After using up the four Super Draw chances he had been saving for so long, Senshi felt very pleased with the outcome of those four draws.
Speed Force was an insanely overpowered ability. Developed to its fullest, unless an opponent had an equally god-tier way to counter it, he would essentially be untouchable. In addition to the Speed Force, the Destroyer Armor and the empty Infinity Gauntlet were also artifact-level items.
Even the Fusion Dance—currently of little use to him—was still an incredibly powerful skill.
Having spent all his Super Draw attempts, Senshi decided to use some of his Intermediate Draw tickets as well.
Right now, he had over 1.5 million employment points, enough to perform fifteen sets of 100-draws and still have some left.
After obtaining that empty Infinity Gauntlet, he felt an urge to unlock the Advanced Draw so he could try for the Infinity Stones.
Though collecting all six Stones was harder than shutting Naruto up, even getting just one would yield tremendous effects.
Wasting no time, he jumped right in: "System buddy, give me a hundred-draw! Gimme something good!"
[Deducting 100,000 Employment Points. Remaining balance: 1,424,950!]
[Drawing in progress…]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained…]
[Lightning Release: Chidori *1!]
[Okonomiyaki *3!]
[Ichiraku Ramen *5!]
[Kunai *3!]
…
Senshi: (O_O)???
This result completely threw him. After a hundred draws, the best prize he got was Lightning Release: Chidori.
Granted, system-drawn jutsu differed from the scratch-off cards Karin and the others used; if he already knew the jutsu, the system wouldn't make him "relearn" it but would instead let him pass it on to someone else, letting them master it instantly.
He could just give Chidori to Sasuke, boosting his mission-farming ability. If Sasuke already drew Chidori via scratch-off, then it could go to Uzumaki Lanyu or one of the Raimon siblings. Either way, it wouldn't go to waste.
But the core issue was that, across an entire 100-draw, the best prize turned out to be that.
Seriously too unlucky.
Still, Senshi didn't dwell on it for long—based on his experience, it was just a case of "bad luck first means better luck next."
Without hesitating, he initiated another draw.
"System buddy, let's do a second 100-draw. Come on, big prize, let's go!"
[Deducting 100,000 Employment Points. Remaining balance: 1,324,950!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained…]
[Speed Force: Proficiency +1!]
…
Partway through that second 100-draw, Senshi ignored the smaller items. As soon as he spotted Speed Force: Proficiency +1, a radiant smile lit his face, like winning the lottery.
"Aha! That first draw was all about saving up my good luck—this second one gave me a Speed Force proficiency boost right away!"
Compared to the first draw's "unlucky streak," the second one felt like cheating. True, a C-rank dev level on the Speed Force didn't sound high, but it was like building a house: no first floor, no second floor. If he snagged a few more Speed Force proficiency boosts, he could reach A-rank or even S-rank development.
Besides the Speed Force upgrade, he got several other great things from the second 100-draw:
[Bloodline Limit: Crystal Release ×1!]
[Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tag Scroll ×1!]
[Soldier Pills ×10!]
[Explosive Clay ×10!]
Pills were so-so, explosive clay was "medium" in value, but the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tag scroll was definitely worth a lot.
And the Crystal Release bloodline was a major prize. It was quite a formidable kekkei genkai wielded by Guren, Orochimaru's subordinate.
Guren could create and manipulate pinkish crystals in combat and, before Sasuke came along, had even been Orochimaru's planned future vessel—so, "handpicked by Orochimaru" guaranteed high quality.
That left Senshi pumped for the next draws.
[Deducting 100,000 Employment Points. Remaining balance: 1,224,950!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained…]
[Sukuna's Finger *2!]
[Bloodline Limit: Lava Release *1!]
[Bloodline Limit: Ice Release *1!]
…
"Wow, another great haul? Sukuna's Finger again, plus two bloodline limits!"
He'd drawn a Sukuna Finger a long time ago. At one time, when Nagato was all shriveled up, Senshi considered letting him eat it to bolster him.
He ended up pulling a Super Soldier Serum that revived Nagato's health, so the finger had never been used.
But no matter. Sukuna's Finger was definitely valuable. Even being able to form "four-handed signs" wouldn't hurt.
He'd store it in the system space until needed. The second and third 100-draws had brought a wealth of goodies, leaving him delighted.
But after three sets of 100-draws, the Advanced Draw still wouldn't unlock.
He still had about 900,000 points left, though, so he wasn't panicking yet. Maybe that 900k would do it. After six sets in total, he tried again: "System buddy, keep going. Let's get more Speed Force dev points!"
[Deducting 100,000 Employment Points. Remaining balance: 824,950!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained…]
[Space-Time Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God *1!]
[Sukuna's Finger *2!]
[Bloodline Limit: Storm Release *1!]
…
Again, no Speed Force dev, but he drew another Sukuna Finger. At this rate, he might assemble all 20.
Meanwhile, the Flying Thunder God was old news to him—he'd had it for a while. With the Kāma in place, FTG wasn't especially useful to him personally, but it could be passed on to some promising subordinate.
Next, he plunged into a "rapid-fire 100-draw" spree.
He pulled all sorts of bloodline limits, advanced ninjutsu, special ninja tools, and more Sukuna Fingers.
After thirteen consecutive 100-draws, Senshi paused, somewhat flabbergasted.
Now he was only two fingers away from completing all 20 of Sukuna's Fingers.
On top of that, he'd pulled piles of three-tomoe Sharingan, Byakugan, and various other kekkei genkai. His system storage was crammed with good stuff. Yet the Advanced Draw still hadn't unlocked, and his originally 1.5 million points had dropped to around 200,000.
He felt torn. Could unlocking the Advanced Draw be this hard?
Eyeing the 200,000 points left, he hesitated.
Those 1.5 million points had taken a long time to save up. If he spent them all without unlocking the new feature, it would be a real bummer.
The only reason he'd gathered so many was from that big chunk of income from the Konoha-Suna co-hosted Chūnin Exams. Granted, he'd accepted a job from Zetsu to resurrect Kaguya for over 30 million Employment Points, but that mission involved multiple steps and would have to be done gradually—it might be ages before seeing that 30 million payout.
After thinking it over, Senshi decided he might as well gamble the remaining 200k as well. With a mercenary group and tons of Wood Clones constantly providing him with fresh points, why be stingy?
"System buddy! Another 100-draw. Maybe we'll unlock the Advanced Draw this time!"
[Deducting 100,000 Employment Points. Remaining balance: 124,950!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained…]
[Speed Force: Proficiency +1!]
[Ninjutsu: Rasengan *1!]
[Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (one pair) *1!]
…
"Sigh…" He let out a frustrated breath. Though the result was good—another Speed Force dev upgrade, raising it to B-rank—he still hadn't unlocked the Advanced Draw.
Exhaling, he went for the last 100-draw.
"System buddy, come on. Enough is enough. I've done fourteen 100-draws. Don't do me like this! And stop giving me more bloodline limits. My storage is full. Another 100-draw—start!"
[Deducting 100,000 Employment Points. Remaining balance: 24,950!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained…]
[Spider Serum *1!]
[Sukuna's Finger *2!]
[Space-Time Ninjutsu: Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three *1!]
[Taijutsu: Seven Heavens Breathing Method *1!]
[Bloodline Limit: Three Tomoe Sharingan (one pair) *1!]
[Bloodline Limit: Byakugan (one pair) *1!]
[Blacklight Virus *1!]
...
Senshi: (O_O)???
Seeing that result, he nearly blacked out.
On the one hand, it was his single biggest yield yet: not only did he draw the Marvel-universe Spider Serum—which would let him turn a suitable underling into "Spider-Man"—he also completed the entire set of Sukuna's twenty fingers.
He even got a good taijutsu skill, a pair of bloodline limits, plus the extremely dangerous Blacklight Virus.
But after fifteen sets of 100-draws—1.5 million Employment Points—the system still refused to unlock the Advanced Draw.
"Let the world burn—I'm done!"
Senshi muttered, thoroughly exhausted.
Those 15 sets of 100-draws had cost him at least 1.5 million points, worth well over 15 billion ryō. Because some of the points came from group members (where 100 million ryō yields only 50 million in Employment Points), in reality it cost even more money.
Yet it still hadn't unlocked Advanced Draw. If 15 sets weren't enough, how many would he need?
He had been counting on unlocking it to try for Infinity Stones, and now he was stuck with no luck. Exasperated, he started cursing under his breath.
In the next room, Karin heard him grumbling loudly. She hurried over to his door and asked, "Senshi, what are you doing in there?"
Putting his irritation aside, Senshi forced a casual tone. "Just complaining because I missed out on a cool ability, that's all."
Strictly speaking, that wasn't quite accurate: he'd missed out on unlocking a channel to get even more insane abilities and items.
But Karin took him literally, so she sidled up, hugging his leg and rubbing her head against him, trying to console him. "Don't worry, Senshi, you're already super strong. Missing one cool ability isn't a big deal."
Looks like he simply hadn't poured out enough sweat yet. All he could do was rack up more missions, cultivate his mercenary group, keep accruing points, and try again for the Advanced Draw.
Although the four Super Draws plus fifteen 100-draw combos hadn't unlocked that next-tier lottery, they had brought in tons of amazing stuff.
Senshi resolved to test out the Speed Force he'd drawn, along with other newly acquired powers and items.
He turned to Karin. "Karin, let's go find Naruto and Sasuke to play."
Karin: (O_O)???
She was a bit surprised—they'd just left Konoha, right? But she sort of wanted to see them too, so she nodded in agreement. Initially, she assumed Senshi would just warp them there. Instead, his next words caught her totally off guard.
He gave her a bright smile. "Karin, we're going to run all the way to Konoha."
Karin: (O_O)???
She was flabbergasted. "S-Senshi… run there?"
Senshi grinned. "Now that we're fast enough, running vs. instant teleportation isn't all that different."
Karin frowned. "But we can't actually run that fast."
He ruffled her hair. "Before, no. But now we can. I've given you plenty of speed energy."
"Swish—!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than he turned into a streak of golden lightning, dashing from the third floor of the wooden villa to the open ground outside in less than the blink of an eye.
Karin: (O_O)???
She stared, wide-eyed, at Senshi's figure outside, then tried copying him. "Swish—" The moment she started running, a golden aura flashed around her, and in no more than a split second, she too was outside. Astounded, she checked her body, unable to figure out how it worked. But if she mastered that power, traveling on foot to Konoha might be almost as fast as teleportation.
Seeing her stunned expression, Senshi chuckled. "Cool, right? I've got even more fun stuff to show you in a bit."
Overjoyed, she answered, "Okay! Senshi's the best!"
He nodded. "Come on, Karin, let's actually run to Konoha."
"Alright!"
"Swish—swish—!"
Two golden flashes erupted around them.
Traveling at blistering speed toward Konoha, whenever Karin's stored speed energy ran low, Senshi would top her off. The two of them, like painting golden lines between the villa and Konoha, arrived at Naruto and Sasuke's training spot in almost no time.
At that moment, Naruto and Sasuke were training with a Wood Clone of Senshi, going through some special practice. The sudden appearance of the real Senshi and Karin startled them both.
Naruto: (O_O)???
Sasuke: (O_O)???
Once they recovered from the initial surprise, Naruto asked, "Sensei, Karin-chan— how'd you get here so fast? I never sensed a thing. You just… showed up."
Sasuke felt the same curiosity. Neither had picked up on any approach. That was natural, because Senshi and Karin had effectively run near light-speed. In their eyes, Naruto and Sasuke were practically frozen, so of course they never sensed them coming.
Hearing Naruto's question, Karin smirked and said, "Naruto, it's Senshi's new power. Let me show you."
She deliberately slowed her pace a bit, yet still circled the Uchiha clan's training field a hundred times in a single blink.
Naruto: (ΩДΩ)!!!
Sasuke: (ΩДΩ)!!!
Her demonstration left them utterly dumbstruck.
While a ninja proficient in Lightning Release might achieve high speeds, this was on a completely different level: "running a hundred laps in less than an eye-blink."
Anyone with such velocity would be nearly invincible. It'd be impossible even to approach them in a fight.
Once Karin finished showing off the Speed Force, Naruto blurted excitedly, "Sensei, can Sasuke and I get that power too?"
Senshi answered offhandedly, "I can let you two temporarily share it, but the main reason I came is to teach you a very special jutsu."
Naruto and Sasuke's eyes sparkled with anticipation, while Karin was equally curious— what new technique was he planning to teach?
Under their gazes, Senshi clapped his hands. "Wood Release: Wood Clone!"
Two clones sprouted up from the soil behind him.
Then, turning to Naruto and Sasuke, he said, "Naruto, Sasuke, the ninjutsu I'm about to teach you is called the Fusion Dance. Watch the dance my Wood Clones do— learn every move, then practice. While you train, I'll share certain insights. Once you've got the dance down, you can perform this fusion technique."
Naruto said in surprise, "Sensei, you're going to dance?"
Senshi: (O_O)???
He blinked, then gave Naruto a mild head smack. Naruto's phrasing might not have been exactly "Are you gonna dance, too?" but Senshi still felt teased. Smacking him lightly, Senshi said to the pair, "I'll have my Wood Clones demonstrate it. Watch and learn carefully."
Naruto and Sasuke nodded solemnly, focusing on the clones. Karin also stared with bright, curious eyes— she'd been with Senshi a long time, but never actually seen him "dance."
Yet as soon as the two Wood Clones began, Karin stood there in shock.
Karin: (O_O)???
She saw Senshi's Wood Clones moving in sync, "left hand, right hand, slow motion." Step by step, they neared each other. Upon finishing all the choreography, they turned sideways until their heads lined up, extended their arms, and touched their index fingers.
In the instant those four fingertips made contact, a dazzling light flared. A moment later, the two clones had become a single figure with a noticeably stronger aura, clad in a tiny Metamoran vest.
Naruto: (O_O)???
Sasuke: (O_O)???
Karin: (O_O)???
All three were dumbfounded. Naruto asked uncertainly, "Sensei, if Sasuke and I use that jutsu, we can fuse into one stronger ninja?"
Senshi nodded. "Yes. So long as you master the dance and pay attention to the key details, you can perform the Fusion Dance to merge into a mightier ninja."
Delighted by the confirmation, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, let's start practicing right away!"
Sasuke was just as curious but hesitated. "Sensei, after the Fusion, which of us controls the body?"
Senshi replied, "The fused form is basically a new ninja altogether— that person's appearance, powers, personality will combine elements of you both."
At that, Karin raised her hand. "Senshi, if Naruto and Sasuke fuse, what do we call that new ninja?"
Senshi had already considered it. Smiling, he said, "Normally you'd call him 'Narusuke,' but calling him 'Uzumaki Sasuke' or 'Uchiha Naruto' is also fine."
Karin nodded, then asked, "When they fuse into one ninja, how do they separate again?"
Naruto and Sasuke both stared intently at Senshi. This was crucial— if they got stuck as one being, it'd be a pain.
He explained, "There are two ways to end the fusion. First, once half an hour passes, it ends automatically. Second, if you burn through a ton of chakra quickly, you shorten the fusion. Once you spend enough chakra, you come apart at once."
Hearing that, Naruto and Sasuke both relaxed. Even if they did nothing, they'd split after half an hour. Or they could forcibly end it by draining a huge chunk of chakra.
Clearing up those details, Naruto and Sasuke began practicing the Fusion Dance under Senshi and Karin's watchful eyes.
"Pfft!" The moment the two lined up—"left hand, right hand, slow motion"—Karin couldn't stifle her laughter. Senshi nearly joined in. When his clones demonstrated it, it didn't strike him as comedic, but watching Naruto and Sasuke move in sync, he found it oddly hilarious.
Oblivious to their onlookers' amusement, Naruto and Sasuke took it seriously. The pair were quick learners; not too long after starting, they'd gotten the fundamentals down. Once they felt ready, Naruto glanced at Sasuke. "Sasuke, are you prepared?"
Sasuke nodded. "Let's do it."
With that, Naruto took the left side, Sasuke the right, as they started the Metamoran dance. Smoothly, they advanced with a "left hand, right hand, slow motion." After completing all prep steps, they each extended an index finger to make contact with the other's. The moment their fingertips touched, both boys' expressions changed.
~~~
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