Battle

"This time, I'll be the one to take over as captain!"

"Use the captain's authority to raise my Gene Lock by one level and prepare thoroughly for the team battle against the Central Continent Team."

Even though the Naruto system had long ago been classified as a bottom-tier world in the Original Infinite, Uchiha Xiu still had faith in this opportunity.

"Setting aside all the techniques, just looking at the genetic level, the Sharingan can be combined with Senju cells to produce a wondrous reaction, giving me an enhancement in the early stages where one plus one is greater than two."

"Byakugan paired with Kaguya's Shikotsumyaku."

"Maybe add a bit of Uzumaki Bloodline, too? At their core, they're all about returning to the Otsutsuki's ancestral roots."

"Besides, the Main God marks the world each Reincarnator originally came from. I can return for a small number of reward points and harvest free resources."

"I've always wanted to play the hidden hand behind the Ninja World!"

Six Paths Tools, concept-level dual Kamui eyes, Kotoamatsukami, Tenseigan, Tailed Beasts, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path...

Now that he had easily taken control of the situation and achieved the results he wanted, Uchiha Xiu faced the East Sea Team's rookies and said in a low voice:

"Everyone, raise your hand if you've seen the Alien series."

The result came as no surprise.

Five of his six temporary teammates raised their hands.

Only the high school girl in a JK sailor uniform looked as clueless as ever.

"Then I'll keep it brief."

Glancing at his watch again, Uchiha Xiu saw that the countdown had reached two minutes and twenty-nine seconds and summarized the plot:

"The Nostromo is a commercial transport ship carrying seven crew members and twenty million tons of ore back to Earth from Planet Thedus. While passing an asteroid, the ship receives a mysterious signal that sounds like a distress call from another ship. The computer immediately wakes the crew from cryosleep."

"They bring an Xenomorph aboard, and that's how the disaster begins..."

It was indeed a very brief explanation.

Seeing that the high school girl, Aoi Sora, still looked bewildered, the gloomy self-defense officer, Miyata Kuraki, helpfully explained:

"In its juvenile stage, it's a creature resembling a deformed crab. It moves very fast, ambushes a host, then latches onto their face and anesthetizes them before implanting itself."

"Once it's finished growing, it bursts out of the host's chest, becoming a tall, upright monster with a hard black exterior."

"Its blood is terrifyingly corrosive at every stage," the Black man interjected.

As everyone talked over one another, the panicked girl finally gained a basic understanding of the situation:

Xenomorphs were not only powerful attackers; their bony skin was like armor, and ordinary bullets, electric shocks, and fire had little effect on them.

Those things could hurt them, but certainly not kill them.

They also had extraordinary regenerative abilities!

They didn't need to breathe. Tubes on their backs could absorb cosmic dust and radiation, while also regulating their body pressure and temperature.

In short, they were a real handful.

Monsters straight out of a nightmare.

"Don't put too much faith in the original plot. The Main God may make changes depending on the circumstances," Uchiha Xiu said, already adopting the air of a captain.

The Central Continent Team had Chu Tiandao, who could read the script. The East Sea Team and the other teams weren't so lucky.

Putting blind faith in rigid information and betting everything on it was no different from asking to die!

When it came to raising the difficulty, the Main God's Great Light Sphere never disappointed.

Of course, it wasn't all bad news. The various hidden benefits of the team-building period after the previous East Sea Team had been wiped out were a major advantage...

For example, the basic difficulty of a reincarnation world was determined by the number of Reincarnators: seven meant the lowest difficulty, and twenty the highest. This should be an easy rookie mission.

Later, they might even get score-farming missions to boost new team members' strength—what people called "ripening" them—so they could join a team battle and engage in bloody slaughter against veteran Reincarnator teams.

"There's a small firearms locker in the corner of the cryo bay. Focus your fire on any Xenomorphs other than the queen, and you should be able to protect yourselves in groups."

"Lastly, good luck."

"I have no intention of babysitting you. I'll take the initiative and wipe out the Xenomorphs."

As soon as he finished speaking, a breeze from the air conditioner swept past.

The Main God's protective shield had served its purpose!

Uchiha Xiu charged out through the open hatch, turning into a black blur as he went on the hunt for Xenomorphs.

Behind him, his teammates rushed in a panic toward the gun locker.

Whoosh—

The wind rushed past his ears.

The instant his toes touched the metal wall, chakra gathered in his legs and sent him flying more than ten meters.

After bounding forward several times, Uchiha Xiu landed in the darkness.

Large sections of the lighting system had been destroyed.

While hunting the previous crew, the Xenomorphs had learned that humans relied on their sight to get around. They had deliberately damaged the lights in many areas of the ship, letting them hide effectively in the darkness.

The nearest one... was hiding at the entrance to a ventilation shaft on the left, watching from above.

It was about fifteen meters away in a straight line!

It stood around two meters tall. Its crouching, curved body had a brutal beauty to it, and its long, spear-like black tail was perfectly still, as though it feared disturbing the air.

At that moment, another Drone Xenomorph slowly crawled out from around the corner directly ahead, poking out its head. Its movements were just as silent.

They were attacking from two angles.

One wolf pretending to sleep to lure its prey in?

"Tsk. You can't fool me with that trick."

In Uchiha Xiu's eye sockets, one scarlet tomoe rotated gently in each eye.

The Byakugan was a compact tactical x-ray cheat, but the Sharingan's basic perception was not to be underestimated either.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

With a flick of his fingers, Uchiha Xiu—who had seen real combat—hurled a kunai in each of two different directions.

"Explode."

BOOOM!

BOOOM!

Before the Xenomorphs could react, the two blasts merged into one. The Explosive Tags attached to the kunai handles had gone off.

Light and heat burst forth. The inner jaws of the Xenomorphs struck by the kunai shattered instantly.

Their black, composite-silicate shells held for perhaps a few milliseconds before being torn apart from within. The explosive force from the tags surged through their mouths and blasted deep into their flesh, sending acidic fluid spraying everywhere.

Sizzle—

The metal plating corroded.

Two headless corpses fell to the floor.

At the same time, a dense rustling came from the ventilation shaft where the Xenomorph had been lying in wait, giving Uchiha Xiu no time to catch his breath.

Facehuggers.

Snake—Dragon—Rabbit—Tiger. He wasn't some slow-witted Ninja Academy student who'd let an enemy get in his face without knowing how to attack. He formed all four hand seals precisely.

—Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!

He sprang lightly into the air, and a line of blazing fire shot from his mouth, instantly filling the shaft.

"Rumble!"

Along with the scorching flames, the added impact—strong enough to snap a large tree—slammed into the end of the shaft.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!!

The precise strike sent dark green acid blood spraying. The crab-shaped Facehuggers, their long tails trailing behind them, evaporated in the intense heat.

No danger could come anywhere near him.

"I was timid in the Naruto World, but in a rookie mission, I hit back hard!"

[Defeated 2 male Drone Xenomorphs. Received 400 reward points]

[Defeated 15 Facehuggers. Received 300 reward points]

The Main God Watch updated in real time.

"Too bad I didn't get a side quest."

His tone carried a hint of regret.

As he spoke, Uchiha Xiu used chakra to keep his Sharingan active and scan for movement nearby. At the same time, he opened his ninja tool pouch and quickly attached Explosive Tags to the handles of six kunai.

In the Ninja World, a ninja who could use Explosive Tags skillfully could bring out their full power. Examples included Hanzo of the Salamander's Fire Style: Explosive Flame Formation, and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who invented the A-rank infinite-explosion ninjutsu—Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.

Using the Sharingan's dynamic vision, Uchiha Xiu could accurately send them straight into the Xenomorphs' mouths, giving these space hunters a taste of a critical hit.

"My entire stock is only ten Explosive Tags. When I return to the Naruto World, I'll have to buy more with my writing royalties and stock up."