Following Yan Chixia across the land, he had weathered many storms. Along the way, he tirelessly slayed demons and ghosts, finding himself in several high-stakes battles where he barely escaped with his life.
During that time, he had also investigated the origins of that centipede demon. As it turned out, it was none other than the disciples and grand-disciples of the State-Usurping Grand Preceptor, the thousand-year centipede demon.
However, his cultivation progressed slowly, making it impossible to charge into the capital. He had kept this grudge buried in his heart until he entered the mysterious space.
"Heaven and Earth are heartless, demons are persistent, but my life shall endure." Liao Zhai Makiya said with an excited expression.
After merging their strengths, he felt his comprehension of cultivation techniques and swordplay improve significantly. Bursts of mysterious insight flooded his mind, and contents that he previously couldn't understand were now crystal clear.
"Hold on, brother," Hacker Makiya spoke up suddenly. "If I remember correctly, that thousand-year centipede demon also practiced Buddhism, and it seemed quite profound. We can't guarantee a win against him right now. I suggest you start by practicing on smaller demons and level up step by step. After all, combat power varies between different worlds."
"I know!" Liao Zhai Makiya nodded.
"Hiss, this technique..." Ninja World Makiya silently recalled the cultivation method paired with the Void Sword Technique, and a thought popped into his head. 'Can I use natural energy to cultivate immortality?'
"There must be a difference," Wizard Makiya rubbed his chin. "Doesn't absorbing too much natural energy turn you into stone in your world?"
"The waters in the Ninja World are deep. Who knows what it was like before Kaguya Otsutsuki arrived?" said the SAO NPC Makiya.
"True," Ninja World Makiya nodded. "The Lord Jashin worshipped by the Jashin Cult, the Priestess and Moryo of the Land of Demons, the Dragon Vein of the ancient Land of Loran, the Sages of the Three Great Sage Regions... Before the birth of the chakra system, natural energy was widely used by the creatures of the Ninja World. Once the aliens arrived, the local elements were quickly suppressed and relegated to supporting roles."
"So the current Ninja World is like Japan after the Black Ships Incident?"
"That's not quite accurate."
"Impressive."
""
Ninja World, Land of Hot Springs.
This nation, famous for its hot springs, was caught between the two powerhouses of the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning during the Third Shinobi World War, like a fragile girl stumbling into a mixed-gender bath, powerless to resist.
Unable to endure the constant conquest, the Land of Hot Springs chose to simply give up, opening its doors to allow the shinobi of both nations to enter and exit at will.
Somewhere in the mountains, the camp was silent under the night sky.
Inside Makiya's private tent, the steam from the hot spring rose into the air, the mist obscuring his vision.
"Ah... so relaxing!"
Makiya stretched and slowly stood up from the hot spring. Because of the multiple strength shares, his physical energy had increased time and again, causing his physical body to develop rapidly as well.
Now, Makiya stood 1.7 meters tall with firm, beautifully defined muscles, looking nothing like a young boy should.
After getting dressed, Makiya pulled from his pack the Flying Raijin scrolls he had exchanged for military merits during this period.
Reading them again, the lines gave Makiya a different feeling. The obscure descriptions were gradually becoming clear to him.
Makiya took out a kunai. Chakra flowed through his body along a special path and was finally channeled into the kunai, converging into a Flying Raijin mark unique to Makiya.
[UPRIGHT]
Minato's Flying Raijin mark was [Sword of Shinobi Love]. It had quite an edgy vibe, and besides, four characters were too long and easily discovered.
Makiya thought his [UPRIGHT] mark was much better.
It was simple, clear, and easy to understand. One look and you knew the person who left the mark was a man of integrity, open and honest, who stood firmly against gambling and vice.
Makiya walked out of his tent and strolled through the camp. The patrolling shinobi he encountered all stopped to salute him. Since the start of the war, Makiya had long since won everyone's respect through his actions and strength.
Knock, knock, knock!
Makiya struck the sounding wood installed at the entrance of a tent. Soon, the sound of rustling clothes came from inside.
"Who is it?" a crisp female voice asked as a small head poked out from the tent, looking around.
"Ah, it's... Lord Makiya." Rin Nohara's eyes met Makiya's, and she quickly stepped out of the tent with a blush to greet him.
Like everyone else, Rin Nohara instinctively ignored his age and addressed him as 'Lord'.
For a time, Makiya had been inseparable from her, making the young girl think she had gained a suitor.
Only after some time did Rin realize she had overthought it. Makiya was simply teaching her medical ninjutsu and had no strange intentions.
"I just came over to tell you that I'll be very busy for a while and won't be able to look after you for the time being. Take care of yourself on the battlefield." Makiya gave a playboy-like smile and patted Rin's shoulder.
The character [UPRIGHT] was quietly imprinted on Rin. It moved across her skin, gradually sinking deep into her body, pausing at her heart before finally settling in the area of her lungs.
"Yes, I understand, Lord Makiya. Go ahead and take care of your important matters. I can look after myself." Rin Nohara nodded obediently, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Makiya was extremely popular among the female ninjas. Because he had been close to Rin recently, a significant number of female ninjas had shown her hostility. Although they didn't express it openly, a young girl's delicate intuition could feel it.
After chatting briefly with Rin, Makiya went to Minato's tent to say hello, mentioning that he had temporary business and planned to return to the village. He then left the camp openly.
Currently, the situation for Konoha was looking very positive. Jiraiya also understood the higher-ups' intentions and had begun gradually handing over command to cultivate Minato's prestige and influence. Minato was now the one managing the camp.
Makiya had no such ambitions and didn't mind.
Not far outside the camp.
A kunai marked with [UPRIGHT] was thrown into a tree. In the next second, Makiya appeared beside the kunai.
"Ugh... a bit dizzy..."
His technique was still unrefined. The violent spatial tremors caused actual physical discomfort. Makiya shook his head, and the slight dizziness soon vanished.
Although the side effects of spatial travel were small, at this travel distance, Makiya's current Body Flicker Technique could achieve a similar effect in short-range combat without needing to re-perceive his position and analyze the surroundings after every jump.
Until he mastered the Flying Raijin, its greatest use for now was marking people. Whether it was an enemy or an ally, as long as he left a mark, they basically couldn't escape him.
The Flying Raijin mark was extremely difficult to remove. Other than instantly and completely destroying the body tissue where the mark resided, only advanced sealing jutsu or Yin-Yang Release could clear it.
After testing, Makiya wasted no more time. With a casual gesture, flames appeared out of thin air.
The golden flames transformed into a five-meter-long, one-meter-wide ancient treasure sword, floating quietly in the forest. As his chakra control had improved further, the sword did not release a single bit of heat; the ground and tree trunks right next to it remained perfectly intact.
Makiya stepped onto the sword. Under his control, the flying sword turned into a golden light that soared into the sky, cutting through the clouds.
"Woohoo!"
Sword-riding flight!
A romance etched into the bones of every Chinese person had finally been realized by him.
The flying sword was significantly faster than wings. Yan Chixia's sword-riding technique was quite profound. Makiya continuously searched his memory for the techniques, gradually adjusting his control, and his speed reached a new level.
The golden light, like a meteor, streaked across the sky, leaving a long trail behind it. Pedestrians on the ground thought a shooting star was passing by and stopped to make wishes, hoping for peace.
The vast galaxy crossed in an instant; the distant immortal path traveled in a heartbeat.
Before long, Konoha Village appeared before him. Makiya took a look and found that the main road leading to the village was very crowded, with a constant stream of travelers.
"What's going on? Isn't there a war? Why are so many people running toward a mercenary stronghold?"
Makiya dispelled the sword and landed slowly, jumping into the woods to quietly blend into the crowd. He discovered that the travelers were mostly nobles from various places.
There were also some merchants and gamblers. The former planned to open casinos in Konoha, while the latter planned to come and gamble.
Makiya had a hunch in his heart.
Upon arriving at the Konoha gates, he registered with the gatekeepers as usual. Makiya asked casually, "Why are there so many people entering the village? What happened recently?"
"You've been at the front lines and haven't been back, have you?" the gatekeeper said with a smile. "One of the Sannin, Lady Tsunade, has returned. Many nobles have come to the village to seek treatment from her. Some nobles from other countries have even traveled thousands of miles just to see her."
"I see."
Makiya bid farewell to the gatekeeper and first went to Grandma Mako's place to report that he was safe.
The old lady was very happy. After learning that Makiya was going to visit Obito, she brought out a package and asked Makiya to help deliver it.
The old woman had wanted to visit Obito several times but had been stopped.
Makiya readily agreed.
At the same time, Danzo also received news of Makiya's return. The village was full of Root eyes. Even an ordinary small vendor might be a spy specifically recruited by Danzo.
The movements of anyone in the village could not be hidden from Danzo, including the Hokage.
Orders were rapidly issued. Under his influence, the shift schedule for the ANBU directly under the Hokage was quietly affected. Two ANBU members went to Konoha Hospital to hand over their duties.
One of them wore a fox mask. Records showed he had a deep prejudice against the Uchiha and had previously had a conflict with Makiya; he was a hot-tempered fool.
Danzo had recently noticed that Hiruzen intended to adopt a conciliatory policy toward the Uchiha. This was not good. The Uchiha had wild ambitions; only by eliminating them all could Danzo feel at peace. Therefore, he had to sow discord between Hiruzen and the Uchiha.
'Everything for the sake of Konoha!'
Having been buried underground for so long, Danzo's thoughts and ambitions had long since become twisted and rotten. His mind was full of conspiracies and schemes. The so-called 'for Konoha' was nothing more than a high-sounding slogan.
However, in a world of extraordinary power, strength ultimately reigned supreme. Conspiracies and schemes were powerless against absolute strength.
Makiya walked all the way to Konoha Hospital. He found the room number Minato had mentioned, only to find a stranger lying in the bed. There was no sign of Obito.
He released his perception and soon discovered Obito's aura in a special care room on the top floor.
Climbing the stairs one step at a time, Makiya was stopped at the stairwell by two ANBU members. "Halt, you cannot enter," the fox-masked ANBU said in a cold voice.
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