Konoha's Mission Master

He seemed devoid of emotion, yet when the Crimson Sovereign influenced the entire universe, he proactively intervened to help Uchiha Runtama master the Power of Hope...

In short, the waters of this world are deeper than those depicted in Yakumo's image.

Uchiha Junyu chatted with Yakumo for several days, like a chatterbox, and made Yakumo understand most of the plan. Of course, Uchiha Junyu still kept the most important part a secret.

In addition... Yakumo urged Uchiha Juntama to teach him the final move of the Genji sword technique, but was refused. Uchiha Juntama, using the excuse of having just awakened, took Yakumo's soul and traveled to different worlds to enjoy delicious food.

The game system, having lost its core, has been transformed into a watch. Although it still possesses many functions, it can no longer help Yakumo shield herself from the erosion of the ethereal energy. Therefore... in the future, Yakumo will have to rely on herself when facing the ethereal energy.

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Uchiha Juntama took Yakumo on a journey across the universe, spending less than half an hour on each planet. Because of this... Yakumo enjoyed a great deal of delicious food, though he could only perceive the flavors using Reizo's senses.

The inability to actually taste it was something that made him unhappy. Initially, he couldn't understand Uchiha Runyu's plan until the others observed the virtual energy battlefield from afar.

Yakumo witnessed countless people fighting to protect their planet, rising up against the invasion of the ethereal monsters and becoming their own heroes.

But the battlefield was even more brutal. Countless people were corrupted by the ethereal energy and had to choose to end their lives. Countless others were smashed into mincemeat by the giant tentacles.

Countless people died, and countless others filled the void.

Yet, the creatures of ethereal energy continued to emerge like an endless tide.

In fact, the growth of ethereal life forms is similar to that of the Zerg, but even more terrifying... They can become combatants in just a few hours.

At the forefront of the battlefield, a ten-meter-tall man was fighting a massive blood-red planet; the two men's strength had clearly reached the Dominator level.

It turns out that there is more than one ruler of the Void Realm.

The intrusion of virtual energy comes from a total of four directions.

Each location has a ruler in charge of overseeing the battle, and the battlefield that Yakumo visited was the weakest point in the Void Energy attack; that giant tree would basically not launch an attack on its own initiative.

But the cruelty of that battlefield did not end there; countless people died and were buried.

In the blink of an eye, Yakumo understood many things.

Uchiha Runtaku wanted him to have a reason to fight against the Hollows, rather than being used as a pawn to complete someone else's plan, giving him the illusion of having his fate manipulated.

Yakumo did indeed find his reason.

That is to protect one's world from being eroded by virtual energy.

“I didn’t want to be enemies with the Crimson Overlord before, because he was so powerful that countless beings in the universe were in despair. But he wanted to destroy the universe, destroy the world I lived in, destroy the home in my memory... So I had no choice but to be his enemy and hold my weapon tight.”

Upon returning to the Sanctuary of Hope, Uchiha Juntama said this to Yakumo in a very calm tone.

"So, what about you? Are you willing to fight for your planet?"

"With pleasure," Yakumo replied with a smile.

Since Uchiha Runyu has put it this way, he has no reason to refuse.

.........

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Chapter 473 The Will to Protect

Star of Elanwell - Sanctuary of Hope.

Every time Yakumo sees the smile on Akai Mizuki's face, he feels a little more doubtful about life. She was so serious not long ago, but lately she has a smile on her face every day, which is very pleasant.

"You seem strange. Mizuki always smiles."

Uchiha Runyu said with some confusion, "I can naturally sense the changes in Yakumo's emotions, but I can't understand why Yakumo is laughing."

"you sure?"

Yakumo was even more surprised, but soon he sensed that the smile on Akai Mizuki's face had become somewhat dangerous, as if it carried a thin but subtle murderous aura.

Werewolves roam at night and are about to kill someone.

"Mizuki, you mustn't be rude to the guests," Uchiha Runyu said.

"Yes, Lord Runyu."

Yakumo immediately sensed that dangerous aura dissipating at an extremely fast speed, as if it had never existed... Akai Mizuki's face returned to its kind and amiable state.

"During my slumber, Mizuki was lonely for a long time, and her personality became a bit strange. Actually, she's not a bad person at heart... I hope you don't mind."

Uchiha Juntaku explained to Yakumo.

“Of course, I don’t mind,” Yakumo said.

The main issue is that it's useless for him to care, since he's not as strong as Akai Mizuki. He has to show enough respect and sincerity to those who are stronger.

A few days later, Yakumo began to formally learn the seventh move of the Genji Sword Technique.

It turns out that Uchiha Runyu took him to various parts of the universe during this period not because of boredom or out of curiosity about the universe after falling asleep, but because the training of the Seventh Style had already begun.

The seventh move is called...Guardian.

The so-called journey is a process of encountering all beings, seeking the will to protect from among them, from the battlefields where countless people resist the illusory power, from the battlefields where countless people die, from the areas where countless lives perish...

Yakumo witnessed the truly cruel side of the Hollow Reality.

Yakumo felt anger as those people died.

And empathy—he couldn't stand by and watch the ninja world become a target of the void energy invasion; he couldn't stand by and watch his many comrades go to their deaths; he couldn't stand by and watch the world's life be infected by the void energy.

Former comrades turned against each other, their blood staining the earth red.

Yakumo wanted to protect, and thus he gained the Heart of Protection.

That's why... he was able to master it. This defensive technique is quite a heartfelt move; only when the intention to protect is strong can this move be powerful.

There are no special techniques, only horizontal parrying.

It's as if it separates two worlds, completely shielding against external attacks. When Uchiha Runyu uses this move, he can block the erosion of ethereal energy.

As Yakumo was constantly being defended, memories of the bonds he wanted to protect surfaced in his mind. Among them, the memories of Mori Masako provided him with power, while the person responsible for the attack was none other than Akai Mizuki.

She had finally found an opportunity to get revenge on Yakumo.

However, as the formal confrontation continued, Yakumo noticed that Akai Mizuki did not take the opportunity to retaliate, but instead attacked quite seriously, with each attack being at the maximum force that Yakumo could withstand.

Yakumo continued to strengthen his defenses, his resolve to protect growing ever stronger. Many years passed in the blink of an eye...

Yakumo had already mastered this defensive technique.

However, there is still a long way to go before achieving true perfection, and there is still a huge gap between his current level and the strength demonstrated by Uchiha Runyu.

Yakumo still needs to hone his will as much as possible, and develop his belief in protection to its strongest state. He wants to protect something as simple as a thought, but only by constantly using his will to solidify it can he grow into a towering tree.

It was a difficult and lengthy process, but with the help of Uchiha Juntama and Akai Mizuki, he persevered and achieved his goal.

The training method for this technique is more like that of the Kaioken.

Yakumo needs to sense the presence of those he wants to protect... and copy them into his mind. Then he will borrow a special energy called mental energy from them to build the strongest defense.

Countless attempts, countless defenses breached.

Akai Mizuki's attacks were incredibly powerful, each one seemingly pushing Yakumo to her limits. As the attacks were constantly broken and reconstructed, Yakumo was also strengthening the power of her defenses.

Yakumo then realized that from the very beginning, the game system had been guiding him to build bonds and make friends, and now these bonds had become a tangible force.

Uchiha Runtaku's instinctive consciousness, built with the power of hope, foresaw everything about Yakumo's future from the very beginning of the design plan. His growth and strengthening were all for the purpose of better fitting the final scenario.

Feeling somewhat discouraged, Yakumo trained even harder. Now that the game system had left his body, all he needed to do was complete the final exploration, and then he would be free to soar like a bird in the sky!

Yakumo was somewhat puzzled. All the previous moves were for attack, but this one was for defense. This one was the only move without any warning of attack or counterattack; it was purely defensive...

It made no attempt to retaliate, like a wall.

The wall was impenetrable, but Yakumo felt that he should be considering defense and counterattack, not complete defense.

Yakumo explained that he had faced millions of ethereal beings, with his inseparable friends and kin behind him. In that battle, he comprehended the will to protect and single-handedly held off millions of ethereal beings.

The strongest guardian can save the person they care about most at a critical moment. According to the plan of instinct, the seventh move should not be the strongest defense, but the one that perishes together with the enemy... Gyokushatter.

However, Uchiha Junyu changed his plan, making a simple modification to the seventh technique, replacing "Jade Shatter" with the strongest "Guardian." His goal was to ensure that Yakumo could protect his friends as much as possible.

When necessary, be able to step forward...and sacrifice for others.

Time... many years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Yakumo's protective skills still haven't reached Uchiha Juntama's level, but they are already good enough to be considered as graduation skills. Before leaving, Uchiha Juntama transformed the game system into a mechanical watch strap, which was attached to Yakumo's soul.

It can be easily taken down even in the ninja world.

Yakumo tested it a few times and found that the game system's functions had not changed at all and remained very intelligent.

[Note: The player has lost absolute immunity to Void Energy.]

"From now on, I may be affected by virtual energy."

Yakumo sighed quietly. On his way back, he would have to pass through an area covered by ethereal energy, and at that time, the only thing he could rely on was that blood-red planet.

[Hint: That's correct.]

As Yakumo gazed at the enormous green planet, many of his questions were answered, yet many doubts remained in his heart, such as whether his fate was also within Uchiha Runtama's instinctive calculations.

For example... did Uchiha Runyu's instincts already foresee his fate, just as he was destined to be overwhelmed by countless ethereal monsters while protecting his teammates, and he would use demon-subduing techniques to construct a golden barrier to block them?

Everyone else lives, only I will die...

A smile gradually crept onto Yakumo's lips. If that were really the case, then it would be a good answer.

The perfection of this ending lies in the fact that everyone, whether they care about Yakumo or those Yakumo cares about, gets a perfect resolution.

Everyone in the universe will survive except him.

Such an ending may be in keeping with the fate of a hero.

On the way back, Yakumo dared not look around. Without the protection of Uchiha Juntama's heart, if he observed those powerful ethereal beings, he might be infected by the ethereal energy, leading to the contamination of his soul.

The game system was also aware of this, so it took the shortest straight line instead of taking a detour on the way back. The planet of prayer also stopped moving along the original curve and instead took care of Yakumo's soul as much as possible.

From Zhanxing, Tianquan, Qianjun, and Pojun.

Extreme intent, annihilation of life... and even protection.

The Source Blade Technique has been fully passed down, complete...

What remains are the twelfth floor of the arena and the last two dungeons.