56-60

*Chapter 56: The Chosen People*

*Choice?*

Shiraishi Mori looked at the eager expressions of his companions and felt some doubt in his heart. Did they truly have a choice?

Given the terrifying tremors earlier, the ninjas from Tanin must already be on their way.

And that crow's loud announcement just now—nearly all the ghouls present had heard it.

Faced with the battle that would inevitably follow, their choice was practically predetermined.

The so-called "choice" that the crow mentioned was no choice at all!

"Suzuki, Toya, you two go first and test it out."

At this point, Shiraishi Mori had no other options.

Although he doubted the crow would tamper with such a thing, he still needed to test it.

The two ghouls he called by name quickly stepped forward. They were Shiraishi Mori’s most loyal subordinates, hardened by extensive training to exude the iron-blooded aura of soldiers.

Without hesitation, they picked up the new kakuho and began the transplantation.

After transplantation, the new kakuho rapidly dissolved, first consuming their original kagune and then fully integrating with their bodies. The entire process lasted about five minutes, and their fused kagune underwent noticeable changes.

They no longer followed the old rule of producing a kagune based on the type of kakuho consumed. Instead, the RC cells adapted and created kagune that reflected each individual’s inner self.

For instance, Suzuki, who was quick and harbored a strong desire for vengeance against Tanin, evolved a blue koukaku shaped like a coiled spear.

Toya, though equally resentful of Tanin, cared more about protecting his comrades. As a result, he developed a pair of enormous, shield-like ukaku wings.

"Do you feel any discomfort?"

Shiraishi Mori asked with concern. After all, when his own RC genes mutated and fused with his body, he endured excruciating pain and collapsed into unconsciousness for several days due to exhaustion.

With a major battle looming, he worried these two key subordinates might suffer a similar fate.

Fortunately, aside from showing signs of pain during the fusion process, both men seemed fine.

Shiraishi Mori quickly made a decision: "If that’s the case, then before the enemy arrives, half of you should transplant the new kakuho immediately."

"Yes!"

The transplantation process was surprisingly simple. A small incision was made on the body, and the kakuho was placed against it. Upon contact with blood, the kakuho automatically transformed into RC cells, consuming the original kagune and fusing with the body.

Minutes later, various kagune bloomed from the ghouls’ bodies—just as Tanin’s ninjas arrived.

"Everyone, use this battle to test out our new power!"

Shiraishi Mori roared to rally morale. Despite his injuries, he unfurled massive fleshy wings and was the first to charge forward.

Seeing their wounded leader lead the charge, the newly equipped ghouls surged forward without hesitation.

The Tanin ninjas, caught off guard, were immediately overwhelmed by the ferocious assault.

The battle lasted only about half an hour, ending with Tanin’s strategic retreat.

This time, Tanin had sent only one jonin—an older man who had previously unleashed the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu at sea—supported by chunin and genin.

The jonin’s main task was to contain Shiraishi Mori, but today things were different. These monsters had suddenly developed numerous kagune the ninjas had never seen before, with several even capable of flight.

The unexpected display of a new power system left the Tanin ninjas completely unprepared. Being from a peaceful village, their ninja corps were weaker than those of other villages. Their defeat was almost inevitable.

In the end, Tanin fled in disarray, leaving behind over a dozen corpses.

Shiraishi Mori’s only regret was failing to kill the jonin, who escaped using a combination of shadow clone and body flicker techniques.

Even so, this victory was a massive morale boost for the ghouls.

Previously, they had always been on the run, relentlessly pursued by ninjas. Now, for the first time, they had won a direct confrontation. The ghouls’ confidence in resisting Tanin soared.

What’s more, the crow had left behind more than a hundred kakuho.

This meant that, with the right recruits, the ghouls could start expanding their forces.

This battle’s impact was profound.

Over in Tanin Village, after two more failed offensives, the leadership finally acknowledged a harsh reality: unless they sent three to four jonin in a coordinated attack, wiping out the ghouls would be nearly impossible.

But prolonged warfare, combined with the heavy costs in money and lives, unsettled the village, which had grown accustomed to peace. Internal divisions worsened.

Some hawkish leaders argued that the ghouls must be eradicated for killing their ninjas. How else could Tanin maintain its reputation, or ensure the safety of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rivers?

But every village has its doves.

The dovish faction argued that Tanin was a peaceful village. It was their ninjas who had recklessly taken a mission and slaughtered the ghouls’ entire village. They believed Tanin should apologize instead.

The hawks, of course, dismissed this as nonsense. After so many battles, the hatred between both sides had only deepened. Seeking reconciliation now would be humiliating.

Why didn’t they negotiate in the first place?

Because no one expected this group of villagers to wield such incredible power.

When you believe you can crush your opponent, why negotiate? Negotiations are about dividing benefits. If you think you can claim all the benefits through strength, you won’t negotiate—unless the cost of war outweighs that of negotiation.

Initially, Tanin’s leaders saw the villagers as no threat.

Amidst the deadlock, the ghouls launched a proactive strike, seizing a poor border town in the Land of Rivers.

In the name of the Evil God, they executed the local noble lord and opened his granaries to distribute food. In doing so, the ghouls successfully recruited new soldiers.

It was only then that Shiraishi Mori, after careful deliberation, declared the name of their group:

*The Chosen People.*

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 57: What Does Lord Jashin's Pot Have to Do with Me, Ken Kaneki?

"Boom!"

As the last rock crumbled, Hidan clapped his hands and said with a disgruntled expression, "Why does that damn snake have bases everywhere?"

Kaneki pushed up his glasses and said calmly, "Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone a venomous snake like him."

To be honest, Kaneki was in a good mood. He had seized a large number of ninjutsu scrolls, various books, and most importantly, experimental subjects and experimental data from Orochimaru's two bases located in the Land of Rivers.

This would help Kaneki to further understand this world and greatly aid his future development.

In addition, he also learned the true identity of this guy from Orochimaru's subordinates.

One of the legendary Sannin, the disciple of the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Calamity of the Wind, Orochimaru.

No wonder Orochimaru had that puzzled expression when Kaneki pretended not to know him.

It turned out that this guy was a real big shot!

This made Kaneki even more cautious. A guy who could be famous throughout the ninja world was definitely not a simple character.

As for why Orochimaru defected later and became a missing-nin that the Five Great Ninja Villages wanted to eliminate, Kaneki didn't know.

After all, Konoha wouldn't explain much about their own scandals.

Kaneki pondered for a moment, while Hidan was still in a daze, asking blankly, "What rabbit wearing what pants?"

Kaneki took a deep breath and decided not to talk to Hidan too much in the future. He was afraid of becoming stupid.

Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows as the system panel popped up with a notification.

"Congratulations, the new race [Blood Pool Clone] has been analyzed."

[Jashin-sama's Cultivation Game]

[Host]: A blood pool named Ken Kaneki

[Level]: 3 (The next level requires 50,000 reputation)

Note: The host's mental power will increase with the level.

[Jashin Reputation]: 39416

[Ability 1]:

[Womb of the Primordial Creator]

[Gene Bank]: Human genes, blood pool genes, RC genes

[Projects being analyzed]:

Jashin genes (Analysis progress 16.4%)

Ninja genes (19.7%)

Note: Overall genetic analysis progress of the ninja population.

Orochimaru genes (4.7%)

Note: Analysis progress of Orochimaru's original genes deduced through the clone.

Living Corpse Reincarnation technique (26.4%)

Snake Clone technique (87.1%)

[Producible races]:

Blood Pool Clone (A clone created from the host's genes, possessing similar abilities and appearance to the main body)

Crow Clone (A clone created from crow genes)

Ghoul Kagune (Including all first-generation Kagune)

RC Kagune Sac (Second-generation Kagune mutated from the first-generation ghoul Kagune)

Five-attribute ninja, Black Beetle, Raven, Evil-faced Snake, Explosive Insect

[Ability 2]:

[Jashin's Blessing]: The body is blessed by Jashin. You will be immortal until Jashin falls.

[Introduction]: I want to create a world with Lord Jashin!

Kaneki narrowed his eyes. Recently, the reputation of the Jashin cult had skyrocketed. As for the reason, you would have to ask Shiraishi Mori.

After repelling the siege of Yugakure several times, this guy established a base and officially named the team composed of more than two hundred ghouls [God's Chosen People]!

Meaning, they were the humans truly chosen by Lord Jashin! A new race different from ordinary people!

As for the purpose and program, it was to liberate all mankind and turn everyone into believers of Lord Jashin. Believe in Jashin, gain eternal life!

"This is preparing to set the fire on the Jashin cult."

Kaneki understood Shiraishi Mori's intentions very well.

Shiraishi Mori clearly knew that it was difficult for these ghouls to truly survive in the ninja world.

After all, besides Yugakure, there were the more powerful Five Great Nations. They couldn't allow the destruction of Yugakure, so he had to seek external support.

So who would support these heretics?

After thinking about it, the only possibility was the Jashin cult.

Although Shiraishi Mori didn't know much about the Jashin cult, he knew that the two mysterious people were from the Jashin cult and possessed the terrifying power of Kagune, which was enough to prove that the Jashin cult was definitely not weak.

As for whether the Jashin cult was willing to help him, Shiraishi Mori was not sure.

The only thing he could be sure of was that the Jashin cult needed sacrifices...

He concluded this from the sacrificial pattern on the first cruise ship.

In this case, if they could also provide enough sacrifices, would that unknown Jashin also bless them?

Shiraishi Mori didn't know, but he had to try.

Therefore, every time they captured a town, they would hang those cruel nobles and their lackeys on crosses, draw the Jashin cult symbol of a circle with a triangle inside to conduct a trial.

They even changed the name of the team to [God's Chosen People] in order to obtain the blessing of Lord Jashin...

As for whether Lord Jashin was good or bad, they didn't care at all now. All they cared about was revenge and survival!

"It's quite interesting."

Kaneki suddenly smiled, completely unaware that he was being used.

After all, Shiraishi Mori was a believer of Lord Jashin, not his, Kaneki Kamizuki. If something happened, he should also look for Jashin. What did it have to do with him, Kaneki Kamizuki?

He was just a small fry under Lord Jashin.

Having said that, the increase in mental power brought by the upgrade was real.

Kaneki had analyzed himself during this period and successfully created two new races, [Blood Pool Clone] and [Crow Clone], based on the [Clone Technique] left by the Cult Leader.

As the name suggested, the [Blood Pool Clone] was Kaneki's main body clone, with functions and appearance very similar to Kaneki's main body.

And the [Crow Clone] was the Mr. Crow that Shiraishi Mori saw, a raven clone that carried a part of Kaneki's mental power.

Therefore, the blood pool in the old site of the Jashin cult had been restored to its original state.

Kaneki's real body had migrated to a crevice in the rock formations hundreds of meters below a mountain range on the border of the Land of Rivers.

Even if Shiraishi Mori caused a huge uproar and the Five Great Nations united to eradicate the heretics, they would at most level the Jashin cult headquarters and destroy the statue and the blood pool. They couldn't possibly find the main body thousands of miles away, right?

In addition, Kaneki also planned to create several more blood pool clones and place them all over the ninja world.

In addition to being used to confuse the enemy, they could also be used to produce various Jashin races, so that Lord Jashin's followers would spread all over the world!

Anyway, thanks to the efforts of the ghouls, Lord Jashin had obtained a considerable amount of energy recently, and Kaneki could just make the best use of it.

At worst, he could just let Hidan take the blame again.

Kaneki glanced at the silly Hidan beside him, then gently pushed up his glasses.

The only pity this time was that Kaneki didn't get Orochimaru's information on the [Living Corpse Reincarnation technique].

With the clone left behind and the Cult Leader's corpse, Kaneki could only analyze this technique to 26.4%. If he could really master the mystery of the soul with this technique, maybe he could really achieve...

Immortality!

Of course, Kaneki was still a bit far from the god-like realm of immortality. Having the [Blood Pool Clone] at best only enhanced his life-saving ability by a tiny bit.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 58: Lord Kaneki's Body

Deep in the mountains of the Land of Rivers, at the headquarters of the Heretical God Cult.

This once-abandoned place welcomed guests once again.

With a tremor, a giant serpent covered in black chitinous armor erupted from the ground. Its massive jaws opened, expelling a torrent of experimental subjects and research materials.

"Cough, cough..."

Whirling around in the chaos, Riyi Uzumaki coughed and surveyed the scene.

"So this is the headquarters of the Heretical God Cult?"

The area was desolate. Many of the houses where the cultists once lived had collapsed during the previous battle. Bloodstains, unwashed by countless rains, marred the ground and walls, testaments to the evil that had transpired here.

The demonic serpent, its eyes glowing like flames, carried everything into the temple.

A colossal, faceless statue still looked down on the world with an expression of indifferent serenity. Beneath its gaze, a crimson pool of blood exuded a sinister aura.

This was not Kaneki's true body, of course, but a "Blood Pool Clone" he had just created.

"Caw, caw, caw! It seems we have a newcomer."

A raucous crow materialized out of thin air, landing on the shoulder of Riyi Uzumaki, who was visiting for the first time. The young girl was startled.

"Ah? Who are you?"

Riyi instinctively adopted a defensive stance.

Seeing this, the crow spread its wings and explained, "I am an ordinary believer under the great Heretical God, and I am temporarily helping Lord Kaneki manage the temple..."

"Oh no, I am a crow!"

Riyi sized up the crow, marveling, "As expected of Lord Kaneki's Heretical God Cult, even the crows can talk."

Hearing this, Mr. Crow lifted a feather and shook it like a human hand. "First, I am a raven, not an ordinary crow."

"Second, although Lord Kaneki is indeed powerful, the Heretical God Cult does not belong to him, but to the great Heretical God!"

He scoffed internally. Kaneki had no desire to bear the sins left by the Heretical God!

Though, to be fair, these sins had little to do with the Heretical God himself.

"I understand now."

Riyi nodded. Unlike the foolish Hidan, she quickly grasped the relationship. But no matter what, in her heart, Lord Kaneki was the greatest!

Seeing Riyi's understanding look, Mr. Crow nodded slightly. It seemed she wasn't an idiot like Hidan.

"Since you understand, then you should know what fate awaits you, right?"

Mr. Crow's hoarse voice gave these words an inexplicably terrifying feel.

Riyi nodded resolutely. "I know. I must cooperate with Lord Kaneki's experiment and become strong so I can stay by his side forever!"

"Very good, you have the right attitude."

Mr. Crow narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, cawing, "In that case, please enter this blood pool."

"What? Enter this blood pool?"

Riyi's cute face was full of confusion. Wasn't she supposed to become Lord Kaneki's experimental subject?

Mr. Crow gently pushed his glasses up, explaining, "This blood pool is a part of Lord Kaneki's body. Through it, Lord Kaneki can conduct a thorough examination of your body. However, the process may be a bit painful."

"This... is a part of Lord Kaneki's body?"

The raven saw the girl's eyes light up.

As expected, the people of this world seemed to be mentally unstable.

"Then, if I soak in this, wouldn't it be like entering Lord Kaneki's body?"

Riyi's face flushed, and her legs rubbed together. Then, to Mr. Crow's shock, she flung off her coat, her snow-white body tracing a beautiful arc as she leaped into the blood pool.

"So warm!"

Entering Lord Kaneki's body...

No, entering the blood pool, Riyi felt herself enveloped by Lord Kaneki's warmth.

Every inch of her body, every part of her skin, every pore opened wantonly, welcoming the influx of blood.

Mr. Crow turned his head away just in time to hear a blood-boiling moan.

This world was truly beyond saving!

Even though Kaneki was no longer human, this scene still gave him a small "ninja world shock."

So much so that his human clone short-circuited for a moment.

Seeing Kaneki suddenly freeze, Hidan asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with you?"

Kaneki came back to his senses, replying somewhat unnaturally, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Hidan stared at his face and pondered for a while, then his fists clenched.

He gripped his Triple-Bladed Scythe tightly, a strange intuition leading him to question Kaneki, "Did that Uzumaki woman do something?"

Kaneki raised an eyebrow, looking at Hidan.

"Are you possessed or something? How did your IQ suddenly skyrocket?"

Hidan ignored the sarcasm in Kaneki's words, gritting his teeth and saying, "It's that woman, I'm going to sacrifice her to the Heretical God!"

Kaneki was stunned again. Hold on, why was he suddenly going to kill someone?

In less than half a day, Kaneki, with his mental power far exceeding that of ordinary people, had short-circuited twice.

In the end, he managed to appease Hidan with the "decapitation method."

As far as Kaneki knew, there was nothing that couldn't be solved by decapitation. If once wasn't enough, then twice, thrice... it would eventually be resolved.

Back at the headquarters, Mr. Crow took a deep breath. Although the scene before him was stimulating, he still had work to do.

After throwing the other experimental subjects into the blood pool, the blood began to dissolve Riyi's surface cells.

This served two purposes: analyzing the genes in these cells and testing the Uzumaki clan's unique regenerative abilities.

Under this test, Riyi's moans quickly turned into painful grunts.

To prevent her from collapsing due to excessive physical exertion, four tentacles condensed from the bottom of the blood pool, piercing Riyi's body and continuously supplying her with energy.

Thus, in an endless cycle of replenishment and consumption, injury and recovery, Riyi officially began the experiment.

With its immense processing power, the blood pool also began to experiment on and analyze the other experimental subjects and subordinates Kaneki had acquired from Orochimaru.

Countless genes were dissolved, recombined, transplanted, and then collapsed...

And it was in the midst of this painful experiment that a woman opened her eyes within the sea of blood.

She was Orochimaru's former subordinate, the leader of the first base, the kunoichi, Sana.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 59: The White Chapel

*Rain Country.*

The gray clouds perpetually shrouded this nation, and a misty rain ceaselessly washed over everything.

Hidan's silver pompadour, dampened by the rain, fell flat against his head. However, thanks to his striking features, this only added a touch of disheveled beauty to his appearance.

He squatted on a rock, a blade of grass dangling from his lips, and grumbled, "Hey, damn Kaneki, why the hell are we building this damn thing in this godforsaken place?!"

Following his gaze, Kaneki was directing a swarm of black beetles.

They were like Kaneki's most nimble limbs, able to transform into various shapes at his will, carrying and assembling the delivered timber and other materials into a rather peculiar structure.

As the last piece of wood fell into place, Kaneki adjusted his glasses, clapped his hands in satisfaction, and declared, "That should do it."

Before him, a white, pyramid-shaped chapel stood at the edge of the small town.

This building exuded an aura completely different from this world.

Painted entirely white by Kaneki, its minimalist lines challenged people's visual senses.

"To spread the greatness of the Evil God to the world, how can we not create a temple dedicated to Him?"

Kaneki pushed open the door. The chapel was spacious, with a holy statue devoid of emotion, even facial features, directly facing the entrance.

The entire chapel was quite simple, with nothing but the statue and chairs lined up on either side.

Hidan followed closely behind.

"You mean, you built this chapel in this crappy town to spread the faith of the Evil God?"

Kaneki nodded. "Exactly."

The expression on Hidan's face grew even more perplexed.

"If you want to spread the faith of the Evil God, wouldn't it be easier to just kill people?"

In Hidan's view, nothing spread faith more effectively than fear.

As long as enough people were killed, others would naturally come to believe in the Evil God out of fear of death.

Of course, Hidan didn't really care whether anyone believed in the Evil God or not; his main concern was how to hunt high-quality sacrifices to offer to his deity.

Kaneki took off his glasses and gently wiped them.

"While it's true that spreading fear can increase the faith harvested for the Evil God, it's not enough. For a true Evil God, merely instilling fear is far from sufficient."

Hearing Kaneki's cryptic words, Hidan felt a headache coming on.

"Forget it, forget it. Do whatever you want. Just tell me when we can start killing."

"Don't worry, it'll happen eventually."

Kaneki ground himself a cup of coffee.

On a rainy day like this, accompanied by the rising mist, savoring the bitterness and aroma of a cup of coffee was truly the best choice.

He and Hidan had arrived in this small town on the border of the Rain Country about a week ago.

Thanks to the efforts of the black beetles, it only took a few days to build this chapel.

As for the white paint, it was bartered from the locals in exchange for various hunted prey.

After the chapel was built, many residents secretly watched it.

After all, two strangers suddenly arriving and building a chapel with such a peculiar atmosphere would naturally arouse curiosity.

Especially after Kaneki demonstrated his ability to control the black beetles, these residents became even more certain that these two young men in black trench coats were definitely not to be trifled with.

The ability Kaneki displayed reminded them of a certain group of people: ninja.

The Rain Country was located at the junction of the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire.

Every time war broke out between these three nations, the Rain Country would become a battlefield for ninja from the three countries.

The rampage of the ninja was like a hurricane, ruthlessly plundering their meager food, wealth, and even lives.

Previously, Lord Hanzo of the Hidden Rain Village would stand up to protect his people and lead his forces against the great nations.

But since the Second Shinobi World War, when the Hidden Rain Village surrendered to Konoha, the entire Rain Country had completely become a colony.

Coupled with the perennial rainy weather and limited food production, the entire Rain Country was in dire straits, with bandits and rebels running rampant.

Under these circumstances, the people of the Rain Country had long learned one thing: never challenge a ninja, or death would be the only outcome.

Therefore, Kaneki and Hidan encountered little resistance while building the chapel.

Hidan squatted boredly at the entrance of the chapel, hands cupping his chin, watching the hazy rain outside. "No believers are coming," he remarked.

Then he offered Kaneki a good way to attract followers: "How about I rush out now and send all those who refuse to believe in the Evil God to meet Him?"

Kaneki rolled his eyes. "Were you a murder-bot in a past life? All you talk about is killing."

Hidan was puzzled. "What's a murder-bot?"

Kaneki didn't bother explaining to this guy. He gave a mysterious smile and said faintly, "Don't worry, it won't be long before the world feels the glory of the Evil God."

"Tch, more cryptic nonsense."

Without Kaneki's permission, he had no choice but to sit cross-legged again, hands cupping his chin, studying the ant colony that had been forced to relocate to the corner of the chapel.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted from the town.

A glint of light flashed across Kaneki's glasses, and he smiled slightly. "Here we go."

Hidan instantly perked up and rushed to the chapel door to watch the commotion.

The rain abruptly stopped, and a plume of smoke billowed from the distance.

"Is it an enemy?"

Without a word, Hidan materialized his Triple-Bladed Scythe with his kagune and licked his lips.

"Finally, I can kill again."

The dust rising in the rain drew closer and closer. Amid the residents' clamor, one could vaguely make out phrases like "The Libra has gone berserk again," and "Damn brat."

To Hidan's expectant gaze, a figure darted out from the smoke and dust, collapsing a wall with a single punch!

Such power made Hidan's eyes gleam with excitement.

"That's it! Only such a sacrifice is worthy of being offered to the Evil God!"

As the figure approached, Hidan finally got a clear look at the person before him.

"What the...? It's just a kid."

Hidan frowned in disappointment.

The person before him was about 1.5 meters tall, with orange hair and strange black markings that snaked wildly across his body. Half of his face was gray, his eyes pitch black, and his orange pupils exuded a violent aura.

"Heh..."

(End of chapter)

Chapter 60: Jugo

Feeling the powerful pressure emanating from the monster in front of him, Hidan regained his focus.

"Though just a brat, he seems pretty strong." He licked his lips, the crimson scythe in his hand twitching, eager for action.

Suddenly, the little monster stomped the ground, shattering it, and shot towards Hidan like a rocket.

Just as Hidan was about to swing his Triple-Bladed Scythe and take the kid out, a hand gently landed on his shoulder.

"Hold on a second."

Kaneki's calm voice rang out.

He stepped past Hidan, just as the little monster's fist reached him.

A sharp sonic wave suddenly erupted from Kaneki, forcing Hidan to cover his ears and stumble back.

The little monster, with a pained expression, clutched his head and rolled on the ground in agony.

Kaneki raised a hand and casually formed a few hand seals.

The piercing sound instantly stopped. Hidan sighed in relief, while the monster on the ground was frozen, unable to move.

"Dude, your jutsu is way too loud! My ears are ringing!" Hidan grumbled, digging in his ears.

Kaneki glanced at him. "How about next time I reroute your, uh, exit channel to your ears? Then you can just use your own waste as earplugs."

???

Hidan's expression immediately turned ugly. He knew Kaneki was capable of it, and that he would actually do it!

"Well, actually, I think your jutsu sounds quite nice," Hidan mumbled, forcing out the words with a grimace.

Kaneki smiled faintly. "Since you're being so sincere, I'll only block one ear then."

"Damn you, Kaneki! If you actually do that, I'll never forgive you!" Hidan was frantic. Again.

Kaneki ignored him. He had only recently mastered the technique he just used.

As for its origin... it was thanks to Lord Orochimaru.

After bringing Rin to the Jashin cult headquarters, Kaneki began analyzing the other experimental subjects and subordinates he had taken from Orochimaru's base.

Only a few of them exhibited traits that surprised him.

For example, the [Sound Wave Technique] and the [Demonic Illusionary Sound Chains] were obtained from one of Orochimaru's subordinates named Sana.

The [Sound Wave Technique] works by focusing chakra on the vocal cords, releasing a terrifying sound wave capable of rupturing an enemy's eardrums.

The [Demonic Illusionary Sound Chains] is a genjutsu that attaches genjutsu chakra to the sound wave, allowing it to invade the enemy's body through sound and trap them in an illusion.

These two jutsu were a combo.

With just one combo, the little monster was trapped in the genjutsu without any resistance.

The only thing that puzzled Kaneki was why that woman named Sana didn't use this move against him when he invaded Orochimaru's hideout.

Oh, right, he killed her instantly.

Anyway, with Kaneki's current mental strength, even if the enemy used genjutsu against him, it probably wouldn't have much effect.

These techniques were more than just two new jutsu for Kaneki. He planned to research how to apply them to other Jashin followers, especially the genjutsu. If he could transform it into a passive ability, releasing it through everyday speech to hypnotize enemies, its applications would be endless.

True silent assassination.

Of course, to achieve this, Kaneki needed to analyze more ninja genes and gain a deeper understanding of the nature of chakra and jutsu.

He slowly crouched down, gently placing his palm on the little monster.

The mouthpart in his palm instantly opened, absorbing chakra from the boy.

In the next second, Kaneki's palm petrified.

"Is it natural energy?"

Kaneki wasn't worried about the petrification at all; after all, this was just one of his clones.

The hand he had cut off last time had already regenerated. It was no big deal.

This time, instead of immediately severing the petrified hand, Kaneki carefully observed the natural energy rampaging within his limb.

Only when the petrification spread to his shoulder did he take action, using his sharp kagune to cut off his entire arm.

"Interesting, very interesting." Kaneki's eyes gleamed with intense interest.

The natural energy he absorbed from this boy was far superior to Rin's, both in quality and quantity!

As the genjutsu took effect, the strange markings on the boy's body gradually disappeared, and he quickly returned to the appearance of a normal child. The natural energy also slowly dissipated.

Kaneki carefully examined the boy's body with his black beetles and was surprised to find that he hadn't suffered any injuries!

Even members of the Uzumaki clan, with their special constitution, would suffer significant damage from a natural energy rampage.

Yet this boy, who looked to be only seven or eight years old, didn't have a single scratch on him.

It was as if his body could naturally contain natural energy!

He was a natural vessel for natural energy!

"Cough, cough..."

While Kaneki was lost in thought, the boy finally woke up.

He looked weakly at Kaneki, then glanced at the destroyed houses behind him, clutching his head in anguish. "Did I... lose control again?"

Kaneki was surprised to see guilt on the boy's face.

After all, he had just been a raging beast who wanted to destroy everything, and now he was radiating a gentle and peaceful aura. This contrast was simply too stark.

"Don't worry, you didn't cause much damage."

Perhaps due to prior preparations, the boy had only destroyed some buildings. No residents were killed.

Hearing this, the boy's expression eased.

He suddenly remembered something and looked up sharply at Kaneki. "Did you stop me?"

"If you're referring to using genjutsu to calm you down, then yes." Kaneki crossed his arms, curiously observing the boy's reaction.

Upon hearing Kaneki's words, a clear flicker of excitement crossed the boy's face.

"What's your name?" Kaneki asked.

"My name is Jugo. People in town also call me the Scale, the Scale of Destruction..." He looked dejected, then quickly explained, "I didn't mean to. I don't know why I sometimes lose control like that..."

"Oh? You enter that state automatically?"

Kaneki adjusted his glasses, his burning gaze betraying his excitement.

In Orochimaru's experiments, all subjects needed to apply a special potion to absorb natural energy.

But this kid could absorb natural energy on his own, without even trying to control it?

What an incredibly rare specimen...

(End of chapter)