[After your marriage, you and Shizune settled into a life of quiet, domestic peace.]
[A profound sense of relief filled you as you watched Konoha slowly mend, the deep wounds of past wars finally beginning to scar over.]
[But tranquility in the shinobi world is always fleeting. Danger arrived not with a single blow, but as a series of relentless crises.]
[The first shockwave came with the news that Orochimaru had assassinated the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. The snake sannin then infiltrated the village in disguise, unleashing the "Konoha Crush" during the Chunin Exams. You led a team of ninja to quell the invasion, fighting through the chaos, but you could not prevent the ultimate tragedy: the Third Hokage fell, slain by his own former student.]
[With Konoha leaderless, the urgent question of succession loomed.]
[Your presence had kept Tsunade's ties to the village strong, making her the natural and immediate choice of the Konoha Elder Council.]
[Yet, a Hokage crippled by hemophobia was unthinkable, and Tsunade herself recoiled from the position with resistance. The matter reached a stalemate.]
[It was a whirlwind of orange and exuberance that broke the deadlock—a young boy named Naruto Uzumaki. His unbreakable will and fierce passion were a mirror of her lost brother, Nawaki. In him, Tsunade found the strength to conquer her deepest fear, curing her hemophobia once and for all.]
[With the burden of blood-lifted, Tsunade ascended as the Fifth Hokage. And you, watching it all, marked the extraordinary boy who had made it possible.]
[Time flowed like a river, and soon the shinobi world was plunged into turmoil once more.]
[The leader of the Akatsuki, Pain, descended upon Konoha with the wrath of a vengeful god, his power laying waste to the village as he demanded the handover of Naruto Uzumaki.]
[To protect your home, and for the sake of the boy you had come to admire, you stepped forward without hesitation, placing yourself squarely in Pain's path.]
A sense of déjà vu washed over Yuta.
The mental image of Aikawa Satoru standing against the Six Paths of Pain overlapped perfectly with the memory of another life, of the man named Togakushi Hinode who had once resolved to open the Eight Gates to defend Konoha.
This moment is exactly like that one.
'Don't tell me I'm going to die by Pain's hand again? Do I never get to see the final act?'
Yet, a flicker of hope remained. This Aikawa Satoru had mastered the Sage Jutsu of Shikkotsu Forest. Surely that would be enough... right?
It was a fragile hope. After all, Jiraiya—a Sannin, a master of Sage Mode aided by the two great sages Fukasaku and Shima—had also fallen to Pain.
Sage Mode alone, without the critical intelligence on Pain's secrets, was a shield full of holes.
And this time, there was no room for a tactical retreat. Behind him was Konoha. There was only stand or fall.
[Pain's power was a devastating revelation, far beyond any enemy you had ever faced. You knew in your bones you were outmatched. Yet retreat was never an option. Instead, you focused every ounce of your will on a single goal: to analyze his every move, to uncover the secret of his abilities.]
[You had to believe this intelligence would be the key to victory when that boy, Naruto, returned.]
[In the fleeting moments of your clash, you pieced together vital fragments of the truth about Pain's powers and managed to relay them to Tsunade.]
[You became a bulwark, your body a living shield. Drawing on your Sage Mode, the immense chakra heritage of the Senju, and the powerful ninjutsu of the Second Hokage entrusted to you by Tsunade, you held the line.]
[You stalled, you endured, and you bought the most precious commodity of all: time. You held out until Naruto returned.]
[With the intelligence you provided, Naruto turned the tide, defeating Pain and confronting the shadowy mastermind behind it all.]
[You never learned what passed between them in that final confrontation. You only witnessed the miracle that followed: every life extinguished by Pain was restored.]
'He lived…' Yuta let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Even with the possibility of the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu, he had no desire to experience the cold embrace of death. The simulation's judgment on what constituted "survival" was also an unknown variable.
Through countless simulations, he had learned one rule: longevity bred quality. The longer the life, the richer the rewards, though the final rating was the ultimate decider for good rewards.
This life had been long and impactful. A high rating seemed not just possible, but likely.
[Naruto was hailed as Konoha's savior. You stood beside Tsunade on a high balcony, a sense of fulfillment settling in your chest as you quietly watched the celebration unfold below.]
[But the shinobi world's peace was a shallow one. Soon, the drums of the Fourth Great Ninja War began to beat, shaking the very foundations of the continents.]
[For the future of the entire world, and for Konoha, you took command as a captain of the Allied Shinobi Forces and marched to the battlefield.]
[There, you lead the medical corps, saving countless lives, and directing the alliance's troops in cutting down the endless swarms of White Zetsu.]
[Yet, despite all efforts, the ultimate catastrophe was unleashed. The Ten-Tails, a being of horror, was resurrected.]
[Staring up at its monstrous form, a chilling thought seized you: for the first time, you feared that not even the miraculous kid, Naruto could prevail.]
[When a storm of wooden spikes shot towards the boy, your mind flashed to your father. There was no calculation, no hesitation. You moved on instinct, stepping in front of Hyuga Neji and throwing your arms wide, becoming a human shield for him.]
[Your Sage Mode had expired. Without its protection, the attack was merciless. A sharp, cold pain erupted in your chest as a spike pierced clean through you.]
[The irony was not lost on you in your final moments. Your death was a perfect reflection of your father's.]
[With the last of your waning strength, you poured your father's dying wish into Naruto's ear.]
["Protect Konoha... for me."]
[You died.]
[This life simulation has ended.]
[Died at the age of 31.]
[This life simulation has ended. This life simulation's evaluation: A+.]
[Rewards obtained: Large amount of Chakra, Medical Ninjutsu Mastery, Mystical Palm Technique, Yin Healing Wound Destruction, Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, Cell Activation Technique, Chakra Scalpel, Nervous System Disturbance Technique, Poison Extraction Technique, Shikkotsu Forest Sage Jutsu (Imperfect).]
For a long moment, Yuta ignored the glowing list of rewards, his mind still lingering on the manner of his death.
'So, in the end... I was a stand-in? I didn't even die for Naruto; I died for Neji!'
A wry twitch touched his lips. He had imagined a more spectacular end—perhaps being vaporized by a Tailed Beast Ball like Nara Shikaku. Instead, he'd gone out blocking a single strike.
'Well... compared to being atomized by the Ten-Tails, I suppose this is a more... personal way to go. Still, if I had a choice, I'd rather not die at all. Is a life simulation where I see it through to the very end too much to ask?'
With a resigned sigh, he finally turned his attention to the fruits of his simulation.
The rewards were largely as anticipated: a comprehensive mastery of Tsunade's medical ninjutsu and the coveted Sage Jutsu of Shikkotsu Forest.
A slight pang of regret surfaced—if he possessed the Water and Earth nature chakra transformations in reality, he might have also gained some of the Second Hokage's legendary techniques.
But that was a minor quibble. To obtain Sage Mode was a monumental reward, and Yuta was very satisfied.
The "Imperfect" attached to it didn't bother him. The Aikawa Satoru of the simulation had never achieved perfection, and this was a faithful reflection of that life.
All in all, this simulation had been a success, delivering a tremendous and welcome surprise.
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