Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : Hashirama
Ryoto frowned. The task was not yet complete.
In his mind, the direction provided by the system appeared—it was to the northeast.
Ryoto looked at the dark forest and hesitated.
This forest is too dark…
It's kind of scary…
At that moment, Ryoto was debating whether to chase after them.
I'm just a shinobi!
"Do you want to go back and be a nobody?"
"But the task is already 60% complete. Maybe I can find four more hairs and finish it?"
Ryoto gritted his teeth. Since he had come this far, there was no way he would stop halfway!
Pursue!
At the same time, at the gate of Konoha Village, a yellow figure shot out like lightning.
It was Minato Namikaze.
"Minato, did you find any clues at Kushina's house?"
The person asking was none other than Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
Minato took out a strand of deep red hair. "This hair should belong to Kushina."
Sakumo immediately summoned a ninja dog and let it sniff Kushina's hair.
The ninja dog let out a sharp bark and charged northeast.
"Kushina's scent leads to the northeast, but it's already very faint…"
Minato hurriedly asked, "Brother Sakumo, can we still catch up to them?"
Sakumo pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's try!"
Turning back, Sakumo ordered, "Go report the situation to Lord Hokage. I'll chase after them with Minato!"
With that, Sakumo leaped into the night and vanished.
Soon, Ryoto found a second strand of hair following the system's prompts.
[Ding! Clue found! Task completion: 70%! Please continue tracking!]
At that moment, Ryoto recalled a bit of Naruto's plot.
According to the original story, Minato was the one who found the hair deliberately left by Kushina.
By dawn the next day, Kushina would have been taken to the border.
Just when Kushina lost hope, Minato would appear and save her—winning her heart in the process.
But now, there was a new variable: Ryoto.
Ryoto was curious. If he collected all the clues, would Minato still be able to find Kushina?
If his presence altered the timeline and Kushina was truly captured, wouldn't that change everything about Naruto's story?
With these thoughts in mind, Ryoto quickly found the third strand of hair.
Regardless of how the story might change, the mission was already 80% complete. He only needed two more hairs to finish it!
At this point, there was no way Ryoto would give up.
Forget the "Konoha Whirlwind"—he wasn't interested!
Chasing forward, Ryoto reached the edge of the forest.
Landing on a treetop, he looked toward the open plain—and his pupils shrank in shock.
A hundred meters away, several figures were fleeing toward the Land of Lightning. The last figure in the group, with long red hair…
Wasn't that Kushina?
Just as Ryoto spotted Kushina, he was also discovered.
"Who's there?!"
A cold voice rang out behind him.
Not good!
Before Ryoto could react, a palm struck his back with immense force.
"Argh!"
Ryoto spat out blood as intense pain ripped through his chest. It felt like his organs were shattering as he plummeted from the treetops.
The ninja who attacked him landed as well.
Ryoto saw the enemy's attire—he wore a Kumogakure uniform.
This was bad.
A standard-issue ninja outfit—at least a Chunin.
"A mere Genin? Pathetic."
The enemy smirked in disdain before vanishing.
A Shadow Clone?
To him, a low-level Genin hit by his attack was as good as dead—there was no need to check.
Meanwhile, Kushina noticed the disturbance in the woods. When she turned back, her face turned pale.
She couldn't see who it was, but she knew it had to be someone who came to rescue her.
And now, they had been killed by the Cloud ninjas.
"Hmph. Stop struggling and move!"
"See that? Whoever comes to save you dies!"
"I find it amusing—this fool came here just to die."
Kushina's heart wavered at those words, and an image of Ryoto's smiling face surfaced in her mind.
No… It couldn't be Ryoto. That coward wouldn't come.
But her body trembled as she thought about it.
In the distance, Ryoto slumped against a tree, gasping for breath. His vision blurred.
[Ding! Kushina found! Congratulations, Host, for completing the third option! Reward: Supreme Starter Pack!]
"Hurry up and open it!"
Ryoto felt like he was on the verge of death. His body was freezing, his eyelids heavy—he could barely keep them open!
Damn… I almost got myself killed!
This reward was his last hope.
[Ding! Open Supreme Starter Pack?]
[Yes!]
A brilliant light burst from the gift pack.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the SSS-rank Character Card: Hashirama Senju!]
[After fusing this card, the Host will acquire all of Hashirama's Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Senjutsu, combat experience, and training talent!]
[Due to the immense power gap, full fusion will take approximately one year!]
[Proceed with fusion?]
[Yes!]
Ryoto's eyes lit up—he was saved!
Hashirama Senju!
The original Hokage!
The God of Shinobi!
The reincarnation of Asura!
His vitality was monstrous—his wounds healed almost instantly. Even Madara Uchiha once said, "On the battlefield, no one can kill Hashirama."
In an instant, a virtual space appeared in Ryoto's mind.
At its center stood a towering figure—Hashirama Senju himself.
Ryoto's perspective merged with Hashirama's, as if he had become him.
And standing opposite him was none other than a young Madara Uchiha!
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The ground trembled violently!
Countless saplings burst forth, growing at an astonishing rate, transforming the landscape into a vast forest in mere seconds.
Enormous tree branches twisted and stretched like living creatures, consuming Madara in an instant!
This was Hashirama's legendary Wood Release Kekkei Genkai!
Ryoto's eyes snapped open as a sudden surge of power flooded his body.
The pain was gone.
The cold had vanished.
His entire body felt rejuvenated—stronger than ever.
He could sense the energy of the world flowing into him, rapidly transforming into chakra within his body.
Moreover, he felt connected to nature itself, as if he had gained an unparalleled affinity with his surroundings.
In just a few seconds, Ryoto had gone from near death to peak condition!
Not only that—he knew he could now unleash the technique he had just witnessed: Deep Forest Emergence!
With a single thought, he could summon an entire forest!
This was the terrifying power of Hashirama's bloodline limit.
Furthermore, Ryoto had inherited all of Hashirama's battle experience!
In the brief moment of fusion, Ryoto could already feel his strength multiplying tenfold—hundredfold!
And this was only the beginning. Once the fusion was complete…
His potential would be limitless!
END of Chapter 2
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