He was incredibly ambitious.
He didn't hold back at all—he wanted Susanoo with a giant Buddha kick, Night Guy, and time reversal all at once. That combo? Practically unbeatable.
But dreams are beautiful, and reality… is cruel.
The spirit simply replied,"Apologies. The five rewards you selected are unavailable due to insufficient clearance."
Hayashi Ren's mood instantly deflated like a popped balloon.
"Then what about Sharingan, Wood Release, Tenseigan, Rasengan, and Tailed Beast chakra?" Hayashi switched tactics, aiming a bit lower.
The spirit's voice came again:"You may select a three-tomoe Sharingan and Yamato-level Wood Release. Tenseigan and Tailed Beast chakra are currently unobtainable."
Hayashi Ren froze.
Even just the three-tomoe Sharingan already surpassed most of the bloodline limits in the shinobi world.
And while Yamato-level Wood Release was only about 2% of what Hashirama Senju—the God of Shinobi—could do, it was still nothing to scoff at. After all, 2% of a god is still enough to go toe-to-toe with most elite jōnin. For someone like Hayashi Ren in his current state, it was already pretty decent.
But he wasn't planning to put those abilities on the prize wheel.
They were simply too conspicuous.
Hayashi would soon be participating in a beta battle test. To win the rewards, he'd have to reveal some of his strength. If he walked in flaunting the Sharingan or Wood Release, he'd instantly be in the spotlight.
In the shinobi world, Sharingan and Wood Release weren't just famous—they were coveted. If they weren't strong enough to make people fear you, then they were tempting enough to make people want to steal from you.
Just think of people like Orochimaru or Danzo—those two scheming snakes.
If they caught even a whiff of Hayashi having those powers, the very next day, there'd probably be a new entry on Konoha's missing person's list.
So, in order to not become a statistic, Hayashi gave up on those options without hesitation.
After thinking it through carefully, he finally chose five jutsu to place on the prize wheel:
Rasengan
Chidori
Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu
Leaf Shadow Dance
Konoha Whirlwind
Ding!"Congratulations, dear Administrator. You've drawn: Leaf Shadow Dance," announced the combat spirit.
Hayashi's face darkened immediately.
He had been aiming for Rasengan or Chidori—those were iconic, fast-cast ninjutsu. Rasengan was seal-free, and Chidori only needed three hand signs. Both were lightning-quick to activate. Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu was practically a cheat code, especially for someone like him with a Sage Body—it'd allow him to train multiple skills simultaneously.
Leaf Shadow Dance and Konoha Whirlwind, on the other hand, were just fillers—two taijutsu techniques he added just to fill out the five options.
And now he'd actually drawn one of them.
What could he even say?
There was nothing to say! It was just… ugh!
But he calmed down quickly.
After all, if he had gotten Rasengan or Chidori, it would've raised too many red flags. People would start asking questions—"Where'd you learn that?"
And the truth wouldn't hold up.
Two of those jutsu were stored in the village's Scroll of Seals, and the third was Kakashi Hatake's signature move. There was no easy way to explain their sudden appearance in his arsenal.
Leaf Shadow Dance, on the other hand, was practically a basic taijutsu move in Konoha. Everyone and their grandma knew it. Easy to pass off.
"A blessing in disguise," Hayashi chuckled to himself.
Just then, the combat spirit's voice echoed in his mind again.
"Dear Administrator, would you like to initiate the first MOBA closed beta battle now?"
"Not yet," Hayashi replied inwardly. "Let me eat dinner with Sako and Naruko first. We'll do it after."
"Understood, Administrator."
With that, Hayashi cheerfully resumed cooking dinner in the kitchen, preparing a meal for himself and the two girls—Naruko and Sako.