At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water, a Konoha squad had established camp.
Because the site sat right beside the sea, the rain here fell far heavier than the light drizzle back inside Fire Country territory.
Raindrops hammered the ground, sending up countless tiny splashes. It looked as if the entire world—sky and earth alike—was drowning in water.
Strong gusts whipped the downpour through the camp, stretching the Konoha flags taut while the tents flapped and cracked loudly in the storm.
Whoosh!
Inside one tent, a brazier burned brightly. It drove back the night's darkness and chased away the damp chill, filling the space with comforting warmth.
Two figures lay on cots near the fire, eyes closed in peaceful sleep. Two others sat by the window, standing night watch.
Danzō had originally brought four squads of Root ninjas to this border camp. When he returned to Konoha, he had taken two squads back with him, leaving only two behind.
The two on duty lifted a pot of warmed sake from the brazier and poured it into bowls, the liquid splashing noisily.
As the fragrant steam rose, both narrowed their eyes in satisfaction.
"Good wine," the female Root ninja sighed after a sip.
"This is a specialty from the Land of Hot Water. If Danzō-sama hadn't messaged that we could head back to the village tomorrow morning, I wouldn't be sharing it with you," the male Root ninja replied, his tone more cheerful as he grinned.
In truth, Konoha shinobi followed three taboos: no extravagance, no lust, and no alcohol.
Yet shinobi were still human and needed ways to release pressure. These rules were often bent in practice. If there had been no demand, the entertainment district would never have sprung up so close to the village. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen had been a regular in his younger days.
Root operatives needed that outlet even more. Without releasing the negativity they kept bottled up, their minds would eventually shatter.
Of course, even while drinking in secret, the pair never fully lowered their guard.
Tensions between Kumogakure and Konoha were running high, after all. They had no intention of gambling with their lives.
"Easy on the drinking," the woman cautioned.
"It's fine. The perception barrier is still active."
The man seemed thoroughly tired of border duty. The news that they could finally return home tomorrow had clearly lifted his spirits.
The woman didn't press him further and set her bowl aside.
Drip… drip…
A sound like rain sliding from the eaves and splashing on the ground reached their ears.
It was nothing unusual.
Yet the female ninja suddenly felt a wave of unease. She frowned and peered carefully outside the tent.
All she saw was violent wind and pouring rain. The misty downpour blurred everything, and the perception barrier gave no warning.
What was this feeling? Where was the wrongness coming from?
Something was missing.
Or… something had been added?
"…"
After a brief silence, she scanned the area outside and nudged her companion. "Hoshi, something doesn't feel right."
But the instant she applied force, her hand met empty air.
Thud… thud, thud…
She turned sharply and saw her partner toppling sideways. His head, still wearing a faint smile, slid off his shoulders and hit the ground with wet thumps like a bouncing ball, rolling away and leaving a trail of blood.
In that split second, the woman realized exactly what was wrong.
There were no breathing sounds. The tent that should have held four people now held only her.
A faint metallic scent of blood was spreading, growing stronger on the wind.
It wasn't coming from outside—it was coming from inside the tent.
But realization had come too late.
Splat.
A glint of cold light flashed. Several drops of blood splattered across the tent fabric.
Hyūga Kumokawa hung upside down from the ceiling in his black robe. He slowly withdrew his joined index and middle fingers from the woman's skull, a thin layer of chakra coating them like a blade.
"Root ninjas really aren't as sharp as regular ANBU," Hyūga Kumokawa murmured.
His peripheral vision swept over the two bodies on the beds behind him. Both had been pierced clean through the head and now lay lifeless.
The "raindrop" sounds the woman had heard earlier were actually their blood dripping onto the floor.
If they hadn't placed so much trust in the perception barrier, they might have noticed the anomaly sooner.
But who would have guessed that Hyūga Kumokawa could completely block sensory detection? Even Pain had to detour around Konoha's barriers.
Along the way he had spent another thousand points to strengthen the Shadow Robe's perception-blocking ability even further.
In terms of infiltration, very few people in the shinobi world could rival him.
"Too bad. I wasted one puppet."
Hyūga Kumokawa glanced regretfully at the headless corpse, stored it in a scroll, then used spiritual puppetry to take control of the other three bodies.
This technique couldn't prevent decay. Unless converted into proper human puppets, these corpses would rot before long.
Moreover, without the giant Tenseigan that Ōtsutsuki Toneri possessed, his current limit was ten puppets at most. Controlling a living person like Hyūga Hiashi took up five of those slots.
"Still… this should be more than enough."
Hyūga Kumokawa looked at the three puppets now kneeling before him and issued orders for them to mimic their previous living behavior while awaiting further commands.
He then murmured inwardly once again:
"Manifestation—Ōtsutsuki Ruins."
[Please enter coordinates.]
"Coordinates—one thousand meters underground, longitude 119°17'13.202", latitude 54°12'12.115"…" Hyūga Kumokawa recited the exact meeting point agreed upon between Kumogakure and Konoha.
[Please enter layout.]
"Layout—five-layer underground palace. Impossible to detect through sensory ninjutsu. Each layer requires absorbing chakra to open, with deeper layers demanding greater amounts. Place a Ten-Tails stone statue at the entrance. The base is engraved with an inscription left by Ōtsutsuki Yunshi. The inscription reads…"
Hyūga Kumokawa carefully pictured the underground ruins in his mind, refining the details several times until the system finally stopped prompting for more information.
[Spending 13,000 Manifestation Points. Proceed with manifestation?]
"…" The corner of Hyūga Kumokawa's eye twitched. "How much did you say?"
This was the first time he had manifested something on this scale.
[Spending 13,000 Manifestation Points. Proceed with manifestation?]
"You're really trying to squeeze me dry, aren't you?" He took a deep breath. After a long pause he asked, "What if I only manifest the overall underground palace structure, the entrance, and the specific details I mentioned—the part that requires absorbing a massive amount of chakra to open each layer?"
[Spending 3,000 Manifestation Points. Proceed with manifestation?]
Hyūga Kumokawa's eyes flickered.
After thinking it over carefully and remembering how the Shadow Robe had always proven worth every point while perfectly suiting his needs and even adding thoughtful details…
"You can't catch the wolf without sacrificing the child."
His pupils contracted. "Manifest it!"
[3,000 Manifestation Points deducted. Remaining Manifestation Points: 10,651]
The instant the notification sounded in his mind, Hyūga Kumokawa felt the ground tremble beneath his feet.
Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that the rewrite for the Supreme Overlord project is officially ongoing now. If you want to read it, feel free to check out my second account.
Since this account got shadowbanned and I can't really interact with anything anymore, I decided to upload it on my second account instead: Elenea. (I'll leave a comment under this post so it's easier for you guys to find my second account.)
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[Father of the Evil Gods]
Synopsis:
In Zoroastrianism, the Mother of the Evil Gods is the source of all sin and darkness!
It is said that she created the Six Archdemons: Malice, Chaos, Aging, Betrayal, Weakness, and Destruction!
After obtaining the Authority of the Mother of the Evil Gods in the Little Garden, Saigou became the Supreme Being in the world of Overlord;
Surrounded by the Overlord, the Witch of the Void, the Archon of Teyvat, the Sage of Gensokyo, the Satan of DxD, and the Creator of the Demon Pillars;
Saigou was certain that he had firmly established his name as the Evil God;
And so, he must shout at the top of his lungs - God is dead!
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If you're curious and want to read it, feel free to check out my second account.