Towering stone walls stood on the plains, enclosing and protecting the city. A steady stream of pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages passed through its gates, creating a bustling, prosperous scene.
"Well then, this is where the five of us part ways."
Because their Legendary Weapons repelled one another, the Four Holy Heroes could not form a party. They could only split up and grind monsters in different areas. Ye Uchiha, who had been summoned by accident, planned to explore the surroundings and take in the sights of this Otherworld.
Gathered before the towering city gates, the five exchanged their final farewells.
"See you, Naofumi. Make sure you protect her," Motoyasu Kitamura said.
Itsuki Kawasumi smiled. "I can't help you, but good luck recruiting companions."
Ren Amaki said curtly, his expression cold, "We'll meet again when the time comes."
"I'm going to see this Otherworld for myself and gather information about it. If the opportunity comes, we might run into each other on the road."
Ye Uchiha gazed at the scenery beyond the gates, an unfamiliar emotion on his face as he spoke quietly.
"Oh." Naofumi Iwatani acknowledged him, watching the four walk away before leaving with his sole companion.
After accompanying Motoyasu Kitamura for a while and learning a few things from him, Ye Uchiha bade him and his companions farewell and headed straight for the nearest monster camp.
An endless grassland unfolded before his eyes, with pure white clouds drifting across the azure sky, a scene full of poetic beauty.
A stone-paved road stretched from the distant horizon to the buildings of the Capital nearby. Beyond it, emerald grass blanketed the vast land. It felt like being held in nature's embrace, making him forget the clamor of the mundane world.
For the first time in ages, Ye Uchiha relaxed in both body and mind. Ever since he had crossed into the Naruto world, his life had been nothing but killing. He had needed to watch out not only for enemy plots but also for schemes from his own allies. All that intrigue had forced him to hide his true self behind a mask for protection.
After arriving in this Otherworld and confirming that it was not plagued by constant conflict like the Naruto world, the defenses around his tightly wound heart gradually began to melt.
There were no incessant wars, no treachery between clans or tangled webs of hatred.
Perhaps living like this wouldn't be so bad...
Feeling the gentle breeze brush against him, Ye Uchiha closed his eyes and entertained that thought.
"Is this the place?"
After walking for a while, Ye Uchiha arrived at the edge of a secluded forest, where shrill, piercing roars rang out from within.
According to Motoyasu Kitamura, a band of greedy, cunning goblins lived in this forest. They often plundered passing merchant caravans and killed their occupants, so merchants without guards avoided the place at all costs.
Ye Uchiha strolled leisurely into the gloomy forest, where no sunlight reached, looking around as though he were sightseeing.
Colorful mushrooms in seven hues, giant trees bearing fruits the size of watermelons, delicate flowers giving off unusual fragrances, exceptionally thick and tough vines, dandelion seeds floating through the air with a faint fluorescent glow, and more...
These plants are completely different from anything in the Shinobi World or on Earth. It really is the Otherworld, isn't it?
Rustle, rustle-
A faint rustling suddenly came from the grass. Several short, ugly, green-skinned creatures sprang out, carrying large clubs. They had sharp fangs and claws, long pointed ears and noses, and stood only about as high as Ye Uchiha's waist.
"So these are this world's goblins?"
Agile goblin LV10 Robust goblin LV12 Valiant goblin LV13 Goblin Chief LV15
A red crystal hovered above each goblin's head, a danger marker indicating hostility. By focusing, he could see data floating above their heads, including their names, levels, HP, and NP.
It felt as though he had wandered into the game world of some science fiction novel. An intrigued expression appeared on Ye Uchiha's face.
"Waaagh-"
The Goblin Chief let out a frenzied, piercing roar and charged straight at Ye Uchiha with his three underlings, clearly taking the slender human for easy prey.
Ye Uchiha effortlessly thrashed the goblins with Taijutsu. No, to be precise, he was toying with them, because he never used his true strength from beginning to end.
Beaten beyond recognition, the goblins were falling apart inside. They had thought he was an ordinary human, only for reality to slap them hard across the face.
How was this thing human? He was clearly a monster wearing human skin!
Having completely lost the will to fight, the goblins howled and wailed as they tried to flee into the grass without looking back, desperate to get away from this dangerous human.
Seeing the goblins try to escape, Ye Uchiha lost interest in playing any further.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
His hands completed the Hand Seals too quickly for the naked eye to follow. Ye Uchiha spat out a blazing fireball more than three meters across, burning all four goblins to ash before they could even scream and leaving a scorched black mark on the ground.
Exp+36 Exp+38 Exp+42 Exp+51
Experience gains appeared in his field of vision, accompanied by a series of cheerful notification tones. Ye Uchiha jumped straight from the lowest level, LV1, to LV5, and his status panel updated at the same time.
"...My strength increased a little!"
Ye Uchiha looked at his body in astonishment. Though the change was minuscule, his Kage Level bottleneck had indeed loosened ever so slightly.
With his physical abilities, the Ninjutsu he had mastered, and his Sharingan, he could sweep aside every powerful fighter in the Shinobi World except Madara and Hashirama. But that was also his limit. Otherwise, he would not have spent years stuck at the ceiling of Kage Level without the slightest improvement.
He doubted he could reach Madara and Hashirama's level beyond Kage Level even if he trained hard for his entire life. This was no longer a matter of talent.
Madara had fused his younger brother Izuna's Mangekyō Sharingan with his own, awakening the legendary Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and truly stepping beyond Kage Level.
Hashirama had developed the Wood Release Secret Technique and mastered Sage Mode. With the two combined, he could fight Madara and his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to a standstill.
When Ye Uchiha crossed into the Naruto world, both his parents had died in battle, and he had no brothers. That left him with no hope of obtaining an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan unless he stole Madara's eyes. But he was no match for Madara. If his plan were exposed, Madara's Susanoo would undoubtedly pummel him to death.
As for Hashirama's Wood Release ninjutsu, using it required Hashirama Cells. Transplanting those cells was a near-certain death sentence. Even if he survived by sheer luck, should they backfire and turn him into a creature like White Zetsu, he would truly lose all desire to live.
Yamato from the original story was proof enough. As a child, he had been one of Orochimaru's test subjects. Although the Hashirama Cells had been successfully transplanted into him, he could not wield even one percent of Hashirama's power. He was essentially a defective product.
With all these concerns weighing on him, Ye Uchiha had remained stuck, unable to break through, for several years.
He had thought he would spend the rest of his life that way. Yet after being summoned to the Otherworld, he unexpectedly found that he could kill monsters and level up like a game character. Perhaps he could even reach the level of the Sage of Six Paths. The thought filled Ye Uchiha with motivation.
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