"Ding!"
The crisp, pleasant notification burst deep inside Kenya's mind like a drop of ice water falling into sizzling oil.
He was directing the guards as they roughly stuffed Orochimaru's last centrifuge into the cargo hold when he abruptly froze.
That sound... was so familiar.
Wasn't that the system that had handed out a beginner's gift pack when he first transmigrated, then played dead and kept its presence practically nonexistent ever since?
"Host's recent actions detected to be highly consistent with the 'Iron Fist Tyrant' style of conduct." "Repeatedly delivered flawless beatdowns to major story figures, including Orochimaru and Konoha's Root, through pure physical strength." "Successfully inflicted immense psychological trauma and physical injuries." "Congratulations, host! 'Iron Fist' Garp Template fusion has increased significantly!" "Current fusion: 50%."
As the system's mechanical, emotionless announcements ended, that familiar silence settled over the system panel again.
That's it? Not even an achievement reward?
Kenya rolled his eyes inwardly.
This lousy system was as stingy and unobtrusive as ever.
But before he could complain for even half a second, a terrifying, suffocating torrent of heat erupted without warning from deep within his heart.
"Hiss-!"
Kenya sucked in a sharp breath.
This heat was ten times more violent than during his initial fusion!
Like a flood bursting through a dam, it swept through his blood vessels and engulfed his entire body.
Everywhere it passed, his muscle fibers tore with teeth-grating cracks and pops.
Then they frantically rebuilt themselves at an unbelievable speed, growing thicker and denser.
Dull thunder rumbled deep within his bones, a sign that his bone density was increasing exponentially.
"Boss, what's wrong?"
Noticing something unusual about Kenya, Kato Yosuke hurried over nervously to ask.
"Nothing. Just ate too much and needed to burp. Keep loading. I'm heading back to the island to work off the meal."
Kenya waved a hand, forcibly suppressing the urge to throw back his head and roar.
He pushed off the deck with both legs.
Bang!
His feet actually left two deep footprints in the sturdy black iron wood deck.
Kenya became a blurry black shadow, used Geppo several times over the sea, and vanished from everyone's sight in an instant.
Only Yosuke and the guards remained, exchanging bewildered looks.
"The boss's digestion really is getting more and more monstrous..." Yosuke pushed up his glasses and sighed with genuine feeling.
At the deserted island's highest point stood the summit of the granite sea cliff Kenya had flattened with a single punch.
Gales howled, and waves broke into white foam against the reefs a thousand meters below.
Bare-chested, Kenya sat cross-legged at the cliff's edge with his eyes tightly closed.
He was carefully sensing the earthshaking changes taking place inside his body.
Fifty percent fusion was a qualitative leap.
He could clearly feel that the Armament Haki that had once drifted through his body had now merged perfectly with every inch of skin, every muscle, and even every cell.
This was not merely a coating of Haki, but assimilation on a fundamental level.
What delighted him even more was this.
Under this deep fusion, the mutated Senju wood release cells within his body had actually undergone a wondrous chemical reaction as well.
The immense vitality contained within the wood release cells was completely absorbed and compressed by his Armament Haki.
It formed an entirely new physique possessing both extreme hardness and terrifying regenerative power.
Kenya slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his body.
Under the sunlight.
His bronze skin now faintly gleamed with a deep, dark-gold luster.
This was not because he had deliberately activated his Armament Haki.
Rather, his ordinary physical body had already evolved to an inconceivable level of hardness!
"I'm practically a black iron fortress wearing human skin."
Kenya clenched his fists.
He formed no hand seals and mobilized no chakra.
Simply closing his fingers squeezed a sharp explosive crack out of the air in his palm.
He now felt an intense confidence.
Even if he stood still and let an ordinary Jonin slash at him with a kunai, they would not even break his skin.
"I can't just judge by appearances. I need to actually test this body's limits."
Kenya stood and walked to the very edge of the sea cliff.
Below lay the turbulent sea and clusters of razor-sharp black reefs.
It was a full thousand meters down to the surface.
An ordinary person falling from here would absolutely be smashed into a puddle of meat.
Kenya did not hesitate in the slightest.
He drew a deep breath, spread his arms like a black roc unfurling its wings, and leaped straight off the thousand-meter cliff!
"Whoosh-!"
The wind howled in his ears like shrieking ghosts.
The intense sensation of weightlessness sent Kenya's adrenaline surging wildly.
He did not use Geppo to slow himself, nor did he activate Armament Haki to defend himself.
With nothing but his unenhanced physical body.
He plummeted like a meteor straight toward the largest, sharpest black reef below.
BOOM-!!!
An earthshaking blast erupted over the open sea.
It was like a heavy bomb detonating underwater.
An enormous column of water shot dozens of meters into the air, blotting out the sky and sun.
Amid the deafening roar.
That incredibly hard, massive black reef, weathered by waves for countless millions of years.
The instant it touched Kenya's body.
Shattered like a fragile cracker into powder that filled the air!
Fragments of rock mixed with seawater sprayed wildly in every direction.
The terrifying impact even blasted an enormous crater into the seabed, and the surrounding seawater immediately surged into it.
Several full minutes passed.
Only then did the towering column of water gradually subside, and rolling waves returned to the sea's surface.
"Splash-"
A head covered in seaweed emerged from the wreckage of the shattered reef.
Kenya wiped the seawater from his face and shook out his dripping black hair.
He looked down at his body.
After that utterly devastating impact.
There was not even a single pale mark on his dark-gold-gleaming skin!
He could not even find the slightest scrape.
It was as though he had not jumped off a thousand-meter cliff and smashed a reef, but had instead jumped into a soft pile of cotton.
"Hahahaha! That felt great!"
Standing in seawater above his knees, Kenya threw back his head and laughed.
This hardness.
This absolute sense of security brought by pure physical strength.
It was more intoxicating than any flashy Ninjutsu!
"With this body, who needs to dodge attacks anymore? I could take a Tailed Beast Bomb straight to the face without any trouble."
Satisfied, Kenya patted his chest muscles, producing dull metallic bangs.
Just then.
He sensed something unusual in the seawater at his feet.
He looked down.
An enormous lobster, over half a meter long, was waving two huge claws.
Dazed by the shock wave just now, it had floated to the surface.
"Oh? Looks like heaven knew I needed protein after a workout. It even prepared an extra meal."
Kenya reached down without ceremony.
He precisely gripped the lobster's back shell and lifted it out.
The lobster instinctively swung its claws and clamped down hard on Kenya's arm.
A crisp crack rang out.
The lobster's enormous claw, powerful enough to crush bone, actually snapped off the instant it clamped onto Kenya's arm.
The lobster: "???"
Ignoring the unfortunate lobster's despair, Kenya carried it and effortlessly flew back to the clifftop using Geppo.
He found a flat rock and sat down.
He expertly built a fire, shelled the lobster, sprinkled on some coarse salt, and got straight to a rustic grilled-meat feast.
"Delicious! Fresh seafood really is something else."
Kenya tore off a piece of tender white lobster meat and stuffed it into his mouth, savoring every bite.
His strength had soared, and he had scored a free seafood meal.
He would not trade such a comfortable life even for the position of Hokage.
Just as Kenya was thoroughly enjoying his meal.
A jet-black Ninja Hawk suddenly cut through the sea breeze and landed precisely on the rock beside him.
A small bamboo tube was tied to the Ninja Hawk's leg.
This was a dedicated messenger hawk used by the Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce to relay urgent intelligence internally.
"What's so urgent this time, Yosuke?"
Kenya wiped the grease off his hands, removed the bamboo tube, and pulled out the secret letter inside.
He unfolded the paper and casually scanned its contents.
The next second.
Kenya stopped chewing the lobster meat, and a glimmer of keen interest flashed through his eyes.
He crumpled the letter into a ball and casually tossed it into the fire to burn to ashes.
A playful smile curled his lips.
"Aunt Tsunade."
"You big fat sheep. You really made me search long and hard."