After finishing their meal, night had fallen.
Naruto opened the door to the villa, and Kisame, Kakuzu, and Itachi entered one by one according to their game rankings.
Seeing that Hidan still didn't move, Naruto shook his head helplessly, then walked over and pushed Hidan into the villa.
"Find yourself an empty room to rest in. We have to get up early tomorrow, so get a good night's sleep."
After saying that to Hidan, Naruto turned around and went upstairs to his room.
He was not in a hurry to find Itachi. For him, there was something more important, which was the sign-in reward from the system.
An hour after entering the Land of Waterfalls, the system prompt had chimed in his mind, notifying him of a new reward. However, he'd been too busy to check it until now.
Now that he finally has some free time, Naruto eagerly opened the system panel and clicked on the sign-in reward.
The familiar system prompt echoed in his head:
[It is detected that the host has stayed in the Land of Waterfalls for one hour. Sign-in successful. Reward: Rapid Healing!]
'What?'
'Rapid Healing?'
Hearing these words, Naruto froze, his mind instantly recalling a certain familiar game.
'Could it be the same Rapid Healing I was thinking?'
He hurriedly opened the system panel to check the skill introduction.
But before he could fully read it, a wave of clarity swept over him, and the new skill was imprinted in his mind. It was the same sensation as when he'd received the Courage Blessing and the Weapon Blessing.
[Rapid Healing: A support skill from DNF. Allows one teammate within a set radius to recover HP rapidly. Cooldown: 10 seconds.]
'Sure enough, it was that Rapid Healing…'
Previously, this ability would have seemed unnecessary to Naruto. After all, thanks to the Kyubi's Chakra, his body already had an incredible regenerative capability, rendering Rapid Healing redundant for himself.
But now, having experienced the effects of the Courage Blessing and the Weapon Blessing, Naruto had grown addicted to these enhancement skills.
Rapid Healing wasn't just a utility, as it was also a powerful display of divine favor. By using it on others, he could project an image of omnipotence, win their admiration, and feed his ego.
'Since I planned to meet with Itachi anyway, let's just test the skill on him first.'
Thinking of this, Naruto closed the system panel, and at the next moment, he appeared inside Itachi's room.
This is the advantage of Flying Thunder God Technique. As long as the Flying Thunder God's mark exists within his perception, Naruto could teleport instantly.
But as he considered the synergy between his sensory abilities and the Flying Thunder God technique, Naruto realized something.
'The range of Flying Thunder God Technique was limited by my sensory reach.'
'Then, as my Observation Haki's range continues to expand, the range of my Flying Thunder God Technique would naturally grow. Then, in theory, if my Observation Haki could one day cover the entire world, wouldn't I be able to teleport anywhere as long as I'd marked it?'
'Wow, I didn't expect to discover another magical use of Observation Haki.'
"Naruto-kun, you're here."
Itachi greeted calmly, showing no surprise at Naruto's sudden appearance. After all, Naruto had mentioned earlier that he would come by.
But Naruto wasn't in the mood to discuss Itachi's previous emotional changes. He cared more about the new experiment at the moment.
Without any preamble, Naruto got straight to the point, "Itachi, I had a sudden inspiration and need your help with an experiment."
"An experiment!?"
Itachi's expression froze. The word 'experiment' brought back a flood of unpleasant memories, making him visibly tense.
Sensing Itachi's strong resistance through Observation Haki, Naruto sighed and shook his head, "Since you're unwilling, I won't force you. I'll go find Kisame instead. He's already helped me with several experiments, so he should be more than capable of handling this one."
Hearing this, Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly and he murmured, "So that's why Kisame has such unwavering faith in your blessings and acts so enthusiastically. He's already experienced the effects, hasn't he?"
"Exactly. Helping with my experiments comes with benefits, as you get to experience these blessings firsthand before anyone else."
Then, in a tempting tone, Naruto added, "You can still change your mind. How about giving it a try?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Itachi waved his hand and said, "Thank you for the honor, Naruto-kun. I know you're being generous in offering me this opportunity, but please allow me to decline. I'm worried I might not meet your expectations. Kisame, on the other hand, has participated in several experiments and is more suited to ensuring its success. Please go to him first… We can discuss my matters later."
Hearing Itachi's rejection, Naruto was left speechless.
A single phrase echoed in his mind, 'This Shinobi is overpowered but overly cautious!'
Unlike the Courage Blessing or Weapon Blessing, Rapid Healing required the target to first sustain an injury for the healing effect to activate. The more severe the injury, the more apparent the skill's effect would be.
In a way, Itachi's refusal spared him from what was to come.
Whoosh!
Naruto disappeared in a flash of gold. Watching him vanish, Itachi felt a faint sense of regret.
There is nothing wrong with his caution, but his decision risked creating distance between him and Naruto. Meanwhile, Kisame was growing increasingly close to Naruto. If this trend continued, it could pose a problem.
After a moment of silence, Itachi sighed and murmured, "Maybe I shouldn't have refused..."
Before Itachi could finish regretting, at this moment, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from Kisame's room next door.
Hearing such a miserable cry, Itachi's body trembled, 'Fortunately, I didn't agree just now, otherwise, I would have been the one screaming.'
It must be said that Kisame was very resilient, and Itachi could not compare to him. Now, even Kisame was screaming so miserably, so Itachi was suddenly glad.
'Sure enough, there is nothing wrong with being more cautious!'
…
Meanwhile, in Kisame's room….
When Naruto arrived, Kisame looked at him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Before Kisame could say a word, Naruto got straight to the point, "Kisame, I need your help with an experiment."
"An experiment? What kind of experiment is it this time?"
Kisame's expression immediately fell, looking somewhat resigned.
Naruto explained with a grin, "It's still a blessing."
"A blessing? Well, that's a different story. You've come to the right person! I'm more than willing!"
Kisame's demeanor flipped instantly, his face lighting up with excitement as he eagerly rubbed his hands together.
He loved Naruto's blessings, even craved them, and was visibly thrilled at the prospect of receiving another one.
"Are you sure you're ready for this? No matter what I do to you?" Naruto asked once more, his tone serious.
Kisame didn't hesitate for a second, "Of course! I'm ready! Do whatever you need to do… I'm all in!"
"Alright then. Let's begin the experiment!"
As soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, he pulled out a small knife and, without warning, stabbed Kisame!