Minato with a Gacha

[Danzo's POV]

Pathetic, Danzo thought as he watched Kushina's resolve crumble. The woman was a storm of emotions, predictable in her loyalty and rage. He'd always admired the Uzumaki's ferocity, but it made them so easy to manipulate.

Her fingers trembled as she unrolled the contract, her eyes scanning the terms. Of course, she wouldn't recognize the finer details—the subtle clauses that would allow him to siphon the imposter's borrowed power once the Shinigami came. Let her think this was about Naruto's safety. Let her believe she still had control.

The real prize was the creature itself. A being that could wield jutsu that are never heard of. Danzo's missing arm itched beneath its bandages, the Hashirama cells within stirring hungrily. If he could harness that power, merge it with the Sharingan embedded in his socket…

Konoha's future would be unassailable.

But first, he needed Kushina's compliance.

"Well?" he prompted, injecting a note of impatience into his voice. "Every second you delay risks—"

"I'll do it." Kushina's voice was hollow, her fiery defiance reduced to embers. She bit her thumb, smearing blood across the scroll. The seals ignited, binding her chakra to the contract.

Danzo allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. "Wise choice."

"But if you so much as touch Naruto—"

"Spare me the threats." Danzo tucked the scroll away, turning toward the door. "We both want the same thing: a strong Konoha. The rest is… negotiable."

He left her standing in the shadows, already mentally drafting orders for Root. The imposter would need closer surveillance. And if the Shinigami's mark progressed as predicted, he'd have to accelerate his experiments with the Hashirama cells.

Let the beast play Hokage a little longer, he mused, melting into the night. Soon, its power will be mine.

[Kushina's POV]

The moment Danzo's chakra faded, Kushina collapsed against the wall, the contract's seals burning like brands beneath her skin. She'd sold a piece of her soul tonight—to a man she despised, for a son she might still lose.

But as she stared at the blood drying on her palm, a spark of defiance reignited.

You don't know him like I do, Danzo.

The imposter was reckless, yes. Flawed. Dangerous. But in the heat of their battle, she'd glimpsed something—not Minato's shadow, but a flicker of raw, untamed will. 

She pressed a hand to her scarred collarbone, where his final punch had nearly shattered her. He fights like he's got nothing left to lose.

Maybe that's exactly what Konoha needed.

Pushing off the wall, she slipped into the night, her chains dissolving into mist. She had a visit to make—to a certain recovering impostor.

Time to see if you're worth the hell I've unleashed on us both.

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[MC'S POV]

Night fell. The pain crested, then ebbed. My fingers twitched, tendons finally whole. I sat up, the IV lines ripping free as I swung my legs over the bedside.

[Regeneration Complete. Penalty: Cellular Agony – Terminated.]

The relief was instant, euphoric. I gasped, sweat-drenched and trembling. The room spun, but I was whole. For now.

A mirror on the far wall showed Minato's face—pale, hollow-eyed, but intact. No scars. No trace of the battle except the Shinigami's mark, now crawling past my knee.

"Weak," I told the reflection.

The system flickered. [Proposal: Upgrade to "Deadpool's Regeneration" (Marvel). Penalty: Mental Degradation – Cumulative memory loss.]

"No."

[Proposal: Acquire "One for All" (My Hero Academia). Penalty: Complete Limb Destruction.]

"Not. Helping."

I limped to the door, each step sending jolts of phantom pain through nerves still convinced they were dying. The hallway outside was deserted, lit by flickering emergency lights. Somewhere above, Konoha was rebuilding. Here, in the depths, there was only silence and the occasional drip of water.

And a shadow.

Danzo Shimura emerged from the gloom, his bandaged face unreadable. "Interesting," he murmured. "The Yellow Flash, brought low by his own wife."

"What do you want?"

He tilted his head, his lone eye glinting. "To offer a solution. That mark on your leg? The Shinigami cares nothing for our mortal squabbles. It wants a soul. Any soul."

A scroll appeared in his hand, unfurling to revealed the location , whereabouts, abilities, weakness an enemy of Konoha.

"Feed it," Danzo said, "and live."

The system pulsed. [Quest Updated: Survive the Shinigami's Hunt. Accept Danzo's Offer? Y/N]

I stared at the name. A terrorist from Iwa. A Kiri spy. A twelve-year-old Suna deserter.

"No."

Danzo's smile didn't reach his eye. "Sentimentality is a luxury, Hokage-sama. One you can't afford."

He vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the scroll at my feet.

I crumpled the scroll, letting it burn to ash in my palm. Let the pain come. Let the Shinigami hunt.

From now on I am doing things my own way.

The fight with kushina revealed that I'm not as weak as I thought, just the pain 

If I was going to die here, in this stolen skin, I'd do it as myself.

[Ability Activated: Captain America's Resilience (Marvel). Penalty: None. Requirement: Worthy Heart.]

For this time, the system didn't argue.