"Ugh... I died again! Uchiha Itachi is way too strong. He's kind of wrecking the game balance!" Ming Jing sat on the bus with his phone in hand. Two enormous words—"Defeat"—were displayed on the screen.
This was a newly released Naruto Mobile Game from Tencent. Whenever Ming Jing was bored, he would log in and play some PvP matches. But ever since the officials had released Uchiha Itachi as a character, non-VIP players like Ming Jing had been left helpless. Itachi was simply unbeatable!
Thinking back on the battle he had just lost, Ming Jing could not help praising it again. "Still, Tsukuyomi really is the strongest illusion in my heart!"
"The strongest illusion?" An aged voice came from beside him. It was another passenger sitting next to Ming Jing, a frail-looking but kind-faced old man.
"Yeah!" Ming Jing smiled. "According to the author's setting, Tsukuyomi is activated through Uchiha Itachi's left eye. The moment it is activated, as long as the two parties make eye contact, the target will see an unknown otherworld. In that world, every factor—time, location, terrain, and so on—is controlled by the caster, delivering a devastating mental blow to the opponent."
"Oh? It does sound quite powerful! But surely it can't be called the strongest, can it?" The old man nodded along, studying Ming Jing kindly. "Would you like to pit yourself against Tsukuyomi?"
"Huh? Well... in the series, only the Mangekyō Sharingan can contend with Tsukuyomi!" Ming Jing did not quite understand what the old man meant. He figured the old man might have some mental problems.
"No, no, no." The old man shook his head and said with a smile, "You don't need the Sharingan. You'll take the illusion technique passed down by our ancestors and compete with Tsukuyomi."
"Well... this is my stop!" Ming Jing hurriedly put away his phone and prepared to stand up and leave. But suddenly, he realized he could no longer control his body. He could not stand up!
"What did you do to me?! This is a public place! I don't know you, so don't try anything!" Ming Jing shouted in a trembling voice, hoping to draw the attention of those around him. But reality slapped him in the face. No one noticed anything strange, even though he had just shouted.
"Remember this. This move is called Wash Away Stains. You'll find it useful in the future." The old man wore a benevolent smile. Then he waved one hand, and Ming Jing felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. The last thing he heard was the old man's voice: "This move is called Mother-Child Green Coins. Don't lose, now!"
After an unknown amount of time, Ming Jing abruptly sat up. He gasped for breath and could not help cursing, "Where the hell did that lunatic come from?! At his age, he should stay home instead of running around, damn it! Wait..." Ming Jing froze. This floor looked strangely familiar! He cautiously looked around. It was a very typical Japanese bedroom.
"No way..." Ming Jing's heart trembled. He seemed to know what had happened. Looking down at his hands, he saw that they were probably only the hands of a child!
With a deafening boom, Ming Jing felt the entire house shake. He looked up to see that the space beyond the shoji door had already turned crimson.
If my guess is right, then what's going on outside now? Shakes with this kind of force were pretty common in Shippuden! After thinking it over, Ming Jing decided to open the door and take a look.
When he pushed open the door, he saw a gigantic Nine-Tails Fox Demon in the distance, howling toward the sky beneath the Blood Moon. Farther away, on Hokage Rock, Ming Jing could barely make out four heads. With a casual sweep of its tails, the fox demon sent wood splinters and stones flying through the sky. Despite being so far away, Ming Jing could still feel the scorching heat flowing through the air with the demon's movements.
"So this was what the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha looked like?..." Ming Jing stared blankly at the rampaging Nine-Tails Fox Demon. In his previous life, perhaps only the five great powers of Blue Star could have subdued such strength!
"Young Master, it's very dangerous here. Please come with us to take shelter!" At that moment, two kimono-clad girls hurried over, stopped behind Ming Jing, and called out while bowing.
Young Master? Ming Jing was stunned. He had not expected the old man to arrange such a lofty identity for him! He turned back to glance at the two girls. He had to admit that girls in the 2D world really were top-tier. Back in his previous life, servants this cute would at least have been school beauties!
But there was no fan emblem on their clothes, so this was not the Uchiha Clan. They did not have white eyes either, so it did not seem to be the Hyuga Clan. The remaining Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, and Inuzuka Clan were all major clans too, but at this time, they should have been in the village rescuing people.
Far from the village center, with clan members around, and little presence...
Could this be the Aburame Clan?!
Ming Jing's face stiffened. Although Aburame Shino was powerful and one of the Rookie Nine, and the Aburame Clan's secret techniques were formidable as well, the problem was that Ming Jing hated bugs! Just seeing them gave him goosebumps!
"Young Master?" The two maids watched the dazed Ming Jing and called softly.
"Ah, it's nothing." Ming Jing came back to his senses and shook his head. "There's no need to take shelter. That big guy won't come this way."
"This..." The two maids looked at each other. If their master would not leave, then as servants, they could not leave either. Thus, the two adorable maids could only stand where they were, gritting their teeth.
"You're so certain the Nine-Tails Fox Demon won't come here?" A dignified voice came from nearby. The two maids trembled when they heard it, lowering their heads even further. "Greetings, Clan Head!"
Clan Head?!
Ming Jing was slightly stunned. That meant this man who had suddenly appeared was very likely his father!
Ming Jing raised his head and gave the newcomer a calm, composed look. Oh, this uncle was pretty handsome! Wait, this guy was not wearing sunglasses! That meant this was not the Aburame Clan!
Realizing that he would not have to live among bugs in the future, Ming Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the man's question, he calmly said, "So that big guy is called the Nine-Tails Fox Demon! There are two Hokage in the village. With their strength, stopping the Nine-Tails Fox Demon shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The man walked to Ming Jing's side and watched the rampaging fox demon in the distance with him. Smiling, he said, "You certainly have faith in Lord Hokage."
"After all, he's the leader of the village!" Ming Jing smiled and looked at the man. "Is it really alright for us to just stand here and watch?"
"What else can we do besides watch? If the Kurama Clan went to deal with something like that, we'd only get in the way. Besides, our clan can no longer afford any losses." The man shook his head with a wistful sigh.
Holy shit! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! It's actually the Kurama Clan! The illusion clan that once stood on equal footing with the Uchiha Clan, whose Bloodline Limit is Control of the Five Senses. Ahem... though that was in the past! Still, in a few years, the Uchiha Clan will be even worse off than the Kurama Clan. Wait... it seems the Kurama Clan will have it even worse in the future! Only Kurama Yakumo will remain as their sole descendant, but won't the Uchiha Clan also be left with only Second Pillar? Ah... what a pair of fellow sufferers.
"Ming Jing, you are the only bloodline my younger brother left in this world, as well as the only direct bloodline of the Kurama Clan. The future of the Kurama Clan rests on your shoulders." Uncle Kurama patted Ming Jing's thin shoulder and spoke earnestly.
Uh... so I was still called Ming Jing in this world! That was a pretty good setting. More importantly, this uncle was not his father! That setting was even better!
Ming Jing silently praised the old man for a while. At least he would not have to worry about calling a stranger Father.
As for the future of the Kurama Clan... such a heavy topic could wait for another day!
Before you continue