Block the Spring Water

Piercing through the rain curtain.

Three figures charged into the colonist camp in one breath. For some reason, Kobayashi couldn't shake the feeling that the captain's figure he caught in his peripheral vision was actually a Shadow Clone.

The real body had already quietly slipped away to scout the Atmosphere Processor outside the base.

There were more adult Xenomorphs there, including the Queen, and even ancient specimens fused with the genes of the Space Jockey...

Just as he was thinking this, a Facehugger lunged from a dark corner!

Slightly distracted, he instinctively raised his greatsword with both hands to shield his face.

Bang.

With a soft sound, the failed Facehugger tumbled to the ground before springing back up.

"Ghost... Slash!"

No longer daring to let his mind wander, Kobayashi Yoshito whispered in his heart, channeling the power of the Ghost Hand in his left arm.

Immediately, ominous purple-black ghost energy coiled around the greatsword.

Whoosh—

It emitted a shrill, mournful whistle as it swung down.

Just like that, under the witness of Uchiha Xiu, this fledgling completed his first kill.

The greatsword, coated in ghost energy, sliced through the Facehugger—which possessed only a single, predictable pouncing attack pattern—cutting it into two pieces as if it were rotting meat.

However, in that split second when the old force was spent and the new had yet to arise, the sound of wind being torn came from behind him.

Another Facehugger leaped silently, lunging straight for the nape of his neck...

It was a very basic hunting technique, one Uchiha Xiu had seen far too many times.

At the critical moment!

A figure suddenly rushed out from his side. Relying on the slightly heightened combat instincts gained from her recent enhancements, Kitagawa Nacai swung her scythe.

"Judgment Hammer."

The team's healer, who had also just completed her enhancements, focused her spirit, imbuing the scythe blade with a faint layer of holy power.

Squelch!

The scythe blade was incredibly precise, like a judgment spike, interrupting the Facehugger's momentum and pinning it firmly to the ground.

Acidic blood splattered to both sides.

The golden light hissed as it encountered the acid, fading away with a faint sizzling sound, but it did not affect the sharpness of the scythe.

"Not a bad little combo," Uchiha Xiu said in a low voice, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan ceasing its rotation.

With him holding the line, the team's margin for error was incredibly high.

They could practice without worry.

Time to add some pressure.

"Idiot, still spacing out? Another one is coming from the front."

At the warning, Kobayashi Yoshito, whose heart nearly jumped out of his chest, instinctively dodged to the side. A cold insect tail grazed his left shoulder, tearing open a bloody gash.

A stinging pain flared, and the greatsword slipped from his hands.

The Facehugger, having already extruded its ovipositor, missed its mark and slammed into the metal wall. Without a moment's pause, it sank its eight legs and sprang toward its prey again.

No time to retrieve the sword!

The shadow of death loomed once more. Forgetting that the captain was holding the line and daring not to rely on anyone else, Kobayashi acted purely on the instinct to survive. He raised his crimson left arm, condensed with ghost energy, and clawed fiercely at the pouncing insect shadow.

The five fingers of the Ghost Hand hooked into the Facehugger.

He threw it down with all his might!

The scythe followed immediately after.

The next moment, the third Facehugger was pinned and killed.

In the span of just a few breaths, having encountered consecutive reversals, Kobayashi Yoshito panted heavily, leaning sideways against the metal wall. The wound on his left shoulder burned with a searing pain.

The slab-like greatsword lay not far away, the purple-black ghost energy remaining on its blade slowly dissipating.

"You should be thankful that the Facehugger's tail isn't venomous and that you have teammates with you. If you were alone, you wouldn't even need three of these crawlers; two would be enough to finish you off and cultivate a powerful Xenomorph that absorbs the Ghost Swordsman's genes."

"I... I'm sorry."

Taking a deep breath, Kobayashi Yoshito followed Uchiha Xiu's gesture and hurriedly bent down to pick up his greatsword.

Synchronize.

Kitagawa Nacai exhaled, retracting her scythe.

"Slow Heal!" she chanted in her heart. A faint green halo bloomed from the healer's hands, instantly generating a follow-along magic circle at Kobayashi's feet.

Gentle life energy flowed upward, and warmth spread through his wound.

The blood gradually stopped flowing, and the wound closed up visibly to the naked eye!

Three seconds later, the tense body of the Ghost Swordsman Kobayashi Yoshito finally relaxed.

"Thank you..."

"We're teammates, what are you saying?" Naicai, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, met his gaze and offered a gentle smile.

"Looking at it this way, the skills of a Paladin healer are even more convenient than medical ninjutsu." Uchiha Xiu felt full of confidence in the future.

The Soul Bender was a bit reckless, but his combat instincts were quite good.

As a novice reincarnator who had just grasped supernatural power, he had his bright spots.

He was much better than those fools who went blank when faced with pressure.

As for the healer, she was flawless.

She maintained vigilance throughout, provided timely finishing blows, and offered healing.

"Keep growing."

"I will lead everyone to win the ultimate team battle!"

In the shadows, Uchiha Xiu, who had witnessed everything, vanished using the Body Flicker Technique, his mood quite good.

It was just as Kobayashi Yoshito had guessed; he had deployed a Shadow Clone before the two noticed, allowing his true self to be free.

"Time to go all out!"

Not far from the base, the Engineer's derelict spacecraft and the Atmosphere Processor—there was plenty of fat to be harvested from these two units.

--In the Alien worldview, humanity originated from a mysterious alien race: the Space Jockeys, also known as Engineers.

They once traveled in a spacecraft to visit the primitive ancient Earth, where one Engineer drank the Black Goo and, witnessed by his companions, dissolved his own body on the spot to sow DNA fragments.

Many years later, humanity was born on Earth as a result.

Perhaps to satisfy some unknown need, or perhaps to destroy the human civilization they had created with their own hands, the Engineer race sent another spacecraft loaded with countless Facehuggers to Earth in prehistoric times.

During the journey, the Engineer responsible for piloting the ship was parasitized by a Facehugger, causing the ship to crash on Planet Huangquan. It wasn't until the cargo ship carrying Ripley received the distress signal from the derelict ship and mistook it for a call for help from a human vessel that this series of stories unfolded...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Intense gunfire erupted on the bottom floor of the Atmosphere Processor, and high-explosive rounds detonated one after another.

On both sides of the corridor, swathes of foul-smelling gel used for breeding Xenomorphs were shattered.

The Colonial Marine squad, having suffered casualties, ignored everything and fired with desperate, overwhelming force.

The Drone Xenomorphs dodged repeatedly.

Inside the command vehicle, Ripley, who was missing Uchiha Xiu and his group more and more, warned in a low voice: "Captain, this place is connected to the nuclear reactor. If a fierce firefight breaks out and the nuclear facility is damaged by thermal weapons, the leaking radiation will kill everyone!"

In his seat, Captain William, who possessed the temperament of a student soldier, slapped his forehead and hurriedly pressed the communicator:

"Apone, tell your men to stop attacking and retreat outside immediately. I'll drive over to pick everyone up!"

"Do not use lethal weapons inside the nuclear facility. I repeat, stay away from the nuclear equipment."

The communication channel fell into a dead silence.

In the hearts of the Colonial Marines, the captain in the command vehicle, who gave orders while staring at a computer and had no real combat experience, was no different from a fart.

In just a few minutes, they had already lost three brothers!

Once they ceased fire, that group of Xenomorphs could launch an assault at any moment.

"Yes, Captain."

Orders were hard to defy, so the squad leader, Apone, decided on a compromise: "Quick, everyone hand your explosives to me. Grenades, rifle grenades, hand them all over."

"Each team will retreat in turns. From now on, use only pistols and rifles."

"Hmph!"

"Idiot..."

Amidst the complaints, the Marines looked at the sergeant walking toward them and helplessly handed over the explosives they relied on for survival.

The suppression power dropped rapidly.

It was also at this moment that a gust of wind descended from the sky.

The Drone Xenomorph, which had been lurking along the ceiling, revealed itself. It whipped its tail with force and, right in front of Apone, easily pierced through the chests of two Marines.

At close range, a flash of blue light streaked by.

It was too fast for Apone to see clearly; he only knew that the Xenomorph that had launched the sneak attack was sent flying violently.

Acidic blood splattered like rotten tomatoes, hissing as it corroded a large area.

And this pulled back the curtain on the prologue!

Uchiha Xiu, who had arrived just in time, caught a glimpse of more Drones lurking in the dark corners, seemingly observing silently, looking for the right opportunity to launch an attack.

Their three-meter-tall frames looked as if they were cast from steel, shimmering with a dull, black-gold luster.

Whether it was their tails or the various blade-like exoskeletons wrapping their bodies, everything perfectly conformed to a primitive, violent aesthetic.

"It's bigger than the one on the freighter."

[Killed Ancient Genotype Drone Xenomorph *1, obtained 200 reward points]

"Yet the yield is the same as before."

"This Main God isn't stupid."

"Also... add one item to the zero-dollar shopping list for the Ninja World; I need a high-quality ninja blade to execute close-range decapitations."

Kubikiribōchō, Samehada, Nuibari, Kabutowari, Shibuki, Kiba, Hiramekarei, Kusanagi Sword...

As these thoughts flashed by, Uchiha Xiu, having formed a Rasengan, continued his charge.

Acidic blood and bone fragments splattered to both sides.

He only came to a halt after piercing through three Xenomorphs in his path.

[Killed Common Drone Xenomorph *2, obtained 100 reward points]

The notification from the Main God echoed in his mind, causing him to frown slightly.

Common genotype drone = 50 reward points.

How stingy.

Fortunately, the prize pool was large enough; he was guaranteed to squeeze out at least eight thousand points.

With the side quest rewards accumulated, he would have at least one B-rank!

Silently, the Xenomorph eggs blocking the end of the path ahead no longer appeared dark green; cracks appeared in them, revealing the slightly pink muscular tissue inside as they bloomed completely!

Over forty Facehuggers burst out of their shells.

They kicked off with their long legs, their tails whipping frantically in mid-air, striking with astonishing speed like rattlesnakes pouncing on prey.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

Clusters of flames bloomed, and the Colonial Marines, who had been shielded behind him, finally saw the situation clearly.

"Genetically modified soldiers, when did they arrive?"

Captain William let out a sigh of relief.

Ripley, clutching the little girl Newt tightly, was full of excitement and said tremblingly, "We're saved..."

In the darkness, those Facehuggers that had not yet awakened seemed to receive some kind of signal, breaking free one after another and pouncing toward Uchiha Xiu.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

The firelight continued incessantly.

"Killed Xenomorph larva Facehugger *1."

"Reward points: 5."

The data on his black wristwatch updated rapidly.

Bang! Bang!

To his left rear, the layered, sticky Xenomorph secretions—resembling the intestinal walls of a giant beast—suddenly burst open, and two ferocious Xenomorph Praetorians lunged out with the force of a gale.

Clearly, this was a premeditated ambush: first, a large number of Facehugger cannon fodder launched a suicide charge to distract the target, followed by a surprise attack from powerful, mature specimens hidden in the dark corners.

Unfortunately... in front of these Sharingan, every move of these masters of space hunting looked exceptionally laughable.

Uchiha Xiu didn't even turn his head.

"Lightning Style: Four Pillar Bind!"

A roar echoed through the tower's base passage as four stone pillars flickering with lightning rose from the ground.

Between them, deep blue electric arcs danced back and forth, looking like serpentine creatures coiled in the void.

The two Xenomorph Praetorians were hard-controlled, gradually turning charred and losing their vitality.

The lightning zone did not dissipate, directly sealing off the Xenomorphs' frontal path and creating a one-man bridge-blocking formation.

"Kill... kill me..."

"I beg you."

Suddenly, a plea as faint as a mosquito's buzz came from his side, and before she could finish...

The prayer was granted.

The female Earth colonist, still possessing a shred of self-awareness, had her head instantly crushed by the Rasengan, sparing her from the agony of the chest-bursting.

However, the Chestburster, already mature and possessing the basic characteristics of a small adult Xenomorph, still tore through the woman's flesh and crawled out.

Inner jaws, jointed tail.

If it were allowed to replenish its nutrients, the chitinous membrane on its body would quickly recede, and its exoskeleton would rapidly expand and harden.

Uchiha Xiu certainly wouldn't give it that chance; he pressed the continuously rotating Rasengan against its face, casually crushing it to claim the thirty reward points of "mosquito meat."

"What are you waiting for? Why aren't you retreating yet?"

The Colonial Marines, all wearing expressions as if they were looking at a god, heard the unfamiliar urging in their ears.

Sergeant Apone turned around, locking eyes with the scarlet Sharingan.

Two people who looked exactly the same?

Are they clones of genetically modified soldiers?

[Side quest triggered: Escort the VIPs Ripley and Newt to the dropship and ensure their safe escape from Planet Huangquan.]

[Quest completion reward: One C-rank side quest, 2,000 reward points.]

[Failure penalty: Deduct 1,000 reward points.]

Although these soldiers didn't seem particularly bright and weren't on the protection list, Uchiha Xiu still intended to save their lives while he was at it.

"What are you dawdling for? Move!"

Having experienced such adventures before, Ripley snatched the communicator from the commander's hand and urged them over the channel.

Captain William snapped out of his daze, driving the command vehicle forward to provide cover, with the driver of the other infantry fighting vehicle following closely behind.

The group didn't dare hesitate; dragging the remains of their fallen comrades, they rushed into the hatch with their rifles raised.

The Shadow Clone leaped lightly, landing atop the command vehicle.

In fact, there was no difference in the hand seals required for the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the Shadow Clone Technique; as long as the user possessed abundant chakra and sufficient mental fortitude, it could automatically upgrade from a B-rank ninjutsu to an A-rank forbidden jutsu.

As of now... Uchiha Xiu, who fancied himself a mini-Hashirama, didn't feel the slightest bit of strain.

Facing the wave after wave of Xenomorphs charging forward, the slaughter grew increasingly intense.

Fire Style, Lightning Style, Rasengan—seamlessly connected.

"Tsk, it feels like using anti-aircraft guns to swat mosquitoes."

"So... I need to accumulate large-scale area-clearing ninjutsu; the sooner I master Wood Style, the better."

Beneath his feet.

Exoskeletons and debris were scattered everywhere, with acidic blood corroding holes into the metal floor.

Fortunately, there was a large amount of Xenomorph oral secretion here, effectively blocking the seepage.

"Thump—"

The ground trembled.

Seeing the number of its kin rapidly dwindling, the boss, the Xenomorph Queen, made her entrance, crawling out from the deepest depths.

Her body was immensely bloated, and behind her massive head grew a fan-shaped exoskeleton crest, resembling a crown.

Her posture was identical to that of an ancient Tyrannosaurus Rex; she crouched on the ground and, relying on pheromone perception, aimed her head at the intruder, locking onto her target!

A yellow-green Xenomorph egg fell quietly.

She had likely realized that this would be the last offspring she would ever produce, so she swept her tailbone gently, brushing it into a web of mucus to keep it from being caught in the crossfire.

Maternal love?

As an intelligent creature, a high-level Xenomorph Queen indeed possessed such emotions.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Xiu would not sympathize with the enemy.

Besides, they weren't even the same species.

Exterminate them all!

"Rasengan." Not yet satisfied, Uchiha Xiu started with his signature orb and used Body Flicker to vanish.

The Xenomorph Queen, having severed her egg sac, met him head-on with her hardened skull.

Not counting her coiled tail, her torso alone was over six meters long.

The wind pressure hit his face.

It was like a heavy truck traveling at full speed.

The bony crown collided ferociously!

"Boom—"

The skull, hard as armor, disintegrated the moment it touched the Rasengan.

The carapace cracked!

His palm, protected by chakra, pierced straight through the cranial cavity, spraying yellow-green fluid mixed with bone fragments.

The Queen jumped, and the Queen went to sleep.

"A beast is a beast; being hard-headed just makes you die faster."

With his strength significantly improved, Uchiha Xiu, who could be said to have been reborn, was regaining his confidence.

Even if I return to the monster-filled Konoha, with Jonin-level strength and having secretly mastered the Rasengan and the Wood Style bloodline, I should be considered someone of note, right?