Each With Their Own Thoughts
The night was deep. Taiichi left the side hall and did not stay overnight in the mansion. Instead, he used the Flying Thunder God Mark to instantly appear on the roof of an inconspicuous house in the Capital of Hot Water.
He sat down cross-legged and Hand Seals with his hands.
Shadow Clone Technique.
Bang bang bang—white smoke exploded continuously.
Eight Shadow Clone identical to Taiichi appeared around him.
Taiichi spread out the map and pointed to the marked locations one by one.
"Each person is responsible for a major missing person location and the surrounding area. They should carefully sense any remaining Chakra and search for clues, paying special attention to underground or hidden caves."
I'm in charge of the area around Tsukimi Village on the latest report. If anything unusual is found, immediately discontinue the operation. Remain concealed to avoid alerting the enemy.
Taiichi concise order.
"Understood!" the eight Shadow Clone replied in unison, then transformed into eight blurry black shadows, merging into the night and speeding off in different directions.
Taiichi's true form spread out Wind Style Chakra wings and silently glided Northern Front.
As Taiichi followed the Eldest Young Master to the side hall after the banquet, the Second Young Master's gentle and refined mask completely fell away the moment he stepped into his own residence, replaced by a gloomy, iron-blue expression.
He waved away the eagerly welcoming maids and walked heavily Earth Flow his study, each step feeling like he was stepping on burning coals.
"Bang!"
The heavy door to the study was slammed shut, cutting off the outside world. The Second Young Master irritably ripped open his luxurious robe, as if the exquisite fabric was suffocating him.
He gulped down a large glass of ice-cold sake; the spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't extinguish the raging fire in his heart.
"Konoha - The White Reaper" Taichi Matsushita!
He growled through gritted teeth, his fingers clenching the wine glass so tightly his knuckles turned white.
The black-haired boy's calm gaze at the banquet seemed to pierce through all pretense, giving him a chilling feeling of being watched by a venomous snake.
The other party's extraordinary reputation in the Ninja World was something even he, a nobleman, had heard of. The arrival of such a person was like a bucket of cold water poured on his originally flawless plan.
"Damn it! How could it be him? And so fast!"
He had assumed that the person Konoha sent was at Elite Jonin, and that he had enough time and means to maneuver, mislead, or even eliminate him.
But the "White Reaper," a figure proven by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, is even more terrifying because the speed at which the enemy arrives means that his intelligence network and reaction time have been compressed to the extreme.
"Guards!" The Second Young Master suppressed his anger, his voice low and dangerous.
Almost the instant he finished speaking, a figure completely clad in a black bodysuit, revealing only a pair of emotionless eyes, appeared in the shadows of the study corner and knelt on one knee. "Master."
"Go to the Crow's Nest." The Second Young Master's voice was icy cold. "Tell that mad cult leader that Konoha's White Reaper, Taichi Matsushita, has arrived."
Tell them to immediately, right now, shut up completely! Cease all activities, not a single mouse is allowed to be caught, and the testing grounds are to be completely sealed off, erasing all traces! If that evil star catches even a whiff of it, they can expect the entire Jashin Cult to be buried with those lowly people!
The man in black tensed up almost imperceptibly; clearly, even the title of "White Reaper" put pressure on him.
"Yes!"
"And another thing," the Second Young Master suddenly turned around, his eyes flashing with madness and impatience, "Ask him! What stage has the experiment reached?! Why, after investing so much money and arresting so many people, can't they even produce a decent finished product yet?"
"What I need is Undead Legion that can sweep away everything," not a bunch of useless trash that can be killed with a few more blows! Let him know my patience is limited! If I can't produce results when I need them—" A ruthless glint flashed in Shinsuke's eyes, "He knows the consequences!"
"Understood!" the man in black replied again, then vanished without a trace, like ink blending into the shadows.
The study fell silent again, with only the Second Young Master's heavy breathing remaining.
He paced restlessly, his mind replaying Taiichi's calm yet sharp gaze at the banquet, and the way the Eldest Young Master fawned over Taiichi straw.
"Hmph, my dear elder brother—" The Second Young Master's lips curled into a twisted, cold smile, "You think you can rest easy and smoothly inherit the throne just by clinging to Konoha's coattails? How naive! That old fool Father, why should he give you everything? Just because you're the eldest son?"
What this country needs is strength! Strength enough to awe all around! Not your hypocritical rhetoric!
He smashed the wine glass on the ground, and the expensive porcelain shattered instantly, spilling wine everywhere.
"The Jashin Cult —they're all a bunch of lunatics! Trash!" he cursed under his breath, his stomach churning as he recalled the cultists' frenzied sacrifices and bloody methods.
If he didn't covet the power of "immortality," why would the Second Young Master of the Land of Hot Water, a man of such stature, cooperate with such a filthy maggot?
What's even more infuriating is that these lunatics have no idea what it means to keep a low profile! They arrest people, but they insist on making the entire village disappear, making it known to everyone, attracting the attention of the Daimyo's Mansion, and ultimately drawing the tiger of Konoha!
"A bunch of brainless idiots!"
The night was as dark as ink, and Taiichi's true form hovered above "Tsukimi Village," the cold night wind brushing against his hair.
Below, the once bustling village is now deathly silent, the houses casting distorted shadows in the dim Gekko, like giant tombstones.
"As expected—" Taiichi closed his eyes, Chakra Perception swept over every inch of the village and every house like an invisible tide.
The villagers' struggles, drag marks, and broken doors and windows—all deliberately vandalized—appeared chaotic and disorderly.
However, under Taiichi's keen perception, those remaining traces of the perpetrator's Chakra, although they had also been dealt with, could not be completely hidden, like Fire Fly in the dark.
It was a violent and evil Chakra, carrying bloodshed and resentment, leaving a deep impression.
He landed slowly, carefully examining the remaining traces on the ground, especially the most severely damaged areas, trying to reconstruct the scene.
Meanwhile, Taiichi Shadow Clone scattered across several other locations in the Land of Hot Water also encountered similar situations.
The scene was severely damaged, clues were scarce, and the remaining chaotic and violent Chakra was so weak that it was almost impossible to detect.
The enemy clearly had considerable experience in "cleaning up the battlefield," or rather, they had specialized "cleaners" to deal with these traces.
Time passed silently in the search. Taiichi's true form repeatedly Scout the vicinity of Tsukimi Village, expanding the search area and even delving underground to sense, but to no avail. The enemy seemed to appear out of thin air and then vanish into thin air, leaving no clear path leading to their lair.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Taiichi was resting in a grove of trees on the outskirts of Tsukimi Village when a Shadow Clone popped into his mind: a new missing person report!
Location: A mountain trade route about 100 miles southeast of Capital of Hot Water. A group of twelve Merchant transporting hot spring specialties, along with their guards, went missing last night.
Taiichi hesitation, Chakra wings on his back, transforming them into a streak of blue light that tore through the morning mist, hurtling towards the scene at an astonishing speed. In just over a quarter of an hour, he arrived.
Officials from the Land of Hot Water were already "investigating" the scene. Several people dressed in Samurai attire and low-ranking ninja uniforms were surrounding a few scattered trucks, and a middle-aged man who looked like a minor leader was frowning as he directed his subordinates to take notes.
Everyone was startled to see Taiichi descend from the sky, but they quickly recognized him and became respectful and reserved.
"Lord Taiichi! You've arrived!" The junior leader hurriedly came forward, his face showing a professional mix of sorrow and helplessness.
"We arrived after receiving a report from a passerby. Our initial assessment is—another missing person case. Like the previous ones, there were signs of a struggle at the scene, and goods were scattered, but—we didn't find any body or any valuable clues. Ugh, those damned robbers!"
Taiichi nodded slightly, his gaze sharp as a hawk's as he surveyed the scene. The truck was overturned, its cargo scattered all over the ground, with obvious drag marks and messy footprints, and several patches of soil showing signs of being turned over.
On the surface, it did indeed appear as if they had been ambushed by bandits, with people kidnapped and some of their goods looted.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Taiichi spoke calmly, walked to the place where the marks were most concentrated, squatted down, and extended two fingers to lightly touch the ground. Chakra rippled outwards, and his perception instantly penetrated the chaos on the surface.
Something's not right!
The direction and force of those drag marks—it's too deliberate! It's as if they're trying to cover up deeper marks underneath.
Beneath the refurbished soil, the moisture and color of the soil differ slightly from the surrounding area, indicating two separate cleanups at different times.
"Have you cleaned up the scene?" Taiichi stood up, looking calmly at the leader, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
The leader was visibly taken aback, a look of bewilderment flashing across his face. He instinctively shook his head, but this was quickly replaced by a deeper sense of helplessness.
"Your Honor, this is how the scene was when we arrived. It might have rained lightly last night, or perhaps the perpetrators deliberately sabotaged it—alas, our capabilities are limited, and we simply can't find any more clues."
He shrugged, looking quite innocent.
Taiichi didn't see anything wrong with the leader; his reaction just now seemed normal. He remained calm, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the leader and his men behind him.
Who was it? Was it this gang leader's man? Or someone else? They sabotaged the crime scene after the incident.
But there must be something fishy about this group of "investigators"! Anyone with experience could easily spot the suspicious points at the scene, yet none of them reported it. They were either directly involved in sabotaging the scene, or they knew the inside story and were afraid of being discovered by themselves!
"Yes, I understand." Taiichi didn't point it out, but simply nodded, as if accepting the explanation. "The scene is indeed severely damaged. I'll take another closer look; you can continue your recording work."
He ignored the other person and began to focus more intently on "examining" the deliberately damaged areas, especially the areas beneath the renovated soil, using his Chakra Perception to carefully examine the remaining traces underground.
Fortunately, we arrived early; otherwise, these remnants would have naturally dissipated into the environment.
Taiichi stood up and sketched the direction the traces extended in his mind: the northeastern mountains—the terrain there was complex, with numerous hot springs and caves, making it a good place to hide.
He memorized this information and didn't communicate with the low-ranking leader. In his eyes, the officials were no longer so trustworthy.
Meanwhile, in a remote corner of the Land of Hot Water, deep within an underground cave, lies the lair of the Jashin Cult.
The flickering candlelight illuminated the grotesque and twisted reliefs of Evil God gods on the wall, making them appear as if demons were dancing wildly. The air was thick with the stench of blood, Yakumi, and an indescribable odor of decay.
The layers of congealed dark red blood on the altar tell the story of countless lives lost.
The leader of the Jashin Cult, "Blood Crow," sat cross-legged on a throne carved from a giant stone, listening to the orders relayed by his trusted confidant in black sent by the Second Young Master.
He wore a scarlet robe, and his face was covered by a wooden mask carved with raven patterns, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed with a fanatical and cruel red light in the darkness.
"Cease all activities? Retreat?" Blood Crow's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like sandpaper rubbing against bones, filled with deep sarcasm. "Ha, has our esteemed Second Young Master been terrified by those little brats from Konoha?"
--
The man in black felt a chill run down his spine, and forced a smile, saying, "Blood Crow, watch your words. The Second Young Master has ordered that the Konoha Ninja has come this time is no ordinary person; he is none other than 'White Reaper' Taichi Matsushita, whose strength is unfathomable. For the sake of the greater good, please—"
"The bigger picture?" Blood Crow abruptly interrupted him, his voice rising sharply, filled with madness, "You know nothing about the bigger picture?! The arrival of our Lord is the true bigger picture! Sacrifices! We need more sacrifices to communicate with the supreme and great Evil God and grant us true immortality!"
He suddenly stood up, his scarlet robes billowing without wind, and a chilling, violent aura instantly filled the entire hall, making the man in black feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, struggling to breathe.
"Those defective products, those failed undead, are nothing but flawed products whose mortal bodies could not bear the divine grace! But as long as the sacrifices continue, as long as we communicate with more of our Lord's power, true undead warriors will eventually be born."
That would be a great force capable of overturning this corrupt world!
He looked down at the man in black, his eyes beneath the mask flashing with utter disdain for the Second Young Master's order, "Go back and tell the Second Young Master that I am aware of his warning. For the sake of cooperation," we will temporarily—restrain ourselves.
However, the progress of the experiment depends on the quantity and quality of the sacrifices! How can mortals arbitrarily urge our Lord's will? Let him mind his own business; money and cover-up are both essential!
Sensing the inhuman, terrifying aura emanating from the other man, the man in black dared not utter another word and could only bow his head in response, "Yes—"
I will pass on your message.
He inwardly groaned; the Second Young Master and this mad cult leader were both incredibly difficult to please.
Blood Crow snorted coldly and waved his hand as if shooing away flies. The man in black, as if granted a pardon, quickly disappeared into the shadows.
After the man in black left, a cultist dressed in a gray priestly robe with strange runes tattooed on his face cautiously approached Blood Crow: "Master, we're running low on offerings. Should we really stop arresting people?"
"Smack!"
A resounding slap landed hard on the gray-robed cultist's face, causing him to stagger and his cheek to instantly swell and turn red.
"Fools!" Blood Crow's voice was filled with rage. The "White Reaper of Konoha" was right under their noses, and they were asking what to do! Of course, they should hold back for now and call back all those idiots outside who were up to no good!
In the next few days, anyone who dares to go out and arrest people on their own, thus ruining my important plans, will be sacrificed alive and offered as a snack for my lord!
The grey-robed cultist covered his face, nodding repeatedly in terror. "Yes! Yes! Your Excellency is wise! I will do it immediately!"
Blood Crow watched his men scramble out to deliver the orders, his face contorted beneath the mask.
Of course he knew how terrifying the "White Reaper" was, the most dazzling rising star in Konoha in recent years, with an outstanding record. He wasn't stupid, so how could he be so clueless at this critical juncture?
But he was even more convinced of the power of the Evil God! Given time, and with enough sacrifices, he could gain power beyond the mortal realm!
At that time, Konoha and the White Reaper will all tremble at the feet of the Evil God!
As for that self-righteous fool, the Second Young Master, he was nothing more than a stepping stone for him to use.
Once we have the power, the first person we'll settle scores with is this "partner" who dared to boss us around and thought he was superior to us!
"White Reaper —Hmph, I'll let you live a few more days. When my lord descends, your soul will be the sweetest sacrifice offered to the Evil God!" Blood Crow stared at the twisted statue of the Evil God on the altar, his eyes burning with a mad and greedy flame.