Orochimaru?!
A storm erupted in Hiruzen’s heart.
He had never expected his newly triggered missions to involve the student who had betrayed him years ago.
And then there was the reward.
Lifespan.
Hiruzen’s heart immediately began to race.
Some people became less afraid of death as they grew older.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not one of them.
Over the years, Konoha had carried out more than a few experiments involving things such as the First Hokage’s cells.
Those efforts had not been solely related to jinchūriki or military research.
Extending life and preserving one’s physical prime had always been tempting goals as well.
And now the system was offering him lifespan directly.
Orochimaru?
At this moment, Hiruzen suddenly felt that sentimental attachment to an old student was highly overrated.
For the sake of the village, I must deal with that traitorous disciple personally.
No one is stopping me.
Meanwhile, Danzō was staring at his own mission panel.
Compared to Hiruzen, his situation was considerably worse.
Mission: Eliminate the Uchiha Threat You possess many secrets.
The appearance of the mysterious Itsuki has placed several of those carefully hidden secrets at risk of being exposed.
More importantly, Itsuki appears to intend to make contact with Uchiha Itachi.
This may place you in serious danger.
Objective: Kill Uchiha Itachi.
Reward: Sharingan Kekkei Genkai The exact reward will be determined by mission completion.
Failure Penalty: None Danzō’s expression darkened.
Then the second mission appeared.
Mission: Survival Years ago, one of your actions caused you to form a mortal enemy out of the wielder of the Rinnegan.
That Rinnegan wielder has now grown powerful and may come seeking revenge at any time.
Objective: Survive the Rinnegan wielder’s pursuit.
Reward: Perfect Fusion of the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai and First Hokage Cells The exact reward will be determined by mission completion.
Failure Penalty: None Danzō’s face turned black.
For a moment, he genuinely wondered whether coming here had been the worst decision he had made in years.
The Uchiha Massacre was their own fault…
His thoughts stalled.
Well…
I may have pushed things in that direction.
Then another memory surfaced.
No.
Wait.
I was also the one who gave Itachi the ultimatum.
The more Danzō thought about it, the uglier his expression became.
And then there was the Rinnegan.
That was even worse.
Danzō almost wanted to look up at the ceiling and ask what he had done to deserve this.
Back then, he had merely wanted to interfere with affairs in Amegakure and strengthen Konoha’s position there.
Who could have predicted that those actions would eventually create a personal enemy with the Rinnegan?
And now that person might come after him.
Danzō was having a very bad day.
Itsuki read through Danzō’s missions and nearly burst out laughing.
No wonder the old man’s face looked so terrible.
Uchiha Itachi alone would have been enough.
But then the system had added Nagato and the Six Paths of Pain on top of that.
It was practically trying to drive Danzō into a dead end.
The funniest part was that Itsuki hadn’t done anything.
These were genuinely system-triggered missions.
Maybe I should make things even more interesting for him later.
Itsuki looked at Danzō’s miserable expression and briefly wondered whether he was being too cruel.
Then he dismissed the thought.
This was Danzō, after all.
If there was ever anyone suited to carrying the blame for half of Konoha’s problems, it was him.
“Danzō, what’s wrong?” Hiruzen had been happily imagining himself eliminating Orochimaru, receiving more lifespan, and returning to his former vigor when Danzō’s long sigh interrupted him.
He sounded slightly annoyed.
Danzō looked at Hiruzen’s pleased expression and became even more irritated.
But he couldn’t reveal his missions.
He had never told Hiruzen the full details concerning the Rinnegan.
“Nothing.” His tone was painfully restrained.
Hiruzen could obviously tell that his old friend had received something unpleasant.
But Hiruzen was in far too good a mood to care.
When he looked at Itsuki again, the young man somehow seemed much more trustworthy than before.
Such a remarkable young man.
And I actually suspected him earlier.
How embarrassing.
Once the mission panels appeared, Hiruzen had completely accepted that Kakashi’s report was genuine.
Naturally, that meant he also believed the missions and rewards shown by the system.
Danzō had reached the same conclusion.
Hiruzen smacked his lips.
Two missions somehow didn’t feel like enough.
He looked expectantly at Itsuki.
“Itsuki-san, are there any other missions available for us?” Itsuki stared at his cheerful expression.
For some reason, it felt strange.
Does this old man actually think those missions are good news?
Itsuki almost laughed.
This was Orochimaru they were talking about.
The same Orochimaru who somehow survived nearly every disaster thrown at him.
As far as Itsuki was concerned, both missions were enormous traps.
Hiruzen thinking he could simply kill Orochimaru and collect the reward was far too optimistic.
“No.” Itsuki answered calmly.
“The missions triggered here are guided by fate.
Not everyone is capable of triggering one.” Hiruzen gave an awkward smile.
Internally, however, he relaxed.
Good.
So this power isn’t something everyone can access.
That meant the disruption to the shinobi world might not be as catastrophic as he had initially feared.
What Hiruzen didn’t understand was that the system tended to trigger missions for exactly the sort of people who were destined to influence major events.
In other words, those chosen by the system were often the very people capable of shaking the entire shinobi world.
Hiruzen glanced behind him.
“What about the others?” He gestured toward the ANBU standing nearby, as well as those hidden outside.
“Can any of them trigger missions?” Danzō also pushed aside his dark mood and looked over.
From their perspective, being able to trigger one of Itsuki’s missions represented an enormous opportunity.
And based on Itsuki’s explanation, anyone capable of doing so was probably extraordinary in some way.
Someone worth cultivating.
Itsuki checked.
None of the ANBU present had triggered anything.
Hiruzen looked somewhat disappointed.
Still eager to begin working toward his rewards, he soon took the distracted Danzō with him and departed.
By the time they headed back toward Konoha, Hiruzen had already made a decision.
Once we return, I’ll have Konoha’s shinobi visit Itsuki one by one.
Anyone capable of triggering missions can receive greater attention and resources from the village.
Danzō, on the other hand, disappeared into Root’s headquarters almost immediately after returning.
Clearly, he had begun planning something.
Hiruzen paid little attention to it.
He was in excellent spirits.
“Once the Chūnin Exams are over, I’ll deal with Orochimaru personally.” A confident smile appeared on the Third Hokage’s face.
At this rate…
I can remain Hokage for another ten years.