The system spoke: [Master, would you like to open the lottery pack?]
Ayato thought inwardly, Open it.
If this was a pack that could pull abilities from across worlds, there ought to be something interesting to snag. He wasn't picky — a Zanpakutō would've been fun — but whatever, spin the wheel and see.
[Opening pack… performing random draw.]
The system announced with fanfare: [Random draw complete. Rewards granted: Earth-Release Mastery, Barrier Mastery, and a pair of Rinne-Sharingan.]
Ayato blinked.
Earth Release mastery? Huh.
He'd never learned certain earth techniques — weight-increasing and light-rock manipulations, for instance — but with mastery they'd be instantaneous. Not bad.
Barrier mastery? Useful enough.
But the thing that actually made him pause was the pair of Rinne-Sharingan.
He already had the Transmigration Eye, so he understood how terrifying ocular powers could be. The Rinne-Sharingan's potency was obscene — an order of magnitude beyond the Transmigration Eye and even the Rinnegan. In myth, Otsutsuki Kaguya's extra crimson eye that sprouted from her brow after eating the Divine Tree fruit was a Rinne-Sharingan — and she only had one. Ayato had just drawn two.
Sure, he would've liked a Zanpakutō for style, but a pair of Rinne-Sharingan wasn't bad at all. This broken system sure seemed intent on making him the strongest in the shinobi world.
Side quests paid off. Lottery packs were worth it. Give him more of these.
Ayato narrowed his gaze. His pale-blue Transmigration Eye flickered, then shifted into the crimson pattern of the Rinne-Sharingan and, for a moment, he let that terrifying aura wash through him — then switched back to the Transmigration Eye.
He'd stash the Rinne-Sharingan for now and show off to Nagato later.
Rinnegan strong? Sorry — I have Rinne-Sharingan.
"What was that just now?" Team 7 all stiffened. A pulse of pressure beyond comprehension had rolled over them for an instant — faint but unmistakable.
"That was… the aura of the Sharingan?" Sasuke's face went pale. He turned to Ayato with disbelief and deep alarm in his eyes.
The terrifying chakra wave had seemed to originate from their teacher, and though it bore the flavor of the Sharingan, it was magnitudes stronger than any Sharingan Sasuke had ever sensed. Ayato was Hyūga — how could he possibly possess Uchiha power?
And yet… what had that feeling even been? Could their teacher be hiding a power far greater than anyone had guessed?
Ayato caught Sasuke's glance and offered a faint, arrogant smile. "You'll understand in time. I have more power than you imagine."
He wasn't ready to reveal the Rinne-Sharingan yet. A little mystery made the performance sweeter. Showmanship demanded surprises.
"S—sensei…" Sasuke started to protest, then saw Ayato's cold look and clipped, "I understand, Ayato-sensei."
He didn't understand anything, but he swallowed it down.
When the students realized the overwhelming wave of chakra had been Ayato's, they relaxed — shaken, but alive.
Naruto, touching Bai's blood with his hand, clenched a fist and met Ayato's stare with newfound resolve. "I swear here — from now on I'll live my ninja way without regrets! I'll stick to it no matter what!"
Bai had died for someone he loved, and that absolute conviction had moved Naruto deeply. For all their differences, Team 7 had witnessed a love-tinged, regret-filled farewell unlike any they'd seen before.
Ayato snorted. "Mm. Use your mouth to become Hokage and try to charm everyone with it."
The quip drew a small, guilty grin from Naruto.
Ayato produced a sealing scroll and trapped Bai and Zabuza within a barriered seal.
"We'll send them back to the Mist," he said. A-rank rogues fetched a price.
"Ayato-sensei, what are you doing?" Sakura peered at the scroll, curious.
"Sending them to the Mist," Ayato replied, pocketing the scroll.
Naruto, already patched of his anger, shrugged and grinned. "Oh, you're actually okay."
"Stern mouth, soft heart," Sakura murmured with a small laugh, covering her smile.
Sasuke snorted and followed, though the gears in his mind were already turning — that Sharingan-taste of power would have to be investigated later.
The students assumed Ayato planned to return Bai and Zabuza to their homeland for burial — many shinobi liked the idea of resting where they were born. They called Ayato a brusque man with a tender core. It suited him.
"Honestly, you lot are weird sometimes," Ayato muttered as they walked. He'd heard plenty of commentary from the team and could tell they still misunderstood the practicalities of shinobi life. Taking heads for coin and still thinking of them kindly — they were naive.
"Sensei, we completed the task — what about that merchant Kado?" Sakura asked, glancing back at the bridge. "If we leave, won't he still try to stop Dazuna's project?"
Ayato waved a hand, casual. "He's dead."
Sakura blinked. "He was—?"
"He's been dead for two days. I took his estate." Ayato shrugged with the air of a man who'd spent the night drinking and found a new fortune. "The Land of Waves will be a profitable venture." He'd solved Kado two days prior, convenient and tidy.
Sakura exhaled and relaxed.
"Let's go," Ayato said, and stalked off. They would take the sealed pair back to the Mist and collect payment. He'd have to deal with Tsunade later for Sakura's Hundred-Hands progress — that woman was a headache, and Ayato remembered their past spat all too well. Tsunade had earned the title of Fifth Mizukage and a reputation to match; bending her would be a chore.
"Let's grab ramen on the way back — I've got two discount coupons!" Naruto cheerfully produced them and waved them at the retreating pair. "Sasuke, no share."
"Don't pester me." Sasuke walked faster to catch up to Ayato. He wanted to find a moment to ask about that Sharingan aura he'd felt.
"Hey, wait for me, Ayato! Sasuke!" Sakura dashed after them, leaving Naruto in a huff. He pouted, "That's not fair — first Sasuke, now Ayato. What's so great about those two?"
Land of Water — Mist Village, the headquarters.
"Still no trace of the Three-Tails?" Tsunade sat with one leg crossed over the other, hair falling across one eye. Her presence filled the room — Fifth Mizukage, double kekkei genkai genius. Beside her an elite shinobi bowed and reported.
"We've scoured the suspicious areas, Mizukage, but nothing. No sign." The jonin spoke with the gravity of someone bearing bad news.
Tsunade's brow tightened. She'd ended the Blood Mist tragedy long ago and restored the village's dignity. The disappearance of the Three-Tails after the fall of the tyrant Yagura had been a continuing thorn. The beast's absence made the Mist vulnerable and anxious.
"Expand the search," Tsunade ordered. "A bijū is a strategic asset. We cannot ignore it."
The door creaked and Long-tenro — carrying an odd greatsword and shy as ever — came in. He bowed awkwardly. "Mizukage, Hyūga Ayato requests an audience."
At the name, Tsunade's countenance froze. The memory of Ayato's last intrusion surfaced: crude, lewd, and painfully humiliating. A flush of anger licked at her composure.
"You said who?" she asked, voice clipped.
"Ayato Hyūga," Long-tenro answered, trembling.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. The name was a red flag. Ayato — disaster-ninja, pervert, a man she'd tangled with before — had arrived at the Mist once more. The thought set a burning ache along her spine. He'd been a pest. She remembered a past run-in; her memory alone made her bristle.
Ayato was trouble — delightful, infuriating trouble.
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