Chapter 15 - Devilish thoughts

The screen of the sliding door clicked firmly into its groove, locking out the quiet rustle of the night wind in the courtyard. Inside, the soft, scuffling of my uninvited houseguests, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee as they settled into their new rooms.

In my private wing of the estate I have it set up as a house within a house. In a more western style bedroom with its own separate bathroom, dressing area, lounge and even another private office for me. In my office I sank into a replica Eames lounge chair I always wanted in my last life. (If you guys don't know what chair this is, google it. One day I'll buy my own replica.) , raising my legs to the ottoman and letting out a long, heavy breath that carried the residual exhaustion of the day. 

My mind was chaotic. Confronting Azula in my study had given me answers, but it had raised a dozen more questions. I leaned back against the polished wooden support pillar, staring up at the dark timber rafters as four distinct, high-priority issues demanded my immediate tactical attention.

The first puzzle kept pulling at my thoughts: Fire Lord Ozai.

Azula had explicitly confirmed that her father had acquired the System ten years ago after stepping into a Portal near Konoha. Yet when Tsubaki Senju had her little talk with me in my hospital room, she had explicitly stated that she was the only registered System user in the Land of Fire for the last decade until I showed up. When I checked the Country Registry on the Forum tab, Tsubaki’s name was the only one visible under the Land of Fire.

Why wasn't Ozai on the list?

I ran through the logical possibilities:

System Obfuscation: Ozai was the longest-running user of the interface in the nation. With a ten-year head start, he must have understood the system architecture far better than the rest of us. He might have purchased a stealth function, or a privacy feature from the Shop that completely erased his presence from public registries—a feature Tsubaki either hadn't discovered yet or was deliberately keeping to herself.

The Minion Protocol: Or... Ozai wasn't the actual System Host. What if when he entered that portal ten years ago something happened to Ozai, What if the Fire Lord was acting as a puppet, a minion for whatever was in that portal.

I'm praying it's the first option, I thought grimly, because if it's the second, the entire Land of Fire is sitting on a ticking time bomb. A bomb that will affect the entirety of the elemental nation.

Whichever it was, it meant Ozai might be a bigger theat than a normal system user. Ozai was operating completely in the dark, and that made him twice as dangerous.

The second issue was purely logistical: My Territory.

For twelve years, Ozai’s appointed regents had been running my family’s massive estate under the convenient pretext of "protecting the lands for an orphan heir until he is fit to rule." In reality, they had been stripping my borders of all the resources from portals, harvesting monster meat, and funneling the exotic materials straight into the Capital's private vaults.

I was starting to firmly believe that keeping me tucked away in Konoha Ninja Academy wasn't just to get control of Konoha, it was a calculated move to ensure I never asked questions about the portals and my power obsessed brain just let it happen. Imagine how powerful I could be now if I had my land’s portals to rely on. If he was as close to my father as he pretends to be he would have at least shared or sent me resources besides the ones the standard wealth I had as a noble.

Ozai held an incredible amount of centralized power, but even he was fundamentally reliant on the noble class to manage land and collect taxes. The other nobles didn't care what happened to me personally, but if they ever suspected that their own lands could be so casually stripped away by the throne, it would trigger a massive revolt.

Now that Azula had confirmed Ozai was pulling back due to the steep diminishing returns on lower-grade portals, a massive power vacuum was opening on my own soil. Everyone from bandits to other nobles will be trying there luck.

The Action Plan:

Administrative Replacement: Replace the Capital’s corrupt tax collectors and regents with my own trusted administrators—that raises another problem. ‘Who’.

Point-Farming Automation: Convert the portals on my land into a profitable venture. With fifteen Evil Pieces sitting in my system inventory, I could easily recarnate 15 people to hunt and raise my strength, Hiruzen would throw ninja my way to power them up. But would he give me my share, that's the problem. As for the points 25% of a Jonins haul will be a lot more than whoever I can easily reincarnate. The old fool would probably lock me in a gilded cage if he knew all the benefits of being a devil. He’d cal it protection till I got strong enough to protect myself.

And with the acceleration of the portals manifestation I had to move as fast as possible. Azula had mentioned that even the Fire Lord's massive military resources were being spread thin as portals opened more frequently across the continent. To manage the rifts I couldn't immediately clear myself, I needed interim allies.

Hiruzen could be useful here until my foundation is set, I calculated. I could offer the Hokage a split-contract deal to let Konoha Chunin clear specific lower-tier portals on my land. Or... Azula. She has an entire personal battalion at her beck and call, backed by elite fire-users. I could leverage her retinue.

That brought me to the third and most crucial dilemma: Who gets the first Evil Piece?

I decided now was as good a time as any to inspect my purchase. I opened my inventory, focusing my intent on the velvet-lined box resting in the first slot. With a faint flash of violet light, the heavy case materialized in my lap.

The moment my fingers touched the polished obsidian exterior, a faint strand of my Demonic Energy was naturally drawn into the latch. The box clicked open, and a sleek, glowing blue window expanded directly in front of my face.

MINION SUBSYSTEM UNLOCKED

[Notification]: User has successfully integrated an item capable of Binding a Minion (Standard Set of Evil Pieces).

[Subsystem Status]: Active

[MINION SYSTEM]

[BINDING MECHANICS]:

1. Direct Purchase Minions: Possess instant, absolute loyalty upon manifestation.

2. Recruited Minions : Loyalty is dynamic. Recruited minions undergo a psychological shift toward the King over time. Base rate of conversion scales with the subject's initial affection, trust, and alignment with the Master.

3. Minions master gains access to a separate shop allowing one to spend points earned by the Minion on the minion.(Minions do not gain discounts)

4. 25% Percent of all points and rewards gained by a minion is shared with his or her master.

I stared at the text, my eyes narrowing. The Minion Subsystem.

Mechanic 2 relates to me and my Peerage. It was a gamble but at least I know that it works and opens alot more doors for peerage members, from Anko who is loyal to Hurizen and even enemy Ninja.

This confirmed my theory. The System was broken down into modular subsystems. If acquiring Evil Pieces unlocked the Minion Subsystem, then other conceptual mechanics—like Gacha, Kingdom Management, or Territory Crafting—were likely waiting in the system database, just waiting for me to find or purchase the corresponding trigger items. I made a mental note to review every piece of lore from my past life to figure out how to awaken the rest. If I can. (not a foreshadowing for MC, probably)

I read through the Minion Subsystem's fine print, searching for details Tsubaki might have missed during her lecture. The loyalty conversion mechanic was key: an Evil Piece didn't instantly brainwash a subject, but it placed a passive, slow loyalty change over time, which is frankly better as it could look more natural. The more trust or affection a candidate already held for me, the faster their absolute loyalty to their "King" would solidify.

Now, I had to choose my first target.

I established a few strict, non-negotiable rules for my Peerage selection:

Female Candidates Only: I was a man, and I had zero desire to spend the next ten thousand years bound with another guy. To mask the true nature of the Evil Pieces from the Hokage and the Capital, I planned to let the rumor spread that my "bloodline Sharing" required intimate contact to bind a living subject. I would keep the ability to revive the recently dead completely hidden until an absolute emergency demanded it.

High Natural Talent: Higher talent meant better ROI. I could use the lower-grade pieces, like Pawns, to reincarnate people weaker than myself, letting the Devil race's baseline buff elevate their stats. For candidates already equal to or stronger than me, I would use high-tier pieces like the Knight, Rook, or Queen for an immediate power boost. The System would strengthen my peerage over time anyway, and I could eventually buy them custom DxD bloodlines, grimoires, or Sacred Gears through the Shop. I might be able to get things that we can all use though my personal shops like knowledge or grimoires.

I didn't have to look far for candidates, my immediate orbit was packed with elite, high-value targets:

Azula: A terrifyingly powerful flame prodigy, and trained to run territories since she could walk, and a brilliant tactician. Imagine Azula reincarnated with a high-tier piece and a Phenex Clan bloodline, she would become an immortal, flame-wielding calamity. But using a piece on her now was a massive gamble. If Fire Lord Ozai realized his prodigy daughter had been bound to me, it might provoke him, but I could play it off that I wanted to empower my fiance. Im sure with all the resources she acquired from her father she is definitely at least Jonin and much more powerful than me even with my bloodline and would require at least a knight peace. Maybe a bishop or even a queen piece.

Anko Mitarashi: The most strategic choice. Hiruzen was currently pushing her into my orbit, believing a "loyal Konoha kunoichi" would give the village leverage over me and my System. The old man would throw her at me and had no idea that the moment Anko accepted an Evil Piece, her loyalty would change hands from the Hokage and lock firmly onto me, making her the perfect double agent. But Anko was a veteran Jonin; I would need to use a high-tier piece like a Rook or Knight.

Mai: A precision specialist whose projectile accuracy was already absurd. Giving her a pawn piece, paired with a Long range Sacred Gear would turn her into a long-range executioner who would never miss.

Ty Lee: The absolute safest and most immediate choice. Her trust in me was absolute, her affection was completely genuine, and her natural flexibility was legendary. Elevating her physical parameters with even a single Pawn piece would transform her Chi-blocking into a terrifying, one-shot martial art capable of shutting down chakra pathways and magic alike.

I closed the obsidian box, letting it dissolve back into my inventory. A lot of good options. I'll make the final call when the timing is perfect.

With my future priorities more or less sorted, I summoned the second item I had purchased from the Shop: Grimoire: Introduction to Demonic Power.

A heavy, leather-bound book materialized softly in my lap. The dark cover was cool to the touch, etched with silver runes that hummed with a low, rhythmic pulse. I flipped open the heavy parchment pages, reading the introductory text:

[Demonic Power is the embodiment of Will, Desire, and Intent. It does not obey the heart as expected of a power wielded by creatures that revel in there Sins; it obeys the mind, your intent, and is powered by will and desire. When a devil masters all three. Even a devil can create Miracles the likes of which are usually reserved for the likes of gods.]

I continued to into the rest of the book going through all the chapters.

Chapter 1 – Demonic power Control

Chapter 2 – internal control

Chapter 3 – external control

Chapter 3 – Elemental Control

Chapter 4 -

etc

I closed my eyes, taking a slow, measured breath. Remembering the feeling from the hospital when I made my wings appear.

In my Status menu, my Demonic Energy Control was sitting at a pathetic F-rank. I could feel the pool of energy resting deep in my chest, a heavy, viscous lake of liquid fire. It felt thick and stubborn, having a personality of its own.

"Desire and intent," I whispered to myself.

Instead of weaving a hand seal or trying to force the power through my standard chakra coils, I stopped trying to control it like a ninja. I focused on a clear, absolute mental image: a single, concentrated spark hovering above my right palm.

I pushed my intent forward, pouring my ambition, my iron determination to survive, and my desire for absolute strength into the core of my chest.

Shift.

A sudden, intense heat flared beneath my ribs. The heavy liquid energy stirred. It didn't flow like water, it erupted outward like a contained explosion, traveling up my arm and bursting above my upturned palm.

A small, swirling orb of deep blue fire hovered an inch above my skin. It didn't emit a burning heat, instead, it radiated a heavy, crushing physical pressure that made the wooden floorboards beneath my tatami mat creak faintly.

Okay, maybe I used a little too much, umm intent. I continued until…

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION

[Skill Learned]: Demonic Energy Manipulation (Beginner)

[Parameter Updated]: Demonic Energy Control: F -> E-Ran

A grin broke across my face. Finally some progress…

As I manipulated the swirling blue flame, a sudden realization hit me. During my demonstration in the hospital, I had been unconsciously lacing small amounts of this raw Demonic Energy into my standard chakra. That's why I could manifest a lighting clone without hand signs! I wasn't just molding lighting chakra. I was replacing the traditional hand seals with intent, creating a signless Jutsu method.

"Let's try the wings," I whispered.

Recalling the awkward moment in the hospital where my wings had burst out and smashed into the IV stands, I focused my back. I willed the energy to flow into my upper back, I could feel as the energy started to form the wings. So they are magical constructs. Hmm atleast if they get damaged I might be able to just replace them.

Swoosh.

Two massive, leathery bat wings expanded smoothly from my shoulder blades. But this time, instead of bursting outward violently, they unfolded slowly, spreading just wide enough to clear the walls of my room. The silver-and-purple vein patterns along the membranes pulsed in a steady rhythm with my heartbeat.

I focused my intent again, willing them to retract. The flesh dissolved seamlessly back into my skin, leaving my clothes completely untorn. Oh… Im going to have so much fun with them.

I sat in the quiet room for hours, repeatedly channeling the blue energy, shaping it into small shells to launch, refining the flow, and watching the viscous power gradually become easier to command.

I was no longer just a reincarnated noble playing ninja in Konoha.

I had a real chance to be something in this world, and neither the Hokage nor the Fire Lord would be able to stand in my way.

I was just about to close the grimoire, store it back in my inventory, and finally get some sleep when a faint, almost imperceptible sound caught my ears.

The wooden track of my sliding door creaked softly.

I froze, my hand hovering over the leather tome as the door slid open a few inches, letting a silver beam of moonlight cut across the Floor.

Standing in the doorway was Ty Lee.

She wasn't wearing her standard pink combat gear. She was clad in a delicate, sheer silk nightgown that did absolutely nothing to hide the soft, dangerous curves of her athletic body. Her hair was down, cascading over her shoulders in soft waves, and her cheeks were flushed with a deep, rosy blush. She bit her lower lip, her bright eyes wide with a mixture of shyness, nervousness, and absolute determination as she looked at me sitting in the dark.

"Jun-kun..." she whispered softly, her voice barely audible over the night breeze. "Are you still awake?"