Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

With Kaito acting as a human radar and the twin siblings Kiyi and Ke'er providing the muscle, they quickly rounded up all the hiding Rain ninja, tying them up and leaving them at the village entrance.

In the process, Kaito also got a general measure of the twins' abilities. As Ke'er had claimed, they were indeed at the chunin level. They worked together with a seamless understanding, their combined efforts far exceeding the sum of their individual parts. They were also decisive and meticulous—good prospects worth cultivating.

"Kiyi, Ke'er, the time has come to show me your resolve," Kaito said, crossing his arms. "In front of them, strike through your forehead protectors."

"Yes, sir!" Without a word, they both took out their forehead protectors and drew a horizontal line across them. During the hunt, they had seen the peaceful life within the sanctuary and had already made up their minds to stay.

"Very good. Welcome officially to the Spark Sanctuary." Kaito smiled, then turned his gaze to the bound Rain ninja. "If any of you are also tired of war and wish to join the sanctuary, then do as they have done and cast aside your ninja identity. You don't need to worry about retaliation from the Rain Village. As long as I am here, they cannot harm you."

Hearing this, many of them were moved.

"What are you hesitating for?" Kiyi stepped forward. "You should all know in your hearts that in this war, the Land of Rain has no hope of victory. So why go back and throw your lives away for nothing?"

"Hmph, do you think everyone is a coward who fears death like you?" the bald man from before said angrily. "I will follow Lord Hanzo to the death! As long as Lord Hanzo is here, the Land of Rain will not lose!"

"What does it matter if we win or lose?" Ke'er stepped forward, equally agitated. "Our fallen comrades won't come back, and our shattered homes won't be restored! A war like this is meaningless! I'm sick of waking up every day to fight strangers I've never even met!"

"To fight for our village, for our country—that is the very reason we exist as ninja," the bald man sneered. "You don't even understand that simple truth. You're clearly not cut out to be ninja. Go ahead and hide here for the rest of your lives."

"That's still better than you going off to be cannon fodder," Ke'er retorted. "I happen to like a simple, quiet life."

"..."

Two different philosophies, and neither side could convince the other.

In the end, only three of the Rain ninja chose to stay. The rest, including the bald man, were untied by Kaito and allowed to leave.

Looking at the uneasy few who remained, Kaito said, "You three will follow Kiyi and Ke'er from now on. You'll be in charge of the sanctuary's security together."

"Yes, sir!"

From these few Rain ninja, Kaito learned that the Rain Village and Konoha had gathered their forces and were on the brink of a decisive battle. The famous scene he was anticipating was about to unfold. Naturally, Kaito wouldn't miss this opportunity to observe Hanzo's combat abilities in detail. But first, he had to get things in order at the sanctuary.

That afternoon, it was time for Kaito's class.

"After this period of training, many of you have shown significant improvement in your spirit and stamina. Most of you have reached the required standard," Kaito said from the lectern, looking at the students seated neatly in the classroom. "Therefore, today, I will teach you all how to refine chakra."

The students, who didn't even know what chakra was, showed no excitement until Kaito had explained its meaning.

Kaito had two different methods for refining chakra in his possession. One was stolen from a wandering ninja, and the other came from the Uzumaki clan, taught to him by Ruri. The Uzumaki method shared its origins with Konoha's and was far more complete and effective than the one from the wandering ninja. It was the clear choice for what he would teach Nagato and the others.

After explaining the key points, Kaito said, "Not everyone has the talent for refining chakra, so you must be mentally prepared. Those who are ready may begin."

"Yes, sir!"

I have to succeed! This determination echoed in the hearts of Kono Jisei and the others.

"Nagato, you have to work hard, okay?" Yahiko said with a smile.

"Yeah!" Nagato nodded firmly, closed his eyes, and began to carefully sense the changes within his body.

An unknown amount of time passed before a ball of blue light ignited in his pitch-black field of vision.

This is chakra! A deep joy welled up inside Nagato. He opened his eyes, about to share the good news with Yahiko, but saw that he was still sitting with his eyes closed. The classroom was completely silent.

Was I the fastest? Nagato was stunned for a moment, and he quickly closed his eyes again.

That flicker of movement was instantaneous, but it didn't escape Kaito's notice.

As expected, Nagato has the most talent here. Yahiko and Konan are a step behind. Kaito nodded in understanding, his eyes scanning the room. I wonder how many will succeed.

Half an hour later, Yahiko jumped to his feet excitedly. "Yes! I did it!"

Everyone looked at him with envy, Nagato included.

"Quiet. Do not disturb the others," Kaito said.

"Right, sensei!"

Yahiko reined in his excitement and sat down obediently. Once everyone else had closed their eyes again, he pumped his fist in Nagato's direction in a gesture of encouragement. Nagato's lips curved into a smile, and he returned it.

A while later, after Konan had also succeeded, Nagato finally pretended as if he had just refined his chakra, opening his eyes with a look of joy and once again earning a thumbs-up from Yahiko.

After that, more students succeeded one by one. By the time the bell rang, a total of six students had managed to refine chakra.

"Congratulations to these six students. For the rest of you who did not succeed, do not be discouraged. You all have three more days to try. However, you may only attempt to refine chakra here in the classroom, in front of me. This is a process that can be dangerous to your health. Do you understand?" Kaito said.

"Yes!"

"Good. The six of you will stay. The rest are dismissed."

"Yes, sir!"

Once the dejected students had all left, Kaito looked at the six remaining before him and said softly, "Congratulations again. You have grasped the key to becoming stronger. From now on, you may all try to refine chakra on your own, but do not overdo it."

"Okay~"

Yahiko raised his hand. "Kaito-sensei, when will you teach us ninjutsu?"

"Don't be impatient. I will teach you when the time is right. Right now, your chakra levels are too low. You're a long way from being able to perform ninjutsu."

"Oh." Yahiko was slightly disappointed.

Back at the orphanage, Yahiko and Nagato were given a warm welcome.

"You guys are amazing!"

"Is there a trick to refining chakra? Tell us!"

"What did Kaito-sensei say to you?"

The barrage of questions left them both a bit dazed. In the end, it was Granny Rong who came to their rescue.

"To celebrate today, I have a gift for you all. There's one for everyone," she said, pulling a large stack of cloth bags from a sack. They were embroidered with various colorful patterns. "These are bookbags for you. I know it's a bit late."

"No, it's not late at all!" Yahiko said quickly. "The bag is beautiful, I love it. Right, Nagato?"

"Yeah!"