The moment the spatial transmission array of the Royal Court Shinobi Army was completed, it flared to life.
Light spilled across the camp plaza.
Hyūga Hizashi stepped forward, accompanied by more than twenty core jōnin of the Hyūga clan.
Minato stood to one side.
"Clan Head Hyūga, the Sovereign has appointed you to oversee reconnaissance operations. After a brief rest and situation briefing, you will depart to monitor the Great Tomb."
Her tone was gentle, but the responsibility behind the words was immense.
"You bear heavy responsibility," she added. "The enemy's power system does not operate on chakra as we understand it. Do not let experience become a shackle."
Hizashi did not wear formal robes this time. He was dressed in battle uniform, the emblem of the Crescent Moon stitched upon his shoulder—marking him as Kage-tier.
Ordinary Kage bore the insignia of a star.
High Kage carried the crescent moon.
Super Kage bore the blazing sun.
Sun, moon, and stars—the pyramid of authority within the shinobi world.
"Of course," Hizashi replied calmly. "I have not forgotten that I am a shinobi."
Minato inclined her head slightly and departed.
A Uzumaki sensory specialist stepped forward and began briefing the Hyūga on the latest intelligence.
Moments later, without delay, Hizashi led the team skyward.
White ink eagles—conjurations of Super Beast Imitation Drawing—carried them toward the skies above the Great Tomb.
—
From high altitude, Hizashi activated the Byakugan.
Veins pulsed at his temples.
He surveyed the structure below.
"The barrier is elliptical," he reported evenly. "Longest diameter approximately 3,500 meters. Shortest diameter roughly 2,000 meters. Structure extends deep underground. Internal volume… vast."
A sensory shinobi recorded everything, transmitting data back to headquarters where analysts began calculating potential troop capacity and internal logistics.
"The Byakugan cannot pierce the barrier," Hizashi concluded.
He issued new orders immediately.
"Deploy surveillance units in full encirclement. Air and subterranean layers included. If even a worm emerges, sever it."
Elite jōnin began testing the barrier.
Ninjutsu.
Taijutsu.
Nothing.
The surface did not ripple.
Even so, Hizashi did not call a halt.
His gaze shifted instead to the rows of impaled corpses surrounding the Tomb.
No emotion crossed his face.
(Such inhuman forces must be eradicated.)
In the new era, as continents unified and new lands opened, every clan sought immortal glory.
Hizashi was no exception.
The Byakugan had once been a supreme strategic bloodline.
Now the Heavenly Eye System threatened its dominance.
If the Hyūga did not reclaim relevance—
They risked sliding from the pinnacle.
In a world evolving daily, only the Uchiha stood firmly at the summit.
All others chased.
Even the Senju.
—
Inside the Ninth Floor Throne Hall of Nazarick—
Albedo stood at Ainz's side.
"Shall we simply allow them to attack our barrier, Ainz-sama?"
Her black wings twitched faintly.
To her, the Tomb was sacred.
Its desecration—unforgivable.
Ainz sat upon the World Item Throne of Kings.
Sixteen projection screens hovered before him, each showing a reconnaissance squad.
His crimson eye-lights scanned carefully.
He did not answer immediately.
Pride meant little to him.
Victory meant everything.
If kneeling ensured survival—he would kneel.
Only the victor had the right to stand.
His gaze eventually settled on Hizashi.
The bearing.
The authority.
The eyes unlike the others.
"They are testing us," Ainz said at last. "And we are testing them."
In-game combat was one matter.
Real war—another.
The shinobi outside were not particularly powerful. A few high-tier mercenary summons could easily drive them away.
But—
There existed among them someone who knew his name.
A fellow player?
A reincarnator?
Someone aware of Ainz Ooal Gown's true strength?
That uncertainty restrained him.
He pointed toward the projection.
"Albedo. What do you observe?"
The other Guardians were on alert across their respective Floors. Demiurge's Seventh Floor was temporarily overseen by Sebas.
Only Albedo remained beside him.
She analyzed swiftly.
"Two ink eagles. Four shinobi per unit. Eagles below Level 15. Average shinobi strength below Level 45. Strongest individual… under Level 80."
She continued:
"The one with distinct ocular structure matches intelligence regarding the Hyūga clan. Their Byakugan grants 360-degree vision and penetrative perception through matter."
A brief pause.
"Their eyes cannot see through Nazarick's barrier."
She added softly,
"Of course, Ainz-sama surely realized that already."
Ainz rested his skeletal hand against his chin.
"…Give them a lesson."
He leaned back slightly.
"With ninja methods."
And for the first time—
The counter-test would begin.
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