Choice

Here's the updated version with "Kado" replaced by "Gatō":

A panel popped up, once again showing the classic scene of choosing between two options.

[Option 1: Kill Momochi Zabuza. Reward: Ice Style (Incomplete)]

[Option 2: Kill Haku. Reward: All assets related to Gatō (real estate and company property will be liquidated and stored in the new system warehouse)]

Seeing this, Naruto almost swallowed his saliva. Killing either of them didn't make him feel guilty. Whether it was Zabuza or Haku, they were enemies locked in a life-or-death struggle.

But what truly annoyed Naruto was the fact that it was a choice between the two! Why does the world have such a cruel option? Why must it be either one or the other?

Why can't he just kill both?

The system gave no response. Naruto didn't dare act rashly, remembering the earlier changes that made him a bit cautious. If he triggered a bug and broke the system, it could be a huge loss.

Without the system, Naruto couldn't escape his predetermined fate. Whether he liked it or not, the Akatsuki would find him and kill him. Unless he trained relentlessly, which would only mean he'd be stuck in the vicious cycle of serving Konoha.

He had to form those bonds and get involved in troublesome matters like the "Chosen One" prophecy. Again and again, he would be tortured to the brink of death, fighting and struggling for survival.

"Naruto? Why did you stop suddenly? Is... is something wrong?"

Sakura noticed Naruto's sudden pause and became alert, nervously looking around, afraid another ninja might pop out from somewhere.

Fortunately, the danger she feared didn't occur. Kakashi and the others, who were ahead, heard the noise and turned around to see Naruto stop.

"It's nothing, just a bit of stomach discomfort," Naruto said.

Upon hearing this, Kakashi and the others continued on their way.

Naruto caught up to the group, his gaze fixed on the pop-up panel before him, his brow furrowed as his mind wrestled with the decision.

Zabuza was a Water-style ninja, and Naruto could counter him using the Nine-Tails' chakra. With the addition of Lava Style, he should be able to fight Zabuza.

But with Kakashi around, there would be no significant pressure even if they faced Zabuza. In fact, Naruto could use Zabuza's disregard for lower-ranked ninjas to his advantage, catching him off guard for a surprise attack.

Haku's bloodline ability was Ice Style, which was countered by Lava Style.

No matter what, trying to kill Zabuza couldn't avoid Haku. As long as Haku was alive, she would fight to the death to protect Zabuza.

So, in fact, it wouldn't be so easy to kill Zabuza. Instead, it might be better to focus directly on Haku.

Killing Zabuza would grant Naruto the Ice Style bloodline. Even if it was incomplete, it would be a rare and useful power to boost his strength.

Even an incomplete Ice Style would push Naruto's power to the level of a Special Jonin.

But Gatō's wealth was also highly attractive to Naruto.

In this world, the Akatsuki also took missions for money. The assumption that strength guarantees wealth wasn't true; forceful acquisition also carried the risk of being pursued or investigated by other ninjas.

One could only steal so much at once, and most wealth existed in the form of fixed assets and companies. Stolen money and jewels could not always be used and had to be carefully considered to avoid bringing security risks.

But the system's method was to directly extract Gatō's wealth. All of the company's fixed assets, jewelry, and ships would be converted into cash and stored in the system's warehouse. This meant that all the money would be clean.

"With this money, I will finally be truly free," Naruto muttered in a voice only he could hear. "I also want to get stronger, next time for sure."

Ahead, Kakashi was talking to the bridge builder, Tazuna, and their conversation inevitably reached Naruto's ears.

"Gatō has accumulated quite a bit of wealth using ninjas over the years, and his wealth is now rivaling that of entire nations. Under his command, there are countless wandering samurai and ninjas, making his power immense."

"Well, I've heard about this. Occasionally, I hear information like that when on missions," Kakashi's lazy voice responded.

"That man is a very dangerous person. If you hadn't escorted me, I might have already been dead on the way here," Tazuna said.

"As ninjas of Konoha, we never abandon a mission halfway. Don't worry, we'll make sure you get home safely," Kakashi reassured him.

Their conversation gradually became more indistinct, and Naruto stopped listening. His gaze grew more resolute. Rivaling the wealth of entire nations?

Indeed, choosing this path seemed to be the right decision. The system had solved his worries. This wealth would be directly stored in the system's warehouse.

This meant that Naruto only needed to complete the system's task options, and the money would appear in the warehouse without leaving a trace.

Even if someone discovered that Gatō's wealth had disappeared, they wouldn't be able to connect it to Naruto.

Since he had no intention of remaining tied to the Third Hokage, avoiding the brainwashing idea that the village's interests came before everything else, he needed to take control of the economy.

__________________________________________________________

If you want 35 chapters ahead, check out my Patreon: 

patreon.com/PureParadox