Upon hearing Chiriku say that he radiated an ominous aura, Yōsuke frowned slightly.
Ever since his body had been reforged by the system, his Demon King aura had weakened to the point of being nearly undetectable—yet this monk before him still sensed it clearly.
To mask his own aura, Yōsuke unsheathed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
Because the sword was taken from the tail of the Yamata no Orochi, its blade had long been soaked in the blood of the legendary beast.
The moment it left its sheath, a wave of palpable malevolence surged forward like a tangible force.
Yōsuke explained to Chiriku:
"This sword is a legendary blade used to slay monsters. It's been stained with the blood of a ferocious beast—hence the ominous aura it carries."
Chiriku's face tightened; that suffocating malevolence chilled him to the bone.
But once Yōsuke resheathed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the strange aura vanished entirely.
Sensing that the faint ill omen radiating from Yōsuke's body had suddenly become weak again, Chiriku concluded that the aura he felt earlier must have come from the sword.
Chiriku warned solemnly:
"Such a baleful artifact can subtly erode its wielder's mind. I hope you will use it with caution, traveler."
And he wasn't wrong—
In the hands of someone without strong willpower, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi would indeed corrupt their mind and turn them into a puppet.
Only when wielded by Yōsuke would it behave, showing no signs of rebellion.
This made Yōsuke look at the people of this world with newfound respect for their sharp insight.
"Thank you for the warning. I have already fully subdued this blade, so I'm not worried about it turning on its master."
Seeing that Yōsuke truly showed no signs of corruption and remained calm and refined, Chiriku relaxed.
"That is good."
As for the matter of identity, Yōsuke had prepared a reasonable cover story—
a wandering swordsman traveling the world.
With the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi at his waist and his long hair tied loosely in a ponytail, he indeed fit the image of a ronin perfectly.
"I am a wandering swordsman, Ubuyashiki Yōsuke. I have long heard that the Land of Fire is vast and beautiful, its mountains and rivers magnificent. I have always yearned to visit, so I came to see it for myself."
Chiriku could sense the sincerity in Yōsuke's words, but the faint ominous aura Yōsuke unconsciously exuded still kept him wary.
Out of caution, Chiriku invited him:
"Since you have come as a traveler, we in the Land of Fire welcome you warmly. Please, honor the Fire Temple with your presence, and allow us to show our hospitality."
Yōsuke considered it.
He had just arrived at the border of the Land of Fire, unfamiliar with the area, and had already been stopped.
This monk's strength was formidable—likely at the level of a jōnin.
If getting into Konoha was this troublesome from the very start, he could imagine the obstacles he might face once he reached the village proper.
Moreover, the only information he had from the Sage of Six Paths thus far was that, in the near future, a great event would occur in Konoha—
The birth of this world's Child of Prophecy: Uzumaki Naruto.
The deity he pursued would likely be involved in that incident.
But who Naruto's parents were, where exactly he would be born, or what major event would take place—
Yōsuke knew none of it.
Rather than running around blindly, it was better to befriend some locals and gather information subtly.
Having made up his mind, Yōsuke accepted the invitation.
"Then I shall impose on you."
Following Chiriku to the Fire Temple, Yōsuke—though unfamiliar with this world's sensory ninjutsu—could still sense that the monks within possessed considerable strength.
After entering the main hall, a man with a forehead protector and a thick beard, puffing on a cigarette, waved casually at Chiriku from not far away.
"Yo, Chiriku."
Chiriku was surprised.
"Asuma? What brings you here?"
Asuma walked over.
"I just finished a mission and was passing by the Fire Temple, so I thought I'd drop in. Didn't expect you to be out. I was about to leave when you showed up."
Asuma looked at the man standing beside Chiriku.
"And this is…?"
Chiriku introduced him:
"This is Yōsuke, a wandering swordsman."
Asuma grew curious. Since becoming the abbot, Chiriku almost never left the temple.
For him to personally go out today implied that this Yōsuke was someone special.
Assuming Yōsuke was an old friend of Chiriku's, Asuma asked:
"So, where is Yōsuke-san from?"
"I hail from the Land of Iron."
Yōsuke had researched his persona well. In this shinobi-centric world, the Land of Iron stood as a neutral samurai nation with no ninja—only the warrior order known as the Samurai, protectors of the country.
Asuma, son of the Hokage, naturally knew of the Land of Iron.
"The Land of Iron, huh… How's General Mifune doing these days?"
Yōsuke nodded politely.
"Thank you for your concern. General Mifune is doing quite well."
As long as he wasn't dealing with hostile shinobi, Asuma was cheerful and warm.
"Hahaha! Then welcome to the Land of Fire, Yōsuke-san. Konoha is quite lively—come find me when you visit and I'll show you around."
"I've long admired peace-loving Konoha. My next destination is indeed the village. I hope I won't trouble Asuma-dono too much when the time comes."
Hearing Yōsuke praise Konoha filled Asuma with pride, and his opinion of Yōsuke rose even further.
"Of course you won't trouble me. Konoha welcomes travelers."
In the following days, Yōsuke lived like an ordinary tourist, exploring the surrounding area.
Chiriku, still observing him, personally acted as his guide.
Asuma, seemingly in no hurry to return to Konoha, joined the two as well.
Time passed in a flash.
After a week, Yōsuke's gentle personality and his strange, fascinating stories made him good friends with both Chiriku and Asuma.
And through Asuma, Yōsuke learned the basic situation in Konoha.
The current Hokage was Namikaze Minato.
In the ninja world, Minato was hailed as the strongest and fastest shinobi.
During the Third Great Ninja War, he single-handedly annihilated over fifty elite jōnin from enemy nations in mere seconds.
He had fought the Fourth Raikage and Killer B together without falling behind in the slightest.
At one point, Iwagakure's leadership issued a standing order:
If you encounter the Yellow Flash, you are permitted to abandon the mission without punishment.
It could be said that Minato, by himself, reversed Konoha's disadvantage in the war, leading the village to victory.
Konoha praised him as the "Yellow Flash" who cut through the darkness of the shinobi world, a man whose fame soared high—
a shinobi who could even traverse space-time itself.
After the Third Hokage retired, Namikaze Minato naturally succeeded him as the Fourth.
Such a legendary figure…
Yōsuke found himself truly wanting to meet him.
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