Lin Yu sighed, this was for the best. Ever since the awakening of the mission system, he had been constantly busy with tasks. A period of rest was good. He seemed to recall that nothing major was expected to happen in the near future. Was it possible that the released missions were also tied to specific time points?
Lin Yu harbored some doubts but wasn't entirely sure. However… if even the system suspected him of harboring ill intentions towards Uchiha Mikoto, then he might as well go along with their assumptions!
Fugaku, you'd better find yourself another wife!
Itachi, pray that your mother remains as gentle and considerate as ever!
As for Sasuke, go to hell!
Lin Yu snapped back to reality, looking somewhat dejected. One hundred D-rank missions! How long would that take? It would probably extend to the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War.
Fortunately, he had Might Duy and Mikoto. He wondered if their missions would also count towards his own. If they did, that would be great. He could exploit a system bug. With so many D-rank missions in his mission log, the system wouldn't dare to disavow them, would it?
Lin Yu thought gleefully, not lingering outside. He hurried back to cook for Kushina! Lin Yu clearly remembered the plot where Kushina was abducted by Kumogakure. He wondered what the Konoha Anbu were doing. Knowing that Kushina was the successor to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, they still allowed a few Kumogakure extras to abduct her. Truly incompetent!
He wondered if the Kumogakure in this world would stick to their old ways. Lin Yu was somewhat expectant, as he wanted to earn some extra income!
Late at night.
Lin Yu stealthily slipped into Kushina's room again. He planned to have another chat with Kurama, to cultivate their relationship!
The familiar location, the familiar sensation. Lin Yu's consciousness blurred, and the surroundings transformed into Uzushio Village.
"Hmm? Brat, why are you here again! And always in the dead of night, disturbing my sleep!" Kurama, sensing the familiar scent, growled irritably from behind the sealing gate.
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. It can't be helped. I can't let Kushina know about my affairs, so this is the only way." Lin Yu felt somewhat awkward, thinking it wasn't right to disturb someone's sleep.
However, in an instant, Lin Yu realized something. Did Kurama need to sleep? Couldn't it sleep during the day? Besides, it was either sleeping or sleeping here. He wasn't disturbing its sleep; it was probably hoping he'd come to keep it company!
Lin Yu's expression turned a bit dark. He was almost tricked by a fox. He said a bit pettily, "Can I go inside and take a look?"
Kurama found it strange. This kid wanted to come in? It dreamed of getting out, let alone coming in!
"Don't even think about it. Unless you use a key to open the seal, or break the seal, the door won't open."
Lin Yu pondered for a moment, wanting to try something: "Then, if I don't open the door, can I enter directly?"
Kurama found it amusing. Was this human here to entertain it in the middle of the night? Its voice was teasing, "I'd like to know how to enter without opening the door. You might be able to squeeze through that gap, hahaha!"
Lin Yu ignored Kurama's mockery. A golden magic circle pattern appeared in his eyes, adorned with slightly flickering white-blue flames. Lin Yu beckoned, and a strange white-blue flame materialized at his fingertip, eerie and spectral.
"What kind of fire is this? I've never seen it before!" A flicker of surprise crossed Kurama's demonic eyes. With its vast knowledge, it had never encountered such a white-blue flame.
"This is called igniting, uh no, this is called the Undying Netherflame, one of my Mangekyo Sharingan abilities." Lin Yu almost blurted out the truth, but fortunately, Kurama didn't know what 'igniting' was, and no one in the entire ninja world would.
"Undying Netherflame? Never heard of it. How powerful is it?" Kurama looked disdainfully at the small flame, dismissively.
Lin Yu felt a bit embarrassed, resorting to a weak excuse: "Its power is incredibly astonishing. Everyone who has experienced it says it's good!"
Kurama became even more curious: "Everyone says it's good? So powerful, and people still say it's good? You must really be here to amuse me! Hahaha, come! Let me experience its power!"
Lin Yu blinked and said, "Really? Its power is immense!"
"Come on! If I let out even a single word, you can have my position as the leader of the tailed beasts!"
Lin Yu curled his lip. This impoverished fox had nothing good to offer. He scoffed, "What use do I have for that? I'm not a tailed beast. Who are you trying to fool!"
However, Lin Yu still tossed the Undying Netherflame towards the gap in the gate. With a nervous heart, the white-blue flame slowly passed through the sealing gate without causing the slightest ripple. It worked!
"Eh! It actually passed through. Then let me experience its power!" Kurama, quite nonchalantly, touched the white-blue flame with its claw.
Whoosh!
The Undying Netherflame seemed to gain sentience, and before Kurama could react, it entered its chest, painlessly and without sensation.
"What the heck, I don't feel anything at all. This little spark of yours is too weak." Kurama looked at the vanished Undying Netherflame, felt its body for a moment, and found no abnormalities.
"Oh? Try feeling again." A voice came from behind Kurama.
Before Kurama could even turn its head, a wave of comfort, spreading from its very core, washed over its entire body: "Hiss! Timoji!"
"I feel all my chakra boiling. I haven't experienced such pleasure in many years. Brat, how did you do it?" Kurama's massive pupils were filled with expressions of extreme pleasure and contentment. It glanced slightly towards the outside of the gate but saw no sign of Lin Yu. Then, it abruptly turned its head back and saw a tiny figure lying on its tail behind it, a look of blissful satisfaction on its face.
Kurama was greatly astonished: "Impossible, how did you get in... was it because of that flame?"
"Bingo! Correct, but no reward." Lin Yu lay comfortably on Kurama's furry tail, his head resting on it. He had only been trying it out and hadn't expected it to actually work.
Would he be teleported directly inside the sealing gate from now on, or appear next to Kushina? If he appeared directly inside the sealing gate, was it his physical body entering, or like now, his consciousness accompanied by chakra?
These were all things Lin Yu would need to research slowly. But for now, he had plenty of time, and there was no need to rush.
"Brat, that flame is no ordinary thing. It can penetrate seals, and I can feel a flame burning in my chest, transmitting a life force that is quite pleasing." Kurama looked at Lin Yu with profound eyes.
"That's right, the Undying Netherflame can burn away impurities within the body. You are a chakra lifeform, so it will naturally refine your chakra, making it of higher quality. Most importantly, as long as the flame doesn't extinguish, life will not cease. However, for you tailed beasts, this is somewhat trivial, as you don't die easily. Consider it a deposit for your protection of Kushina!" Lin Yu said nonchalantly. Giving Kurama a Netherflame was merely a massage at best, and in his opinion, it had no significant effect.
Kurama squinted, looking deeply at Lin Yu, and grinned, "Thank you, brat. I'll accept this deposit." Kurama didn't mention that tailed beasts could also die, and there was more than one way.
"Oh, right. Kushina might face a tribulation, but not anytime soon, perhaps within the next year or two. I'd trouble you to keep an eye on her then." With that, Lin Yu's figure vanished.
Leaving only Kurama, the tailed beast, in deep thought: "A prophecy? This brat knows quite a lot, doesn't he... but whatever!" Kurama settled back down comfortably onto the ground, gradually starting to snore...