It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

The old man poured a pot of tea from the table into Zhixue's teacup and said, "Young lady, thank you for saving our village from being buried by the hillside. If you hadn't come to stop it this time, I'm afraid..."

"Waaah, the village will become a desolate wasteland with no one living there. At that time, it doesn't matter if I die, but my children and grandchildren will have to leave this small plot of land and go to live a life of wandering in various countries. Waaah, it's such a pity that I've struggled for most of my life but still couldn't give them a peaceful life..." The old man said with a mournful expression, half-jokingly.

Stop Snow: ...

Why does this old man smell like Tazner?

Ding! A hidden selection task has been triggered.

Hidden quest name: The Demon Who Locks Himself Up.

Mission Summary: Just as you've mastered Sage Mode and are about to return to Konoha to reunite with your older brother, you unexpectedly encounter a young Jugo. Although his cursed seal isn't very useful to you, the villagers seem to see hope in you.

Solution 1: Kill Jugo. Mission reward: Heaven's Curse Seal Mode.

Solution 2: Have Jugo follow you, gaining a powerful assistant who will also become a cage binding him. However, this will arouse Konoha's high vigilance and may even attract Danzo's pursuit and harassment. Mission Reward: A trustworthy assistant with formidable strength.

Solution 3: Fill Jugo's body with Sage Mode energy, replacing the berserk Curse Seal energy, and teach him to initially control his personality and natural energy. Reward: A loyal fan away from home. (Jugo is very grateful for your ability to control his power, but you don't seem to want him by your side.)

Looking at the three proposed solutions, Zhi Xue immediately rejected the first one. It was too extreme. She wasn't some kind of serial killer, and the reward wasn't even satisfactory. Why would she need a crudely made cursed seal after learning the Dragon Cave Sage Technique? Not to mention, the prerequisite for the cursed seal transplant was being bitten on the neck by Orochimaru, which Zhi Xue found even more unacceptable.

The second option isn't a good fit either. Bringing a stranger into the village would be suspicious, and given Danzo's wicked nature, who knows what trouble he might cause. Pass.

It seems that the third one is the only option left. However, it will probably take a long time to teach Jugo to control his power and personality. A subordinate who is away can be used to a small extent.

To use the power of the cursed seal to earn some extra money or something, cough cough, she is definitely not a heartless boss, she just wants to point out a path for Jugo.

After deciding on the route, Zhi Xue finished her meal and discussed it with the old village chief. He then led her to the place where Jugo had fainted. This place was more like a dungeon than a room. The deep underground had several steps leading up to it, and the interior was separated from the outside world by several huge natural stone pillars. However, a normal person could pass through it diagonally. Two little girls like Zhi Xue could probably pass through it together, but it was not certain that Jugo, who had been cursed, could.

"Little girl, do you really have the ability to remove the monster from Libra?" Upon arriving at the entrance of the "dungeon," the old village chief couldn't help but ask Zhixue beside him.

"I can't say for sure, but there's a chance of success, old village chief. Just wait for my good news."

"Alright, alright, if you really have that ability, I'll give you all the chickens my family raises," the old village chief said, somewhat excitedly.

He had watched Libra grow up, so naturally he didn't quite agree with the villagers' wicked plan. But if Libra continued to cause trouble like this a few more times, the villagers might really give up their land and become homeless beggars.

Isn't begging on the street better than living here in constant fear of dying?

After watching the old village chief leave, Zhixue stepped into the dungeon and looked at the little boy chained up in the darkness.

He didn't seem to be awake yet. It was probably because he was thrown hard by Zhixue earlier, which drained his natural energy and forced him to break free of the curse seal, causing him to faint.

At this moment, Shiyuki slowly walked towards Jugo's location, the pale white light and patterns that had appeared on her body reappearing. She placed her small hand on Jugo's shoulder, and her immense sensory abilities probed into Jugo's body...

Chapter 48, Guidance

When Jugo, who was unconscious, woke up from his sleep, he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of comfort.

As if the whole world had become peaceful, Jugo clenched his fist, but he did not feel any sense of rage or killing.

Outside the dungeon, the sky was pitch black, with only a faint silver moonlight casting its light upon the earth. Jugo pulled himself up from the dungeon, pulling on a thick iron chain, and saw a lovely girl in a white robe leaning against a nearby rock. She winked at him and snapped her fingers.

"How was your sleep? Did you sleep well?"

"Who are you?" At this moment, Chongwu looked at Zhixue, who was as holy as an angel under the moonlight, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes. However, after seeing the pale white light emanating from Zhixue, his pupils shrank instantly.

It seems that it was this seemingly gentle and weak girl who subdued his rage, and he couldn't remember much else.

Shiyu walked over from beside the rock and asked Jugo, "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Uchiha Shiyu, and I just came out of Ryuchi Cave."

"You're a legendary immortal!?" Jugo was taken aback, and his gaze towards Shiyuki changed completely. Ryuchi Cave was shrouded in numerous legends in their area, and it was said that in almost every era, ambitious humans had come here, attempting to uncover the mysteries of immortal arts, but none of them had ever emerged unscathed.

But if this person in front of me has mastered immortal arts, then he is an immortal, and it seems reasonable that he lost to her.

"You could say that, but it's not entirely accurate." Zhi Xue had only learned Sage Mode at this point and hadn't yet mastered the corresponding techniques, so it was indeed incomplete.

Next, Jugo briefly introduced himself, and his description was largely consistent with Shiyuki's memories. However, when he mentioned the village, Jugo's eyes were filled with sadness. Clearly, he knew the threat he posed to the village and how the villagers viewed him.

After the two introductions, Zhi Xue offered to help Jugo control his Sage Mode abilities, but the condition was that he become Zhi Xue's subordinate and accumulate some wealth in the future.

Jugo wasn't really opposed to this small condition; on the contrary, he thought it was a good deal. If he could really control his Sage Transformation, it would be something he had never dared to dream of all these years. Moreover, becoming a Sage's subordinate wasn't something shameful.

……

After Jugo agreed to Shiyuki's request, he quickly began training in controlling natural energy.

"Calm down and I will help you restore the balance between chakra and natural energy. You must also find a way to control it."

"Ah."

Zhi Xue placed her hands on Jugo's back, and a pale white light covered his entire body. Because she had done her homework beforehand, Zhi Xue quickly ran her hands over Jugo's body according to the natural energy control method of Ryuchi Cave.

However, Professor Shizuku only taught him the movement techniques and didn't teach him anything else. These were just to help Jugo control his power, but that was exactly what he needed.

Jugo has a high level of comprehension of natural energy, even more so than Shiyuki's talent. He quickly grasped the general way it works and could barely control himself from going berserk. As long as he doesn't stay in a place like Ryuchi Cave, there won't be any problems.

Shigeo simply lacked a mentor.

After a night of hard work, Zhi Xue, with dark circles under her eyes, looked at Jugo, who could freely control his Sage Mode, and tossed a strand of hair over his shoulder.

"Ah, it seems quite simple."

Jugo looked at the tired girl behind him, and with a somewhat unnatural, excited smile, said, "Thank you so much! This ability has been giving me a headache for a long time!"

"No need. If you really want to thank me, you should go and make more money," Zhi Xue said, stretching and waving her hand.

After setting up their meeting place in this village, Zhi Xue returned to the old village chief to report the situation, almost causing the nearly seventy-year-old man to kneel down.

It is clear that Jugo is still very important to the old village chief.

After resting briefly at a villager's home and buying some daily necessities and a map, Zhixue embarked on her journey home.

If Shisui knew she was still alive, he would probably be very happy, right?

Zhi Xue originally wanted to send a message by carrier pigeon, but gave up after thinking about the impenetrable barrier of Konoha.

Standing at a fork in the road, Zhixue took out the map given to her by the old village chief and began to look at it.

She is currently on the border of the Land of Lightning. To get back to the Land of Fire, she would have to cross the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Water to the west. Crossing the border frequently would probably take a lot of time.

However, if you head south and take the sea route, it will be much faster. There is a small port just a few dozen kilometers away where you can inquire about ships going to the Land of Fire.

"Let's go without hesitation..." As the sky gradually darkened, Zhi Xue ran towards the location of the port on the map. At the same time, a conjecture appeared in Zhi Xue's mind.

Should we return to Konoha a little later? You know, making money outside the village is much easier than inside. For example, we could go to the Land of Waves along the way and see if there's any potential we can explore.

……

Konoha Village...

Before the tomb erected on the back mountain of Konoha, another figure appeared. Kakashi looked at Tenzang, who was wearing a Root mask beside him, and felt a sense of relief but also a touch of sorrow.

The Roots who were with them survived, but why were they both alright, while Zhixue died in that disaster? It's as if fate was playing a cruel joke on people, toying with their destinies, leaving them powerless to resist and unable to see clearly.

A few days ago, he even dug through every single fragment of the ruins, but there was no trace of Zhixue. Just thinking about that explosion that seemed capable of destroying everything made Kakashi feel a pang of pain in his heart.

People around him have died again... his father, Minato-sensei, Rin, Obito... and now Shizuka. Perhaps he is truly destined to be alone.

Kakashi put down the flowers, put on his mask, patted Tenzang on the shoulder, and quickly left. After Kakashi left, Tenzang lingered there for a long time before placing the flowers in front of Zhixue's grave, looking at the figure in the black and white portrait, seemingly lost in thought.

Danzo, who had been secretly observing this phenomenon, looked at the location of the Heavenly Burial with a gloomy and dissatisfied expression.

"Is she feeling sympathy for the Uchiha clan? Hmph, what useless emotional value..."

Chapter 49, The Sky Ninja Who Loves Counter-Attacks

After arriving at the port, Zhi Xue found a merchant ship that traveled between various countries and planned to hitch a ride back to the Land of Fire. On the way, she also bought several baskets of oranges, apples and other fruits from a roadside stall and put them into her spatial scroll.

Taking a bite of the sweet and sour green apple, Zhixue sat on the bow of the boat, watching the mainland gradually disappear on the horizon, and a sense of loneliness arose for no reason.

It seems she never went to sea in her previous life.

Looking at the deep blue sea around the merchant ship, which resembled an abyss, Zhi Xue yawned and went back to her cabin to rest. When she woke up again, she felt a tremor in the ship.

"Oh my god, an earthquake?" Zhi Xue quickly pushed open the cabin door, looking at the boundless sea outside, feeling a little dazed.

Oh right, she seems to have come from the sea, how could there be an earthquake there?

But what was that vibration just now?

boom!

A deafening roar came from beside Zhixue, and flying debris and flames splattered across the deck.

"Help! What is this thing?"

"Help! I'm still young, I don't want to die!" The continuous explosions and casualties filled the entire merchant ship with an atmosphere of panic, and the ninjas they had hired at great expense were also unable to counter the targets above due to the lack of anti-aircraft capabilities.

As Zhixue coughed as she emerged from the smoke and dust of the explosion, she noticed a dozen or so small black dots in the sky.

"Hey, another new target. Robbing these independent ships is a money-making business, much more lucrative than being a wandering ninja." Hundreds of meters in the air, a ninja wearing an unidentified headband pulled the joystick, adjusted his aim, and threw down another bomb wrapped with an explosive tag.

However, this time the bomb did not land on the ship, but was deflected in mid-air by a powerful fireball.

"Hey boss, those ninjas who seem to be living in the Stone Age actually have some skills," a ninja flying in the sky shouted.

"That's all they've got. They can't fly, so they can't do anything to us. As long as we keep playing this game with them, they'll eventually break down, hehehehehe..."

As he spoke, the captain took another bomb from the trunk and threw it down.

On the merchant ship…

As several Cloud Village ninjas, panting heavily, anxiously searched for a way to deal with the next wave of bombardment, they suddenly noticed that a little girl who had just arrived yesterday had somehow climbed onto the merchant ship's lookout tower.

"Hey, kid! Come down here, it's dangerous!" Yunren had just said this when a bomb exploded next to Zhixue, blasting the tall platform down.

"hateful……"

While several Cloud Village ninjas were still feeling sorry and angry about Shiyuki's life.

Zhi Xue has already moved behind the ninja who threw the bomb by triggering a counterattack.

Swish!

A flash of silver light sliced ​​the ninja's flying device in two, and the ninja, now without his flying tool, fell from the sky in terror.

The people around were still a bit stunned by the sudden change, but they all reacted when they saw Zhixue.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Counterattack immediately!"

Numerous ninjas pulled out shuriken launchers and fired them all at Zhixue.

Seeing the countless shuriken flying towards her, Shiyuki, who had activated her three-tomoe Sharingan, gathered her chakra into the Flying Thunder God Kunai, and her whole body radiated a golden halo.