"Lord Makiya!"
Hamaki Mimura led the surviving Konoha ninja to the scene, approaching Makiya.
"You've arrived," Makiya said with a nod. He pointed toward the battlefield stained black with ink. "Be careful when cleaning up. This ink contains a powerful sealing force; one wrong move and your chakra could be suppressed."
"Understood, Lord Makiya. We'll be careful."
"Please don't worry, Lord Makiya. We might not have been much help in the fight, but I'm an expert at recovering bodies."
Many of the Hidden Cloud's elite would attempt to master the Lightning Style Chakra Mode. By dissecting the corpses and examining their brains, Konoha might uncover the secrets of this powerful jutsu. In the Land of Hot Water's theater of war, body recovery was a fundamental skill.
"Good." Makiya scanned the battlefield. The earth, torn apart by his and Killer B's clash, was riddled with ravines and deep valleys filled with ink. With holes everywhere beneath the surface, it would likely take quite some time to find the bodies of those who died at the very start.
Fortunately, there were members of the Hyuga clan among them. Their Byakugan's vision was incredibly useful in such situations. Once the ink was cleared, they could easily locate the bodies buried deep underground.
Although the Hyuga members were curious about the coffin behind Makiya, no one dared to ask or use their Byakugan to peek. Makiya's prestige was deeply etched into their hearts, and none dared to overstep their bounds.
"Those octopus tentacles are dangerous. Since my clones are handling them, don't get close. Prioritize gathering the corpses and take them back to headquarters for intelligence extraction."
"Yes, sir!"
Makiya gave a few more orders, and everyone nodded in agreement. Under his gaze, they dispersed to various corners of the battlefield to begin their work.
He left one shadow clone to guard the battlefield, preventing Killer B from returning for his tentacles, and sent another clone via Flying Raijin back to the base to wait for Minato. Makiya then summoned a ten-meter-long flying sword and placed the coffin upon it.
Just as he was about to take off, Makiya paused, stroking his chin as he looked at the coffin.
The earth used to make the coffin was generated from his own chakra. If a flying sword condensed from flames could fly, why couldn't the coffin?
'I've been blinded by habit,' he thought. 'My thinking was too narrow. Carrying a coffin with a sword is just an unnecessary extra step. I can just ride the coffin directly.'
Moments later, the massive stone coffin soared into the sky. Makiya sat atop the lid, the cold wind ruffling his hair.
He noticed a large bank of rain clouds approaching the battlefield. Likely influenced by the aftermath of his battle with Killer B, the clouds were moving very quickly; a heavy downpour would soon arrive.
The rain washing away the ink might help with the cleanup, but that was no longer Makiya's concern. He felt Yugito Nii's condition improving; she would likely wake up soon.
The priority now was to find a base. He felt a bit ashamed; he hadn't even established a private base yet. He was practically a disgrace to the many Naruto-world transmigrators who had come before him.
In his previous life, he'd read a novel where the protagonist, at his age, already had hidden beauties all over the world. Whether it was Chiyo from the Sand or Koharu Utatane from the Leaf, he'd captured them all to breed, eventually controlling the upper echelons of every nation through his descendants and unifying the world.
"Shameful, truly shameful. I need to work harder too." Makiya shook his head with a sigh.
He was talking about building a base, not the breeding part.
The coffin's flight speed was significantly slower than the flying sword's, but Makiya was returning to base after completing a mission, not rushing to the front lines for an emergency. There was no need for speed.
Looking down from the sky, Makiya's gaze swept across the various villages, scouting for a suitable place to build a base.
Years of constant warfare had caused a severe population drain within the Land of Hot Water. Most citizens had either settled near the few large cities or taken their families and fled, heading north to the Land of Lightning or south to the Land of Fire.
While they might die on the road, it was still better than having their entire village wiped out by some random jutsu.
A significant number of villagers had even fled to the mountains to become bandits, surviving by preying on other refugees.
The Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water didn't seem to care. The Hidden Hot Water Village was completely ruined, with only a few stragglers left. The Daimyo even had to commission Konoha and the Hidden Cloud to eliminate the powerful bandit groups blocking the main roads.
Nine out of ten houses empty was an apt description for the current state of the Land of Hot Water. As Makiya's gaze swept over the villages, he quickly found a suitable spot deep within the mountains.
The rolling mountain ranges were layered and jagged, with steep cliffs naturally cutting off most human traffic. Even many ninja would choose to avoid this area.
Scaling high mountains required extra chakra, not to mention that some of the wild beasts in the Ninja World could refine chakra. It wasn't impossible for a ninja squad traveling through the deep forests to be blindsided by a giant wild boar.
"This is the place."
Makiya landed on the peak of a high mountain. Looking around, he saw five slightly shorter peaks surrounding and protecting it. The continuous mountain range looked like a winding, coiled dragon. The slopes were lush with trees, streams trickled down, and thick mist drifted through the valleys. Various wild animals lived freely here, and the area was brimming with vitality.
The sight of such flourishing life before him made Makiya feel refreshed.
Liao Zhai Makiya had learned formations from Yan Chixia. While the old drunkard specialized in sword control and the path of slaughter, he possessed many treasures. Previously, he had wandered the world alone, but now that he was part of Makiya, everything he owned was at his disposal.
The five mountains guarding the main peak created a geographical layout perfectly suited for setting up a formation. However, high-end formations required many precious materials. Whether the Ninja World had items with similar properties was something Makiya would have to explore gradually.
He flew the coffin to the mountainside of the main peak and clapped his hands together to perform Earth Style.
Earth Style wasn't Makiya's specialty, but backed by his massive chakra reserves, he quickly hollowed out the mountain and began gradually remodeling the vast interior space according to his vision.
The jutsu mastered by ninjas were actually better suited for improving livelihoods and industrial development than for fighting each other. Unfortunately, in a chaotic world where might was right, ninjas remained tools of war for those in power to conquer territory until a long-lasting peace could be established.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Loud noises echoed from the stone coffin; Yugito Nii had clearly regained consciousness.
The chestnut-haired young woman only remembered that a moment ago, she was leading an elite force to attack a Konoha outpost. Then, a handsome young man had suddenly appeared in the sky, and after that, everything had gone black.
She had been taken out in an instant!
She was the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails—a Perfect Jinchuriki, no less—and a prominent figure throughout the Ninja World. Yet, she had been knocked out by a single strike from the enemy's strange jutsu.
Yugito forcibly suppressed her shock and began feeling around her surroundings, looking for a way to escape.
Upon waking, she was met with total darkness. She seemed to be imprisoned in a cramped space. Stretching out her hand, she touched a hard wall. It felt cold to the touch, likely a prison made of rock.
'Matatabi,' Yugito called out softly in her mind, but there was no answer.
"Matatabi, can you hear me?" After calling out repeatedly with no response from the Two-Tails, Yugito closed her eyes, intending to enter her mental sealing space, only to discover to her shock that she couldn't even enter that.
'Is this... another layer of sealing?!' Yugito's heart sank into an abyss. The enemy was an expert in sealing jutsu and had used a seal to cut off her connection with Matatabi. With her strongest asset neutralized, Yugito began to panic.
Yugito reached down to touch her abdomen. The smooth, delicate skin met her fingertips. Although she couldn't feel anything physically there, she knew another sealing formula must have been branded onto her.
Wait, that's not right...
Yugito realized a more critical problem!
Where were her clothes?
....'Could it be...' "Those damn Konoha ninja! Disgusting! Despicable!" Yugito cursed aloud. She could accept dying on the battlefield, but she could never accept being humiliated by the enemy.
She hurriedly reached down to check her vital areas, finding no signs of having been violated. She let out a long sigh of relief.
At least the enemy is impotent!
Calming down, she slowly explored the rock walls inch by inch and discovered four air holes in the corner. A rhythmic rumbling sound continuously drifted in from the outside.
'Has the village sent someone to save me?' Yugito's spirits lifted. She listened intently for a moment and decided she needed to do something as well. Silently gathering her chakra, she channeled Lightning Style into her arm and slammed it hard against the wall.
Although her Lightning Style Chakra Mode was quite rudimentary, she had at least practiced it. Breaking through a stone wall shouldn't be a problem.
Makiya noticed the movement and silently removed the seal on the stone coffin.
Amidst a blinding flash of lightning, the stone coffin shattered into countless pieces of rock. Yugito's figure gradually became clear through the smoke.
"Cough, cough... Where is this?"
Once the dust settled, Yugito quickly surveyed her surroundings. She found herself in a massive grotto. Torches embedded in the walls were burning brightly, providing a dim light.
The grotto was simply too large; the torchlight could only illuminate a small area. In the darkness, several thick stone pillars stretched upward, disappearing into the gloom.
The rumbling sound continued to echo from above, but it didn't seem to be the sound of combat.
"Yo, you're awake."
Makiya descended slowly from above, waving and greeting Yugito with a smile.
To his surprise, she had no intention of talking. Sharp claws sprouted from her fingertips, and she lunged at Makiya, her body crackling with lightning.
What she thought was a lightning-fast movement appeared incredibly slow to Makiya. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, and his ocular power invaded Yugito's body through her gaze. She instantly stiffened, unable to move.
If this were adult fiction, a predictable plot would be starting right about now. Unfortunately, this was shonen battle series time.
Flame-like chakra pooled at his fingertips once more. The characters for Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth appeared in sequence as Makiya pressed his hand firmly against Yugito's abdomen.
"Five Elements Unseal!"
Sizzle...
White smoke drifted from her abdomen as the spiral sealing formula broke apart layer by layer. Yugito was sent flying, carving a deep furrow into the ground.
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