Heaven Village

Chapter 1: Heaven Village

Dawn was approaching, and a slightly hazy mist shrouded the sky above the small mountain village in the valley. The golden light of impending dawn shone through layers of mist into the small mountain village, and a mysterious atmosphere rippled outward from it.

However, such mystery did not last long before it was shattered by a group of men in black. They stepped lightly upon the branches of the trees, flying swiftly through the forest surrounding the small mountain village without making a sound.

There were men and women among them, ranging from thirty- or forty-year-old adults to teenagers in their teens, but all of them wore a piece of iron-plate-style headband engraved with four water-current-like indentations on their foreheads, their cold faces fully displaying cruel ruthlessness.

Upon nearly reaching the village entrance, the leading man stopped, extending his right hand, and all the people came to a halt. Presumably he was the leader of this group.

"Heaven Village, huh? The ninja village composed of descendants of fallen heavenly gods from legend, with numerous powerful individuals, but so many years have passed and they don't even have an elite jonin—it's simply a disgrace to the shinobi world. Whatever, today I'll 'help' you return to the embrace of the heavenly gods, letting you bunch of newbies understand the cruelty of the ninja world. Squads one and two, search all the ninjutsu scrolls in the village; squads three and four, follow me to ruthlessly hunt down and kill all ninjas and ordinary villagers, and make sure not to leave a single person out," the man said coldly.

"Sir!" everyone replied in unison.

The quiet mountain village presented a morbid stillness. The aura of one life after another vanished under the intruders' nonchalant footsteps, and a fate symphony forged by death ascended with the clouds and mist in the sky, passing from a low-pitched prelude into a climax.

Finally, someone noticed this bizarre atmosphere and cried out loudly.

"Who... who are you people? Could it be that our Heaven Village cannot escape the rule of you major ninja villages? Once we leave your sight, destruction is all that awaits us. Our Heaven Village never even thought of participating in the struggles of the shinobi world-can't you just leave us a sliver of a chance to survive?" an old man with a head of white hair said with a face full of grief and indignation.

"Ha ha, you guys really have fallen, even throwing away the forehead protector that is the symbol of a ninja—it's simply a disgrace to the shinobi world. If not for the Mizukage's orders, I wouldn't have any desire to kill you at all. Come, let me see your strength," the man laughed with contempt.

"Dammit, it seems you aren't going to leave us a single path to survival. Ichiro Yamada, old man, I entrust Issui Kanna to you. The bloodline of the heavenly gods depends on him to inherit it; he is the hope of our Heaven Village. Be sure to send him to Konoha and request the protection of the Third Hokage. Since we cannot escape the ninja world, then we shall choose the most powerful ninja village, so that we can survive peacefully," the old man said with a face full of sorrow.

"Understood, master. Rest assured, I, Ichiro Yamada, swear on my life that I will surely deliver the young master to Konoha," a red-haired man manifested from behind the old man, and then vanished immediately, presumably going to complete his mission.

"Ha ha, I didn't expect that in such a small ninja village, there would actually be someone with such powerful concealment ability. Although his strength is very poor, only having the capability of an elite chunin, being able to escape my search is already quite good. He's an 'interesting' little mouse, so let me quickly finish off you big rat! Yin-Chou-Shen-Mao-Zi-Hai-You-Chou-Wu-Xu-Yin-Xu-Yin-Si-Chou-Shen-Mao, Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique," the man said with wild laughter, his hands rapidly executing arcane finger seals. Suddenly, a torrent of water surging into the sky appeared out of thin air, and the roaring waterfall rushed swiftly toward the old man, instantly submerging him in water.

"Hmph, dying so fast—it truly wasted a large amount of my chakra. Time to go chase the little mouse; trash is trash, and can never become a hunter."

"Cough... cough, if you want to pass, it is impossible. Fallen black wings, purplish-red demon abyss, God King, north of heaven, sacrificed with life, offering the nether gate of the soul, secret technique-Heavenly God Descends!" The aged voice carried an imposing aura. A cluster of purplish-black light emerged from the pool of water, mysterious black feathered wings extended from the old man's back, the old man's skin turned purple, a stern eye opened on his forehead, wisps of lightning emerged from it, revealing the profound mystery of darkness and piercing through everything in the world. At his feet was a black dog composed of flames and possessing two feathered wings, holding a golden disk in its mouth.

"C--could this be the legendary fallen heavenly god, stepping upon and inhaling the universe, mastering wind and thunder, summoning ghosts and gods—the Tengu? The chakra has actually risen to the level of an ordinary Kage-level ninja. I actually have a feeling of wanting to retreat, but a ninja must harbor the resolve of the determined-to-die; a ninja who has not understood the coldness of death cannot be considered a true ninja. Moreover, this technique of yours must place a huge demand on the body, and how long can you use it? I imagine it won't be very long. Chou-Shen-Mao-Zi-Hai-You-Chou-Wu-You-Zi-Yin-Xu-Yin-Si-Chou-Wei-Si-Hai-Wei-Zi-Ren-Shen-You-Chen-You-Chou-Wu-Wei-Yin-Si-Zi-Shen-Mao-Hai-Chen-Wei-Zi-Chou-Shen-You-Ren-Zi-Hai-You, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique," the man turned around in astonishment, his hand seals flying, and a huge dragon composed of water flew swiftly toward the old man. However, the water dragon passed right through the old man's body, as if the old man didn't exist at all, yet the old man's towering physique was solidly and truly there.

"Hmph, small-minded and ignorant people cannot understand the existence of gods. Falling is for the sake of harnessing even greater power; the limit of power is light, the eternal paradise. Ordinary people only know of the fall of the heavenly gods, yet do not understand that this is the will of the gods, just as you do not understand the power of heavenly ninjutsu. At the final moment, I have finally executed this Caged Bird Seal at the cost of life and soul. Although I will lose my life, being able to execute this technique is already the happiest time of my life. I thank you, young man-for this, I will spare your life. The so-called 'Heavenly God Descends' offers life and soul, granting mastery of perception, five-element ninjutsu, and the abilities of time and space, but there are only thirty seconds of time. Thirty seconds later, I will vanish between heaven and earth, leaving not a single trace," the old man's voice came out, yet his mouth did not move at all, as though heaven and earth were speaking.

"How can that be? You must be lying to me! Time and space-even the legendary ninja ancestor, the Sage of Six Paths, could not completely master their existence! Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet, Water Release: Wild Water Wave," the man said somewhat excitedly, his ninjutsu continuously bursting forth.

"Young man, your mindset has become somewhat unstable, and this is a great taboo for a ninja. Then, at the very end, let you witness the profound mystery of time: Time Annihilation."

Instantly, the man felt his life force draining away, and wisps of wrinkles gradually appeared on his face. The surrounding plants and trees experienced the cycle from withered yellow to tender green, terrifying to the point of defying belief. The man had lost the confidence to resist; what kind of power could make a person unable to muster even a shred of the will to resist?

"Ha... cough, cough, you've felt the power of the gods, haven't you? Although I very much want you to die to avenge the village, people who have not experienced the pain of war are unable to survive in this world. So, I will leave you, this threat, to constantly urge my grandson to practice diligently, and I hope you can fulfill this ability. Time mystery-Great Reversal Technique!" After finishing speaking, the old man pointed both hands at the man. A force of life flowed from the old man's hands, and the man was astonished to discover that his lost life force was recovering, and even surpassing before, and he found that he had already obtained the life force of a Quasi-Kage Level ninja. Next, through two or three years of hard work, he might break through elite jonin and become a powerful Quasi-Kage Level ninja.

"Lastly, can you tell me your name, ninja of Kirigakure?" The old man's life force gradually vanished, and he spoke with his final strength.

"Zabuza Momochi of Kirigakure, old man, even though you didn't kill me, don't expect me to be grateful to you. But I'll fulfill your dying wish: I'll become the source of your grandson's hatred and keep 'reminding' him to grow stronger," the man said expressionlessly.

The old man finally smiled with satisfaction and passed away in the breeze.

The man turned and hurried onward.

"The world of ninja is one of endless killing and hatred. No one can break this curse; we can only survive without knowing why."

By the banks of a great river that flowed ceaselessly, an ordinary man in a plaid shirt held a lily and leaned against the railing. A breeze swept past, carrying a wisp of floral fragrance away. He was waiting for someone.

At last, a pretty young girl in a lace one-piece dress came over. Compared to the man, they were on entirely different levels.

"Xiao Nan, happy birthday!" the man said happily, nervously holding out the lily.

But things didn't go as he'd hoped. The girl disdainfully knocked the lily away and said offhandedly, "Yi Shui, I don't like you at all. I like Xiao Han. Please stop bothering me, okay? Although a lot of girls think you're great-

"you're good at school, and you're gentle, but in this society, being good at school alone is useless. Maybe the results you struggle for over decades are things some people are born with. I'm a very practical person, so..."

"So you chose Xiao Han? Maybe I'm not good enough yet, or maybe I don't have money. Xiao Han should be able to give you a worry-free life, and he isn't a bad person, so I'm relieved. I wish you two happiness." The boy's face turned deathly pale as he spoke. Then he turned and walked away, step by step. Tears of sorrow streamed uncontrollably down his face. He didn't dare look back, because he didn't want her to see him in such a broken state.

"I'm sorry, Yi Shui. I have my own difficulties. My life isn't my own; I still have family to look after." Xiao Nan spoke so softly it was barely audible, her eyes red and swollen too.

Sadly, the boy never looked back. If he had, he would have seen that Xiao Nan had only been pretending just now. That was how helpless life could be.

Just as the boy was lost in sorrow, a huge truck came straight toward him. The truck driver hadn't been paying much attention. It was only when the truck was about to hit the boy that he noticed, but...

A cry of anguish rang out. Blood-red stained the entire sky, and the world spun.