The Power of Immortality

Below the peaks of the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning.

Clouds swirled, thunder rumbled, and mountain winds swept gray stones tumbling from the summit into a bottomless abyss.

Moriyue groggily opened his eyes, feeling a dull ache in his back and a complete lack of strength, as if his kidneys had been removed.

He awkwardly twisted his head, his cervical spine feeling as if it were rusted. It took considerable effort to stand up from the ground.

"Huh? What the hell happened?"

I was just watching someone talk a moment ago, and now I'm in this strange place?

Suddenly, a jumble of fragmented memories surged into Moriyue's mind like a tide.

A youth also named Moriyue had just celebrated his sixteenth birthday. His parents had died in the Eight-Tails rampage years ago. He lacked the talent to become a ninja, his chakra was chaotic and impure, and he couldn't even perform the first step of chakra refinement...

However, the Hidden Cloud Village was known for its unity. No one mocked Moriyue for his lack of ninja talent; even ordinary people could find their place. So, he began gathering herbs. Unexpectedly, his foot slipped, and he fell directly from the mountain peak, shattering his body and returning his soul to the underworld.

"Well, this is certainly a wonderful start..."

As a seasoned reader of Zhongdian Novel Network for 20 years, how could Moriyue not understand his current situation?

He had transmigrated, possessing the body of someone on the verge of death, or perhaps he had taken over this poor soul, or maybe he had been reincarnated? Who knew. What he could confirm for now was that he had arrived in the world of Naruto, and his starting point was a dying weakling.

Moriyue took a few slow, deep breaths, forcibly calming his restless heart. He began to examine his body.

His flesh was mangled, his bones were dislocated, and a pool of congealed black-red blood on the ground indicated he had been lying here for some time. He didn't understand how he had survived with his body in such a state.

From the memories of this body, he learned that while the Hidden Cloud Village was exceptionally united, discrimination and injustice still existed. The owner of this body, for instance, was subtly ostracized by those around him for not having darker skin, and even other ordinary people kept their distance from him.

Moriyue had watched a lot of Naruto in his previous life. Although he couldn't recall some plot points clearly due to the passage of time, he remembered the general storyline. However, whether in anime or novels, he rarely saw detailed descriptions of the Hidden Cloud Village. It seemed all transmigration protagonists chose Konoha as their starting point.

Konoha was strong, and the Hidden Cloud was not weak, but it was too early to consider these things. What did any of that have to do with him, Moriyue?

He wished he could raze the entire ninja world. Forget discussing philosophies of war; just fight!

That was, of course, assuming he could survive. Living was the foundation. If he died here, everything would turn to nothing.

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die! Come on, cheat system, System! Are you there?"

"A system from Ciwei Mao would be fine too!"

"Deep blue, light red? Colorful black? Add a point!"

There was no response. The surroundings remained deathly silent, with only the whistling wind and Moriyue's somewhat rapid breathing.

Moriyue felt a surge of panic. He didn't even understand how he was still alive. He could clearly feel bone fragments within him piercing his lungs, and every part of his body ached. Such injuries should have killed someone hundreds of times over, yet he was still alive.

Damn it, am I a living dead person? Am I going to turn into a zombie and infect the ninja world?

Moriyue was bewildered. He scratched his head, and it was at this moment that he realized he was holding something in his hand.

It was a small, octagonal stone, not too large, about the size of a bottle cap. Carved onto this little object was a lifelike, vibrant yellow puppy, looking very lively and cute.

"Is this... the Dog Talisman? Immortality?" Moriyue didn't recognize the Dog Talisman at first. After looking at it for a while, he recognized it with some surprise.

The Adventures of Jackie Chan was also a childhood memory of his. The most iconic part was the Twelve Talismans, each possessing immense power. The ability of the Dog Talisman in his hand was immortality and eternal youth.

Starting off with the Dog Talisman, he was now immortal. Great, this was truly a "wonderful start."

However, talismans had their limitations. As long as one held the talisman, anyone could use it. Even though Moriyue couldn't die now, if the Dog Talisman were snatched away by someone else, he would instantly turn into a corpse.

Moriyue looked at the Dog Talisman in his hand. This could be considered his ultimate trump card. Although he didn't have a system, with immortality, what else could he possibly need? All he needed to do now was ensure no one took the Dog Talisman.

With a plan in mind, Moriyue felt around for his equipment. Unfortunately, he was just an ordinary person; he wasn't even worthy of kunai or shuriken. After searching around for a long time, he finally found a relatively sharp piece of broken stone.

Without hesitation, he aimed the sharp end of the stone at his own heart. Although he knew he wouldn't die, he couldn't help but feel a tremor of fear when he was actually about to act.

"Pfft~" The stone pierced his chest. The stone wasn't very sharp, and Moriyue could only poke at his chest bit by bit. The feeling of a dull knife cutting flesh was something no one would want to experience, but Moriyue knew this was a pain he had to endure.

After an unknown amount of time, Moriyue felt his heart clench. The stone pierced his heart, opening a "mind's eye" for him.

A faint smile spread across Moriyue's face. The hand holding the Dog Talisman reached directly to his heart, and with a forceful push, he placed the Dog Talisman in the center of his heart.

"This should be a bit safer..." Moriyue stood up, panting heavily. The Dog Talisman could only prevent him from dying; the physical pain and limb deformities couldn't be alleviated. The wounds on his body would have to heal on their own over time.

Taking off his upper garment, Moriyue wrapped his exposed chest. Having multiple "mind's eyes" couldn't hurt. He sat there and, with his unskilled hands, treated the externally visible, potentially fatal wounds.

The bone spurs sticking out were either pushed back in or discarded. Actual healing would have to wait until he returned to the Hidden Cloud Village. Although he didn't have a system, he had the Dog Talisman as his cheat. Moreover, he was certain that the other eleven talismans were definitely elsewhere. If Moriyue could collect all twelve talismans, he believed he could conquer the ninja world.

"Then I'll start my comeback from the Hidden Cloud. Let's see how far I, an ordinary person with no talent for ninjutsu, can go..."