Celestial Path Chapter 46 (Patreon)

I glanced between my teammates and me, and helplessly, Kaori could only say. "Jake, I wish you the best of luck in any case. It seems you are going to be in the latter groups."

I nodded slowly, and I waited as this exam wasn't going to happen all at once. To split the teams apart, they had to prevent anyone from meeting team members from their direct squad. They needed to do at least three different rounds.

And I was indeed set to be put into the fifth round, while Kaori/Kiyome were both set to go into the first couple of rounds, with Kaori the eldest sister going into the first round.

"Don't be afraid to use your trump card Kaori... Using it to save your life in a pinch is exactly what it's good for even if we have further exams." I said firmly to Kaori, who got up when called.

Kaori's Sharingan flashed as she gave me a confident smile and she strode out of the room with the rest of the first-round Genin.

And after seeing her leave. I coudn't help a slight frown as I looked towards the proctor and raised my hand to get his attention. 

"What do you want to know Akari?" The youkai-blooded proctor spoke in a bored tone.

I asked bluntly in turn. "You will not be broadcasting the event to us, will you?"

He nodded and responded with another bored statement. "Bingo bingo... It's apparently 'unfair' to let some of you guy's see the arena grounds, even if each round's arena and surroundings heavily change anyway." 

So that left me there to just sit with Kiyome and the rest of my fellow Konoha ninja's as we had to wait for the next half an hour for the round to be declared over.

Worse, even after time passed by and the next round was announced. Kiyome being called up next with Kaori not coming back, nor did any of the other contestants return as well.

They were treating us to an information blackout in case. So I had no way of what to expect. And even worse... Now I was alone, although with my fellow Konoha ninja, but I didn't really know these comrades at all, honestly.

I took a deep breath before I just chuckled deeply as I realized that it didn't matter. I was as far away as it got from a fresh Genin out of the Academy. I have already killed... Plenty of youkai and bandits.

Unless a shameless literal god decided to show up in the middle of the tournament, they while it was possible I could be beaten to a pulp. I coudn't die anyway.

"Squad 67 Akari Sadra." I was finally called upon in the fourth round and I got up and headed through the door where all the other ninja had been going through.

And heading down a long hall, I then saw a large open door that led into the arena... Because this was Kumogakure's territory which was heavily mountainous territory even in the center of their Village.

Walking into a large steampunk city that looked like was directly the copy of Amegakure's advanced city with large skyscrapers and water-filled pipes in all directions. I shot forward to climb up one of the nearby tower's to take in my surroundings.

And I highly doubted Amegakure was straight up fifty miles at the farthest point of dense city structures from what I could see with my highly elevated position.

"Hmm... A dense city structure definitely restricts my wood style a bit." I mused as growing my wood style directly out of concrete did take a bit more effort and would slow it down.

But, I also didn't plan to rely on Mokuton at the start.

Then from out of nowhere came an ever-present voice that rang out with a beam of golden light forming over me while a badge flew down gently to float in front of me.

[Welcome to the Divine Arena! A pocket realm created by the kindness of your god's for themselves to battle to their hearts content so that their battles woudn't ruin the mortal realm! Now as you were warned before, your task is simply... Survival!] 

[But, for those who wish to get the leg up and to thin the competition for the following exams, you may eliminate all whom you see! Even companions from your own village are also on the chopping block haha! We your merciful god's won't snitch if you kill a comrade to gather their points so you may wish to become immortal!]

Then the cruel, amused voice became firm as he said, while I also noticed several other light pillars but most were just blue and green, with five red pillars in particular.

[In relation to the pillars you see in the distance. Blue are worth five points, green are worth fifty points, red is worth five hundred points... And Akari Sadra, the golden pillar, is worth five thousand points! Get his medal, and you can make a wish to the gods; they will actually do their best to fullfill!]

[But beware! These medals weren't given randomly. Each pillar denotes how strong they are presumed to be. And if you value your lives, don't throw them away fighting somone who you are only worthy of kissing their feet. The event starts now!]

And in the cloudy skies formed a massive clock that faced downwards that counted down all thirty minutes this event was to take at this point.

"Well, well... I do suppose, I am going to be busy at this point." I said as I saw several shadow's shooting through the rough city streets and jumping between skyscrapers towards me.

But the vast majority stopped at the peak of other towers and otherwise stopped to hide and watch. To see if I was truly as strong as the announcer said. Or to give themselves a chance to make a snatch-and-grab.

A loud laugh left me as I took out my Karmic Staff, my glorious solid-as-gold pimp-looking ass cane that I twirled around in my hands as a giant of a dark-skinned kumo ninja climbed atop the large square at the top of this tower, wielding a large sword.

"Ha! Akari Sadra, why are you just standing there! Aren't you going to run with how everyone is going to want to kill and loot you!" He said as he swung his sword to the side to point at more kumo ninja inching their way from a skybridge that connected this tower to another.

I looked between the other ninja before I grinned and said. "You see this cane? This shit is solid ass gold. You see this hat? Divine silk and fur I stole from my very goddess's hairballs!. You see these shoes?"

The Kumo shinobi stared at me, awed silence as I held out my J's and was about to list off how they were made from the scales of some Kiri water dragon or some shit.

"...Actually, those are normal shoes. But I'm working on it."

"Still! I ain't running off this damned tower, as the ground down there is fuckin nasty and filled with poor people problems!"

The Kumo shinobi didn't care anymore for my nonsense it seemed as he charged at me with a shout of fury.

I blocked his sword with the Karmic Staff, and using my enhanced strength, I pushed back his sword, and before he could react I stepped forward and slammed the sharp bottom of the staff into his forehead with a loud, brutal crack ringing out.

The kumo ninja fell to the ground as the front hole in his head spilled blood and mulched brain matter as I swung my pimp ass cane around before I slammed it's base into the ground to channel my Mokuton through it.

A massive rumble rang out as thick tree's and roots surrounded the building I was on and I just laughed as screams rang out as the fast-moving roots and branches tore through the people who tried to hide inside of the tower or along its side, using chakra to stick to the walls.

I saw no damned reason to run around if I was already going to have a spotlight on me after all. So I just made a chair out of wood as I didn't have a plastic chair on hand. And I just plopped my ass in the chair and just waited.

-

Outside of the War Realm, within a beautiful massive theater and great hall. A projected screen showing dozens of different views of the contestants were being shown to the assembled gods.

And in the center of the many different minature POV's was the central one with Akari Sadra, who was just sitting on the edge of the tower in an oddly designed chair and yelling out racial slurs as Kumo and Iwa ninja's tried... And failed to kill him.

For those who attempted to kill him to take his medal. Their only fate in turn was death, regardless of the gender of the attacker. Those who went after him to just take the medal were only badly beaten with that clearly divine scepter he carried as some form of gaudy walking cane.

A powerful voice rang out, a great divine Oni spoke out with indignation. "What is with that brat. Who in the foulest realm of the Underworld decided to make such an ugly scepter?" 

An amused voice spoke in turn with that Oni going stock still and his vibrant red skin going light pink in fear at recognizing the voice.

"That scepter was not made by our divine hands. It lies from beyond the boundary. Still, I do so enjoy my little champion sending so many souls directly into my hands." 

The speaker was Izanami, the very goddess of Death and the ruler of the Underworld and the afterlife. Of which... All gods would eventually be sent towards in due time.

Then a quiet voice tried to interced from behind a beautiful goddess she was hiding behind who had nine glorious divine kitsune tails. "I uhhh... Made sure that Akari had a suitable weapon for these exams!"

Most of the many god's in attendance rolled their eyes at Amaterasu, but couldn't gainsay the cowardly goddess because for however cowardly she was. She was still extremely powerful, and Inari who was acting as the shield for the shut-in goddess was also one of the more powerful combat-inclined gods.

Then the room went quiet as a powerful demon, a youkai who had went completely insane and lost their core existence after eating too many souls went after Akari.

The massive flying youkai that took the shape of a scorpion attacked Akari with both pincer's and a stinger which was coated in a dire poison. 

Akari's arm was cut off in an instant, but he traded the wound to stab a very twisted looking dagger burning with black and crimson flames into the demon's head.

And the silence in the hall was due to seeing Akari's arm be instantly reattached without any issue and the fact that. That powerful demon was somehow instantly killed via it's soul being destroyed from that single wound.

Finally one god spoke up in a dry tone. "So... What the hell is Akari going to ask for in his wish? Because no one else in this round can match him."

Amaterasu then spoke up firmly. "I will make sure his wish will be for good of the Land of Fire! It won't be anything too outlandish like him asking for the power to kill other gods or something!"

A long silence rang out before a lesser death goddess spoke out with exasperation. "Why are you being so shameless? Throwing the new Hashirama in our faces with a soul-destroying weapon that CAN kill a god already and saying you won't give him even more abilities to kill the divine???"