Chapter 16 – A Vast New World
"Oh, excuse me, big bro, but… what year is it now?"
The middle-aged man gave Uchiha Akira a suspicious look.
"2000, man. What do you mean by that? Are you messing with me?"
Akira had originally planned to keep joking around, but suddenly froze as he flipped through the newspaper. Pointing at a large photo, he asked:
"Big bro, what building is this?"
"If you weren't speaking Chinese, I'd have told you to get lost. That's Stark Tower, playboy Tony Stark's building. Everyone in the world knows the name Stark. Every man on Earth wants to be him—after all, all those women…"
"Don't tell me you don't even know Stark… What cave did you crawl out of? Let me test you—'odd changes, even doesn't change?'"
"Look at the quadrant!"
The newsstand owner's face lit up with a smile.
"Knew you were Chinese."
"Boss, this is really Stark Tower? You're not pulling my leg?"
"What's there to joke about? Sure, this is Mexico, but that doesn't mean poor people don't know about Stark."
When Akira left the kiosk, his mood was heavy. Damn it, this joke had gone too far—he had actually ended up in the Marvel universe. The Mangekyō's space ability was way too outrageous… it had tossed him straight into another universe.
"System, are you messing with me?"
System:Asura Cells successfully fused. Subsequent evolution in progress… (You already got a massive bargain. Don't believe me? Go ask Danzō—see if he doesn't live every day worried about turning into a tree.)
Mission: Become famous across the universe!
(This world is full of bald-headed big shots. You must prove to them that even with long, flowing hair, one can still be a boss!)
This mission is a staged, long-term quest with continuous rewards.
Akira couldn't understand why this useless system was so obsessed with the length of his hair. He had even been planning to cut it short after returning to the modern world.
But was that the real issue? No! The real issue was that this was the peril-filled Marvel universe. Could the Uchiha clan really live peacefully here? The Kree, the purple potato freak, even the Celestials—each one was a nightmare.
Wait—hold on. Hadn't he overlooked something? Asura Cell fusion complete? Didn't that mean he now had the potential for Wood Release Buddha statues that could crush nations?
Ambition suddenly welled up in his heart. Since things had already come to this, even if he fared badly, he at least had to return home in glory, right? At the very least, he had to go back to the ninja world and kill those two old bastards—Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Now that he had confirmed this was indeed the Marvel universe, his basic intel-gathering mission was complete.
Not long after, Inaho and the others returned. They exchanged information, though limited—since Inaho's group couldn't even understand the language here. At this point in time, most supernatural forces had yet to surface. On the outside, it just looked like a normal, advanced technological world.
Still, who could say for certain which Earth this was? For all they knew, it could be some bizarre offshoot universe. With the sheer number of Marvel universes, information was always limited.
From Akira's estimation, the Kree had probably already visited Earth once—only to be driven off by Captain Marvel.
"Everyone, quiet down and listen. I'll explain some key facts about this world."
The Uchiha clansmen looked at their young clan head, most with doting expressions, and the younger ones with faces full of worship. They listened intently.
"This is a world completely different from the ninja world. The vast majority of people are just ordinary, no different from the commoners of the Land of Fire—perhaps even weaker physically."
"Clan Head, isn't that a good thing? Doesn't that make it safer for us?" Inaho blurted out.
"In most cases, yes. But you need to understand—this is a technological world. You can think of it as highly advanced puppet techniques. Firearms—pistols, rifles, machine guns—can threaten your lives. Like these."
Akira demonstrated the appearance of modern firearms with a Transformation Jutsu.
"Of course, as long as you stay cautious, these weapons are hard to threaten us with. Even genin could dodge them—provided they see them coming. But a ninja caught off guard can still die."
"Also, we can't act too high-profile here. This world has weapons of mass destruction—think of them as S-rank jutsu on a colossal scale. Their destructive power is terrifying."
"Most importantly, this world has sorcerers, and all sorts of superpowered individuals. Be very careful when dealing with sorcerers. It's not that they'll necessarily be hostile to us, but caution never hurts."
"As for superpowered people—or mutants—you can think of them as similar to bloodline limits in our world, though they're different. Most are just strange mutations, and most aren't stable enough to pass down genetically."
"In short, this is a completely different world. In public, it's best to maintain Transformation Jutsu or other disguises. That said, there are also many opportunities here. I'm sure everyone's thought about whether we'll ever return, right?"
The Uchiha clansmen couldn't help nodding. Home was home—if they had the chance to return in glory, who wouldn't want to?
"Don't forget, while Konoha's civilians may not hold much hatred against us, Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen are our clan's mortal enemies."
"That's enough for today. Rest and prepare. Tomorrow, we'll find a place to settle down."
"Yes, Clan Head!"
Seeing their confidence in him, Akira felt a pang of guilt. After all, at first he had been planning to sneak away and save himself. But though the Uchiha had a tendency for extremes, most of them knew gratitude—unlike that lunatic Obito.
A guy who would slaughter his own kin for the sake of unrequited love—there was no redeeming that.
"Inaho, Tekka, Homura—tomorrow, come with me to get some money." Akira dismissed the others, leaving only a handful of the clan's most capable fighters.
"I know you look down on civilians, but we can't go robbing them—that would be far too shameful. And honestly, I don't think you'd have the heart for it."
The three nodded quickly. Robbing civilians wasn't impossible… but it was a disgrace none of them wanted.
"Actually, Akira, I have quite a bit of wealth here. Fugaku gave it to me so we could find a path forward for the clan." Mikoto, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"What wealth? Don't tell me it's silver notes—they won't work here." Akira sighed. He had some of those himself, but modern society didn't recognize them.
"Mostly silver notes, yes—but also many explosive tags, rare chakra metals, and some gold." Mikoto explained carefully.
"As expected of Sister Mikoto. With this foundation, our start will be much easier." Akira's eyes lit up. Clearly, Fugaku had made preparations in advance.