Critical Condition

Being able to go to war alongside Yoru was the greatest affirmation Uzumaki Yumi could receive.

Yumi left the tent full of enthusiasm and continued treating the wounded Kirigakure Ninja. Pouting, Terumi Mei said in a strange tone, "~With me around, you'll never become a vessel either~ Ehh~"

Smack!

Another slap landed on Terumi Mei's shapely rear. Clutching her butt, Terumi Mei hurriedly stepped aside and stared at Yoru with a flushed face.

Yoru walked past her and returned to his seat. Then, with a solemn expression, he said, "May I ask if Captain Terumi Mei has anything else to discuss? If not, I need to deal with official matters."

"Arghhh, you're seriously so annoying!"

"Although the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki possesses exceptional combat power, Konohagakure would never allow the Jinchuriki to appear alone on the front lines. They must have other preparations in place. Captain Terumi Mei, please keep a closer eye on battlefield intelligence."

"Got! It!"

Whether from anger or embarrassment, Terumi Mei clutched her butt and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave Yoru's tent.

A faint smile appeared on Yoru's face, but it quickly vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

Exchange Panel activated!

"Against a monster like a Jinchuriki, with such vast Chakra reserves and such powerful regenerative abilities, my current strength is nowhere near enough."

"Hyōrinmaru's restrictions are negligible against the Nine-Tails. The fully incanted Black Coffin is powerful enough, but it definitely can't kill Kushina in one blow. On the contrary, it might even cause her to sprout more tails."

"If I want to win this war, I need greater power."

Yoru's gaze settled directly on an item near the top of the system's Exchange Panel, one that glimmered with a faint light.

[Zanpakuto: Hyōrinmaru (Bankai)]

That was right—the Bankai!

Within the Shinigami power system, Bankai was the second-stage release of a Zanpakuto, following its first-stage release—Shikai. It was also the Zanpakuto's ultimate form.

Bankai allowed for a more complete and comprehensive release and use of a Zanpakuto's abilities. After achieving Bankai, every Shinigami experienced a qualitative leap in spiritual pressure and combat power. Depending on the individual, combat power in Bankai was generally five to ten times that of Shikai, while the abilities of Shikai were also greatly enhanced!

If Yoru in Shikai possessed Kage-level combat power, and could use the environmental boost of "Water Element" to defeat some veteran Kage-level experts—

Then Yoru with Bankai would possess combat power comparable to those beyond Kage-level powerhouses!

To say nothing else, if Yoru had possessed Bankai when fighting Jiraiya, he would have dared to clash head-on with him. Who cared about Senjutsu? The moment Daiguren Hyōrinmaru was unleashed, he could have just started cutting. Why would he have needed to circle around and play a game of tug-of-war like he had this time?

Yoru desperately wanted to exchange for Hyōrinmaru's Bankai, but unfortunately, he could not afford it.

The reason was simple: he did not have enough Points!

[Zanpakuto: Hyōrinmaru (Bankai)]

Item Rank: SS

Item Description: Obtain the complete true name of "Zanpakuto: Hyōrinmaru" and synchronize with the soul of "Zanpakuto: Hyōrinmaru."

Price: 1,000,000 Points. (Half price)

Due to the half-price discount, Hyōrinmaru's Bankai only cost 500,000 Points. However, Yoru currently had only 410,000 Points, leaving him far short.

In this war, both Kirigakure and Konohagakure had suffered grievous losses. Kushina's single Tailed Beast Bomb had obliterated an unknown number of Kirigakure Ninja. Of course, Yoru's earlier Hyoton had done much the same.

The deaths of vast numbers of Konohagakure Ninja had earned Yoru nearly 200,000 Points. Killing Jiraiya had also given him a full 260,000 Points.

"What a pity. If I hadn't exchanged for Shunko, I'd almost have enough by now."

Had he not exchanged for Shunko, Yoru would currently have had 460,000 Points, only 40,000 short of exchanging for Bankai.

But Yoru had had no choice.

Under those circumstances, without Shunko, Yoru could never have been a match for Jiraiya in Sage Mode.

"In other words, I only need to accumulate another 60,000 Points on this battlefield."

Yoru pondered silently. It was difficult, yet it could also be easy—it mainly depended on his luck.

If he could kill a few people who had appeared in the original story and trigger a few quests, gathering enough Points would be easy. But if all the people Yoru killed were nobodies who had never shown their faces, then things might become troublesome.

A Jonin was worth 2,000 Points. To get 60,000 Points, he would need to kill a full thirty Jonin!

"Damn it, should I just open gift boxes instead?"

One gift box cost 1,000 Points. With 410,000 Points, that meant 410 gift boxes!

Four hundred damn boxes—was it really possible not to get anything good?

Yoru truly wanted to grit his teeth and open them all, but after thinking it over, he decided against it.

It was not that Yoru lacked faith in his luck. He had pulled Kido #90: Black Coffin and Bakudo #81: Danku before. He was the king of lucky draws, nicknamed the Golden Finger. Yoru was simply worried that the system might play dirty and secretly alter the drop rates.

Gamblers never won. He needed to play it safe...

Suppressing the urge to go all in, Yoru took a deep breath, closed the system interface, and began handling the documents.

With Tsunan Town's destruction, a breach had been torn open in Kirigakure's defensive line within the Land of Fire.

To prevent Kirigakure from advancing straight in, Konohagakure had no choice but to pull back its defensive line and concentrate its forces at Misawa Bridge.

"Who would've thought that Yuki Yoru actually wielded such power? I've never seen Hyoton on that level!"

"He froze the entirety of Tsunan Town in an instant. It was practically a natural disaster... Truly terrifying."

"I'd only ever heard of techniques on that level in legends. They say the First Hokage possessed such power. I never expected Yuki Yoru to as well..."

"What First Hokage? Yuki Yoru is just some brat from Kirigakure. Does he deserve to be compared to the First Hokage?!"

"But he killed Lord Jiraiya!"

Chattering voices rose from within the tent. Shisui, left with only one eye, sat silently in a corner, quietly adjusting his condition.

The battle at Tsunan Town had sounded a harsh alarm for him. The Kirigakure forces were far more troublesome than any enemies he had faced before. He had to remain vigilant at all times.

Otherwise, the next time, what he lost might not be merely his right eye, but his entire life.

"Shisui, come out for a moment."

A soft call suddenly interrupted Shisui's meditation. Seeing that it was Fugaku calling for him, Shisui did not hesitate and followed him outside.

"What is it, Clan Head?"

Looking at Shisui's single eye, Fugaku let out a quiet sigh. "You... don't need to take part in the coming war. Go back to the village."

Shisui frowned deeply. "Why, Clan Head? I only lost one Sharingan. I wasn't seriously injured. Lord Jiraiya died fighting to protect the village. I only lost an eye—how can I possibly retreat? I..."

"This isn't about your Sharingan."

Fugaku cut him off. Under Shisui's puzzled gaze, he patted him on the shoulder.

"News just came from the clan. Your father's current condition... is not very good."

"What?!"