SJIN: Chapter 20

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"Beep—" The system's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Congratulations, host. You have simultaneously used the Blood Contract and Power Bond, achieving a high-level achievement. Reward: Unlock Permission Experience Card x1."

Unlock Permission?

Mizuno's heart leaped with joy.

In his mind, the image of the Shinigami appeared.

"Hee hee hee—It seems your current power isn't enough to deal with the guy in front of you," the Shinigami's voice was chilling. "Lucky for you, you have a chance to unlock new power."

Mizuno looked towards the back of the Shinigami. There was one more page that could be unlocked—Shiki Fujin!

"I remember, the person who uses Shiki Fujin will die." Mizuno asked.

The Shinigami's voice was cold and terrifying. "Of course, but you are the human body that can directly communicate with me, you are not within the scope of repayment."

Mizuno understood. He didn't have time to think about it in detail. "I understand. Unlock the last permission, I want to use Shiki Fujin!"

On the battlefield, Kinkaku roared and charged towards Mizuno.

"Fire, I need to communicate directly with the others in our minds," Mizuno called out to Yamanaka Hi in his mind.

"No problem." Yamanaka Hi's voice came through.

"Hanzō, Kakuzu, you two hold Kinkaku off. In two minutes, leave an opening for him to charge at me. I have a way to deal with him!"

Hanzō of the Salamander and Kakuzu exchanged glances and both charged towards Kinkaku.

"Kagami, can you use the Mangekyō Sharingan now?"

Uchiha Kagami nodded. He had been empowered and had the ability to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, but he hadn't developed any specific abilities yet.

"I need you to use genjutsu to control him for one second. Can you do it?" Mizuno asked.

He could hold Kinkaku off for a short time at the limit, and Uchiha Kagami certainly wouldn't have a problem.

After giving his orders, Mizuno jumped to the side.

"Ding—" The system's voice echoed. "Granting host the ability of Shiki Fujin."

Kakuzu roared and summoned his remaining two Earth Grudge Fear monsters. He cooperated with Hanzō and the Salamander to surround Kinkaku in the middle of the battlefield.

Although it was only two minutes, they still felt a bit strained facing Kinkaku, a half-Jinchūriki.

"Roar—"

Amidst Kinkaku's roar, the Salamander was severely injured, and Kakuzu's Water Release and Lightning Release monsters were all shattered.

"Bang—"

Kakuzu's body still contained the Earth Grudge Fear, giving him extremely high defensive capabilities, allowing him to withstand Kinkaku's attacks.

With a look of understanding with Hanzō, they deliberately created a weakness.

Kinkaku's eyes swept across the scene. From that angle, he could see Mizuno standing to the side.

"That's it!"

Kinkaku feinted an attack, then charged quickly towards Mizuno.

Mizuno adjusted his breathing, and the Shinigami's power instantly filled his body.

It's now or never.

In a flash, Kinkaku arrived in front of Mizuno.

"Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Uchiha Kagami activated his Mangekyō Sharingan on the side.

Kinkaku swung his palm down, and Mizuno's body instantly became incredibly soft, as if he had been sliced open, scattering in all directions.

This is... genjutsu?

Kinkaku snorted. Child's play.

He formed hand seals.

Release!

In an instant, his consciousness returned to reality.

But that one second of pause allowed Mizuno to close in on him. He placed both hands on Kinkaku's shoulders.

What's going on?

Kinkaku suddenly felt like he couldn't control his body.

Is it a binding jutsu?

No...

From behind Mizuno, a strange laugh echoed.

"Hee hee hee—"

Kinkaku was shocked.

A terrifying aura washed over him. A massive figure appeared before Kinkaku.

This is... the Shinigami?

Kinkaku was startled. He suddenly felt his chakra being continuously drained by the other.

Looking at Mizuno's cold expression, Kinkaku felt an instinctive fear.

My god, what kind of young man is this?

Mizuno stared at him intently.

"It's over." Mizuno said.

Kinkaku tried to break free from Mizuno's restraint, but his body wouldn't move.

"It's no use," Mizuno's voice was cold and terrifying. "Those who are chosen by the Shinigami cannot escape."

As soon as he said those words, Kinkaku's mental defenses almost collapsed.

"No, no! No—"

"Who are you? Are you human or a demon?!"

"Demon, demon!"

Kinkaku roared. His Tailed Beast cloak began to gradually fade, revealing his true form.

Mizuno spoke as if he were summoning something.

"Kinkaku, you committed many evil deeds, your sins are too numerous to count. Today, is your death day."

"Ninja Art - Shiki Fujin!"

"No!" Kinkaku screamed, and his Nine-Tailed Fox chakra, along with him, were completely sealed within Mizuno.

Mizuno closed his eyes, and the Shinigami behind him gradually disappeared. A special sealing technique formed on his body.

"It's over." Mizuno opened his eyes.

The battlefield was silent.

Although no one saw the Shinigami, everyone understood the terrifying power Mizuno had just displayed.

"Truly unbelievable," Hanzō of the Salamander said slowly. "Konoha has produced a monstrous ninja."

As he spoke, he retracted his summoning beast.

Kakuzu looked at Mizuno's face. "Your head will fetch a good price later."

With that, he began to fix his shattered mask.

Mizuno smiled. "You said you would give up your heart, but you ended up giving up four."

Uchiha Kagami finally emerged from his shock.

"Mizuno, you... you're terrifying."

Mizuno waved his hand. His body felt a bit weak.

"Clean up the battlefield quickly. If we delay any longer, it will be a hassle when the samurai from the Land of Iron arrive."

Uchiha Kagami nodded. He walked over to Ginkaku's corpse and cut off his head with a single slash.

"We need to take this back to Konoha," he said. "Konoha hasn't heard such good news in a long time."

Yamanaka Shika and Aburame Torune emerged from the shadows.

They were Anbu, more skilled at handling these kinds of things.

Uchiha Kagami's eyes were filled with fervor. This event was truly exhilarating.

...

...

Konoha was in an uproar!

Even before Mizuno returned to Konoha, this news had shocked everyone.

"My god, Mizuno, he's a young man who just graduated from the Ninja Academy a few years ago. He killed Kinkaku and Ginkaku!"

"Waaah... The Second Hokage can finally rest in peace!"

"Mizuno-sama, long live Mizuno! Mizuno is invincible! Mizuno is Konoha's number one genius ninja!"

News came pouring in. Even the usually stable Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was a bit restless this time.

After all, helping the Second Hokage to avenge himself was not only Mizuno's merit, but also a political achievement during his reign.

When Mizuno returned to Konoha, he was treated like a hero.

This gave Mizuno a real sense of how Naruto felt when he returned to Konoha after defeating Pain.

"Mizuno-sama, Mizuno-sama! Please, could you sign my autograph?"

A ninja in a green tracksuit caught Mizuno's attention among the crowd.

He waved to him. "Is that Might Duy? Come here."

Might Duy was shocked. He had just been shouting along with the other fans, but he didn't expect to be called out by Mizuno.

Under everyone's envious gaze, he walked over.

"Mizuno-sama, you're really going to sign my autograph?" he asked incredulously.

Mizuno smiled slightly. "An autograph is nothing. Wait here, I have something for you later."

With that, he left the bewildered Might Duy behind and headed towards the Konoha office.

"Alright, I've done it," Mizuno said to Sarutobi. "Can I have the key to the Eight Inner Gates now?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Of course. You're a hero of Konoha now, so you naturally have the hero's privileges."

Mizuno took the key from Sarutobi. He didn't chat with him much, but went to the door of the office and beckoned Might Duy.

"Come on."

With that, he headed straight for the basement beneath the Hokage building.

The Second Hokage had many secrets in the basement of this building. Mizuno arrived at the library and saw a series of collections.

"W-what is this, Mizuno-sama...?" Might Duy asked incredulously.

Mizuno waved his hand. "These are all the secret techniques that the Second Hokage researched. What do you think, interested?"

Might Duy's face instantly turned red.

He knew exactly what this meant.

Flying Thunder God, Edo Tensei, Shadow Clone, Water Release secret techniques... and so on, mastering any of them would be enough for him to rise to prominence.

But his excitement didn't last long. His gaze dimmed.

Yes, he was too lacking in ninjutsu and genjutsu talent.

He didn't have the ability to learn those things.

Even if he had the treasure in front of him, he wouldn't be able to dig it out.

Thinking about this, he lowered his head again.

"I'm sorry, Mizuno-sama, I don't have that kind of talent... I can only rely on my own efforts to practice taijutsu..."

"Those who don't believe in themselves, their efforts are meaningless." Mizuno pulled a book from the bookshelf.

It clearly said four words on the cover.

Eight Inner Gates.

Actually, for Konoha, this wasn't a high-level taijutsu technique.

It was just that its training difficulty was too high. Very few people could master it, and even if they could open a few gates, the side effects were too great.

So it had been kept sealed until now.

But Mizuno knew that Might Duy was definitely the most suitable person to practice this.

He handed the Eight Inner Gates to Might Duy.

"This is for you. Consider it... a direction for effort."

Might Duy was shocked.

He flipped through a few pages and instantly understood the value of this book.

This is definitely the most suitable secret technique for me to practice!

"M-Mizuno-sama..." Might Duy stammered.

Mizuno waved his hand.

"You don't need to be so nervous. I'm not giving this to you for nothing."

Might Duy immediately became serious, expressing his loyalty. "Mizuno-sama, no matter what, whether it's a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, just give the order, and I'll do anything."

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