Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
Konoha remained peaceful—at least on the surface.
And under the "assistance" of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the newly appointed Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was becoming more and more polished.
Inside the village, he won hearts and support. Outside, he built cooperative ties with multiple hidden villages.
He even personally handled the Ancient Loran crisis—traveling there to seal the Dragon Vein and end the unrest.
With achievements like that piling up, Minato was steadily shaping himself into the kind of Hokage people would call great… even flawless.
…
Hokage Tower
On the top floor of the Hokage Tower, inside an office—
Hiruzen (who had already stepped down) sat with a pipe in hand, smoke curling from his lips in slow waves.
He was irritated.
No—more than that.
He'd always believed that after pushing Minato into the Hokage seat, he could still steer the village from behind the scenes, guiding it with his own philosophy.
But he hadn't expected this.
The longer Minato sat in office, the more beloved he became—almost to the point of eclipsing Hiruzen himself.
Part of it was Minato's image: bright, clean, heroic.
But the bigger reason was simpler—
Minato's actions aligned with what most of Konoha actually wanted.
It was… awkward.
What do I do…?
Hiruzen asked himself again and again, smoke spilling out with every breath.
And again and again, he found no answer.
Because with each passing day, Minato's position only grew more unshakable.
Unless Minato died—
…But was that even possible?
In the end, the only thing left in the room was a long, heavy sigh.
…
Uchiha Clan Grounds — Naka Shrine
Creeeak.
A hidden door groaned open.
Ren strolled into Naka Shrine with an unhurried, almost lazy air.
"I really don't get it," he muttered, "why the System's refreshed sign-in location had to be here."
This was the Uchiha's secret gathering ground. Ordinary clan members didn't even have access.
But Ren did.
As one of the clan's rare Elite Jōnin—and a taijutsu specialist feared across the village—his standing was more than enough.
He moved through several concealed passages and descended into a large underground chamber.
It was spotless. Someone maintained it regularly.
And at the center stood a massive stone tablet, taller than a man.
The Sage of Six Paths' Stone Tablet.
A record of secrets most of the world didn't even know existed—secrets that could only be read more fully as one's eyes evolved:
Sharingan → Mangekyō Sharingan → Rinnegan
Ren's gaze lingered on it.
"The Sage of Six Paths' tablet… tampered with by Black Zetsu," he said with a faint, amused exhale. "And Madara paid the price."
He clicked his tongue.
"Did Hagoromo really not notice… or did he just pretend not to?"
Ren shrugged.
"Whatever. Maybe it's just Ōtsutsuki family drama."
He drew a slow breath, then spoke clearly:
"System. Sign in at Naka Shrine."
One second… ten seconds… thirty…
After a minute, the familiar chime rang out.
Ding… Congratulations, User.
Sign-in successful at refreshed location: Naka Shrine.
Reward acquired: +10% progress.
"…That's it?" Ren blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "Only ten percent?"
Every refreshed-location sign-in so far had come with absurd rewards.
So this felt… stingy.
Then the System followed up:
Whitebeard Template: 70% → +10% → 80% unlocked.
And immediately—
Ding… Congratulations, User.
Whitebeard Template has reached 80%.
Unlocked: Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit power — Gura Gura no Mi.
Special Adaptation: immune to "Sea-Prism Stone" suppression.
"…Oh."
Ren's mood flipped instantly.
From cloudy skies to blazing sun.
"Now that is more like it."
He'd spent over half a year grinding the Template up to 70%.
This single sign-in shoved it straight to 80%—and unlocked the most terrifying part of Whitebeard's kit.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
And better yet, the System had clearly adapted it for this world—removing the usual "Sea-Prism Stone" drawback entirely.
Because honestly—
who knew whether Naruto-world water techniques had anything remotely similar to that concept?
Now it didn't matter.
Water Release, lakes, rivers—hell, even if he ever ended up in real pirate seas someday…
Ren wouldn't be dragged down by something that stupid.
Then the System asked:
User, do you wish to fuse Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit power?
Ren didn't hesitate.
"Fuse it."
HUMMM—!
A pale, luminous force surged into his body without warning.
And inside Ren's mind, a scene unfolded—so vivid it felt real.
Whitebeard clenched his fists.
That eerie, glowing quake-force wrapped around his knuckles like living light.
Then—
he punched.
BOOM—!!
The air shattered.
Cracks—literal, visible cracks—spiderwebbed across space like broken glass.
And the whole world shook, as if the sky and earth were about to tear apart.
…
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