Infinite Anime [212-214] (Patreon)

Chapter 212: Please Don't Lick It

The Nightwalker was custom-made to Gusion's specifications. He felt that energy shields and the like were not as effective as his freely usable kido.

For a defensive outer garment, Gusion only had two requirements: it had to look cool and be tough. As long as it enhanced his defense and increased his life source tolerance, that was enough.

Hence the second skill, Embrace of the Night—a straightforward boost to maximum life source. For an epic-grade item, a 30% bonus to max life source is decent, but if the effect doubles, it becomes absurdly strong.

With this equipment, Gusion's advantage in night battles would be greatly amplified.

Even during the day, this piece was definitely epic-tier: high dual resistance, and when combined with Armament Haki, very few at the same level could harm him.

"How is it, satisfied?"

 The sailor-uniform girl asked weakly, "By the way, can you change your aesthetic? Always wearing black makes you look so gloomy."

"If I like it, that's all that matters."

 Gusion didn't argue about fashion. As a fighter, he only cared about practicality. As long as he looked cool enough, that was fine.

He then picked up another piece of equipment — his custom-made inner armor.

Strictly speaking, the outer garment isn't traditional armor; it's more of a functional defensive item. Real defense comes down to the armor itself.

Placed at the center was the inner armor. Honestly, Gusion couldn't even tell it was armor—more like a... tank top.

It looked so thin and light that it didn't give off any sense of protection, making one doubt its defensive power at a glance.

But as soon as Gusion picked it up and checked it out, his impression changed.

[Ice Cloud Battle Armor]

 Origin: End Space

 Quality: Epic

 Type: Defensive Inner Armor

 Toughness: 63

 Durability: 400/400

 Requirement: 65 Constitution

Details: Crafted by Supporter █████ with ten-thousand-year ice crystal and cloud silk as main materials. Offers extremely strong physical and magical defense.

Skill 1: Ice Wall (Passive)

 Effect: While wearing the Ice Cloud Battle Armor, the Pioneer reduces physical damage taken by 40% and magical damage by 30% (applies to attacks below Tier 4 only).

Skill 2: Soft Cloud (Passive)

 Effect: Thanks to materials and superb craftsmanship, the armor is soft and elastic, doesn't hinder movement, and mitigates 60% of impact damage from blunt attacks.

Skill 3: Ice Cloud (Active)

 Effect: Actively activating this skill consumes half the armor's durability and grants the Pioneer 1 second of invincibility—immune to all Tier 4 and below damage.

Rating: 700+

 Review: Dodging? What's that? Just hit me.

[]

Gusion ignored End Space's cheeky review. He was definitely profiting with this piece. The sailor-uniform girl had performed perfectly, producing a max-rated epic item worth 300,000 Endcoins, perfectly suited to his needs.

His equipment philosophy was now clear: no need for flashy abilities. Defensive gear should make him tougher; offensive gear should make him deadlier.

The Ice Cloud Battle Armor fit this perfectly—no fancy extras, just pure tankiness. With it and Nightwalker combined, plus his Haki, Gusion felt that ordinary explorers wouldn't even scratch his defense.

Even if he took Mandrake's thrust head-on, at most he'd be wounded, never killed outright.

"I think I get your style, based on the equipment you order..."

 The sailor-uniform girl said from the side. "Do you ever use strategy in a fight?"

"Strategy? What for?"

 Gusion grinned. "That's for before the fight. Once it starts, just kill the other guy."

She was speechless. Having survived as an explorer herself, she could not relate to Gusion's brute-force approach.

She picked up the last piece of equipment. "You'll probably like this one too."

Gusion checked it out—it was his second ring. Unfortunately, the sailor-uniform girl hadn't messed up this time; it was a straightforward epic item.

[Magic Draught]

 Origin: End Space

 Quality: Epic

 Type: Accessory

 Durability: 400/400

 Requirement: 65 Spirit

Details: Crafted by Supporter █████ with Witch's Fragrance and Myras Mithril as main materials. Has a bewitching appearance.

Skill 1: Mana Abundance (Passive)

 Effect: Increases max soul value by 40% while worn.

Skill 2: Spellstorm (Passive)

 Effect: Reduces soul value consumed by skills by 30% while worn.

Skill 3: Magic Draught (Passive/Active)

 Effect: When soul value is full, the ring slowly absorbs and stores it, up to 200% of the user's max. This stored energy can be instantly used to fully restore soul value, with a cooldown of 10 minutes.

Current Mana Storage: 0

 Rating: 700

 Review: By the way, please don't lick it.

[]

Gusion was speechless at End Space's review—who would lick a ring? But he was very satisfied with the item itself.

He already had the Soul Devourer ring for true damage, but since he couldn't count on the sailor-uniform girl making another growth item, he decided to stack his max soul value.

The higher his soul cap, the stronger the Soul Devourer's passive damage.

Since Soul Devourer's active skill burned through mana, Gusion wanted plenty of soul value for sustained combat and error tolerance, and passive savings when using skills—thus, this function.

Magic Draught was like having two extra mana bars, a lifesaver in a pinch. In the heat of battle, he could easily activate a ring skill, but couldn't always pull out a recovery item.

Besides, unless it's a growth item, most gear only lasts a few worlds before being replaced. Magic Draught was a top-tier mage accessory, and should resell easily.

Gusion's discarded gear was already listed on the market; his Butcher and worn-out Black Nightmare should fetch a good price.

"Not bad. By the way, can you make dark-gold tier equipment?"

Gusion put his gear away, asking casually.

"Dark-gold?"

 The sailor-uniform girl looked troubled. "It's not impossible, but I can't guarantee quality, and materials are hard to get."

With her current Supporter rank, being able to craft epic-tier was already impressive, thanks to her upbringing. Beyond that, it was tough, which is why she longed for a legacy crystal.

Gusion's commissions were one way to improve her skills, but he only came once a month, which wasn't enough.

"Do your best. I'll support your business as much as I can."

 Gusion said. He knew life-type players like her needed to grind proficiency—without requests, their skills stagnated.

He figured he'd need even better gear in the future. If she couldn't make it, their partnership would end.

"You're getting pretty cocky. I don't know what you did in the last world to get so rich, but dark-gold is a huge leap. You won't need it for a while."

She caught Gusion's implication. "But since you said so, I'll try harder."

She wondered if she should go home for a bit—she'd produced results, sold some beds, and should ask for more support.

"See you next world, then. I'll go test out the new gear."

 Gusion turned to leave, eager to test its performance.

A few days later, after daily training, Gusion returned to his room to check the Pioneer's shop.

He currently had two Gold Pioneer Medals—enough to exchange for something good.

[Welcome to the Pioneer Shop. Items refresh in 25 hours. Please purchase as needed.]

He'd browsed the shop before. Medals earned from Pioneer missions were spent here, but he'd only had low-level medals before—just enough for consumables.

Now, with gold medals in hand, he expected to get some good items before the next world.

After browsing, Gusion found this refresh was excellent—everything he wanted. End Space was finally getting his taste.

After some inner debate, he picked two items.

[Purgatory]

 Origin: End Space

 Quality: Epic

 Type: Gauntlets

 Toughness: 60

 Durability: 400/400

 Requirement: 62 Constitution

Details: Crafted by Supporter █████ with Abyssal Bloodcrystal and Ghostcloth. High physical and magical defense.

Skill 1: Blood Fiend (Passive)

 Effect: The crimson gauntlets hide on the user's hands. When attacking barehanded or with a weapon, triggers Blood Fiend for +30% physical damage and causes bleeding.

Skill 2: Coagulate (Passive)

 Effect: For every 1% life lost, life recovery rate increases by 10% (applies to recovery skills).

Skill 3: Crimson (Passive)

 Effect: For every 1% life lost, increases nerve reflex speed and extra damage by 0.5% each.

Rating: 670

 Review: These hands will be drenched in crimson, frenzied in blood.

Certified Price: 1 Gold Pioneer Medal

[]

Epic items cost gold medals, but value varies. Gusion saw a max-rated item for two medals, but felt it wasn't worth it compared to two 670-point items. Selection depends on needs, and this one suited him best.

The other item was a training aid called Void Stone, also epic.

Void Stone lets you create a temporary meditation space for training mental attributes and techniques. Gusion figured, combined with the Dreamless bed, his training would be much more efficient—he could meditate and sleep at the same time, raising both stats and skills.

He wasn't in a position to call others tryhards—he was a bit of a grindlord himself.

Chapter 213: New World, Naruto

"Whew—"

Gusion exhaled in the training field, ending today's session.

He hadn't slacked off for a month, but his gains were mainly in technique, not stats—it seemed his limiter-release talent was hitting a bottleneck.

He wished he could get the legendary talent-advancement quest soon, to awaken his ability again.

After washing up, Gusion got an End Space prompt.

[A new mission world will open in 6 hours. Pioneer #008, please prepare.]

[Mission World Target: Naruto]

Gusion perked up. He was no longer a newbie—Naruto was a large derivative world.

The Big Three were classics even in his era; his master had some volumes, though incomplete. Fortunately, Gusion had caught up since entering End Space.

After finishing Naruto, he realized he'd underestimated its power level as a kid. He'd thought Naruto was much weaker than Bleach, but after seeing the full series, he knew better.

Not even counting Boruto, Naruto's power ceiling could compete with Bleach's top tiers.

But the real world always differs from manga. With his experience, Gusion knew not to make assumptions before seeing for himself.

One thing was sure: for his current level, Naruto would be both dangerous and rewarding—a place to hone his skills and reap benefits.

Having confirmed the new world, Gusion lay down to rest—a habit to ensure peak condition before entering.

After all, not every world starts safe. If he landed in the middle of the Ninja War, he might face endless fighting right away.

Time passed. That night, he heard End Space's prompt again.

[Teleportation starting...]

With the prompt, Gusion entered the familiar white-light tunnel. Everything was blurry except for the clear system prompts.

[World locating...]

[Success. Target: Large Derivative World — Naruto]

[End Space Explorers Deployed: 61]

[Heaven's Will Explorers Deployed: 73]

[Universal language acquired for this world. 100 Endcoins deducted.]

[Transferring to world... Pioneer may read world details while waiting.]

A menu popped up. Since teleportation took time, Gusion checked it out.

[Mission World: Naruto]

[Type: Large Derivative]

[Difficulty: LV10~???]

[Note: This is a large, open derivative world. Difficulty varies by region. Proceed with caution.]

World summary: War and slaughter, ninja arts and sage arts, the chain of hatred—when will it be severed?

 Chakra: The energy for ninjutsu, mixing physical and spiritual power.

Sage arts: Jutsu powered by natural energy, usually requiring Sage Mode.

Dojutsu: Eye techniques, usually for bloodline ninjas, using eye power to attack/control/see through.

[Note: Killing enemy explorers doubles the chance of a Deadman's Chest drop.]

[Faction Reputation System active. Choose your allegiance; special cases may allow multiple.]

[Current Pioneer Konoha Reputation: -1000]

[Current Pioneer Kumogakure Reputation: -3000]

Gusion was just wondering about the low rep when another prompt came:

[Assigning initial identity...]

[Checking power, titles, bloodline, traits, personality...]

[Analysis complete. Suitable identity assigned.]

[Deployment complete. No main quest for this world—explore and take missions freely.]

The sensation of weightlessness ended. Gusion found himself in a familiar setting.

The air stank of decay, urine, and blood—a nauseating mix.

Unlike the Udon Prison start in One Piece, this time his physical restraints were loose—just heavy iron shackles. He was also wrapped in white bandages covered in sealing runes.

Gusion thought, What kind of dangerous guy am I to deserve this?

Fortunately, End Space wasn't too cruel; this was likely just an initial identity setup. The seals seemed old and loose; he could easily break them with full force. The iron shackles were a joke for his strength.

His identity seemed complex—he didn't check the long info dump immediately, instead assessing his current location and timeline.

[Location: Kumogakure, Underground Prison]

[Time: Konoha Year 55]

[Identity: Konoha Missing-nin, International Felon, War Hero.]

Gusion was stunned. How could he be all three at once?

No one around, so he checked his identity in detail.

He was twenty-one; eight years ago, at thirteen, he'd become a hero in the Third Ninja War.

Very Naruto. In this world of child soldiers, it wasn't odd—like Itachi at four on the battlefield, or Kakashi, who was a Chunin at six, on the battlefield at ten, and a Jonin at twelve.

So, compared to these prodigies, being a battlefield hero at thirteen was normal.

But heroism depends on perspective. He'd killed many enemy ninjas, especially Kumogakure ninja, so his rep there was rock bottom—feared and hated by most.

Now, he was a prisoner, no longer a Konoha hero, because he'd defected.

The reasons were complicated, but from the info, it wasn't his fault—Konoha had forced him out after he learned some of Danzo's dirty secrets. After defecting, he was hunted, and finally caught by the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee, imprisoned for eight years.

Normally, only your own village hunts missing-nin, but Gusion's case was special. He'd made too many enemies, killed ninjas from other villages, and became an internationally wanted criminal.

Why didn't Kumogakure kill him? Because, as a former Konoha Jonin and war hero, they thought he knew Konoha's secrets, and might be persuaded to join them, especially since he had a rare lightning bloodline and great power.

Kumogakure always valued military strength and bloodlines, so they wouldn't waste such talent.

As for the people he'd killed—war was war, not personal vendettas. On a national scale, there were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

Gusion was reviewing his identity when he sensed a strong ninja approaching via faint electric signals and Observation Haki—likely someone coming for him.

He focused, ready to break out if it was an execution.

From the info, his predecessor was tough—loyal to Konoha, never leaked info or joined Kumogakure, and due for execution soon.

Before long, a tall, busty, fair-skinned blonde kunoichi entered the cell—Samui, the Fourth Raikage's confidante.

She unlocked the cell with no expression, only a hint of distaste for the prison. "Gusion, right?"

When he didn't respond, she said, "Lord Raikage wants to see you. Follow me."

She drew her short sword, cut his shackles, and—though his power was sealed—he could still walk.

Gusion, seeing it wasn't an execution, was curious what the Raikage wanted.

Chapter 214: Go Undercover in Akatsuki

Leaving the dungeon, Gusion looked up at the sun and breathed the free air.

Kumogakure, surrounded by mountains and clouds, was indeed a sight.

On the street, people pointed and whispered. Some who'd been in the Third Ninja War recognized him, with looks of hatred or fear.

Gusion didn't care about their stares. With such low reputation, and his identity, he guessed it had to do with his new bloodline and Calamity title.

This identity seemed terrible, but from his last world's experience, sometimes starting in jail could be very profitable.

But unlike One Piece, here he was a real war criminal. The Naruto world was more serious and its people smarter.

So the Raikage wouldn't let himself be tricked, nor did Gusion intend to help Kumogakure—there was no benefit for him.

Helping Kaido in Wano let him learn Haki; helping the Raikage would only get him Lightning Release.

In a war-torn world like Naruto, only by stirring things up could you get more rewards and exploration points.

With no main quest, he had no clear goals yet—better wait and see what the Raikage wanted before deciding how to break free.

With his current strength, he was a powerhouse even in this era—though only in this era, since Naruto's power scaling was wild.

Following Samui, who slowed her pace for his restraints, they took half an hour to reach the Raikage's office.

Samui, though wary the whole way, only relaxed after handing Gusion over.

At twenty-one, she was already an elite Jonin and the Raikage's confidante, but back in the war, she was only a Chunin—much weaker than the prisoner she'd just escorted, a Konoha war hero known as The Thunderstorm.

"Lord Raikage, The Thunderstorm Gusion is here."

 Samui knocked, reported, and entered with Gusion.

Gusion readied himself. He'd already disrupted the seal with lightning—if a fight broke out, he was ready.

Kumogakure's seals targeted chakra, but his lightning didn't require chakra; as a Raijin Fruit user, his soul energy was different, more like natural energy in Naruto, so their seals were ineffective.

Inside, he saw the Raikage—tall, muscular, tanned, with a white Raikage cloak. Even seated, he was imposing, though after One Piece, Gusion was used to giants.

Seeing Samui bring Gusion in, the Raikage paused his paperwork, clearly not a fan of desk jobs.

He stood, hands on the table, and stared at Gusion. "The Thunderstorm, I'll ask one last time: will you join Kumogakure?"

"What if I say no?"

 Gusion kept in character as a loyal Konoha hero, but was really testing the Raikage's response.

From market intel, this Naruto world wasn't freshly reset—explorers had been here, possibly altering the plot.

Calling him out now meant the Raikage had a job for him.

"If you refuse, you'll be executed tomorrow."

 The Raikage glared, moustache twitching. He was no fool—he knew Gusion was negotiating for better terms.

He wanted to make clear that he, the Raikage, held the power, and Gusion was at his mercy.

"I almost forgot—I'm your defeated foe, caught by you years ago."

 Gusion joked.

The Raikage frowned at the provocation—Gusion was hinting that it had taken both him and Killer Bee to catch him. But in the ninja world, victory matters more than glory.

He didn't mind Gusion's attitude—after years of torture and experiments, it was normal. But he believed eight years of prison had worn Gusion down—if the price was right, he'd agree.

After all, as an internationally-wanted missing-nin, Gusion had nowhere else to go. Only Kumogakure dared shelter him; most missing-nin lived miserably.

"Do you know about Akatsuki?"

 The Raikage asked, confirming that this world's plot had changed.

"Akatsuki? Never heard of it."

 Gusion replied—his identity shouldn't know about Akatsuki, which only became active after the Third War.

"It's a mercenary group of missing-nin from all villages—very troublesome."

The Raikage was irritated just mentioning them. "Onoki keeps hiring Akatsuki to harass us!"

"So, what's that got to do with me?"

 Gusion shrugged.

"I can give you freedom and an Anbu rank in Kumogakure. I need you to join Akatsuki and monitor them for us."

 The Raikage was blunt.

Gusion's expression turned odd. "You want me to join Akatsuki for intel? Why would I?"

"You don't understand your situation. You never killed yourself, so you want to live. But you can't return to Konoha. Without our protection, Konoha will hunt you down."

The Raikage spoke gravely. "Only Kumogakure can give you a new identity. Isn't Anbu enough?"

Gusion smirked. "Anbu? That's your big offer?"

The Raikage's face darkened. "Don't push your luck!"

Samui watched coldly—she thought Gusion was being ungrateful. Anbu was a high post with great prospects and pay—how was that not a good deal?

"You tortured and imprisoned me for years and just offer a job? You think I'd settle for that?"

Gusion retorted. If they wanted his help, they had to offer more.

The Raikage's anger faded. "What do you want?"

He hadn't expected Gusion to bargain, but this meant his loyalty to Konoha was wavering—he was open to offers.

"I want all your Lightning Release secrets."

 Gusion named his price.

"Impossible!"

 The Raikage instantly refused, slamming the table. "Those are the village's foundation—family secrets! No way!"

Gusion smiled. "You might not control the other clans, but surely you control your own? Your Lightning Chakra Mode looks good. Why not teach me that?"

The Raikage's brow furrowed tightly. He leapt over the desk, standing three meters from Gusion, chakra surging—he was out of patience.

The Lightning Chakra Mode was a hereditary secret, taught only to Raikage or their heirs—not to a possible traitor.

"You're too greedy, The Thunderstorm. Your name ends today."

Samui was shocked—the Raikage was actually showing killing intent. Was he going to execute Gusion himself?

"Greedy? You just don't think I'm worth the price."

 Gusion sneered. "You want me to spy on Akatsuki, but won't give up your secrets. You probably just want a disposable pawn. Don't want to risk your own ninja, huh?"

While they stared in shock, Gusion flexed, breaking the seal's bandages. "If there's nothing to discuss, let's fight."