Naruto: Talent Entry Perks

For more than two months, the puppet army attacked the five major ninja villages eleven times, once a week. And in return, Izayoi only earned 500,000 points.

Moreover, those 500,000 points weren't all from the high-end combatants of the five great ninja villages—but also from bloodline limit holders.

Among them, over 70,000 points were provided by Uchiha Sasuke.

Just as Izayoi had predicted: the stronger the target, the higher the drop rate when defeated in a fair duel.

If the target was killed, there was a 50% probability of a drop—it was a true gambler's gamble.

All the puppet army's attacks on the five villages were group battles.

Only the battles with the Five Kage and Jinchūriki, as well as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, were genuine one-on-one duels.

The puppets either had to match the target's chakra or lower their own to increase the drop rate when defeating powerful opponents.

Even if they ran out of chakra, the wood clones would not provide support—and if they lost, they'd just hand over the puppet.

In the eleven rounds of duels, Izayoi's puppet only lost to Uchiha Sasuke once—because Sasuke had unexpectedly mastered the Sage Art of Inorganic Reincarnation and caught the puppet off guard using a Wood Release technique.

But after that trump card was exposed, Sasuke never won again.

Ten straight losses, and Sasuke dropped three entries: one gold, one purple, and one blue.

The gold was a Super Kage-level qualification, the purple was the Wood Release technique, and the blue was the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.

Uzumaki Naruto lost all eleven rounds, but only dropped one purple entry: the Uzumaki bloodline that Izayoi acquired from him.

Izayoi could only be helpless about this.

Unlike Hinata and Sasuke, both geniuses, Uzumaki Naruto—who spent six years in the academy—had a natural talent for ninjutsu that was hard to describe.

Without a strong control ability, he couldn't learn the Senju clan's chakra-enhanced super punch.

Illusions were also out of the question.

Even if he were willing to practice patiently, who knew how many years it would take to improve his ninjutsu.

This was why Izayoi chose to abandon him and focus on training Sasuke instead.

That so-called "Child of Prophecy" could only wait for his body to mature and begin cheating with his plot armor. Izayoi had no patience to raise him slowly.

A single cheat from Naruto far surpassed a year's worth of careful cultivation.

Each time Naruto got a power-up, it was an insane leap.

After mastering Sage Mode and becoming a perfect Jinchūriki, he skyrocketed to Super Kage-level in one go.

Setting aside the tens of thousands of points Sasuke contributed, Izayoi's more than two months of hard work had only earned him a bit over 400,000 points.

And with that 50% gamble rate…

Even targeting high-level enemies and entry holders without killing them often didn't reach that probability.

Getting a high-level drop could only be described as a stroke of luck.

Izayoi couldn't even imagine how long it would have taken him to collect this many points if he hadn't discovered the human puppet mechanism.

Had he not spent points upgrading Chakra Control and the Sage Body, he would've had enough to elevate a red entry to an unknown higher level by now.

Even so, Izayoi had no regrets upgrading his Sage Body to red.

Even if it didn't polarize with Sasuke's Sage Eye to evolve into something on par with the Rinnegan, Izayoi didn't mind—he already had the Rinnegan, and his goal wasn't to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.

The main reason he upgraded Sage Body wasn't just to strengthen Wood Release or his overall abilities, but to acquire… the Truth-Seeking Ball.

If he didn't become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, he could only master the Six Paths Sage Mode and rely on Yin-Yang Release and Six Paths chakra to create the Truth-Seeking Balls.

Six Paths Sage Mode, Yin-Yang Release, and mastery of all seven nature transformations were the prerequisites.

Izayoi already possessed two out of the three.

Once his Rinnegan completed its final evolution, he'd have the third.

Once he achieved Six Paths Sage Mode and acquired the Truth-Seeking Balls, with the Rinnegan Chakra Mode as backup, even the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki wouldn't be impossible to fight.

"Izayoi-kun, are you finally about to achieve your goal?"

As Izayoi gazed toward the future, Hinata's gentle voice came from above his head.

Looking up, he saw her hugging him from behind in the hot spring, resting his head on her chest as a pillow, and softly asking.

Izayoi put away the personal panel visible only to himself, leaned into Hinata's embrace, and smiled. "Yes, Hinata. Do you want to know why I'm doing all this?"

"Is it okay to tell me?" Hinata tilted her head slightly, then used a handkerchief to gently wipe the sweat from Izayoi's brow. Her smile was warm and understanding. "If it's not convenient, you don't have to. I believe in you."

Hearing that, Izayoi gazed at her tenderly.

Trust—it wasn't just words.

Hinata had been doing this the whole time for more than two months.

If he didn't say, she wouldn't ask. And if he did say, she would simply accept it.

She hadn't said a single word even about her younger sister Hanabi, her best friend, or her father.

No questions, no leaks—only actions.

That was Hinata's love for him.

Izayoi had deeply felt it.

Only Hinata could make him let down all his defenses during the fetal movement period of the Rinnegan.

"Thank you, Hinata," he said softly.

Instead of explaining, Izayoi turned, pulled the bath towel-clad Hinata into his arms, pressed the back of her head, and leaned forward. A splash of water followed—and only a bath towel floated on the surface.

…

October 25, Year 61 of the Konoha Calendar — the newly rebuilt Hokage Building.

"This is your task for the Jounin exam."

Inside the Hokage's office, only Izayoi and Tsunade were present.

Tsunade tossed him a scroll labeled "Confidential."

"You must complete the mission within ten days, without revealing your identity," she instructed.

Catching the scroll, Izayoi asked curiously, "Isn't there an exam for the Jounin exam, like the Chunin one?"

"There is, but that's for Special Jounin."

Tsunade didn't hide anything. "Although we use three ranks—Special Jounin, Jounin, and Elite Jounin—there are really only two types. Special Jounin are those promoted for their unique abilities, while full Jounin are the well-rounded backbone of the ninja corps, with both brains and brawn."

"As for Elite Jounin? It's just a reputation title. Every Elite Jounin is simply the best of the best—exceptional strength, outstanding mission records, high enemy kill counts. They're the strongest ninjas around, often the Five Kage candidates."

"Special Jounin take an exam against others with similar talents."

"But for Jounin, they must prove themselves comprehensively."

"In terms of strength, they must master two or more nature transformations to qualify for high-level and compound ninjutsu."

"In terms of intellect, they must be calm and wise, able to resolve crises without burdening their country, village, or client."

"Only those capable of all that can lead the ninja forces."

Tsunade pointed at the scroll. "You've already proven your strength to the village and the world. Now, this mission is to test your capabilities as a ninja."

"I understand," Izayoi said, looking down at the confidential scroll and realizing what she meant about keeping it secret.

Ninjas with super-standard power could ignore the rules—but only a handful existed across generations.

Even Five Kage couldn't stand up to a large village alone.

A Jounin came right after Elite Jounin. Strong, yet not unrivaled.

They were trusted with S-rank and even Super S-rank confidential missions.

So their evaluation couldn't be like the Chunin or Special Jounin Exams.

It couldn't be against their own village ninjas—you wouldn't be able to go all out or prove anything.

The battlefield and opponent had to be real and hostile.

"I understand, Hokage-sama," Izayoi nodded.

"Then go get your travel pass," Tsunade said, then added as if remembering something, "And keep this mission strictly confidential, even from Hinata. That's the rule."

"Yes."

Izayoi nodded, left the office, got his permit, returned home to pack, and left Hinata a note.

He then left the village like any ordinary ninja.

The secret mission—unless it involved destroying the moon or single-handedly wiping out the Akatsuki without exposing the Rinnegan—was trivial for Izayoi.

Acting solo actually gave him an alibi and freed him from Tsunade's emergency call summons. Perfect timing for his real body to take action.

Izayoi prepared to teleport and make his final pre-war arrangements.

"Huh?"

At that moment, new intel popped into his mind.

As he processed the data relayed by his wood clone, he frowned. "A meeting in the Kamui dimension, not a secret message? What are they planning?"

Little did he know—the topic of the meeting was him.

"Konoha's Wood Release ninja has left on a solo mission," White Zetsu reported.

"He's finally moving… looks like the big villages are operational again."

"Leader, should we act immediately?"

"No rush," Nagato said calmly. "We don't know the extent of Otsutsuki Toneri's Rinnegan surveillance, but my chakra signature is too obvious. Once I move, he'll find me."

"If I leave, he'll try to seize the Outer Path Statue immediately."

"The way he attacked the five villages—his puppet army might drop into the Hidden Rain Village. We have to evacuate civilians first."

Nagato turned to Black Zetsu. "I'll send a wood clone. Use the secret scroll to notify Konan to coordinate."

Then he looked at Obito. "Can your wood clone use Kamui?"

"Yes," Obito nodded.

"Good. You stay in the Hidden Rain Village. Send your clone to gather everyone. If something happens, transfer them to Kamui, then use your real body as a teleport anchor."

Even Obito, the Kamui user himself, was surprised.

Kamui… could be used like this?

It's practically Flying Thunder God.

He nodded on the surface. "Understood."

"Let's begin. Send me over with your clone."

Nagato performed the Wood Clone Technique and transformed his real body.

Seeing his new appearance, White Zetsu chuckled. "Time to let him taste his own medicine."

Nagato now looked exactly like… Otsutsuki Toneri.

…

"There's something off!"

Nagato's wood clone had just returned to the Hidden Rain Village when Izayoi's surveillance clone noticed.

"This isn't his real body… Where is the original?"

While flying over a forest, Izayoi thought to himself, realizing this was a great chance—and was about to order a surprise assault on the Hidden Rain Village.

But before he could issue the command, a strange sensation hit him.

He stopped midair atop a tall tree, looked toward the blue-gold sky, and saw a shadow slowly descending.

Izayoi's mouth twitched slightly.

Good grief… they're giving me a taste of my own medicine, huh?