“Who exactly are you?” Zabuza was seriously regretting his decision to come here.
Not long ago, he and Haku had been preparing to carry out their assignment to kill Tazuna when a strange doorway suddenly appeared beside them.
The doorway shimmered with an eerie blue light, immediately putting Zabuza on guard.
Yet at the same time, something about it exerted an almost irresistible pull on him—a strange instinct that told him he would regret it if he simply walked away.
Acting on impulse, Zabuza stepped through.
He appeared inside this vast hall, with Haku following close behind.
Only after entering did he realize he had walked straight into someone else’s trap.
“Didn’t I already tell you?” Itsuki spread his hands.
“I’m just an ordinary Quest Giver.” Then he glanced toward the projection and continued casually, “The Demon Brothers were your subordinates, weren’t they?” “Zabuza, you just lost two men.
Doesn’t that bother you at all?” “Tch.” Zabuza sneered.
“People with no value aren’t worth my attention.” That answer suited Zabuza perfectly.
Itsuki wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
“Then let’s return to what I asked you earlier.” He looked directly at Zabuza.
“Are you willing to accept a mission from me?” Zabuza clenched his teeth.
He wanted to refuse.
He wanted to tell this strange young man exactly what he thought of him.
But the invisible pressure filling the hall made resistance impossible.
His body wouldn’t move.
Worse still, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t even bring himself to seriously consider attacking Itsuki.
In the end, he could only force out an answer through gritted teeth.
“I am.” Itsuki smiled faintly and stopped pressuring him.
“System, issue the mission to Zabuza and Haku.” The moment he spoke, both of them stiffened.
A translucent panel appeared in front of each of them without warning.
Their eyes widened.
Mission: Assassinate Tazuna Kill Tazuna before he finishes constructing the bridge.
Mission Rank: A Completion Reward: One random A-rank ninjutsu Zabuza and Haku stared at the panels in shock.
Itsuki wasn’t surprised by their reaction.
He had already seen the same expressions from Kakashi and the rest of Team 7.
Itsuki himself wasn’t originally from this world.
Not long ago, he had been transported bodily into the world of Naruto.
Almost immediately after arriving, he awakened the Quest Giver System.
It granted him the ability to act as a Quest Giver, issuing missions and distributing rewards.
There was only one difference.
The “players” in this world were actual shinobi.
Itsuki turned his attention toward the projection in the center of the hall.
It was still displaying Kakashi’s group.
After Tazuna desperately pleaded his case and explained the situation facing the Land of Waves, Team 7 had ultimately agreed to continue protecting him.
However, before proceeding with the mission, Kakashi and the others had decided to return to Itsuki and collect their rewards.
They wanted proof that everything he had told them was real.
Tazuna knew he was the one who had concealed the truth about the mission in the first place, so he had little ground to object.
At that very moment, Team 7 was already heading back toward Itsuki’s building.
“Zabuza-san.” Haku finally looked away from his mission panel.
“My reward is different.” Zabuza turned toward him.
“It says I’ll receive an A-rank Ice Release technique.” Zabuza’s eyes sharpened.
An A-rank Ice Release technique?
Even he couldn’t dismiss something like that.
At present, Haku possessed only a single Ice Release technique that could truly be considered A-rank.
If Haku obtained another technique of that caliber, his combat strength could rise considerably.
Zabuza knew Haku’s potential better than anyone.
“Are these rewards really legitimate?” He still didn’t fully believe Itsuki.
But the temptation of an A-rank Ice Release technique was simply too great to ignore.
Itsuki gave him a sidelong glance.
“I already explained all of this to you, and you still don’t believe me.” His tone remained indifferent.
“Complete the mission and you’ll find out for yourself.” Zabuza considered that for a moment before calming down.
“Fair enough.” Then he looked around the hall.
“How do we get back?” As far as he was concerned, remaining anywhere near Itsuki was far too dangerous.
The sooner he left, the better.
Itsuki raised a hand and pointed toward one side of the hall.
Blue light gathered.
A glowing doorway appeared there.
“Go through that.
It’ll return you to the exact place you were before you came here.” The doorway looked identical to the one that had brought them into the hall.
Zabuza no longer hesitated.
“Haku.” “Yes.” The two stepped through the portal together.
At almost the exact moment they disappeared, Kakashi and Team 7 arrived outside the building.
They caught a glimpse of the two figures vanishing through the blue doorway.
Kakashi’s expression immediately became more serious.
Other people are receiving missions too.
The realization struck everyone at once.
They weren’t the only ones involved in Itsuki’s strange system.
For the first time, that knowledge created a genuine sense of unease.
Kakashi’s attention, however, was also drawn to the fading blue light.
Was that space-time ninjutsu?
His opinion of Itsuki became even more cautious.
Space-time techniques were exceedingly rare throughout the shinobi world.
Yet this mysterious young man could apparently open portals capable of transporting people over great distances.
Just how much was he hiding?
The moment they entered the hall, Sasuke immediately hurried toward Itsuki.
“I came to claim my reward.” His eyes remained fixed on Itsuki as though he were afraid the man might suddenly disappear.
Itsuki couldn’t help but smile.
“Of course.” He then looked toward the others.
“You’re all here to claim yours as well?” “Yes.” Kakashi and the others nodded.
Itsuki silently connected to the system.
A notification immediately appeared before him.
Mission: Repel the Enemy — Completed Distribute rewards?
Below it were the individual rewards assigned to Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto.
The techniques they received differed according to their evaluations, but the underlying reward system worked somewhat differently from what the shinobi themselves could see.
The system’s true currency consisted of graded coins.
D-rank.
C-rank.
B-rank.
A-rank.
And potentially even higher grades.
The better a player’s mission evaluation, the better the coin associated with that reward.
Whenever Kakashi and the others completed one of Itsuki’s missions, Itsuki also received a reward of his own.
In effect, every successful mission produced two rewards.
The shinobi received a specific technique or ability.
Itsuki received a coin of the corresponding rank.
For example, Kakashi’s B-rank reward was Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
Itsuki, meanwhile, would receive one B-rank coin.
He could then spend that coin in the system shop.
“Distribute the rewards.” As soon as Itsuki spoke, Kakashi and the others suddenly felt something appear in their hands.
Sasuke looked down.
A scroll had materialized in his grasp.
His eyes widened, and he immediately opened it.
Written inside were the details of a technique.
Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work.
A grin spread across Sasuke’s face before he could stop it.
This was his first B-rank ninjutsu.
And he had earned it simply by completing one mission.