A Choice of Three in Konoha

A cannonball-like blast of compressed air trailed a thick wake as it hurtled toward Liuyun!

The Ice Giant raised the shield on its right arm before its body!

Crystal-clear ice spread across it, gleaming like diamonds beneath the moonlight!

Clang!

An earth-shaking collision rang out for a kilometer around!

The terrifying force of the Air Bullet drove the Ice Giant backward!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground shook, followed by a deafening roar!

Rumble!

Dense Wind Release energy engulfed the Ice Giant!

The soil exploded upward, swept into the howling winds and turned into a boundless haze that swallowed the Ice Giant whole.

"Hahaha! Dead already? What a pushover!"

Seeing his strongest attack strike head-on, Shukaku burst into delighted laughter.

Whoosh!

A white blur shot out of the haze and appeared before Shukaku in an instant, shaking the ground as it came.

The Deep Blue Spear swept toward Shukaku's belly!

"Hahahaha! Know your place, brat!"

Shukaku caught the spear in both claws, his vicious triangular eyes darting back and forth.

Grains of sand fell from his body and spread across the ground like a plague.

In moments, the land behind Shukaku had become a Sea of Sand!

Fine grains gathered behind Shukaku, forming Sand Tentacles that bound the Ice Giant's limbs!

"Brat, I have to admit you've impressed me with your strength!"

"But!" Shukaku's voice turned savage. "You're still going to die! Hahahaha!"

Behind him, golden sand surged skyward, like a Golden Galaxy hanging upside down from the heavens!

It poured down upon the Ice Giant like a raging tidal wave.

"Sand Waterfall Funeral!"

"Is that so?" Liuyun sneered.

At his command, a torrent of ice rose behind him like a rushing river, surging skyward to meet it!

"What? This brat? How can he have so much Chakra?"

Shukaku's triangular eyes narrowed, shock creeping into his voice.

Even the Sand Tentacles wrapped around Liuyun's limbs loosened slightly.

The crescent moon hung high, shining more brilliantly than ever!

The entire Shinobi World seemed brighter for it.

At the Sand Ninja camp, Chiyo sat inside a tent, her face dark as she listened to a subordinate report the night's losses.

Then Ebizo hurried in, his eyes filled with alarm.

"Sister! Something's happened! Come outside and see!"

Chiyo frowned. Her younger brother was a grown man, yet he was still so impulsive.

Even so, she followed him out of the tent.

Outside, the surviving Sand Ninja were all looking toward the same place. Chiyo followed their gaze!

Under the brilliant moonlight, two figures stood at the far edge of the world.

Clash Beneath the Moonlight ### She would never forget either of them: one was her village's Jinchūriki, Shukaku the One-Tail!

The other was Uchiha Liuyun, who had caused everything that night, with Princess Tsunade!

Moonlight spilled over the two figures as boundless waves rose behind them, each draped in a different color.

One side was golden; the other shimmered crystal-clear with a hint of pale blue.

The two figures stood in stark contrast, as though they had divided the world between them!

Then, before Chiyo's shocked eyes,

the golden sea of sand and the crystalline waves of ice crashed together.

Crack! Creak!

They surged back and forth, intertwining and colliding like two kinds of waves at sea!

Boom! Boom!

Deep, muffled impacts rang out like thunder, shaking heaven and earth!

Under Liuyun's and Shukaku's control, the ice and sand took the shapes of all manner of weapons and struck at each other!

It was as though two ancient divine beasts had awakened. Their overwhelming presence and terrifying power could be felt even from far away!

"Sister! Should we go help?"

Staring at the distant battle, which looked like a clash between gods, Ebizo spoke without thinking.

"Let's go!"

Chiyo gritted her teeth, without a moment's hesitation.

Whatever happened today, she had to keep Uchiha Liuyun here. Otherwise, she was certain he would become the next Hashirama Senju within a few years.

On the battlefield!

The Ice Giant and Shukaku stood facing each other as roaring sand and surging ice crisscrossed between them!

Together they formed a beautiful tapestry of gold and blue.

Neither man nor beast could gain the upper hand, and the battle fell into a stalemate!

Liuyun narrowed his eyes. Damn it. Looks like I'll have to use the Mangekyo!

"Brat! Of everyone I've fought, you're the strongest apart from the Kazekage!"

Shukaku grinned viciously. "But let's see if you can survive this!"

His cavernous maw opened wide. Yin and Yang Chakra gathered inside it, and a small purple-black sphere formed in his mouth!

"That's... a Tailed Beast Bomb!" Liuyun's pupils contracted.

With no time to spare, he emerged from the ice crystal. The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyo!

He glared at Shukaku, sending a dense surge of Mental Energy through his Sharingan and into the beast's mind.

Shukaku froze. His eyes grew unfocused, and the Tailed Beast Bomb forming in his mouth stopped.

"D-damn it! Brat, those eyes of yours... You're from that clan! I won't accept this!"

Shukaku roared in defiance, but soon his savage eyes took on a pinwheel pattern!

Liuyun breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Then he checked the Chakra in his body and gave a bitter smile.

Just those few moves, and my Chakra reserves—equal to fifty Kakashis—are already almost empty.

He ordered Shukaku to destroy the Sand Ninja camp.

Liuyun dispelled the Ice Giant and fled with Tsunade.

I'm out of Chakra. How am I supposed to show off now? Stick around and get caught?

Not long after Liuyun left, Chiyo and Ebizo arrived!

They spotted Shukaku immediately!

Before either of them could speak, Shukaku unleashed a storm of attacks!

"Wind Release! Air Bullet!"

One enormous blast of compressed air after another, each packed with Chakra, poured recklessly from Shukaku's mouth!

Chiyo's and Ebizo's faces turned grim.

Both were nearly fifty. They knew at once that Shukaku was under Genjutsu.

"I thought that brat's Ice Release had already reached its peak, but his Genjutsu is just as terrifying. He even managed to hypnotize Shukaku."

Chiyo's face was frighteningly grim.

"Go find the Third Kazekage and the Sealing Squad! I'll hold him here. Forget that brat—Shukaku comes first!"

"Got it, Sister!"

In the Land of Rivers, Liuyun and Tsunade changed into merchants' clothes. After fleeing for two hours, they stopped to rest at a run-down inn.

They washed up separately, took some food from a Sealing Scroll, and fell asleep as soon as they had eaten.

They had spent the day rushing to the camp in the Land of Wind, then fought fiercely that night. Neither of them was made of iron.

Before long, both were snoring.

The moment Liuyun fell asleep, the system's voice quietly sounded: "Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing option three. Reward: Chakra increased by ten percent."

A gentle warmth suddenly appeared in Liuyun's Dantian and was quickly absorbed and refined by the Chakra within.

Unfortunately, Liuyun slept through it all.

After an unknown length of time, a full bladder woke Liuyun, and he reluctantly opened his weary eyes.

He made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself, then glanced out the window. The sky was still dark; it looked to be around three or four in the morning.

Liuyun returned to Tsunade and lay against her. Breathing in the intoxicating fragrance around him, he closed his eyes in contentment.

No rush. It's still early. I can sleep a little longer.

"Ding! The host has been detected sharing a room with his future wife! Choose, host!"

"1. While Tsunade sleeps, give your future wife a good-morning kiss. Reward: one Junior Genetic Potion!"

"2. Stay in this position until your future wife wakes up. Reward: Jiraiya's version of Sage Mode!"

"3. While your future wife sleeps, gently undo her clo—... Stay like this and get a good night's sleep! Reward: one Intermediate Genetic Potion!"

Looking at the three options in his mind, Liuyun instantly lost all desire to sleep.

Tears even welled in his eyes. It wasn't easy! You damn system, you've finally acted decent for once!

Do you know what I've been through these past few years?

Do you know what it's like to look but never touch?

"System, can you explain what the genetic potions do?" Liuyun asked inwardly, still cautious.

As for the second option, Jiraiya's Sage Mode, Liuyun dismissed it outright!

With something this good on offer, who cares about Sage Mode?

"Ding! The Junior Genetic Potion accelerates the host's physical development, giving him the body he would have in three years."

"The intermediate one: six years!"

Liuyun understood at once. So junior, intermediate, and senior each add another three years!

"But what about my actual age?"