Ten-Tails Remains from a Thousand Years Ago

Ensei stood atop the high platform, holding the "Star" as he waited for every villager of Hoshigakure to arrive.

After an intense internal struggle, he had made up his mind to call on the entire village to abandon the cultivation of the Mysterious Peacock Method.

If they delayed any longer, Hoshigakure would sooner or later be destroyed by this stone.

"Today, I gathered everyone here to tell you something extremely important about the Star."

"This stone has always been regarded as Hoshigakure's greatest treasure and the foundation of our strength."

"But I must tell you that this stone is the reason so many people in Hoshigakure have died suddenly and without explanation!"

"Everyone has noticed it, haven't you? More and more shinobi in the village are falling ill, and quite a few children have died young in recent years."

"It harms our bodies, affects our descendants, and is an ominous object! The First and Second both died because of it!"

Ensei looked at all the villagers, his expression earnest as he shouted. He could no longer accept Hoshigakure continuing down this path.

"What?! Do you have proof? Can it really make people sick?!"

"How could that be possible! This is the treasured legacy of Hoshigakure. Even the Hoshikage cannot desecrate it!"

"Could it really be true? My child died just days after cultivating it..."

All kinds of discussion filled the villagers' assembly. This news was simply too shocking for the people of Hoshigakure.

The reason was simple: without this stone, there would be no Hoshigakure. This was digging up the village's very roots.

Ensei motioned for everyone to quiet down, swept his gaze across the crowd, and said solemnly:

"It is true. After a thorough investigation, I found that every shinobi in the village who died unexpectedly had cultivated the Mysterious Peacock Method to a profound level."

The gathering grew even more restless. Who could accept that their village's greatest treasure was actually a deadly calamity?

"We will never accept this! Without the Mysterious Peacock Method, Hoshigakure will cease to exist!"

"Exactly! Without the Star's power, how could we possibly have a place in the Shinobi World?"

There were quite a few Hoshigakure shinobi who thought like the so-called "First Hoshikage."

Having never seen the vast world beyond their borders, they stubbornly believed that the Star's power could push them to the peak of the Shinobi World.

One Hoshigakure shinobi's eyes darted around before he stood up and loudly questioned, "Ensei, are you trying to keep this power all to yourself?!"

The surrounding shinobi seemed to suddenly realize something and began questioning him all at once. "That's right! How could the Star be harmful? It is the source of our power!"

Ensei's face went pale. He had anticipated that the villagers might be unwilling to give up this power, but why had their accusations turned toward him?

The shinobi below gradually gathered together, staring at the "Star" in Ensei's hand as the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

"Hand it over, Ensei! You are not worthy of being Hoshigakure's Kage, you traitorous bastard!"

The shinobi who had questioned him earlier straightened up and pointed at Ensei as he roared.

Voices of agreement rose one after another. The entire situation had spiraled out of control, and Ensei's eyes went blank. He had never expected the backlash to be so severe.

Hanma stood high above, watching the scene unfold. Seeing that the Hoshigakure shinobi were about to turn on one another, kind-hearted Hanma decided to stop the conflict.

As long as he took the thing away, the two sides would have nothing left to argue over.

Hmm. That logic should be sound.

He pulled out an extremely ridiculous mask, something he had specially prepared for doing bad things. Danzo's oversized portrait was printed on it.

Whoosh—

With a light Body Flicker, Hanma directly snatched the "Star" from Ensei's hand and began casually playing with it.

The Hoshigakure shinobi leading the troublemakers narrowed his eyes and shouted, "An intruder! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Then he turned back and yelled at Ensei, "Do you see that? Even outsiders are coming to steal such a valuable treasure, yet you want us to throw it away!"

Hanma had not held particularly high expectations for this so-called "Star."

But when he activated his senses to inspect the little thing, it gave him a huge surprise.

This strange stone carried something resembling the aura of a Tailed Beast!

Hanma had interacted with Uzumaki Mito when he was young, and he had also encountered Jinchuriki from other countries while serving in the Anbu. He was fairly familiar with the aura of Tailed Beasts.

The Chakra of Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki carried a violent, chaotic quality. To shinobi with sensory abilities, it was extremely obvious.

This stone possessed that uniquely distinctive Chakra reaction of a Tailed Beast. Though its quantity was not great, its chaotic and violent nature was even more intense.

"This so-called Star may be a remnant of the Ten-Tails!"

When the Sage of Six Paths had chosen successors for the Ninja Sect, one of their important tasks had been to clear the Shinobi World of the Ten-Tails' remains.

But no matter how thoroughly they searched, some remnants were bound to be missed.

Hanma decisively made his move. Such a high-level object could even trigger mutations; it had far too many potential uses.

Mysterious Peacock Method: Beast Form!

Pale pink Chakra surged from behind the Hoshigakure shinobi present, continuously taking shape and transforming into tigers, leopards, and various other forms.

Hanma frowned. This strange method of releasing Chakra was truly unsightly. It looked far too much like expelling some kind of gas. How did it have anything to do with an elegant creature like a peacock?

Hanma casually dodged the attacks of the Hoshigakure shinobi without rushing to counterattack, observing their techniques.

He also wanted to see just how far these people, hidden away in a mountain ravine for over a century, had developed the "Star."

Hanma casually blew apart a Chakra tiger, gauging the strength of the secret technique as he released a trace of Blood Qi and devoured the scattered Chakra.

"The strength is completely insufficient, but the Chakra nature has indeed changed. It has greater resilience and density."

Seeing that their attacks had no effect whatsoever, the Hoshigakure shinobi were horrified. In their eyes, the Mysterious Peacock Method possessed power that no one else could contend with!

Watching Hanma evade so effortlessly, Ensei's face darkened. "So it really brought disaster..."

Ensei strode forward. Whether the village would continue inheriting the Star's power was Hoshigakure's own business. Outsiders were not allowed to interfere.

"Everyone, follow my orders! Enter wartime status! Mysterious Peacock Method, Charging Form!"

The expressions of the shinobi present turned solemn. They recovered from their panic, pressed their hands together, and began gathering Chakra.

Ensei let out a roar. Pale pink Chakra condensed into two enormous wings, carrying him into the sky. Looking down at Hanma, he said coldly:

"Outsider, return Hoshigakure's treasure, or die here!"

A smile appeared at the corner of Hanma's lips. Interesting. There was even a flight form.

The ability to fly was still extremely valuable in the Shinobi World and possessed great strategic significance.

He clapped his hands, signaling for Ensei to continue with his technique.

A trace of anger flashed through Ensei's eyes. What an arrogant outsider. The Star's power might be harmful, but it could not be looked down upon!

The Chakra of every Hoshigakure shinobi flowed toward Ensei's back, forming link after link before converging into a gigantic Purple Dragon.

Mysterious Peacock Method: Ultimate Mystery - Purple Dragon!

The enormous dragon head roared as it charged toward Hanma, completely engulfing his figure beneath the massive Purple Dragon.

"Hmph. This is the price of underestimating Hoshigakure."

Ensei spoke proudly, but then worry surfaced in his mind. This outsider's attack had once again proven the value of the Star's power.

The villagers had already been unwilling to stop cultivating it. This would make things even more troublesome.

As he watched the Purple Dragon roar and continue wreaking havoc, Ensei pondered the village's future with a heavy heart.

"Lord Ensei, be careful! Something is wrong!"

The Purple Dragon, which had been invincible just moments ago, let out a wail. Its massive body rapidly shrank as it was sucked into Hanma's body.

For Hanma, this ownerless Chakra was the finest nourishment for Predatory Blood Qi.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Enormous sonic booms rang out. Hanma curled his fingers, then flicked out the Chakra gathered at his fingertips with tremendous force.

With every flick, a Hoshigakure shinobi fell. The unconscious shinobi toppled in swathes like wheat.

"Interesting. I can actually see a Chakra application similar to that of a perfect Jinchuriki. It feels like Naruto sharing Tailed Beast Cloaks with the Allied Shinobi Forces."

Hanma sighed, paying special attention to the leading Hoshigakure shinobi who had insisted on continuing to cultivate the Star.

After putting the "Star" away close to his body, Hanma considered the uses of this Ten-Tails remnant and left the village, which had once again fallen quiet.

A new week has begun! Please keep reading! If you readers have any votes on hand, I hope you can spare a couple for me~~