Conquer The Ninja World: Yuan Rises: Conquer The Ninja World, #1

By Akito B. Takahashi

Jonathan Yuan is a Christian who believes that there is no life elsewhere, save for what's present on earth and what lies in heaven—until that is, he is taken to Neo's world, a world created by a famous author from earth. How did he arrive here, and how does he leave? Whether this was a form of punishment or not, he's willing to play the role of a villain to escape.

 

"Originally written for a public audience online, gaining massive attention, the author had made one of the best main characters we had the pleasure of analyzing. He's goal-oriented, has self-control, and isn't egotistical. Never have we read about such an astonishing anti-hero that maintains an upright behaviour while remaining calm in almost every situation."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akito B. Takahashi
• Release date: Oct 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223912279

Book preview

1

Jonathan Hates Anime

HIS BODY FELT LETHARGIC. He couldn’t tell where he was. When he tried moving his limbs, he felt wood pulp. So he mustered enough strength until he could reposition himself to stand.

It was cold. And there was a horrid stench permeating his nostrils. Looking down, he understood that he had been inside a cardboard box.

‘Where am I?’ he thought in confusion.

His name is Jonathan Yuan, and he was born in the States. Throughout his twenty-five years on earth, he lived an average, monotonous life. Sports, literature, technology, and spirituality were the things he participated in. He had never been exceptionally talented at his interests, but his hard work, mixed with faith and a perfectionist mindset made him above the average individual.

If a high schooler could score eighty out of one hundred or higher on exams without studying, Jonathan could score at least sixty. But if he were to study, he would earn a perfect score.

Growing up, he was entranced by the early morning and late-night animated television shows broadcasting in his country. If he wasn’t spending time with friends or doing homework, he’d eagerly wait for his favourite shows to air. Even if it was twice a week, he’d recount every episode and the channels that broadcasted them. Above all these shows, one in particular captured his interest. It was Neo, the franchise about ninjas using superpowers to wage war on one another.

This series was created by a writer named Nicolas Brown, who garnered a massive fan base. Ever since Jonathan was little, he would remember screaming alongside the characters as they raged into battle. But he was only an infant at the time, so the series would eventually stop airing as he grew into a more mature child. Neo would inevitably stick with him for years on end.

It wasn’t until one particular episode aired on a Saturday night that Jonathan truly anticipated what the series had to offer. That episode was when Neo Genesis, the main character of the series, first unleashed the power of the beast that resided inside of him. For the next nine years, Jonathan kept up with the series, its books, its video games, and its novels.

After some time, he’d forget the series existed entirely if it hadn’t been for his peers watching it religiously. And like many who grew up and experienced change, Jonathan would soon despise not just Neo but Japanese animation in general.

No one understood why he developed this sudden disposition. If someone were to ask him a simple question like, What’s your favourite anime? he would respond that he hates anime.

No one truly understood why he hated it, nor did they question it. No man could judge him for it either. Why would they? He was the type to keep to himself.

They couldn’t tell if it was for a religious reason or if he had just gone mental. His shift was so astronomically unrelatable that the only person who didn’t seem to care about what others thought was Jonathan himself. He liked the idea that people tried prying into his business to figure out who he was, but he’d eventually get so bored of those people that he wound up discarding them due to their simplicity. If there’s anything else he disliked, it was foolish questions.

To him, if someone didn’t understand or accept that he didn’t like something that they did, he would look them straight in the eye and say, You’re really boring, you know.

Despite how cold his behaviour might seem, Jonathan wholeheartedly liked people. It was their iniquity and sin that he could barely tolerate.

Over the years, even after Neo’s manga officially ended, Jonathan focused on more practical things, like his major in psychology and strengthening his body. It wasn’t until one night, after drinking a little wine with his friends, that he began to feel nauseous. He had always been able to handle his portions, but tonight he felt as though he was on the verge of passing out.

My guy, you’re not looking so hot, said one of Jonathan’s peers. Jonathan tried to produce words but couldn’t focus enough to even utter a sound. The world around him slowly became blurry as his eyelids started to close. He’s having a stroke, dude! When everything finally went pitch black, the last thing he heard was his peer scream, Yo, call an ambulance!

WALKING OUT OF A GROTESQUE alleyway, Jonathan looked around lividly.

‘What the heck happened last night?’ he questioned inwardly. The thought of him having a hangover was quickly denied since he wasn’t the type to get drunk.

Looking at his surroundings, he could tell it was early morning. What troubled him was that, when he darted to the ground, he noticed he was wearing slippers. Slippers like these weren’t commonly worn in his country. And when he looked at his limbs, he noticed his stature had also severely decreased.

The only logical explanation for all this was that he was having a lucid dream. As such, he decided to take a stroll as opposed to standing idle. Not even a couple of paces from that alleyway, and a sharp pain atop his head engulfed his senses.

Oh my gosh! screamed a woman. Are you okay?!

Jonathan heard the sound come from above, but his eyes were locked on the ground. All he could think of was the excruciating pain he felt in his head. What looked like a broken vase and soil were scattered across the pavement. Jonathan then looked up to see an unfamiliar woman covering her mouth in disbelief.

Excuse me, are you hurt anywhere? someone questioned.

He looked in the direction he heard the voice, and all the pain he felt came to a halt. A sudden euphoria engulfed his thoughts. It wasn’t the fact that someone dropped a whole flower vase on his head; it was the notion of how real it felt. He became still as he understood that he was neither drunk nor dreaming.

Before he could act, a strange liquid ran down his face. The person who asked if he was hurt approached him, saying, You’re bleeding! Pulling a rag out of a pouch near his leg, the man pressed it over Jonathan’s bleeding area. He was much taller than Jonathan and had a comely expression on his face. I know it stings, but I promise it’ll help.

Jonathan couldn’t feel any pain at the moment. He was too awed by what he was experiencing to feel anything.

You can calm down, the man said. I’ll take you to the hospital, and we’ll call your parents.

Not a moment later, Jonathan closed his eyes to gather all his thoughts. Hearing that word, parents, consumed him inside. Neither his friends nor his parents knew of his whereabouts. If anything, they probably thought he was dead.

What’s your name? the man asked. His voice was gentle and soothing, and he had no sense of malice or hate.

Yet Jonathan slowly opened his eyes, raised his head, and answered in a lax tone, Isn’t it polite to introduce yourself first? The man was taken aback at Jonathan’s rudeness. Apologizing to him as if it were his fault, he said, You’re right. How silly of me. My name is Mateo Keegan.

Jonathan was not the least bit surprised. Even though it had been years since he had heard that name, the grueling pain he felt earlier was real enough for him to understand things. How could he not know who was in front of him? Just his voice alone was enough for Jonathan to know who it was, as it was the same voice as that of the English actor on earth.

On top of all this, Mateo Keegan was the father of the ninja world’s main character, Neo Genesis.

Asking Mateo Keegan for his name was only to ensure his suspicions of having been transported to the ninja world were correct. Most people would either shutter in fear or start fanboying at the figure in front of them. But Jonathan was different. His expression remained solaced, but inside, he was disgusted.

You should be taken to the hospital before that wound opens back up, urged Mateo.

The woman who had mistakenly dropped the vase shouted apologetically while Mateo tried to calm down her boisterousness. Without consent, he lifted Jonathan up with his forearms, and they both disappeared instantly from the scene. Before Jonathan knew it, he was lying on a stretcher inside a white room with hospital equipment nearby. Mateo was nowhere near him.

All he could think of now was that of all the important characters in this world, the world of Neo, by chance he had met one of the most domineering ones. Though the character wasn’t going to harm him if he didn’t pose a threat, that didn’t mean he wanted to associate with him.

He was no longer a fan of the Neo franchise. He had long since stopped watching it and had built a stagnant wall against such blasphemy. Of all the Japanese anime franchises that existed on earth, according to Jonathan, Neo and its successor, Neo: Kai, were one of the worst of all time.

‘How did I get here...?’ Jonathan thought to himself.

One could easily tell by looking at him that he didn’t want to be here. Not this hospital room; not this world. He didn’t want to be trapped in a place he hated so passionately. Despite knowing almost everything about it, he had a home, friends, family, and a life he was most pleased with. Why would he want to leave all that behind just to be part of someone else’s fantasy?

Looking out the window, the sun began to rise, bathing the room in its warm light. Even this world’s sun was so real that there was no way he could believe he had just died. He rubbed his hand across where he had been struck earlier. Blood appeared over his now-nimble, soft palms.

He stared at it for an unknown amount of time.

Those who didn’t know love couldn’t bear to understand what he was feeling. A lot of people would be envious to take his place, drooling at the thought of living in a made-up world where they could have the opportunity to start all over and be somebody. But unlike most people, he enjoyed his life on earth. If he knew of a way to go back, he’d take it in a heartbeat.

On earth, he felt alive; he felt he had a purpose. In this world, however, he had no reason to be here. How could someone who never understood life on earth understand what someone like Jonathan felt? They could not.

‘I’ll do anything to get back... Even if I have to slaughter everything here...’

He then clenched his hand into a fist, determined to try and survive no matter what. This was the ninja world, a world people could use special powers called techniques. And there wasn’t a single person here who knew this place better than he did. Would perhaps obtaining techniques that could let him cross dimensions help him return home?

Perhaps, but learning things like that has near-unattainable requirements for the average Joe. That didn’t matter to Jonathan. He believed he was in some version of hell, meaning that this world and its people were no different than walking corpses pretending to be alive. And he was willing to do whatever it took to return!

As the determination to survive no matter the cost was made, the door to his room opened. Walking in was an unrecognizable woman wearing a nurse’s uniform. Following behind her was none other than Mateo. With Jonathan’s mind in full acceptance of his circumstances, he mentally noted that Mateo was not wearing the sect lord’s signature robe.

A sect lord was the head of a sect, which was akin to a large city. The sect he was in is called the Tree Sect, and its head was known as the Tree lord.

Because of that, Jonathan speculated that Mateo was likely still a colonel (a high-ranking ninja two ranks below a lord). From what he knew about the ninja world, Mateo Keegan wouldn’t become the fourth Tree lord until he was twenty-three. Just these small details were enough to tell him he had arrived in this world between the second and third world wars.

Can you tell us what your name is? the nurse asked Jonathan.

People like her are called medical ninjas—those who are proficient at performing healing techniques. Jonathan knew this to be true because of that accursed gold garland hanging across her neck.

I’m sorry, he replied with a smile. I can’t remember much.

He managed to grasp the situation quickly and alter his tone and expression to give him a more innocent appearance. Some would have considered him a psychopath for that.

Poor thing, the nurse said sympathetically. That vase must have caused some head trauma.

She approached him and asked if he could at least remember his parents’ names. Hearing her ask about his parents made him feel livid inside.

I don’t remember if I even have any parents, he answered in a sincere tone before lowering his eyes sorrowfully.

This wasn’t a lie, considering the only thing he knew about himself was that he was a boy of unknown age who recently woke up in the back of an alleyway. Information like that was going to be his secret. I can’t even tell you how old I am or where I live.

You mean you don’t even know where you’re from? Mateo asked in bewilderment.

No...

The two darted at each other with saddened looks on their faces. Mix Jonathan’s now childish appearance with his sincerity, and it was enough to fool grown adults. The two stepped outside to talk privately. They were probably going to discuss the situation, allowing Jonathan to think.

‘As far as I’m concerned, I have no identity, no background, and no ancestry. I could also assume that I’m homeless.’

If Jonathan was going to survive, he needed power, and he needed it fast. Based on his height, he estimated he’d be around four or five years old. This is good because most of the prodigies that influenced the ninja world started very young. Like Kannon Delf, who graduated from the academy for student ninjas at the age of five.

But there were few chances of Jonathan accomplishing the same feats. As far as he knew, he had zero to no talent. And even if he wanted to attend the academy, he had no money to pay their costly tuition. But there was one place he knew he could go to start his foundation.

The thought fueled his ambitions as he lifted up his eyes. The door to his room then cracked open. Mateo hadn’t followed as the medical ninja walked in, hesitatingly saying, I have some good news and some bad news.

2

Today’s Date

WHAT’S THE BAD NEWS? Jonathan asked, faking his concern.

The bad news is that we couldn’t find any viable info on you.

This truly was bad news. If citizens of the sect found him more suspicious than he already was, this could raise an alarm about his character.

Then what’s the good news?

The shinobi that was here earlier felt bad, so he decided to pay for your medical costs. He also said he would come visit you when he gets back.

This was far from good news for Jonathan. He knew Mateo’s personality very well. He had a very humble heart and treated people with respect. Why this wasn’t good news was because Mateo would care to do some research on who and where Jonathan came from.

Oh... Jonathan said, feigning his true thoughts.

He then lowered his head to consider things. The medical ninja mistook his gesture. She tried to comfort him with words, so he played along with a fake

Reviews for Conquer The Ninja World

[Kenny Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this novel. It was packed with action, intrigue, and an incredible cast of characters. From the very first page, I was completely engrossed in the high-stakes adventures of the protagonist, Jonathan Yuan. The author's vivid descriptions painted a vivid world teeming with danger and mystery, and the intense fight scenes were beautifully choreographed. The characters were deeply complex and their development was both moving and realistic.