Kankuro, the puppet master, was a rare ninja in the entire Naruto series who used puppet jutsu. Before the mid-period, he ranked only after Sasori and Chiyo.
This world also had puppet masters. Honestly, Li Xi had experienced it, and their strength was just so-so. They controlled puppets not with chakra threads, but with magic formations. Compared to chakra threads, it wasn't as precise, but they could control a larger number of puppets. Setting aside those who had abandoned their bodies like Sasori of the Sand, the puppet masters in this world focused on quantity, while those in Naruto focused on quality. Both had their pros and cons. If he truly drew puppet jutsu, Li Xi would have to weigh how to develop it himself.
Finally, there was Temari. She wielded a fan and was quite proficient with wind style ninjutsu, making her a solid elite jonin. Li Xi suddenly realized he didn't have any wind style ninjutsu.
"Spin."
Li Xi didn't even bother looking at the pointer. At his current level, as long as it wasn't one of the few most special ninjutsu, others wouldn't have any significant effect on him. Whatever came would just be support, a consequence of being too strong. Most ninjutsu could no longer keep up with his progress.
Ferin was still sulking, her back to Li Xi as she tinkered with something, leaving him only with her beautiful silhouette. The slender waist seemed to possess a magical allure that glued Li Xi's eyes to it. Although he had righteously refused Ferin earlier, it didn't prevent him from having eyes that appreciated beauty.
[Congratulations, Master, you have obtained Shino Aburame.]
The secret art of the insect clan was infused into Li Xi's mind. Just as Li Xi had thought, the destructive insect series of ninjutsu depended on the power of the insects; the stronger the insects, the stronger the ninjutsu. Therefore, the most crucial point was to find suitable insects.
Li Xi nodded. It was a decent ninjutsu, but for now, it could only be placed with other unused ninjutsu. He would bring it out when the opportunity arose.
At this point, only one lottery chance remained, and it was the most important one.
After letting Xiao Fan open the roulette, one, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine – eight Tailed Beasts appeared vividly before Li Xi's eyes, some stretching their necks to howl, some lazily dozing, some happily leaping, a truly comfortable sight. Since the Two-Tails had already been drawn by Li Xi, there was now a new supplement.
An ugly humanoid monster, roaring towards the sky, was several times taller than the other Tailed Beasts and incomparably massive. It had nine eyes on its head, and its body's shape and color resembled a withered tree. This was nothing other than the empty husk left after the Ten-Tails' chakra was extracted. Its unprecedented power allowed the remaining husk to retain a certain degree of activity even after its chakra was drained.
This was the Demonic Statue of the Path of Outer, which could only be controlled by the Rinnegan. Li Xi's Sharingan had only evolved to two tomoe. To evolve to the Rinnegan, there were still three tomoe, Mangekyo Sharingan, and Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in between. Furthermore, two special attribute chakras needed to be gathered, a condition that was extremely harsh. There was still a long way to go.
However, Li Xi didn't know how the system would allocate the Tailed Beasts drawn. In the original work, to contain multiple Tailed Beasts, one could only rely on the Demonic Statue of the Path of Outer, seal the Tailed Beasts within it, and then seal the statue within oneself, becoming a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and breaking through to the Sage Mode. But if Li Xi didn't draw the Demonic Statue and drew other Tailed Beasts, how would they be arranged?
There was already one in his belly. Would one go on each limb or on four or five limbs? Nose, eyes, head, body – one in each part?
These were not things Li Xi should be thinking about. The system's power would make its own arrangements.
"Draw."
[Understood, Master.]
The pointer was spinning. Li Xi wanted to see what he would draw this time, but suddenly, he felt a sense of being watched. Li Xi stood up and walked to Ferin's side, scanning his surroundings. Although he saw nothing, he was certain someone was hiding in the shadows, watching him and Ferin. Even though this probing was very weak, it couldn't escape Li Xi's current senses.
[Congratulations, Master, you have obtained Isobu the Three-Tails.]
The pointer stopped on a giant gray turtle with three lobster-like tails and many horns and ridges all over its body – it was Isobu the Three-Tails.
"Excellent!!" Li Xi shouted in his heart.
Isobu the Three-Tails was originally a carefree giant turtle living at the bottom of the water. However, it was first sealed into Rin Nohara by Madara Uchiha. Obito witnessed Rin's death at Kakashi's hands, leading to Obito's blackening and triggering a series of tragedies afterward.
After Rin's death, Isobu the Three-Tails was sealed within Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi. It was later controlled by Obito, leading to the massacre of Kirigakure, causing many to die and flee. This was also the biggest reason for the decline of Kirigakure's strength.
It could be said that Isobu the Three-Tails was an ominous Tailed Beast; whoever touched it would have bad luck. Of course, every Tailed Beast was ominous; it ultimately depended on the Jinchuriki. The strong feared no challenge.
Li Xi was still wondering where Isobu the Three-Tails would be sealed. The sealing space in his belly felt intensely hot, like sitting on a stone stool in midsummer, with a persistent heat that seemed to drive away all his injuries.
Within the sealing space, Isobu the Three-Tails suddenly appeared in the air before falling heavily into the sea. After stirring up massive waves, it stared in shock at Matatabi the Two-Tails, which was emitting blue flames on the island.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
At this moment, a voice echoed in the space, "Two-Tails, explain the situation here to Three-Tails. Accept your fate, don't riot. I have something to attend to; I'll check on you later."
Matatabi the Two-Tails nodded and then lazily extended a paw towards Isobu, "Long time no see, Three-Tails. I didn't expect us to meet again in another world."
"Another world?" Isobu the Three-Tails was filled with confusion.
On the seashore,
Li Xi pulled Ferin behind him, watching warily as a middle-aged man approached. The man was tall and slender, with a face that looked like it was carved by a knife. His eyes were cold and merciless. As he walked, his footsteps left no trace on the sand. Two short swords were faintly visible behind his black trench coat. An uncontrollable, powerful aura could be felt from afar, as if a prehistoric beast was approaching.
Some people, even if dressed in rags and sitting among beggars, could be recognized as extraordinary at a glance. Needless to say, the approaching person was like that.
Li Xi curiously twitched his nose, sensing a familiar scent. It was a very familiar smell, but he couldn't recall where he had encountered it before.
Although the approaching person was powerful, far more so than everyone before combined, clearly a Rank 7 expert, Li Xi remained unafraid. He had killed Rank 8 individuals; Rank 7 was nothing new.
Unlike Li Xi's stern vigilance, Ferin behind him poked her head out. Upon seeing the newcomer, she excitedly waved, "Uncle Kalidos, why are you here?"
Li Xi was stunned. Kalidos? Wasn't he the S-rank mercenary known as the Demon Hunter? Why was he here? Could it be that S-rank mercenaries also accepted missions to kill him?
The newcomer, Kalidos, drew a faint smile and said to Ferin, "You ran off without a word, and your sister is very worried about you. She sent me to find you, but..."
He then scrutinized Li Xi, his gaze lingering on Li Xi's brow for a moment before he said with satisfaction, "However, I see my trip was unnecessary. You have a very good protector."
Ferin subconsciously glanced at Li Xi, and her expression was such that even an outsider like Kalidos could sense it.
Li Xi's guard did not drop. When the identity of the newcomer was uncertain, letting down his guard would be the greatest irresponsibility towards himself. At the same time, he still couldn't recall when he had encountered this familiar scent, so he could only keep rummaging through his memories, accelerating the collection of known intelligence.
To the contrary, Kalidos showed no hostility. He said to Li Xi, "You must be Li Xi. Your journey has already made you famous. Would you be interested in chatting with me?"
"Uncle Kalidos, what do you want to talk to Li Xi about?" Ferin, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, blocked Li Xi behind her.
"It would be my honor." Li Xi reassured Ferin and then walked away with Kalidos towards the distance.
Leaving Ferin behind, she was unwilling. What could these two men have to talk about? It must be that her sister had heard some rumors and wanted to do something to her. She immediately tiptoed after them, only to find that she seemed to have lost her hearing and couldn't hear anything.
Li Xi thought Kalidos wanted to discuss Ferin, but Kalidos immediately brought up another matter. "Do you feel a sense of familiarity when you see me? But you don't know where this familiarity comes from."
Li Xi nodded. Indeed.
Kalidos tapped his brow with his finger. "We are both cursed by the Abyss and carry its unique aura, which is why you feel a sense of familiarity."
Li Xi suddenly understood. He hadn't encountered any Abyssal demons for a long time, which was why he had forgotten this aura. It was indeed the scent of the Abyss. But he never expected Kalidos, the S-rank mercenary known as the Demon Hunter, to also be cursed by the Abyss. However, considering his title, 'Demon Hunter,' it was not surprising for him to be cursed by the Abyss.
"As I said earlier, your affairs are currently being noticed by various major powers. Besides confirming Ferin's safety this time, my main objective was to meet you. And indeed, upon meeting you, you are extraordinary."
"You flatter me, sir." Li Xi was very pleased to receive praise from Kalidos, one of the four great S-rank mercenaries of the era.
Kalidos said with certainty, "You don't need to be humble. I can feel the powerful energy contained within your body like a dormant volcano. Your previous battles were far from your limit. Standing beside you, I feel a sense of dread, as if I could be devoured by you at any moment. I am probably not your opponent."
Li Xi smiled but said nothing. Praising someone as stronger than oneself without reason usually meant there was something to be said. Otherwise, who would elevate others for no reason?
As expected, Kalidos revealed his intentions the next moment. "Since your strength is so great, you can participate in our plan. This is a plan that concerns the lives of countless beings on the continent."
'Lives on the continent' sounded grand, but in reality, it probably didn't reach that extent. It was like how many departments in his previous life, when applying for research funds, would exaggerate their experiments to sound like a cosmic crisis, as if the universe would explode without funding. In fact, it was all clickbait. However, Li Xi still asked righteously, "May I ask, sir, what do you need me to do?"
"Someone has discovered the traces of two Fire Elementals not far from Aincrad. Now that the Abyss is weakening, the residual strength in the main world is negligible. The discovery of two Fire Elementals this time must be no small matter. What we need to do is to eliminate them before they cause any damage to Aincrad and protect Aincrad."
"Fire Elementals? Two of them?" Li Xi's voice trembled slightly, but his eyes suddenly lit up with a look of mad craving. It was the same look a rutting boar would have upon hearing that there was a herd of sows on the mountain opposite.