The capital of the Land of Earth—being one of the Five Great Nations—even though the war had only just ended, still looked prosperous and thriving. People moved about with smiles on their faces, happiness and joy filling the air everywhere.
But suddenly, for reasons unknown, startled cries rang out across the streets. As the crowd scattered, a towering figure—nearly twice the height of an ordinary passerby—stepped into view.
The man was wrapped in a loose black robe, but his sheer height made it impossible to hide his presence. People could clearly see his cold face behind a pair of sunglasses.
Tch, now I finally understand why Doflamingo always wore sunglasses. These rat-like eyes really ruin the vibe.
Akashō swept his gaze over the curious stares from the surrounding pedestrians, a faint trace of annoyance crossing his face.
And this height… way too eye-catching. Not ideal for what I'm about to do.
Whatever. Let them look. Doesn't matter.
Akashō quickly moved to a less crowded area. With a sudden pull of his hand, a man hiding in the shadows was yanked out by nearly invisible threads, dragged right in front of him with a terrified scream.
The man collapsed to the ground, trembling as he raised his head to look up at the three-meter-tall figure.
"Heh."
Akashō bent down, looking down at him from above, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"Take me to your boss."
"I…"
The man's breathing nearly stopped. He was just an ordinary person—faced with such a terrifying height difference and that inexplicable method that had just sent him flying, the pressure was overwhelming. What he didn't know was that the limits of his fear were about to be pushed even further.
The man led Akashō to an open area. There, over a hundred fierce-looking men had already gathered.
"What the hell is this, you idiot? I told you to keep an eye on him, and you just brought him straight here!?"
Several men with longswords slung over their shoulders walked toward Akashō, their faces full of irritation.
"Stop!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, and the men immediately halted.
The crowd parted. A seemingly unremarkable man stepped forward, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He glanced at Akashō, exhaled a puff of smoke, and asked:
"A ninja?"
"Heh. So you're the boss of the underworld here in the Land of Earth's capital?"
Akashō glanced at the forehead protector around the man's neck, marked with a slash, and smiled.
"A rogue ninja, huh? And a jonin at that. Not particularly strong, but mixing in with ordinary people like this… don't you think that's a bit of bullying?"
The man narrowed his eyes. How did this tall stranger see through his strength at a glance?
"You're a ninja too?"
Without waiting for an answer, the man continued as if speaking to himself:
"With power like ours, there's no need to sell our lives to the village for a bit of mission pay."
"Outside the ninja villages, we can seize territory freely, collect protection fees. Even a fresh genin can become the leader of a small gang in some remote place—let alone people like us."
As he spoke, the man extended his hand toward Akashō, a sincere smile on his face.
"Join me. Let's work together and expand our territory. When that happens—beauties, money, power—whatever you want, you'll have it."
Akashō let out a scornful chuckle.
"A frog in a well."
The man's smile froze.
"I'll admit—after indulging yourself in the world of ordinary people for so long, you can still stay calm in the face of provocation from a stranger, even choose to recruit them for profit. You've got some sense of scale."
"But unfortunately… your brain and your vision are too small."
"In the end, it's just that the Hidden Stone Village can't be bothered with you, and the officials in the capital treat you like a tool. That's the only reason you get to keep strutting around here."
Watching the man's expression darken, Akashō shook his head.
"Forget it. Why am I even telling you this? I only came here to have you, a tool, do something for me."
"Don't get so cocky, you bastard!"
Before the rogue ninja could respond, his subordinates had already lost their patience and began shouting angrily at Akashō.
"I'm not wasting time with you."
Akashō raised his hand, his five fingers curling in a twisted motion.
"Parasite Strings."
...
Time passed in the blink of an eye. A full year had gone by since the famous three-way battle on the Earth–Fire front.
To the surprise of many, after that battle, the Dark Council vanished once more, not making any major moves. Occasionally, rumors of their true forms surfaced in various places: a six-eyed demon wandering alleyways at midnight, a crimson giant appearing in distant mountains, and a catwoman who carried out assassination missions under the cover of night.
But unfortunately, none of the three caused any major incidents. Even the catwoman's assassinations mostly targeted wealthy ordinary people. By the time such information reached the ninja villages, it was already long outdated.
Still, one thing was worth noting: over the past year, the actions of these three—before and after—had been turned into stories and spread among ordinary people across various countries, almost like legends. Countless people feared them.
Some had even written them into novels.
And today, a red figure arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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