"His body seems to be able to switch between reality and illusion at will; neither Ninjutsu nor weapons can harm him, however..."
"But what?"
"He must materialize before launching the attack; if he can seize that opportunity..."
As Aoki Tsuki spoke, the hair behind her stood up straight, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Upon seeing this, Konan immediately understood how he had launched such a swift counterattack. This guy's hair, tempered by Chakra over many years, could freely stretch and contract, and also possessed sealing power.
When the opponent is certain of victory.
A surprise close-range attack, coupled with a few Explosive Tag hidden inside, would certainly give Tobi a run for his money.
"I see, thank you for the valuable information."
Tobi's elusive abilities made Nagato and her extremely wary.
Now that Aoki Tsuki has fought with Tobi and obtained his specific abilities, this is good news.
It turns out that Tobi wasn't as unfathomable as he seemed; his techniques also had weaknesses.
"It's nothing, just an outer member with some special abilities. I have a dozen guys like that under my command."
Aoki Tsuki waved his hand dismissively; he was anxious because he hadn't achieved his goal yet.
He quickly picked up the cup on the table and went to get a glass of water.
"Lord Konan, are you thirsty? Come, have some water and rest. A career isn't built in a day or two, and work is never-ending."
Health is the foundation of everything; it's essential to balance work and rest...
Unsolicited kindness is either a treacherous act or a theft!
Seeing the man's fawning manner, Konan knew he must want something, so Teuchi his solicitousness.
"Alright, stop beating around the bush. What do you want from me this time?"
Aoki Tsuki wasn't embarrassed at all; he was thick-skinned anyway. He explained, "It's nothing serious, I just happened to get a little toy."
He then took out the Thunder God Mask, which he had taken from the Uzumaki Clan Mask Storage Temple.
"What is this?" Konan took it and examined it carefully.
I didn't see anything special about it; it was just an ordinary deity mask, the kind that many shops in the commercial district sell.
It was worn on the face during sacrifices to communicate with the gods; more importantly, it was a ritual prop.
"This is the Thunder God Mask. It's a treasure I found in the shrine of the Uzumaki Clan. It should be able to summon gods through it."
This item should be able to enhance the power of Lightning Release Ninjutsu, but I don't know how to use it...
Aoki Tsuki rubbed his hands together, you know what I mean.
"You bastard...!!"
Konan's forehead veins throbbed; she didn't know what to say. No wonder Aoki Tsuki had no friends.
"Don't look at me like that. If the leader has time, could you take a look at it for me? It won't take up much of your time," Aoki Tsuki retorted.
Is this a waste of time?
This is an attempt to shift the risks of the technique onto Nagato.
"Hoo..." Konan took a deep breath, worried that she would be driven to death by Aoki Tsuki sooner or later.
After careful consideration, I finally nodded.
"Let's avoid doing such dangerous things in the future."
Upon seeing this, Aoki Tsuki quickly pointed to the sky and swore, "I promise, this is the first and the last time."
"You should be saying this to yourself, Moon!"
"Hey, I tell myself every day that I must strive to become stronger, only in this way can I better serve the village and the organization."
Lord Konan, I wonder if my line of thinking is correct?
"Don't try to argue with me. I admit I can't win an argument with you, but you need to understand that I also have my limits," Konan warned.
This woman has a strong sense of fraud prevention; she immediately becomes instinctively defensive at the slightest sign of trouble.
Aoki Tsuki quickly changed his strategy, retreating to advance.
"I understand. If I had no other choice and didn't want to trouble you, please let me do something for you in exchange."
"Hmph, I'll keep it for now, and talk about it when I've thought it through."
Konan did not refuse. The most important thing when dealing with this man was not to offer help for free, otherwise he would definitely take advantage of her.
"I'll take my leave now, and I'll look forward to your good news."
Having achieved her goal, Aoki Tsuki left humming a little tune.
'That bastard!'
Konan was initially quite happy to get information about Tobi from Aoki Tsuki, but now things have taken a turn for the worse.
Free things are often the most expensive.
On her way back, Aoki Tsuki saw several children playing by the roadside, and Karin was among them.
This child is incredibly strong and has mastered Chakra manipulation; no one in Amegakure of this age group can match him.
"Baka yarou! I told you not to bully people!"
Karin sent a boy flying with a single punch, exuding an aura of dominance, and gradually regained the confidence she had lost.
The other children, seeing this, were so frightened that they ran away as fast as they could.
"Uh... CC, when did you get back?" Karin realized that Aoki Tsuki had seen her, and her face showed panic.
You should know that she usually acts like a well-behaved girl; her cunning personality has always been a secret.
"I just got back, and I never expected my student to act so bravely. It truly makes me, as a teacher, very proud."
Aoki Tsuki was secretly worried. To prevent the cunning Karin from killing her teacher in the future, he decided to hold back a trick when teaching Ninjutsu in the future.
"This... this... they all bully the Ajisai, so I..."
Karin scratched her head, unable to tell whether the teacher was praising or scolding her.
" Ajisai? Is this the child?"
Aoki Tsuki found a little girl with purple hair huddled in a corner, hugging her legs like a wounded animal, her eyes darting around, avoiding eye contact.
His thin, dirty clothes clearly indicated he was an orphan.
'Isn't this the way of the loli?'
Ajisai seems to possess talent in Summoning Technique abilities; she's quite a gifted individual.
"Hey kid, do you even have a home?"
"I know, her home is in the west district," Karin said hastily, pointing west.
The western district is a ghost town, inhabited by refugees and homeless orphans. The true core of Amegakure has always been the northern and eastern districts.
"Come with me, I'll take you to find something to eat," Aoki Tsuki said, turning to leave.
Upon hearing this, Karin pulled Ajisai up and said, "Hurry up, there are steamed buns to eat."
She went to Aoki Tsuki's house every Tenten partly for the toys, and partly because the meat buns from Grandma Chiki's house next door were just too delicious.
The Ajisai, dazed and confused, was dragged along by the Karin along the Iron Rain Avenue until it arrived at the steamed bun shop.
Glug...
The aroma of meat wafting from the steamer made her swallow hard.
Only when a steaming hot bun was stuffed into her hand did Ajisai realize that this was not a dream.
"Mmm, Ajisai, you should eat too, it won't taste good when it gets cold," Karin urged from the side, having already finished most of her food as she spoke.
"Eat up, it's on me!"
Only after Aoki Tsuki confirmed it again did the Ajisai cautiously take a small bite. It smelled delicious!
She then began to eat heartily, tears streaming down her face as she ate, seemingly lost in thought.
At such a young age, he ate three large steamed buns in one go; he must have been starving.
After finishing the steamed buns, he went to Aoki Tsuki's house and questioned him about the situation. As he had expected, the child's parents had died in the war.
A wanderer arrived in Amegakure and settled in an empty, dilapidated house in the western district.
"From now on, you can come to the shop every day to help out with odd jobs, such as packaging gifts and weaving pendants. Meals will be provided, and you will receive 2,000 taels of silver as a reward every month."
"I'll become a ninja for the village in a few years."
"Thank you, I will definitely work hard," the Ajisai said gratefully.
"Haha... You little brat probably don't know who I am. I am the chief advisor of Amegakure, the Sage in the Rain Aoki Tsuki."
Remember this name; it'll be very useful when you're adventuring in the Land of Rain.
"I understand, Lord Yue."
"Hmm, you're very perceptive. You're destined for great things. Good luck."
"Bullshit!" Karin thought to herself, still getting beaten up by the Lady Angel and running away with her tail between her legs.
He was just bragging in front of those little brats.
Aoki Tsuki felt no shame at all. He earned his reputation through his own efforts, and these children would gradually spread his name as they grew up.
Over time, the fake will become real, and by then his strength will be roughly on par with it.
This is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Just like the process of the Uchiha's demise, Obito, the village was on guard, and they were ultimately forced to take the path of a coup.
After staying in the village for a while, they returned to their base in the Land of Fire.
"Sister Mimoto, how's that Uchiha kid doing?"
"It will take some time."
"There's nothing we can do now. Let her stay by your side and learn. Remember, the Jashin Cult is our foundation."
"Isn't your foundation the Akatsuki?" Kikuno Momo asked curiously.
"Foolish! Humans are born with two legs to walk. Why? Because that's how you walk steadily. You can't put all your eggs in one basket."
We must address both aspects simultaneously, focusing on both key and difficult points.
The brutal ninja world provides a solid foundation for the Jashin Cult; as long as its followers keep recruiting new members, its power can continue to expand.
The headquarters no longer matters; everyone only recognizes his name. He has become the de facto leader of the Jashin Cult.
In addition, he also possesses a 'mask' that allows him to communicate with Jashin.
"By the way, Little Tsuki, there's a quest here, sent by the followers of the Land of Water."
Aoki Tsuki took it and glanced at it, a smile immediately curving her lips.
"I didn't look for him, but he came to me on his own initiative. I also need to go to the Land of Water anyway, so I might as well meet him."
Aoki Tsuki gently patted Kikuno Momo's soft hand.
"After these two years of training, you have gained considerable experience, and I have already spoken to Butsushura about it."
From now on, I will report all intelligence related to Akatsuki in the Land of Fire directly to you.
"Really? You finally trust me!" Kikuno Momo was overjoyed, feeling like a daughter-in-law who had finally become a mother-in-law after many years.
Previously, Xiao had never allowed her to access intelligence; she was being kept at a distance.
"What you said really hurt me. I've never treated you like an outsider, don't you understand? I've been nurturing you all along."
"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you, Little Tsuki."
Kikuno Momo thought to herself, 'That despicable guy, if the Uchiha hadn't been wiped out, you'd still treat me like an outsider, wouldn't you?'
Aoki Tsuki solemnly instructed, "From now on, when I go out on missions, I'll leave the house to you. You need to adjust your working-class mentality as soon as possible."
"Develop a sense of ownership over the female protagonist, understand?"
"Okay, I understand."
Having received the benefit, Kikuno Momo behaved very obediently, deliberately scratching Aoki Tsuki's palm with her little finger.
This really piqued Aoki Tsuki's interest, and he was about to take action.
"I made plans to practice Shuriken with Izumi today, so I'm leaving now." Kikuno Momo turned and left.
"Playing hard to get? Hmph, woman."