Chapter 20: The Hokage's Confession
[Adam Yukimura POV]
One hundred unique deaths. That was the magic number for the next system upgrade. And I was so close. Just a few more. And who better to get them from than the person I loved most in this chaotic world? Tsunade Senju. My future wife.
My unique death count was at 52. I needed 100 for the next upgrade. That meant I needed to die 48 more times. And I knew exactly who could help me reach that goal. The strongest woman in Konoha.
"Tsunade, my love!" I announced, bursting into her office. She was, for once, not buried in paperwork, but staring out the window, a thoughtful expression on her face. Shizune was sorting scrolls nearby. "Just the woman I wanted to see! I've decided! I'm going to get myself killed by you! Repeatedly! Until I reach my goal! Think of it as a pre-wedding ritual! A bonding experience!"
Tsunade slowly turned, her eyes narrowed. "You… you want me to kill you. Again. Multiple times."
"Exactly!" I beamed. "It's for a good cause! My personal growth! And our future! Imagine, a husband who can regenerate from anything! Think of the money we'll save on medical bills! And the endless opportunities for me to annoy you!"
Shizune looked faint. Tsunade stared at me, then burst out laughing. But this time, it wasn't a cynical laugh. It was a genuine, albeit exasperated, laugh.
"You truly are insane, Adam Yukimura," she said, shaking her head. "But… you're also undeniably persistent. And surprisingly effective, despite your methods."
"Alright, fine," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "But we're doing this in a controlled environment. And you're going to tell me why you keep doing this. All of it. The deaths, the skills, the system. Everything."
"Deal!" I said, practically bouncing with excitement. "Though, I can't promise anything about the 'controlled' part. My deaths tend to be… dramatic."
For the next few days, Tsunade and I engaged in a series of "training sessions" in a secluded, reinforced training ground. She would unleash her monstrous strength, her medical ninjutsu, her various techniques, and I would strategically position myself to take the hits. Each death was a step closer to my goal. Each resurrection was a testament to my immortality.
She punched me through walls. She used her chakra scalpel to dissect me. She even tried to heal me with so much chakra that I exploded from the inside out (that was a fun one). With each death, I explained a little more about the Immortal System, about my quest for unique skills, about my ultimate goal of marrying her.
She listened, her expression shifting from disbelief to grudging acceptance, to a strange mix of amusement and exasperation. She even started to anticipate my attempts, sometimes subtly adjusting her attacks to ensure a "unique" death.
"You're surprisingly good at this, my love!" I'd say, picking myself up from the rubble. "You're a natural at killing me! It's almost like you enjoy it!"
"Don't push it, Adam," she'd grumble, but there was a faint blush on her cheeks.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of strategic self-destruction, the notification flashed.
[ CURRENT UNIQUE DEATHS: 100 ][ CURRENT RYO: 5,100,000 ][ UNIQUE DEATHS REQUIRED FOR NEXT UPGRADE: 100 ][ MONEY REQUIRED FOR NEXT UPGRADE: 5,000,000 RYO ]
"One hundred unique deaths! And over five million Ryo! Finally! The moment has arrived! The heavens shall part, the angels shall sing, and Adam Yukimura shall ascend to… Level 3! Take that, all you people who said I'd just die repeatedly for no reason!"
A new notification flashed, larger and more vibrant than the others.
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE AVAILABLE! ][ INITIATE UPGRADE? YES / NO ]
"YES! A thousand times, YES!" I practically screamed, slamming my mental finger on the 'YES' option.
The blue screen shimmered, the text dissolving into a kaleidoscope of glowing particles. A deep, resonant hum filled my mind, a sensation akin to my brain being gently massaged by a thousand tiny, benevolent robots. It was surprisingly pleasant.
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE INITIATED… ][ PROCESSING UNIQUE DEATH DATA… ][ ANALYZING SKILL ACQUISITIONS… ][ CALCULATING NEW PARAMETERS… ][ UPGRADE COMPLETE! ]
[ SYSTEM: IMMORTAL SYSTEM ][ STATUS: ONLINE ][ LEVEL: 3 ][ DEATHS REMAINING (PER PERSON): 3 ][ UNIQUE DEATHS REQUIRED FOR NEXT UPGRADE: 500 ][ MONEY REQUIRED FOR NEXT UPGRADE: 10,000,000 RYO ][ NEW PERK UNLOCKED: SKILL EVOLUTION! ]
My jaw dropped. "Three deaths per person! Oh, you beautiful, beautiful system! This changes everything! Now I can really annoy the heavy hitters even more! And ten million Ryo? That's a lot of gambling. But I'm up for the challenge!"
But the real prize, the shining jewel in my crown of absurdity, was the Skill Evolution perk.
[ SKILL EVOLUTION: You can now evolve certain merged skills into more potent forms, unlocking new capabilities or significantly enhancing existing ones. ][ INITIATE EVOLUTION? ]
"Oh, you bet your sweet digital circuits I'm initiating evolution!" I cackled, rubbing my hands together. "This is where the real fun begins! Time to turn my already spectacular skills into something truly god-like!"
I turned to Tsunade, who was watching me with a mixture of awe and exasperation. "Tsunade, my love! I've done it! I've reached Level 3! And I've unlocked Skill Evolution! This means I'm going to be even more powerful! Even more annoying! And even more capable of loving you for all eternity!"
She stared at me for a long moment, then, to my utter shock, she walked over, put her hands on my cheeks, and kissed me. It was a brief, chaste kiss, but it sent a shockwave through my immortal body.
"You really are an idiot, Adam Yukimura," she whispered, her voice soft, a faint blush on her cheeks. "But… maybe not entirely unwelcome."
" She kissed me! She actually kissed me! I knew it! She loves me! This is the best death-quest ever! "