Chapter 44: I Am Yami

When he finally arrived at the Hidden Rain Village, he understood why the village had that name. Not long ago, he had passed through the Land of Fire, where the wind was cold, but the sky was clear. However, as he got closer to this village, the temperature began to drop, and soon the raindrops reached him.

Of course, the sound of the rain was nothing compared to the main issue. Now, he finally felt as if he were in a war zone. Screams and metallic sounds echoed everywhere. From above, he saw several ninjas who looked like ants scattered all over, clashing with each other.

Screams, blood, and panic were very present at the scene.

This sight made Tanaka, who saw at least one ninja die every minute, ponder what to do next.

The ninjas in conflict were mostly from four villages: the Hidden Sand Village, the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hidden Stone Village, and the Hidden Rain Village.

'What a disaster...' Tanaka thought.

It wasn't just the conflict that made him think that, but also the chaos that war brought. Three forces fighting against each other, and it seemed that there was some sort of alliance between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Rain Village against the other two. As for why Hanzō chose to ally with the Hidden Leaf Village against the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone Villages, he didn't know.

Well, possibly Danzō had done something. It wasn't as if the knowledge he had allowed him to deduce much, not to mention that even in the Naruto anime he had watched, there wasn't much talk about this war, only a few important points like the deaths of Nawaki, Dan, and how the three Sannin were born from this war.

Putting that aside for now, Tanaka's eyes focused mainly on the innocents.

Not far away, he saw a group of ragged people, with children and ordinary women, caught in the midst of the war, with nowhere to run and at risk of dying at any moment if a stray attack headed their way.

Canceling his transformation, he took something from his inventory.

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[Ninja Deceiver's Mask - Rank A+] - Defense Increase: 100.

[Created by Tanaka Uzumaki, The Gamer]

A mystical mask crafted using special leather, mirror metal, and Rank A+ Soul Stones.

Special Effects:

1: Appearance Alteration: Allows the user to completely change their physical appearance to any desired form, including hair color, eye color, and height. The alteration is flawless and cannot be detected by conventional means.

2: Chakra Concealment: Completely conceals the user's chakra signature, making it impossible for sensors to detect their presence or identify their location. It can generate a false chakra signature, which appears to belong to another person or an unknown clan.

3: Perception Blocking: Reduces others' perception of the user's presence by 80%, making detection difficult even for users of advanced dojutsu like the Byakugan.

4: Chakra Dissipation: Reduces the sensitivity of enemies by 70% within a 20-meter radius, making it harder to track the user during infiltration or escape.

5: +20 INT

Durability: 3,500/3,500

User Restriction: Tanaka Uzumaki

Cooldown Time: The appearance change ability can be used continuously, but creating a new chakra identity has a 24-hour cooldown.

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After putting on the white opera mask with smiling eyes and mouth, he began to alter his appearance.

The transformation was swift: he became a 1.90-meter-tall man with a clean-shaven face and long purple hair tied in a low ponytail. His muscles were well-defined, and he wore an elegant black suit with a tie, completed by a black beret.

Although his new appearance was a bit unusual, there was something strangely stylish about it. With his hands in his pockets, he descended from the sky and landed silently in front of the group of survivors.

It was only when he stopped in front of them that they noticed him.

Some of the braver men stood in front of the group like a hen protecting its chicks, while other men hid along with the women and children, fear in their eyes.

Even with their legs trembling in fear, the men protecting the group asked, stammering: "W-Who are you? W-What... What do you want with us?"

"Yo, you bastards," Tanaka said in a voice that was both lively and confident. "If you want to survive, follow me. I'll take you to a safe place."

When they heard his words, the group exchanged glances. There was no way they could trust him just because he said he would lead them to a safe place.

"Watch out!"

One of the children shouted in alarm.

Tanaka, who had already sensed something coming his way, simply extended his hand, and all the shuriken flying toward him stopped in mid-air and then flew into his hand.

After that, he turned to them: "So, you little shits, are you coming or not?"

The way he spoke was aggressive, yet there was a charisma that made the group not take offense at his words, and this time, they seemed more inclined to follow him. After all, if they stayed there, their chances of dying at any moment were high. Even their shelter had already been destroyed, and they were between three remaining walls that, who knows how long, would last.

"Mister, what's your name?" A little girl about 4 years old asked. She had blue hair, but because it was dirty, it looked almost black, and she wore tattered clothes, slightly better than the adults': "I'm Kana, Kana Arima."

Tanaka, though he was playing another role, was still himself. The moment he heard the sweet, childlike voice of the girl, who was even younger than his cousin Kushina, he became gentler in his response.

"My name?" He smiled slightly, pointing his thumb at himself: "My name is Yami."

"Yami..."

Several repeated his name.

At the same time, some ninjas wearing headbands from the Hidden Rain Village appeared before him.

"Hey, what do you intend to do with them?"

Each of these ninjas held a kunai in a combat stance.

Tanaka turned to them, seeing that most were around level 40, with the highest being level 68; he didn't even take them seriously.

"I'm taking them to a safe place, you little bastards. If you've got time to come here and ask stupid questions, why didn't you do the same?" Tanaka questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You bastard..." One of them gritted his teeth and took a few steps forward.

"Oh? Want to fight?" Tanaka displayed a wild smile as he flexed his muscles.

Even without doing much, his chakra, which wasn't restricted, just had a change in signature, made several of them swallow hard. It was as if his chakra had a life of its own, creating a sort of light blue aura around him.

"S-Such immense chakra!" One of them exclaimed.

Well, it wasn't exactly chakra, but with the ring that made MP appear like chakra, it wasn't wrong for them to believe that's what he had...

"Let's retreat." Saying this, one of the ninjas, who was the second-highest level in the group, began to lead them away without turning their backs to Tanaka.

"Tsk, if you only came to do this, why did you come in the first place?" Tanaka spat on the ground.

"Amazing...!" One of the children clasped their hands together as they spoke. It was the same little girl who had spoken to him earlier.

||- Note -||

Chapter 66 is already released on Pa treon!

patre on.com/Tozoku