Tobirama stepped forward, his arms crossed, his sharp eyes narrowing on Madara. "Strength also comes from survival, Madara. If we push to the brink every time, we'll be too broken to fight when it truly matters."
"Still, it's hard to deny that facing stronger opponents pushes us to grow," Naruto said with a grin. "But yeah, there's no point in going all out every single time."
Madara's smirk widened, but his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Only the weak break under pressure. If you're not ready to face death, you're not ready to fight at all."
Hashirama raised a hand, his tone placating but firm. "Let's not turn this into another philosophical debate, okay? The mission is complete, and no lives were lost. That's what matters."
Before anyone else could speak, Tobirama stepped forward, his voice sharp and commanding. "Enough of this nonsense! Do you two realize how ridiculous you sound? We have bigger things to worry about than your endless bickering."
Madara narrowed his eyes, his mouth opening to retort, but Tobirama cut him off. "No, Madara. You're not going to start. And Hashirama, stop enabling him. You're both acting like children."
"Exactly," Tsunade added, crossing her arms and glaring at the pair. "If I hear one more 'Madara' or 'Hashirama' shouted in anger, I'll knock both of you out myself. Seriously, you two are worse than an old married couple."
Hashirama's eyes widened in mock offense. "Married couple? Tsunade, that's—"
"Don't even start," she interrupted. "Let's just move on."
Madara smirked, clearly amused despite himself. "At least someone here has some backbone. Fine, I'll let it go... for now."
Hashirama sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's always like this. But he means well, in his way."
Tobirama snorted. "If you believe that, brother, you're more naive than I thought."
After hearing the entire discussion, Ryan smiled and said nothing. Was there a need to discuss this world? He had already handled the toughest enemies, and the remaining ones were far less formidable. For the Hokages, they posed no challenge at all.
Ryan's performance this time had been even more impressive than before. When it came to Cursed Spirits, he had defeated several high-level ones, leaving almost no challenges behind. As for the aspect of Jujutsu Kaisen, he took out the two strongest, leaving the others for the rest to deal with. Their tasks were almost effortless.
The remaining enemies were nothing compared to those from the worlds of One Piece, Bleach, or even One Punch Man. Their strength paled in comparison, making the fights feel easy for everyone involved. It was hardly surprising.
At this point, everyone realized something important: not every time they entered the other world was the same. The challenges didn't always grow stronger, and sometimes, situations were less intense than before. This was exactly what they faced this time. If you didn't count the strongest opponents, the rest were certainly weaker than usual. It wasn't an odd occurrence—it was simply the way things worked.
"For instance, some Jujutsu Sorcerers were only at the second level, barely stronger than ordinary people. Take someone like Kento Nanami as an example. Despite his high skill level, his strength relied more on technique and experience rather than raw power. His combat ability was impressive, but he was still not a match for someone like Naruto Uzumaki. The Hokage, with his overwhelming abilities, could easily overpower him with just a few well-placed strikes.
After everyone had discussed, the group fell silent, each person waiting for the next prompt from the chat group. It was time for the final reminder, and if nothing unusual happened, it should come in a few minutes.
As expected, a few minutes later, the notification sound of the chat group rang through their minds.
[Ding! Mission complete!]
All three tasks have been completed. The "Jujutsu Kaisen" saga is now finalized!]
[The chat group will resume in three days...]
The group fell silent for a moment, processing the announcement. Many of them were taken aback by the short, three-day window they were given in this new world.
"What's going on?" Hashirama muttered, his brow furrowing in confusion. It was unlike any world they had been to before. Three days felt... too short.
Tsunade from the Road to Ninja world crossed her arms, a frown tugging at her lips. "Only three days? In every other world, we've been granted a full week to search for treasures, complete our tasks, and explore. Why only three days here?"
"It's just like last time in the One Punch Man world," Kakashi, the sixth hokage, observed, his tone thoughtful. "Short and to the point. But what does that mean for us this time?"
"Does that mean this world doesn't have anything to search for?" Obito mused aloud. "Or is the chat group just rushing us out of here? They must want us gone as quickly as possible."
The others exchanged glances, each one feeling a growing sense of unease. The time limit felt far too rushed, especially when compared to their previous experiences. In worlds like One Piece World 3.2 and Shinigami World, they had a full week to immerse themselves in the world, uncover secrets, and pursue objectives. But here, it seemed like there was no room for such exploration.
Kakash, the fifth Hoka, scratched his head, looking around the group. "It's strange. Normally, we'd be given more time. Something's off about this."
The silence lingered for a few moments, everyone lost in their thoughts. The world before them felt... incomplete, like it wasn't meant for them to stay long. And yet, they were here, with only three days to make sense of it all.
Finally, Ryan broke the silence. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, his voice calm yet purposeful. "I see," he began, his gaze scanning the group. "Looks like this world is seems similiar to the One Punch Man world. But the technology here isn't as advanced, and there's nothing of value for us to plunder. It's tech is a bit... primitive, like there's nothing worth staying for."
The group turned to him, hanging on his every word.
Ryan continued, his tone firm. In these three days, we should focus on the technological aspects of the world. There's not much else to be said. We'll have to work with what's in front of us and make the most of the time we have."
The others were slightly taken aback, their expressions reflecting the familiarity of his words.
"That sounds eerily familiar..." Madara realized the situation mirrored the One Punch Man world. However, this time, they were better prepared.
Ryan shifted his tone and addressed them again.
"It's still the same situation. When you enter two worlds, you realize there's so much more to discover. For example, in the One Piece world, there are countless Devil Fruits, unique training methods, and various forms of combat skills world was a treasure trove in itself, filled with things we could all benefit from."
He paused, thinking back on their previous adventure.
"Even a week there seemed too short to explore it all," Ryan added. "The Shinigami world is similar. It's rich in its own right, with various forms of books, Zanpakutō, treasures, and more. All of it is worth exploring."
He then sighed, glancing around at the others, "But in the One Punch Man world, and now here, things have changed drastically. In One Punch Man, the people don't level up in the traditional sense; it's all about experiments and technology. There's nothing really to loot there. And it's the same here. Many abilities are innate—something we can't simply search for or take them back with us."
As Ryan finished speaking, the others nodded in understanding, the confusion lifting from their faces. His words made perfect sense, and they suddenly felt enlightened about their current mission.
"What Ryan said makes perfect sense!" Tobirama remarked, nodding in agreement. "I did some digging myself. In this world, cursed spirits are born from things like resentment, and the abilities of the Jujutsu Kaisen are innate. They can only be enhanced through training."
Ryan nodded in acknowledgment, his tone calm yet assertive. "So, searching for treasures here isn't as simple as in other worlds."
Everyone nodded in agreement. It seemed that, just as they had suspected, this world didn't hold anything like the Devil Fruits in One Piece or the Zanpakutō from the Shinigami world. There was nothing particularly special to search for here. They all felt a bit disappointed, but it was a shared sentiment.
The chat group had likely arrived at the same conclusion: there was nothing to collect in this world, which was why they had been given only three days to complete the task.
After a brief moment of reflection, the group's mood shifted again.
"Well, at least this mission will still be fun," Tobirama said with a grin. "The reward rankings should be just like in the One Punch Man world. We'll be ranked based on how many enemies we defeated and who took down the toughest opponents."
A spark of interest flickered across everyone's faces. The competitive edge was clear now, and they all seemed to be excited by the thought of ranking themselves.
Tobirama's words hung in the air, the idea settling into the group. "Rankings based on strength... the more powerful you are, the higher you'll be on the list. It's a straightforward system."
"Sounds like fun," Ryan said with a smirk, looking around at the others.
Everyone's expressions grew more determined, a shared understanding that strength would determine the outcome of this mission. Their confidence was palpable as they prepared for the final leg of the journey.
---
Enjoyed the chapter?
You can read 40k words ahead and gain exclusive access to even more content over at P*treon.c*m/Marioni! With over 128 chapters of exclusive content, there's plenty more for you to explore!