MTL - The Immortal Taoist - Chapter 165 Defeat the clock

Kitazawa’s grades at the Ninja Academy had always been mediocre.Uchiha Itachi graduated at seven; he barely scraped through at thirteen.Uzumaki Naruto became the savior of the ninja world at seventeen; at that same age, Kitazawa was still struggling to make Chunin.In this harsh world of shinobi, Kitazawa was what people called a fodder ninja: no talent, no bloodline, and no backing.To stay alive until the story’s grand finale, he’d chosen the safest path—teaching at the Ninja Academy, a job he’d held for five years.“Another peaceful day in Konoha.”Kitazawa rose from his seat and walked to the window.It was enrollment day again, and the training grounds were buzzing with life.He glanced down at the stack of new student files in his hands. Names leapt out at him, all too familiar:Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba… and more.'DING''Host has reached age six and successfully enrolled in the Ninja Academy.''Activating the Strongest Shinobi System.'

On that day, the fog blocked everything.

On that day, he became the captain of a ghost ship.

On that day, he stepped through the thick fog and confronted a completely subverted and fragmented world—the old order had vanished, strange phenomonoms dominated the endless seas beyond civilized society, and isolated island city-states and fleets of ships challenged the sea that had become the last ember of lights for the civilized world. All of this while the shadows of the old days were still stirring in the deep sea, waiting to to devour this world that was about to die.

But for the new captain of the ghost ship Vanished, there was only one question he had to consider first— Who knows how to drive this ship?!

Broken-hearted and drunk, Yoshida, a 26-years old salaryman, stumbled upon a runaway-from-home high-schooler on his way back from the bar.

“Hey, you. JK.”*

“What the heck are you doing out here. Go home already.”

“Uncle, let me stay at your place for the night.”

“You can do ‘that’ to me if you let me stay.”

“If you meant that as a joke, it’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking. It’s fine by me.”

“Then allow me to tell you that I have no interest in brats.”

“Hmm?”

“Then, just let me stay.”

Notes:

[*] JK is slang for Joushikousei (high school girl)

I used a cheat to devise a character in a game. Upon regaining consciousness after pressing the play button, I discovered myself embodying the character I had crafted, the ‘Priest of Corruption.’ This character was intentionally created with unfavourable statistics and is widely detested! The sole item in my inventory was the withered hand of a woman, yet could it possibly be the hand of a goddess?