Lottery and the String-String Fruit 2/2

Sarutobi Hiruzen held a pipe between his teeth and gazed out the window, his eyes deep and distant.

An ANBU ninja appeared in the room. He removed his mask, revealing a square face, thick brows, large eyes, and a beard. He bore some resemblance to Sarutobi Hiruzen in his younger days.

Sarutobi Tanbashu—without his mask, he was Sarutobi Hiruzen's eldest son and his right-hand man at work; with it on, he was the Third Hokage's personal guard.

"Father, smoke less."

Looking at his father's increasingly hunched back, Sarutobi Tanbashu's nose stung.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and finally set down his pipe.

Sarutobi Tanbashu poured him a cup of hot water. "Is it about the Hyuga Clan?"

"Yes. Although the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans have never seen eye to eye, the Uchiha Clan's extermination inevitably made the Hyuga Clan feel the same dread." Sarutobi Hiruzen took a sip of water and continued, "Back then, after the Hizashi Hyuga incident, Hiashi Hyuga was deeply dissatisfied with the village's handling of it. Hizashi was his twin brother, after all."

"Should we arrange for someone to monitor the Hyuga Clan's movements?"

"There's no need. Hiashi is a smart man. Opposing the village is not something he wants to see, especially since the current main family heir is weak-willed. Easing relations with the village serves Hiashi's interests." Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Hayato is a signal—a signal that the village's relationship with the Hyuga Clan is improving. I hope the Hyuga Clan will not repeat the Uchiha Clan's mistakes. If that day truly comes, Hayato will be a nail driven into them."

Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha had been the nails Sarutobi Hiruzen planted back then.

Sarutobi Tanbashu asked, "Will Hayato stand with the village when the time comes?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen answered with certainty, "He will. Behind the sacrifice of Takuya Hyuga and his wife, the Hyuga elders had a hand in it."

Takuya Hyuga was Hayato's father.

That was the true reason Sarutobi Hiruzen had recruited Hayato.

Who knew what Hayato would think if he found out.

Below the cliffs of Konoha's Hokage Rock.

There was an open area there, bearing traces of human use, though it seemed to have been abandoned.

The ground had been packed hard by footsteps, and only sparse weeds grew there. Clearing away the larger gravel would make it a fine training ground.

Hayato was delighted, though it seemed insignificant compared to his cheat.

Ever since leaving the Hokage Building, Hayato had not been able to close his mouth from smiling.

Hayato looked at the virtual status panel. Focusing his mind, he summoned a nine-grid card-flipping interface.

"Lottery."

"Ding!"

After the crisp notification sound, a brilliant white light flared, and one of the cards flipped over.

"This..."

The card bore the image of a fruit. It looked like a pear, but it was gray, with hooked S-shaped patterns on its surface.

"A Devil Fruit!" Hayato recognized the object in the image at a glance. "The problem is, I don't know which fruit it is. I never studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."

"Would you like to fuse with the lottery reward?"

Should I fuse with it? Hayato hesitated for a moment.

Devil Fruits were known as treasures of the sea. Legend said they were incarnations of sea devils; eating one granted different abilities, but in exchange, the eater became a complete non-swimmer. The String-String Fruit's user was Yasha—Donquixote Doflamingo. Its power allowed its user to freely manipulate strings, and there was no doubt it was immensely powerful.

"Fuse."

Hayato thought it over. There were pros and cons, but he could not just leave his cheat unused. He would take things one step at a time.

"Ding!"

With another crisp notification, the Devil Fruit from the image appeared in Hayato's hand.

"I still have to eat it."

They said Devil Fruits tasted as bad as shit. Hayato had once laughed happily at that. "How do you know it tastes like shit? Have you eaten shit before?"

Uh... why did it feel like karma had come for him now?

Hayato closed his eyes and took a bite. Without chewing, he stiffened his neck and forcibly swallowed it.

"Phew... urgh!"

The lingering smell in his mouth alone nearly made Hayato throw up.

How should he put it? As expected of a Devil Fruit—it certainly did not disgrace the taste of shit.

A Devil Fruit only needed one bite to grant all of its powers, and Hayato truly did not have the courage to try another bite.

Ten seconds later, the remaining Devil Fruit vanished like smoke, leaving no trace behind.

System notification: "String-String Fruit fusion successful!"

Hayato felt strange, as though his body had gained a new instinct. He stretched out his palm and naturally circulated chakra. Five thin strings emerged from between his fingers, extending farther and farther.

Hayato looked again at the system's virtual interface. His attributes had changed.

Host: Hayato Hyuga

Age: 1

Rank: Ninja Academy Student

Taijutsu: 741

Ninjutsu: 6

Genjutsu: 408

Chakra: 584

String-String Fruit (Beginner): Five-Colored Strings 0%, Overheat 0%, Bullet String 0%

Current Mission: None

Available Lotteries: None

Five-Colored Strings!

Hayato curled his five fingers into claws, and five nearly transparent thin strings extended from between them as he grabbed forcefully at a nearby tree trunk.

Crack!

Like the sound of a whip lashing through the air, the five thin strings sliced into the trunk.

Bark chips flew everywhere, leaving shallow marks on the trunk.

"Five-Colored Strings 0.01%."

Again!

"Five-Colored Strings 0.0%."

"..."

"Five-Colored Strings 0.11%."

"Five-Colored Strings 0.11%."

Hmm? The proficiency had not changed?

Try again!

"Five-Colored Strings 0.1%."

"So that's how it is." After testing it several times, Hayato roughly understood. "Only using my full strength raises proficiency, while the power and attack range of Five-Colored Strings grow with proficiency."

Overheat!

Dozens of chakra threads twisted together into a strand as thick as a hair. Hayato drew his palm back, swung the thick strand behind him, then yanked it back sharply at the very limit.

Thud!

The thick strand struck the tree trunk, leaving a pit the size of a button.

"Overheat 0.01%."

Bullet String!

Hayato raised his index finger and curled his other fingers inward. The thread at his fingertip suddenly shot out.

Ssh!

With a faint sound, it created far more of a disturbance than Overheat. Under the Byakugan's observation, Bullet String pierced a finger's depth into the tree trunk, leaving behind a pinhole.

"Bullet String 0.01%."

"Overheat has long range and great power, but its windup is obvious, making it difficult to hit someone head-on. It is suitable for long-range sniping. Bullet String fires quickly, its movement is concealed, and it has strong piercing power, making it highly practical in direct combat."

All three abilities gained from fusing with the String-String Fruit were highly useful, making up for Hayato's weakness in mid- and long-range combat—something nearly all Hyuga Clan members lacked before learning Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm and more advanced techniques.

At the same time, Hayato discovered that the strings created by the String-String Fruit could not exist apart from his body. The instant they left his body, whether thin strings or thick ones, they immediately disintegrated.

Hayato felt that his strength had increased by at least ten percent, and this was only just after activating the system. No wonder everyone liked systems. Once a cheat was activated, it felt like flying.

And so, for the entire afternoon, Hayato brutally abused trees.

After dusk, the setting sun cast slanting rays across the land.

One tree had lost all its leaves, its branches were broken, its bark stripped away, and its trunk was covered in pits. This tree, too miserable to even be called a tree anymore, stood abruptly yet stubbornly beneath the blood-red sunset, as if accusing him: What kind of pervert are you?!

Tree-abusing maniac Hayato had nearly exhausted his chakra, but he still rushed excitedly into Ichiraku Ramen.

"Seafood ramen, large bowl!"

Hayato shouted impatiently.

Almost at the same time, another voice shouted, "Tonkotsu ramen, extra-large bowl!"

Hayato narrowed his eyes. "Blond freak!"

The blond freak glanced sideways at him. "Cataracts!"

A dangerous glint flashed through Hayato's eyes. Should I beat him up while I can still take him?

The blond boy's eyes widened. "Hey, hey, Cataracts, it feels like you're thinking something dangerous."

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