Naruto was wary of Mizuki—he trusted him about as far as he could throw him.
Reflecting on that now, Naruto realized that might not be the best way to measure trust; with enough effort and his sheer force jutsu, he could probably hurl Mizuki quite a distance.
As Naruto walked into the infirmary to meet him, Mizuki greeted Naruto with a broad smile, congratulating him on his recent exam performance.
The bastard was putting on a good show, but that smile of his? It didn't quite reach his eyes. It felt off, and Naruto knew better than to take it at face value. Mizuki's acting might fool someone else, but not Naruto—and definitely not the system.
[ Alert: Reputation Change with Touji Mizuki ]
[ Previous Status: Despised ]
[ New Status: Midas' Hand ]
...
[ Midas' Hand Details: ]
- [ Description: Granted to non-players with whom the player has a negative reputation. ]
- [ Effect: Mizuki will seek to undermine Naruto, turning seemingly beneficial actions into harmful outcomes. ]
- [ Warning: Engagements with Mizuki may appear promising but are likely to lead to adverse results. Proceed with caution. ]
Mizuki had just pitched an "extra credit exam" that suspiciously involved stealing the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.
As Naruto stood there listening, his mind raced through his options.
On one hand, he could just march right up to the Hokage's office and spill the beans about Mizuki's plan. That would surely land Mizuki in jail.
On the other hand...
[ Alert: World Quest ]
[ Quest Title: Knowledge is Power ]
[ Objectives:
- Infiltrate the Hokage's Library.
- Acquire the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.
- Escape undetected with the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.
- Deliver the Forbidden Scroll of Seals to the designated secret location.
- ?
- ?
- (Bonus Objective)
- (Bonus Objective) ]
[ Rewards:
- 2000 Experience Points per completed objective.
- Additional 1000 Experience Points for completing any bonus objectives.
- A scenario that will enable Naruto Uzumaki to learn the truth about why he is hated. ]
[ Penalty for Failure: Capture and imprisonment. Decrease in reputation within Konoha. ]
The promise of uncovering the hidden truth was incredibly tempting.
If Naruto turned down this chance, would another opportunity ever come up? What was this secret the system was dangling in front of him? Was it tied to why the Hokage himself delivered a monthly stipend to Naruto? Why was he always looked at with those eyes full of disdain? Was this connected to the Uzumaki clan or was it something entirely different?
But let's be honest—Naruto knew he could be a bit of a fool sometimes.
Yet, even a fool could see the reality of a situation when it was staring him in the face. This mission was dangerous; if he was really going to steal the forbidden scroll, he had to bring his A-game.
Naruto's gaze inadvertently drifting to the inventory.
He clenched the rune tightly in his hand, feeling its cool, smooth black surface against his skin.
"Please, something powerful, please," he muttered under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut. It felt more like he was making a birthday wish than activating a magical item.
[ Item: Skill Rune Stone ]
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
[ Status: Used ]
[ Acquired Skill: Earth Style: Diamond Skin ]
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[ Skill: Earth Style: Diamond Skin ]
[ Level: 1 (Active) ]
[ Chakra Points (CP) Required: 100 per inch ]
[ Description: A B rank jutsu that coats the user's body in earth chakra, manipulating it into a diamond lattice to create a diamond coating for one minute. ]
[ Passive Enhancements: ]
- [ Earth Affinity: Allows manipulation of the ground for defense and attack, solid and reliable. ]
[ Active Effects: ]
- [ Durability: Applies the durability of diamond to the coated area. ]
[ Warning: Use on mobile parts causes stiffness, preventing movement. To remove the immobilization debuff, increase the skill level. ]
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As Naruto reached the rooftop, Sasuke was already there, casually sitting on the handrail as if he owned the place.
"What took you so long?"
Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke's impatience. "Whatever let's just get this over with," he muttered, more eager to test out his new skill than he let on.
"Indeed."
He didn't waste another moment, appearing right in front of Naruto in a blur. His feint was smooth and deceptive, his body twisting slightly. Sasuke's leg swept around in a swift, circular motion—a round kick aimed directly at Naruto's shoulder traps.
Naruto reacted, channeling earth chakra to his shoulder.
As he concentrated, the chakra began to crystallize, morphing into an intricate diamond lattice shape. The fine dust particles in the air were drawn to the charged chakra lattice, clinging to it layer by layer until a solid shell of diamond emerged, encasing Naruto's shoulders just in time to intercept Sasuke's kick.
Sasuke's kick landed hard against the diamond-hard barrier. Naruto couldn't help but wince inwardly for him as he saw Sasuke's expression contort—a mix of agony and surprise, as he tried desperately to hold back a scream.
It was fair, really; Sasuke had just kicked diamond with his shin.
Internally, Naruto was buzzing with excitement. The skill worked even better than he'd hoped, and the look on Sasuke's face was an added bonus.
Sasuke jumped back, and Naruto instantly recognized his stance—he was gearing up for the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.
His Sharingan was already active.
Naruto wasn't about to just stand there; he responded with his own Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.
As their fireballs collided, they exploded with a deafening roar, the force of the blast sending a rush of hot air swirling around them. The heat prickled against Naruto's skin, and the light from the flames briefly lit up the entire rooftop like a sudden burst of daylight.
Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Sasuke weaving signs for another jutsu. A giant cloud of smoke erupted and began to swirl around them, obscuring Naruto's vision.
He could tell Sasuke was moving within it, probably circling around for a better angle.
"New jutsu, Teme!"
Naruto wasn't really worried; closing his eyes, he tapped into the Mind's Eye to pinpoint Sasuke's location. The swirling smoke might have confused anyone else, but Naruto wasn't just anyone. He played along, pretending the smoke was disorienting him, periodically turning his head as if searching blindly. When he sensed Sasuke had paused, likely thinking he had confused him, Naruto decided it was time to surprise him. As he turned his back Sasuke struck, launching two kunai wired with ninja wire at him.
Naruto spun around just in time to catch them, his fingers brushing against the cold metal. He felt a pulse of fire chakra building in Sasuke's lungs, ready to turn this setup into a fiery trap.
"Dumbass."
Before Sasuke could unleash whatever, he planned, Naruto quickly cast a Genjutsu Ensnarement.
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Sasuke felt the smoke around him morph unsettlingly into an orange goo, which then grotesquely formed into a giant head of Naruto. The exaggerated features of Naruto's face loomed over him, the familiar grin stretched grotesquely wide.
"Dattebayo!" the giant head screamed, its voice echoing around him, and Sasuke felt a chill of mortification.
He frantically tried to break the genjutsu, pouring his chakra into dispelling the illusion, but to no avail.
"Why isn't it breaking?" Sasuke thought desperately, his fingers forming seals rapidly. His frustration mounted with each failed attempt.
"Because I am reapplying the genjutsu again and again, faster than you can break it. You should really work on your chakra control, teme," the floating Naruto head taunted him with a smugness that made Sasuke grit his teeth.
Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Teme," the head mimicked him mockingly.
"Hn."
"You know, if I hadn't ensnared you in this genjutsu, you would have killed us both," Naruto's voice came from the giant head, slightly more serious this time.
"Hn," Sasuke replied, confusion knitting his brows.
"Dust, smoke and fire cause explosions, teme."
"Hn."
"Don't 'Hn' me. So, you have two choices: either give up, and I'll give you this." The giant Naruto head turned, and from a swirl of white smoke, a figure emerged. Sasuke's eyes widened as a beautiful model walked out—her body was human, perfect in form, but absurdly, her head was a bowl of ramen.
"Isn't she beautiful?"
"You have a problem," Sasuke retorted dryly, his voice flat, the situation straining even his usually stoic demeanor.
"So, are you going to accept it, or..."
"Not—"
The floating head gave Sasuke a look and then opened its mouth.
"Caw Caw Bitch!"
A bizarre rubber chicken noise echoed through the air, and just as Sasuke tried to make sense of the sound, the scene took an even stranger turn.
From the gaping mouth of the floating Naruto head, a muscular humanoid rubber chicken emerged.
It strutted confidently towards Sasuke with a comically serious expression on its rubbery face. Before Sasuke could even raise his guard, the rubber chicken swung a powerful punch.
It connected squarely with Sasuke's face, knocking him out cold in an instant.
As darkness closed in around him, the last thing Sasuke saw was the absurd figure of the rubber chicken flexing its muscles triumphantly, a ridiculous sight that would have been hilarious under any other circumstances.
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"Should have listened, teme. Should have taken the ramen, babe," Naruto chided, shaking his head at the unconscious Sasuke, with the rubber chicken casually slung over his shoulder.
"Anyways," Naruto mused aloud, "I tested the diamond skin; it's awesome, but the hampered mobility is quite the drawback." He glanced down at the rubber chicken. "I wonder..."
Pausing for a moment, he channeled chakra into the rubber chicken, then performed the Earth Style: Diamond Skin jutsu. To his delight and surprise, the rubber chicken shimmered, turning into a gleaming diamond statue.
"Haha, I have a diamond cock!"
Just then, he heard a creak.
Turning around, Naruto saw the school janitor standing in the doorway, his eyes flicking from the knocked-out Sasuke back to Naruto, and then remembered Naruto's comment about his cock.
"Congratulations for coming out," the janitor said dryly, tipping his hat with a barely concealed smirk before slowly closing the door behind him.