My Dream Is World Nuclear Peace

That night, after eating Ichiraku Ramen alone, Ying Shu returned home, took a bath, and felt somewhat tired.

Looking at the brand-new forehead protector by his bed, Ying Shu felt the urge to go tell that strange old man the good news.

But he quickly suppressed the impulse. He was not an immature brat like Obito.

"Forget it. Being a mere Genin isn't some achievement worth boasting about." Ying Shu raised an eyebrow.

Rather than showing off to the old man, Ying Shu felt he should hurry up and master chakra nature transformation.

The first stage of Hydrogen Release was already nearly perfected, whether used independently or combined with other ninjutsu.

What he needed to do now was solve the problem of chakra fusion as soon as possible—in other words, develop so-called "Hydrogen Release chakra."

Of course, according to their agreement, once he mastered chakra nature transformation, he could also inherit the old man's Earth Release.

The returns on that investment were simply outrageous.

"I wonder how Kakashi's dad is doing," Ying Shu muttered.

If White Fang could avoid choosing suicide, it would be greatly beneficial to both Kakashi and himself.

Leaving aside everything else, after all the times they had skipped class together as a team, wouldn't it be easy to cling to such a powerful backer?

Whether surviving in Konoha or the Shinobi World, having someone powerful behind you was rather reassuring.

Take the Legendary Sannin, who were currently on the Sunagakure front lines and would soon go their separate ways.

Back when they had not yet become the Legendary Sannin, they had fought their way to the leader of the Land of Rain, the "Demigod," Hanzo of the Salamander. Though they had clearly been no match for the demigod, they had survived and earned the title of "Legendary Sannin."

Why?

Wasn't it because the three of them had a Hokage teacher in his prime behind them?

Although their teacher would become the future Yellow Flash, that was still the future, wasn't it?

If White Fang stayed alive, even Minato would have to call him senior.

As Ying Shu indulged in such random thoughts, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

But just as he was about to battle Uchiha Madara for three hundred rounds in his dreams, a rapid knocking sounded at the door, nearly ruining everything!

"Damn it!" Ying Shu sprang upright. If it was Obito knocking, he would turn Obito into Obi-Two tonight!

"Goddammit!"

Cursing as he went, Ying Shu rushed to the door.

However, when he opened it, there was no one outside, and a gust of wind blew in.

That familiar sensation somehow soothed Ying Shu's irritated heart. The corners of his lips curved upward as he turned to look inside.

Sure enough, a drunken figure lay there. Who else could it be but the old man?

"You're here?"

"Hmph! You heartless brat... You graduated and didn't even tell this old man? Were you planning to secretly keep the mission rewards?"

The old man opened with a barrage of venomous remarks.

Ying Shu, meanwhile, acted unconcerned. "I'm only a Genin. It's not a big deal."

Those words made the old man pause. After a long while, he took another swig of alcohol, then gave a soft chuckle.

"Tch... such big words from a little brat. But you're right. A Genin is just the most common trash in the Shinobi World. On the battlefield, they're cannon fodder. It really isn't a big deal."

Ying Shu did not mind. He had long since gotten used to the old man's sharp tongue.

To be honest, he was rather happy that the old man had come.

The old man had a bad temper, was a little too heavy-handed, had a sharp tongue, and did not like keeping clean...

But all in all, he was still rather dear to him.

Ying Shu had come to this foreign world alone. There were not many people he cared about, and this strange old man counted as one of them.

"Here, take this."

Suddenly, the old man fumbled around in his clothes and tossed Ying Shu a tightly wrapped object.

Ying Shu caught it. It felt somewhat heavy. Judging from the feel, it should have been a weapon, yet it was excessively light.

Ying Shu immediately thought of the chakra short sword Kakashi's father carried. He had heard that the higher-grade a weapon was, the lighter it became?

Ying Shu immediately grinned from ear to ear. "Look at you, coming over and even bringing a gift... Hm?"

But when Ying Shu opened the wrapping and saw what was inside, his expression instantly became strange.

It was not a chakra short sword. It was not even a kunai. It had nothing to do with weapons at all.

What the old man had given him was a scroll—a very ancient-looking scroll with an unusual texture, somewhat like hard wood.

"This is..." Ying Shu curiously moved to open the scroll, but the old man cleared his throat, making Ying Shu stop and look at him.

"Before you open that scroll, I want to ask you something... Brat, are you certain you want to become a ninja?"

The old man had suddenly shed his usual image of a shameless old freeloader. He was extremely serious and solemn, making Ying Shu somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Still, Ying Shu answered without hesitation, "Of course!"

"Why?" The old man's gaze became scrutinizing, and he suddenly seemed like a wise elder who had seen through life.

Ying Shu frowned. "Huh?"

"Why do you want to become a ninja?" the old man asked, emphasizing his words. "Or rather, are you prepared to face everything that might happen after becoming a ninja? Death, betrayal, conspiracy?"

"..." Ying Shu fell silent.

That was right... In the Shinobi World, being a ninja was an extremely high-risk profession.

Konoha had existed for only a little over forty years, yet three Shinobi World Wars had already been fought. Countless ninjas had died.

With his omniscient perspective, he naturally understood how difficult it was to make a name for himself in this Shinobi World without any cheat ability.

Rather than facing those dangers, perhaps living safely and steadily until the ending would not be such a bad choice.

But...

The corners of Ying Shu's lips lifted. Having transmigrated into another life, if he truly spent it in bland mediocrity, that would be far too wasteful...

Ying Shu raised his head and looked at the old man. His gaze was exceptionally clear, filled with unwavering conviction and determination to press onward. He said:

"Though I haven't experienced the things you mentioned, I've definitely thought about them... The path of a ninja certainly won't be easy. I've spent time at Konoha Hospital, so naturally I know how dangerous it is. If I could, I'd really like to be an ordinary person."

"Planting crops and hoeing fields every day, or becoming a forest ranger, scamming a few ignorant children, living by the sea amid warm spring blossoms."

The old man frowned at that. "Then you..."

"Because I have a dream, old grandpa." A confident smile bloomed across Ying Shu's lips as he answered as though it were only natural.

That smile seemed magical, and the old man could not help asking, "A dream?"

"Mm." Ying Shu looked up at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle. "My dream is world nuclear peace."

The old man: "..."

The air instantly became awkward.

Looking at Ying Shu's confident expression, the old man suddenly felt that his questions and concerns had been unnecessary.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the old man's daze, Ying Shu quietly opened the scroll.

The instant he opened it, a "Holy shit!" burst from Ying Shu's mouth!

What met his eyes was an unfamiliar yet familiar symbol.

It was so familiar that Ying Shu had seen it long ago, more than once. Even if he closed the scroll and waited another ten or twenty years, he would still be able to draw it.

Yet he could be certain that this was the first time he had seen this mark since transmigrating here.

And beneath that mark was a line of ancient lettering.

Mori Clan—Chakra Refinement Technique.

------End of Volume One------