Original God, But Chat Group

Li Yue looked at the two gatekeepers before him, recalling the strong foes they had supposedly intercepted over the years. It seemed they had never actually stopped anyone formidable.

"Hello?"

Seeing Li Yue silent, Kamizuki Izumo spoke up again, while slipping his right hand behind his back to signal Kagetsu Tetsu beside him. Watch out—this guy might be trouble. Kagetsu Tetsu also hid one hand behind him, ready to draw a kunai.

"How pathetic."

Li Yue sensed their little movements and let out a cold snort. The next instant, a crushing pressure descended from above, slamming both of them to the ground, unable to move.

"Wha—"

"What's... going on..."

"Is he... an enemy?"

The Leaf Gate Guardians lay on the ground, gasping for breath as they stubbornly lifted their heads, trying to understand what Li Yue had done.

"What kind of... Ninjutsu... is this?"

But Li Yue gave them no answer. He simply stepped over them and walked through the Leaf Village Gate.

"Quick... notify the village!"

After Li Yue had gone some distance, the two finally managed to get up. They immediately fired a signal flare into the sky—the standard alarm method for gatekeepers, since shouting wouldn't cut it.

The flare shot into the air, and the Anbu within the village received the message at once. Dark figures streaked across the rooftops, converging rapidly toward the gate. Soon, a squad of Anbu arrived at the entrance.

"What happened?"

The Anbu captain, wearing a monkey mask, asked the two gatekeepers coldly.

"An enemy. We don't know what kind of jutsu he used, but it pinned us to the ground. He was wearing black clothes, subdued us both, and then walked straight in."

"Understood. You two stay at the gate and prepare for defense. Make sure he doesn't escape back this way."

After issuing his orders to Izumo and Tetsu, the Anbu captain led his squad in the direction the two had pointed.

Meanwhile, Li Yue, now inside the Leaf Village, maintained a leisurely pace, strolling through the streets as if sightseeing. Of course, aside from observing the village layout, he also had no idea where the Ninja Academy was.

But he hadn't gone far down the main street before a dozen masked ninja in standard gear appeared around him.

"Stop right there, intruder!"

Several Anbu surrounded Li Yue, while others pushed back the bystanders nearby.

"What's going on? Is he an enemy?"

"Move! The ninja are about to fight!"

As civilians of a ninja village, these people knew when to clear out. Spotting an impending battle on the street, they scattered at once.

Once the civilians had retreated, the squad leader raised his hand. Two Anbu behind Li Yue lunged at him, drawing their standard long swords from their backs, ready to take him down.

But before their blades even reached Li Yue, they collapsed to the ground just like Izumo and Tetsu at the gate. The crushing pressure rendered them immobile—and not just them. Every other Anbu member also hit the dirt. Their duty screamed at them to get up, but none of them could.

"So these are the ninja of the Leaf? How weak."

Li Yue cast them a cold glance, then stepped over them and continued deeper into the village.

After passing the Anbu, Li Yue noticed a civilian who hadn't fled, apparently hoping to watch the commotion. The man was also caught in Li Yue's Reiatsu, pinned to the ground and barely able to breathe, his breaths growing shallower.

"Tell me where the Ninja Academy is."

The civilian struggled to lift a trembling finger and pointed in a direction, desperate for Li Yue to leave before he suffocated.

Li Yue glanced where the man pointed, then walked off slowly, his expression cold and indifferent.

Only after Li Yue had vanished from their sight did the Anbu finally manage to get up, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

"He didn't kill us?"

"Who is he? What kind of jutsu was that? A bloodline limit?"

"Stop wasting time! We can't worry about that now. Anyone who can take us all down in an instant is definitely Kage-level. Gather reinforcements and signal Lord Hokage immediately!"

The Anbu captain barked at his subordinates, then pulled a flare from his belt and fired a special signal into the sky.

The signal from the Anbu captain was spotted by the Anbu squad guarding the Hokage Building. They rushed into the office to inform the Third Hokage, who was busy working.

"Lord Hokage, an Anbu squad in the village reports an enemy they cannot handle!"

"What!?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, froze. An enemy the Anbu couldn't handle? Did that mean a Kage-level foe had infiltrated the village?

"Send the signal. Put the village on full alert and evacuate the civilians. The Anbu squad will follow me to deal with the enemy!"

Hiruzen stood up from his seat and issued the orders. The old man, well past sixty, displayed a nimbleness unbecoming of his age, leaping straight out the window of the Hokage Building. The Anbu followed close behind.

Under the Hokage's lead, they quickly rendezvoused with the Anbu squad on the street.

"Lord Hokage!"

The Anbu captain knelt on one knee before Hiruzen.

"Our apologies. We were no match for him. He subdued our entire squad single-handedly."

"Hmm? All subdued? What was their ability?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply puzzled.

"That's right, they subdued us. The ability seemed to be an Earth Style related to gravity, and then they left. Their destination is the Ninja Academy!"

"What! Head to the school immediately!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly activated the Body Flicker Technique and chased toward the school, with the Anbu members close behind.

By then, Li Yue had already reached the school gate. He glanced at the sign above the entrance and walked straight in.

"Hey! Who are you? This is a school—you can't just barge in!"

The school's Gatekeeper tried to stop Li Yue, but the moment he took a step forward, he collapsed flat on the ground.

Not only that, but the entire school was enveloped by Li Yue's Reiatsu. The students inside suddenly felt a heavy pressure bearing down on them, though Li Yue had reduced the Reiatsu output toward the school building, so the students experienced much less strain.

"What's going on? Why does my body suddenly feel so heavy?"

The students grumbled one after another, and the teachers were equally confused. They stepped out of their classrooms one by one and saw Li Yue standing in the school courtyard.

"Who is he? Why is he inside the school?"

"Model Teacher Iruka, look—the gatekeeper's down! He must be an enemy!"

"Mizuki-sensei, please help the other teachers evacuate the students! I'll hold him off!"

Model Teacher Iruka asked Mizuki to protect the students while he leaped down from the second floor, ready to face Li Yue alone. But as soon as he landed and took two steps, he dropped to his knees and then lay flat on the ground, unmoving.

"Iruka-sensei!"

A short Blondie saw Iruka fall and immediately jumped down from the second floor to help him.

"Naruto... don't come over... get away!"

But Naruto ignored him, rushing to Iruka's side. He immediately collapsed under the same pressure, lying face-down beside Iruka, the two of them sprawled left and right in front of Li Yue.

"Idiot dead last!"

After the Blondie fell, a Black-haired Cool Kid also leaped down from the second floor.

"Damn it, Sasuke, don't come here! Get out of here!"

The Blondie shouted as he saw Sasuke approaching, but it was too late. Before Sasuke could even step forward, he dropped to one knee and couldn't get up.

The three's predicament made the other students and teachers on the second floor abandon any thought of coming down.

"Quick, evacuate the other students first!"

"Look, the Lord Hokage is here!"

A sharp-eyed student spotted the Hokage and the Anbu outside the school gate and shouted with joy.

"Oh! The Lord Hokage is here! We're safe!"

The Hokage's authority made the students cheer immediately. In the face of the strongest Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, this intruder would surely be defeated!

"Naruto! Iruka!"

The Hokage, entering the gate, saw Naruto and Iruka lying in front of Li Yue and shouted urgently, his hands forming hand seals rapidly.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

The once flat ground instantly turned into a muddy bog, ready to swallow anyone who stepped on it. But Li Yue, whom he aimed to control, remained standing on the mud without sinking at all. He even lifted his leg and walked toward Naruto.

"Stop him!"

Seeing his Ninjutsu had no effect, the Hokage activated the Body Flicker Technique and charged at Li Yue, ordering the Anbu to rescue Naruto, Iruka, and the others.

But just like before, as soon as the Hokage and the Anbu entered the school gate, they felt a heavy pressure bearing down. The Anbu members all collapsed at once.

Only the Hokage managed to maintain mobility under the crushing weight.

So entering a certain range affects movement? Even Onoki's Earth Style can't achieve this effect. Could it be some kind of Kekkei Genkai? If so, I'll use long-range techniques.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"

The ground, already muddy from the Swamp of the Underworld, suddenly erupted like a mudslide. A torrent of earth surged toward Li Yue, but as it neared him, it split—half rushing at Li Yue, the other half curving around him and slamming into Naruto, Iruka, and Sasuke, sweeping them away.

But Li Yue vanished from his spot in an instant. When he reappeared, he stood on a patch of solid ground, holding a Black-haired Cool Kid by the collar.

"Damn it, Sasuke!"

The swept-away Blondie shouted in panic, trying to rush forward, but the Hokage, arriving via Body Flicker, stopped him.

"Naruto, calm down."

"Third Grandpa! Save Sasuke!"

"I will save Sasuke. You go with Iruka to a safe place first!"

The Third Hokage soothed Naruto while keeping a tense eye on Li Yue, immediately beginning to analyze his intentions.

Is his target Uchiha Sasuke? Is he trying to steal the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai?

"Who are you, to dare act within my Leaf Village? Do you think you can leave here safely after this?"

He tried to pressure Li Yue, but Li Yue ignored him, simply staring at the Uchiha Sasuke he held.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you really are a waste."

"Bastard, who the hell are you?"

The word "waste" stung Sasuke. His eyes snapped wide, locking onto Li Yue.

"My name is Li Yue."

Li Yue? The Third Hokage immediately searched his memory, but after a full sweep, he found no trace of that name.

"You may call me Steward Li."

"Huh? Steward?"

Sasuke was puzzled, and the Third Hokage shared his confusion. A term like "steward" only appeared in the great clans.

"That's right. Steward to Otsutsuki Indra!"

Li Yue set Sasuke back down on the ground.

"Of course, you probably don't understand if I just say Otsutsuki Indra, so let me put it another way."

"I am the steward of Otsutsuki Indra, the ancestor of your Uchiha clan!"

"What?!"

"The ancestor of the Uchiha clan!?"

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Li Yue folded his hands and looked down at Sasuke with contempt.

"I've watched you for five years. Five whole years! In that time, you've proven yourself both useless and incompetent. But there's no helping it—you're the last legitimate bearer of Indra's bloodline in this world. As Indra's steward, it's my duty and responsibility to ensure that bloodline continues. The Indra clan cannot vanish because of your uselessness and incompetence! Therefore..."

He dropped the contempt, his face turning serious.

"The five-year term is up! Please return to your position as clan head!"

Li Yue's declaration rang out across the entire school. After a moment of silence, the watching students all gaped and burst into astonished cries.

"Huh!???" XN