47 Sign in Reward

"Uchiha… Itachi!"

A thrill of exhilaration, sharp and undeniable, cut through Orochimaru's frustration. Even at such a young age, the boy had the power to play him like a puppet. He was truly worthy of being the vessel Orochimaru had chosen.

"Hehehehe… Hehehehehehe!" Orochimaru buried his head in his hands and laughed, a wild, unhinged sound that echoed through the silent woods. "I was careless today, Itachi. But one day… I will have you!"

Poof!

Orochimaru vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving no trace behind. Itachi did not pursue him. The most important thing now was the condition of Sasuke and Izumi.

"Sasuke! Izumi!"

He quickly leaped onto the large rock and knelt beside his brother, placing a hand on his chest. He felt a steady heartbeat. Sasuke is still alive. Izumi's condition was the same. It seemed they had merely fainted and were not seriously injured. Itachi let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, a profound sense of relief washing over him.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Itachi created a perfect duplicate of himself. The original and the clone each gently lifted Sasuke and Izumi, then turned and headed back toward the Uchiha's new home.

After Itachi's figure disappeared completely into the night, Obito emerged from his spatial vortex, landing silently on the now-empty boulder. At the same time, Zetsu's form rose from the ground beside him.

White Zetsu commented, "Tsk tsk, I never thought Orochimaru would set his sights on Uchiha Itachi. What in the world is that man plotting? He is already a member of the Akatsuki, yet he remains so untrustworthy."

Obito replied, "He is indeed a dangerous variable. The only reason Nagato allowed him to join was to keep him close, where he can be monitored."

Black Zetsu added, its voice a dry rasp, "By the way, Uchiha Itachi is very powerful. And now he has the blessing of Hashirama's cells. As long as he can be controlled, he will be a very useful pawn."

Obito shook his head. "Though he is young, his mind is as sharp as any Kage's. It will be difficult to make him obey orders."

Hearing this, Black Zetsu laughed, a sinister, grating sound. "It does not matter. The Uchiha clan is already in Madara's hands, and Fugaku is quite obedient. Even if Itachi develops his own ideas in the future, is his brother Sasuke not still here? Sasuke is his greatest weakness."

"Besides, our cause is for the good of the Uchiha. Without our intervention, their clan would have been wiped out by Konoha long ago."

Obito was silent.

White Zetsu asked, "Obito, what is your next move?"

Obito answered, "The first priority is to complete the formation of the Akatsuki. Then, we will have them take on dark, shameful missions from other countries, fanning the flames of hatred between the great nations until they reach their peak."

"One of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Water, is already nearly in ruins. The others are not far from the same fate."

White Zetsu chirped, "Hehehe, by the time your grand design is complete, Madara should have recovered to his prime."

Black Zetsu added, "Yes. This world will, eventually, become what we wish it to be."

Hearing this, Obito was silent for a moment, a flicker of doubt in his heart. "To be honest, it's a pity about Shiro, a child of such extraordinary talent."

Black Zetsu was stunned. "Obito, you aren't having second thoughts, are you? What is there to pity? Shiro can live happily in the dream world, and Madara will not take him from you. In the dream, both Rin and Shiro will be yours. Isn't that dream come true?"

"Rin…" Hearing her name, the resolve in Obito's eyes hardened once more. "Yes. No matter how much I have grown to love Shiro, I still have a more important mission. I must correct this broken world."

"Let everyone live in their dreams, and there will be no more conflict in the world."

Black Zetsu nodded with satisfaction. That's right. It had its own secret plans. It knew the true result of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. It also genuinely cared for Shiro and was secretly planning a way for the boy to escape his fate. When the time came, Black Zetsu would use Madara to resurrect its mother, Kaguya, and then have her release Shiro from the genjutsu. Judging by Shiro's appearance, Kaguya would surely grow to love him. Then, their family of three could live a happy life, and perhaps even create a new world of their own. It would be beautiful. Black Zetsu fantasized about that day constantly. Until it arrived, it had only one mission: to keep the hearts of Madara and Obito steady, to never let them waver and ruin its grand design. Obito was manageable. The one Black Zetsu was most concerned about was Madara. The old man's resolve had begun to show signs of wavering. He was no longer singularly focused, living now only for Shiro. Nothing else seemed to matter to him. He no longer spoke of the "wrong world." Shiro's appearance had given Madara a reason to live in reality again. This was not a good sign.

It seems I will have to be more careful in the future, Black Zetsu thought to itself.

On the other side of the base, in Madara and Shiro's bedroom, Madara had been telling his son a bedtime story, but had fallen asleep himself mid-sentence. Listening to his father's soft snoring, Shiro was wide awake, his mind buzzing with anticipation. Midnight was approaching. He was about to turn another year older, which meant the long-awaited sign-in moment was almost here.

5… 4… 3… Shiro counted down silently in his mind. 2… 1!

[Ding!]

The familiar system prompt sounded in his head. "Sign in!" Shiro commanded, too impatient to listen to the system's usual opening remarks.

[Ding! Sign-in successful.]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining 10 Talent Points!]

"Talent points?" Shiro was stunned.

[From now on, the host can add Talent Points to acquired talents to upgrade them, thereby enhancing their abilities and effects.]

[Talent Points can be obtained through sign-ins and system task rewards.]

[Currently Possessed Talents:]

[Heavens favored (LV1), Body of bedrock(LV1), Extraordinary Comprehension (LV1).]

[The host can use Talent Points to bless a favored talent, or distribute them equally.]

[The maximum talent level is 10. The Talent Points required for each level increase in a regular pattern. The points required to go from LV1 to LV2 are: 10 Talent Points.]

"So many? That's such a rip-off!" Shiro complained. He had waited an entire year for this sign-in, and all he got was 10 points—just enough for a single upgrade. To max out a talent, how long would he have to wait?

[System sign-in rewards are varied. The items and quantity of rewards are determined entirely by probability and luck.]

Shiro's face darkened, but he couldn't argue. The system was clear. He had just been unlucky this time. Still, even a small gain was better than nothing. Shiro turned his attention to his talents. The level-one abilities of all three were already incredibly powerful. If he could max them out, he would be unstoppable. He decided not to distribute the points evenly, but to focus on the talent that would be most useful to him right now. After a moment of thought, he turned his gaze to [Body of bedrock]. The other two talents were already powerful enough for now. What he needed most was to enhance his own physical resilience and, more importantly, accelerate the rejuvenation of those around him. If his father were younger, he wouldn't have to stay cooped up in this cave all day. To go out and explore the world with Madara in his prime… wouldn't that be wonderful?

That's it!

Without hesitation, Shiro invested all 10 talent points into [Body of bedrock].

[Ding! Congratulations to the host. The talent - Body of bedrock has been upgraded to LV2.]

[Effect 1: Your life force is as hard as bedrock, making you immune to all poisons and diseases. Without external intervention, your lifespan will reach thousands of years. You have also obtained the ability of self-regeneration. In the event of non-fatal injury, damaged organs and limbs can be regenerated within an hour.]

[Effect 2: Every living creature that remains in close contact with you will receive buffs such as life extension, physical enhancement, healing of old injuries, and rejuvenation. The effect is doubled compared to Level 1. Note: Once you leave their presence for too long, the buff will disappear, but healed organs and limbs will not decline.]

Both effects were a significant improvement. Shiro was very satisfied. But what surprised him most was that his body could now regenerate. And this was only at level two.

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