Chapter 282: The First Batch of Pioneers
[Time-Space Gate No. 104 is conducting authority authentication...]
[Essence: Superior]
[Qi: Superior]
[God: ???]
[Authorization successful!]
[Information transmission in progress...]
[Information transmission progress: 0%...]
[Information transmission speed: 0%...]
[Information transmission speed: 0%...]
...
Buzz——
A deafening hum erupted, almost solidifying into a soundwave that blasted outward in all directions.
Ignoring the horrified looks from Konan and Hidan beside him, Ryosuke prepared to strike the shadow that had suddenly materialized within the hot spring hotel.
Thousands of fists converged into one, exploding forth with tremendous force.
A single punch—powerful enough to shatter an entire great nation's territory—landed squarely on the space-time gate, but it didn't budge.
The immense shockwave burst outward from Ryosuke and the gate, tearing through everything in its path.
The hot spring resort Hidan had painstakingly built was reduced to rubble in an instant.
Almost every building in the surrounding town was affected—collapsing one after another without resistance.
Then, a cold, machine-like voice echoed in Ryosuke's mind.
It resembled Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's method of telepathic transmission—direct, emotionless, and absolute.
What followed was a flood of strange images, trying to invade his mind, anchoring themselves as if they were memories.
Ryosuke instinctively summoned the power of the Tenseigan floating beside him, using it to push back against the intrusive images.
The sound transmission faltered—fragmented and unable to dig deeper into his consciousness.
> "This space-time gate... could it be a technological construct?"
As the dust and fog gradually settled, the scene revealed utter devastation.
Under the bright sunlight, nothing remained but ruins around Ryosuke.
The nameless town in the eastern Land of Hot Springs had been reduced to a wasteland—completely wiped from the map of the ninja world.
Unbothered by the chaos around him, or by Konan and Hidan crawling out from beneath a massive slab of debris ready to flee at any moment, Ryosuke focused only on the voice in his mind.
Space-Time Gate No. 104…
This battle spanned over a hundred worlds—and that was only the minimum.
Perhaps… there were many more.
Could essence, energy, and spirit be the metrics by which a world's eligibility for dimensional travel was judged?
So...
Suppressing the surging chakra in his body, Ryosuke halted his resistance and allowed the invading images to flood his mind.
[Owner of Space-Time Gate No. 104: Ryosuke Hyuga]
[Ninja World Progress: ??? — Data anomaly! Re-verifying...]
[Ninja World Progress: Ten-Tails Rebellion?]
[This world has met the conditions for interdimensional travel. The connection between this world and others has been opened. Travel through the gate is now possible.]
[After passing through the space-time gate, you will temporarily obtain the power to summon it at will.]
[The gate is currently accumulating energy...]
A complex stream of data surged into Ryosuke's brain, overwhelming even his mind—already enhanced beyond human limits.
Enduring the intense pain in his skull, he waved his hand, closing the space-time gate according to the imprint left in his memory.
Then, without hesitation, he took a single step forward—instantly crossing the boundaries of nations—returning to his home in the Land of Rain.
Thump.
Ryosuke fell face-first onto his bed.
With his level of control, he could move through space-time without alerting anyone.
Ninja World Progress: Ten-Tails Rebellion? Data anomaly?
His brain swirled with fragmented thoughts and memories. Fighting off the nausea bubbling in his throat, Ryosuke's eyes sharpened.
Did the creator of the space-time gate—or the one who governs the heavens and all worlds—already know the original history of the ninja world?
Am I... not the only one who crossed over?
But if I'm not the only one…
Would someone truly grant me this many opportunities if others had come before?
The acquisition of the space-time gate answered several questions—particularly the mechanics of interdimensional travel.
Shanks' cryptic words were now confirmed.
But along with those confirmations came a mountain of new doubts.
The gate followed rules too meticulous—too perfect—almost like a system designed to gamify the heavens and all realms.
So… who was the mastermind behind it?
Who was the god that forged this space-time network?
Was it all just for amusement?
Or… was it more like raising insects in a sealed jar?
As for other transmigrators... logically speaking, their existence couldn't be ruled out. But it wasn't guaranteed either. There might be other explanations—perhaps something like destiny itself.
Destiny…
Ryosuke's always-firm gaze gradually lost focus.
He had become too attached to that word.
From the very beginning—ever since he arrived in this world—he had placed tremendous importance on that vague, intangible concept. It stood equal with his obsession for power.
But why?
Why was he so obsessed with understanding fate? With controlling it?
Maybe it had been buried in him all along.
Breaking the Hyuga clan's rigid system.
Turning Naruto into the Sage of Six Paths' pawn.
Disrupting the power balance among the great nations.
Letting Uchiha Madara live…
Everything he had done was to overturn the fate of this world. He had guided its trajectory with his own hands, taking control of destiny in his own way—obsessively, relentlessly.
Just like… he had once fallen so heavily under its weight.
Raising his hand, Ryosuke stared at his open palm in silence.
He liked the Hyuga clan because they shared his ideals.
A family that believed in taking control of their future—calculating, decisive, never passive.
Being among people like that brought him comfort.
But... now he had to step away.
This path—the one involving space-time, gods, and fate—went beyond the Hyuga philosophy… and beyond himself.
Lying in bed, Ryosuke had fully absorbed the memories forced into his brain.
But he didn't move.
He just stared at the ceiling—confused, numb.
He gave up thinking. Gave up resisting.
He simply enjoyed the quiet stillness of doing absolutely nothing.
Time trickled by.
Ryosuke hadn't told anyone of his return, and with the delay in relaying news from the Land of Hot Springs, no one came to disturb him.
The sky outside shifted from day to dusk…
From dusk to night…
Then from night to dawn.
Until—
"Ryosuke?"
A voice broke the silence outside his home.
Hinata's soft, puzzled voice called out.
"Is that you? Are you back?"
She stood at the door, and before she realized it, many Hyuga clan members had gathered behind her, their expressions tense as they peered into the house.
"It's me," Ryosuke said calmly.
He rose from the bed, opened the door, and stepped outside.
For a moment, the clan members were stunned. But under the silent pressure of dozens of pairs of white eyes, their aggressive stances gradually eased.
"Why did you return so suddenly?"
Hinata stepped through the crowd and approached him.
Before Ryosuke could respond, she continued firmly, "You did it."
Her confident tone, paired with the calmness in his eyes, made the truth clear—there was no need for confirmation.
She stepped forward quickly and examined him, scanning his entire body as if to ensure he hadn't lost anything. Only after confirming he was unharmed did she breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
"You were smart enough to listen to me—the head of the family," she said, a faint trace of joy in her voice.
But she quickly sobered, recognizing the gravity of the moment. She turned around and faced the others.
"Inform Father of Ryosuke's return, and urge the cabinet to convene immediately to finalize the candidates for the first deployment."
Hinata understood Ryosuke.
She also understood the depths of her husband's obsession with strength and power.
From the clan's perspective, selecting him as the first pioneer would be reckless—foolish, even. That was why she had always opposed his proposal and had tied him down using her authority as clan head.
But from Ryosuke's own perspective—given his drive to push himself even at the cost of danger—there was no guarantee he would listen to reason.
No matter how rational or intelligent Ryosuke was, that same intelligence often made him autocratic—he rarely accepted others' opinions.
Fortunately… he had still chosen to respect hers.
Hinata found comfort in that.
Standing beside her, Ryosuke caught the subtle change in her expression and quietly suppressed the doubts in his heart.
After all, when intelligence is lacking, no matter how much one overthinks, all that results are endless guesses without proof.
And guesswork is meaningless.
Take guesswork as truth, and you lose your grip on reality.
The only way forward now… is to keep moving. To confirm or disprove each suspicion only when you have the evidence—before you fall behind or get eliminated.
---
With the activation of the space-time gate, the Hyuga clan's refined machine, already poised for deployment, began moving at full speed.
In less than a day, the first group of pioneers had been finalized.
They assembled in the central city of the Land of Rain —the heart of the Hyuga stronghold.
In the spacious training grounds, rows of shinobi stood in pristine white armor, lined up in strict formation. Most had seen war before, each possessing at least Chūnin-level strength.
At the forefront were Hyuga Souji, Hyuga Iroha, Mei Terumi, Armin, and other elite commanders with distinguished battle and leadership records.
Every one of them had undergone mission-specific training in advance, including newer additions like Mei Terumi, who had only recently been briefed about the other world.
"I know most of you are already familiar with the mission," Hinata began, standing calmly atop a raised platform. She gestured toward the glowing space-time gate beside her.
"But I will give a final briefing regardless."
"This is a space-time gate—it leads to another world."
"Your mission is to pass through this gate into the unknown world and investigate everything: their customs, culture, history, military power, and more."
"The people of that world may be unimaginably powerful—far beyond us. Or they may be incredibly weak—less capable than even our civilians."
"But that doesn't matter. No matter their strength, your task is the same: hide your identity, collect detailed intelligence, and return after one month."
She paused briefly, then pointed toward the gate. "After entering, one of you will be granted the authority to summon the space-time gate."
"That individual will be selected by the clan from among the team leaders."
"However, that person is forbidden from revealing their identity to anyone. Likewise, the rest of you are strictly forbidden from inquiring about it."
"Violators—whether they reveal or seek the authority holder's identity—will be executed immediately, along with everyone in their proximity."
"No selfish ambitions will be tolerated."
"Each use of the space-time gate requires a full month to recharge."
"This means once you're inside, you must establish a rally point and regroup there in exactly one month to open the gate and return together."
"If anyone exposes their identity, or fails to return in time…"
She didn't need to say more. That had already been covered in training.
---
Ryosuke stood silently at the side, observing the expressions of everyone assembled.
He could easily read what they were thinking.
Those like Hinata, who had known about this long in advance, had already accepted it mentally. Their minds were clear, and they had detailed strategies prepared.
But others—like Mei Terumi, who had just recently learned the truth—were visibly shaken.
It was difficult to believe something like this existed.
Throughout the ages, many forces had theorized about worlds beyond the planet, even beyond the stars. Some believed alien life might exist among them—hidden in plain sight, pulling the strings from the shadows.
But such theories had always been dismissed as impractical fantasies in an era of endless war. Those who once studied such ideas had long vanished into obscurity.
After all, if you couldn't even guarantee your own safety, who had time to think about distant worlds?
Yet now, it was all real.
There really were people from another world living among them—hiding for years, undetected.
And now… they had the means to step into those worlds.
Unease lingered among them. But so did a certain excitement.
The battlefield had changed.
The ninja world was no longer the only stage.
Hyuga had discovered a new land—or rather, countless lands.
And these shinobi were the first to touch it.
Even if Hyuga kept the biggest slice for herself, the leftovers from this new world far outweighed what anyone could claim in the ninja world.
If... this intel is really true.
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