Naruto: I Copy Skills

A/N: If you want another Double Release, lets get to 500 powerstones by next Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Current Goal: 500 Powerstones. Let's increase our Power Ranking!

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The next day, Goro sat comfortably in his office, a sense of satisfaction filling him. He had completed his tedious village duties, and now he could finally move on to the next step in increasing his strength. The living sacrifice lay on the floor in front of him, paralyzed by a brain seal that Goro had placed on it to prevent any movement or resistance. The living sacrifice was the same boy who had dared to stab him upon his return to the village.

'Now it's onto the fun stuff,' Goro thought, staring down at the boy. He had made sure to lock the door prior, preventing anyone from intruding.

Standing up from his chair, Goro walked around the desk and crouched by the boy's motionless body. He turned his palm upward and thought, 'One cell is all I need. I'll only unmerge with one cell and use it to reanimate Hashirama.'

Without much effort, Goro unmerged a single cell. Though it was invisible to the naked eye, he could feel the process had been completed. With a confident grin, Goro commanded, "Come to life, Hashirama."

For a moment, Goro remained still, anticipating something to happen, but nothing did.

Goro's brow furrowed. He glanced down at the living sacrifice, puzzled. 'Hm? What's going on?' he wondered. Again, he attempted to invoke the reanimation, but once more, nothing happened. The frown on his face deepened, confusion mounting.

'Am I doing it wrong? Why isn't it working? Hashirama should've died a normal death, so—'

Then, it hit him—a thought that sent his mind into deeper contemplation. 'In Orochimaru's fight versus the Third Hokage... How did they disappear again?' As Goro struggled to recall the details, a purple screen suddenly materialized in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.

[Error. Reanimation Failure!]

'All these error messages lately…' Goro thought, a mix of frustration and curiosity.

[The Reaper would like to meet you. Do you agree to meet it?]

Goro's eyes narrowed. 'The Reaper would like a meeting? I thought it was only a projection... Is it really able to request these sorts of things? Alright, fine. I'll have a meeting with it. Sure.'

[Establishing Link]

The room around Goro began to fade, disappearing into a pure white light. The physical world vanished, and within moments, he found himself completely enveloped by the light. After a few moments, the light solidified, and a dark figure began to slowly materialize before him.

'That thing…'

The figure took shape, revealing a purple being with spiky, long white hair seated on a throne. "You dared to take what is mine?" the Reaper spoke, its voice echoing.

'It really is the Reaper…' Goro thought, his gaze locking onto the being's body. He could see dozens of glowing orbs floating around inside its stomach.

"Take is a pretty harsh word... I'd prefer to borrow," Goro responded, his voice slightly shaky, attempting to keep his composure.

The Reaper tilted its head, almost mockingly. "Are you trying to be smart?"

'I doubt it could kill me, since it's in the spiritual realm, so it'd probably be best to work out some sort of deal. What do you think, System?'

[Wise Decision]

'I'll give it a shot...'

"If I cannot borrow, allow me to bargain with you. Let's make a deal. I'll give you something in return for Hashirama's soul," Goro said, his tone now carrying newfound confidence.

The Reaper contemplated his words, its eyes fixating on him. Slowly, it lifted a skinny hand and pointed directly at Goro. "Your soul, for Hashirama Senju's."

Goro's lips pressed into a thin line. 'Is the Reaper an idiot? Why would I give my soul for Hashirama's?' The thought was almost amusing.

"I plan to stay alive while making use of Hashirama's soul. I can't just die," Goro replied firmly. "What are you? An idiot?"

The Reaper's expression didn't change, but its tone grew more sinister. "Then I will delay for your soul. When death reaches you, I will take your soul."

Goro maintained a poker face, but inside, he was piecing together the Reaper's motives. 'He seems desperate for my soul. It must be valuable... System, what do you think?'

[Your soul is worth far more than Hashirama's since you are a reincarnator.]

'Just as I thought...'

Looking up at the Reaper, Goro had decided on an offer. "Free all the souls you have, and in return, when I die, you're guaranteed my soul."

The Reaper's grin stretched wide, putting all its sharp teeth on display. "Yes... I agree to those terms."

The deal was sealed, and almost instantly, the souls that had been trapped within the Reaper's form began to stream out, like a swarm of fireflies being released from a jar. They ascended, flying high above until they disappeared from sight.

The white surrounding the room began to recede, pulling back to the corners of Goro's vision until it fully disappeared, leaving him back in his office. He rubbed his eyes, adjusting to his surroundings once more. The living sacrifice still lay on the ground before him, motionless. Slowly, Goro began to chuckle, the stupidity of the Reaper.

'You'd think a Reaper that's lived for so long would be smarter than to make a deal without doing any research... That Reaper is a fool. I'd never give up my soul to it. It's never worth giving up your soul under any circumstance. If he wants my soul, he'll have to wait for the whole of eternity.'

A familiar blue screen popped up in front of him:

[Personality Suppression Percentage?]

'What?' Goro's eyes widened slightly in confusion.

[How much of Hashirama's personality will you be suppressing?]

'I don't have any need to suppress his personality, so 0% I guess,' Goro thought, curious at the options presented to him.

[0% Personality Suppression Selected. Power Suppression Percentage?]

'Even power? Hold on... If I reanimate Hashirama, could I use him as a soldier if I completely suppressed his personality, while keeping his power at 100%?' The thought intrigued him. 'I'll have to test that out later on...'

Refocusing on the system's question, Goro decided, '95% power suppression will do. I don't need him to be a real threat to me.'

'I can't believe the system somehow upgraded Kabuto's jutsu... I guess I do gain full mastery of every skill, even incomplete ones... I still don't understand why that didn't work for Wood Sage Mode though... Is it inherently different in some way?'

[Selection Successful. Reanimating Hashirama...]

The living sacrifice began to morph, its body swelling and reshaping to resemble Hashirama. Goro watched as its features transformed, the skin stretching and changing. 'That's odd; this doesn't look like a normal reanimation...' he thought, stepping back slightly.

Before long, the process was complete, and there lay Hashirama Senju, looking as he did in life—no cracks, no dullness. He looked... whole.

"System, what's going on?" Goro asked, still cautious.

[Upon copying a skill, you master the skill you have copied. Hashirama has been revived in his former state, with the only difference being his power.]

Hashirama's body twitched, his fingers curling, and soon he pushed himself up from the floor, climbing first to his knees and then to his feet. He looked down at his hands, clenching them twice as if testing his strength, then scanned the room, his eyes settling on Goro.

"So you're the one who cast the jutsu?" Hashirama asked, his tone calm but suspicious, assessing the figure before him.

Goro nodded, slowly removing his mask, a grin creeping onto his lips. "Yes... I have a favor to ask of you."

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Reminder: If you want another Double Release, lets get to 500 powerstones by next Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Current Goal: 500 Powerstones. Let's increase our Power Ranking!