The moment the announcement echoed across the shinobi world—
Everyone froze.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were already dead…
And yet the rewards had still been delivered to the Pure Land?
Just what kind of power was behind this ranking?
And more importantly—
If the recipients were dead, what was the point of giving them rewards?
How were those items even being sent to the Pure Land in the first place?
Questions flooded everyone's minds.
Then—
A flash of white light cut across the sky.
Two beams shot upward like streaks of radiance.
Everyone who saw it stood there, stunned.
Konohagakure
"…Good. At least it didn't end up in someone else's hands."
On the viewing platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally let out a breath.
An item like that—
was enough to raise a village's strength by an entire tier.
If another village had obtained it, the balance between nations could have been completely disrupted.
"Better that it went to the Pure Land…"
At that moment—
Almost every Kage in the shinobi world shared the same thought.
Except one.
Kumogakure
"Damn it!"
The Fourth Raikage slammed his fist down, his face full of frustration.
"Even if they were traitors, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were still shinobi of Kumogakure!"
"And now those pills just vanish into the Pure Land?! I won't accept this!"
Beside him, Mabui's lips twitched.
Wasn't this the same man who had just said he hated them to the bone…?
Seeing the Raikage lose all sense of reason, she quietly stepped back.
Meanwhile—
On the viewing platform—
Ren Kazuki glanced at the items in his storage space.
A faint smile appeared.
Twenty Breakthrough Pills.
Without attracting attention, he swallowed one.
In the next instant—
A violent surge of energy exploded within him.
The power spread through his body, forcing his meridians open as chakra flooded every inch of him.
Even the surrounding natural chakra seemed easier to draw in.
Before this—
His chakra had been pitiful.
Barely the size of a fist.
So little that he could barely use it properly.
But now—
It flowed smoothly through his entire body, abundant and stable.
Ren Kazuki didn't hesitate.
He swallowed the rest in one go.
Boom—
A vast ocean of chakra roared inside him, surging like endless tides.
By his estimation—
His chakra reserves were now comparable to a Tailed Beast.
Of course—
Not the Nine-Tails, whose chakra was nearly infinite.
But compared to the other Tailed Beasts?
He was confident he could match them.
Beside him sat a gentle girl dressed in simple white clothes.
Ayame.
The daughter of the Ichiraku Ramen shop owner.
Watching him swallow pill after pill, she couldn't help but ask,
"Hey… why are you taking so much medicine? Are you sick?"
Her expression quickly turned worried.
"If you're not feeling well, you should go rest. Don't push yourself!"
"If you can't walk, I can help you back."
Her concern was completely genuine.
Ren Kazuki laughed.
She really is kind…
In the original story, when everyone else avoided Naruto, only Teuchi and Ayame treated him warmly.
They even gave him extra portions.
They were good people.
Thinking of that, Ren Kazuki smiled.
"I'm not sick. And these aren't medicine."
"They're candy."
"They taste great. Want one?"
He held out the last pill.
Ayame shook her head, smiling.
"No thanks. If you eat too many sweets, you'll get fat."
Ren Kazuki chuckled and popped it into his mouth.
Another surge of chakra erupted instantly.
Now—
The amount of chakra in his body was overwhelming.
Two hundred times what he originally had.
On top of that—
There was the thirtyfold amplification from the Vital Essence Pills.
At this level—
Even a basic Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique would become something like a blazing dragon.
A Rasengan?
It would easily turn into a Massive Rasengan.
And this was only the beginning.
There were still eight more names left on the ranking.
Which meant—
Even greater rewards were yet to come.
No rush.
He had plenty of time to test everything later.
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