Konoha's Mission Master

"Bound?" Yakumo instinctively sensed something was wrong.

“Assimilate, transform into a world-destroying symbiotic being. As long as the power of world destruction remains, you will be eternally immortal.” Jiraiya looked at Aoyama Reiko with undisguised pity in his eyes.

The power to destroy worlds is just illusory energy... it's just that Jiraiya changed the name. Perhaps this was its original name, but Runyu came up with a replacement name for some reason.

"If we destroy that door, will it have an impact on this world?" Yakumo asked.

"This world will be destroyed."

This is clearly not good news; Reiko Aoyama may perish along with the world.

"Can this outcome be changed?" Yakumo asked again, not believing that Jiraiya was bringing up this matter now to deliver despairing news.

"Destroy that door before assimilation is complete." Jiraiya offered a solution, then added his own explanation.

"In three days, the power to destroy realms can completely erode the soul."

After saying these words, Jiraiya picked up the sake jug again and began to drink alone.

In fact, he was hiding a lot of information. For example, in the past 30,000 years, a total of 53 teams came to this world, but only 20 teams were able to obtain the first key. The rest of the teams fell into the hands of the holder of the first key.

Of the twenty teams, only three obtained the second key, while one team obtained the third key.

Furthermore, those defeated teams did not immediately perish, but lingered in this world for several years until the world began its cycle again, and everything was transformed into the purest power of destruction, at which point they were completely devoured by the ocean-like power of destruction.

Challenges don't necessarily lead to death; there will be countless opportunities to take on challenges in the next decade or so!

Jiraiya knew that as an NPC, his task was simply to issue orders and provide a list of bosses.

The rest of the time he could only be an indifferent bystander. Uchiha Runyu paid a huge price to put him in this world, so naturally he could not afford to lose him.

In a sense, Jiraiya himself was more important than Yakumo and the others. Over the long years, he had learned to be indifferent and to treat the people in front of him as an observer.

At this moment, many thoughts arose in Yakumo's mind.

"Then we'll clear the boss in three days."

Since Sister Aoyama Reiko will be assimilated in three days... then we should eliminate the enemy within three days.

The final dungeon was originally a dungeon with various unknown puzzles, but with Jiraiya's help, it has become a speedrun dungeon that is not too difficult.

It's just a game, but he's a professional!

It's just a one-life playthrough.

"Regarding the three key holders... is there any other information you would like to know?" Jiraiya asked.

"By the way, Jiraiya-sama, are you married to Tsunade?" Yakumo didn't press for information, but instead asked a completely unrelated question.

Jiraiya remained silent for a few seconds. No one had ever asked this question before. Most of the other fifty-odd teams hoped to get more information from him to increase their chances of defeating the three bosses.

However, the current problem is clearly unrelated to intelligence.

"No." Jiraiya shook his head with a bitter expression. His eyes were reddening from the alcohol, and under the influence of his tipsy state, the proud and upright figure appeared before his eyes.

I wonder how Tsunade is doing now? It's a pity that the two of them will never meet again...

Yakumo mentioned that old friend in front of him, successfully destroying the barrier that Jiraiya had built up for tens of thousands of years.

Commonly known as, "the defenses have been breached."

“In my world, Jiraiya and Tsunade are getting married soon,” Yakumo said, then a sense of sadness crept into his heart. In a sense, by taking Uchiha Itachi as his student, he was ultimately standing on the opposite side of his master, Tsunade.

Their relationship has now reached a freezing point.

"Marriage? He's so lucky." Jiraiya's tone was a little sour, and he couldn't help but envy his other self, who was able to marry Tsunade, which was his biggest dream in life.

Jiraiya clenched his fists, even wondering what gave his other self the right to do this!?

Why can another version of myself have what I cannot have?

Jiraiya picked up the sake jug and took a big gulp. His previously calm mind was stirred again, but his emotions quickly returned to normal...

'As long as Tsunade is happy, I will have no regrets,' Jiraiya thought to himself.

"If I destroy the gate, can you leave with us?" Yakumo asked again, still not asking for any clues about the three bosses.

"If you can really open the door, then I'll be free," Jiraiya said with a slight nod and a smile.

"Liberation?" Yakumo had the answer in his heart, but he still chose to ask.

"Death? I became a World Destroyer Symbiote tens of thousands of years ago. No matter how many times I die, I will be reborn after this world restarts." Jiraiya's tone became low.

"We are conscious, but we have no freedom to live, and we cannot even choose our death."

"We are immortal, yet we are slaves to the power of destruction."

Jiraiya's narration revealed the truth of this world to Yakumo and the others.

Every blade of grass, every tree, and every living being in this ninja world and Konoha is composed of the power to destroy the world.

Whenever the story reaches its end, after Naruto and Sasuke work together to reseal Kaguya Otsutsuki, the world is refreshed, everything is transformed back into ethereal energy, and then the ninja world begins to advance the story again from the Nine-Tails' rampage.

Those who are awake must experience the exact same life countless times, while playing their roles well. They are bound by rules and cannot make any choices that are inconsistent with the plot. Otherwise, the world will be refreshed and corrected, and time will be frozen on a certain day until a decision that conforms to the world's 'correct' is made.

“But according to the plot, Minato and Kushina should have died from the Nine-Tails’ attack. So how can the dead take possession of the key?” Yakumo discovered the blind spot in Jiraiya’s words.

"The person who sacrificed himself in the Nine-Tails' attack was the Third Hokage, and Naruto Uzumaki is the Third Hokage's grandson," Jiraiya said matter-of-factly.

The plot is not the one that Yakumo is familiar with; it has been heavily modified.

The Lord of Emptiness, Aoki Trump, disliked the Third Hokage. In the official storyline, Hiruzen Sarutobi died early on, and his family was scattered, leaving only his adopted grandson, Naruto Uzumaki.

"Is there really no way to break the assimilation?" Yakumo asked.

"There's no way around it." Jiraiya shook his head with absolute certainty.

As Jiraiya's fusion with the void deepened, he gained a better understanding of the essence of this energy. The void energy is formed from all energies without any logical or chaotic endings, and it represents the end of the universe.

"Minato Namikaze held the first key, right?" Yakumo asked.

“That’s right. Minato is practically one of us. The three key holders aren’t that different in strength. The difference lies in whether they have pure killing intent. Minato is the easiest to defeat, followed by Sakumo Hatake. The most difficult enemy is Kushina Uzumaki,” Jiraiya replied.

"Understood, let's not delay." Yakumo stood up.

Three days can feel long or short, and Yakumo didn't want to waste any time.

According to the clues provided by Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze almost never harms challengers' lives. Even the Hollow energy, which has the property of devouring everything, could not affect his kind and sunny soul.

It is said that... he is still Minato Namikaze, known as the "Little Sun" in the original work.

The nights in Konoha Village are eerily quiet. You can't feel any air currents or hear any insect chirping. It's as if there are no other characters in the world besides humans.

The night was quiet and still, as if the whole world had fallen asleep. Although the ethereal energy had evolved into the entire ninja world, it was clear that it used more of its energy to sustain the inhabitants of the ninja world.

This is not the real world, and besides, virtual energy is not good at creating.

On the way to Minato Namikaze's house, everyone was somewhat silent.

Yakumo gazed at the dark horizon, feeling as if some creature was watching him from the shadows.

Is this... the rule of this world?

Jiraiya once said that if a sober person makes a choice that differs from the plot, then time will be reset. The rule of resetting time will only be broken when an intruder is involved.

According to the analysis, the world's rules did not choose to be reset because the intruders were an interesting game for it. Yakumo pondered what kind of wisdom the manipulator behind this world possessed.

Will it personally step in and become the final boss?

He really had little confidence if he were to fight against the entire world.

"Yakumo, you choose to believe him?" Masako Mori asked in a low voice as they approached Minato Namikaze's residence.

"At the very least, assimilation is undeniable."

Mori Masako instantly understood Yakumo's meaning. In less than three days, Aoyama Reiko would be transformed into a symbiotic being. This transformation was irreversible. If it took more than three days to destroy that door, there would inevitably be casualties.

This doesn't qualify as a perfect playthrough.

"Yakumo, we don't actually need to impose a time limit." Aoyama Reiko didn't reveal the truth about assimilation because she didn't want to change the original plan and cause unnecessary danger because of herself.

“Before we came into this world, we were all prepared to die,” Masako Mori said.

The two expressed a simple viewpoint: they did not want Yakumo to bear too much burden in designing plans to conquer the enemy, thus adding many unnecessary limitations to himself.

“Saving the world is a huge undertaking, and sacrifices are normal,” Yukotsu Chiyuki added.

Yakumo did not reply. For Masako Mori, Reiko Aoyama, and even Chiyuki Yukotsu, saving the world was meaningless.

They were willing to risk their lives to come into this world simply because it was Yakumo's choice.

"I hope to bring you all back safe and sound," Yakumo said.

The greatest satisfaction comes from completing the game under strict conditions.

Minato Namikaze's residence was located on the edge of Konoha Village, surrounded on three sides by lush forests with trees reaching 30 to 40 meters in height. The area was only connected to Konoha Village by a narrow path about one meter wide, giving it a sense of detachment and loneliness, as if it were out of place with the rest of Konoha Village.

It should be said that... this place is different from the rest of the world; it has less chaos and more vitality.

As the wielder of the key, Minato Namikaze naturally possesses certain privileges, such as the ability to alter his living environment to some extent and slightly adjust the plot of this world.

Yakumo gazed at the courtyard fifty meters away and closed his eyes.

Minato Namikaze had already sensed their arrival; a faint pressure emanated from the air.

The surrounding trees seemed to come alive, gradually moving closer to the distance to make room for more space.

"Prepare for battle," Yakumo said.

Numerous modes instantly empowered him, and numerous energies instantly merged.

"Shh."

In the void, Minato Namikaze's figure appeared out of thin air, wearing a light yellow nightgown, but his eyes were clear and there was not a trace of drowsiness, as if he had been waiting for Yakumo to come to him.

He stood about three meters in the air, his gaze towards Yakumo clearer than ever before.

There was almost no sign of the distortion and chaos of ethereal energy emanating from him, as if he were completely unaffected...

"Aren't you a symbiotic entity?" Yakumo asked.

“No, he ordered that the power of world destruction could never corrupt me, and at the same time granted me the ability to manipulate the power of world destruction within this world,” Minato Namikaze replied quite naturally.

"It's truly amazing." Yakumo couldn't help but sigh softly. He really hadn't expected that there would actually be someone in the world who could make such violent and chaotic energy behave properly.

Minato Namikaze heard Yakumo's sigh, but did not reply. The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds.

Then, Minato Namikaze spoke softly.