Chapter 466: Turmoil in the Ninja Villages
[Because your template's overall strength is relatively low, the Savior title will take effect. Your growth in this map will be significantly more effective.]
[Match successful. In this parallel world, you are a swordsman from another realm. Your swordsmanship has reached its peak, and you were nearly invincible in your original world. What changes will such a person bring to this one? Stay tuned.]
[Current world exploration: 0%. When exploration reaches 66.7%, authorization to unlock the next map is granted. Be cautious of other traversers identical to you.]
[If you die in this simulation, the game ends.]
[Note: This traversal is a hidden competitive mode. You cannot freely choose your starting time or place—they are random.]
[Note: Template characters exhibit strong personal agency. Genius Blade · Zhou Ning belongs to the lawful-good faction. You cannot control his actions in the rewind mode.]
[Since your simulation inclination is lawful-neutral, rewards for this map will not be reduced.]
[Boarding time machine… 1%… 33%… 65%… 95%… whoosh… traversal complete.]
[Three templates have entered this world. Eliminate the other two and the game ends.]
[April 21, Year 37. You appear alone on a street in a strange town. Your right hand rests on your sword hilt as you lift your eyes to observe your surroundings. This place seems to sit atop a towering mountain that reaches into the sky, shrouded in clouds and mist. Deafening thunder rumbles nearby. Clearly, you are no longer in your original world. The people here wear unusual clothing; children play by darting in and out of sight as though vanishing into the air itself. The power system here appears very different.]
[You can't help but smile as your eyes narrow. This world seems full of fascinating things. Perhaps a peaceful world without demons. Just having the chance to begin anew here already makes you feel content.]
[Because you are still wearing your red cloak and yellow inner robe, your appearance stands out immediately. A squad of large-framed ninja wearing forehead protectors stops you and attacks, suspecting you are a spy from another hidden village.]
[They use swordsmanship and strange forms of taijutsu. Some even dive into the ground and move through it like fish through water—bizarre techniques. But none of them pose a threat. Without even activating your markings, a single Sun Breathing: Dragon Head Dance defeats them all.]
[You dislike fighting, but sometimes battle is the only way to make others understand. After speaking with the group, you learn that this place is called the Hidden Cloud Village, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. They belong to Cloud's Anbu, responsible for protecting the Raikage and preventing intruders from entering the village.]
[In the Hidden Cloud, the strongest ninja inherits the title of Raikage "A." Each Raikage rules the village with overwhelming leadership and presence.]
[April 22, Year 37. You meet A the next day—not under friendly circumstances. Or rather, this world's main language seems to be "strength speaks." He challenges you the moment he sees you. He is indeed strong, capable of using the "strongest spear," Hell Stab: One-Finger Assault, as well as the "strongest shield," Lightning Release Armor. Both his taijutsu and ninjutsu are impressive. Even so, he is not your match.]
[You become intrigued. Wanting to observe all of his techniques, you prolong the battle beyond three hundred exchanges before "barely" taking the win.]
[To your surprise, though he looks fierce, A's personality is actually rather decent. You get along well. When he asks your origins, you introduce yourself seriously: your name is Zhou Ning, a wandering swordsman.]
[May 22, Year 37. After one month in the village, you and A grow close, sparring frequently. You remain undefeated. Even when he uses his full Lightning Release Armor and his hair stands on end with power, you still defeat him with ease.]
[You've never been stingy with friends. At his request, you teach him the Breathing Style.]
[During this time, you gradually understand this world. In the long history of wars across the ninja world, one terrifying existence has been etched into everyone's memory: the Tailed Beasts. These creatures have one to nine tails. Feared as calamities but revered as living weapons, they can cause disaster but also provide overwhelming power when properly controlled.]
[Thirty years ago during the first Five Kage Summit, the God of Shinobi, First Hokage Hashirama Senju, distributed all nine Tailed Beasts among the major nations in exchange for payment. The Cloud received two: the Eight-Tails Gyūki and the Two-Tails Matatabi.]
[These Tailed Beasts became the root of nearly all conflict in the ninja world.]
[You also begin forming a basic understanding of the world's power system. Chakra is the energy everyone possesses—created through perfect balance and fusion of the body's internal energies. It powers ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.]
[There are five chakra natures: fire, which ignites anything it touches; wind, which cuts through anything; lightning, which spreads easily, enhances weapons, and adds shock effects; earth, which alters hardness or composition; and water, which is infinitely adaptable.]
[June 4, Year 37. After careful thought, you accept A's invitation and join the Hidden Cloud as a special jōnin.]
[He then explains the current situation. Economic imbalance among nations has widened the wealth gap. Militaristic factions in each village are rising, frictions grow by the day, and a war that may engulf the entire ninja world is on the verge of exploding.]
[The Cloud's main enemies are the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Stone. Because of your red-and-yellow clothing, they mistook you for a Leaf ninja and attacked.]
[Although A claims the war stems from economic disparity, you feel there is something more personal pulling at you—something about this war urges you to push yourself, to become stronger.]
[This is one reason you chose to join the Hidden Cloud.]
[Before training, you must determine your chakra nature. You infuse your chakra into special paper to see how it reacts.]
[You originally thought that, as an outsider from another world, you might not be able to cultivate chakra at all. But perhaps mastery leads all paths to the same destination—you can cultivate it.]
[In front of everyone's astonished eyes, the chakra paper first burns, then wrinkles.]
[This means you possess both fire and lightning chakra natures!]
[Your chakra training progresses so quickly it shocks A. In less than a year, your chakra reserves surpass most chūnin. (You have learned the universal skill: Chakra Cultivation Method.)]
[During spars with A, aided by your Transparent World, you naturally comprehend his techniques—wrapping your body in lightning and chakra, activating your cells, performing Lightning Body Flicker, and dramatically increasing your defenses. You learn: Lightning Release Chakra Mode (Beginner).]
[June Year 37 – May Year 38. During this period, the Second Great Ninja War erupts fully. The Lands of Earth, Wind, and Fire engage in fierce battles. The Land of Lightning, home to the Hidden Cloud, also clashes with the Stone and the Leaf. In one skirmish, you encounter another you—a version of yourself wearing a dark red coat, exuding a commanding aura, hair neatly swept back.]
[He stands among the Stone forces. The moment your eyes meet, you understand without a word—you are enemies. A crushing pressure radiates from his side.]