In the first ten days of September, the reconstruction work of the town facilities destroyed by the ghost army in the territory of the Land of Demons was essentially completed.
The main shrine would now be in the hands of the five year old Shion, the next duty of sealing will also be transferred to her. Although she was only a five year old, due her the special status and responsibilities, no one dared underestimate the five year old.
After the ceremony, the envoys from various countries stayed but failed to obtain the information they wanted. In this situation, they still hoped ninjas from their country could make a difference.
The espionage activities in this region mainly involved Kumo from the Land of Lightning, the Iwa from the Land of Earth, and Suna from the Land of Wind.
Konoha was currently engaged in reconciling conflicts at all levels within the village. Additionally, due to severe injuries sustained during the third ninja world war, there was insufficient strength to extend influence to the distant Land of Demons.
Kirigakure had secretly formed an alliance with the Land of Demons, and with the Fourth Mizukage Yagura controlling the interior of the village, the Land of Demons' concerns are minimized.
Hence, for a foreseeable period, the secret adversaries of the Land of Demons will continue to be ninja spies dispatched by the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind.
In the laboratory, there was a small, exquisite palm-sized black kettle on the experiment table. Shiraishi looked at it with an extremely satisfied expression.
He then filled the kettle with clean water and called out to Rin, who was seriously conducting experiments on the other side, "Rin!"
"Is something wrong, Shiraishi-sensei?"
Rin put down her work and came to Shiraishi's side. Seeing him tinkering with a palm-sized black kettle, she became curious. The material on the outside of the black kettle didn't look metallic, but ceramic. While it was just a small kettle, this kettle gave Rin a very weird feeling, though she didn't know why exactly it made her feel that way.
"Shiraishi-sensei, what is this?" Rin couldn't help asking curiously.
Shiraishi didn't answer but continued, "Come see if you can pour a glass of water from this kettle."
"Pour a glass of water?"
Rin was slightly taken aback. Afterwards, a pensive look appeared on her face as she grabbed the handle of the black kettle, preparing to pick it up. However, the kettle remained motionless on the table, seemingly fixed in place, unmoved no matter how hard she pulled.
'What kind of kettle was this?'
Rin's face was filled with astonishment. She was using senjutsu, so her strength was considerable. Although she could not exert the same monstrous power as Tsunade, she could easily lift boulders larger than a person.
She was curious about what material the kettle could be made of. The kettle was actually heavier than an adult.
It was incredible.
Rin continued increasing her strength. She even had to summon her tailed beast chakra cloak, which further increased her physical strength. However, the motionless kettle couldn't be shaken even by the power of a tailed beast.
Rin gave up on the idea of picking up the kettle. If it had moved even a little under her power, she might have seen a glimmer of hope in lifting it. But the key was that pure strength could not affect it in the slightest. She couldn't help but feel discouraged.
"How does it feel?" Shiraishi asked with interest.
Rin thought for a while, then looked at Shiraishi helplessly and said, "Shiraishi-sensei, it is impossible to pick up this kettle with pure strength alone."
Although she had questions, Rin was certain of her inner guess. This wasn't just due to her intuition, but also from the Seven Tails.
-Rin, its strange, I'm afraid that even with all my power, it will be impossible for you to pick it up, you should give up.
This short remark shocked Rin. The power of a Tailed Beast needed no elaboration. Without even releasing their cataclysmic tailed beast bombs, just rolling their bodies could cause massive destruction, making it difficult for most ninjas to contend with.
So far, only a small number of top-tier shinobi in the ninja world could face tailed beasts head-on. Most ninjs could only adopt roundabout tactics when facing them, not daring to confront them directly.
And to finally subjugate a tailed beast, one had to rely on sealing jutsu or special jutsu with strong inhibitory effects on their chakra, like the Sharingan and Wood Release. Relying purely on ninjutsu with devastating might would not work. Even the mighty tailed beast wouldn't be ablepick up the kettle. Rin found it unbelievable.
But the Seven Tails had a relatively mild personality among tailed beasts and wouldn't bother to tell such lies. If even a tailed beast would found it difficult, Rin could only suspect that pure strength alone wouldn't suffice to pick up this black kettle. It likely required some special ability. And that special method could only be explained by its creator, Shiraishi.
As Shiraishi nodded in confirmation, it was clear that pure power, regardless of scale, could not lift this kettle.
"Then, put aside that strength and feel the weight of this kettle with your heart," Shiraishi gave a relatively vague and general advice.
Sensing through the power of the heart? For some it may be abstract. But for one like Rin who completed Sage and Jinchuriki, utilizing the power of the mind to sense was nothing strange or difficult.
"The power of the heart?"
Rin murmured. From Shiraishi's instruction, she picked up the kettle again. She didn't plan to use her power this time, nor the tailed beast chakra. She would use her heart to sense the weight of this kettle.
Then -
It hit Rin's body like a thunderbolt.
Her expression changed drastically as she turned extremely pale instantly.
She stood there holding the kettle, as if the heavens and earth were about to be overturned. Everything around her became distorted, Shiraishi's figure disappearing from her sight as she saw only boundless darkness.
This darkness aroused all kinds of dark elements that had long been sealed in Rin's heart. Rather, it wanted to liberate the bestial part buried deep within her, occupying her mind and body.
Rin immediately broke out in a cold sweat on her forehead. Mustering all her mental strength, she resisted the sudden dark force and suppressed those animalistic natures.
Dealing with this darkness reminded Rin of her Jinchuriki training, sensing the resentment and hatred of the tailed beast in the spiritual space, that wasn't something sheer power could overcome.
This had nothing to do with one's strength. The black kettle tested people's strength of will.
No matter how strong or weak a ninja was, there would always be gaps in their mind for darkness to take advantage of. Whether they could pass such a test was key to picking up the black kettle.
Rin took a deep breath as her surroundings returned to normal. Seeing that she was holding the kettle in her hand, she still felt lingering fear. She now had an inexplicable feeling of dread towards this seemingly ordinary kettle.
It bore a darkness stronger and darker than that of the tailed beasts.
Rin could also be certain that this wasn't something chakra could create. Chakra was just a medium to carry 'things' and would not produce any darkness by itself. And this kettle itself may have been synonymous with darkness. An abyssal domain that pure chakra could not touch.
From Shiraishi's request earlier, she used the kettle to pour some water into a glass. Rin took a sip and discovered it was ordinary drinking water, nothing special about it. What was special was the black kettle itself.
"What do you think about using this as one of the mandatory test procedure for th academy students?" Shiraishi asked.
"I don't think there's a problem. This thing will be quite helpful for honing the willpower," Rin answered without hesitation.
The ninja world was full of all kinds of temptations - power, money, authority, beauty and all other temptations. Fighting them was a lifelong endeavor. It was impossible to eliminate these from human nature, but as long as they could overcome them, their will would hardly be defeated by those temptations.
Failure was never terrible in itself. What was truly terrible was lacking the courage to face thsoe setbacks in life again after failing. It was indeed a good idea to use this kettle in the academy's final exams.
"But, I'm curious, what did you use to make this?"
"Moryo's darkness. When we sealed Moryo that day, some darkness still remained unrecovered. I thought about how to deal with it left around and finally, i came up with this solution. The weight of this kettle isn't the simple weight we know, but the weight of darkness in people's hearts. If you cannot overcome your inner darkness, no one can lift this kettle. One must fight that darkness within themselves to the bitter end, lest they be dominated by cowardice and defeated by it."
"The weight of darkness within a human heart... That's heavy enough indeed,"
Rin sighed. She had personally felt how heavy the so-called 'darkness within the human heart' was. The suffocating sense of insignificance when faced with such might.
Moving forward with resilience against life's challenges benefits those who strive and persevere.
"By the way, how goes the development of the tailed beast capsules? Has there been any progress?" Shiraishi asked.
When Moryo caused trouble, Shiraishi didn't deploy Rin to fight alongside him. She had stayed in military region with Obito, safeguarding this core area. The major military bases and the first military istrict of the capital were the core of the core. Most of the Land of Demon's secrets were hidden there.
Frankly, apart from Shiraishi, Ruri and Ayane, the current military power could fight any major nation. Although they still had a greater chance of losing, facing the vanguards of the great nations they would not be defeated outright in a single battle. At least they had the strength for head-on confrontation.
After all, besides the three of them, the Land of Demons now had top-tier combatants like Rin, Obito and Kakuzu. The Uchiha, Hyuga and Uzumaki clans also had many elite ninjas, all capable of turning the tide in large-scale battles.
But this wasn't enough, it was far from what Shiraishi had envisioned. The Land of Demons held further potential.
What the military needed to improve was the comprehensive strength of all ninja, not just the elite. If only the strong became a country's apex, it would only lead them into chaos. No matter how powerful a ninja was, it was impossible to handle everything alone.
For a country to function, talents from diverse fields were needed to maintain the healthy workings of the bureaucratic machine. Powerful ninjas only represented a country's cutting edge, but basic affairs still required competent people to manage them.
There was no need to waste more time on the politics and commerce for now, nor make major changes. What was lacking was only a slightly stronger military background.
Research and utilization of the tailed beasts was key to enhancing the comprehensive abilities of their ninja forces.
"Yes, an experimental tailed beast capsule has been produced. Its specific properties still require clinical trials before considering whether it will be suitable for widespread use," Rin replied.
"Is that so? Let's test it on lab mice first. Experimental volunteers may be hard to gather for a while yet,"
"I understand,"
Rin nodded. Despite involving human trials, such research was considered legitimate in their military, not some forbidden or taboo violation. However, to most people, human experiments were deemed evil and taboo, violating human nature.
But for a medical ninja like Rin, it was routine. Medical ninja saved lives based on lessons from countless human trials. Development of various life-saving drugs also relied on human testing.
In Rin's view, more education was still needed in this area, lest medical and related research stagnate in the Land of Demons someday.
....
When Yagura returned to Kirigakure from the Land of Demons, he brought Kazuhime with him per Shiraishi's request to experience life at the Kirigakure's ninja ccademy. Yagura readily agreed given his friendship with Shiraishi and the alliance between their villages. It was just a small favor.
Moreover, it seemed Shiraishi intended to have Kazuhime as one of his potential heirs, placing high expectations on her. This wasn't Yagura's first time hearing of this peculiar girl who was born with the awakened Sharingan and with chakra levels almost rivaling a tailed beast. He looked forward to seeing how far Shiraishi's chosen daughter would grow.
The era of the Blood Mist in Kiri had ended, and after years of reforms led by Yagura, the gruesome custom had been eradicated from within the village.
Despite the heavy toll Kiri had paid for this transformation, it was seen as a joke by ninjas from other countries. The losses suffered by other major ninja villages were due to wars with enemy countries, while Kiri's internal strife resulted in severe trauma and losses comparable to those in a ninja war.
Presently, some remnants of the Blood Mist faction still lingered in various parts of the ninja world, waiting for an opportunity to return to Kirigakure and attempt to seize power. Yagura has expressed his stance on eliminating these remnants of the blood mist faction in high-level meetings. Currently, a unit of Kiri's Anbu remained abroad, dedicated to hunting down and eliminating these remnants.
"Is everything arranged?"
"Yes, Mizukage-sama, I've given instructions for everything to be handled. There shouldn't be any issues. Most likely, the day after tomorrow, Kazuhime-san will be able to transfer to our ninja academy smoothly."
Considering her young age and with Mizukage and the Anbu backing her, even the high-level elders wouldn't discern anything unusual.
Standing before Yagura's desk was an adult male in his thirties with gray-blue hair, standing upright, with earrings hanging from each ear. His right eye was covered by a black eyepatch, leaving only his left eye exposed.
"Thank you for your efforts, Ao."
Yagura expressed his satisfaction with the efficient work of the jonin 'Ao.'
Ao was one of the exceptional sensory ninjas in Kirigakure and had been a formidable opponent of the Blood Mist faction in its early days. Over the years, he had contributed significantly to the stability of Kiri by using his sensory ninjutsu to expose spies from other villages. He's also one of Yagura's most trusted ninjas.
"So, have you adapted to the Byakugan?"
Yagura asked Ao, surprising him with the question. Ao nodded without hesitation and replied, "I have adapted to it, and I haven't found it to be repulsive to my body yet."
Having undergone various physical tests before the Byakugan transplant, Ao exhibited the highest fusion rate. Although he couldn't command the Byakugan like the Hyuga clan could, he could use it for enemy detection.
Moreover, as a strategic-level Blood Successor Limit, Baiyan's detection ability was crucial for a ninja village compared to the Soft Fist technique.
Yagura acknowledged this strategic advantage.
This Byakugan hadn't been plundered from a Hyuga ninja but it was obtained from Shiraishi through negotiation. It provided comprehensive investigative abilities, particularly effective against those creatures called White zetsu within the Akatsuki, known for their formidable infiltration abilities. To prevent information leaks from Kiri, foolproof preparations were necessary.
Yagura took Ao with him whenever he acted, considering the likelihood of Akatsuki targeting tailed beasts. As the Three Tails Jinchuriki, Yagura knew that Akatsuki would eventually target him. Thus, ensuring information security became a fundamental strategy in preparation for the fourth ninja world Wlwar.
"What's next is dependent on Kisame's actions. Have you given the orders?"
"No problem, we have already coordinated on that front," Ao affirmed.
As one of the few insiders in Kiri aware of the whole truth, Ao harbored deep concerns about Kisame potentially becoming a spy for a dangerous organization. Despite Kisame's previous association with a traitorous ninja like Fuguki, his fundamental allegiance lies with the confusion and worry about his own future and that of Kirigakure.
Ninjas like him, if not won over, could pose a significant loss to Kiri. Presently, Kisame was among the strongest ninjas under Mizukage, having severed ties with Juzo to join Mizukage's guard team alongside Ao. Another member was currently in training with Elder Genji, the ninja with two kekkei genkai, Terumi Mei.
"However, with Kisame leaving, we'll have one less member in the guard team. Relying on myself alone is quite stressful. Mizukage-sama, do you have any recommendations?" Ao inquired.
The guard team wasn't the only one protecting the Mizukage. After all, the Anbu's existence was also a security guarantee for the Mizukage. However, as the leader of the ninja village, there was no room for vulnerability.
Mei worked part-time occasionally, and before the formal completion of her training, she spends very little time here. With Kisame about to leave Kiri, he would be the only guard left. And what he was best at was sensory not fighting.
Therefore, after Kisame's departure, a powerful ninja needed to be selected from the village to serve as Yagura's guard.
"Guard candidate after Kisame leaves? Let the ninja from the Hozuki clan take his position."
As a powerful ninja clan in Kiri rooted, the Hozuki clan has been an integral part of the village. Hozuki Gengetsu, the Second Mizukage, significantly contributed to Kiri's power expansion. The Hozukis' loyalty to Kirigakure was unquestionable due to their background relationship.
"The Hōzuki?" Ao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That genius who can wield all seven ninja swords... Hōzuki Mangetsu would be perfect. If he agrees, there shouldn't be any problem."
Hozuki Mangetsu, like Konoha's Uchiha Shisui, was an outstanding youth of the current generation. He is trustworthy in both background and might to serve by the Mizukage. Thus, after Kisame's departure, Mangetsu would succeed as one of the members of the Mizukage Guard without any controversy.
"Then, next week, we'll take Kisame to the Daimyo state and bid our daimyo a proper farewell. Anyway, when the time comes, those other people will all be dealt with one by one. I've endured them long enough," Yagura's eyes flashed with killing intent.
-----
250+ advanced chapters now available on Patreon.
Patreon. com/chizihn