Hokage-sama

He opened his eyes, and suddenly every muscle in his body tensed. Something was wrong with his surroundings, and something was wrong with the state of his body as well.

It was as though he was deeply unaccustomed to it. Even when poised to strike, with his Hua Jin force capable of reaching every minute corner of his body, he could normally remain extremely subtle while holding his power in reserve.

But now, because he was unaccustomed to this body, it was as if he had lost all his cultivation. The tension in his muscles was plainly visible.

The moment his body visibly tensed, an air of deadly vigilance immediately seeped out around him, making him even more tense. But then he realized that this killing intent did not seem directed at him. Rather, it seemed to be protecting him, keeping watch over every corner of the surrounding environment.

It seemed that something was lurking nearby, and those hidden presences placed great faith in his reactions.

Seeing his body tense as though he were on guard against something, they too became alert.

What was going on?

He maintained his posture, sprawled over the desk, and thought carefully. At last, the hazy fog lingering in his mind after waking cleared away, and he remembered what he had been doing before.

Before this, he had been in a secure secret chamber, undertaking an extremely important challenge!

Bao Dan!

After a Hua Jin grandmaster had cultivated to the limit in this realm, as long as he did not lose the will to advance through fear, this was a path he had to take!

When his blood and vitality were abundant, his spirit full, and his entire condition at its peak—if he succeeded in Bao Dan, then both his martial arts and physical constitution would reach another realm, one that could be called "attaining the Dao."

He had undertaken this challenge, attempting Bao Dan in what he believed to be a foolproof state. His blood, vitality, and spirit all had to gather at that single point in his dantian.

If he crossed this threshold, Golden Cores would form throughout his body. His power would draw inward into a perfect circle; the core would follow his will, tempering his entire body. Any casual strike would unleash the ultimate burst of force, concentrating the strength of his whole body into a single point.

It was a martial realm as unfathomable as that of an immortal!

But this step was also exceedingly dangerous. If Bao Dan failed, his blood and vitality would fall dormant, and the life force—even the consciousness—of his entire being would sink into dormancy along with that failure.

Even if he barely extricated himself from Bao Dan, the depletion of his blood, vitality, and spirit would be immense. Though he might learn some lessons from it, his next attempt at Bao Dan would become even more perilous.

It could be said that if one Bao Dan attempt failed, the next attempt would usually be even less likely to succeed.

And the consequence of failing Bao Dan once could very well be... death.

Did I die?

That realization suddenly came to him, especially when he sensed that this body did not belong to him. As a Hua Jin grandmaster, he understood every minute detail of his own body perfectly. Yet he could sense that this body was extremely powerful—more powerful even than the body he had possessed at the peak of his Hua Jin cultivation!

Moreover, there was an immensely powerful force within it, something seemingly closely linked to this body's vitality, essence, and spirit, something terrifying that seemed capable of bringing about infinite transformations!

But it was precisely because it was so powerful, precisely because it possessed such an unbelievable force, that it could not be his own body.

And besides, its realm was insufficient.

Hua Jin could achieve a certain degree of leaklessness, preventing vital energy from escaping. This body did not possess such a martial realm. Though strong, it did not feel thoroughly refined from head to toe. Nor did it bear the traces of regularly practicing the closing of pores, storing power within, then releasing it at the right moment—or regulating the pores' breathing to slow the loss of vitality and accumulate vital energy.

As for completely sealing the pores and becoming leakless? That was not called leaklessness. Flowing water never stagnated. Closing the pores was meant to store power for combat and aid explosive bursts. Closing them when not fighting—wasn't that courting death?

Opening and closing in balance, knowing when to tighten and when to relax—that was the proper way.

In short, since this was not his body and this was not the secret chamber from before, he must have failed to settle into Bao Dan and died. In other words, his current situation was...

Rebirth in another body.

And apparently, he was no ordinary person.

Then he could not let the guardians around him notice any flaws.

With that thought—

Still leaning over the desk, he pushed himself upright with his hands.

He looked ahead.

It seemed to be some sort of office. Before him was a desk, with several documents laid across it. The writing on them looked like... Japanese?

The sky was dark, and outside was pitch-black. Only a little light could be seen, but beyond that were relatively modern streets, along with the vague silhouettes of power lines and utility poles.

A person crouched atop one of the utility poles, wearing a distinctly Japanese-style mask and a fitted uniform, black on the inside and white on the outside, clearly designed for ease of movement.

The style of the outfit carried the air of an armed forces member. The deadly vigilance it exuded also resembled that of a military combatant.

And a seasoned combatant at that—one skilled in killing.

Yet it also carried the strong air of an assassin.

A combination of soldier and assassin? It felt like an elite special operations unit. The people hidden around him gave off similar impressions.

Whoosh!

The figure atop the utility pole vanished in an instant, an extremely eerie sight.

But this body's dynamic vision was exceptionally sharp. He saw the direction in which the figure had departed, and soon spotted him appearing on a rooftop. The masked face turned left and right, making him seem as though he were conducting an inspection.

Was this... a patrol?

"Hokage-sama."

At last, someone among those around him could no longer suppress his confusion and spoke.

Someone had come up behind him. He rose to his feet, glanced at the desk and the lone lit lamp in the office, then turned around and saw a figure dressed like the patroller outside. It was likely the same uniform, and he wore a mask as well, though its design was different.

But this person was kneeling on one knee, his posture immensely respectful, like a subject paying homage to his sovereign.

It carried a strong air of feudal ruler and subject.

"Did you sense something earlier? Forgive our incompetence. Please enlighten us, Hokage-sama."

"...I'm too tired."

He answered vaguely.

He reckoned that he ought to count as a political figure, so the explanation he gave had the flavor of a politician speaking ambiguously and leaving himself room to maneuver.

It suited his identity as a political figure very well. If he tried to explain himself too clearly, it would instead seem unlike something a political figure ought to say.

What was more, this manner of speaking also suited the style used by Japanese people in positions of authority.

Sure enough, after he said that, the person before him harbored no doubts.

And considering the recent events, the one asking the question also felt that it was perfectly normal for Hokage-sama to be exhausted.

After all, just last month, such a disaster had occurred!

The entire village needed Hokage-sama to stabilize the situation. The village had also gone under martial law because of it. Once night fell, the Anbu patrolled closely. Every household went to sleep immediately, afraid of drawing attention at such a time. Even the dogs did not dare bark too loudly.