Epithet (First Update)

Chapter 116: Epithet (First Update)

Watching the Iwagakure ninja withdraw, Xu Yue and Minato Namikaze did not pursue them further. The basic mission had already been completed, and although most of those they had killed earlier were mere fodder…

Those "fodder" were still ninja, one after another. Many were even Chunin capable of holding their own. They might have looked easy to kill, but every kill required concentration and calculation.

They also had to watch out for coordinated ninjutsu and group techniques. The two of them had actually gone all out; it was not as easy as it looked on the surface.

But judging from the results, the effort had been entirely worthwhile!

Not only had they badly crippled the enemy and left behind nearly a hundred corpses, Kannabi Bridge had also been successfully destroyed!

Given the terrain before them, maintaining that bridge solely with Earth Style would require a large number of ninja to rotate shifts and continuously expend Chakra. They would also need ninja left behind to protect them. At a time when every bit of combat strength mattered on the battlefield, this surprise attack route instantly became an awkward burden.

The initiative Iwagakure had originally held was immediately rendered useless.

And if he remembered correctly, during the Third Shinobi World War, a World-Shaking incident would occur. The straightforward Third Raikage would be tricked by the scheming Third Tsuchikage, and would ultimately be surrounded by ten thousand ninja while covering the retreat, dying of exhaustion.

It could be said that the hostility between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning was one of the turning points of the Third Shinobi World War, greatly reducing Konoha’s pressure.

Yet at this point, that had not happened yet.

"This time, Iwagakure only lost the advance force of their surprise attack. It didn’t truly damage Iwagakure’s foundations; at most, it repelled their offensive. Since they can’t gain anything from the Land of Fire and their route has been cut off, it’s indeed quite possible that the old Third Tsuchikage will set his sights on the Land of Lightning…"

Xu Yue considered it inwardly, wondering whether he should find a way to intervene in this mission. But it seemed to conflict somewhat with his own plans.

If nothing unexpected happened, Minato Namikaze should arrive at the Land of Lightning battlefield and clash with the AB Combo first. It should be when Konoha and the Land of Lightning were fighting most fiercely, with much of their combat strength tied down, that the Land of Earth would launch an attack on the Land of Lightning.

And while Minato was wreaking havoc in the Land of Lightning, Kakashi’s separated squad should encounter trouble from the Land of Water, which was controlled by Madara.

Unfortunately, the original work gave too little description of this period. He could only make deductions based on what he currently knew, and he just hoped there would not be any mistakes…

After the mission was completed and they rested briefly, the group set out for Konoha once more, carrying a few belongings left behind by Uchiha Obito, the "hero who sacrificed his Sharingan."

During that time, news of their performance in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge spread even faster than they traveled, passed along through Iwagakure…

Back in Konoha, Xu Yue was selling Root slots for a little money while increasing his contribution to Root. At the same time, he was actively searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina.

When the time came, he could change back into his current twelve-year-old true form before Kushina. With his connection to Minato Namikaze, perhaps he could raise her favorability enough to learn some more common Sealing Jutsu.

Uzumaki Kushina was straightforward, so raising her favorability should not be too difficult. After all, Minato’s presence would give him bonus points.

In Naruto’s system, Sealing Jutsu was absolutely a highly promising, utterly broken skill. It could seal almost anything: Amaterasu Fire, Tailed Beasts, even the ultimate final boss Kaguya. It would be far too regrettable not to at least get started with it.

Unfortunately, she was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki after all. For her safety, she had been kept in Konoha and temporarily forbidden from going to the battlefield. But likewise for her safety, it was extremely difficult to learn where she was.

Xu Yue had already been quite discreet, yet he still discovered that Anbu were watching him.

Fortunately, his earlier mission to investigate the Spy had been filed with Tsunade. Once he established his identity as a colleague, it did not cause much trouble.

Still, the look in the other person’s only visible eye behind the mask—Are you fucking kidding me?—was a little hurtful.

It was under such circumstances that news of Xu Yue and Minato’s great victory reached the village. Iwagakure had even given Xu Yue a codename!

In this era, a ninja with an epithet was absolutely a symbol of recognition.

Like the Sannin, or the Yellow Flash!

Under normal circumstances, unless one possessed extremely distinctive traits, even ordinary Jonin would not receive such an epithet.

Xu Yue had gained this opportunity early only because his attacks were too distinctive, his specialty too obvious, and because he had done something major alongside Minato!

Uh, but what was with such a perfunctory epithet as "Black Little Flash"?

That was far too obvious an imitation, wasn’t it? They had just changed the color and added "Little." Something like Black Asura would have been better. How could black even flash…

Fortunately, Xu Yue was not someone who cared too much about such things. Though the epithet was rather ugly, it came with other changes from the Reincarnation Space.

Obtained epithet: Black Little Flash. Note: You are now a ninja with your own epithet and have gained your own fame. You have been recorded in the Anbu booklets of each village. Comprehensive Reputation +1. In other Mission Spaces, you will also receive a small bonus to identity arrangements.

Being recorded in the Anbu booklets of other villages was actually a drawback. But since Xu Yue had only exposed Flying Thunder God, it could still cause enemies to misjudge him to some extent. No wonder Minato had not advised him to use the Wood World.

As for the Comprehensive Reputation afterward, that counted as a benefit from the Reincarnation Space.

Take Koutetsujou, for example. His initial identity had been arranged as a commoner, and he had not even been issued a Steam Gun, making everything difficult and restrictive.

In the giant world, he had been assigned the identity of a descendant of exiled criminals. If he had not found a way to break free of those shackles and cling to Queen Jane, he really would have faced plenty of trouble.

"Xu Yue! Xu Yue!!"

Just as Xu Yue’s Wood Clone began searching for Uzumaki Kushina again, Chu Yingxiong’s voice came from nearby.

To be honest, ever since this fellow had been tricked into joining Root by Xu Yue in a manner akin to a pyramid scheme, Xu Yue had not seen him. He had only emerged today.

The moment he saw him, Xu Yue put on his business expression, his smile bright and sunny, warming both body and soul.

"Captain Chu, I haven’t seen you in a long time. Have you been undergoing some secret special training?"

Chu Yingxiong had approached with a gloomy expression, but upon seeing Xu Yue’s radiant smile, much of the anger in his heart dissipated. He could not help sighing.

Ah, Little Xu was doing it for our sake, thinking of us. Who could have guessed that these natives of the Reincarnation Space would be so damned treacherous!

"Ah, it’s a long story. Forget it. It’s troublesome, but it’s not like there are no benefits. I can’t say much more. I probably won’t be able to come out often from now on. If there are missions, don’t pull the rest of them in again."

Seeing Chu Yingxiong’s constipated expression and hearing his words, Xu Yue roughly worked out what had happened. Before Reincarnators entered Root and had something planted in their minds, they might even have to take a trip through the Yamanaka Clan.

The Reincarnation Space should have corresponding protection mechanisms. It seemed that whatever seal had been placed on them was likewise recognized by the Reincarnation Space. Most likely, they were unable to reveal information related to Root to others!

Perhaps their heads would explode if they disobeyed or something.

However, although joining Root restricted one’s freedom in Naruto, it was surely also an excellent place to farm missions.

Otherwise, under normal combat circumstances, it was difficult to trigger missions. Killing natives of the Reincarnation Space and Reincarnators relied purely on rewards from the Space’s mechanisms.

But after entering Root, where missions were assigned everywhere, they would essentially be killing under orders, receiving multiple layers of rewards.

The high-level ones might be hard to farm, but farming C-rank missions was not bad either, was it?

First update. Thank you all for your support. This is an extra chapter in return for reaching an average subscription count of 2,100. There are still two guaranteed updates coming later~

Also, a correction: Integrity-kun usually goes to sleep after two in the morning. My cultivation in the immortal arts is already quite advanced. I write the next day’s chapters the day before, while the next day is generally for proofreading and revisions. I’ve really done my best, spicy! I can’t keep cultivating immortality anymore!!

Also, during today’s later update, I want to conduct a small survey to see what kind of story spaces everyone likes. Based on the feedback, it seems that not many people read the second and third arcs, Koutetsujou and the giant world~ I want to take everyone’s suggestions and choose one that satisfies you all~ When the time comes, just reply in the chapter comments for that chapter, or in the book review section.