"In the worst-case scenario, we'll just fight the Last Alliance War all over again."
At the small, private meeting of only three people, Garrett voiced his fallback plan.
"But any faction that took part in that war back then has weakened so much that they couldn't even muster one-third of their forces from that time."
Elrond di...
2025-11-20 01:39:13 +0000 UTC
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A few days later, news swept through Konoha.
Sakumo had taken his own life at home.
The moment the announcement spread, every villager and ninja who'd spent weeks condemning him for "violating ninja protocol" fell silent. Maybe they'd been caught up in rumors, unconsciously adding fuel to a tragedy without realizing it. But none of t...
2025-11-20 01:37:41 +0000 UTC
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Honoka sensed the shift in his mood. She glanced up at Kenji.
"Are you alright? Just now... did I say something wrong?"
"It's nothing to do with you," Kenji said. He reached over and patted her head gently. "Just some village politics that pissed me off. Come on, let's get your identification sorted out first. Then I'll take you to m...
2025-11-20 01:36:48 +0000 UTC
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They ate in silence for a while, the warm broth and perfectly cooked noodles exactly what Kenji needed after weeks of field rations. Honoka seemed to be enjoying herself too, her earlier nervousness fading as she focused on the food.
Then voices from the next table over drifted into Kenji's awareness.
"Did you hear about Sakumo?"
...
2025-11-20 01:36:01 +0000 UTC
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"Alright, problem solved," Kenji said, the iron sand wings carrying him and Honoka back down to the cave entrance. "Let's get out of here."
The wings dissolved, particles flowing back into his body as they landed. The captured beasts in their chains had gone quiet, watching them with wary eyes.
Honoka's feet touched ground and she st...
2025-11-20 01:35:07 +0000 UTC
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Inside the volcano, the artificially excavated cavern had descended into chaos.
The space was massive, carved deep into the volcanic rock over years of work. Various experimental devices were scattered throughout. Glass containers held specimens floating in preservation fluid. Several researchers in white coats ran between workstations.
2025-11-20 01:34:23 +0000 UTC
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"Hell Valley? Elixir Mud?"
Kenji stared at the final entry on his mission scroll, frowning slightly. The description was vague at best. "It's some kind of mud that wells up from underground volcanic vents. Treats bruises, cuts, sprains, inflammation... What is this, a miracle cure-all?"
He rolled the scroll back up and tucked it away...
2025-11-20 01:33:21 +0000 UTC
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"The Wood Release puppet is yours now," Kenji said, glancing at Danzō. "I hope we'll have chances to work together again in the future."
He turned to leave.
"Wait. We can continue our cooperation."
Kenji stopped but didn't turn around immediately.
Danzō continued, "But first, remove what you left in my heart. Then we'll...
2025-11-20 01:32:17 +0000 UTC
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Time moved on, as it always did.
The shinobi world had enjoyed several years of peace after the Second Great Ninja War ended. But lately, that peace was showing cracks. Border conflicts were becoming more frequent.
Kenji was twenty years old now, and the past few years had been good to him.
His body had finally finished maturin...
2025-11-20 01:31:32 +0000 UTC
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Kenji watched the last Kumo ninja sprint into the darkness, running for his life after witnessing his two teammates get their throats cut.
A terrible, irresponsible, completely self-indulgent thought occurred to him.
I could make this more interesting.
The rational part of his brain immediately objected. He was suppose...
2025-11-20 01:30:42 +0000 UTC
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"Finally finished. Let's try this again."
Kenji examined the puppet standing on his workbench. This version had been completely rebuilt using wood that the previous puppet's out-of-control Wood Release chakra had generated. The appearance was similar to the failed prototype, but the internal structure had been refined based on what he'd le...
2025-11-20 01:29:49 +0000 UTC
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Kenji extracted a portion of Hashirama cells from the tank and carried them to his workspace.
"Alright, let's put all that research to use."
He'd spent a long time analyzing the structure of his Swift Release core, breaking down every aspect of its design. The sealing array, the chakra circulation pathways, the conversion mechanism. ...
2025-11-20 01:29:07 +0000 UTC
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"Congratulations. You, too, can now attain eternal beauty."
Sasori looked down at the Suna jonin beneath his feet, a satisfied smile curling on his handsome face.
The jonin pinned under him was completely numb. Not figuratively. Literally, his entire body was paralyzed. Human puppets had to be made while the person was still alive. A...
2025-11-20 01:22:35 +0000 UTC
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Far away, thousands of kilometers from Taki, deep within the Great Desert of the Land of Wind, a Flying Thunder God kunai, long buried beneath the sands and forgotten by time, once again played a crucial role today.
Without warning, a Tailed Beast Ball appeared out of thin air. Before the desolate desert could even react, it erupted in a b...
2025-11-20 01:20:23 +0000 UTC
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Ryouma twirled a Flying Thunder God kunai between his fingers, toying with it as he observed the conflicted expression of the man before him with mild interest.
The Hero Water was, of course, nothing unfamiliar to him. What intrigued him more was its principle. If it merely consumed life force and didn't conflict with his own abilities, he...
2025-11-20 01:19:36 +0000 UTC
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Robin's emotional turmoil had finally settled. For the crew, that was good news, she'd always kept a certain distance from them before. But now, that barrier seemed to have dissolved.
"Are we really going to ring it?" Vivi asked, staring up at the massive golden bell.
Back on Jaya, they'd learned that Cricket was Noland's descendant,...
2025-11-17 04:27:50 +0000 UTC
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Nola watched Robin's complete emotional breakdown with confusion. The snake had lived for eight centuries, but human reactions to simple truths still baffled it.
"Was there something about what I said that was hard to accept?" Nola's head tilted slightly, vertical pupils studying the other crew members. "Is this news really that shocking? ...
2025-11-17 04:26:34 +0000 UTC
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The chants were gradually dying down as people noticed the figure hovering above them on his spotted bird. Those still shouting didn't understand at first, but their companions quickly jabbed them in the ribs and pointed upward. Once they spotted Gan Fall, the formerly boisterous crowd from Angel Island fell into silence, exchanging uncertain gl...
2025-11-17 04:25:39 +0000 UTC
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"Dr. Banner, I'm going to need your help again."
Professor Hulk's arm had fully recovered. Mario couldn't be certain, but he seemed... bigger. His frame carried more muscle mass than before, and his hair, previously streaked with gray, showed hints of returning to its natural dark color.
In the movies, Hulk's power came directly from...
2025-11-17 04:23:58 +0000 UTC
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Thanos' massive warship floated in the sky like a dark omen. A crowd of furious superheroes surrounded the Mad Titan, delivering justice with their fists in the most visceral way possible. The weaker heroes couldn't even get close to the scrum. Too many bodies, too much rage.
Mario stood on the outskirts, occasionally casting Font of Vital...
2025-11-17 04:22:32 +0000 UTC
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"Legolas."
Aragorn waved in greeting to the guest who had just arrived in Rivendell.
It had been a long time since they last met, and seeing Legolas again filled Aragorn with emotion.
This fellow, when they first met, he had claimed to be just an ordinary Elf. But in truth, he was the prince of the Woodland Realm.
Across ...
2025-11-17 04:21:12 +0000 UTC
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Perhaps the people of the North have never truly lived without pressure.
It's just that all that great pressure has always been borne and dissolved by someone. That's why things appear so peaceful here, even to the point where they can turn that pressure back against their great enemies.
Sauron wasn't indifferent to this region. It w...
2025-11-17 04:19:57 +0000 UTC
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"This is the City of Waters, Eriador's most prosperous city, and the core fleet-harbor of the Free Cities."
In the southern wastes, Boromir rode his horse and stopped at the entrance to the City of Waters. He gazed at one wonder after another and at the enormous statue at the river mouth. His heart was filled with an inexpressible awe.
...
2025-11-17 04:16:57 +0000 UTC
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"These are Hashirama cells."
The Root operative held out a test tube filled with pale green nutrient solution. Inside, a small piece of flesh floated slowly, suspended in the liquid. Even through the glass, Kenji could sense the vibrant life force contained within.
His Magnet Release puppet accepted the tube, examining the cells with...
2025-11-17 04:15:17 +0000 UTC
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After leaving Ramen Ichiraku, Kenji said goodbye to Jiraiya and started wandering through Konoha's streets with no particular destination in mind. The afternoon sun was warm, the village peaceful.
He'd made it maybe three blocks when three figures materialized from an alley entrance.
ANBU.
They positioned themselves in a triang...
2025-11-17 04:14:30 +0000 UTC
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"You're really leaving?"
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade nodded slowly. Her gaze swept across Konoha's streets, looking at the familiar buildings and pathways she'd walked a thousand times. But there was something hollow in her eyes, a loneliness that hadn't been there before the war.
"The war's over. If I stay here... it'll...
2025-11-17 04:13:37 +0000 UTC
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After weighing his options carefully, Kenji made his decision. He pulled the scroll containing the Four Symbols Seal from the shelf first. His living puppet technique relied heavily on sealing arts, and he still had Shukaku's chakra sitting in storage waiting to be dealt with. If Minato could use the Four Symbols Seal to imprison the entire Nine...
2025-11-17 04:12:23 +0000 UTC
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By the time his students would be arriving at Ramen Ichiraku, Kenji released the Mind Clone Switch Technique. His consciousness snapped back to his real body.
He placed the Magnet Release puppet on its stand, positioning it next to his Swift Release puppet and the newly reconstructed Transparent Release model. After reactivating the s...
2025-11-17 04:11:29 +0000 UTC
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Golden waves of energy surged outward, sweeping up the lake water and merging with the violet poison. Under the pull of centrifugal force, everything whirled violently before being flung into the air. Suddenly, the sharp shriek of a chain-scythe cutting through the air tore apart the silence of the underground lake.
Hanzō, wielding a blad...
2025-11-17 04:07:57 +0000 UTC
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Masashi met with the envoy from Suna in his office.
The identity of this envoy alone was enough to show Suna's "sincerity."
"Baki, the last time you came to Konoha was during the Chunin Exams, wasn't it?" Masashi nodded toward him. "I hope you don't mind that I'm only seeing you now. As you can see, we're quite busy at the moment. Mo...
2025-11-17 04:05:13 +0000 UTC
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