Chapter 20: #20
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Also! Be sure to read my another translation "Naruto: The Sand Will Rise!"
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Haku's eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. He never expected Tatsuya to have such mastery over the [Sharingan]—copying hand seals with just one hand was an unbelievable feat.
"This alone… he's already surpassed Kakashi," Haku thought, quickly snapping back to reality. There was no time for hesitation—if he faltered, Zabuza would be in even greater danger.
A moment later, the two massive torrents of water clashed in midair with a deafening roar. The impact sent waves crashing in all directions, slicing through nearby plants and even leaving deep scratches on solid rock. As the water jutsu dissipated, the battlefield fell silent for a moment—the fight had ended in a draw.
Tatsuya had matched Haku's prowess, proving his superior skill. But the real consequence of their battle became clear when Haku's body stiffened—silver needles embedded all over him. His own weapons.
In that instant, Haku understood. Tatsuya had used his [Magnet Release] to take control of the very senbons Haku had thrown.
Looking down at the needles piercing his flesh, Haku chuckled softly. It was almost ironic—falling by his own hand.
His vision blurred as he slowly raised his head, locking eyes with Tatsuya. With his last breath, he spoke. "Losing to you... it doesn't feel so bad. Can you at least... tell me your name?"
Tatsuya didn't hesitate. "Tokigawa Tatsuya."
Haku's masked face softened into a peaceful smile. "Tatsuya... I hope you keep your promise."
"I will," Tatsuya replied firmly.
Satisfied, Haku exhaled one final time. He could finally rest—no longer bound to the life of bloodshed. His delicate frame collapsed, lifeless.
Zabuza, who had been watching in silence, turned his gaze toward Haku's fallen body. His expression unreadable, he slowly fell to the ground as well, his strength leaving him.
Thud!
As their bodies hit the ground, Tatsuya heard the familiar system notification ring in his mind.
[Ding! Mission accomplished: Eliminate 'Momochi Zabuza'.]
Before Tatsuya could process that, the system's voice continued.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have unlocked the second reward of the Divine Reward System.]
[Talent increased by 1000x!]
[Chakra increased by 1000x!]
[Obtained: The Power of Matatabi!] (Granting enhanced Fire Release abilities.)
[Received: 2 Draw Chances!]
Tatsuya's head suddenly cleared, as if his mind had expanded. Complex knowledge that once eluded him now made perfect sense. He could feel his connection to the Fire Release chakra growing stronger—this had to be the influence of Matatabi, the Two-Tailed Beast. Its signature blue flames were leagues beyond ordinary fire, rivaled only by the [Amaterasu].
More than that, his previously drained chakra reserves were instantly replenished, leaving him energized as if the grueling battle had never happened.
Tatsuya clenched his fist, sensing something new within him. With his current potential, unlocking another [Kekkei Genkai] seemed possible. But that experiment would have to wait—there were still matters to deal with here.
With the system reward secured, Tatsuya turned his attention back to the battlefield. He knew Zabuza was beyond saving. His so-called "fake death" this time had become tragically real.
Sasuke, who had been watching from the side, shifted his gaze from the fallen warriors to Tatsuya. His expression, for the first time, held genuine admiration.
"That was incredible..." he muttered under his breath.
Even Tazuna stood frozen in disbelief. "I-I never imagined a kid could be this powerful…"
Meanwhile, Naruto stirred from unconsciousness, the regenerative power of the Nine-Tails working its magic. As he regained awareness, his first words were, "Sasuke… where's that masked guy?"
Sasuke didn't sugarcoat it. "Dead."
Naruto's eyes darted around until they landed on Haku's unmoving body. A mix of emotions flickered across his face—relief, confusion, and disbelief. Part of him wanted to believe he was the one who had broken through the [Demonic Ice Mirrors] and won the fight.
"Sasuke… you did this?" Naruto asked, almost hoping for a different answer.
Sasuke didn't respond directly, but the way he looked toward Tatsuya spoke volumes.
Tatsuya cut in before Naruto could press further. "Naruto, we can talk later. Right now, we need to get back. Kakashi-sensei is still out cold."
He turned toward the bodies of Haku and Zabuza. "Help me bury them."
Naruto nodded, shoving his lingering thoughts aside.
With Tazuna's help, they carried the bodies to a scenic clearing, a fitting final resting place. The graves were marked with simple stones—no extravagant markers, but enough to ensure their memory wouldn't be lost.
As for the [Executioner's Blade], Tatsuya stored it within his system's inventory.
"This sword might be useful later. I know someone who'd love to get their hands on it…" he mused, thinking of Suigetsu.
With their task complete, Tatsuya, Naruto, Sasuke, and a still-unconscious Kakashi made their way toward Tazuna's house, ready to prepare for whatever came next.
After a while.
Tatsuya and the others arrived safely at Tazuna's house. Inside, they found two more residents—one older, one younger.
The older one was Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, a beautiful woman in her late twenties. The younger one was Inari, Tazuna's eight-year-old grandson, who had developed a rebellious streak after the tragic loss of his stepfather, Kaiza.
Upon settling in, Tatsuya took advantage of the time before Kakashi regained consciousness to review the unlocking conditions for his [Third Reward]:
Liberate the Land of Waves!
Defeat the Oto Trio!
Save Gaara from the One-Tail!
Out of the three, the last one seemed the most difficult at the moment, but the first two wouldn't be much trouble. The so-called "liberation of the Land of Waves" essentially meant eliminating the tyrannical merchant Gato. That part would be easy.
As for the Oto Trio, they were Orochimaru's test subjects, sent to evaluate Sasuke as a potential vessel. Defeating them would be straightforward.
After a brief moment of thought, Tatsuya muttered to himself, "Looks like I need to find an opportunity to learn [Summoning Jutsu] from Jiraiya."
If he could form a contract with the [Mount Myoboku] toads, not only would he gain access to powerful summons like Gamabunta, but it would also help him complete the third requirement. More importantly, he could eventually train in [Sage Mode]—a technique that would drastically enhance his abilities.
Of course, Mount Myoboku wasn't the only [Sacred Land]. There were also [Ryuchi Cave] and [Shikkotsu Forest]. Tatsuya was curious about them too, but the issue was that a shinobi could only form a contract with one type of summon.
"Unless…" Tatsuya pondered. The only known exception was the Animal Path of the Rinnegan, which allowed the user to summon multiple creatures. "Maybe there's a way to bypass that limit…"
Shaking the thought aside, he refocused. "Doesn't matter for now. I'll deal with that later."
With that in mind, his gaze fell on his two remaining lottery draws. His last draw had given him the [Three-Tomoe Sharingan]. Who knew what he'd get this time?
Anticipation surged through him as he accessed the lottery interface. Taking a deep breath, he extended his hand and pressed the [Start] button.
The wheel of rewards began spinning. Tatsuya's heartbeat quickened as he stared at it, his eyes locked onto the shifting prizes. After a few seconds, the first draw came to a stop.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained [Eight Gates: Gate of Limit Physique]!]
Tatsuya blinked in surprise. "Gate of Limit Physique? Could it be…?"
His excitement grew as he immediately accessed the item description. Just as he hoped, it was exactly what he thought.
[Eight Gates: Gate of Limit Physique]—Upon use, the host will instantly gain the physical conditioning necessary to open the [Gate of Limit]!
Originally, Tatsuya had been wondering how to train his body for the later gates of the [Eight Gates] technique. Unlike sheer talent, unlocking the higher gates required relentless physical conditioning. It was a process that had taken both Might Guy and Rock Lee years of grueling training.
Tatsuya had no intention of going through all that suffering.
"Hard work is for people without a system," he mused, smirking. "I'm not about to spend years breaking my body when I can just… shortcut it."
Now, thanks to the system, he had skipped the most grueling part entirely.
Still buzzing with excitement, he moved on to his second draw, eager to see what else he could obtain.
The wheel spun again, and after a few tense seconds, the system chimed once more.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained [Flying Thunder God Technique]!]
Tatsuya's eyes widened in disbelief before sheer exhilaration took over. "No way! The Flying Thunder God?!"
The description appeared before him:
[Flying Thunder God Technique: An S-Rank space-time ninjutsu that enables instant teleportation using marked seals. When mastered, it allows the user to warp across vast distances and even relocate massive objects, such as the Fourth Hokage's legendary feat of teleporting a Tailed Beast Bomb.]
Between the two rewards, [Flying Thunder God] was undoubtedly the superior ability. The only reason Tatsuya wasn't ranking them was because of his ridiculous talent multiplier. Given enough time, he would master the technique for sure.
But the [Eight Gates Physique] was different. Even with his talent, unlocking the higher gates required extreme physical conditioning—something that couldn't be bypassed without a miracle like this.
"This is insane…" Tatsuya muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. The sheer value of these two rewards was overwhelming.
Wasting no time, he activated both.
[Ding! Congratulations! Your body has reached 'Eight Gates: Gate of Limit Physique!']
[Ding! Congratulations! You have mastered the 'Flying Thunder God Technique!']
The moment the notifications appeared, a powerful energy surged through Tatsuya's body. His muscles felt stronger, his movements lighter—this was raw physical power, unlocked through the Eight Gates training.
"This strength…!" He clenched his fists, feeling the immense energy coursing through him.
Now he understood why Rock Lee had been able to push Gaara to his limits when he opened the [Gate of Limit]. The raw physical might was nothing short of monstrous.
At the same time, his mind filled with intricate knowledge about the [Flying Thunder God] technique. The key to mastering it lay in the understanding of space itself. Without that comprehension, even someone with high chakra levels couldn't use it properly.
It was no wonder that, even in the Hidden Leaf, only a handful of shinobi could use it—and even they could only do so at a basic level. Minato Namikaze had been in a league of his own.
Taking a deep breath, Tatsuya steadied his emotions. As much as he wanted to test out his new powers, there were more pressing matters to attend to.
Right on cue, Kakashi finally stirred from unconsciousness.
Tatsuya glanced at him, already knowing what was coming.
This was going to be an interesting conversation.