Ding—You've significantly altered the fate of an important supporting character. The timeline has deviated. You've received: Random Associated Trait Extraction ×1, Trait Extraction ×1, Trait Gift ×1.
"Again?"
Yamanaka Shinno casually dispelled the high-pressure water blade formed with Water Release in his hand.
He was pretty satisfied with the reward from Yagura, too.
If it hadn't been for the Random Associated Trait Extraction he got from Rasa before, which turned his red trait into a golden legendary one and boosted his strength by leaps and bounds, he wouldn't have charged in without hesitation—even when faced with the Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and a wielder of the Rinnegan all at once.
At the end of the day, power is the only true foundation.
Only when you completely overpower your enemies can you stop worrying about tricks and tactics.
And these Random Associated Trait Extractions? They always give you a trait that links to something you already have, as long as the levels aren't too far apart.
Merge one in, and boom—another level up?
At this point, even his weakest trait is blue-tier!
Still...
Yagura only dropped one Trait Extraction reward? That's less than what Rasa gave.
Is it because the guy doesn't have a decent son?
After all, they showed up in the original about the same number of times.
One's the Kazekage, one's the Mizukage.
One diligently mined gold until he got offed by Orochimaru—the ultimate gold miner. The other stumbled through life, mind-controlled, and ultimately had his Tailed Beast ripped out of him—bloody mist lunatic.
Sure, being mind-controlled is kind of a downgrade, but being the Three-Tails Jinchūriki should've made up for it.
And yet, the system rated him lower than Rasa?
The difference must be Gaara!
"Killing or sparing him doesn't seem to make much difference in terms of fate fluctuations, huh...?"
Right when Shinno dropped the water blade, the aura of destiny around Yagura had already faded to nearly nothing.
But the rewards were almost on par with what he got from Rasa, who had a light purple aura of fate.
Both had been influenced by Black Zetsu.
Tobi and Yagura—different choices, but no clear winner or loser in terms of outcome.
So...
"What's the point in overthinking it? From now on, if I like 'em, I'll spare 'em. If I don't, I'll take 'em out. Simple as that…"
Shinno curled his lip and dropped the matter.
There are no good people in the shinobi world!
Everyone—without exception—has blood on their hands.
Take Yagura, for example.
Even without getting into how he turned Kirigakure into a bloody mess under Tobi's control, the fact that he managed to rise in a village secretly controlled by Madara says enough.
No way that guy's a beacon of truth and justice.
Same goes for pretty much every ninja in this world.
And Yamanaka Shinno, who's survived here for so many years, is no exception. His hands are just as stained.
By the standards of his previous life?
If he dies, maybe not the eighteenth layer of hell, but seventh or eighth is a pretty safe bet.
He shook his head, tossing away the idle thoughts.
His gaze turned toward the direction Ōnoki had escaped.
Just a moment ago, when Shinno used Wood Release to grow four enhanced wooden giants and conjured a thousand-meter lotus platform to forcibly suppress the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Ōnoki had seized the opportunity.
Using Earth Release, he slipped through the gaps in the freshly grown terrain and tunneled deep underground, escaping the Four Red Yang Formation's range.
Shinno had noticed the movement, but with Black Zetsu right in front of him, he decided not to give chase. If the monk escapes, the temple's still there.
But oddly, Ōnoki didn't flee the battlefield entirely.
Instead, he made his way toward the Konoha camp.
Gathering all the Iwagakure ninja—still disoriented by the massive Wood Release, the Four Red Yang Formation, and the appearance of the Demonic Statue—around himself.
Sunagakure's forces, intimidated by the towering technique two kilometers away, also halted their assault after seeing Iwagakure regroup. They moved to the northwest, forming a flanking stance alongside the Rock ninja.
Konoha's reinforcements were just about to arrive.
After spotting Shinno's shadow clone and "Danzō," Jiraiya realized that help was near. He immediately rallied the front-line troops—who had just fought a brutal battle and lost over a hundred comrades—and shifted to a reverse encirclement, locking down both Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
Shinno's clone didn't initially know why the main body had suddenly gone full-on rampage at the front lines.
But sensing the unfamiliar Sage energy and the sudden appearance of Rinnegan chakra, he quickly pieced it together—his real self had just leveled up again and found another big target.
He promptly informed Jiraiya and the others that the Wood Release was his doing and told them to stand down and wait for the main body.
...
"You really know how to keep secrets, huh?!"
Namikaze Minato gritted his teeth, glaring at his best friend's clone.
He had sensed Flying Thunder God fluctuations around the battlefield earlier. He didn't even need to guess who it was.
And right after that, chaos broke out.
Sunagakure's elite puppeteer squad's ambush from behind got blown, too.
Minato might not be a political guy, but his instincts on the battlefield were razor sharp.
He immediately deduced that reinforcements had been lying in wait as a trump card.
That's why, during the earlier battle, he had prioritized conserving Konoha's forces rather than diving headfirst into enemy ranks.
But what he didn't expect...
Was that his best friend, after arriving with Flying Thunder God, would drop another bombshell.
This guy didn't just know Flying Thunder God, genjutsu, Yin Release, and Water Release...
He knew Wood Release too!
That's Hashirama's Wood Release!
While keeping an eye on Iwagakure and Sunagakure, Jiraiya perked his ears up, listening closely to Shinno and Minato's exchange.
He had a million questions about Wood Release.
"Well, uh... I recently learned a technique that lets me make contracts with the dead..."
Shinno's shadow clone smoothly trotted out the usual excuse—[Borrowed Account Login].
He began explaining the origin of his Wood Release to the two beside him.
"Then why didn't you use it earlier, you—"
Minato looked puzzled, casting a subtle glance at Danzō, silently asking: Was it because you didn't want certain people to catch wind of it?
"Hold up—I'm checking in with my real body."
Shinno's shadow clone dispersed into a puff of chakra smoke.
The memories quickly returned to the main body.
A moment later...
A wooden clone, using a special Flying Thunder God kunai from Minato's belt, reappeared by his side.
Catching sight of Jiraiya's scowl aimed squarely at Danzō, Shinno decided not to keep anything under wraps.
He launched straight into the truth about the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the origins of the ninja world and chakra, and Black Zetsu's entire scheme.
...
Over on Iwagakure's side—
Ōnoki, clothes tattered and body covered in wounds, looked like he'd aged ten years. Sitting cross-legged before a thousand Iwa-nin, he stared into their anxious, uncertain, or panicked faces.
Raising a hand, he pointed toward the red barrier two kilometers away—towering into the heavens.
Even at this distance, the silhouettes of the Demonic Statue and the four wooden giants inside the semi-transparent barrier radiated a suffocating, terrifying pressure.
"Konoha has someone with Wood Release. That's the same power that ended the Warring States era and created the ninja villages. The one who holds the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths from Kirigakure—he lost. I lost too. And that man... has made his offer..."
Ōnoki's voice trembled with age and weariness.
When the Three-Tails, summoned by the Rinnegan and clashing with the wooden giants, couldn't even fight back—just curled up in a corner like a scared child—
What chance did the Four-Tails or Five-Tails have?
That's not a power mortals can challenge.
Ōnoki had failed the past Tsuchikage, and he'd failed the Iwagakure shinobi who believed in him.
But if they didn't yield now, what could they possibly use to fight back?
Could he just stand there and watch his fellow ninja die, one by one, wave after wave?
Maybe, as the Tsuchikage—
This was the last thing he could do for the village.
Let the shame fall on him. Let him be the one cursed and scorned by those who truly love the village...
Thunk—!
A sharp hand chop struck the back of Ōnoki's neck.
Standing just behind him, Kurotsuchi's father—Kitsuchi—spoke solemnly:
"Tsuchikage Ōnoki collapsed from exhaustion after fighting the enemy to his last breath. He's too injured to carry on his duties. I will succeed him as the Fourth Tsuchikage and, on behalf of Iwagakure... negotiate peace with Konohagakure."
Tears streamed down Kitsuchi's face. His voice cracked, but he stood tall and firm.
He was an Iwagakure shinobi.
He knew exactly how hard it had been for his stubborn old man to make such a choice.
And that's why he couldn't let him shoulder that burden alone.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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