[Ding!]!
[Talent Activated]
[Name: Heart of Steel (SSS)]
[Effect: When directly confronting an enemy, the more punishment you endure, the stronger your physical resilience and combat instinct grow. The more pain, the more steel.
Warning: This talent passively encourages reckless aggression. Not recommended for pacifists or insurance fraud enthusiasts.]
The moment the system panel flashed before Hero's eyes, he froze in place. Then, as if his past life stirred within him, a strange familiarity rushed in.
"…No way," Hero muttered internally, stunned. "That's… that dumb bruiser build I used to run in my PvP days."
His thoughts swirled. It was like déjà vu from an old, chaotic fighting game. He could see it vividly—his favorite tank character, Iron Gate Sion, wading into enemy teams and growing stronger with every hit. The harder they punched him, the more dangerous he became.
That was the nature of [Heart of Steel].
The more you're hit, the harder you hit back.
And now… the very skill that had carried him through countless brawls had arrived in real life.
Just as Hero had finally found a chance to die heroically in the blood-soaked fields of war, the Will of Heaven had dropped this gift on him like a cosmic prank.
"Please tell me this won't screw up my payout," he groaned silently.
No manual. No tutorial. Just a vague description and the ominous sense that this passive skill might not let him die quite as easily as he hoped.
For now, he shoved the thought aside. Priority one was clear: accept one of the suicide missions Setsuna had announced, get shipped off to the bloodiest front line—and die.
Clean. Fast. Glory-free.
But as he turned to scout the elder, his eye caught the true source of his unease:
Uchiha Shisui.
The radiant nosy-child stood nearby, lips curved into a gentle smile that could've melted stone.
"Hero-kun," he said softly, full of sincerity. "Don't worry. I'll take one of the missions Setsuna-sama just announced."
"You should stay here in the clan. Focus on your training."
Hero's spine locked up like iron. Sweat prickled his scalp.
Bro, why are you always like this? Go annoy Itachi! Why are you ruining my death plans?!
Without a second thought, Hero bolted forward, tearing out of the crowd like a man possessed. He thrust three fingers skyward, voice rising with fiery conviction.
"Elder!"
"To restore the glory of the Uchiha, I will not hesitate!"
"I'm not afraid of danger. Please send me to the frontlines!"
He sprinted forward dramatically, posture straight as a spear, voice echoing through the hall like the cry of a true patriot.
"Whether it be the torrential storms of the Land of Rain or the hot springs of the Land of Hot Water, my will shall not waver!"
"If someone must die—let it be me!"
A wave of silence rippled through the crowd.
Dozens of Uchiha turned their heads.
Who was this lunatic?!
"Hero-kun, no—!"
Shisui's voice broke with alarm. His expression collapsed into shock.
In that instant, he saw Hero not as a peer—but as a comrade. One willing to throw his life away.
The pain of impending loss stabbed deep.
And just like that…
Shisui's Sharingan awakened.
Two tomoe spun to life in his scarlet eyes, born not of battle—but of heartbreak.
The trigger? A comrade walking toward certain death.
But before Shisui could move, a voice as cold as steel slammed into the moment.
"You? You're trash."
Setsuna's words fell like a hammer.
The air thinned.
Hero froze mid-step. Even time seemed to hesitate.
[You have been scorned by Uchiha Setsuna!]
In Hero's vision, the elder's forehead lit up with a glowing red marker, just like a raid boss.
That sneering gaze, crimson and judgmental, burned into his soul.
And with it… came rage.
"I might be trash now…"
His voice rang out again, defiant.
"Elder!"
"This isn't about being strong or weak!"
"I haven't awakened my Sharingan. I know I'm weak."
"But genin aren't front-line fighters. We do reconnaissance, deliver supplies, we support."
"Other clans are sending genin to the Land of Rain."
"If the Uchiha send none, won't that damage our reputation?"
The words hit home.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
But everyone knew, this wasn't just anyone Hero was talking to.
This was Setsuna. The Uchiha hawk. The man who once plotted against the Second Hokage.
Hero's outburst might've been bold… but it was also suicidal.
Setsuna's brow furrowed, his lips drawing into a hard line.
This brat... he dares talk back to me?
And yet, as Hero stood tall beneath his gaze, something strange happened.
That fire… that defiance…
Isn't this the kind of weapon I need?
A young dog who knows no fear. Loyal enough to die, defiant enough to fight.
Setsuna's eyes gleamed.
He would be the perfect tool on the battlefield, and one day, in the shadows of a coup.
But he couldn't let him die yet.
So he smiled.
That slow, blood-chilling smile that made the entire hall's temperature drop.
Hero felt his chest tighten.
If this guy kills me right now, does the insurance still count...? Right?
[Confirmed: It counts.]
Hero clenched his jaw.
Shoulders squared. Gaze unshaken.
Steel in his spine.
And for the first time—Setsuna felt it too.
This kid… might be a fool. But he's a steel-forged one.
With a long exhale, Setsuna's voice fell like a blade:
"Naive. Absurd."
"If the battlefield were safe, we'd send genin by the dozen."
"But it's not. It's a massacre."
"Are you deaf, kid?"
Hero took a deep breath, raised his chin—
And slapped his own neck.
"Come on then, Elder. If you've got the guts, C…cut me down!"
"If you can't, send me to the battlefield!"
And in that moment—
[Ding!]
[Talent "Heart of Steel" has synchronized.]
--------------
(A/N: Player versus Player (PvP) games—competitive video games where players fight or compete directly against other players rather than AI-controlled opponents.)