Leaving the tower with a smile, Akeno was delighted and felt his mind reach an almost supernatural peace.The captain had accepted the offer to take control of Hope City and to remove all former subordinates of the previous mayor in order to purge the city of all its corruption.
In the coming weeks, the captain would dismiss the bureaucrats in accordance with the law, using his trusted troops to uncover evidence of their failures toward the Empire's duties.They would then be executed for treason, without appealing to any authority other than his own as captain of the guard.
Without the former mayor, the captain could finally act without obstruction.And while he would seize power in a just and lawful manner, Akeno would take care of eliminating what remained in the shadows.
In exchange, the captain would allow the branch of the sect to develop freely, and Akeno would do his best to help the captain strengthen his authority and maintain security within the city.
It was a win-win situation.
"Finally…" letting out a sigh of relief, Akeno felt truly free at last. The future once again seemed promising, without worries.With this settled, all that remained was to develop quietly without drawing attention.
After saying goodbye to Instructor Su, Akeno went to find his young brothers and sisters, who were training meticulously.
In the courtyard of one of the buildings he had purchased for each clan, Akeno observed the duels and training sessions of everyone.
After one month, the young ninjas had reached the fourth level of cultivation: Bone Reinforcement.This speed of cultivation made Akeno both jealous and immeasurably happy.
Gifted with exceptional genetics and supported by a stock of pills perfectly safe for consumption that Akeno had recovered from the demonic cultivators' hideout, the young ninjas had smoothly broken through to the body-forging stage.
Unfortunately, Akeno could no longer help them beyond this point; the pills he possessed were no longer effective for cultivators at this level.This was precisely why many cultivators became stuck at this stage—an absolute lack of resources.
Without monstrous talent or luck that reached the heavens, cultivators inevitably had to join an organization in order to continue advancing on the path of cultivation.
It was the law of the strong. Powerful sects and empires gathered all resources and decided who would be granted the grace of receiving a share.
On the children's side, the breakthrough to Bone Reinforcement had granted even more unexpected benefits.
When Chikara reached the fourth level, a second tomoe awakened in his Sharingan.Izaya felt his vision improve, his white eyes becoming even purer.Kaede sensed that his Qi reserves were far greater than those of his companions.Maiko felt her bones reach an incredibly resistant state, while at the same time experiencing a growing sense of danger within her body.Renji felt an increase in vitality that seemed to draw him closer to nature.Finally, Fubuki felt his Qi grow colder than before—so cold that he could even create a small amount of ice from it.
It seemed that all of his younger brothers' and sisters' bloodlines had undergone enhancement, even though it proved negative in Maiko's case.
As a member of the powerful Kaguya clan and having fully awakened her bloodline ability, Maiko could perfectly control the bones of her body, shaping them into weapons or armor. However, no member of the Kaguya clan ever died of old age, precisely because of this trait.
This extraordinary power that turned their bodies into true killing machines was accompanied by a genetic disease that slowly killed them the more they used their bloodline ability.
Akeno recalled certain theories proposed by Naruto fans. According to them, the Kaguya were descendants of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and their kekkei genkai also contained a fragment of their ancestor's power of disintegration.
Not strong enough to affect enemies, but present enough to slowly destroy the host's body.
Without an extraordinarily robust constitution, the power of their bones would kill them slowly, like a poison.
In Maiko's case, when she broke through to Bone Reinforcement, the special nature of her bones intensified, making the rest of her body—which had not yet evolved—too fragile to withstand this poison.
It had now become even more important for Maiko not to use her bones before reaching a higher level.
As for the others, Akeno was happy to witness the awakening of their bloodline-related constitutions.
It seemed that Qi could perfectly refine and awaken dormant bloodline cells. For Chikara and Izaya, this meant strengthening their eyes toward their ultimate evolution.
Perhaps Chikara would not need to suffer trauma to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Likewise, Izaya might even have the possibility of awakening the Tenseigan, the ultimate evolution of the Byakugan.
As for Renji, perhaps he would awaken the legendary Mokuton.
All of this remained theoretical, but Akeno was already beginning to dream of what it could become.
An army of Susanoo and wooden dragons. The future looked incredibly bright!
While Akeno was dreaming of a wonderful future, Izaya noticed his arrival and stopped training."The emissaries have arrived?"
Coming back to his senses, Akeno shook his head."No, it seems they will never come."
"What will happen to this city then?" Izaya asked. If they wished to remain here, Hope City had to remain recognized as Imperial territory, otherwise only the heavens knew what might happen to them.
"Don't worry. The city is still receiving its expected funding from the Empire. It simply seems that the Empire no longer has the will to send a new official to take command," Akeno reassured him.
Izaya was the one who paid the closest attention to the information Akeno brought back. He had fully understood the importance of the Empire's various powers and was already preparing himself to assume the role of leader for the future members of his clan.
The appearance of their clans would eventually attract attention. It was crucial to secure a place where they could develop peacefully.
It was better to grow under the laws of the Empire than in the wilderness, where they could be annihilated by the first force to find them.
Hope City was perfect.
"Then who will become the next mayor?"
For their own good, it would be better if the new mayor were on their side—then the city would, in a sense, belong to them.
"It will be the captain of the guard, Yu Fenghan," Akeno said confidently."We have an agreement with him. I believe he will be a good ally."
Nodding thoughtfully, Izaya expressed his idea."Perhaps we could place him under a Genjutsu to control him. That way, Hope City would be completely in our hands, and we could seize all the resources for ourselves."
Izaya clearly had a calculating mind. Akeno knew that his idea was the most efficient way for them to develop, but it went against his principles. Moreover, the city's funding was meant for its inhabitants—the orphans, the soldiers, the infrastructure… Taking everything for themselves would have severe financial consequences for the city.
Furthermore, the captain seemed to be a good man. Akeno did not wish to harm someone innocent."We won't do that. He will respect our agreement, leave us alone, and we will help him obtain the position of mayor."
…
Far from Hope City, within a palace hidden in the mountains, Mo Tian stood in the middle of a courtyard, his body trembling slightly and his head lowered. Around him lay the headless corpses of all his companions who had fled Hope City with him, blood spreading across the ground.
Waiting in heavy silence for permission to raise his head, a man dressed as an official with a red beard stood before him."Demonic cultivators…"
Walking slowly across the courtyard, the man appeared to be considering various possibilities and scenarios."Humanoid form, faceless, disappearing in a cloud of smoke at the slightest injury… That should not exist. Any other information? Any clue regarding their origins?"
Still keeping his head lowered, Mo Tian carefully thought before answering."They were with the branch master of the Thousand Lotus Sect of Hope City. By the time we arrived, it was already too late. The branch master had killed the mayor with the help of the demonic cultivators."
"Fang Qin is certainly not a traitor arranged by another empire. But seeing him cooperate with and command an organization of that type does not resemble him…"
"Should we return and ki—"Before he could finish his sentence, a thin cut appeared on Mo Tian's right cheek. He fell silent, seized by fear.
The man before him had not moved, and his aura remained perfectly stable."Do not try to think. At present, there is no need to waste manpower against an enemy destined to die.
This matter is nothing more than entertainment. Let them remain hidden like rats. As for Fang Qin—if it is true that he maintains a relationship with them, then we can still make use of him. We have simply changed the bait."
Leaving the courtyard with unwavering confidence, the man did not spare Mo Tian another glance, leaving him alone in silence and fear, unable to move.
…
On the territory of the Chaos Empire, several days' march from Hope City, a team of bloodied cultivators struggled toward human territory.
At the forefront, Liu Mei advanced slowly with a dejected, guilt-ridden expression, her gaze lingering on her team, now reduced by half.
"Stop," said the man to her left."I can see the pain in your eyes, young mistress. Remember why they died. For the future of the clan, nothing else matters."
Clenching her fist in silence, Liu Mei forced herself to regain an impassive expression."I know. I haven't lost sight of our objective. I'm just wondering if it was worth it…" she said, looking at the book in her hand.
"This is clearly not a technique. I fear all of this was for nothing."
Faced with the doubts of the young mistress—the greatest talent of their clan—the man could only try to reassure her."It still needs to be deciphered. Perhaps this book hides some interesting secrets."
Although the man smiled, his heart ached. He had lost many friends during this expedition—some friendships dating back to their earliest days at the academy.
They had been chosen as expendable. Long ago, they had lost hope of crossing the chasm leading to the Realm of Rebirth. For the clan, their road had already ended.
Born for the clan, and dying for the clan.So that the children of the clan may live in prosperity!
"Young mistress, we should soon reach Hope City. From there on, everything will be easier."
"I hope so…" Liu Mei replied wearily.