Manipulated corpses are not truly resurrected, but they retain a degree of self-awareness. Though controlled by necromantic spells, they behave nearly the same as when they were alive—at least during periods when no direct commands are given. Remarkably, they can still cultivate and enhance their strength.
However, this ability has a critical flaw: once the necromancer dies, all corpses under their control become lifeless again, reverting to inanimate husks.
After fully mastering the necromantic spell, Kawaki Aoba deduced its origin.
It resembled the magic of Keith, a member of the dark guild Grimoire Heart in the Fairy Tail world. Keith, one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros, had the power to manipulate corpses. While he wasn't particularly strong himself, he could control the bodies of formidable individuals. The corpses maintained some of their past consciousness and could betray him, yet their bodies followed his commands without resistance.
Despite its imperfections, Kawaki Aoba was content with the acquisition. If everything went according to plan, this power would soon prove its worth.
With a spark of inspiration, he thought of a perfect opportunity to test his new skill.
But there was no need to rush. First, he needed to sacrifice two more ninjutsu.
Kawaki Aoba turned to the Scroll of Lightweight Rock Technique. Instead of sacrificing it immediately, he used his smoke manipulation to bring over the Heavyweight Rock Technique scroll.
This time, he intended to sacrifice the two techniques together.
Though one reduced gravity while the other increased it, both were based on gravitational manipulation. Combining them might yield an even stronger technique.
As sacrificial light rose from the altar, Kawaki Aoba's anticipation grew.
The power to control gravity is ranked among the most devastating in countless worlds.
Yet even that paled in comparison to his dream ability—the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) wielded by Whitebeard in the One Piece world.
"Swing a blade and summon meteorites. A Ground Cherry Meteor Shower as a face-to-face warning," he mused.
If he could replicate Whitebeard's might—capable of splitting seas and destroying islands—he might even dare to challenge Madara Uchiha himself.
As the sacrificial light faded, he focused his attention. A skill orb materialized on the altar—not a Devil Fruit.
Still, skill orbs weren't useless. His most powerful technique had come from one, despite only having a fragment of Saiyan bloodline.
Trying to stay positive, he absorbed the orb.
Then, he froze.
Not because the skill was overwhelming, nor because it was underwhelming—but because it wasn't what he expected. It wasn't a Devil Fruit ability.
It wasn't the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, but neither was it inferior to the Float-Float Fruit (Fuwa Fuwa no Mi), wielded by Shiki the Golden Lion.
After a moment of contemplation, Kawaki Aoba understood. It wasn't the complete Float-Float Fruit ability—it only enabled him to levitate objects in the air, without the combat versatility Shiki had developed.
Unlike Shiki's "Lion's Threat", this power lacked offensive transformations. Still, it allowed him to float islands and ships—a terrifying force in its own right.
Even incomplete, the Float-Float ability had one major upside: no drawbacks.
In the Naruto world, there were no seastone or oceanic curses to weaken Devil Fruit users. That meant the typical Devil Fruit weakness didn't apply here.
Thinking about it like that—even something like the Smoke-Smoke Fruit (Moku Moku no Mi) didn't seem so bad.
Shaking off the distraction, Kawaki Aoba reminded himself he was still inside Iwagakure's headquarters.
His eyes shifted to Kurotsuchi, her face blue and purple from being strangled. He scoffed and tossed her toward two Iwagakure shinobi.
She had suffered greatly—constantly choked, barely able to breathe. Even when given a chance to recover, he would pick her up again before she could fully catch her breath.
"Hmph. You're lucky you weren't foolish enough to try tricking me again," he muttered coldly.
The two Iwagakure ninjas caught the unconscious Kurotsuchi and looked up in astonishment as Kawaki Aoba began to float into the air.
"Earth Release: Lightweight Rock Technique…? Did he master it just by glancing at the scroll? No way… impossible!"
Their shock deepened as Kawaki Aoba ascended, eventually brushing his fingers against the ceiling of the Tsuchikage Building.
"This could have been a fair trade. But you tried to cheat me," he said coldly. "And if I let you get away with that, where's my dignity?"
Crack. Crack. Crack…
The ceiling fractured. The two Iwagakure shinobi stared in horror as the rooftop—once part of a single carved rock slab used to form the Tsuchikage's headquarters—began to rise into the sky.
"You bastard! We already gave you what you wanted! Are you declaring war against Iwagakure?!"
"Hmph." Kawaki Aoba ignored them, still levitating the massive stone slab upward.
"This is the price of deception. Consider it a warning."
The roof of the Tsuchikage's office towered above the skyline of Iwagakure, but it now hung precariously in the air, suspended by a mysterious force. Kawaki Aoba, high above the Hidden Stone Village, waved his fingers ever so slightly—and released the Float-Float Fruit's power.
Deprived of its floating ability, the massive stone roof came crashing down from a height of nearly 100 meters.
Sensing imminent disaster, two Iwagakure shinobi quickly grabbed Kurotsuchi, the current Tsuchikage, and leapt away with her.
Just as they made it out of the immediate area, a deafening crash shook the village.
The roof, weighing tons, slammed into the building's core, shattering it to rubble. The once-proud Tsuchikage Building was reduced to ruins, dust and debris billowing into the sky like a volcanic eruption.
Ninja outside the building, still dazed and trapped in the settling dust, were caught off guard by the collapse. Some were struck by falling rocks, and several were critically injured.
Aoba had come to Iwagakure—and erased its most iconic structure with a single move. That act would not be forgotten.
Though the building lay in ruins, the Iwagakure shinobi—Kurotsuchi included—kept their eyes fixed on the sky.
Their gaze followed Aoba's figure, now flying further and further away from the village. Only once he had clearly departed did they finally exhale in relief.
Despite the destruction and loss of valuable intelligence and classified documents, it was nothing compared to the terror Aoba could have unleashed had he chosen to go further.
But relief quickly gave way to shame.
They were shinobi of the Hidden Stone Village—guardians of one of the Five Great Nations. And yet, their heart had been torn out, and they were powerless to stop it. Worse, they found themselves grateful the enemy hadn't done more.
Such humiliation was worse than death for a shinobi.
And that humiliation brewed hatred—hatred for Aoba, or rather, for the man now known in whispers as "Smoker."
No doubt, soon his name would spread across the underworld. A new bounty would be placed on his head, marked by the hidden networks of missing-nin, mercenaries, and black markets that dotted the shinobi world.
Disguises, then, were not just useful—they were necessary.
But Aoba, flying through the clouds, unaware of the storm he left behind, felt only satisfaction. He had claimed a victory—and unknowingly exacted revenge.
The last time he was in Iwagakure, Ōnoki himself had ordered him poisoned, suspecting that Aoba was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki in hiding.
Had Aoba known of that plot back then, this attack might have been far less restrained.
Still, even now, Iwagakure's ordeal wasn't over.
Aoba's flight path now veered toward a canyon—the very one where Iwagakure once ambushed the legendary Third Raikage.
He wasn't done yet.
After looting Iwagakure, he was heading toward the site of a historic battle. There, he intended to test a new ability—one he had acquired during his infiltration of the village.
And what better test subject than a remnant corpse of a legend?
After all, if the ability came from Iwagakure, it was only poetic justice that it be tested on something Iwagakure left behind.
Two victories in one day—first, the raid; now, the harvest. It was what Aoba called a win-win.
---
Scene Shift: The Past Battle – Third Raikage vs. Iwagakure
"Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Earth Release: Fissure Earth Turn Palm!"
Earthen domes, swirling rivers of mud, and dragon-shaped volleys of dirt surged toward a single man.
The ground beneath cracked and churned into an unending swamp. Stone dragons roared, spewing torrents of gravel. And from the sky and earth alike, the jutsu came in waves.
Iwagakure's Earth Release forces worked with perfect synergy. Dozens of techniques, usually incompatible, were now synchronized like a single body.
Each individual jutsu wasn't enough to faze the Third Raikage, A—whose Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Iron-Clad Armor made him nearly indestructible. He could stand amidst explosions and come out unharmed.
But quantity had a quality of its own.
Constant, layered attacks slowly chipped away at his stamina. Worse, he couldn't afford to stop moving. The swampy terrain shifted beneath him, threatening to swallow him whole if he lingered for even a second.
Had it been another shinobi—one not gifted with the Raikage's legendary defense—not even Kakuzu with his five lives would have survived.
Hidden far off in the distance, Aoba observed the battlefield with Observation Haki, a technique foreign to this world but perfectly attuned to it.
The elite shinobi that once surrounded the Raikage were gone. Aoba deduced that the Raikage had stayed behind—offering his life so they could escape.
Now, the proud warrior was alone, his chakra dwindling, and the Iwagakure shinobi tightening the noose.
Ōnoki, hovering in the sky with his particle-style jutsu—Dust Release—was the final gatekeeper. Every time A tried to break the formation, a cube of pure disintegration would cut off his path.
The battle was no longer a test of strength—it was a siege.
They weren't trying to defeat the Third Raikage in a fair fight.
They were trying to exhaust him. Kill him by inches.
And he knew it.
Still, if he was going to die—he would take as many with him as possible.
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