Chapter 629: S rank ninja Minato Namikaze

The blessing period had ended, and Charles was still 51 fragments short of recruiting the S-rank Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

Assuming a minimum of one fragment per draw, he would need up to 51 ten-draw recruitments, which could cost up to 60,480 gold coins at worst.

Charles didn't believe his luck would be that bad, but even in the worst-case scenario, he could still afford to spend the money.

With this in mind, he didn't waste any time and proceeded with the next five ten-draw recruitments all at once, instantly obtaining a large number of ninja fragments.

In the first ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 2 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the second ten-draw without blessings, he got 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 8 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the third ten-draw without blessings, he got 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 16 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the fourth ten-draw without blessings, he got 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 4 A-rank Young Minato Namikaze fragments, 9 B-rank fragments, and 5 C-rank fragments.

In the fifth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 6 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, 8 A-rank fragments (4 Young Minato Namikaze and 4 Hoshigaki Kisame), 9 B-rank fragments, and 7 C-rank fragments.

After five ten-draws, Charles had obtained 10 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments.

This result was not surprising; four times he got the minimum guarantee, and once he hit the jackpot. This result was better than expected, and now it was up to his luck in the remaining draws.

Taking a deep breath, he continued with the ten-draw recruitments.

In the sixth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 12 A-rank fragments (8 Young Minato Namikaze and 4 Hoshigaki Kisame), 1 B-rank fragment, and 7 C-rank fragments.

In the seventh ten-draw without blessings, he got 4 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, 4 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the eighth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 8 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the ninth ten-draw without blessings, he got 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 2 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the tenth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 6 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, 4 A-rank Young Minato Namikaze fragments, 9 B-rank fragments, and 5 C-rank fragments.

In the eleventh ten-draw without blessings, he got 5 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, 2 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the twelfth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 2 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the thirteenth ten-draw without blessings, he got 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 16 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the fourteenth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 4 A-rank Young Minato Namikaze fragments, 9 B-rank fragments, and 5 C-rank fragments.

In the fifteenth ten-draw without blessings, he got 6 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, 4 A-rank Young Minato Namikaze fragments, 9 B-rank fragments, and 5 C-rank fragments.

After using all 200 ninja recruitment scrolls, Charles had accumulated total 86 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, only 14 short of the recruitment goal.

Seeing this, Charles spent another 16,800 gold coins to buy 100 more ninja recruitment scrolls. He believed that with his current luck, he would definitely collect enough fragments in the next ten draws.

In the sixteenth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 2 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the seventeenth ten-draw without blessings, he got 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 4 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the eighteenth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 6 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the nineteenth ten-draw without blessings, he got 1 guaranteed S-rank Minato Namikaze fragment, 8 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the twentieth ten-draw without blessings, he obtained 6 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, 8 A-rank Young Minato Namikaze fragments, 2 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

In the twenty-first ten-draw without blessings, he got 4 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments, 2 B-rank fragments, and the rest were all C-rank.

After using the scrolls from the sixth draw, Charles finally collected 100 S-rank Minato Namikaze fragments. He decided not to use the remaining 40 recruitment scrolls.

Charles started tallying up the ninja fragments obtained from the 21 ten-draw recruitments without blessings:

S-rank: Minato Namikaze, 25 times for a total of 51 fragments.

A-rank: Young Minato Namikaze, 9 times for a total of 36 fragments; Hoshigaki Kisame, 2 times for a total of 8 fragments.

B-rank: Shippuden Sakura Haruno, 8 times for a total of 14 fragments; Shippuden Sasuke Uchiha, 9 times for a total of 30 fragments; Shippuden Naruto Uzumaki, 10 times for a total of 25 fragments; Cursed Seal Kimimaro, 6 times for a total of 19 fragments; Gaara, 5 times for a total of 18 fragments; Shippuden Ino Yamanaka, 4 times for a total of 7 fragments; Shippuden Rock Lee, 9 times for a total of 22 fragments.

C-rank: Tsubaki, 6 times for a total of 8 fragments; Naruto Uzumaki, 9 times for a total of 16 fragments; Shizuka, 8 times for a total of 11 fragments; Rock Lee, 9 times for a total of 11 fragments; Sakura Haruno, 10 times for a total of 10 fragments; Tayuya, 9 times for a total of 9 fragments. Neji Hyuga, 10 times for a total of 11 fragments; Hanabi Hyuga, 9 times for a total of 15 fragments; Ino Yamanaka, 10 times for a total of 15 fragments; Choji Akimichi, 8 times for a total of 13 fragments; Zaku Abumi, 4 times for a total of 4 fragments; Shizune, 10 times for a total of 15 fragments; Iruka Umino, 7 times for a total of 7 fragments; Shiho, 4 times for a total of 6 fragments; Karui, 3 times for a total of 5 fragments.

After completing all the recruitments, Charles exited the recruitment screen and opened his ninja roster. To his surprise, five new ninja portraits were lit up:

S-rank: Minato Namikaze

B-rank: Shippuden Rock Lee

C-rank: Zaku Abumi, Tsubaki, Shiho

Besides the new ninja portraits, several other ninjas had reached the upgrade threshold:

A-rank: Young Minato Namikaze

C-rank: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Rock Lee

Besides these ninjas, others like Hoshigaki Kisame, Shippuden Sasuke Uchiha, Shippuden Naruto Uzumaki, and Cursed Seal Kimimaro have also made significant progress towards their next star level.

It seemed that using the 300 recruitment scrolls had yielded quite a lot of valuable resources, though it remained to be seen how much these would enhance his overall strength.

Furthermore, for the ninjas who had already been merged, Charles was curious about the impact of upgrading their original versions.

Looking at the highlighted ninjas in his roster, Charles couldn't help but be impressed by Rock Lee.

Previously, he had bought a ninja card to strengthen him, and now he could upgrade him once again. It seemed his strength would see a significant boost.

Among the many ninjas, Charles first selected the S-rank Minato Namikaze. This whole spending spree was aimed at recruiting him, and now he was eager to see how much an S-rank ninja would enhance his power.

He clicked on Minato Namikaze's portrait, and the information appeared on the screen.

S-rank: Minato Namikaze, fragments 100/100. Recruit?

Recruit!

Ding! Congratulations to Charles Doyle for successfully recruiting the three-star S-rank ninja, Minato Namikaze.

The next moment, a scene appeared before Charles's eyes.

Against a golden background, Minato Namikaze stood wearing the Fourth Hokage's ceremonial robe, a Konoha forehead protector on his head, and a Hiraishin kunai in hand. ("When there is longing, there will be reunion!")

Charles couldn't help but admire how stylish Minato looked in the Hokage's robe, especially paired with the golden flash of the Hiraishin technique.

He also noticed a significant detail: S-rank ninjas are recruited at three-star level, unlike other ninjas.

Charles opened the ninja's details to check the skills.

Minato Namikaze: S-rank ninja

Stars: Three

Basic Attack: Taijutsu combined with Hiraishin Kunai!

Substitution Jutsu: Wood Substitution!

Skills: Lightning Flash, Space-Time Ninjutsu: Godspeed, Space-Time Rasengan Combo.

- Lightning Flash: Throws a Hiraishin kunai forward. If it hits the enemy, continuous teleportation attacks follow. ("Bearing the name of Hokage, I cannot lose!")

- Space-Time Ninjutsu: Godspeed: Teleports and performs a heavy leg kick. After the kick, a teleportation kunai slash follows. ("If peace lies at the end of war, I will fight to the end!")

- Space-Time Rasengan Combo: A double Rasengan attack coordinated with the Hiraishin technique. The first Rasengan is unleashed on the ground to knock the enemy into the air, followed by a second Rasengan in the air to finish them off. ("I will protect it, even at the cost of my life!")

Reviewing Minato Namikaze's skills, Charles felt a bit disappointed. The moves were somewhat similar to those of Young Minato Namikaze, with the ultimate ninjutsu being not much different from Young Minato's ordinary ninjutsu.

However, in terms of overall combat experience, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze was definitely stronger than his younger self.

Besides Young Minato Namikaze and the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, Charles knew there was an even stronger version—Edo Tensei Minato Namikaze, who had Sage Mode and the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

This version represented the peak of Minato's power. However, Charles wasn't sure when the Edo Tensei version would be available for recruitment, but he believed it would happen eventually.

Curious about the boost a three-star S-rank ninja would provide, Charles clicked to receive the ninja.

Instantly, his chakra levels surged dramatically, forming an overwhelming aura, and the magic circle in his room lit up again.

Charles's chakra had increased by a staggering 50 units, not the usual increments of 1, 5, or 15 units.

This brought his chakra level to an impressive 333 units. Simultaneously, Minato Namikaze's ninjutsu knowledge was transmitted to Charles.

At this point, Charles could serve as a formidable ninjutsu artillery. Compared to Hoshigaki Kisame, Charles Doyle had become a true tailless beast.

Feeling the immense chakra within himself, Charles began to control it, preventing it from leaking. As his power stabilized, the magic circle in his room faded away.

If Odin saw Charles's rapid increase in strength, he might reconsider the need for a three-year period. Perhaps, within a year, Charles would meet Odin's standards.

After completing the recruitment, Charles eagerly awaited the title reward.

Ding! Congratulations to Charles Doyle for successfully recruiting the super-strong S-rank ninja, Minato Namikaze.

You have earned the title "Yellow Flash" and gained one additional battle slot.

Hearing the system notification, Charles was delighted. This wave of ninja recruitment had turned out to be extremely profitable.

Previously, recruiting Kabuto Yakushi had rewarded him with the title "Shadow of Evil Spirits," and now recruiting Minato Namikaze had granted him the title "Yellow Flash."

Together, the two battle slots he received were worth nearly 110,000 gold coins, effectively getting back all the coins he had spent.

Having finished recruiting the S-rank Minato Namikaze, Charles turned his attention to the B-rank Shippuden Rock Lee.

He clicked on Rock Lee's portrait, and the information appeared on the screen.

B-rank: Shippuden Rock Lee, fragments 56/40. Recruit?

Recruit!

Ding! Congratulations to Charles Doyle for successfully recruiting the two-star B-rank ninja, Shippuden Rock Lee.

The next moment, a scene appeared before Charles's eyes. Rock Lee stood against a green background, now grown into an adult, wearing a Jonin's vest, signifying his promotion to a Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Charles opened the ninja's details to check the skills.

Shippuden Rock Lee: B-rank ninja

Stars: Two

Basic Attack: Konoha Whirlwind Taijutsu Attack!

Substitution Jutsu: Wood substitution!

Skills: Front Lotus, Konoha Great Hurricane, Leaf Hot Wind Lotus.

Front Lotus: Quickly jumps back, then dashes forward to kick the enemy into the air, grabs them mid-air, and performs a high-speed rotation slam into the ground.

Konoha Great Hurricane: A full-body spinning kick that finishes by kicking the enemy into the air.

Leaf Hot Wind Lotus: Opens the Gate of Limit, launching a powerful leg combo attack. The final blow is a high-speed leg strike that causes a massive explosion due to air friction. ("Now is the time to defend my way of the ninja!")

Reviewing Shippuden Rock Lee's three skills, Charles frowned slightly.

Rock Lee had been able to open the Gate of Limit three years ago, and it seemed he still relied on it three years later.

The intense battle against Gaara in the original world must have left a significant toll on him.

Charles wondered if Rock Lee, in his current state, could open the Gate of View and use the Morning Peacock technique after fusion.

With the guidance from Guy and his star-level upgrade abilities, Rock Lee's strength should easily surpass previous limitations.

Charles clicked to receive the ninja, and his chakra level increased by another 5 units, reaching a total of 338 units.

At the same time, knowledge about the Eight Gates and Shippuden Rock Lee's ninjutsu was transmitted to Charles.