Konoha's Mission Master

A cross-shaped spatial rift was instantly created, like a savage beast opening its bloody maw.

The surrounding space seemed to be locked by some kind of force, and the cracks rapidly spread toward Yakumo's body. He had no intention of dodging, and with both hands gripping the Demon-Slaying Sword, he pushed forward directly, as if he had transformed into a cloud of despairing black smoke, carrying an aura that terrified life.

In the blink of an eye, a single thought, a breath, a fleeting moment, none of these can adequately describe the brief time that just passed.

When Yakumo swung his sword, time seemed to stand still, and space seemed to forget to flow; only a black line stretched to the horizon.

Minato Namikaze's body was cut open with a 20-centimeter wound. The spatial rift in the air had not yet spread before it completely dissipated, and the matter was over.

The huge gash looked as if it had sliced ​​open Minato Namikaze's entire body, but no blood flowed out. Countless blood vessels split from the cut on both sides of the wound, and the two converged and grew until the wound was perfectly healed.

"So fast."

Minato Namikaze remained standing in the same spot, his expression calm, as if he had never been injured.

"So your entire body is made of ethereal energy!" Yakumo exclaimed. Although Minato Namikaze's body was only cut open for a very short time, he still managed to perceive the true nature of Minato Namikaze's body.

“That’s right.” Minato Namikaze nodded in agreement.

"Something happened back then that led to the complete destruction of my body."

Minato Namikaze clearly didn't want to dwell on the matter and quickly changed the subject.

“The other two are not,” Minato Namikaze reminded him.

"Thank you," Yakumo said, "this is a very valuable clue."

“You are stronger than anyone before you, and perhaps you really have the hope of freeing me.”

Minato Namikaze sighed softly, a hint of hope in his eyes; he saw a glimmer of hope in Yakumo.

"If you can... please don't kill Kushina."

Yakumo did not agree rashly. By the time he realized what was happening, they had already returned to the courtyard on the edge of Konoha, which was still as quiet as ever.

The surrounding trees had returned to their original positions, and the chirping of insects and the meager signs of life could no longer be heard.

But Minato Namikaze was nowhere to be seen; only a key emitting a faint, blood-red glow remained.

It has intricate patterns and a long handle with the number '1' engraved at the end.

It looks completely natural, without any trace of human intervention.

"Chiyuki, you take the key," Yakumo said after thinking for a few seconds.

"What do we do next?" Masako Mori asked.

"Let's take a break and ask Jiraiya a few questions," Yakumo replied after a few seconds of thought.

The battle with Minato Namikaze just now was more like a test of strength. Minato Namikaze did not show any killing intent from beginning to end, but the next two battles... will definitely not be as easy as the previous ones.

The group was in enemy territory. Even though the will that was temporarily manipulating the world behind the scenes did not show much hostility, Yakumo knew that every decision he made was related to the life and death of the group, as well as the life and death of countless planets.

As the sun rose in the east, Konoha seemed to regain its vitality. There were many more pedestrians on the road, and the shops on both sides of the road reopened, selling glutinous rice balls, sushi, barbecue, and Ichiraku Ramen.

This place really resembled the Konoha of his memories, which is why he almost overlooked the danger behind him many times.

Five- or six-year-old children, carrying schoolbags, walked in groups of two or three, their laughter like silver bells, with breakfast in their hands, heading to the ninja school.

But these children had long since been turned into killing machines by the invasion of the virtual energy.

Smelling the enticing aroma wafting from the shop, Masako Mori subconsciously touched her stomach.

"If we make it back alive, we'll have a big meal together," Yakumo whispered, trying to comfort him. He didn't dare touch any food in this world.

“Then it’s a deal.” Masako Mori nodded obediently.

A few minutes later, Yakumo found Jiraiya drinking in a private room at the tavern.

Jiraiya always drank heavily, with more than a dozen transparent sake bottles on the table. He reeked of alcohol, yet his eyes were always incredibly clear, showing no signs of drunkenness.

"You're back? You failed?" Jiraiya was somewhat surprised; Yakumo and the others had returned too quickly.

"Success."

Yukotsuki took out the blood-red key, waved it in front of Jiraiya, and then put it away again.

"That's somewhat surprising."

According to past practice, obtaining the key from Minato Namikaze is not difficult, but to obtain the key from Minato Namikaze in just a few hours is an unprecedented feat.

"What kind of people were the challengers in the past?" Yakumo suddenly asked curiously.

"Gamblers, villains, warriors, saints, clowns, demons... so many, it's like trying."

Uchiha Runyu conducted more than fifty experiments and finally obtained the combination that was closest to success.

“Minato Namikaze is a bit special,” Yakumo said.

"You've noticed it too? The relationship between the three key holders and Aoki Trump is quite different."

"Minato Namikaze is a close friend and brother."

"Sakumo Hatake did this to repay a debt of gratitude and to fulfill a promise."

“Kushina Uzumaki is an admirer.”

Yakumo finally realized that Jiraiya had been hiding many things from him, which made him suspect Jiraiya's true motives.

"Lord Jiraiya, do you really want me to accomplish anything?" Yakumo asked directly.

This question made the atmosphere in the tavern's private room somewhat oppressive, and Jiraiya stopped drinking.

"Of course I want you to clear the game, but it's been tens of thousands of years since we last met... I miss Tsunade a bit," Jiraiya explained.

On one hand, he wanted to end this cycle of no freedom and no future; on the other hand, he wanted to see Tsunade, whom he longed for, before he died.

"Logically speaking, there should be a Tsunade master in this world, right?" Yakumo asked.

"No." Jiraiya was clearly unwilling to say more, so he simply shook his head and continued.

"The second key holder is Sakumo Hatake. His characteristic is that he needs to fight one-on-one. As long as he is killed, the second key can be obtained. His fighting style is mainly based on swordsmanship, combined with wind, lightning and destruction energy.

"Most importantly... there's a high probability the challenger will die!"

Yakumo and the others showed no change in expression; before heading to this world, each of them had mentally prepared themselves for death.

"Is it possible to exhaust his stamina by using a series of attacks?" Yukotsu asked.

"Okay." Jiraiya nodded and continued to gulp down the sake from the flask.

Yakumo waved his hand, and the group turned and left the private room.

On the way to the Hatake residence, Yakumo kept wondering whether Jiraiya was trustworthy.

Inside this world, the group is constantly being affected by the power of the world's destruction, and is slowly undergoing assimilation. If the battle is not resolved after more than a year, they will completely lose the possibility of leaving.

"Yakumo, are you starting to doubt Jiraiya's words?" Mori Masako asked.

"Yes, although he didn't hide his selfish motives, once he had selfish motives, he might take action. And you should have noticed, right? When he saw that we got the first key in just a few hours, his reaction wasn't happiness but surprise." Yakumo recalled the scene of their meeting in the private room.

From the initial joy at not knowing the strength of the others to the astonishment and perfunctory attitude after quickly obtaining the key, Yakumo really couldn't believe... whether the inside man carefully arranged by Uchiha Juntama was reliable.

“Master, why don’t you let me handle Sakumo Hatake? I often spar with him in our world, so I’m quite familiar with him,” Yukotsu Chiyuki suggested.

“No need, I’ll do it,” Yakumo immediately refused.

He understood Yukotsu Chiyuki's plan, and by relying on the immunity to death granted by the upgraded Nile Sorrow, he competed with Hatake Sakumo in a battle of attrition, eventually wearing him down to death.

The ability to be immune to death is a trump card carried by the Grim Reaper, a special term!

“Sakumo Hatake shouldn’t be the problem; the real problem is Kushina Uzumaki,” Yakumo analyzed.

According to Jiraiya's account, Kushina Uzumaki had long been in love with Aoki Muto and even rejected Minato Namikaze's advances multiple times. Unfortunately, Aoki Muto never reciprocated her feelings, and one day, her hair turned white overnight due to unrequited love. It is said that... she received a very special gift from Aoki Muto.

Clearly, that special gift possessed extremely terrifying power, which is why so many challengers were defeated and killed.

After hearing Yakumo's explanation, the group nodded in understanding and decided to join forces to defeat Kushina Uzumaki.

The group walked slowly, partly to observe the pedestrians on the street, and partly to discuss the questions that arose regarding Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze.

Ultimately, it involves life and death, and ultimately, people's hearts are unfathomable; even the once firm will has been shaken by time.

Can Jiraiya be considered one of our own? Can Minato Namikaze be trusted?

It took the group about half an hour to reach the Hatake residence.

The building in front of him was very familiar to Yakumo; he had experienced many unforgettable joys in its courtyard.

Memories of learning and exchanging ideas surfaced in my mind in an instant, only to be quickly suppressed by my strong reason.

Joy and sorrow are an endless cycle.

"I'll go in myself," Yakumo said. Since it was a solo challenge, the number of people involved didn't really matter.

"it is good."

"Understood." The group responded immediately, their eyes revealing barely concealed tension.

Immediately, Yakumo used both hands to push open the red lacquered wooden door and stepped inside.

The interior of the courtyard was very dark, and the sunlight around it was suppressed by some unknown creature. The entire courtyard was covered with dust and several centimeters of fallen leaves, while the ground around it was covered with about two centimeters of dust, as if no one had taken care of it or lived there for a long time.

Yakumo walked down the corridor... leaving rows of footprints on the ground, like marks of an era.

The sound of stepping on fallen leaves is crisp and clear, but it dissipates into the air before it can spread.

The trees in the courtyard had withered, leaving only twisted branches and fallen leaves scattered on the ground.

In the empty environment, not a sound could be heard at all; even the sound of footsteps was swallowed up.

Not only footsteps, but also the sounds of heartbeat, pulse, and breathing have all disappeared.

Yakumo can sense the movement of air, but he cannot hear any sound.

After walking for three minutes, Yakumo reached the backyard eaves, where he passed through the central courtyard. On the rustic wooden steps in front of the door, Hatake Sakumo was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, covered with a thick layer of dust and transparent spider webs, clearly indicating that he had not moved for a long time.

Sakumo Hatake did not exude any life force, nor did he breathe; he was like a piece of rotten wood.

Yakumo stopped three meters away and quietly began to observe.

According to the rules of this world, he cannot use his soul energy to observe; he can only use his eyes to search for useful clues in order to increase his chances of winning.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Yakumo, having found no useful information, had no choice but to speak up.

"Uncle Shuo Mao, wake up, don't sleep, it's time to receive guests."

Thump, thump, thump—thump!