Chapter 14 : Diminishing Returns (Patreon)

Chapter 14 : Diminishing Returns

The heavy doors of the Konoha General Hospital clicked shut behind me, isolating the sharp smell of disinfectant and replacing it with the fresh morning air of the village. I stepped out onto the wide stone walkway, and instantly stumbled, my arms suddenly feeling as if they were forged from lead.

A heavy exhaustion washed over my entire body, my shoulders dragging down, every step dragging. I blinked against the harsh sunlight, squinting up at the bright, cloudless sky.

Sunlight, I realized, grimacing as a dull, irritating ache thrummed against my skin.

I had completely forgotten that a devil's weakness to light included the sun, it was simply glassed over in the novel.. A newly reincarnated Devil, like myself, was particularly sensitive to The sun. It wasn't enough to really hurt, more a irritation, against my skin and making my limbs feel sluggish and heavy. Fortunately, I recalled that a Devil's body quickly adapts to natural sunlight after a few days, building up a passive tolerance until the effect disappears entirely.

Still, a paranoid thought was brought to fore front pf my thoughts. If light affects me then what about the other small things that affect Devils.

I stopped beside a lantern near the hospital gates, checking to ensure no civilian or roaming Genin was paying attention to me. I took a slow breath, braced my body, and quietly spoke a single word aloud:

"God."

I held my breath, every nerve ending in my body standing on end, fully expecting a searing headache or a sudden internal pain in my gut.

Nothing happened. The breeze rustled the leaves above me. My skin felt slightly heavy from the sun, but no holy fire consuming my soul.

I let out a long, quiet exhale, a massive wave of relief washing over me. It didn't take long to figure out why I wasn't affected. In the High School DxD universe, the holy things that crippled Devils, holy water, crosses, and saying God's name, were directly tied to the "Heavens System" established by the Biblical God of that universe. A system that did not exist in this world.

However... My eyes narrowed as I adjusted my shoulder straps, holding my blade, resuming my slow march down the paved road. I have to be cautious when entering foreign dungeon portals. If a portal opens up that connects to a realm or world mirroring Heaven, or a reality populated by high-tier light-based monsters, Me being a devil will be a massive disadvantage.

The mere thought of walking blindly through a portal only to step directly into a realm of pure holy energy made a cold shiver run straight down my spine. I would be crippled before I could even draw my short blade. Maybe even killed.

I pushed through the exhaustion of the morning sun, taking the back avenues of Konoha toward the quiet, forested sector reserved for the noble’s properties.

As I came over the hill leading to the Karasu clan estate, I froze. The quiet, serene perimeter of my home was completely gone. Arrayed around the high stone walls and the massive iron gates was an entire battalion of elite, heavily armored soldiers clad in dark crimson-and-gold, the Fire Capital’s royal guard.

Every major royal scion of the Fire Lord’s bloodline possessed at least one personal battalion loyal exclusively to them. It wasn't a standard state army, it was a personal retinue built, funded, and commanded solely by the prince or princess in question. It served as a rite of passage for young royals in the Capital, a test to see if they possessed the charisma, tactical mind, and political weight to raise and command their own military force. And these highly trained men answer only to Azula. 

Normally, my compound felt completely empty. I kept only the bare minimum of household staff, a few quiet maids and elderly caretakers trained to mind their own business, and I had never bothered hiring private guards. My logic had always been simple: if an assassin or a rogue faction was bold enough to attempt a hit on a noble directly inside a major ninja village like Konoha, a dozen guards weren't going to make much of a difference. They would just be extra bodies to step over.

Besides, Konoha in this timeline was vastly different from the fragile, politically crippled village of canon. With both the Uchiha and the Senju clans fully active, and now with the major ninja clans continuously hoarding the massive wealth extracted from local portals, from monster meat to exotic metals, the powerhouses lurking inside these walls must be even more terrifying than I could guess. 

Maybe even a few more S rank combatants being kept under wraps. And looking at it with the knowledge about the dungeons, Hiruzen and his loyalists must be as or stronger than there primes despite there age.

A clear example of that altered power dynamic was the Hyuga clan. In the canon timeline I remembered from my past life, Kumo had brazenly attempted to kidnap Hinata Hyuga, resulting in the tragic sacrifice of Neji's father, Hizashi. But in this world? Hizashi Hyuga was alive and well. I had only learned that five years ago when I personally saw Hizashi pick Neji up from the Academy after class. 

I'm sure Kumo still tried to kidnap Hinata Hyuga but If Kumo had attempted that same diplomatic extortion here, Konoha's leadership had clearly told the Raikage to suck a big one. From what I could gather, Neji wasn't a tragic orphan brooding over his father's murder—he was just perpetually pissed off about the Caged Bird Seal and the main house politics.

As I approached the iron gates, four crimson-clad guards stepped smoothly into my path, their hands resting on the hilts of their polished sidearms.

"Halt," the lead guard barked, his eyes scanning me. But before I could even reach for my noble crest, the second guard nudged his commander, whispered a quick phrase, and both men instantly bowed, stepping back to open the heavy iron gate.

They let me through far too easily. In a world saturated with Transformation Jutsu, letting someone walk into a compound with a royal without forcing without even checking was a massive security flaw, or so I thought. But as I passed them, I felt a subtle, lingering warmth ripple across my skin from a pair of jade amulets hanging from their belts. They have their own detection methods. 

Maybe something they found in a portal.

I stepped through the main courtyard and pushed open the heavy mahogany doors of my primary estate—only to be hit by a wall of chaotic noise.

"I don't care if you're the Princess, Azula! This wing has the best natural lighting for my morning routine, and I claimed it first!" Hmm Ty lee has become more bold with Azula I see.

"Your 'morning routine' involves bouncing off the walls like an unhinged acrobat, Ty Lee," a cold, monotone voice drawled back. "The east wing is closest to the training courtyard. It's tedious enough having to walk down here; I'm not adding another fifty paces just because you want extra sunlight."

"Both of you will take the guest pavilion in the western courtyard," Azula’s sharp, commanding voice cut through the bickering like a razor blade. "The primary suites adjoining the master study are reserved for Jun and myself. This is not a summer resort."

I stood in the entryway, staring at the sight before me. Stacks of opulent luggage, wooden weapon crates, and personal trunks were piled high in my marble foyer.

"Jun!"

Before I could process the mess, a pink blur detached itself from the living room. Ty Lee bounded across the foyer, defying gravity as she executed a seamless mid-air flip and landed right in front of me, her bright eyes beaming. "You're back! We heard you were awake, but those terrible doctors wouldn't let us visit!"

My chest tightened slightly, a sudden wave of annoyance washing over me as I thought of the Hokage. Is the old man already trying to isolate me from my friends?

"I told you he would come straight here the moment they discharged him," Azula said smoothly, stepping out from the inner corridor. She wore her dark crimson silks, her hair pinned in a flawless topknot, looking every bit a fire nation princess. "There was no need to crowd his hospital room, especially when we had actual work to do here."

"Work?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup!" Ty Lee squealed, completely unbothered by the princess's cold aura. "We're moving in! Now that Azula is officially staying here, our families can't say a single word about us staying at the Karasu estate! Isn't it amazing? Team 11 is living under one roof!"

Mai strolled out behind them, carrying a small leather pouch of senbon needles. She offered me a brief, tired nod. "Try to keep her quiet after midnight, Jun. Or I will start using her as target practice."

I let out a long, heavy, bone-deep sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose as I kissed any lingering hope of a quiet, peaceful life completely goodbye.

"Azula," I said, my voice dropping into a firm, unyielding tone. "My office. Now."

The heavy oak door of my private study clicked shut, locking out the noise of Ty Lee unpacking in the corridor. I walked over to the large mahogany desk, pulling out my chair and leaning back, watching the Princess of the Fire Country as she calmly surveyed my workspace.

"You're acting as if I've invaded your country, Jun-kun," Azula said smoothly. She walked over to the tea set resting on the side table, taking her time to pour two cups of hot jasmine tea. "This compound belongs to you, my betrothed. It is only natural that I stay with my betrothed."

"This compound is my private residence, Azula," I replied, keeping my face a mask of unbothered calm. "And this betrothal nonsense you dropped on the Hokage, you didn't consult me, no one informed me let alone consulted me."

Azula turned around, holding a steaming porcelain cup in her hand. A sharp, deeply possessive smirk played on her lips, her golden-amber eyes locking onto mine with terrifying intensity.

"Consult you?" she purred, stepping slowly toward the desk. "Why would I consult you on a decision that was made when your parents passed away? You ignored me for years in the Capital, Jun. You buried your head in swords, scrolls, and Academy drills, pretending that if you played the disciplined little soldier, the world would leave you alone. But we were always meant to be paired. My father knows it, your late father knew it, and deep down, you know it too. I am simply expediting the inevitable."

“What does my parents' passing away have to do with anything?” I ask

She set the porcelain cup down on the wooden edge of my desk, leaning forward until her face was mere inches from mine. "You belong at the center of power, Jun-kun. Beside me. Not playing ninja in the woods for an old man who views you as a flight risk. And as to your question about your parents, I don't think you realize how close our fathers really were, I'm sure my father would have liked to tell you this himself, but your father thought something might happen to him and asked my father to take care of you, if something did happen."

“What! Did my father know something was going to happen to them?” I say playing the part of a concerned son when I couldn't even remember them.

“Im not too sure on the details, but we believe they were not killed by the Nine Tails as was reported to us.” She says as she takes a sip of her tea. 

I'm not too sure if our fathers were really that close. Maybe it's what she has been led to believe, but I think the fire lord just saw it as an opportunity to control the gates.

“Who” I say as I reach out, intending to pick up the porcelain cup to give myself a moment to process her words. But the moment my fingers wrapped around the delicate ceramic, my passively enhanced Devil strength, still not under control.

CRACK!

The porcelain cup didn't just break; it shattered violently under my grip. Hot tea, steam, and sharp ceramic shards exploded across the dark wood of my desk.

I instinctively froze, pulling my hand back, fully expecting Azula to flinch or draw a weapon at the sudden explosion.

She didn't even blink. Her golden eyes didn't leave mine for a fraction of a second. She calmly reached into her silk sleeve, pulled out a pristine white cloth, and began dabbing at a stray drop of tea that had splashed onto her cuff.

“We don't know, but we are still looking.” Her aura was razor-sharp, charming, and subtly threatening all at once. 

Her eyes flickering down to my palm.

I looked down at my hand. The jagged edge of a porcelain shard was pressed flat against my skin, but there was no blood. No cut. My skin didn't even register a scratch, and the rough, heavy calluses I had built up over a decade of sword training were completely gone, replaced by smooth, flawless flesh.

Azula’s gaze darkened, a mixture of deep fascination and satisfaction flashing in her amber eyes. "You can talk," she added casually, tossing the stained cloth onto the desk. "My personal guard has three high-tier sensory fuinjutsu deployed along the perimeter.. Not a single ANBU operative, nor the Hokage's personal eyes, can watch or listen to what happens inside this room."

Despite her dangerous, manipulative nature, I trusted Azula.. It sounded insane given her reputation, but over the twelve years I had lived in this world, she had never once given me a reason to doubt her personal loyalty to me. She was possessive, terrifyingly ambitious, and ruthlessly cunning, but her possessiveness meant that she viewed my well-being as her personal priority. She would burn the world down before she let someone else harm what was hers.

"Your body has completely changed," Azula noted, leaning back against the edge of the desk and crossing her arms. "The reports from our informants in the hospital were correct. You didn't just awaken a standard bloodline, Jun. Usually a bloodline would build on what's already there, maybe add a little here or there…" she continued leaving the question unsaid.

"My system says it's a new race," I admitted, choosing my words carefully. "Along with a new energy that doesn't belong to the Elemental Nations."

"I figured," Azula said, her tone dropping into a serious, uncharacteristically candid register. She looked directly into my eyes. "Because my father went through something similar ten years ago."

I froze, leaning forward. "The Fire Lord?" This bit of news quickly moved my mind from this body's parents. If they were killed, as payment for the body I'll have to avenge them. It also might add to how I took over the body. Was the boy killed?

"Ten years ago, while returning to the Capital from Konoha, a spatial rift opened less than a mile from his convoy," Azula explained, her voice quiet. "Curious, and sure in his own strength, my father stepped inside the portal alone. He survived. And when he walked out, he was changed."

The pieces of the puzzle slammed together with violent clarity.

"He has been using the portals in secret ever since," Azula continued, her eyes narrowing. "Using his authority to conceal rifts opening on private lands, farming their resources, harvesting monster meat, and using the points to increase his own strength and the strength of his loyalists."

"Is that why he appointed regents to manage my territory?" I asked, my voice cold as I remembered Mai's words from the dungeon camp. "To farm my family's land under the guise of 'protection'?"

Azula grimaced slightly, an honest, rare look of annoyance crossing her face. "Yes. He hoarded the portals of your territory while you were a child playing in Konoha. But now that you have awakened a System of your own, he is stepping back. He won't farm your territory anymore."

"Why the sudden generosity?" I asked, skeptical. "Because I'm your betrothed?"

"That might have something to do with it but I doubt it," Azula admitted honestly. "Its mostly because he simply can't keep up with the portals anymore. They are becoming too numerous. The portals appearing in the Fire Nation faster than his private forces can manage. And more importantly... the System's diminishing returns."

"Diminishing returns?" I pressed, I was hearing this for the first time. Tsubaki didn't mention anything.

"You don't get full value from weak monsters," Azula explained, looking at me intently. "The System penalizes you for hunting below your weight class. If a monster is two letter grades below your current rank, you receive zero points and zero experience from killing it. If it is one level lower, you only receive fifty percent. My father can no longer gain a single point from clearing E-rank to C-rank dungeons. Farming your land's lower-tier portals is literally useless to him now." she says. Well besides the monster meat, but if he cant keep up with all the portals having someone who he thinks is loyal to him farm them makes sense.

"What about higher-level monsters?" I asked, leaning my elbows on the desk. "Do you get a multiplier for hunting entities stronger than you?"

Azula shook her head slowly. "We don't know. My father was already a peak A-rank combatant when he first stumbled into that portal ten years ago. The boss he fought inside was around the same tier. He hasn't faced anything significantly stronger than himself since, or if he has, he hasn't shared with the rest of us."

"What did he actually get from his portal drop?" I asked. "What kind of power or bloodline did he acquire?"

.

"He keeps it entirely to himself," Azula said, her voice laced with a rare touch of caution. "Not even his closest generals know...."

A cold dread settled deep in my stomach, what did he get, thinking about it will probably keep me up tonight.

If Fire Lord Ozai was already a peak A-rank powerhouse before he ever touched a portal ten years ago, he must have walked out of his first dungeon as an S-rank monster. And with ten full years of monopolizing portal resources, harvesting high-tier monster meat to permanently increase his strength, and hoarding system points to buy upgrades... his raw power had to be incomprehensible.

Even worse, he hadn't kept those resources entirely to himself. He had spent a decade feeding monster meat and system-enhanced gear to his private, fiercely loyal vanguard. My mind flashing to the thing the guards scanned me with.

I looked at Azula, realizing the sheer scale of the global chessboard. Who else has a system, who else got more powerful, what about future enemies such as the Akatsuki.

 Fire Lord Ozai wasn't just a political sovereign trying to expand his territory. He was a S rank monster, backed by an army of elite, biologically enhanced fire-benders.

And I was sitting in my study, holding a set of fifteen Evil Pieces, preparing to wage a silent, supernatural war for control of the future.