"It's not that I lack resources, but just because I have them doesn't mean I have to become a Shinobi."
Hyuga Ruri looked at Qiu Xia earnestly. "So, when it comes down to it, you just don't want to be a Shinobi!"
"If you insist on putting it that way, then fineconsider it a lack of desire on my part."
"Why wouldn't you want to be one? For boys, isn't being a Shinobi the coolest thing? You can perform Ninjutsu, leap across rooftops, and scale walls."
Qiu Xia nodded. "It is indeed cool, but it's also dangerous. Danger is the one thing I dislike most. Staying in the village is safe; unless outsiders manage to break in, the probability of facing a real threat is tiny. Compared to living with my head on the line out there, I'd much rather stay inside the village walls."
"Living with your head on the line? You're being way too cowardly. If you work hard enough and have sufficient strength, why would you worry about that? Besides, you'd have a lead teacher, wouldn't you?"
Facing Hyuga Ruri's arguments, Qiu Xia didn't say anything more. Children considered what looked cool; adults considered the pros and cons. If Qiu Xia didn't have a Golden Finger, his choice would still be to avoid cultivation even within the Uchiha Clan. Without a Golden Finger, it would be impossible to catch up to Itachi Uchiha in such a short amount of time.
If he relied solely on his natural aptitude to chase after him, he would never make it. One had to remember that Itachi Uchiha awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan at the age of twelve or thirteen.
Awakening the Mangekyō at that age was something even Madara likely couldn't have achieved. Of course, awakening it so early caused Itachi to develop a Bloodline Disease. Eventually, while holding back significantly, he died at the hands of his younger brother.
Born into the Uchiha Clan, Qiu Xia chose to just let it rot. What if he had been born into another clan or as a civilian? That would depend on the era. If it were an era of war,
Qiu Xia would choose to slack off regardless of his status because he didn't want to be cannonball fodder on a battlefield. If it were an era of peace, perhaps he could become a Shinobi, but even then, he would hide his aptitude and his true strength.
Showing one hand while keeping a few others hiddenthat was the true way of the world.
Seeing that Qiu Xia remained silent, Hyuga Ruri wanted to say more, but then she saw Ayame bring over a bowl of ramen. "Your ramen is ready!"
Hyuga Ruri, Hyuga Hinata, and Naruto had entered Ichiraku Ramen around the same time, so after Ruri's bowl arrived, the other two were served in quick succession.
Once the three of them had their food, Qiu Xia didn't have to wait long before his extra-large bowl was served as well. It was packed with char siu and toppings. Qiu Xia observed proper meal etiquette before digging in with large mouthfuls.
"Boss, another bowl of ramen!"
"Old man, two more bowls here!"
Naruto and Hyuga Ruri shouted out almost as soon as they finished their first servings.
Qiu Xia ignored them, continuing to eat his ramen as before until his bowl was empty and the broth was gone. He pulled some money from his pocket and placed it on the counter. "Ayame-jie, I'm done. I've left the money on the table."
Leaving those words behind, Qiu Xia turned and walked out. Watching his back, Hyuga Ruri's eyes grew thoughtful. She performed a hand seal. "Byakugan, Open!"
Veins pulsed around her eyes, and in her vision, the world turned to shades of black and white.
She looked toward Qiu Xia and found that there wasn't a single trace of Chakra on his body. Seeing this, Hyuga Ruri deactivated her Byakugan and frowned. "No Chakra? Is he just an ordinary person? A civilian physique that is completely incapable of becoming a Shinobi?"
"But he's from the Uchiha Clan? If he's an Uchiha, the probability of that is incredibly small. So... is it possible this guy isn't actually an Uchiha?"
After muttering to herself for a while, Hyuga Ruri cursed silently in her heart. She didn't know if the plot had become a mess because of transmigrators, or if she had simply arrived in a different Naruto World altogether. This world felt strange no matter how she looked at it.
Indeed, Hyuga Ruri was also a transmigrator, and a fairly recent one at that. A month ago, she had transmigrated into this world as Hyuga Ruri, the granddaughter of the Main Branch's Great Eldera character who had never been mentioned in the original work.
After arriving and digesting the original host's memories, Ruri was dumbfounded. What kind of bullshit Naruto World was this? Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi was supposed to step down or be killed by his student Orochimaru using Edo Tensei around the year 60 or 61 of the Leaf. But the plot had changed; Hiruzen had already stepped down, and the current leader was the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
Danzo, who was supposed to be a constant nuisance until being dealt with by Obito Uchiha during the Fourth War, had somehow been assassinated early. Two other elders were dead as well. If that wasn't absurd enough, Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha had also kicked the bucket.
Shisui Uchiha dying was normal enoughafter all, Danzo had screwed him over in the original story. But for Itachi Uchiha to be dead too? With him gone, who was going to massacre the Uchiha Clan?
Due to these unknown changes, Hyuga Ruri felt her knowledge of the future was becoming unreliable. It would be fine if it were just an accident, but if she wasn't the only transmigrator in this world, things would be disastrous.
In the past, when transmigrators met, they would be moved to tears by the sight of a fellow countryman. Now, when they met, they were more likely to stab each other. If the other person had a good temperament, they might ignore her; but if they were malicious, she would be in troubleshe'd definitely be taken out. Therefore, the most urgent task was to increase her strength as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, having had his fill, Qiu Xia was thinking as he walked back to the Uchiha compound. When I walked out of the ramen shop, that gaze... it must have been that girl from the Hyuga family using her Byakugan to observe me. Observing me so directly, and appearing around Hinata... that woman is very likely hiding something. Perhaps she is a transmigrator just like me.
I wonder if she has some kind of Golden Finger. If she does, she could grow powerful in a very short time. Forget it, don't think about that. Even if she grows quickly, so what? As long as she doesn't provoke me, I won't bother with her. But if she does, then even if I'm not her match, I'll find a way to curse her to death!
"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've checked on the Zombie World. I should head back in a month to bring Master Jiu some resources. I wonder if I should eventually bring Master Jiu and my senior brothers over to this side? It's a feasible idea,
but Master Jiu is the protagonist of the Zombie World; if I bring him to the Naruto World, God knows what would happen. I should use Qiusheng and Wencai as test subjects first. If they come over and everything is fine, then I'll bring Master Jiu."
Imaginary Qiusheng and Wencai: I've become a freaking test subject! Well, thank you so much! Having a junior brother like you is truly our blessing!
In the Naruto World, Qiu Xia was a shut-in. If he wasn't holed up in the Uchiha compound, he was staying in the Land of Demons.
One day, while Qiu Xia was practicing in the Land of Demons as usual, Miroku brought him some intelligence. The intelligence concerned the barrier around the Land of Demons; it had been discovered by outsiders. Now, several Hidden Villages were aware that there was a super-strong, massive barrier within the Land of Demons.
"I know. If they know, they know. What can they do about it?" Qiu Xia replied. "The arrays in the Land of Demons were already strong to begin with. Unless they send out a Kage level powerhouse, they won't be able to break in.
The last time I was here, I upgraded them, making the barrier even stronger. Those small fries in the Shinobi world won't be able to force their way in. Even if they try other methods, you'll spot them immediately. So don't worry, Miroku. I won't let them disturb the peace of the Land of Demons."
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