Chapter 174: I’m a Kind-Hearted Person

Charlotte Linlin hadn’t expected this guy to have such a trick up his sleeve. If this move hit, it could really be deadly. Although she didn’t know what this "Dust Release" was exactly, her sixth sense was telling her it was dangerous.

If her opponent's attack landed, it would likely cause a huge problem.

Countless thoughts raced through Charlotte Linlin’s mind as she tried to grab something to shield herself. But the Dust Release technique had already enveloped her entire body. She realized that her best option was to escape the attack’s range as quickly as possible. Once she got out, she wouldn’t bother with these tailed beasts anymore—her main focus would be on this old man.

“Mama!”

Not only did Charlotte Linlin sense something was wrong, but Prometheus also felt it too.

“Disappear, you monster!” Ōnoki’s eyes gleamed with a cold light as he quickly brought his hands together.

Boom!

There was no explosion, just a single flash of white light that disintegrated everything in front of him into dust.

Ōnoki’s pupils shrank in shock as he stared at the massive figure in the distance. He couldn’t believe someone had actually managed to dodge his Dust Release.

What kind of ability does this person have?

“Heheheh, you’ve really given this old lady a huge headache. I never expected to be bested by such a small fry here.”

“This power is truly troublesome. Your Iwagakure might as well prepare for its annihilation.”

With an evil smile on her lips, Charlotte Linlin stood firmly on the ground, holding her arm, but her other arm had a huge gap where it had been disintegrated into dust by Ōnoki's Dust Release. Even if she wanted to reattach it, it was now impossible.

Though she was initially unscathed, Charlotte Linlin had now turned her focus towards the red-haired figure. This Dust Release attack was something Ōnoki had prepared for a long time, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

How could Charlotte Linlin have escaped so easily from his Dust Release?

Ōnoki had been waiting for this once-in-a-lifetime chance. He only attacked when he judged that Charlotte Linlin wouldn’t be able to dodge.

But the Emperors of the Sea are beyond Ōnoki’s comprehension.

Ōnoki knew too little about the monster in front of him.

“Even if you dodged it once, what about next time?”

Ōnoki noticed that his opponent seemed wary of his Dust Release. So with a wave of his hand, the Dust Release technique appeared again in front of him.

This woman wouldn't be so easy to deal with. The only technique that could injure her was this Dust Release.

Charlotte Linlin squinted at the Dust Release in Ōnoki’s hands. Could such a technique be used casually?

As expected, ninja bloodline limits are incredibly troublesome. If she had known earlier, she would’ve gathered more information from that Uchiha kid, Raijin. Now, her knowledge of ninja techniques was limited, and even Charlotte Linlin had suffered a big loss.

“Heheheh, I’ll let you live a bit longer. But the next time I come with the entire Big Mom Pirates, your Iwagakure will be wiped off the map.”

Charlotte Linlin turned around, and Prometheus transformed into a ball of fire that carried her away quickly. She hadn’t expected this mission to invade a village to end in such a humiliating retreat—something she had never experienced before.

She never thought this world had strong individuals, and those strong individuals had some impressive techniques.

“Mama, wait for me!”

Zeus, carrying Smoothie, hurriedly chased after Charlotte Linlin from the sky. Zeus couldn’t believe that Mama had failed and was now fleeing.

“Tsuchikage-sama, should we go after them?”

Several ninjas quickly came to Ōnoki’s side and asked.

The opponent had lost an arm, was severely injured, and couldn’t perform any more ninjutsu. Now would be a good time to strike while the iron was hot.

“No need. Make sure no one in the Land of Earth tries to stop that monster! Let her leave our territory as soon as possible.”

“That monster isn’t something you can stop! Whatever you do, don’t provoke her.”

Ōnoki took a deep breath, hoping that monster would disappear forever. He prayed she would never set foot in the Land of Earth again, not in this lifetime.

Her mere presence had already destroyed Iwagakure, leaving countless dead and wounded and causing unimaginable damage.

Another round like this, and Iwagakure wouldn’t survive.

Now, they had to investigate the connection between this monster and the Uchiha clan. She had mentioned Uchiha Raijin, so there must be some connection between her and the Uchiha clan.

“Join us, and you can master an even more perfect art of explosions. No one here understands you, but I do.”

“I can create a place where you can focus on your explosions. No matter how much noise you make, it’ll be fine.”

“And there are things there that can enhance the power of your explosions! Your art can reach new heights.”

“Deidara, if you want to experience the art of explosions, don’t hesitate anymore.”

In a hidden dwelling in the mountains behind Iwagakure, Uchiha Raijin spoke to the child before him.

It’s a good thing I took down Uchiha Itachi; otherwise, this explosive genius would have been wasted.

This explosive genius didn’t fit in the ninja world, but on the open sea, Raijin could see the potential for him to create something truly world-shaking.

After all, explosions are connected to so many things.

“Does the Uchiha clan’s renegade still have the power to support me?”

“Well, whatever. That old man never supported my art, always forcing me to learn Dust Release. I’ve been wanting to get out and see the world!”

“Going with you doesn’t sound too bad, but if I don’t see anything that enhances my Dust Release, I’ll blow you sky-high.”

Deidara looked at Uchiha Raijin. It was no secret that the Uchiha clan had become rogue ninjas in the ninja world. But he never thought the Uchiha clan still had the power to recruit him and even made such a good offer.

Deidara didn’t care what the Uchiha clan wanted him to do. He only cared about creating the perfect explosion. If he could enhance his art, helping these people out was no big deal.

“Don’t worry! We have plenty of such things. The only concern is whether you’re interested.”

“We’ve always lacked someone like you, which is why I sought you out.”

“Stick with the Uchiha clan, and you won’t regret it. You might even become a pioneer in the field of explosives, creating something unprecedented.”

Uchiha Raijin smiled, patting Deidara’s shoulder.

Kids are easy to fool, always chasing after unattainable dreams.

If it weren’t for those dreams, Uchiha Raijin might not have been able to win him over.

“Let’s go, then! There’s nothing left for me here. By the way, was that explosion in Iwagakure your doing?”

Even from the mountains, Deidara could feel the distinct tremors in Iwagakure.

Given the scale, he figured Iwagakure must be in chaos right now.

“No, it wasn’t me. Just a friend of mine. You’ll probably meet them soon.”

Raijin chuckled. Charlotte Linlin’s frontal assault made his sneaky infiltration all the easier. If she hadn’t caused such a ruckus, he would’ve been stopped before reaching here.

Now, a lot of hassle had been avoided, making things much smoother for Uchiha Raijin.

“I’m not interested in anyone else, just in my art.”

“Let’s go. Show me what can make my explosions even better!”

Deidara turned his head, taking some explosive clay with him. He didn’t need anything else. There was nothing worth bringing along.

“Don’t resist!”

Uchiha Raijin placed a hand on Deidara’s shoulder, instantly transporting him to the Kamui dimension.

In the next moment, Uchiha Raijin disappeared from the mountainside, reappearing in the center of Iwagakure.

Surveying the ruins, Raijin smiled widely.

As expected of one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, her destructive power is truly astounding.

But to choose such a challenging village right off the bat! Charlotte Linlin is truly bold.

“I’d better help the old man out a bit. No need for him to tire himself out too much.”

Raijin’s eyes instantly transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan, allowing him to see the wandering spirits around him.

These could be called chakra clusters, now heading towards the afterlife.

But Uchiha Raijin intercepted them instead.sh

Before anyone from Iwagakure Village noticed, Uchiha Raijin once again activated Kamui and disappeared.

In a base in the Land of Springs, Nara Shikaku had been waiting for some time.

He had returned two days earlier after receiving information from Konoha and was organizing intelligence on the people who had followed them.

"Whoosh!"

The space in front of him distorted, and Uchiha Raijin emerged, bringing Deidara with him.

"Hey, hey, hey! You’re going to make me stay in this environment? I’ll end up with rheumatism at a young age, just like that old man Onoki!"

"I need to stay somewhere with a sunroom! This place is basically a prison!"

Deidara looked around at the dark, damp surroundings and immediately started complaining. He had thought he was coming to a nice place, only to find it was just a basement.

"At a young age?"

Nara Shikaku twitched slightly at this comment. Could Onoki really be considered young? No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem that way.

"We’re in the Land of Springs. I’ll take you to find a place in a bit."

Uchiha Raijin said coldly. Now that he had tricked Deidara into coming, there was no need to worry about him running away.

"The Land of Springs? Then I’m going to soak in the hot springs first."

Deidara’s eyes lit up when he heard they were in the Land of Springs. He hadn’t expected to be here. With that in mind, he was certain he wouldn’t miss out on the hot springs.

Children can be so easily amused! Raijin understood this very well. Despite Deidara’s exceptional talent for explosions, he was still quite young. Compared to Naruto, he was definitely just as lively, if not more so, but certainly much more ruthless.

After Deidara left, Raijin turned his attention to Nara Shikaku.

"Tell me about what’s been happening in Konoha lately," Uchiha Raijin ordered.

"Yes!" Nara Shikaku reported all the information he had gathered about Konoha to Raijin. He detailed the tragic state of the various clans and spoke of Konoha’s tyranny, expressing his loyalty to Uchiha Raijin and his hope to bring all these clans over to their side.

As Raijin listened to Nara Shikaku speak, he felt as though he no longer recognized Konoha. Was this still the same village? Sarutobi Hiruzen, just under one person in power, was oppressing all the ninja clans. He had essentially connected a pipeline from Konoha to feed the Sarutobi clan, ignoring even the ongoing wars, solely focusing on ensuring the Sarutobi clan’s prosperity.

"I never imagined Konoha would change this much! By the way, doesn’t Uzumaki Naruto have a teacher named Iruka Umino?"

"It’s not good to have too much contact with the tailed beasts. How about this: let’s add him to the list of people we’re taking away."

"See if there are any others who are close to the tailed beasts and add them too."

"I’m a kind person; I don’t want to see anyone suffer!"

Raijin nodded, showing particular interest in the tailed beasts. He was surprised that Sarutobi Hiruzen planned to follow the old path. This would only make things harder for Iruka Umino, who, despite being a civilian ninja, still had human rights. After all, he ended up single for his entire life.

Raijin decided he would take Iruka Umino to the sea and, at the very least, make sure the guy got married to three wives to make up for it.

"Yes! What about the other clans?" Nara Shikaku was a bit speechless at Raijin’s concern over the teacher of the Nine-Tails’ Jinchuriki. This wasn’t something that needed much attention.

"Let’s see what their intentions are. If they’re willing to come with us, we’ll bring them. If not, it’s not like we don’t have other options," Uchiha Raijin replied, indifferent to the matter. Now that he was back in the shinobi world, he needed to uproot all the talent.

Although Uchiha Raijin didn’t have the Rinnegan, he still had the power to counter it. It was about time to visit the Akatsuki again. The organization was almost fully formed, and it was time to put these kids on the right track, focusing on building the world and nations instead of just thinking about destruction.

"Yes!" Nara Shikaku nodded, understanding Uchiha Raijin’s intentions.

"Where are Kaido and Shanks? Why does it seem like they haven’t made any moves?" Uchiha Raijin asked after some thought.

(End of Chapter)