The Real World

"The Leaf is not bad, is it?"

Yueshu nimbly dodged Sashizhen's slash, rolling to the side while making sure to harass Ono Ishi.

"Whether it's the White Fang of the Leaf or you."

He couldn't let Ono Ishi leave just like that; Hui was still in his hands.

Yet, Ono Ishi didn't seem to want to leave either. Even though Yueshu's harassment felt like nothing more than a breeze to him, Ono Ishi simply refused to walk away.

"You have the time to be distracted while fighting me? I'm so hurt."

Yueshu's Sharingan shifted, and he raised the Kusanagi Sword in his hand.

The ninja blade struck the Kusanagi Sword, and the Wind Style nature transformation traveled along the blade, slicing several gashes into the hand Yueshu used to grip it.

"Tch."

Yueshu retreated immediately, his hand trembling slightly from the pain.

This was no longer just a simple superficial wound.

Yueshu looked down at his right hand.

He's gotten stronger again.

Yueshu could clearly feel that the opponent's Wind Style nature transformation had strengthened once more.

It seemed as though what had been Sashizhen's full power before was now even greater.

"Earth Style, Rising Dragon Technique."

Yueshu focused his attention on Sashizhen, while on the other side, Ono Ishi performed hand seals with one hand to unleash a jutsu.

As soon as the seals were finished, Yueshu felt the ground beneath his feet shift.

Without hesitation, Yueshu leaped away.

"Wind Style, Double Cross Slash."

Yueshu was suspended in mid-air with no way to dodge.

He swung the Kusanagi Sword, choosing to meet the attack head-on.

The cross-shaped slash was parried by Yueshu, but the price was that the wounds on his right hand worsened significantly.

"I told you."

Just as Yueshu wanted to catch his breath, his Sharingan clearly perceived a different situation.

Sashizhen was chuckling; hidden behind the first slash was another one.

"It's a Multiple Cross Slash."

Squelch!

A cross-shaped wound was carved directly into Yueshu's chest, and a spray of blood erupted from the gash.

"It's not over yet."

Before Yueshu could recover from spitting out a mouthful of blood, a shadow loomed over him.

He widened his eyes to look up, but Yueshu saw nothing at all.

Thwack.

Darkness filled his vision, and then his head was grabbed firmly.

A sensation of gravity crept into his heart, accompanied by a feeling of plummeting.

With a loud bang, Yueshu was slammed head-first into the ground by Ono Ishi!

His strength drained away, and eighty percent of his consciousness slipped away with it.

For every transmigrator, once you have crossed over and become the only one of your kind in that world, a certain amount of excessive arrogance is inevitable.

Yueshu was not a self-centered person, but it was hard to avoid having such feelings entirely.

Even if he didn't have much arrogance, for anyone who becomes the world's only transmigrator, knows the future, and possesses a cheat that allows for rapid growth—

No matter who you are, you might eventually develop an emotion called hubris.

They think they can look down on everything, believing themselves to be the gods of this world, arrogantly assuming that they are the only players while everyone else is just a non-player character.

Yueshu had harbored such thoughts, though not many, but at this moment, that sentiment was completely shattered.

His vision was a blur, and his ears were silent, devoid of any sound.

His body felt wet and hot; even though his mind was spinning, he knew—

Blood!

It was covered in blood!

Facing two rogue ninjas who were near-Kage level, or perhaps could already be called Kage-level, Yueshu could only hold on for a short while, even after exhausting all his trump cards.

"Not bad skills."

Who is that?

Yueshu gasped for air.

"Little brat of Konoha, whether you live or die depends on your own fortune."

Who is that?

Yueshu lay on the ground, his face pressed against the dirt, lacking the strength to even lift his head.

"Are you not going to kill him?"

"What a vulgar approach."

"Hahaha, well, that is just like you, Senior Ono."

"Hmph, let's go."

The voices echoing in his ears gradually faded.

"Let's see what that guy Kurohane is really planning."

"Looks like there's another show to watch."

His consciousness began to drift, and the sounds around him grew faint.

The world darkened, and in the next moment, a black curtain fell over Yueshu's vision—

"Little brat of Konoha, whether you live or die depends on your own fortune."

A familiar voice echoed in his ears, magnetic and steady; one could tell just by the sound that the speaker was a composed adult.

"Ah!"

Yueshu jolted awake.

A blinding white light flooded his vision, leaving him unable to see anything for a moment.

As the glare slowly dissipated, Yueshu saw wood.

He was in a room with wooden decor, sitting on a bed.

"Where is this?"

Yueshu looked at his own hands, which were wrapped in conspicuous bandages, with bright red stains seeping through the fabric.

I...

Yueshu clenched his hands tight.

Images of what happened before flashed through his mind again.

His own helplessness, the entire team trapped in a desperate situation.

"Awake?"

Just as Yueshu's mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, a voice came from the side.

A very familiar voice.

Yueshu looked over to see Jiraiya.

He was leaning against the door, his appearance as composed as ever, not at all as disheveled as Yueshu.

But then again, as one of the Sannin, how could he be injured so easily, let alone severely?

"They..."

Yueshu lowered his head.

"Are they all okay?"

Yueshu kept his head bowed.

He hadn't protected them—not a single one!

"Rest easy."

Jiraiya appeared at Yueshu's side before he even realized it, delivering a sharp chop to the top of Yueshu's head.

"You and Minato were the most severely injured. Kushina and Mikoto are both fine, that's all."

"A man shouldn't be so dejected. That Kushina and Mikoto didn't suffer heavy injuries, and that Minato is still alive..."

"That is all thanks to your efforts."

Jiraiya spoke slowly, and Yueshu looked up at him.

"Wind Blade Sand Stone Needle and Earth Dragon Ono Stone. Both of them are Kage-level opponents, even if not many people know it."

"So, you worked hard to hold them both off for so long."

Jiraiya ruffled Yueshu's hair.

"I'm sorry, your teacher arrived late."

Jiraiya's voice was unexpectedly gentle.

Yueshu gritted his teeth, tears hanging at the corners of his eyes.

Frustration welled up in his heart, and he gripped the quilt tightly.

The sunlight outside was perfect, casting a glow over the master and student as if draping a layer of clothing over them both.

Yueshu would not forget this feeling; the frustration, the warmth—he would forget none of it.

Every step of human growth requires the drive of emotion; it is precisely these emotions that push people to keep moving forward, to keep climbing higher.

Yueshu did not want to predict the future, nor would he treat anyone here as a game character; this was the most real world he belonged to.