Chapter 18 – S-Rank Reward Received! Hidden Rain Village's Greatest Treasure
Yahiko flicked his wrist, the broken arrow vanishing into his sleeve, then turned to the figure standing in the shadows—'Hanzou'.
The once-demigod who had ruled the Ninja World now bore eyes of cold, violet ripples and tacky, scene-kid ornaments on his face.
Dead, yes, but the husk still has a little warmth left.
Yahiko patted the stiff cheek of 'Hanzou' as if testing a handy tool.
Compared with that two-faced live bastard, the dead are so much more obedient.
The air trembled; the Puppet opened its mouth, yet the voice that emerged was Nagato's, flat and mechanical.
The black rods left by the Gedo Statue are perfect Chakra receivers. Even kilometers away, I can make him dance like a marionette.
This is the power of the Rinnegan.
No complicated jutsu needed—stick in a rod and he's my soldier.
Yahiko nodded, satisfaction glinting cold and calculated in his eyes.
That's enough. As long as the 'Demigod' Stands in this tower, the Five Great Nations won't reach in rashly. What we need is time.
He tapped the ceiling above them, his tone suddenly icy.
The real body stays on this floor as our signboard. Clear the top floor—I want it for a morgue.
A morgue?
the Puppet controlled by Nagato tilted its head.
More precisely, a factory.
Yahiko walked to the window, overlooking the rain-shrouded Village.
The three of us alone can't defend this country even if we kill ourselves trying. I want you to assemble the six paths of pain as fast as possible. In this world, dignity exists only within firing range, and truth is measured only by the size of one's Chakra.
Six Shadow-rank Puppets, plus an immortal Stand.
That will give the Akatsuki the guts to face the five Kage!
Creeeak—
The heavy door swung open; damp, blood-tinged air rushed in.
Konan folded her paper wings, scarlet droplets still clinging to her hair, her expression as cold as ice.
All cleaned up?
Yahiko asked without turning.
The six clans that resisted—every man, woman, child, and dog exterminated.
Konan's voice held no ripple, as though she had merely swept away dust.
We'll claim they conspired with foreign enemies. Maeda is collecting 'protection fees' from the remaining Clan Chiefs; the situation is stable.
Beautiful work.
Yahiko turned, a crooked smile forming.
Let's go see what the Demigod saved up in his lifetime. Hope it doesn't disappoint me.
…Thirty meters underground, classified archive.
With Nagato's hand-Seals the Seal dissolved and the stone gate rumbled open.
Ten minutes later.
Smack!
A scroll flew from Yahiko's hand, discarded like trash.
This is Hidden Rain's foundation?
Yahiko kicked the scroll aside, disgust written across his face.
Poison recipes, assassination manuals, trap designs—what is this, a Ninja Village or an assassins' guild?
The vault was so empty it hurt.
No S-rank forbidden jutsu, not even decent B-rank Five Elements ninjutsu.
That's the tragedy of a small country.
Konan picked up a dusty scroll, 'Thousand Rain Needles', and sighed.
The great nations monopolize high-level nature transformations; to survive, small-country Ninja have to push 'how to kill more insidiously' to the extreme.
Yahiko rubbed his throbbing temples.
He had hoped to fish out a few big moves to widen his arsenal; clearly that was wishful thinking.
His King Crimson is invincible, but that's the Stand's might.
His own Mortal flesh is still glass-cannon; once the Stand leaves to attack, the real body is a sitting duck.
Wait—this might help.
Konan fished two dust-covered scrolls from a corner and handed them over.
Body Flicker Technique – Profound Truth.
Water Clone Technique.
Yahiko scanned them; his gloomy eyes lit up.
In their last fight Hanzou had survived Yahiko's future-sight thanks to these very tricks: unpredictable Body Flicker and Water Clone feints.
Good stuff!
He immediately tucked the scrolls into his robe.
King Crimson's range is barely two meters—a pure melee destroyer. Pair it with top-tier Body Flicker to close distance, add precognition… enemies won't even have time to write their own death certificates!
Scavenging finished.
Yahiko's smile vanished; after checking for watchers, his face turned dead serious.
Next, I'll show you something real.
He slowly raised his right hand, palm up.
Bzzzt—!
The air seemed to thicken.
A bizarre golden light burst above his palm, and a broken arrow of ancient patterned gold appeared out of thin air.
The instant it showed, the entire vault's temperature plunged toward freezing.
This is…
Nagato lurched backward, his Rinnegan shrinking violently, veins bulging around the sockets.
As the wielder of the god-eye, every instinct in him screamed.
The power inside this thing wasn't Chakra, wasn't natural energy—it was a higher-dimensional, purely spiritual rule!
It's the key to a new era.
Yahiko gripped the cold arrow, feeling the force straining to break free.
Looking at the two of them, he began to spin the lie that could overturn the Ninja World:
Remember my Stand? It was born when my spiritual energy compressed to the brink of death. This arrow is a 'spirit detonator'.
His voice brimmed with seduction:
I've studied it. Most likely it's a lost Yin-Release holy relic. It can forcibly ignite the latent potential inside a living being, materialize their spirit, and create a 'Stand' just like mine!
Copy… your ability?!
Konan and Nagato were stunned.
If Yahiko's time-erasing, future-seeing power could be mass-produced, the Akatsuki would no longer be a band of Mortals but a pantheon of gods!
Don't celebrate yet.
Yahiko's tone snapped like a whip, dousing them with cold water.
He aimed the arrowhead at them, its gold glow casting harsh light across his ruthless face.
This thing chooses its master.
Without the right Aptitude, being pricked by it has only one outcome—
Instant death, Soul obliteration.