Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

While the sanctuary was developing peacefully, the war in the outside world was growing ever more intense.

The confrontation between Konoha and the Rain Village was reaching its climax. Hundreds, even thousands, of ninja clashed on the battlefield, and the casualties were innumerable.

The shockwaves from the conflict were gradually beginning to affect the Spark Sanctuary.

"My lord, a large number of ninja are heading this way!"

At the sanctuary's entrance, a villager who had been assigned to keep watch from the top of the tower shouted down.

"Alright, I see them." Kaito awoke from his training, leaped down from the window, and landed in front of a group of battered and exhausted ninja.

They were all wounded and had looks of terror on their faces. The forehead protectors they wore marked them as ninja from the Village Hidden in the Rain.

Seeing Kaito blocking their path, they yelled, "Get out of the way if you don't want to die!"

"Heh, it seems that fellow Ise didn't do a very good job of spreading my name around," Kaito sneered. He spread his hands, and a raging fire erupted around him, swirling and condensing into a massive dragon's head. It hung in the air like a small mountain, letting out a silent roar.

The sheer power of the display forced the ninja to a halt.

"What terrifying Fire Style!"

"You're not wearing a ninja forehead protector! Who are you?!"

"You come to my territory and ask who I am? Ridiculous." Kaito had little patience for these grunts. He threatened them directly, "You can either decide to fight me and the Konoha ninja chasing you at the same time, or you can take the long way around and fight for your slim chance of survival. Decide quickly. You don't have time to hesitate."

That's right. Kaito had also sensed a large group of Konoha ninja in hot pursuit. It was a perfect reversal of fortunes; just recently, it had been the Rain ninja hunting down those from Konoha. This alone was enough to show that the Rain Village was now on the losing end.

"..."

The group had originally planned to use the village's complex terrain to escape their pursuers, but they hadn't expected to run into someone blocking their path—someone who looked exceedingly difficult to deal with.

The more decisive ones had already started to peel off to the side. Seeing this, many others followed suit, and soon, only Kaito and two small Rain ninja remained.

Dispelling the flames, Kaito stared at the two individuals, whose faces were wrapped up tightly. "And what's your story?" he asked.

"Following them is a dead end," one of them said bluntly. "I've heard the rumors about you. This is the Spark Sanctuary, isn't it? As long as we're willing to give up our ninja status, we can enter and receive your protection, right?"

"We're willing to join!" the other one said hastily, as the Konoha pursuers were now nearly upon them.

"If you want to join, you'll have to cut all ties with the Rain Village. Are you sure about that?"

"...We're sure!" they said in unison.

"Alright. Seeing as fate has brought us together, you can stand behind me for now." Kaito gestured with his head, and they scrambled to get behind him.

The Konoha ninja arrived but didn't stop. It was as if they hadn't even seen Kaito and the two behind him. They continued straight on, chasing after the Rain ninja who had fled to the side.

The two from the Rain Village had been expecting a fierce battle, but it was over in silence. They were both stunned and relieved.

Kaito sighed. "See? That's the difference. The disparity is obvious." In terms of intelligence alone, the Rain ninja were far inferior to Konoha, though that was likely related to the rank of the person who had the information.

"Come on, stop staring. Just say a silent prayer for your comrades." Kaito waved a hand in front of their faces.

"Oh, right."

"..."

"Wait. First, take off all your clothes."

"Eh?!"

Inside the tower, Kaito looked the two children, who looked almost identical, up and down. "And here I thought you were two little girls. Turns out one of you is a cute little boy. How old are you, what are your names, and who's the older one?"

"I'm the older sister, Kiyi." The short-haired girl with a serious expression raised her hand. "This is my younger brother, Ke'er. We're both fourteen, and we were genin in the Rain Village."

"If it weren't for the war, we both would have been promoted to chunin by now," Ke'er grumbled under his breath, clearly not happy about it.

From their expressions and tone of voice, Kaito got a general sense of their personalities. Kiyi was the mature and steady older sister, while Ke'er was the more outspoken and cheerful younger brother. Their skills were currently unknown, and their loyalty remained to be tested.

"Alright. Change into these new clothes and come with me," Kaito said.

"Where are we going?"

"Less talk, just follow me."

"Oh."

In an alley somewhere within the sanctuary, a bald man with a generic face leaned against a wall, a look of post-disaster relief on his face. Sweat trickled from his forehead down into a cut on his cheek, making him wince in pain. "Damn Konoha ninja! Good thing I'm smart. I changed direction halfway and slipped into the village. Heh, you think you can stop me? Don't underestimate a ninja!"

"Where would I dare to underestimate a ninja? Isn't that why I came to corner you?" Kaito's figure suddenly appeared at the mouth of the alley, making the man jump.

"You?!" The bald man quickly turned to flee, but two other figures were now blocking the other end of the alley.

"I'll give you one chance. Defeat these two, and I'll let you live," Kaito said coldly. "However, you'd best not damage a single blade of grass here. Otherwise, I will kill you."

Feeling the oppressive pressure radiating from Kaito, the bald man swallowed hard and said slowly, "Are you serious?"

"Of course." Kaito snapped his fingers. "Kiyi, Ke'er, it's time for you to show me what you can do."

"Right." The twin siblings exchanged a look and nodded in sync, rushing toward the bald man from both front and back.

"Just a couple of kids..." The bald man grit his teeth and grabbed a kunai. "Don't look down on me!"

He swung it forward with all his might, but only hit an afterimage.

Kiyi, who was in front, had leaped agilely into the air, dodging the kunai. At the same time, Ke'er appeared from below, his small fist landing squarely in the bald man's stomach.

Before he could even register the pain, a pair of long legs wrapped around his neck, flipping him to the ground.

Ke'er held a kunai to the man's eye and said with a grin, "Checkmate."

"..." The bald man wisely gave up all resistance.

"Not bad at all," Kaito said, walking over and clapping his hands in praise.

"Of course!" Ke'er said proudly.

"He was just too weak," Kiyi stated matter-of-factly.

"Lord Kaito, should we kill him?" Ke'er asked, playfully waving the kunai.

"No need. My relationship with the Rain Village is actually quite good." Kaito wagged his finger, causing the bald man to breathe a sigh of relief. "Tie him up for now. Your mission isn't over. He's not the only little mouse who slipped in. I'll leave the rest of them to you two to handle."

"Yes, sir!" Kiyi and Ke'er replied decisively.