A New Mission

If those hard-working ninja academy students or ordinary ninja knew that Yi Xiang had so easily obtained an amount of chakra that would take them months or even years to refine, and saw how unconcerned he was—or even how dissatisfied—they'd probably want to gang up on him.

Of course, the main reason was that Yi Xiang's goals had always centered on the Ōtsutsuki. In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Kage Level shinobi were as common as dogs, while Six Paths-level fighters were everywhere.

What's more, the Ōtsutsuki Clan had a being who came closer than anyone else to being a god—Otsutsuki Shibai.

All of this served as a warning to Yi Xiang to grow stronger—strong enough to control his own fate and protect his friends and family.

Although Naruto was currently the only person he was close to, he'd only form more and more bonds in the future.

Early morning, three days later.

What should I do next? Wandering around is so boring. It's not like I can go looking for material like a certain someone.

Come to think of it, with my current body and looks, I'm totally kawaii, aren't I? Maybe those big sisters would be happy to let me give them a scrub in the bath.

"Heh heh."

From atop a tree resembling the giant monkey-pod trees of his previous life, someone let out a lewd, sleazy chuckle now and then. Anyone passing by would surely suspect that he was up to no good.

When the laughter finally died away and all was quiet for quite a while, Yi Xiang—who had been sitting on the tree, lost in thought, for nearly half an hour—got up and dropped to the ground.

"It's been days, and the system still hasn't given me a new mission. I've barely gotten any stronger."

Yi Xiang said with a frown, a blade of wild grass he'd plucked from somewhere hanging from his mouth. His short hair was jet-black.

[System notification: The host can expand their range of activity. This will help trigger new missions.]

Perhaps sensing the discontent beneath Yi Xiang's words, the system unexpectedly offered an explanation.

I've already explored most of Konoha Village, and I've only triggered a handful of system missions. Does the system want me to go out and run wild?

Yi Xiang rubbed his chin with his right hand, looking thoughtful. Then he couldn't help grumbling to himself,

If I had that kind of strength, I'd have gone already. Even if I ran just a few steps outside the village gates, Konoha's gate guards would stop me. Surely I don't have to use the Epic Experience Card to fight my way past the guards and escape.

The more Yi Xiang thought about it, the stranger it seemed. His thoughts grew increasingly jumbled, so he cut off his wild imaginings and said contentedly,

"Actually, being a young, free-spirited guy in Konoha isn't bad. Who knows how chaotic things are outside?"

The clear weather brought a sense of peace and calm, as if all worries and troubles had drifted away with the white clouds.

Standing not far from the Ichiraku Ramen shop, Yi Xiang watched as customers continued to stream in and out, even in the afternoon. He said with a pleased expression,

"If Naruto keeps working this hard, Hinata will have it good in the future."

"But once he becomes Hokage, he'll be busy. Maybe I should let someone else take over after just a few days. Otherwise, who'll take care of my meals?"

"This is a serious problem. You could even say it's extremely important," Yi Xiang added, his expression turning earnest.

Meanwhile, Naruto, busy inside the shop with a small bowl in one hand and a soup ladle in the other, had no idea that someone was already thinking about making him step down early.

He wore a small white chef's hat and was sampling the tempting broth in his hand. He looked like a real professional.

As Yi Xiang turned away to wander elsewhere, he suddenly spun around and looked toward a corner of the street, where a figure had flashed past.

Why is he following me? The original owner didn't seem close to him. Maybe I should... scare him?

Never mind. He doesn't seem very stable yet.

After a moment's thought, Yi Xiang quickly came up with another idea and continued wandering as if nothing had happened.

At dusk, the sun slowly sank toward the horizon. The clouds, dyed red by its fading light, looked like flames about to burn out.

After wandering aimlessly—or, more accurately, looking for something fun to do—Yi Xiang finally decided to ask Sasuke what was going on. Sasuke had been following him all afternoon.

Yi Xiang already knew Konoha's streets and alleys as well as his own home, so it didn't take him long to find a secluded spot.

He sped up, turned right into the alley, and used the Clone Technique to create a clone. Then he leaped onto the roof of a nearby house.

After waiting a while, just as Yi Xiang's clone turned left into another alley,

Sasuke Uchiha strode into the alley as if by chance. He wore a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, white arm warmers, and shorts. The back of his shirt bore the same Uchiha Clan crest as Yi Xiang's.

Yi Xiang, who had been watching from the shadows, swiftly leaped down in front of Sasuke. Feigning confusion and acting as if they were strangers, he asked,

"You're Sasuke Uchiha... Are you looking for me?"

Startled when the person in front of him blocked his path, Sasuke quickly returned to his usual indifferent expression and spoke first.

"As the only other Uchiha to survive, don't you want revenge on him?"

"Of course I do, but what can I do with my current strength?"

"All day long, you're either soaking in hot springs, fishing, or wandering around. You don't spend any time training. How can you get stronger like that? How can you talk about revenge?"

Sasuke looked at him as if he was disappointed in him. He had originally planned to visit the only other surviving member of his clan, but after seeing him, Sasuke had already made up his mind.

I can still get revenge on him by myself.

Revenge on Uchiha Itachi!

Hearing this, Yi Xiang immediately understood why Sasuke had been following him. So Sasuke thought he wasn't working hard enough. He almost wanted to laugh.

I really don't want to get involved in your brothers' business. When I first read Naruto, I thought Uchiha Itachi must have had some tremendous reason for what he did.

As I grew older, though, I gradually came to think that Uchiha Itachi was one of Kishimoto's biggest failures. In any world, your family are your strongest bonds.

He was willing to kill his own family and his own clan for Konoha and Sasuke. Many of those who died were even several years younger than I am now. What had they done wrong?

What a great love for Konoha, what a great love for the village. Konoha Village mattered more to him than his own parents and his little brother.

He even left behind a contingency plan for the village, intending to use Kotoamatsukami to rewrite his little brother's mind. He was nothing but a pitiful fool brainwashed by the Will of Fire.

In my old world, I could understand it as a plot device, something to pave the way for Sasuke to attain the Eternal Mangekyo. But I still think that part of the story was downright idiotic.

Besides, if he couldn't win, why couldn't he just run? With Itachi and Fugaku both possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan, they could have left Konoha and built their own power somewhere else. Wouldn't setting up shop on their own have been better?

If Shisui hadn't died, the three of them could've used Susanoo to sweep through Konoha.

As Yi Xiang vented his thoughts, he turned to leave. A blue light screen he'd been waiting for suddenly appeared.

[System notification: Mission triggered]

[Mission 1: Help Sasuke Uchiha take a small step toward carrying out his revenge plan by advancing his Sharingan to the next stage. Reward: 30 Luck. Failure penalty: lose 60 Luck.]

[Mission 2: How could you let such a genius go without bringing him into your fold? Make Sasuke Uchiha your underling. Reward: 20 Luck. Failure penalty: lose 40 Luck.]

[Mission 3: No one gets to act so cocky in front of me. Challenge Sasuke Uchiha and defeat him. Reward: 15 Luck. Failure penalty: lose 30 Luck.]

[Time limit: 7 days]

Yi Xiang quickly skimmed the missions and immediately ruled out Mission 1 as too much trouble. Then, surprised that no Mission 2 had appeared when he met Naruto, he asked the system in his mind,

System, can I accept Missions 2 and 3 at the same time?

[System notification: The host has accepted Missions 2 and 3.]

Sasuke, who had been waiting for a reply, frowned in displeasure. Just as he was about to speak, however, he heard an answer that surprised him.

"My training method is to attune myself to nature. How about this? Let's fight. If you lose, you become my underling. As for the time limit... until you beat me."

Hearing Yi Xiang's confident words—and that he wanted to make him his underling—Sasuke furrowed his brow even more. Without a second thought, he prepared to accept. He was confident in his own strength, and he already had a condition in mind.

"If you lose, you'll be my sparring partner for a month. How does that sound?"

"Fine."

Yi Xiang nodded solemnly, though inside he was already delighted.

Lose? Not a chance. I'll make a fortune in Luck instead. Why wouldn't I?

With that, the two headed together to the nearest training ground.