Chapter 2: Cellmate
[Main Quest: Choice]
Difficulty Level Quest Brief: Join any faction, such as Konoha, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, the Land of Iron, and other forces.
Quest Information: Faction choice will affect subsequent quests.
Quest Time Limit: 5 natural days.
Quest Reward: 3000 Paradise Coins.
Quest Penalty: Forced execution.
...
This type of open-world main quest is usually a chain quest.
The first main quest isn't difficult. The Naruto world has too many factions, with dozens of large and small ninja villages, plus some other forces besides the villages.
[Hunting Quest: Eliminate Violator No. 10001.]
Quest Brief: Eliminate Violator No. 10001 by any means. Violator No. 10001 is Rank 2 and extremely dangerous.
Quest Time Limit: Before leaving this derivative world.
Quest Reward: Silver Honor Medal.
...
A hunting quest appeared. Neither the previous assessment world nor the survival trial had hunting quests. After Su Xiao advanced to Rank 2, the hunting quest appeared again.
There was no need to consider the hunting quest for now; the priority was to determine the current point in time.
Su Xiao was located in Kirigakure. From the world introduction's "Blood Mist Village," he roughly deduced the current timeline.
"Not good..."
If his guess was correct, the current time was the most chaotic period in Kirigakure's history.
The organization "Akatsuki," composed of rogue ninjas, was controlling Kirigakure, and the Fourth Mizukage was under genjutsu control.
The so-called "Blood Mist Village" actually represented an era, a very brutal period.
Ninjas would attend the Ninja Academy in their childhood to learn basic knowledge. Other villages used "exams" to determine graduation, but Kirigakure was different. Here, graduating students were gathered and forced to fight each other to the death. The final survival rate was less than half, and there had even been cases where only one person remained.
The reputation of the Blood Mist was not unfounded. Whether in its ruling methods or foreign policies, Kirigakure was extremely ruthless.
Currently, Su Xiao was inside Kirigakure's "dungeon." His crime was unknown, but judging by the treatment, it must have been serious, as he was held in the deepest cell.
"Hey."
A voice came from the next cell.
"What."
Su Xiao spoke.
"I thought you were dead too. Is Kawaki dead?"
The cellmate next door reached a hand through the gap in the iron bars. It was an arm covered in scars, with faint bite marks visible—probably from biting it in extreme hunger.
"Dead."
"Great, give me a piece."
The sound of swallowing saliva came.
Su Xiao sat in his cell, lit a cigarette, and ignored his "cellmate" next door.
"Cold bastard, how did you get in?"
...
Su Xiao still didn't speak.
"I got in for trying to assassinate a woman. She was a top-tier beauty, but too strong. She almost burned me to ashes."
"A woman?"
Su Xiao became interested. He might get some information from this talkative cellmate.
"Yeah, a woman. Even now, I can't forget her, especially that figure, tsk tsk~"
"A ninja?"
"Of course. If she weren't a ninja, I wouldn't have tried to assassinate her."
...
Su Xiao didn't press further. In this pitch-black prison, the talkative guy next door would surely speak on his own.
"Aren't you curious who the woman is?"
"Not curious."
Hearing Su Xiao's answer, the talkative guy next door was a bit annoyed.
"Her name is Terumi Mei. A useless pacifist. I almost killed her. If Nagato hadn't suddenly shown up, I would have definitely won one-on-one."
An eerie laugh came from next door. Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. Terumi Mei? The Fifth Mizukage?
"Hey, what crime did you commit to be locked up deeper than me?"
"Not sure."
"Huh?"
Su Xiao genuinely didn't know. Someone should come for him eventually; otherwise, this bizarre start would be too unfair.
"What's your name, kid?"
After the talkative guy next door asked, Su Xiao paused for a few seconds before speaking.
"Bai Ye."
"Bai Ye? You're that madman? The one who tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage?"
"Hmm?"
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes glinting in the darkness.
Reincarnation Paradise had assigned him the identity of an assassin who failed to kill the Fourth Mizukage. How did he know he failed? From his current predicament, of course.
Reincarnation Paradise wouldn't assign identities randomly. Thinking about it, Su Xiao indeed had the ability to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.
In terms of strength, Su Xiao was far weaker than the Fourth Mizukage.
His mind raced, and Su Xiao thought of a possibility: Azure Steel Shadow was very effective against chakra.
He had considered this before. Without chakra, ninjas were just humans with slightly stronger physical abilities.
Azure Steel Shadow had a trait: while burning energy, it caused the victim's energy to go berserk. Although this berserk state only lasted from a few tenths of a second to about a second before disappearing.
For ninjas to use jutsu, chakra was crucial. Without chakra, not only jutsu but even taijutsu would be affected.
Thinking this way, ninjas were somewhat similar to mages, just with different combat styles.
Su Xiao felt that if a ninja was hit by him at close range, the outcome wouldn't be good.
Of course, some ninjas were different, like those with Kekkei Genkai.
Ordinary ninjas used jutsu that could be categorized into several types: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth, and the more advanced Yin and Yang.
Kekkei Genkai combined two natures, like Wind and Water to form Ice Release, which was a Kekkei Genkai.
This was just the most basic Kekkei Genkai. Dojutsu like the Byakugan and Sharingan were also Kekkei Genkai.
Su Xiao shouldn't have much trouble dealing with ordinary ninjas. Chunin were no match for him, and Jonin would be fine if they fought to the death. As for Kage-level, if they kept their distance, Su Xiao would definitely die.
But if Su Xiao got close and ambushed them, even a Kage-level could die by his hands. The combination of Blade Master Lv.21 and the Dark Purple +10 Dragon-Slaying Flash was no joke, not to mention the energy-burning Azure Steel Shadow.
Su Xiao and his cellmate next door shared some fate—one failed to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, the other failed to assassinate the Fifth Mizukage.
"What should I call you? Being able to assassinate the Fifth Mizukage means you're no nobody."
This time, Su Xiao spoke first.
"Tch~ Fifth Mizukage?"
The cellmate next door sneered, as if he had heard something ridiculous.
"That woman? The Fifth Mizukage? You must be joking!"
The talkative guy next door roared, losing control of his emotions. He punched the iron bars, making them clang loudly.
After a long while, the talkative guy next door calmed down.
"She's not the Fifth Mizukage yet?"
"Of course not. She isn't now, and she never will be."
The cell fell into dead silence.
"What should I call you?"
Su Xiao asked.
"Hozuki Zangetsu."
Hearing this name, Su Xiao understood why the other had the strength to assassinate Terumi Mei. He was from the Hozuki clan.
The Hozuki clan's ability was Hydrification. How was this guy trapped in a cell?
"Hozuki clan? This place shouldn't be able to hold you."