#38 Divine Reward System

“Shikamaru, are you all right?”

Hearing Naruto’s concerned voice, Shikamaru exhaled and replied, “If you had come any later, things might have gone south for us.”

Seeing the tables turn in their favor, Choji smirked and taunted, “Hah! You guys thought you could bully us? Well, look at the numbers now—six against five. Let’s see what you do now!”

One of the Hidden Rain shinobi scoffed, “Oh? And here I thought Konoha shinobi had some sense of fairness.”

“Just a moment ago, three of you ganged up on two of us. Now that the situation’s flipped, you suddenly want to talk about honor?”

Ino crossed her arms and huffed, “Hmph! Where was this energy when you guys had the advantage? Now that the odds aren’t in your favor, you want to negotiate? Too late for that!”

“Exactly,” Choji agreed, squinting at the opposing group. His uniform was covered in dirt, a clear sign he had taken a beating. Despite that, he and his team had held their ground, thanks in no small part to his [Human Boulder] technique. Among the three of them, he was the main offensive force.

The five Hidden Rain shinobi hesitated, clearly uncertain about their next move. Before they could decide, Tatsuya’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

“If you want to walk away from this in one piece, hand over the [scroll] now.”

The Rain shinobi tensed. The scroll was essential for passing the exam—there was no way they could give it up so easily.

“Hah! If you want the scroll, you’ll have to take it by force!”

“Yeah, don’t underestimate us! Just because we’re outnumbered doesn’t mean we can’t win.”

Tatsuya smirked. “If you’re so eager to die, then allow me to help you.”

His words sent a chill down the spines of not only the Hidden Rain shinobi but also Shikamaru’s team. The sheer confidence in his voice was unnerving.

Just as the Rain shinobi braced themselves for battle, a weak voice interrupted.

“Wait…!”

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice—it was one of the Hidden Rain shinobi, lying injured on the ground.

“Boss, why are you stopping us?” one of his teammates asked.

The injured Rain shinobi let out a bitter chuckle. “Because I was wrecked by that dude with a single punch.”

His words hit like a thunderclap. The five Rain shinobi froze, their expressions shifting from defiance to disbelief. This wasn’t just any teammate—he was their strongest fighter, the pride of their village. And yet, he had been crushed with a single blow.

They turned to Tatsuya, their gazes filled with fear. He stood there calmly, as if the entire fight was beneath him.

Faced with an impossible choice—hand over the scroll or risk total defeat—the Rain shinobi reluctantly surrendered their scrolls.

Their mission was a failure. They knew it. If they lost their lives here, there would be no next time. With grim expressions, they turned and left, their defeat hanging over them.

Once they were gone, Shikamaru let out a relieved sigh. “Tatsuya, I owe you one.”

“Don’t mention it.” Tatsuya handed him a scroll. “This is yours, right?”

Before Shikamaru could answer, Ino interjected, “Wait, how did you know?”

Tatsuya shrugged. “Shikamaru doesn’t do anything pointless. If he was fighting this hard, it means he needed this scroll.”

Shikamaru blinked, slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Tatsuya to read him so well.

“Go on, take it,” Tatsuya insisted, placing the [Scroll of Heaven] in Shikamaru’s hands.

Naruto grinned. “You guys should take it. We’ve already got everything we need.”

Shikamaru hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Thanks.”

Ino and Choji exchanged looks of excitement. With this, they could pass the exam! They both shot grateful glances at Tatsuya, their opinion of him rising significantly.

Ino, in particular, couldn’t shake the memory of Tatsuya’s presence earlier. His strength, his confidence—it was overwhelming. First, she had been impressed by his intellect in the written exam, but now she had witnessed his raw power firsthand. In that moment, her admiration for him edged dangerously close to surpassing what she felt for Sasuke.

“Alright, you guys should head to the [Central Tower] now,” Tatsuya said.

Shikamaru frowned. “What about you?”

“We’ve got one last thing to take care of.”

With that, Tatsuya and his team parted ways with Shikamaru’s group. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their next target—the [Oto Trio].

As soon as they appeared, the three Oto shinobi—Dosu, Zaku, and Kin—narrowed their eyes. They had been looking for Sasuke, and yet, here Tatsuya and his team were, standing before them.

Dosu sneered, “Well, well… Looks like fate’s on our side today.”

Zaku grinned. “Heh, talk about lucky. We were planning to hunt you down, and you just walk right up to us.”

But their confidence took a hit when Tatsuya smirked and said, “Oh, you misunderstand. You didn’t find us—we came looking for you.”

The Oto trio stiffened. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged confused glances. Why was Tatsuya after these guys?

Dosu’s eyes darkened. “Hmph. You sure seem to know a lot. Tell me, why are you looking for us?”

Tatsuya’s expression didn’t change. “For the same reason you’re after [Sasuke].”

The Oto trio’s blood ran cold. How did he know about their mission? Even Sasuke was caught off guard—he had no idea why they were targeting him in the first place.

Dosu clenched his fists. “How do you know we’re here to kill [Uchiha Sasuke]?”

Tatsuya’s gaze sharpened. “For the dead, explanations are unnecessary.”

The air grew thick with tension. In that moment, it became clear—Tatsuya had no intention of letting them walk away.

Looking at the "Oto Trio" standing before him, Tatsuya initially considered taking them down himself. But then he recalled—he had already defeated two of them. Only one remained. [T/N: The system considered them defeated when Tatsuya stopped them from attacking Naruto.]

{Task Progress: Defeat the "Oto Trio"}{Tosu: Defeated}{Zaku: Defeated}{Kin: Not Defeated}

Rather than finishing the job alone, he decided this was the perfect chance to push Sasuke and Naruto. A real fight against formidable opponents would force them to grow.

Tatsuya turned to them. "Sasuke, Naruto, you two handle them."

Naruto blinked. "Uh, what about the girl?"

"I'll take care of her," Tatsuya replied calmly.

"Come on! You're way stronger than us! Why don’t we switch?"

Naruto figured fighting Kin would be easier, but Tatsuya cut him off with a sharp look. "Naruto, do you want to get stronger?"

"Of course I do!"

"Do you still want to surpass Sasuke?"

"Obviously!"

"Then stop looking for easy fights. Challenge the strong."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then nodded with determination. "Alright, I get it!"

He finally understood—Tatsuya wasn’t just making things easier for himself. He was pushing them to improve, forcing them to break past their limits. That only made Naruto admire him even more.

Sasuke, meanwhile, was still grappling with something else. The Oto Trio… they had come specifically to kill him.

Tatsuya’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Sasuke, if you want answers, beat him."

Sasuke's eyes darkened. "Fine."

Dosu sneered. "You kids really think you can handle us?"

"Let's find out," Sasuke shot back.

The moment he spoke, Tatsuya raised his hand. A strange chakra pulsed in his palm, and in an instant, Dosu was yanked off his feet, his body completely immobilized.

"What—?!"

Tatsuya's technique, a refined chakra control ability, took advantage of the metal wristbands Dosu wore. With them, he was powerless against Tatsuya’s grip.

The Oto shinobi stared in shock. Zaku and Kin, who had already faced Tatsuya before, felt a cold shiver crawl up their spines. It was all coming together now—the attack from the day before. They had assumed it was someone from Konoha’s higher-ups, like Ibiki. But no… it had been this kid all along.

Dosu’s voice trembled. "It was you… you did that to us yesterday!"

Tatsuya smirked. "You're not too slow after all."

With their hands restrained and their taijutsu too weak to break free, Dosu and Zaku were completely trapped. Panic set in.

"What do you want?!"

"I know you’re just following orders, so I’m giving you a chance. A chance to live."

"What kind of chance?" Zaku asked hesitantly.

"Fight them—Naruto and Sasuke. If you win, you walk away. If you lose… you deal with the consequences."

Dosu clenched his fists. "You swear?"

Tatsuya’s lips curled slightly. "I always keep my word. But there are rules."

His smirk deepened. "Naruto and Sasuke are allowed to kill you. But you? You’re not allowed to kill them. If you break the rule, the game is over. And the only thing waiting for you then is… [death]."

"That’s not fair!" Zaku snapped. "Why can they kill us, but we can’t—?!"

Tatsuya’s expression hardened. "Fair? I make the rules here. You either fight or die."

The sheer pressure of his presence left them with no choice.

Reluctantly, Dosu and Zaku agreed. The strong made the rules, and the weak had no choice but to follow them.

Tatsuya released them but added, "I’ve placed a chakra marker on you both. Don’t even think about running."

Zaku’s eyes widened. "A chakra mark…?"

"How else did you think I found you so fast?" Tatsuya’s voice was cold and matter-of-fact, shutting down any hopes of escape.

Naruto frowned. "Tatsuya, isn’t this a little unfair?"

Tatsuya’s gaze was unwavering. "These guys came here to kill us. And they’ll kill others in the future. If you don’t want them taking innocent lives, then fight. Beat them down until they can’t get back up."

Naruto swallowed but ultimately nodded. "Got it."

With that, he and Sasuke stepped forward, facing Tosu and Zaku. Though the Oto shinobi were reluctant, they had no choice but to fight.

And so, the battle began.

As the fight raged, Tatsuya turned his attention to Kin, the last remaining enemy. Unlike her teammates, she didn’t dare to fight back.

"Kin, right?"

She stiffened. "Uh… y-yeah?"

"You want to fight me?"

"No! I surrender!"

Her answer came out immediately—too fast. She didn’t care about pride, didn’t care about honor. She just wanted to live.

And with those words, the system in Tatsuya’s mind confirmed the result.

[Ding! Task Complete: Defeated the "Oto Trio"]

Tatsuya blinked. That… actually worked?

Regardless, his focus remained on Naruto and Sasuke’s battle. At first, Dosu and Zaku had the upper hand, their sound-based attacks disorienting their opponents. But they underestimated Sasuke’s Sharingan. Once he adjusted to their movements, he countered with his newly developed [Lion Barrage], taking Tosu down in a single, crushing combo.

Naruto, inspired, copied Sasuke’s technique with his own spin, using shadow clones to overwhelm Zaku with [Naruto Barrage].

In the end, the Oto Trio had lost.

Tatsuya smirked as he watched Naruto and Sasuke stand victorious. They didn’t disappoint him.

Meanwhile, Kin looked utterly defeated. With her teammates down, she knew her fate was sealed.

Tatsuya showed no hesitation. He ended her right there, sending her to join Dosu and Zaku.

The moment they had accepted the mission to assassinate Sasuke, their fate was set in stone.

Even if Tatsuya spared them, Orochimaru would have disposed of them later. He never kept pawns that had outlived their usefulness.

And Tatsuya had no interest in letting Orochimaru clean up his mess.