An ability with such a heavens-defying effect as Kotoamatsukami is a natural enemy to those in power. Whether it was the Third with his insatiable lust for power, or the Hokage-obsessed Danzo, neither could tolerate those eyes being outside of their control.
"Why would the Anbu appear here? To monitor us, obviously," Makiya said matter-of-factly. "Besides, those weren't Anbu; they were Root. They're independent of the Anbu and specialize in doing the village's dirty work—like kidnapping children, secretly collecting Sharingan from fallen Uchiha, and spying on their fellow villagers."
"How is that possible!" Shisui was shocked. "The Hokage-sama would never allow such an organization to exist."
Makiya spread his hands. "You know about the Wood Style experiments the village is conducting, right?"
"Yes, I've heard of them. Apparently, the results weren't very ideal."
After all, it was the legendary Wood Style, a Bloodline Limit that had once suppressed the entire Uchiha clan until they couldn't breathe. The Uchiha were very concerned about the village's experiments; their mindset was deeply conflicted. They both hoped for success and silently prayed for failure. In the end, when the experiments failed, many Uchiha celebrated in private.
"Do you really think those volunteers were all voluntary?" Makiya sneered. "Maybe at the start, but who can say about the later stages. With so many people dying, only a fool would volunteer. They were all villagers kidnapped by Root."
Shisui frowned deeply. Makiya's words were hard to believe, but the facts were facts and stood up to scrutiny. There had been rumors in the village about Root forcibly taking people during the later stages of the experiments; it all matched up perfectly.
"Root is the Hokage's white glove. There are things the Hokage can't say directly, so he needs someone who can read his mind and is willing to take the blame. The leader of Root, Danzo Shimura, is exactly that kind of person."
Shisui silently processed what Makiya said. Thinking of a key point, he suddenly looked up and asked, "Makiya, how do you know all this?"
Makiya sat casually on a tree branch, hands resting on his knees. "Don't underestimate my intelligence network!"
Shisui's breath hitched. Makiya's posture was strangely convincing, as if he were possessed by Lord Jiraiya of the Sannin himself, making Shisui subconsciously believe him.
The two returned to the cave. Makiya tended to the campfire, adding two more handfuls of firewood.
Shisui sat silently to the side, head bowed in thought. He was a thinker, and Makiya didn't expect to overturn his worldview all at once. Anyone who had been a scumbag knew that occasionally playing 'neglect-play' would actually speed up the process.
There was another mission tomorrow, and tonight was a rare moment for rest. Makiya found a comfortable position and lay down, hands behind his head, looking completely serene.
Suddenly, his expression changed and he sat up.
"What's wrong?" Shisui was very alert. Even though he was deep in thought, he noticed Makiya's movement immediately.
"Someone is approaching again. Three people, not moving very fast." Makiya had a strange look on his face. Tonight was quite busy; either the world was small, or they had chosen a terrible spot.
"Let's go. Stay alert."
Makiya casually extinguished the fire, and the two quietly left the cave, hiding in the nearby trees.
A moment later, three figures passed under the tree. They were actually familiar faces.
Two of the three wore headband-style protectors. One had a senbon dangling from his mouth like a toothpick and dead-fish eyes—it was Genma Shiranui, whom Makiya had saved over a month ago.
His teammates, Ebisu and Might Guy, had very distinct appearances that were impossible to mistake. Ebisu was wearing round sunglasses in the middle of the night, looking like he might sit down and pull out an erhu at any second. Might Guy was even more of a heavyweight; his thick, dark hair was cut into a bowl-cut style with prominent thick eyebrows, and his green jumpsuit looked like it belonged in a gag manga.
From his attire alone, one could see that Might Guy, like his father, was a man with a strong heart. He didn't care about the world's gaze and focused entirely on his goals from start to finish. This kind of person was terrifying; they might not shine for a lifetime, but once given a chance, the light and heat they emitted would rival the sun.
Shisui cast an inquiring glance at Makiya, who shook his head, watching Genma's trio disappear from sight.
In a state of war, ninja squads on missions should avoid unnecessary contact to prevent adding risks to their objectives.
Genma's team carried bulging bags. Looking at their direction, they were likely heading deep into the front lines to deliver supplies to certain outposts.
The two returned to the cave. Makiya produced a flame from his fingertip to relight the wood. Just as he lay down, he suddenly sat up again.
Makiya: "..."
Shisui: "???"
"Don't look, more people are coming."
"...Maybe we should find another place to sleep." Shisui was speechless. What kind of blessed land was this to be so busy?
Practiced in the routine, they extinguished the fire and hid in the trees. Moments later, three more figures appeared in their field of vision, one of whom had a very familiar green bowl cut.
He had a thicker beard and a more weathered face than Might Guy; it was Might Dai.
The other two weren't familiar to Makiya. Might Dai was an Eternal Genin, seemingly crude on the outside but actually very meticulous. He sniffed the air, seemingly catching the scent of wood smoke, and looked around but found nothing unusual.
His teammates didn't wait for him. Realizing he was falling behind, Might Dai quickly caught up. The direction the three left in was only slightly different from Genma's team.
After waiting a while and confirming no one else was coming, Makiya and Shisui finally returned to the cave. Neither of them lit a fire at first. They sat in the dark, staring at each other for a long time before finally relighting it.
The weather was getting colder. They had to have a fire; although ninjas could move mountains and fill seas, their bodies were still flesh and blood, subject to age, sickness, and death—except for Uncle Snake.
Shisui took the watch. Feeling the warmth of the flames, Makiya gradually drifted into a dream. Then, he opened his eyes to find himself in the Soul Space.
Makiya: "..."
Fine, fine, fine. No sleep then.
Makiya didn't linger and walked forward along the grey path, soon meeting the other two. Since their first meeting, the three often met here. Although they hadn't seen any newcomers yet, their strength had improved after sharing it.
This time was different. Beside the two, there was... an egg!
Or rather, a flame in the shape of an egg.
Oval-colored flames were gathered together, with light flowing over the surface. Mysterious flame patterns emerged from time to time, and a liquid-like orange flame adhered to the outside. The three gathered around, attempting to see what was inside the egg-shaped flame.
The new Makiya must be inside. Nine times out of ten, it wasn't human—it was likely a bird!
"What is this thing?" Ninja World Makiya curiously stroked the 'eggshell.' New memories entered his mind, but he found that this Makiya wasn't online yet; the memories were just a black screen.
After all, it was still in an egg. That was reasonable.
"It looks incredible. Could it be a Phoenix?" Ninja World Makiya's eyes sparkled. The Uchiha were a clan that played with fire, but they were far inferior to a Phoenix; the two weren't on the same level. If it really was a Phoenix, would he develop a new Bloodline Totality?
Moreover, Phoenixes were often associated with immortality and nirvana. If that were the case, the lives of the Makiya army would be guaranteed.
Soul Reaper Makiya shook his head. "I don't think so. The Phoenix eggs in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' or 'Journey to the West' don't look like this."
Ninja World Makiya rubbed his chin. "Do those books even say what a Phoenix egg looks like? I don't remember."
"Maybe it's a Kurotori? A Suzaku? A Kinyoku Otori? A Kinkarasu?" Soul Reaper Makiya guessed boldly.
"Anyway, it looks very powerful. It's definitely not a normal bird."
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In the middle of the night, Makiya opened his eyes.
Shisui was hiding in a corner at the cave entrance on alert.
"Shisui, how long until the shift change?" Makiya rubbed his eyes as he stood up. The power of the newcomer... the new egg... wasn't strong. He just felt warm all over, an indescribable sense of comfort, not as large a change as the first time they shared strength.
"Half an hour." Shisui stepped out of the corner, white mist escaping his mouth as he spoke. The middle of the night was when the temperature was lowest, and the fire was flickering, about to go out.
Makiya added some wood to the fire. "Go rest. I'm already awake and won't be able to sleep for a while."
"Good."
Shisui and Makiya swapped positions. Falling asleep quickly was a compulsory skill for ninjas; shift changes were inevitable on missions. If one didn't rest well, dozing off during watch would endanger everyone.
Before long, Shisui was peacefully asleep, his breathing gradually becoming slow and rhythmic.
Watching the flickering flames, Makiya felt an inexplicable sense of peace. The heat from the fire was absorbed by his skin. When he snapped back to his senses, he found his left hand had somehow reached into the fire. The tongues of flame licked his skin, but Makiya didn't feel any burning heat, only warmth.
"Amazing."
He opened his left hand, and the flames on the wood acted like flowing water, all gathering in his palm. A fireball the size of a basketball pulsed with flames, gradually becoming docile under Makiya's control.
Makiya stared intently, carefully injecting chakra to maintain the fireball. The surface of the brilliant orange sphere gradually became uneven, forming strange patterns under Makiya's control.
If a fellow countryman from Earth were present, they would surely recognize that the fireball in Makiya's hand looked more and more like a globe.
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