Choice

The panel popped up, presenting the classic choice between two iconic outcomes.

Option One: Kill Zabuza Momochi. Reward: Ice Release (Incomplete)

Option Two: Kill Haku. Reward: All assets related to Gato. (Real estate and company holdings will be liquidated at equivalent value and stored in the new System Warehouse function.)

Naruto almost swallowed at the same time. He felt no guilt over whom he had to kill. Whether it was Zabuza Momochi or Haku, both were enemies locked in a fight to the death with him.

But what really pissed Naruto off was, why did he have to choose one of two? Why did this world have something as cruel as a choice between two?

Couldn't he just kill them both?

The system gave no response. Naruto did not dare act rashly either. The earlier changes had made him wary. If he tried to exploit a bug and ended up losing the system, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Without the system, Naruto would never be able to escape his predetermined fate. Whether he wanted to or not, the Akatsuki Organization would come after him and kill him. Unless he trained desperately, but that would also mean he could not escape the cycle of selling his life to Konohagakure.

He would have to form those bonds and get dragged into troublesome matters like the Child of Prophecy. Again and again, he would be beaten half to death, living on the edge of a blade.

"Naruto? Why did you suddenly stop? Is... is something wrong?"

Noticing Naruto suddenly halt, Sakura immediately became alert and nervously looked around, afraid that another ninja might jump out from some corner.

Fortunately, what she feared did not happen. Kakashi and the others walking ahead heard the movement and turned back to look at Naruto, who had stopped.

"Nothing. My stomach just feels a little uncomfortable," Naruto said.

Only then did Kakashi and the others turn back and continue onward.

Naruto caught up with the group, staring at the panel before him with a tightly furrowed brow as his thoughts battled fiercely.

Zabuza was a Water Release ninja. Naruto could counter him with Nine-Tails' chakra. Combined with Lava Release, he should be able to fight him.

But with Kakashi around, facing Zabuza would not put them under much pressure. He could take advantage of Zabuza's contempt for genin and seize an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Haku's Kekkei Genkai was Ice Release, which countered Lava Release.

No matter what, he could not avoid Haku if he wanted to kill Zabuza. As long as Haku lived, he would certainly protect Zabuza with his life.

So in truth, killing Zabuza in one stroke would not be so easy. Rather than that, he might as well directly set his sights on Haku.

If he killed Zabuza, he would obtain the Kekkei Genkai, Ice Release. For Naruto as he was now, that was also an invaluable boost.

Even incomplete Ice Release could let Naruto's strength leap to the level of a Special Jonin.

But all of Gato's wealth was equally tempting to Naruto.

In this world, even the Akatsuki Organization took missions for money. The idea that one would never lack money as long as one was strong enough was false; forcibly seizing wealth also carried risks, such as being pursued and investigated by ninja.

The amount of property one person could steal at a time was extremely limited. Most wealth existed in the form of fixed assets and companies. Stolen money and jewels might not even be spendable, and he had to consider whether they would create security risks for himself.

But the system would directly extract Gato's wealth. All of the company's fixed assets, along with the jewels and ships on its books, would be converted into cash and deposited in the System Warehouse. That meant every bit of money would be clean.

"With this money, I'll finally be truly free," Naruto murmured in a voice only he could hear. "I want to become stronger too. Next time for sure."

Ahead, Kakashi was talking with Tazuna, the old bridge builder, and their voices inevitably reached Naruto's ears.

"Gato has accumulated quite a bit of wealth by using ninja over the years. Now his riches rival those of a nation. He has countless wandering samurai and ninja under his command, and his influence is enormous."

"Well, I have heard something about that. I occasionally hear intelligence about it while taking missions," Kakashi's lazy voice drifted over.

"That man is terrifying. If you weren't escorting me, I might have already died on the road."

"Since Konohagakure accepted the mission, there is no way we would abandon it halfway through. Don't worry. We will see you safely home."

The conversation gradually became noisier, and Naruto stopped listening to what came after. His gaze slowly turned resolute. Wealthy enough to rival a nation?

Sure enough, he had made the right choice. The system had resolved his worries, and this wealth would be directly stored in the System Warehouse.

That meant Naruto only needed to complete the task in the system option, and the money would appear in the System Warehouse without leaving a trace.

Even if someone discovered that Gato's wealth had vanished into thin air, they would never connect it to Naruto.

Since he had already decided not to have anything more to do with the Third Hokage and avoid being brainwashed with rhetoric about the village's interests coming before all else, he had to take control of his own finances.

He remembered that in the original story, Naruto had run all over the place taking missions for the village. After resolving one matter after another, he was still a genin.

There was also the reason that he had too many missions and no time to take the exams. But by the rules, Naruto was a genin, so his share of mission rewards was very low.

In the end, even if he risked his life doing missions as a genin, he would not save much money. After becoming Hokage, he had lived entirely for the village.

By contrast, members of Konohagakure's great clans never lacked money. Even Tsunade, who was addicted to gambling, could not lose it all no matter how recklessly she gambled.

Besides, the dowry given by the Hyuga Clan alone would be enough for Naruto to spend for the rest of his life. His financial situation before marriage and after marriage were simply incomparable.

A soft life was still the best. Naruto did not mind living off Hinata, but as a man, he still needed something that set him apart.

After thinking it over, Naruto still chose Gato's treasure as the first pot of gold for building his fortune.

Before long, Team Seven would lose a member.

Naruto had to make plans in advance. He could not fall back into the cycle of desperately working himself to death. No one around him lacked money; he could not live like Konohagakure's Crown Prince and still have to work for a living.

Just as he was thinking, a violently spinning Kubikiribōchō suddenly blocked the road ahead.

"Danger!" Sakura threw herself over Tazuna.

The Kubikiribōchō flew past everyone and slammed into a tree. A figure appeared atop the blade, staring coldly at them.

"Zabuza Momochi?" Kakashi recognized the bandage-wrapped man standing atop the sword almost instantly.

He then quietly warned the members of Team Seven behind him, "Be careful. This man is a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, an Elite Jonin whose strength is no less than mine."

"Kakashi." Zabuza Momochi jumped down onto the grass, grinning savagely without restraint. With the massive Kubikiribōchō resting on his shoulder, he shouted arrogantly.

"The life of the man in front of you is mine!"

Almost the instant he spoke, Zabuza vanished. With a bang, he suddenly rushed in front of Tazuna.

"This is my employer. If the mission fails, I'll have quite a headache, so you should pick another target." Kakashi's voice was lazy yet firm as a kunai directly blocked the Kubikiribōchō.