Chapter 206: Transferred to a Necromancer! 2.0
The Land of Bears was a small nation bordering the Land of Fire. At first, Kenichi had been curious about why a place like this even existed.
In the ninja world, most small countries served a very simple function: they were strategic buffers for the Five Great Nations, meant to keep the flames of war from spreading into the major powers' territories too quickly.
But the Land of Bears had the Land of Fire on one side and the sea on the other. On the surface, it looked like it had no reason to exist at all.
It wasn't until Kenichi studied the map that he understood. The Land of Bears wasn't just a buffer for the Land of Fire. It was positioned as a buffer between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
"This is how most small countries survive," Kenichi said while staring down at the forest and the town not far away. "If the Five Great Nations ever unite one day, then all these little countries will be waiting to be carved up."
He had already flown to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Bears in less than a day. It was absurdly fast.
But that was also the current state of the ninja world. The map itself was simply too small, and Kenichi's method of flight saved an unbelievable amount of time. If an actual air force existed here, wars and development would probably spiral into an entirely different extreme.
That would be a headache no one wanted.
The Sky Ninja Village could only exist in movie versions.
"Amemiya senpai, have we arrived?" Deidara asked, staring down at the town below.
Kenichi nodded. "We're here. You can tell at a glance."
On the Land of Fire side, the forest was denser, and the town below looked far larger than the one in the distance. The gap in economy and living conditions was displayed openly, without any need for explanation.
"We'll find a place to land in a bit," Kenichi said, narrowing his eyes. "Then we go to the capital of the Land of Bears and speak to the daimyo."
The mission posted by the daimyo of the Land of Bears was… interesting.
The request was simple, and ruthless: the complete annihilation of the Star Ninja Village.
It seemed the fools of the Star Ninja Village had offended the daimyo badly enough that the ruler of this small nation was willing to pay any price to seek help from Akatsuki.
Kenichi planned to use this chance to learn how these daimyos viewed the hidden villages, and to discuss pricing properly.
Attacking the Star Ninja Village wasn't impossible, but the price had to be right. Otherwise, it would be a huge loss.
This wasn't a mission Nagato had assigned. Kenichi had taken it voluntarily. The more money the daimyo offered, the higher Kenichi's contribution would be, and the sooner he could start his research.
After finding a hidden spot to park the airship, Kenichi left behind a shadow clone, then departed with Deidara, heading straight for the capital of the Land of Bears.
"Deidara," Kenichi said as they moved, a bit curious, "what's your codename in Akatsuki?"
Some of the ring codenames might have changed due to Kenichi's existence, so he wanted to confirm.
"Amemiya senpai, my ring is Ao." Deidara extended his hand. A ring sat on his finger, engraved with the character for Ao.
Kenichi raised an eyebrow. It seemed Nagato truly valued Deidara.
Deidara's strength wasn't much right now, but once he matured, he would be a dangerous combatant. Giving him the Ao ring was perfectly reasonable.
"Then remember," Kenichi said calmly, "we address each other by our codenames later."
He wasn't sure how many missions Deidara had done, but it was better to remind him than to deal with trouble afterward.
Kenichi was the Heavenly Demon of Akatsuki and an S rank rogue ninja from Konoha. Those two identities combined could turn into a disaster if handled carelessly.
Kenichi hated trouble.
"Understood, Jade senpai!" Deidara answered immediately.
He was obedient. That saved Kenichi a lot of effort. He hated disobedient partners. They were always the real problem.
Everyone knew the most terrifying enemies often arrived wearing the face of a pig headed teammate.
At the same time, deep within a dense forest, Kakuzu leaned against a tree trunk with his arms crossed. He looked at his partner and spoke with a sinister smile.
"Sky, do you know? Konoha placed a forty million ryo bounty on your disciple, Kenichi."
"Hmph." Orochimaru scoffed. He had already returned to his previous appearance. "A boring bounty. Let's see if anyone can actually take my disciple's head first."
Kakuzu clicked his tongue. Forty million ryo wasn't much, but with Kenichi's identity as the Heavenly Demon, Kenichi's head carried an enormous kind of value.
Kakuzu admitted he was tempted.
If it weren't for the leader's command forbidding members from fighting each other, Kakuzu might have tried.
Orochimaru glanced at Kakuzu with indifferent eyes. After working missions together for some time, the two had become familiar.
But familiarity didn't mean warmth.
Orochimaru still disliked Kakuzu. This man constantly scrutinized him. The malice was faint, but Orochimaru could feel it.
"Heh heh. I heard Kumogakure plans to increase the bounty on your disciple," Kakuzu said. Seeing Orochimaru's reaction remained flat, he grew bored. He squatted down, pulled out a rabbit, and started grilling it.
He had caught it just now.
Kakuzu was unwilling to spend money on soldier pills. He had some, but he preferred saving them. The more money he kept, the better.
"It's a foolish act," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "All it will do is make him more famous. What's the point of telling those bounty hunters? If none of them can succeed, it only proves his strength."
"Who knows? There are plenty of idiots among bounty ninjas," Kakuzu said, licking his lips as the roasted rabbit filled the air with fragrance. "They always think they're exceptional."
Then he extended his hand casually. "By the way, Sky, lend me some seasoning."
Orochimaru, as if it was routine, pulled out a bottle of chili powder and tossed it over.
This fool asked every time. Seasoning, toilet paper, whatever he could avoid buying. Ridiculous.
He was clearly a capable ninja, but his personality was stingy to the bone.
Back in the Land of Bears, Deidara followed beside Kenichi, scanning their surroundings as they walked.
"Jade senpai… it feels a bit…" Deidara hesitated.
"Off?" Kenichi finished for him, smiling faintly.
Kenichi had already put on his signature mask. He wore the Akatsuki cloak. Deidara wore the same.
Deidara had been resistant to the mask at first, but the moment he saw Kenichi wearing one, he put his on with obvious excitement.
Kenichi glanced at the streets around them. The small town didn't have many people, but he could clearly sense figures hiding in the shadows, tracking them.
That wasn't normal. Any ninja would recognize the signs.
Kenichi said nothing. As long as these fools didn't cause trouble, he didn't care.
But if they dared to show their faces, Kenichi wouldn't hesitate to let them witness exactly how he handled problems.
"Our clothes are a bit too flashy," Kenichi said with a shrug.
Aside from the masks, the Akatsuki cloak was unmistakable. Attracting attention was inevitable.
In his previous life, if someone wore an Akatsuki cloak on a main street, it would draw attention too.
Only in specific places, like a cosplay exhibition, would it be seen as normal.
Kenichi spotted a barbecue restaurant ahead and felt a brief temptation. But the persistent little tails behind them ruined his appetite. He didn't bother going in.
These people were too annoying.
Kenichi's expression cooled. His mood wasn't great.
And when he was in a bad mood, he had a habit of teaching the people responsible a lesson.
So he and Deidara quickly left the town. They had already asked for directions to the capital of the Land of Bears. Now they only needed to get there.
Not long after they left the village, Kenichi came to a stop.
They were surrounded.
He looked around.
The sky was clear, without a single cloud, yet they had somehow arrived at the village cemetery. Tombstones stood in every direction.
It really was a good spot.
"Ao," Kenichi asked casually, "are you alright with combat?"
Deidara nodded.
Kenichi smiled at that, then felt the ground beneath his feet soften into mud, tugging at his legs as if it wanted to trap him.
Swamp of the Underworld?
Kenichi raised an eyebrow. These attackers weren't amateurs.
Then mist rolled in.
At the same time, lightning split the sky and slammed down toward Kenichi's body.
It didn't pierce him.
Because Kenichi was no longer there.
"Watch out!" someone cried in shock.
A sharp thunderclap echoed through the trees.
Kenichi yawned, looking down at the ninja whose stomach had been pierced by his Lightning Flash. The man lay on the ground, powerless, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You devil!" A nearby ninja's eyes reddened as he launched a violent blaze toward Kenichi.
Kenichi pushed off the ground and dodged instantly.
Then four layers of iron net dropped from above, trying to cage him.
At the same time, four ninjas rushed in from four directions, longswords thrusting toward his heart.
"Oh?" Kenichi didn't move.
He let all four swords pierce his chest at once.
Then his body broke apart, scattering into countless bolts of lightning that shot in every direction.
"Water Release! Water Dragon Bullet!"
On the other side, Deidara had been engaged as well. He had also been attacked.
Kenichi flicked his gaze over. Only two enemies were on Deidara's side. Deidara looked strained, but he was still barely holding them off.
Kenichi withdrew his attention.
"I'm curious," Kenichi said, voice calm, "who are you people? How dare you attack me?"
He had already seen their scratched forehead protectors. Rogue ninjas.
But why would rogue ninjas pick a fight with him?
It didn't take long for Kenichi to remember.
He had been in the lab for too long. Long enough that he'd almost forgotten he had a bounty on his head.
The fog thickened. No one answered. The attacks continued without pause.
Kenichi shook his head.
How boring.
These bounty hunters truly had no idea what they were doing. With a bounty this high, did they think he was some idle nobody?
Or did they think he had dug up the grave of the Fourth Raikage's father?
"Forget it," Kenichi said softly. "I'll test that ninjutsu and see if it works…"
He gathered chakra quickly, formed hand seals, finished the sequence, then slammed both hands onto the ground.
A vast surge of chakra poured into the earth.
"What is this guy doing?" A ninja hiding in the heavy fog stared at Kenichi's movements in confusion.
Then the ground beneath him began to churn.
He instinctively looked down.
A bony hand burst from the soil and clamped around his ankle.
"What the hell is this?!" Terror surged through him. He tried to shake it off.
A sharp pain exploded through his chest.
He jerked his head down and saw a sword piercing straight through his body.
"Shh…" A gentle, low voice whispered behind him. "Don't disturb the slumber of the dead…"
Blood poured from his mouth. His vision dimmed. His head drooped as his strength left him.
Then he felt heat behind him.
Kenichi turned instantly, tossing the corpse in his hand toward the attacker in the fog.
At the same time, Kenichi exhaled a stream of fire.
It was far hotter, far denser, and it crushed the opponent's flames in an instant, forcing them back.
The unlucky body Kenichi had thrown was caught in the blast and charred black.
"What a pity," Kenichi murmured.
He appeared beside the collapsing figure at once, reaching out to support the body before it hit the ground. Then he placed a hand on the person's head.
Yang Release chakra began to circulate under Kenichi's control.
Kenichi stared into the fog, his three tomoe Sharingan spinning steadily. He could already see the attacker's blurred silhouette.
"Is this your friend?" Kenichi asked, voice almost polite.
"You demon!" The other party cursed, voice trembling with rage. "Koji was supposed to get married next week!"
"Ah, I'm truly sorry," Kenichi said, smiling faintly. "So tell me, do you think he can still attend the wedding like this?"
He tossed the unfortunate man toward the attacker.
The attacker dodged instantly, expecting an explosion.
Nothing happened.
"You thought I attached explosive tags?" Kenichi's voice drifted, sometimes near, sometimes far. "Come on. I'm not that low class."
Then he casually tossed more bodies forward.
One after another.
Seven in total.
Not one less.
Every one of that man's companions was dead.
Only he remained.
.....
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