(This part has a lot of chatter)
System: Ten minutes until the premiere of the massive trailer. Please stay tuned!
Jiraiya's excuse left Minato fuming. That was typical of Jiraiya... but Kakashi?
Minato Namikaze: ??? What are you saying? Your teacher's son got beat up, and you're defending your student?
Kakashi Hatake: ...Your son is my student too.
Minato Namikaze: ??? So you're backing the other student just because he's also your student?
Kakashi Hatake: ...They were close friends.
Minato Namikaze: Friends? Friends who stab each other with Chidori?
Minato Namikaze: Fine. How about you take one Rasengan from me?
Kakashi Hatake: ...Sensei, this isn't fair.
Obito Uchiha: Haha, priceless!
Minato Namikaze: Laugh all you want. Just because you died early doesn't make you better.
Obito Uchiha: ...
Minato Namikaze: No one brings me peace.
Rin Nohara: I think I'm pretty low-maintenance.
Minato Namikaze: ...That's true.
Rin Nohara: ??? Why do you sound surprised?
Minato Namikaze: !!! Seriously, you're just a Three-Tails host. I could've suppressed you anytime. Why die? Were you stupid or what?
Hiruzen Sarutobi: ...Second Hokage, since you returned, your comebacks have gotten sharper.
Tobirama Senju: What do you mean? Are you blaming me?
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Minato used to be gentle. Now he's like a war reporter with chakra.
Kurama (Yin): I won't say it was because I kept insulting him...
Hashirama Senju: Who knew that trading insults with the Nine-Tails could sharpen one's tongue? Kurama, shall we try?
Kurama (Yin): ...No thanks. You might slap me, then seal me. Not worth it.
Tobirama Senju: The Tailed Beasts had it rough back then.
All Tailed Beasts: We know. One clone charged us, asked if we were Tailed Beasts. I said yes. Got slammed face-first. Mission complete.
Tobirama Senju: ...Maybe that was a bit much.
Hashirama Senju: Too much? Weren't you the one telling me to be faster and more decisive?
Tobirama Senju: ...
After two rounds of Q&A and one live broadcast from the Death God's belly, the shinobi world's perception of the System was completely overturned.
Then came the shop prices.
One billion gold for a resurrection card?
Even Hashirama's Wood Release clones and Sage Mode cosmetics were in the shop… and more expensive than resurrection.
Everyone was stunned.
All items were either limited-use experience cards or permanent unlocks.
For example:
Single-tomoe Sharingan: 100,000 gold
Two-tomoe: 1,000,000
Three-tomoe: 10,000,000
Mangekyō Sharingan: 100,000,000
Eternal Mangekyō? Listed as "uncertain," but everyone could guess the price.
Most shinobi didn't even know how it evolved. Two same-bloodline eyes? Good luck finding those, and there was still a failure rate.
Until now, besides the Ōtsutsuki clan, only Madara had achieved Eternal Mangekyō. Not even Obito did though future Sasuke would.
As for ninjutsu, they were just as expensive.
Tsunade's version of Flying Thunder God was only the method to master it. And that method? Only Konoha had it.
So why pay 80,000 gold just for a scroll?
Still, most one-time cards offered mastery upon use. For example, Tsukuyomi.
Just like in real life, jutsu depended on compatibility. So 80,000 gold wasn't unreasonable for a forbidden jutsu recipe.
Basic Fire and Water releases? Most couldn't even use them properly, given that many had only one chakra nature.
As for Flying Thunder God... it was a space-time jutsu that required three users to sync.
Minato had mastered it alone. Once, he blew up an entire island over the sea with it, then returned without a scratch.
The Second Hokage even admitted Minato's Thunder God was faster than his own.
And Multi Shadow Clone? Without chakra reserves like Naruto's, you'd be drained dry just summoning them.
Since the quiz began, the best item so far had been Kakashi's Uzumaki Clan Trait Card.
Valued at a million gold, and if used wisely, it could boost chakra to levels rivaling dozens of normal Kakashis.
Meanwhile, the Akatsuki were in chaos. Participation in the quiz was mandatory. Those who refused would be hunted as rogue ninjas.
Madara Uchiha was even more panicked. With gold flooding the market, how could he maintain control?
Even Eternal Mangekyō was for sale now?
Obito Uchiha stared blankly at the Tailed Beast chakra list, deep in thought.
"I will become the second Sage of Six Paths..."
In the background, the other hidden villages began eyeing Konoha's forbidden jutsu collection. Even Sunagakure couldn't resist.
They were allies, sure, but 153 forbidden techniques? All created by Tobirama, and apparently distributed for free?
And those two kids fighting? Sasuke and Naruto? No one realized they were destined for the top.
What they also didn't realize was that, one day, everyone would be urgently summoned back.
"Leaf is too terrifying! Return at once!"
System: Opening main broadcast…Title: The Fourth Great Shinobi World War Begins!
Obito Uchiha: What?!
Kakashi Hatake: What happened, Obito?
Rin Nohara: Another war…
Obito fell silent. For Rin, he clenched his fists.
Obito Uchiha: It's nothing…
Hashirama Senju: War follows every era.
Tobirama Senju: ...
Hashirama believed in peace. If he had wanted to unify the world by force, he would've mounted a Tailed Beast on Susanoo, not Susanoo on a Tailed Beast.
Tobirama had ambition, but he was also a die-hard bro-con.
Why is it that both the Uchiha and Senju clans are obsessed with their siblings?
And somehow, always with each other?
End of Chapter 13