-Chapter 6-

-Chapter 6-

-3 Days Later-

Three days after the announcement of the death of my mentor, master, and surrogate father, I arrived at the village of Kusagakure with the reinforcements and supplies promised by Konoha to resupply the villagers as well as our troops.

I had been thinking a lot on the road, and even before, wondering if I could have prevented all of this and, if so, how. Eventually, I came to the obvious conclusion.

‘Of course I could have.’

I was reincarnated into this world that I know so well with an exceptional advantage, a seed within me, but I didn't know how to use it. I could sense that it was special, but I didn't know how or why, and if only I had done more research on it instead of letting it linger in the back of my mind… If only I had known, then I could have prevented all of this.

"We're almost there, captain," said Kimiko, snapping me out of my self-blame.

I looked straight ahead and saw that the village was just as peaceful as usual; nothing had really changed since I left. It was truly hard to realize that we were at war.

As we entered the village, I saw that life continued, and everyone seemed oblivious to the grave situation we were in.

One unusual sign I noticed was the number of people in the village. The streets were almost crowded, and I wondered how this was possible, given that our village was large and sparsely populated.

---

Upon arriving at the Kusakage's office, I was confronted with a scene that made my blood boil. Fujin Moto and Satoshi Do, both seated with their trusted men, were arguing over who among them would become the next Kusakage.

"I will be the Kusakage because I can lead this land to unprecedented greatness."

"I was with the Kusakage in his final moments; this heavy responsibility falls to me."

"I will marry his daughter and protect her; it was his dearest wish, and he told me just before going to war."

"That's not true! He asked me to adopt his grandchildren and treat them as my own."

They finally stopped when they saw me, and I said angrily:

"Traitors, you dare to plot rebellion!"

"Rather, it's you who should explain what you're playing at. We’ve spoken with the emissaries from the Land of Earth, and they’re willing to leave Kusagakure alone as long as we supply their troops with provisions…"

I didn’t even bother listening to the rest of their words and attacked both of them.

They tried to defend themselves, but before they realized what was happening, I had appeared in front of them using an instant movement jutsu, creating a rasengan in each hand.

I pressed the rasengan directly onto their heads, which exploded like watermelons. Blood splattered across the room, and I looked at everyone else present with a cold gaze, saying:

"You are all competent and indispensable to the proper functioning of this village, but regardless of your rank or importance, no traitor will be tolerated in my village. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Kusakage-sama," they all replied in unison.

"Good. From now on, I want martial law enforced throughout the village. No one is allowed to leave, and all ninjas over the age of 12 are required to wear their uniforms and be ready for combat at all times. As for those under 12, I want them on the training grounds and in class from morning till evening."

"Yes, Kusakage-sama," they repeated in unison.

"Then go," I said, dismissing them, furious that this was the first impression the village’s high command was showing to the Konoha emissaries.

"Well, it seems that, contrary to my previous beliefs, you are not lacking in authority," Danzo said with a small smile.

"Gather your ninjas; we leave tomorrow," I said without any emotion. I didn't want to talk to Danzo; I had noticed the slight sadistic gleam in his eyes when he saw me execute my men without flinching.

"As you wish, Kusakage-sama," he said, almost sarcastically.

Once he was gone, I looked at the two bodies in the room, and nausea overwhelmed me. It was the first time I had killed anyone in two lifetimes.

I knew this day would come sooner or later, but I had postponed it as long as possible. However, I couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of the Konoha emissaries. I had to rectify this disastrous display, but it had cost me the last remnant of my former self. I was like them now… a murderer.

Once I controlled my nausea, I focused on the energy in my lower abdomen that I had felt fluctuate, and I felt my consciousness being drawn to that area.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the seed had sprouted, and in its place was a massive tree. I don’t know how, but I somehow understood what it wanted. I approached and touched the two corpses.

I felt an unknown energy leaving the two bodies and entering the tree, and once the process was complete, I saw that the tree bore two blood-red fruits.

Through sheer will, the fruits appeared outside of my inner space, and I inspected them in the real world. Aside from their color, they looked ordinary, so I took one and ate it.

I don’t know how to describe it properly, but I felt every cell in my body cheer with happiness, revitalizing themselves and growing stronger. I immediately ate the second fruit, and after finishing both, I clenched my fist and punched the air.

I could feel it—my physical strength had practically doubled. But the real surprise came when I examined my chakra reserves, as they too had doubled, and I had now reached the level of an elite Jonin.

My physical strength had surpassed what an elite Chūnin and Jonin were capable of, while my chakra had reached the level of an elite Jonin, which effortlessly pushed my overall strength to that level.

But beyond that, what surprised me the most was the fact that, thanks to my acute chakra control, which I constantly trained, I could sense that I had gained an additional chakra affinity.

I rummaged through my ninja pouch in search of an affinity test, and I found one. I injected a small amount of chakra into it, and the paper crumpled, then split, and finally ignited, reducing itself to ashes.

Internally, I was ecstatic because I knew exactly what this meant. I could kill my enemies and harvest their strength—or at least a significant portion of it—for the divine tree within me, which in return would give me some of their power in the form of special fruits.

I laughed darkly, pleased to see a way forward and frightened by what this power might do to me, because the fastest way to grow stronger with such a power…

‘…Is war,’ I thought.