Even if you have the Sharingan now, you're not ready."

Sasuke clenched his fists. He hated to admit it, but Tatsuya was right.

"And besides," Tatsuya added, a small smirk forming, "this is exactly what I was aiming for, helping you awaken your Sharingan, I mean."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He had been too caught up in the battle to consider that possibility. Tatsuya had planned this from the start?

"You have a lot of questions," Tatsuya continued, "but save them. We'll talk after this is over."

With that, his focus shifted to Haku.

Haku, still recovering from the shock of the battle, studied him intently. He had known that Tatsuya was strong, but to orchestrate a battle just to trigger Sasuke's Sharingan awakening? That required a level of calculation far beyond an average shinobi.

"You… You planned this?" Haku murmured.

Tatsuya's eyes didn't waver. "Your skill is impressive, but you were holding back. If you had gone all out from the beginning, Sasuke and Naruto wouldn't be standing right now."

Haku stiffened.

"I'll return the favor," Tatsuya said simply. "You showed mercy, so I'll make this quick."

Haku's grip on his needles tightened. He already knew—if Zabuza fell, he wouldn't continue living either.

A bitter smile formed beneath his mask. "You see through everything, don't you?"

Tatsuya didn't answer. There was no need to.

Sasuke, still watching from behind, finally noticed something that made his breath hitch—none of the silver needles embedded in his body had hit a fatal spot. Haku had been holding back.

"We lost this battle before it even started…" Sasuke muttered to himself, realization settling in.

Haku, however, was done holding back. He raised his hand, ice mirrors glistening around him, and launched a barrage of silver needles at Tatsuya.

But just like before, the needles stopped mid-air, frozen in place.

Haku's eyes widened in disbelief.

"This… What kind of jutsu is this?"

Tatsuya calmly extended his hand, and the needles slowly floated toward him, hovering over his palm.

"It's called Magnet Release."

Haku's breath caught. "Magnet Release?"

Tatsuya nodded. "It allows me to freely control anything with metal."

Haku's mind raced. Magnet Release? That's… His eyes narrowed. "That's a Kekei Genkai from the Land of Wind!"

Tatsuya chuckled. "So, you've heard of it."

"I read about it in the Hidden Mist's Assassination Manual," Haku admitted. "But I never thought I'd face someone who actually wields it."

Sasuke, standing behind Tatsuya, felt another wave of shock. If what Haku was saying was true, that meant Tatsuya possessed not just one, but two Kekei Genkai.

His fingers twitched slightly.

'Is something like that even possible?'

Most shinobi spent their whole lives just trying to master one. But Tatsuya had two? That put him in the same league as the rarest prodigies in history.

Kakashi and Naruto were still unconscious, missing all of this. If they had seen, their reactions would've been no different from Sasuke's.

Haku exhaled slowly and studied Tatsuya with newfound respect. "You're stronger than I expected."

Tatsuya tilted his head slightly. "Then I'll make you an offer. Leave Zabuza's body behind, and I'll let you walk away."

Haku's answer was immediate. "No."

His voice was steady, resolute. "Everyone has something they want to protect. The only person I want to protect is him. He gave me a purpose. He gave me life."

Tatsuya's expression darkened slightly. "So you're willing to die with him?"

Haku nodded. "Yes."

Tatsuya sighed. "I see."

Without another word, the silver needles hovering in his palm shot forward, fanning out in all directions, aiming straight for the ice mirrors.

And with that—

The final battle between Tatsuya and Haku had begun.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

This time, it was Tatsuya's turn to take control of the battle. He lifted his hand, silver needles hovering around him, sharp and deadly. Though thin, they were tempered to perfection, ready to pierce through anything in their path.

Haku's eyes narrowed. He immediately realized—he couldn't rely on his own needles anymore. No matter how skilled he was, against someone who could manipulate metal with [Magnet Release], his advantage was gone.

Ding! Ding!

Each needle that struck the ice mirrors let out a sharp, metallic ring, like a deadly symphony echoing through the battlefield. But despite the attacks, Haku remained unscathed, effortlessly weaving through the gaps between the mirrors, his movements fluid and untouchable.

"Using needles against me?" Haku scoffed, his voice calm but firm. "You think you can win with my own weapon?"

"Really?" Tatsuya replied with a smirk.

Suddenly, the ice mirrors trembled.

Haku's confident expression shifted as the mirror behind him shook violently before flying backward, shattering against a massive boulder with a thunderous BOOM!

"What…?!" Haku's eyes widened in disbelief. Ice mirrors don't just get destroyed on their own.

Even Sasuke, who had been trying to keep up with the battle, took a moment to process what had happened. And then, it clicked.

"It's the needles!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Haku's breath hitched as he finally understood. Tatsuya's earlier attacks hadn't been random—they had been deliberate. The needles he embedded in the mirrors allowed him to manipulate them at will. One by one, the mirrors lifted and launched toward the boulders, shattering upon impact.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With each crash, Haku's defensive fortress crumbled. His once impenetrable prison of ice was rapidly falling apart.

Even Sasuke, who had been skeptical, was now watching in awe. He hadn't expected Tatsuya to be this methodical.

But for Tatsuya, this was nothing.

With a near-limitless chakra supply, he didn't need to worry about the energy required to control each needle. Even if there was only one needle in a mirror, he could manipulate it effortlessly.

In mere moments, every last ice mirror was destroyed. With no footing left, Haku had no choice but to retreat, using the [Water Body Flicker Technique] to increase the distance between them.

And just like that, the [Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors] were no more.

A bead of sweat dripped down Haku's cheek. The realization hit him hard: power alone wasn't the most terrifying thing in battle—it was intelligence combined with power that truly determined victory.

Even among the legends of the ninja world, the greatest threats weren't just those with overwhelming strength, but those who knew how to wield it strategically.

[Otsutsuki Kaguya] and [Uchiha Madara] were proof of that.

Kaguya, the very ancestor of chakra, was undoubtedly one of the strongest beings to ever exist. Yet despite her immeasurable power, she had been sealed—and twice at that.

With the ice mirrors gone, Tatsuya wasted no time. He manipulated the remaining needles, sending them flying toward Haku with deadly precision.

Haku's heart pounded. He was surrounded, with no way to dodge.

"Not good!" he muttered under his breath.

Realizing he had no other option, he swiftly formed hand seals.

Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome!

A thick wall of ice erupted around him just in time, deflecting the incoming barrage of silver needles. But Haku knew that staying on the defensive wouldn't win him this fight. He needed to strike back.

Without hesitation, he countered.

Secret Jutsu: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!

Water droplets lifted from the battlefield, forming into countless ice senbon, glistening under the light. They hovered in the air for a brief moment before launching in every direction at blinding speed.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "He—he formed hand seals with just one hand?!"

His shock wasn't just at the jutsu itself, but at Haku's ability to cast it with only a single hand. That level of skill was rare, even among elite shinobi.

But before the barrage could hit its mark, something unexpected happened.

Another wave of senbon appeared in the air—mirroring Haku's attack.

Haku's eyes darted to the side, and for the first time, a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.

Tatsuya had copied his jutsu.

Sasuke clenched his fists. His Sharingan allowed him to see it all—the technique, the speed, the sheer efficiency of it. But he knew, even if he had copied the jutsu, he wouldn't have been able to perform it so quickly.

That was the difference between them.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, frustration boiling inside him. His Sharingan had just awakened, and already, he was falling behind. Even against an unknown rogue ninja like Haku, he was being outclassed.

But this wasn't over yet.

The battle was far from decided.