Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template-Chapter 160

Kankurō leaped straight into the mecha, taking his place as a proud mecha pilot.

"Mecha is the ultimate romance for men!"

The mecha's primary colors were blue and white. Covered in striped plating, its massive frame, reinforced arms, and enormous fists gave off an overwhelming sense of power. Just at a glance, it exuded strength, and those clenched fists looked like they could crush a few unfortunate souls with a single punch.

"A mecha without swords? Unacceptable!" Kankurō's personality shifted the moment he entered the cockpit. His excitement surged as he activated the controls, and from the mecha's fists, sharp blades extended like claws—reminiscent of Wolverine's.

"Huh? Is this... a puppeteer?" Choji, watching from the opposite side, was momentarily stunned. Even the barbecue in his hand lost its appeal. By common logic, puppeteers were strong, but only through their puppets. Their actual bodies remained fragile. That was why the best strategy was to take down the puppeteer directly—eliminate the mastermind, and the puppets would fall.

That was precisely why he had felt confident at the start. The battle arena was relatively small, and with his Chōjū Giga (Super Beast Imitation Drawing) technique, Kankurō's real body would have nowhere to escape. Once cornered, he could easily be subdued.

"This... This is a mecha! A mecha is just a puppet on a different level! It looks like Kankurō has found a new path as a puppeteer! Unlike the Akatsuki organizat—uh, I mean, unlike traditional puppeteers..." The mustached commentator abruptly corrected himself, as if he had been warned mid-sentence.

However, his enthusiasm remained undiminished. Fortunately, he was narrating from a private commentator's booth; otherwise, his spit would have showered the audience.

"Contestant Kankurō has chosen to merge himself and his puppet into one. In the past, puppeteers were always at a disadvantage due to their vulnerability, but with this innovation, he has completely eliminated that weakness! What a bold move! This technique could revolutionize puppet-style combat!"

As the commentator spoke, Kankurō and Chōji clashed.

Just as expected, Chōji employed a partial transformation technique. Instead of a full-body change, only his left arm expanded, ballooning to an enormous size—similar to Luffy's Gear Third—five or six times larger than his normal form.

"That's a solid punch! Though it appears ordinary, it's a simple and effective way to gauge the opponent's strength. It seems that contestant Chōji wants to settle this match quickly!" The commentator's voice echoed across the stage.

Each battle arena was soundproofed by Rosinante's Silent Fruit technique, ensuring that external noise wouldn't distract the fighters.

Despite its massive build, Kankurō's mecha moved with surprising agility. It had that unique combination of being bulky yet nimble—like an annoying mosquito that always dodged attacks at the last moment, testing the opponent's patience.

For now, both fighters were still probing each other's abilities. In high-level battles, true victory was often determined in a single moment—a split-second decision that exposed a weakness and secured the win.

Meanwhile, Zixu wasn't paying attention to the fight at all. He had a far more pressing issue on his hands—perhaps the biggest crisis he had encountered so far.

"The system... is malfunctioning."

Shrouded in darkness, his golden slitted eyes glowed faintly.

"The mission panel and organization functions are completely locked. Only the personal status and lottery pages remain accessible. The system isn't responding to my inquiries. Something is definitely wrong."

A shadow covered his expressionless face. This was not normal.

"System, check my current points," he commanded mentally.

Silence.

"System, initiate a lottery draw."

Still, nothing.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

The air around him grew heavy, as though the atmosphere had solidified. The suffocating silence pressed down on him.

"So that's how it is..." Zixu crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he stepped out of his dimly lit room.

Outside, the sky was clear and bright, with not a single cloud in sight. From a distance, cheers from the stadium occasionally broke the quiet. Those who weren't watching the match lounged on rocking chairs outside their homes, enjoying the peaceful day.

Despite rapid technological advancement, the world hadn't lost its humanity. The villages still retained a strong sense of community. Most civilians were simple, honest people—so long as they had enough to eat, they were content. For them, today's prosperity was more than they had ever dared to dream of.

Not every village was as powerful as Konohagakure. Civilians in Konoha were relatively fortunate, with access to food and safety. However, in other regions, war and starvation were an ever-present threat.

"Move it! Hurry up!"

"You're so slow! The match already started!"

A group of teenagers dashed toward the arena, clearly eager to watch the battles.

The streets were bustling with life, filled with people and carts moving in every direction. The city, thriving under technological progress, was steadily growing stronger. Though some still struggled to adapt to high-tech advancements, they couldn't deny the benefits. After all, technology had improved their daily lives significantly, making even communication effortless.

"End the chaos of the shinobi world..."

Zixu muttered to himself as he walked down the street, deep in thought.

"Protect Uzushiogakure..."

Watching the peaceful scene around him, he felt reassured. He didn't know what was happening with the system, but he had to protect his village with his own strength.

"I can't always rely on the system. I need to think of my own strategies."

For now, worrying about the system wouldn't change anything. Strength was the only thing that mattered. Only by gaining enough power to face any situation could he truly feel at ease.

"A small goal, then... Let's start by eliminating the Akatsuki."

This plan had already been in motion for a while, but only recently had it begun yielding results. Kakuzu and Kisame were already in his grasp.

"Orochimaru won't stay quiet either. I need to keep an eye on Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation), artificial Devil Fruit experiments, and any other dangerous research he's conducting."

(TL: Why did you give him the fruit then hahahah)

Zixu mentally listed the priorities he needed to address. Threats from other villages were secondary for now.

"Lastly... the system itself."

Ignoring it wasn't an option. His system was clearly influenced by another world—one based on piracy, with its rewards and enhancements coming from that domain. It operated differently from the shinobi-based systems he had heard of before.

"For example, its inconsistency—sometimes missions appear, sometimes they vanish. Some features merge, while others disappear entirely..."

Zixu ran a hand through his hair. The more he thought about it, the stranger the system seemed. And yet, he had never questioned it before. At the time, it had been his only hope.

"Am I going to be one of those classic protagonists who ends up rebelling against their system?"

The thought made him chuckle dryly. Even if that were the case, he had more pressing matters to handle first.

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