Chapter 361: The Task has a Bug; The Dragon Vein Token
Chapter 361: The Task has a Bug; The Dragon Vein Token
No one noticed that the figure they had all been discussing, who had already left a deep impression of fear in their hearts, Hagoromo Gengetsu, was currently sitting atop the Hokage Rock, overlooking the village of Konoha below.
Having finished watching an entertaining spectacle, Hagoromo Gengetsu withdrew his gaze from Naruto and the others who were departing in the distance. He didn't make any further moves.
The Dragon Vein was no longer in Roran.
However, if Naruto's group, backed by Konoha, could make any new discoveries—such as finding a way back—it would be beneficial to him as well.
For now, he decided to let them scare themselves into working harder.
With that, Hagoromo Gengetsu vanished from atop the Hokage Rock.
In the following days, he balanced exploring, completing tasks, and searching for the Ōtsutsuki clan members, all without neglecting any.
Time passed quickly.
[Main Mission: The Return of the Kazekage - Battle Uchiha Itachi (Completed)]
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully defeated Uchiha Itachi's Shapeshift Clone!]
[Reward: Diluted Ōtsutsuki Bloodline.]
In the Uchiha training grounds, Uchiha Itachi was practicing his throwing skills, ready to perform his family's famous Shuriken Jutsu. But just as he was about to throw, a sharp knock hit his head, and everything went black.
"Who?"
When Itachi regained consciousness, he quickly retreated and looked behind him, only to find no one there.
Remaining on alert for a long time, with nothing more happening, he could only put away his kunai. In the days that followed, he continuously pondered who could have done such a thing and what the purpose could have been.
[Main Mission: The Return of the Kazekage - Battle Sasori of the Red Sand (Completed)]
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully defeated Sasori of the Red Sand!]
[Reward: Slight Ōtsutsuki Bloodline.]
In Sunagakure, Sasori, dressed in his sand-colored Jonin vest and wearing a Sand Village forehead protector, was in his workshop crafting puppets in preparation for assassinating the Third Kazekage. Just then, a heavy knock struck his head, causing him to black out and slam into his workbench.
"Who?"
When Sasori finally recovered from the dizziness, he immediately activated his puppets, surrounding himself with them. But he couldn't find anyone.
"Could it be that the Third has discovered something and sent me a warning?"
Sasori's expression darkened as he scanned his surroundings, falling into deep thought.
...
[Main Mission: The Return of the Kazekage - Final Act (Incomplete)]
[Mission Objective: Rescue the Fifth Kazekage Gaara or Retrieve Gaara's Corpse]
"The final part involving Gaara is tricky."
In a bustling casino filled with shouts of "Big! Big! Big!" and "Small! Small! Small!", Hagoromo Gengetsu sat beside Tsunade. He watched as Tsunade, who had grown accustomed to everything happening around her and believed she had finally mastered the art of gambling, won round after round. Suddenly, a system prompt sounded in his mind, causing him to frown slightly.
According to this world's timeline, Gaara hadn't even been conceived yet, so how was he supposed to rescue him or retrieve his corpse?
If this were his original world, it would be easy.
Even if Gaara needed to be alive, Hagoromo Gengetsu could use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to pull Gaara's soul back from the underworld.
As for the cost of using the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, being at the Six Paths level, he could completely ignore it.
"There's no point in staying here any longer," Hagoromo Gengetsu decided.
He had delayed dealing with the Ōtsutsuki clan because he saw the system's tasks as an opportunity to further enhance his strength.
By completing tasks, his power would soon advance to a higher level, making it much easier to deal with the Ōtsutsuki.
But now, with the timeline being mismatched, the mission had hit a bug, and progress had stalled.
Should he wait several years until Gaara was born?
Hagoromo Gengetsu didn't want to waste too much time in this world.
A year or two was fine. But who could predict what changes might occur with the Ōtsutsuki mother and son or even in his original world if too much time passed?
"It's time to go."
Hagoromo Gengetsu stood up and began to walk out of the casino.
Tsunade noticed his movements and asked in surprise, "Gengetsu, are you leaving?"
Without turning his head, Hagoromo Gengetsu waved his hand.
Finally!
The big spender was leaving!
Tsunade was ecstatic.
However, to avoid unnecessary surprises, she maintained an expression of reluctance and half-heartedly tried to persuade him to stay. Finally, she asked, "Gengetsu, where are you going?"
"To save the ninja world!"
With those words, Hagoromo Gengetsu disappeared in an instant.
Tsunade: "..."
After a long silence, she turned to Shizune and asked, "He said he's going to save the ninja world. Do you believe him, Shizune?"
Shizune's small face tensed up. After seriously reflecting on everything Big Brother Gengetsu had done during this period, she shook her head and quietly said, "Not really."
"I don't believe him either!"
Tsunade clapped her hands together, having reached a conclusion.
Then, she returned to her gambling.
In this world, nothing could compare to the thrill of gambling.
But...
Tsunade's joy didn't last long before a squad of Konoha ninja arrived, instantly disrupting her good mood.
High in the sky, with the sun at his back, Hagoromo Gengetsu gazed down at the earth, now reduced to a mere speck beneath him.
During this time, while he had made some progress with the system's tasks, his search for the Ōtsutsuki mother and son had yielded nothing.
Hagoromo Gengetsu had scoured almost the entire planet, yet he hadn't found a trace of the Ōtsutsuki mother and son from either his original world or this world.
The Ōtsutsuki mother and son, who had been hiding on Earth for a thousand years, couldn't have just up and flown off into space at this time, never to return.
Therefore, there was only one possibility left.
Hagoromo Gengetsu's eyes narrowed as he prepared to take action, but then he suddenly had a thought and turned his gaze toward Roran.
After arriving in Roran, Naruto and his group had learned about the Dragon Vein from the queen. Although the Dragon Vein had mysteriously disappeared, they didn't give up and continued investigating. Not only did they obtain a spell from the queen that could partially control the Dragon Vein, but they also uncovered ancient research results from an archaeological dig in the desert.
"What is this?"
At that moment, Naruto, covered in sand, was holding a deeply buried and ancient diamond-shaped token with the words "By the order of the law" clearly inscribed on it.
Orochimaru, the main force behind the excavation, licked his lips in excitement and said, "According to the Roran royal family's lore, the Dragon Vein chose their lineage as the chosen ones and made them the guardians of the Dragon Vein. To this end, they were supposedly granted a token that could summon more power from the Dragon Vein than just the spell alone."
"The truth of the story doesn't matter anymore. But if nothing else, this should be the long-lost token that the Roran royal family was granted by the Dragon Vein many years ago."
Naruto curiously examined the token in his hand but couldn't find anything special about it.
"So, should we return it?"
"Of course... not!"
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