Koga stared at the Sky Screen in disbelief.
"No."
But the Sky Screen ignored him.
A CHALLENGE FROM AN ELIGIBLE OVERLORD CANNOT BE REJECTED.
Koga’s eyes twitched.
"Wait."
He stepped forward.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
The villagers burst into excited screams!
"Woah!
"This is good"
"We can witness a ninja battle!"
Koga pointed at the screen.
"You can’t do that!"
Another line appeared.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Koga’s face became pale.
"You just accepted it yourself!"
The villagers erupted in laughter. They were happy. They will see how top ranking Ninja battles unfold. Who can resist?
"Hahahaha!"
"He can’t refuse!"
"Koga has to fight!"
"He tried to escape!"
Kuma Rai laughed loudly.
"HAHAHAHA!"
His disappointment vanished. He clenched his enormous fists. "So the System won’t let you run."
Rai grinned.
"Good."
On the other hand, Koga sighed.
"This is not good."
The Sky Screen continued.
THE PURPOSE OF THE OVERLORD RANKING IS TO ESTABLISH A HIERARCHY OF STRENGTH.
A POSITION THAT CANNOT BE CHALLENGED WOULD HAVE NO MEANING.
THEREFORE, EVERY OVERLORD MUST DEFEND THEIR POSITION WHEN CHALLENGED BY AN ELIGIBLE OPPONENT.
THE CHALLENGER MAY NOT FORCE A BATTLE AGAINST AN INELIGIBLE TARGET.
HOWEVER, ONCE A QUALIFIED CHALLENGE IS ISSUED, THE TARGET MUST ACCEPT.
The villagers nodded.
"That actually makes sense."
"Otherwise someone could just refuse forever."
"Then nobody could ever take the top position."
"Exactly."
Koga wanted to argue. Unfortunately, he could not find a good argument. He slowly looked toward the Sky Screen.
"So I really have to fight."
Koga sighed.
"Fine."
His expression became serious.
"I’ll fight."
Meanwhile, the other clans watched carefully. They didn’t know why Kuma Rai had accepted this, and they were full of questions.
Suddenly, beside the villager-and-ninja chat, another chat section appeared: the Overlord Chat section.
Yukiju Ken narrowed his eyes. In the chat, his question gained attention. "Why would Rai accept this publicly?"
Karasu Moira folded her arms and replied back to his question.
"What do you mean?"
Ken shook his head.
"I mean why isn’t he worried?"
Moira looked at his chat
"What to worry about??"
"Of course."
Ken looked toward the massive Sky Screen.
"Every major Ninja village has enemies. If Rai reveals his techniques here, another village could learn from them."
Karasu Moira nodded.
"Oh..."
Inuzuza Kiza watched silently.
"He’s sacrificing himself to the hidden danger."
Ken asked. "Danger?"
Inuzuza Kiza replied, "Koga."
Everyone turned toward her reply on the Sky Screen.
She continued.
"We know almost nothing about him."
Kiza’s eyes narrowed.
"If he truly has no chakra, then perhaps his abilities are completely unrelated to Ninja techniques."
Kuma Rai laughed from below.
"As expected of Clan Head Kiza."
The Sky Screen suddenly changed.
BATTLEFIELD SELECTION.
Several options appeared.
A forest. A mountain. A river. A desert. A ruined city. A cave. A frozen plain. A volcanic field. A dense jungle. A canyon.
The villagers immediately began arguing.
"Pick the forest!"
"No, the mountain!"
"Why?"
"It looks cooler!"
"That is not the reason!"
A Ninja shook his head.
"Stop treating this like a game."
The System interrupted.
TOP RANKING BATTLE.
BATTLEFIELD WILL BE SELECTED RANDOMLY.
The options began spinning. The screen flashed rapidly.
Forest. Mountain. Desert. Canyon. Jungle. Ruins. Forest again.
Then suddenly...
GRASSLAND.
The spinning stopped.
THE BATTLEFIELD WAS NOW CHOSEN.
Kuma Rai stared at it. Then he burst out laughing. "Hahahahahaha!"
The other clans immediately understood.
Karasu Moira’s expression became serious.
"That’s bad."
Yukiju Ken frowned.
"The Kuma Clan specializes in fighting on open ground."
Inuzuza Kiza nodded.
"They can use their physical strength without restriction."
The Kuma Clan was famous for overwhelming close combat. Their bodies were massive. Their muscles were reinforced through specialized training. Their techniques were built around earth and physical power. Open ground gave them room to move. There were few obstacles. Few places to hide. Few things that could interrupt a direct attack.
Kuma Rai laughed again.
"Perfect."
Koga, meanwhile, had no idea why everyone was reacting like that.
He stood on the grass field.
"This place looks normal."
Then the Sky Screen flashed. Two enormous circles of light appeared. One surrounded Kuma Rai. The other appeared around Koga.
Koga’s eyes widened.
"What?"
The light swallowed him. His body disappeared.
Soon, the Sky Screen displayed the battlefield.
The two silhouettes appeared within it.
Kuma Rai landed heavily on the grass. He looked around. Then he looked down at his hands.
"I’m here."
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
Koga appeared several dozen meters away.
He stumbled slightly.
"Whoa."
He looked around.
"This is real."
The grass beneath his feet felt real. The wind was real. The air was real. He looked up.
The village was nowhere to be seen.
Only the Sky Screen remained above them.
Koga glanced toward Rai.
The enormous Ninja stood silently. Then Rai spoke. "I don’t know what is happening."
Koga said nothing.
Rai frowned.
"Can you show your face?"
Koga remained silent.
Rai’s mouth twitched.
"Fine."
He shrugged.
"I don’t know who took us here, but..."
He looked toward the sky.
"Sky Screen, can you show my face and his face too?"
The System responded.
REQUEST ACCEPTED.
A bright light passed over Rai. His face became visible to everyone watching. The villagers immediately exclaimed.
"That’s Kuma Rai!"
"I’ve never seen his face that clearly!"
"He looks terrifying!"
The System suddenly displayed another message.
TOP RANKED IDENTIFICATION CANNOT BE COMPLETED. THE KOGA POSSESSES OVERWHELMING POWER.
The villagers became silent.
Kuma Rai’s smile disappeared.
"Overwhelming power?"
He looked at Koga.
Koga stared back. His expression was confused.
"Me?"
Rai studied him carefully. He sensed Koga’s chakra. Or rather... He sensed almost none. There was no massive chakra pool. No hidden pressure. No terrifying aura.
Koga looked like an ordinary sixteen year old villager.
Rai’s eyes narrowed.
"Could he really be that powerful?"
Koga reached the same conclusion. He looked at his own hands. "There is no way I have overwhelming power."
The System was clearly exaggerating again. At least, that was what he believed. Then the Sky Screen changed.
BATTLE BEGINNING IN... FIVE!
Kuma Rai lowered his stance.
Koga watched him carefully.
FOUR.
Rai’s eyes remained fixed on Koga. He’s relaxed. But his gut was telling him something. There was something wrong. The boy looked ordinary. Too ordinary.
THREE.
Rai’s breathing became slower. He studied every movement. Koga did not move.
TWO.
Rai’s survival instincts began screaming. He did not understand why. His body simply knew something his mind did not.
Soon, his head started to think that this... Koga was dangerous. Very dangerous.
ONE.
Immediately, Rai’s pupils narrowed. Every muscle in his body tightened. The countdown reached zero.
ZERO.
Suddenly, when the countdown ended, an extremely violent chill ran through Kuma Rai’s entire body. Goosebumps covered his arms. His survival instincts screamed. His body reacted before his mind could understand.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
Rai’s expression changed.
"So you really are..."
He immediately formed a series of hand signs.
"Whatever you are..."
His hand moved toward his pouch. He pulled out a scroll.
Koga watched in confusion.
"What is he doing?"
Rai slammed the scroll against the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Smoke exploded outward and didn’t even care what he summoned was and immediately. He moved his hands again.
One sign.
Two.
Three.
His eyes hardened.
"Wild Rage Technique!"
The earth beneath him trembled.
Another hand sign. Rai vanished into the ground.
"Earth Deep Escape!"
The grass swallowed him whole.