A familiar panel popped up—it was once again the classic two-choice scene.
[Option 1: Kill Zabuza Momochi. Reward: Ice Release (Incomplete).][Option 2: Kill Haku. Reward: All of Gato's assets. (All real estate and company holdings will be liquidated and stored in the system's new warehouse function).]
Upon seeing this, Naruto swallowed hard. He didn't feel guilt toward either target. Whether it was Zabuza or Haku, both were enemies—it was kill or be killed.
What really made Naruto curse under his breath was this: Why does it always have to be a binary choice? Why is this world so cruel with these two-option ultimatums?
Can't I just kill them both?
The system, of course, offered no reply. Naruto didn't dare act rashly—after the previous system glitch, he was wary. If he somehow bugged it out of existence, that would be a loss he couldn't afford.
Without the system, he would never be able to escape his preordained fate. Like it or not, Akatsuki would come for him and kill him sooner or later. Unless he trained desperately—but that only meant getting trapped in the cycle of living and dying for Konoha.
He would be forced into bonds, dragged into the destiny of the "Child of Prophecy," and suffer over and over, bleeding and dying on the knife's edge.
"Naruto? Why did you suddenly stop? Did… did you notice something wrong?"
Sakura's voice was sharp with alarm. She immediately scanned the surroundings, afraid of an ambush. Kakashi and Sasuke, walking ahead, turned back when they heard her voice.
Naruto quickly waved it off. "It's nothing. Just a stomachache."
Relieved, the others resumed walking.
Naruto followed, eyes fixed on the glowing panel before him, his mind in turmoil.
Zabuza was a Water Release user. With the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto could counter him. Add in Lava Release, and he might even hold his own in a direct clash. But with Kakashi present, even Zabuza wasn't that big of a threat. He could even rely on Zabuza's arrogance toward genin and sneak in a deadly strike.
Haku, though… Haku's Kekkei Genkai was Ice Release, the natural counter to Naruto's Lava Release. As long as Haku lived, Zabuza would always have an impenetrable shield. Killing Zabuza without first dealing with Haku would be far from easy.
On the other hand, killing Zabuza would give him Ice Release, a Bloodline Limit. Even incomplete, it was a powerful tool that could instantly raise Naruto's strength to that of a tokubetsu jōnin.
But the thought of Gato's entire fortune made his heart race.
In this world, even the Akatsuki took missions for money. The idea that "if you're strong enough, money will never be an issue" was a lie. Robbing or extorting wealth always carried the risk of pursuit. And tangible wealth—land, fleets, companies—wasn't something you could simply steal and sell.
The system, however, would cleanly extract and liquidate all of Gato's wealth, storing it as cash in the warehouse. Pure, untraceable money.
"With that kind of money, I'd finally be free." Naruto whispered under his breath. "I'll get stronger later… next time, for sure."
Ahead, Kakashi was chatting with old man Tazuna.
"Gato has built up quite the fortune over the years using mercenary ninja. His wealth could rival an entire nation. He commands countless rogue samurai and missing-nin. His influence is enormous."
"Yeah, I've heard bits of that before." Kakashi replied in his usual lazy tone.
"That man is terrifying. Without your protection, I'd already be dead by now."
"Relax. Konoha accepted this mission. We'll see it through."
Naruto stopped listening, his gaze sharpening. Wealth to rival a nation…
Yes. His choice was the right one. With the system, the money would vanish from Gato's hands and appear, clean and untraceable, in the warehouse.
If he cut ties with the Third Hokage and avoided that endless brainwashing about "the village above all else," he needed to seize economic independence.
He remembered how, in the original timeline, Naruto had run missions endlessly for Konoha, only to remain a lowly genin for years. He barely earned anything—missions were poorly paid, and genin got the lowest cut. Even as Hokage, he lived for the village, not himself.
Meanwhile, the great clans of Konoha never worried about money. Even Tsunade, with her gambling addiction, could lose for a lifetime and never go broke. Hinata's dowry alone had been enough for a lifetime of comfort.
Living off Hinata's wealth wouldn't have been so bad, but… as a man, Naruto wanted his own foundation.
And so, his first bucket of gold would be Gato's treasure.
Before long, Team 7 will start losing people, he thought grimly. I need to prepare. I refuse to fall back into the endless grind of missions, while everyone around me never has to worry about money.
Just as his decision solidified, a massive cleaver spun through the air, slamming into a tree and cutting off their path.
"Danger!" Sakura shoved Tazuna to the ground.
A figure landed atop the embedded blade, bandages wrapping his face, cold eyes glaring down at them.
"Zabuza Momochi?" Kakashi immediately recognized him.
Turning his head, he warned quietly: "Be careful. This man is a rogue from the Hidden Mist. His strength is on par with mine."
"Kakashi…" Zabuza leapt to the ground, his massive blade resting on his shoulder, his grin feral.
"That man in front of you… his life belongs to me!"
The next moment, his body blurred, vanishing. With a thunderous crash, he appeared before Tazuna, cleaver raised high.
Kakashi's voice, calm but firm, rang out. "That's my client you're targeting. If this mission fails, I'll be very annoyed. You'll need to pick another victim."
A kunai in his hand met Zabuza's massive blade with a sharp clang.