"Um, well, I barely know anything about this world. Since I'll have to fight monsters here, could you all help me learn the ropes?"
Naofumi Iwatani scratched his head, trying to change the subject and ease the awkward atmosphere.
Motoyasu Kitamura suddenly asked a strange question. "Naofumi, didn't your world have any video games like this?"
"Uh... no."
Beside them, Ren Amaki folded his arms across his chest and wore a cool expression. For some reason, however, Motoyasu Kitamura and Itsuki Kawasumi gazed at the bewildered Naofumi Iwatani with gentle, pitying eyes.
Their bizarre looks made Naofumi Iwatani uneasy, filling him with the sense that something terrible was about to happen.
"Just as I thought, huh? Then let your big brother Motoyasu teach you a few of the basics."
Smiling, Motoyasu Kitamura stepped up to Naofumi Iwatani and leaned forward until their faces were almost touching, looking him straight in the eye.
"As far as I know, Shielder is a class that primarily uses shields..."
"Uh-huh." Naofumi Iwatani nodded eagerly, listening closely to what Motoyasu Kitamura had to say next.
"Sure, its starting defense is high and pretty useful, but as you reach the later stages of the game, the damage your party takes keeps increasing..."
"Right."
Then Motoyasu Kitamura put on an utterly serious, grave expression and delivered his cruel verdict. "Basically, Shielder is a loser class with no high-level players!"
"Huh?! Noooooooooo!!!"
It took Naofumi Iwatani a moment to react. Then he clutched his head in agitation and let out the anguished howl of a defeated dog, unable to accept such a cruel reality.
What kind of death sentence was that? He just rattled all that off like I was born to be a loser!
"What about you two?"
Naofumi Iwatani turned to Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi with wide eyes, hoping for a different answer.
"Sorry."
"Same here."
The two turned their faces away in perfect unison. Naofumi Iwatani dropped his head onto the sofa, looking utterly unable to accept it.
Ignoring the dazed, dejected Naofumi Iwatani, the three soon began discussing their video game knowledge of this world.
"What about the terrain?"
"The names are different, but the layout is almost identical. Going by that, the monsters that give lots of experience are probably in exactly the same areas, too."
"The leveling areas vary a little depending on which weapon you have. We should split up."
"Yeah, and we need to consider efficiency, too."
"..."
Wait, if I'm weak, can't I just rely on my companions for help?
In another world, you're supposed to fight alongside your companions and gradually strengthen your friendships. That's the classic storyline.
It'd be even better if some of my companions were girls. A shield blocks enemy attacks and gives you that image of someone protecting his friends. Sure, I never had any luck with girls back in my old world, but maybe a heart-fluttering encounter is waiting for me here.
"Heh... it's fine. I finally got to come to another world. Even if I'm weak, I'll find a way to manage."
My equipment is armor. This isn't like a game at all. I just need to ditch this special shield that grows stronger and use a weapon to fight monsters instead.
"All right-let's do this!"
After giving himself that little dose of encouragement, Naofumi Iwatani quickly recovered his spirits and looked ready for action.
"Ye, is there anything interesting about your world?"
The conversation soon shifted to Ye Uchiha. The subject seemed to pique everyone's interest, and all four looked at him with curiosity and anticipation.
After all, his world had extraordinary ninjutsu. Surely it had other incredible, unimaginable things as well.
"My world? It went through centuries of endless conflict in the Warring States era, with clans possessing inherited powers slaughtering one another. But just before I came to this world, we finally managed to achieve a brief peace."
"No, that's not what we meant. We're asking about stories and legends from your world. Like the history of the Uchiha, monsters that could destroy the world, the strongest ninja, that sort of thing..."
Ye Uchiha's brief, uninspired introduction seemed to leave Motoyasu Kitamura choking on his words, and he spoke up loudly.
"I see. So those are the things you're interested in?" Ye Uchiha stroked his chin, feigning thoughtfulness as he continued at a leisurely pace.
"The history of our Uchiha Clan goes back a long way in the Shinobi World, all the way to the legendary Sage of Six Paths. In fact, most clans in the Shinobi World with kekkei genkai are his descendants... Back then, only the Senju Clan and the Hagoromo Clan could rival the Uchiha Clan."
"The Sage of Six Paths?"
He sounds impressive. Was he some kind of god?
"As for monsters that could destroy the world, I suppose tailed beasts would count. They're monsters formed from concentrated chakra, with power on the scale of natural disasters, enough to destroy an entire country. Even if they're killed, they'll eventually revive. They're immortal beings."
Wait, immortal monsters? Isn't that just cheating? Wouldn't that make them completely invincible?
Ignoring the torrent of objections running through their minds, Ye Uchiha continued. "There are two ninja I know of who could be called the strongest. One is my older clansman, Madara Uchiha. The other is Hashirama Senju of the Senju Clan. They easily subdued the nine tailed beasts through sheer strength and brought an end to the chaos of the Warring States era."
At that, Ye Uchiha pressed his lips together slightly and paused.
"What about you, Ye? How strong are you?"
Ye Uchiha gave a small sigh. "I'm a notch below Madara and Hashirama. I could probably subdue the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the tailed beasts, on my own."
"Huh? Then how did you get summoned here, Ye?" Thinking of Ye Uchiha's inhuman, extraordinary strength, Naofumi Iwatani could not help asking.
"...Those two idiots, Madara and Hashirama, dragged me into a fight. Then I turned around, and I was here."
Ye Uchiha closed his eyes. An odd expression flickered across his cool, handsome face, as though it was something he found difficult to discuss.
"Your own friends killed you? Your world really is cruel!" Naofumi Iwatani's expression stiffened, and he did not know what else to say.
Without disputing Naofumi Iwatani's interpretation, Ye Uchiha continued on his own. "Yes. After all, it was a chaotic age when even four-year-old children had to take up weapons and kill on the battlefield..."
Ye Uchiha's words instantly cast a solemn, heavy pall over the room.
After all, to the four of them, who had lived in the peaceful era of modern Earth, war and slaughter existed only on television, or in manga, novels, and even games. Those things had nothing to do with their lives and felt impossibly distant, let alone the horrors of a world where, as Ye Uchiha described it, four-year-old children had to go to war.
Should they feel grateful to have been born into a peaceful modern society, or mourn the world Ye Uchiha came from?
Compared with the world Ye Uchiha had experienced, their own circumstances were practically paradise.
Against what he had gone through, wallowing in self-pity over a few minor setbacks made them seem like spoiled children who had never grown up.
"Um... we're really sorry!" After a brief silence, all four spoke in unison.
"Why apologize? You haven't done anything wrong. Every world has its own darkness and cruelty, just like the Shinobi World I came from."
Turning his gaze toward the darkness outside the window, Ye Uchiha answered softly, his eyes deep and unreadable.
Before you continue