World Nuclear Peace

You used special item, Blue Gourmet Cell

Conducting physique check, willpower check…

Check passed

You obtained Special Biological Cell: Gourmet Cell

You obtained Trait: Cell Activation (Rare)

You obtained Trait: Gourmet Power Evolution (Extremely Rare)

Trait: Cell Activation (Rare): Your cells possess additional vitality, granting enhanced absorption of surrounding energy while increasing metabolic rate and providing additional toxin resistance and minor regenerative ability.

Trait: Gourmet Power Evolution (Extremely Rare): Your cells possess powerful devouring and evolutionary capabilities. Each time you consume the flesh of a powerful creature, you will undergo Gourmet Power Evolution. The extent of evolution is related to the cellular strength of the ingredient.

Bai Cangshu completed the Gourmet Cell enhancement in front of Catherine. He did not mind letting her know part of his intentions.

He then carried Uchiha Itachi and Hiranaka Hana outside, leaving Catherine behind to continue healing Uchiha Shisui with magic.

The convenience of magic was clearly displayed here. This kind of healing power did not need to concern itself with physiology or science. So long as the damage had not exceeded a certain limit, it could be healed.

"Shisui, the villages will probably begin war mobilization soon and move toward the borders of the Land of Fire. That will be your best opportunity to capture the Tailed Beasts."

The Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan possessed considerable restraining power against Tailed Beasts. Top-tier Uchiha ninja could directly control Tailed Beasts, including the Nine-Tails.

And Uchiha Shisui naturally possessed the ability to capture Tailed Beasts as well.

The injuries on Uchiha Shisui’s body were rapidly healing. Since this person’s ability could work on him, it could naturally work on Itachi as well.

He knew that from this moment onward, if he still wanted to save Itachi, he would become a beast restrained by the other party’s reins.

But…

If Itachi and I simply die like this, what will happen to Konoha and the Uchiha?

Will they go straight to war, or will the clan back down?

There were too many questions. Uchiha Shisui had to verify them himself.

Bathed in emerald magical light, Uchiha Shisui finally rose from the ground. His shattered bones had completely recovered at an unbelievable speed.

His vitality was still somewhat weak, as though he had suffered a serious illness, but moving was no longer a problem, and his Chakra had finally begun to circulate again.

He opened his eyes. The scarlet Three Tomoe made Catherine’s body stiffen for a moment. Earlier, from eight hundred meters away, Uchiha Shisui had shattered her mental defenses with a single glance and trapped her in Genjutsu.

Shisui saw that Itachi and the man had both vanished. After a moment of silence, he said,

"You’re not ninja either, are you? Can you tell me your true purpose?"

Uchiha Shisui stood up, his bearing becoming much colder. After this lesson, his attitude toward things had quietly changed.

Catherine watched those Sharingan slowly turn and once again felt intense negative energy invade her mind.

Damn it, Mercenary Tao never restricted this guy from attacking me?!

In truth, Bai Cangshu and Uchiha Shisui had reached no agreement other than capturing the Tailed Beasts and delivering them to the Land of Rain within seven days.

Catherine’s mind suddenly grew muddled. She seemed to see her room in the real world, warm and bright, with Ran curled up on the sofa playing games.

"Catherine, what exactly is Mercenary Tao trying to do? Do you know?"

Catherine was somewhat confused, but at that moment, she noticed nothing strange and said,

"Mercenary Tao probably really wants to prey on those rare and exotic beasts. He enhanced his Gourmet Cells, so he can probably strengthen himself by devouring the Tailed Beasts of this world, or even those Summoning Beasts and sages."

"As for anything else, I don’t know. But he most likely wants to protect that woman…"

Listening to the woman’s confession, Uchiha Shisui sighed. So these people were not all on the same side. He could hear plenty of fear in her words.

Still, he had gained some useful information. That terrifying man calling himself Mercenary Tao probably possessed some special ability that allowed him to strengthen himself by devouring powerful and rare creatures.

Hearing this, he was instead relieved.

First, it explained the origin of the other party’s terrifying strength, which required no hand seals. Second, it confirmed that he really did intend to "eat" the Tailed Beasts.

In this world, most villages actually used Tailed Beasts as trump cards to deter one another.

Those powerful monsters possessed strength that could crush the vast majority of ninja. In their complete forms, even some Kage-level ninja found them difficult to suppress.

Many ambitious people had used Tailed Beasts to achieve terrifying goals. The Nine-Tails Attack that had occurred in Konoha a few years ago was one such case.

Yet that Mercenary Tao actually wanted to eat the Tailed Beasts!

Uchiha Shisui immediately vanished. He had to return to Konoha as soon as possible to ensure that the Uchiha and Konoha would not fall into internal conflict. Then, he needed to appear before the ninja of the other villages and deter them, preventing the war from breaking out immediately.

Time was tight. He did not even have time to track down where Mercenary Tao had taken Itachi before directly leaving with the Body Flicker Jutsu.

Standing amidst the rain and mist, Bai Cangshu shook Uchiha Itachi in his hand. The boy’s face was pale and his gaze weak, but there was no doubt that he had regained consciousness.

"What do you think, Uchiha Itachi? Do you think Uchiha Shisui can stop Konoha’s internal strife and prevent the outbreak of war?"

Bai Cangshu’s tone carried mockery and malice, as though he held this Uchiha who leaned toward the light in great contempt.

But in truth, he was not mocking Uchiha Shisui. He was mocking this world…

Bai Cangshu increasingly felt that these Derivative Worlds created by missions possessed their own underlying tone. Call it the World Will, or call it the Restraining Force.

Every world had its own built-in set of rules. Follow those rules, and one could gain the greatest benefits. Go against them, and one would suffer additional "difficulties."

For example, The Boys World was a chaotic and treacherous world. Everyone fought for their own selfish desires and interests. Bai Cangshu thrived there. Though he had entered the mission world later, he gained the support of the larger world situation and Homelander far faster than Wuxin, who had entered before him.

The One Piece World was the opposite. Bai Cangshu’s mission had progressed slowly, and he had almost constantly encountered enemies beyond the expected level. In the end, only with Corey and Cindy’s "help" had he gained the recognition of Black King Luffy, Garp, and the others, successfully withdrawing.

His mission completion rate in the One Piece World had also been the lowest.

The Naruto World, meanwhile, was a world built on tragedy. Hatred in this world was like an unbreakable chain, stretching on for hundreds and thousands of years.

If the One Piece World emphasized the steadfast part of the human heart, then the Naruto World highlighted its fragile and fickle side.

Everyone who initially harbored good intentions was ultimately changed after suffering loss after loss, their original hearts stained with other colors.

In this world, ninja were forever swept along by revenge and vengeance. Clearly possessing extraordinary power, they were still controlled by daimyō and nobles, manipulated by those interest groups into endlessly waging war.

Tch.

Bai Cangshu mocked everyone equally.

The greatest goal of this mission, aside from completing the Special Trial: Utmost Benevolence and Goodness, was naturally to obtain an S-rank or higher completion rating so he could forge the Heart of the Thunder Emperor.

In a world like this, nothing could create a greater event than creating hatred and severing hatred.

Bai Cangshu’s Transparent World could clearly see the changes in Uchiha Itachi’s heartbeat. This powerful boy, not yet thirteen, was thinking, trying to disguise himself.

In the face of Bai Cangshu, he was in some ways far more rational and calm than Uchiha Shisui, more like a mature ninja.

Bai Cangshu lifted Uchiha Itachi’s body, then spoke into his ear.

"I know. You’re thinking. You’re thinking about how to stop me, and…"

"How to refute my words."

"The Uchiha Clan is narrow-minded, but are Konoha’s higher-ups any more broad-minded?"

"Ha, they’re all cut from the same cloth."

"Itachi, this world is in the hands of idiots. People with power like you and Shisui are forced to plunge into endless, meaningless wars under the orders of idiots. How pathetic."

Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes. He felt as though he were being tempted by an evil demon, yet… he could not stop himself from thinking. Uchiha… Konoha… do those conflicts truly have any meaning…?

"Don’t worry, Uchiha Itachi. I’ll take you to see them—the maggots hiding behind the scenes and manipulating you into fighting wars. You’ll see just how panicked they become, hahahahaha…"

Hiranaka Hana stood in the distance, listening to that man’s mad laughter, and felt that he had probably truly gone insane.

Could a madman like this really only want to eat some Tailed Beasts?