The Ninja World Has No Need for a Second Demigod

Several ninjas moved to attack Hyuga Kei, but Konan mixed Explosive Tags into her paper spears, pinning them to the ground before detonating them with a thunderous blast.

"Kill!" Hyuga Kei shouted, putting on a complete performance.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" A tide of battle cries immediately followed.

Konan led the Rain Ninja in a charge against the ninjas from the two nations. Almost instantly, the two nations' forces collapsed and fled back the way they had come.

"Tell your Kage that as long as Lord Hanzo and I are here, they can forget about setting foot in the Land of Rain!" Hyuga Kei shouted after them, making sure they brought the information back.

Next came cleaning up the battlefield and gathering the wounded, none of which Hyuga Kei needed to worry about.

Hyuga Kei met up with several Akatsuki teammates. "So, how was my acting?"

Kisame said, "You really looked like Hanzo's utterly loyal disciple."

Sasori said sinisterly, "Why not let me handle it? We could kill them all and intimidate them."

Hyuga Kei shook his head. "That would only arouse the Five Great Nations' curiosity. Hanzo's name is more useful."

"Thanks for stepping in just now, Sister Konan."

It really had been dangerous. If Konan had not acted soon, he would have run out of tricks and exposed himself.

"It was nothing."

Hyuga Kei said, "Next, spread the word to the Five Great Nations. The Land of Rain has no intention of joining their war. Whoever dares bring the flames of war into the Land of Rain will become an enemy of the Demigod and face the Land of Rain's full retaliation."

"I'll leave this matter to you, Sister Konan."

"Alright."

"Mm, thanks for the hard work, everyone. I need to get back to training too." Hyuga Kei stretched lazily.

Land of Earth, Tsuchikage's office.

"What did you say? The entire advance force was defeated, and only a dozen or so survived?" Ōnoki's short figure sprang onto his office chair as he stared intently at the Communications Division ninja before him.

That had been a hundred-man elite unit. How had this happened?

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. The ninja leading them called himself Kimura Takuya, Hanzo's disciple. He could use many of Hanzo's famous ninjutsu."

"He also said that as long as Lord Hanzo and he were alive, no one should dream of setting foot in the Land of Rain..."

"You may leave."

"Yes!"

The Communications Division ninja let out a long breath. He could finally leave.

"Water Release: Water Body Technique, Ibuse, swordsmanship..."

With so much information put together, he had no choice but to believe it.

"That old bastard has had no news for so many years, yet he actually trained a disciple?" Ōnoki pondered.

"A small nation cannot have a second Demigod. A second Demigod must never be allowed to exist!"

Endless Killing Intent filled Ōnoki's eyes.

"Still, plans to open a third battlefield should be suspended for now. If the Land of Rain joins Konoha's side, the losses would outweigh the gains."

Within the Sunagakure camp.

Rasa looked at the intelligence report in his hand.

"Is that old man trying to cultivate a second Demigod?"

Rasa recalled the Second Ninja War and that terrifying battlefield dominance. "This must never be allowed to happen. But that can wait until the war is over."

"Why do these small nations produce so many geniuses while Sunagakure's talent pool has withered away?"

They had to wait until the war ended before dealing with Kimura Takuya. It would be troublesome if the Land of Rain were forced onto Konoha's side.

Once the war was over, he would have ten thousand ways to kill him. Didn't Hanzo like peace? Then he would start a local war. If they wanted peace talks, Hanzo would have to kill his own disciple.

As long as Hanzo remained alive, and as long as Kimura Takuya was not the Land of Rain's leader, he would forever be nothing more than a pawn that could be discarded at any time.

Konohagakure of the Land of Fire.

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered this intelligence report. Following the intelligence Uchiha Itachi had provided, he had caused the two nations to consider opening a new battlefield.

This had resulted in nearly a hundred outstanding Iwagakure and Sunagakure ninjas dying, while Konoha and Kumogakure regained some advantage.

But when had this Kimura Takuya appeared?

Was the Land of Rain refusing to join the war because it wanted to profit as a bystander?

Should he force them into the war?

Forget it. Back then, Hanzo had not turned the Land of Rain into a great nation; he had only protected one region. His disciple was even less likely to manage it.

This was the one point where the Five Great Nations had the greatest mutual understanding: they would never allow a force capable of replacing the Five Great Nations to emerge.

No other nation could be allowed to profit from the Five Great Nations' battlefield.

Over in the Land of Rain.

Hyuga Kei had no interest in the Five Great Nations' schemes. Kimura Takuya was only a disguise, and Hanzo had been dead for years, his corpse long cold.

Hyuga Kei only wanted to continue training. He struck a massive boulder with his palm, but the boulder showed no reaction.

Hyuga Kei quickly leaped backward and, from afar, activated the chakra he had driven into the boulder.

Boom! The boulder exploded violently, scattering fragments in every direction.

"Success!" Uchiha Izumi and Karin Uzumaki, who had been watching nearby, could not help cheering.

Deidara stood beside Hyuga Kei and nodded, wearing the air of a senior offering guidance. "Not bad art, though it's still very immature."

Hyuga Kei had finally succeeded in researching a Kekkei Genkai, bringing him another step closer to the Truth-Seeking Orb he sought.

He also understood how Deidara's clay bombs were made: injecting Explosion Release chakra into clay and altering the clay's form.

Hyuga Kei did not have to focus solely on taijutsu. Perhaps his puppets could become suicide trucks as well.

That was truly a good line of thought.

He immediately got to work, opening a scroll and releasing a humanoid puppet. Hyuga Kei closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them. They transformed into Tenseigan as azure as a river of stars.

"So beautiful..." Karin stared blankly into Hyuga Kei's eyes. No matter how many times she saw them, she found those pupils incomparably beautiful.

Uchiha Izumi also gazed at those eyes, as though her very mind had sunk into them.

"It's here, Hyuga Kei's art!" Deidara was also amazed by those beautiful eyes.

Hyuga Kei ignored their gazes. Everyone who witnessed them reacted this way, and he was already used to it.

Hyuga Kei formed a Spirit Orb in his hand and infused it with his will and Dojutsu Power.

He then thrust his hand into the puppet's chest. His hand passed straight through the puppet, released the Spirit Orb, and finally withdrew.

Hyuga Kei immediately sensed the spiritual connection between himself and the puppet. This puppet possessed high intelligence; with only simple commands from him, it could easily carry them out.

He injected Explosion Release chakra into the puppet's core. At Hyuga Kei's command, the puppet charged into the nearby woods and activated the Explosion Release chakra left inside it.

Boom! Large swathes of trees collapsed, and dirt flew everywhere.

Hyuga Kei suddenly spotted a figure walking toward them. "Sister Konan, why are you here?"

Konan walked up to Hyuga Kei, still wearing that icy expression. "A ninja reported hearing explosions from here, so I came to take a look."

"I see. Next time I test ninjutsu, I'll go farther away."

"Mm."

"Sister Konan, would you like to eat with us? I'll cook personally in a while."

"Then I'll gladly accept."

Karin Uzumaki looked at Konan's voluptuous figure, which even her trench coat could not conceal, then looked at Uchiha Izumi's lovely figure beside her.

Finally, she looked down at her own chest and secretly gritted her teeth. Damn it, another powerful rival.

At Hyuga Kei's call, Izumi, Yuka, Karin, Konan, Deidara, and the others all sat down.

Hyuga Kei brought out a grill, bamboo skewers, and other items he had prepared in advance. Taking advantage of the rare sunny day in the Land of Rain, they enjoyed an open-air barbecue.