"Whew—"
Gusion exhaled in the training field, ending today's session.
He hadn't slacked off for a month, but his gains were mainly in technique, not stats—it seemed his limiter-release talent was hitting a bottleneck.
He wished he could get the legendary talent-advancement quest soon, to awaken his ability again.
After washing up, Gusion got an End Space prompt.
[A new mission world will open in 6 hours. Pioneer #008, please prepare.]
[Mission World Target: Naruto]
Gusion perked up. He was no longer a newbie—Naruto was a large derivative world.
The Big Three were classics even in his era; his master had some volumes, though incomplete. Fortunately, Gusion had caught up since entering End Space.
After finishing Naruto, he realized he'd underestimated its power level as a kid. He'd thought Naruto was much weaker than Bleach, but after seeing the full series, he knew better.
Not even counting Boruto, Naruto's power ceiling could compete with Bleach's top tiers.
But the real world always differs from manga. With his experience, Gusion knew not to make assumptions before seeing for himself.
One thing was sure: for his current level, Naruto would be both dangerous and rewarding—a place to hone his skills and reap benefits.
Having confirmed the new world, Gusion lay down to rest—a habit to ensure peak condition before entering.
After all, not every world starts safe. If he landed in the middle of the Ninja War, he might face endless fighting right away.
Time passed. That night, he heard End Space's prompt again.
[Teleportation starting...]
With the prompt, Gusion entered the familiar white-light tunnel. Everything was blurry except for the clear system prompts.
[World locating...]
[Success. Target: Large Derivative World — Naruto]
[End Space Explorers Deployed: 61]
[Heaven's Will Explorers Deployed: 73]
[Universal language acquired for this world. 100 Endcoins deducted.]
[Transferring to world... Pioneer may read world details while waiting.]
A menu popped up. Since teleportation took time, Gusion checked it out.
[Mission World: Naruto]
[Type: Large Derivative]
[Difficulty: LV10~???]
[Note: This is a large, open derivative world. Difficulty varies by region. Proceed with caution.]
World summary: War and slaughter, ninja arts and sage arts, the chain of hatred—when will it be severed?
Chakra: The energy for ninjutsu, mixing physical and spiritual power.
Sage arts: Jutsu powered by natural energy, usually requiring Sage Mode.
Dojutsu: Eye techniques, usually for bloodline ninjas, using eye power to attack/control/see through.
[Note: Killing enemy explorers doubles the chance of a Deadman's Chest drop.]
[Faction Reputation System active. Choose your allegiance; special cases may allow multiple.]
[Current Pioneer Konoha Reputation: -1000]
[Current Pioneer Kumogakure Reputation: -3000]
Gusion was just wondering about the low rep when another prompt came:
[Assigning initial identity...]
[Checking power, titles, bloodline, traits, personality...]
[Analysis complete. Suitable identity assigned.]
[Deployment complete. No main quest for this world—explore and take missions freely.]
The sensation of weightlessness ended. Gusion found himself in a familiar setting.
The air stank of decay, urine, and blood—a nauseating mix.
Unlike the Udon Prison start in One Piece, this time his physical restraints were loose—just heavy iron shackles. He was also wrapped in white bandages covered in sealing runes.
Gusion thought, What kind of dangerous guy am I to deserve this?
Fortunately, End Space wasn't too cruel; this was likely just an initial identity setup. The seals seemed old and loose; he could easily break them with full force. The iron shackles were a joke for his strength.
His identity seemed complex—he didn't check the long info dump immediately, instead assessing his current location and timeline.
[Location: Kumogakure, Underground Prison]
[Time: Konoha Year 55]
[Identity: Konoha Missing-nin, International Felon, War Hero.]
Gusion was stunned. How could he be all three at once?
No one around, so he checked his identity in detail.
He was twenty-one; eight years ago, at thirteen, he'd become a hero in the Third Ninja War.
Very Naruto. In this world of child soldiers, it wasn't odd—like Itachi at four on the battlefield, or Kakashi, who was a Chunin at six, on the battlefield at ten, and a Jonin at twelve.
So, compared to these prodigies, being a battlefield hero at thirteen was normal.
But heroism depends on perspective. He'd killed many enemy ninjas, especially Kumogakure ninja, so his rep there was rock bottom—feared and hated by most.
Now, he was a prisoner, no longer a Konoha hero, because he'd defected.
The reasons were complicated, but from the info, it wasn't his fault—Konoha had forced him out after he learned some of Danzo's dirty secrets. After defecting, he was hunted, and finally caught by the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee, imprisoned for eight years.
Normally, only your own village hunts missing-nin, but Gusion's case was special. He'd made too many enemies, killed ninjas from other villages, and became an internationally wanted criminal.
Why didn't Kumogakure kill him? Because, as a former Konoha Jonin and war hero, they thought he knew Konoha's secrets, and might be persuaded to join them, especially since he had a rare lightning bloodline and great power.
Kumogakure always valued military strength and bloodlines, so they wouldn't waste such talent.
As for the people he'd killed—war was war, not personal vendettas. On a national scale, there were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
Gusion was reviewing his identity when he sensed a strong ninja approaching via faint electric signals and Observation Haki—likely someone coming for him.
He focused, ready to break out if it was an execution.
From the info, his predecessor was tough—loyal to Konoha, never leaked info or joined Kumogakure, and due for execution soon.
Before long, a tall, busty, fair-skinned blonde kunoichi entered the cell—Samui, the Fourth Raikage's confidante.
She unlocked the cell with no expression, only a hint of distaste for the prison. "Gusion, right?"
When he didn't respond, she said, "Lord Raikage wants to see you. Follow me."
She drew her short sword, cut his shackles, and—though his power was sealed—he could still walk.
Gusion, seeing it wasn't an execution, was curious what the Raikage wanted.