Koga found himself suspended in complete darkness.
He could not feel the ground beneath his feet. He could not even tell which direction was up or down. His body simply remained still in the air while a familiar glow appeared before him.
The System had followed him.
Koga sighed.
"What now?"
The screen appeared.
WHAT NAME DO YOU WISH TO USE BEFORE ENTERING THE DUNGEON?
INUZUZA KYO
OR
INUZUZA KOGA
Koga stared at the choices. He immediately sneered. "Do you even have to ask?"
The screen remained there.
Koga folded his arms.
"Of course I am using Inuzuza Kyo."
The System responded.
WHY?
Koga’s eyebrow twitched.
"What do you mean, why?"
YOU ARE ALREADY SO POWERFUL.
WHY CONTINUE HIDING YOUR STRENGTH?
Koga’s face darkened.
"Bastard, what do you mean I am powerful?"
The System remained silent for a moment.
Koga pointed at the screen.
"I didn’t even know I was powerful!"
The screen flickered.
Koga continued before it could answer.
"I have spent my entire life thinking I was weak. I had no chakra. No bloodline. No special ability. I trained because I was terrified that someone would kill me! But to become powerful? You’re just putting my life in a dangerous situation..."
The System began displaying another message.
BUT I’M TELLING THE TRU-
Koga waved it away.
"I don’t care what explanation you have!"
He rubbed his forehead.
"I’ll use Inuzuza Kyo for now. That is my identity as an Honorary Ninja of Koyagakure."
The System responded.
UNDERSTOOD.
HOWEVER, IF YOU USE YOUR OWN POWER AND NOT CHAKRA, SYSTEM REWARDS, OR THE POWERS OF YOUR TAMED BEASTS, THE NAME DISPLAYED WILL BE INUZUZA KOGA.
Koga sneered.
"Fine."
He looked annoyed.
"As if I have some kind of hidden power."
The screen remained silent.
"Just keep my name Inuzuza Koga hidden."
There was no answer.
Koga frowned.
"Did you hear me?"
Still nothing.
"Whatever."
Suddenly, the darkness vanished.
Koga felt his body drop. His stomach jumped as he fell several meters before landing safely on solid ground. He immediately looked around. His eyes widened.
"What..."
He was no longer in Koyagakure.
He stood in a massive unknown place surrounded by stone walls, enormous trees, strange glowing plants, and paths that disappeared into the distance.
It looked like a dungeon, but it was far larger than Koga had expected. There were people everywhere. Old men. Adults. Teenagers. Even children.
The youngest looked around nine years old. And beside every person was a Ninken. There were tiny wolf cubs. Young wolves. Large adult wolves. And even ancient looking wolves with gray fur and sharp eyes that looked like they had survived countless battles.
Koga’s eyes moved from one person to another. Then he noticed something strange.
Above every person’s head was a name. And beneath it was a health bar.
Koga blinked.
"What is this?"
He looked down at himself.
Above his head was written:
INUZUZA KYO
Koga smiled.
"Good."
He glanced toward Fenfyr and Ignilion. Their transformed forms don’t have names and health bars. For the first time since entering, Koga felt slightly relieved.
Nobody was seeing his true identity. Nobody was seeing his true beasts. At least for now.
A voice suddenly called out.
"Hey!"
Koga turned.
Several honorary members of the Inuzuza Clan were approaching him. An older man looked him up and down.
"You are a Ninja, aren’t you?"
Koga nodded.
"Yes."
"Are you one of the people who answered the Ultimate Mission?"
Koga froze for half a second.
"What?"
Another man stepped closer.
"The mission about Clan Head Kiza. Someone answered it correctly."
"Yes."
"Was it you?"
"Or maybe someone you know?"
Koga shook his head.
"No. It wasn’t me."
The group looked disappointed.
"You don’t know who did it?"
"No."
"Really?"
Koga gave them a polite smile.
"I genuinely don’t know."
That was completely true. He had absolutely no idea who had answered. But deep inside, Koga was extremely grateful. Whoever that person was, Koga wanted to thank them personally. Because their answer had brought all these honorary members here.
And that meant Koga had received an opportunity too. A chance to become stronger. A chance to gather more resources. A chance to survive whatever was coming.
Koga looked at the strange dungeon ahead. Whoever you are, he thought, thank you.
A young honorary member suddenly pointed upward.
"Look!"
The familiar Sky Screen was floating above them.
The Villager Chat was active.
WHERE ARE YOU?
An honorary member looked confused.
"I don’t know."
Another raised both hands.
"We don’t know!"
"We were suddenly brought here!"
"We don’t recognize this place!"
The villagers watching from Koyagakure immediately began asking questions.
"Where are they?"
"What is that place?"
"Are they underground?"
"It doesn’t look like anywhere near Koyagakure."
The Sky Screen suddenly expanded.
THE LOCATION OF THE BUG DUNGEON WILL NOW BE SHOWN TO ALL OF KOYAGAKURE!
The screen split apart. One side showed the dungeon from the outside. The other side remained inside the dungeon, allowing everyone within to see the familiar Sky Screen.
The villagers gasped.
"We can see them!"
"There they are!"
"Look at all those wolves!"
"How many honorary members are there?"
"Why are there children?"
The honorary members looked upward. Then one of them waved.
"Hi!"
Another laughed and waved both hands.
"Hello!"
A young boy shouted toward the Sky Screen.
"CAN YOU SEE ME?"
The Villager Chat exploded.
"Yes!"
"We can see you!"
"Good luck!"
"Take care!"
"Be careful!"
"Don’t do anything stupid!"
The young boy grinned.
"I won’t!"
An elderly honorary member laughed.
"Don’t worry about us! We have survived longer than most of you have been alive!"
A villager immediately replied.
"Then don’t die in there!"
The old man laughed.
"I’ll try!"
Koga watched the strange interaction. For some reason, it felt almost peaceful. Then the Sky Screen suddenly became serious.
THE RULES OF THE BUG DUNGEON WILL NOW BE EXPLAINED!
Everyone stopped talking.
The honorary members gathered closer.
Koga folded his arms and listened carefully.
THE BUG DUNGEON CONTAINS MANY TREASURES! THE DUNGEON CONTAINS CHAKRA FRUITS! THE DUNGEON CONTAINS POWERFUL BEASTS! THE DUNGEON CONTAINS BEAST SUMMONERS! THE FURTHER YOU TRAVEL INTO THE DUNGEON, THE GREATER THE TREASURES YOU MAY FIND!
Koga’s eyes narrowed.
Chakra fruits.
Beasts.
Summoners.
Interesting.
The System continued.
HOWEVER, THE TREASURES YOU OBTAIN WILL DEPEND ON YOUR ABILITY! YOUR STRENGTH! YOUR COURAGE! YOUR STRATEGY! YOUR COMPANION! AND YOUR ABILITY TO SURVIVE! ANOTHER IMPORTANT RULE! YOU WILL NOT TRULY DIE WITHIN THE DUNGEON!
Several people immediately relaxed. Then the next message appeared.
HOWEVER, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE PAIN OF DEATH AS IF IT WERE REAL!
The smiles disappeared.
"What?"
A young honorary member swallowed.
"You mean if we get eaten..."
The System answered.
YOU WILL FEEL IT.
"If we are crushed?"
YOU WILL FEEL IT.
"If a beast tears us apart?"
YOU WILL FEEL IT.
The old honorary member stared at the screen.
"That is a little cruel."
The System ignored the complaint.
THE DUNGEON IS NOT A PLACE FOR THOSE WHO EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE GIVEN TO THEM! THE TREASURES MUST BE EARNED!
THE DUNGEON MUST BE CONQUERED!
AND THERE IS ONE FINAL OBJECTIVE!
The entire dungeon became silent.
YOU MUST REACH THE END!
Koga’s eyes sharpened. The Sky Screen displayed an enormous image of a massive gate deep within the dungeon.
BEYOND THE END OF THE BUG DUNGEON IS THE DUNGEON MASTER! DEFEAT THE DUNGEON MASTER! AND THE ENTIRE BUG DUNGEON WILL BELONG TO THE ONE WHO DEFEATS IT THE FIRST TIME! THE DUNGEON! THE TREASURES! THE BEASTS! EVERYTHING WITHIN!
The reaction was immediate.
"You mean the dungeon itself becomes ours?"
"Everything?"
"If someone defeats the Dungeon Master, they own all of this?"
The villagers were stunned.
"That’s an enormous reward!"
"The honorary members could become incredibly powerful!"
"What happens if one of them actually conquers it?"
The Inuzuza honorary members looked at one another. Some were frightened. Others looked excited. One elderly man slowly smiled.
"Well..."
He rested a hand on his wolf’s head.
"Perhaps an old man still has one adventure left."
His Ninken growled proudly.
A woman beside him laughed.
"Don’t get yourself killed."
The old man grinned.
"I can’t actually die."
"You can still feel it."
His smile vanished.
"...Right."
The Villager Chat filled with encouragement.
"Good luck!"
"Take care!"
"Stay together!"
"Protect your Ninkens!"
"Don’t rush!"
"Come home safely!"
The honorary members waved toward the Sky Screen.
"Thank you!"
"We’ll do our best!"
Koga remained quiet. His eyes were fixed on the distant dungeon. A peak Genin foundation. A Chunin level Ninken. Chakra fruits. Powerful beasts. Treasures. And possibly ownership of the entire dungeon.
He smiled faintly.
"Well..."
Fenfyr looked at him. Ignilion’s tail moved slowly.
Koga tightened the forehead protector around his head.
"This might actually be worth the trouble."
The Sky Screen suddenly flashed.
ARE YOU READY?
Koga’s smile widened. The honorary members stared ahead. The wolves lowered their bodies. And throughout Koyagakure, every villager waited for the answer.