Chapter 9 - :lottery

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, five years have passed. Naruto had reached the age of graduation.

In these five years, Naruto had made remarkable progress, steadily reaching the level of a Kage. Throughout this period, Naruto experienced numerous battles, both big and small, all conducted in secret, unknown even to the Third Hokage.

It was terrifying to think that a twelve-year-old had reached such heights. A powerhouse at Kage-level at his age was truly incredible.

Hinata's strength had also grown steadily. She had fully integrated Tai Chi into her fighting style and created her own variant of Gentle Fist. She had reached the level of an elite jōnin, becoming a master of taijutsu.

However, only two people knew about their true strength. Neither Naruto nor Hinata ever revealed the full extent of their abilities, knowing it would cause unnecessary trouble. The Third Hokage might grow suspicious, and worse yet, Naruto feared Danzo. The shadowy manipulator behind Konoha would surely take drastic action if he learned that Naruto had reached Kage-level strength.

Meanwhile, the events from the original timeline still unfolded. The Uchiha clan was annihilated, leaving only Sasuke Uchiha. Since then, Sasuke became even more distant, colder. Naruto felt uneasy seeing his friend like that.

"Yachianliu, let's start the lottery draw. After five years of accumulation, I want to see what I can get today!" Naruto said with excitement in his voice.

"Yes, brother!" Yachianliu responded as she brought up the interface of the lottery system in front of him. Naruto shouted, "Start!" and the pointer spun rapidly.

It eventually landed on the "Animation" category. Five options appeared: *Zanpakutō Kyōka Suigetsu (SS)*, *Wind Release: Rasenshuriken (S)*, *Giant Rasengan (A)*, *Wood Release: Kekkei Genkai (SS)*, and *Shikotsumyaku: Kekkei Genkai (SS)*.

"Huh?" Naruto frowned when he saw the options. "Yachianliu, what do these Kekkei Genkai genes mean?"

Yachianliu hesitated for a moment before answering nervously, "These are genes similar to those in the exchange system. Brother, you'll only be exchanging for the genes. To actually use them, you'll need to spend additional points to unlock their full potential."

Naruto's brow furrowed even more. "Are you telling me that if I spend 5,000 points on a Kekkei Genkai, it's just a gene?"

"Yes," Yachianliu confirmed. "For example, if you exchange for the Sharingan gene, you won't be able to use the Sharingan right away. You'll need to spend additional points to unlock each stage—50 points for one-tomoe, 100 for two-tomoe, 500 for three-tomoe, 1,000 for the Mangekyō Sharingan, and 5,000 for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."

Naruto's face darkened. "Ciao!"

This exchange system was a scam. According to this, to fully unlock the Eternal Mangekyō, he would need a total of 11,650 points, including the 5,000 points for the gene itself.

Thinking about how every Kekkei Genkai required such an investment, Naruto felt a surge of frustration.

"And…" Yachianliu added quietly, seeing Naruto's frustration, "The exchanged Sharingan doesn't come with any skills. You'll have to redeem them separately."

"Pfft!" Naruto almost choked in disbelief. "You mean after all that, I still have to buy Amaterasu, Susano'o, and Tsukuyomi?"

"Yes, brother," Yachianliu confirmed, "but the good thing is, the Kekkei Genkai you unlock won't have any side effects. Also, using forbidden techniques like Izanagi will require additional points."

Hearing this, Naruto's mood improved slightly. There were at least some benefits. After thinking it over, he figured he could deal with it. He'd just need to earn more points in the future.

"By the way, are all of my Zanpakutō skills intact?" Naruto asked suddenly.

Yachianliu nodded, "Yes, since the system doesn't offer Zanpakutō for exchange, the skills won't be lost."

"Good." Naruto sighed in relief. "Let's continue drawing!"

The pointer spun again and landed on *Zanpakutō Spear*. Naruto felt speechless. Was his fate tied to the world of *Bleach*? He'd already drawn two Zanpakutō.

"Keep going!" he said, storing the Spear away.

This time, he obtained the *Ice Release Kekkei Genkai*. A light shot into his body, and Naruto could feel something change inside. He now had the water nature, in addition to wind. However, he sighed, knowing the cost of unlocking and mastering Ice Release would be steep.

"Draw again!"

His luck held, and he received *Water Release: Water Formation Wall*—the original technique of the Second Hokage. Redeeming it from the exchange system would have cost 1,000 points, so Naruto considered it a decent pull.

"Continue!"

On the fourth attempt, he pulled an A-rank water jutsu. It wasn't too exciting, but it was still useful.

"It's the last draw, system, give me something good!" Naruto shouted.

The pointer spun rapidly before landing once again on the "Animation" category. Naruto groaned. Did this system only give him things from that category?

However, when he saw the five options, his mood brightened: *Sharingan Kekkei Genkai (SS)*, *Wood Release Kekkei Genkai (SS)*, *Storm Release Kekkei Genkai (SS)*, *Zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru (SS)*, and *Sage Mode (SS)*.

"Spin!" Naruto yelled. Any of these would be incredible, especially Hyōrinmaru, the most powerful ice-type Zanpakutō, capable of influencing the weather.

"Ding!"

The pointer landed on *Zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru*. Naruto couldn't contain his excitement. Out of all the choices, this was the one he'd wanted the most.

"With a system this powerful, there's no limit to what I can achieve," Naruto said with determination. "Yachianliu, show me my stats!"

---

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Stats:

Ninjutsu: 8, Taijutsu: 8, Genjutsu: 5, Intelligence: 10, Strength: 8, Speed: 8, Stamina: 10, Seals: 9.

Total: 66.

Kekkei Genkai: Ice Release (SS) (Not awakened).

Skills: Clone Technique (D), Rasengan (A), Shadow Clone Technique (A), Multi Shadow Clone Technique (A), Water Release: Water Formation Wall (S), Water Release: Waterfall Basin (A), Genjutsu: Fox's Heart (C), Genjutsu: Summer's Whispers (C), Genjutsu: Nirvana (A).

Weapons: Zanpakutō Kyōka Suigetsu (SSS), Zanpakutō Spear (SS), Zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru (SS).

Summon: None.

Mission: None.

Exchange points: 3200.

"Brother, it's time for your graduation exam," Yachianliu reminded him gently.

Naruto exited the creation space and returned to the classroom, where he heard his name called. He passed the exam with ease.