Chapter 554: Brainwashing Yakumo Kurama
Miles away from Yomi, Ishiro and Uchiha Izumi were flying back toward Iwagakure.
Izumi asked, puzzled, "Lord Tsuchikage, why didn't you just kill him? He was imprisoned by the village for six years; he must resent us deeply. I'm worried he'll try to get revenge on the village."
Ishiro replied, "You don't understand people like Yomi. He's a lot like Danzō. They both have ambitions that far exceed a normal person's, and they will stop at nothing to achieve them.
"Do you think Danzō doesn't know I have ulterior motives? Of course he does. He's willing to cooperate with me because to achieve his ambition, he must become Hokage again. If he can't be Hokage, he probably feels his life has no meaning.
"And the process of him becoming Hokage is, in itself, working for us, regardless of whether he succeeds or not."
"Yomi is the same. Now that he's free, he'll do everything he can to build his power and strengthen himself. For him to grow, another existing power must suffer.
"His Dark Medical Ninjutsu is bizarre; he doesn't fear conventional attacks. But his jutsu isn't omnipotent. It can't do anything against my Light Release.
"So, in this situation, what do you think he'll do?"
Uchiha Izumi thought for a moment. "He'll go to Konoha, Kumo, or Kiri's territory to build his power. He'll make trouble for our enemies."
Ishiro smiled. "Exactly. For now, at least, letting him go is beneficial to the village. The process of him growing stronger is beneficial to us. As for the future... if a day comes when we absolutely must kill him, to be honest, he's not even on my radar."
Uchiha Izumi nodded. She had learned something.
Ishiro said, "Our ultimate goal is to unify the shinobi world. We will meet many enemies along the way. If we can create trouble for our enemies without going to war, why would we hesitate?
"This is something your Uchiha clan never did right. You clearly possessed immense power, yet you were constantly suppressed by Konoha's high command. The root cause is that you always think in terms of 'destruction.' You must remember, sometimes, compromise and concession are more profitable than total victory."
"I understand, Lord Tsuchikage," Uchiha Izumi replied.
After returning to the village, Ishiro went to the Ninja Academy to find Shion.
When Shion saw Ishiro, she quickly called out, "Lord Tsuchikage!"
Ishiro patted the little girl's head. "Chōmei-kun tells me you haven't been very diligent in your training."
Shion immediately retorted, "That's not true! I've been training really hard!" As she said it, her eyes darted away guiltily.
Ishiro said, "I have some unfortunate news for you. The Mōryō inside you had a loyal follower named Yomi. Before we sealed Mōryō, he managed to take a part of its power. I captured him and locked him in the village prison.
"That was over six years ago. But... just a little while ago, he escaped."
Shion's mouth fell open. She thought for a moment. "Did he... did he leave about an hour ago?"
Ishiro was curious. "How did you know?"
Shion said, "About an hour ago, the Mōryō inside me stirred a little, but it calmed down quickly, so I didn't think much of it."
Just as I thought, Ishiro mused. Shion sensed Yomi's release.
But on the outside, he put on a disappointed expression. "Why didn't you say so earlier? If you had, we could have tracked him and maybe recaptured him."
Shion asked timidly, "What will happen now that he's escaped?"
Ishiro said gravely, "He will come for you. He will try to release the Mōryō inside you. If Mōryō is released, I can defeat it again. But you, as the Priestess, will die."
Shion's face turned pale. She grabbed Ishiro's sleeve. "Lord Tsuchikage, what should I do?"
Ishiro just shook his head and said nothing.
Seeing this, Shion began to panic, tears welling in her eyes.
Ishiro sighed. "There's nothing I can do. I can't stay by your side forever. But there might be something you can do."
"What can I do?" she asked.
"If you can completely digest Mōryō before Yomi finds you, then you'll have nothing to fear."
"Then how do I do that, Lord Tsuchikage?"
"Alright, how about this," Ishiro said. "Every day, I'll have the ANBU escort you to the village's Yin Release laboratory. My disciple, Katsumata, and my sister, Natsuki, will teach you how to rapidly digest Mōryō."
Shion didn't dare object. She nodded quickly. "Lord Tsuchikage, I promise I'll train as hard as I can from now on!"
Ishiro nodded. "I'll take you there right now."
Shion nodded again. She was now in a greater hurry than Ishiro. Heaven knew, she was truly terrified.
A little while later, Ishiro emerged from Katsumata's lab. He thought back to Shion's frantically training figure and sighed to himself. When dealing with kids, you just have to scam them.
After arranging Shion's training, Ishiro found Yakumo Kurama.
Yakumo was a year older than Shion and Sakura, the same age as Neji and Kurotsuchi. But because of her poor physical constitution, Ishiro had placed her in Sakura's class.
In Ishiro's plan, Sakura, Shion, and Yakumo would be a team. He had even chosen their squad leader: Riori Uzumaki.
Sakura was already on the path of balancing medical ninjutsu and Yin Release. Shion was now beginning her Yin Release training to digest Mōryō.
That just left Yakumo. Ishiro felt it was time for them to have a talk.
He found her at the Academy, riding on a giant bird created from her Super Beast Scroll technique.
Yakumo was currently the queen bee of the Academy. She was parading around with a large entourage of younger kids. All the other students scrambled to get out of her way. She had the air of a "big sister" (gang leader) down perfectly.
Before, Neji, Kurotsuchi, and Karin, being a year older, had been able to keep her in check. But with them graduated, no one in the Academy could control her.
Ishiro watched from the edge of the training grounds as she completed her "patrol."
He then formed a small mud pellet with Porcelain Release and flicked it from a distance, tapping her on the head.
Yakumo was furious. Who dares to make a move on me in my own territory?
She spun around angrily... and saw Ishiro, smiling at her.
She froze, then, looking guilty, she dismissed her entourage.
She urged her bird over to Ishiro's side and said in a small voice, "Lord Tsuchikage."
Ishiro nodded. "Yakumo, are you enjoying your life in Iwagakure?"
Yakumo stuck her tongue out. Can't you tell?
But she replied obediently, "I'm very happy, Lord Tsuchikage. Iwagakure is wonderful."
Ishiro nodded. "Come, let's find somewhere quiet. I want to continue the conversation we started a few years ago."
Yakumo tensed. She remembered. When he first brought her from Konoha, he had promised to tell her the "truth" that the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, and her teacher, Kurenai Yūhi, had hidden from her.
Suddenly, her bird's flying speed slowed. She had a premonition that this "truth" was not something she wanted to hear.
But she couldn't escape it. She flew over to Ishiro.
They sat on the roof of an Academy building. Ishiro asked, "Yakumo, in all these years, have you felt... anything strange inside your body?"
Yakumo was silent for a moment. "There's... something strange inside me, isn't there?"
Ishiro nodded. "It seems you already know."
Yakumo said, "My power has been growing too fast. At first, I thought it was just my talent. But then I sensed something was wrong. The seal you and the Priestess placed on me... it's constantly feeding me power. That power isn't coming from nowhere. I feel... my situation is similar to what the books describe as a Jinchūriki. So I guessed there must be something strange inside me."
Ishiro nodded again. "And do you have any guesses as to what it is?"
Yakumo was silent. She had a guess, but she was afraid to say it.
Ishiro said, "You have a second you inside. One that is nothing like the kind, innocent girl you are now. It is monstrous, and its personality and thoughts are the complete opposite of yours.
"It... is the one who killed your parents."
Hearing this, Yakumo did not look shocked. In the years since leaving Konoha, her mind had matured. She was no longer so trapped in her own head. She could look at her own problems from an outside perspective. Her Academy education had taught her how to analyze information.
She had already suspected this, the one truth she had never wanted to hear.
They sat in silence. Ishiro asked, "Yakumo, what are your plans now? Speak freely. Even if you want to return to Konoha, I will not stop you."
Yakumo shook her head. "Lord Tsuchikage, I don't want to go back. I just want to know... my clansmen... are they alright?"
Ishiro thought. "Don't worry. Many in the Kurama clan no longer have the aptitude for being ninja. They are of no importance to Konoha. No one is targeting them."
"Lord Tsuchikage... how is Kurenai-sensei?"
"Kurenai Yūhi? I'm not sure," Ishiro said. "If you want to know, I can have the ANBU find out."
Yakumo paused, then shook her head. "Never mind. I failed her."
Ishiro quickly changed the subject. "Don't say that. Have you ever wondered why this monster was born inside you?"
He didn't want her dwelling on Kurenai. It was bad for the brainwashing.
Yakumo looked at him, her voice urgent. "I don't know. Lord Tsuchikage, do you?"
This was the question at the heart of it all. Why her? Why was she the one with a monster?
Ishiro said, "Because you live in this flawed world."
Yakumo was confused. A flawed world?
Ishiro looked up at the sky, his gaze distant. "The world we live in is dark, Yakumo. The sun is hot, but it can only scatter the darkness outside. It cannot scatter the darkness within men's hearts."
Yakumo felt the conversation had suddenly become very profound.
"Ever since the Sage of Six Paths founded Ninshū, this world has not known a single day of peace. The Sage spread chakra hoping that people would come to understand one another, but that was never realistic.
"Ninja, possessing power beyond normal men, naturally refuse to follow mundane rules. Many try to use their power to break the existing rules, to place themselves above the rules, and to create new rules in their own image.
"Thus, conflict was born. The world has never been peaceful since. First, it was civil war within Ninshū. Then, it was war between the clans. And now, it has escalated to massive wars between the great villages."
Yakumo thought. "Can't we just... stop everyone from fighting?"
Ishiro shook his head. "Ninja train to gain power. They gain power to gain benefits. To stop them from fighting is to stop them from seeking their own interests. Who is willing to give up what is theirs? Who doesn't want a better life?"
Yakumo felt that made sense. But... what did it have to do with her?
Ishiro continued, "For a thousand years, the clan mentality has been deeply ingrained. If a strong person emerges from a clan, the entire clan benefits. So, when your clansmen learned of your talent, they placed all their expectations on you.
"But your parents didn't want you to bear that burden.
"So, as you grew, two different personalities formed. One is the you that we see, loved by her parents, living a carefree life. The other... is a Yakumo who grew up on her clan's expectations. She is resilient, she craves power, and she is ambitious for the future."
Yakumo fell into deep thought.
Just then, Ishiro added softly, "And perhaps... it wasn't just the clan's expectations that nourished her. But your parents' expectations, too."
Yakumo stiffened. Memories of her childhood flashed through her mind.
Back then, in her parents' eyes... she had seen the loving desire to shield her from the world, but also... a desperate hope that she would become strong and restore their clan.
After a moment, Yakumo said, "Lord Tsuchikage... thank you. Thank you for helping me understand."
Ishiro smiled. "Whatever the future holds, you are a member of this village now. As Tsuchikage, it's my duty to look after the younger generation. Besides, I'm the one who brought you from Konoha. If I don't look after you, who will?"
After another long silence, Yakumo asked, "Lord Tsuchikage... do you have a way to end this conflict?"
"If the conflict ends... maybe no one else will have to be unfortunate, like me."
Ishiro smiled. "I do. If I didn't, why would I bother being Tsuchikage? If I weren't striving for that goal, how would I be any different from those who start wars for their own selfish ambitions?"
He paused. "I have chosen two paths to end this.
"First, unify the shinobi world. Let there be only one village, so that all conflict becomes like the Chunin Exams, instead of this... this slaughter of tens of thousands.
"Second, find a common enemy for all shinobi. Under that external pressure, all infighting will cease. Everyone will aim their strength at this one enemy."
Yakumo asked, "This common enemy... is it Konoha?"
Ishiro shook his head. "What are you thinking? Konoha is part of the shinobi world. They are an object of my unification, not my enemy.
"The common enemy I speak of is an invader, like the 'Rabbit Goddess,' Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"They want to destroy our world from its very roots. They are the true enemy."
Yakumo was stunned. "But... but the newspaper said the Sage of Six Paths defeated her?"
"That's true," Ishiro said. "Kaguya is sealed inside the moon. The Sage's brother guards her there. But... who said Kaguya was alone?"
Yakumo gasped. "She... she had accomplices?"
Ishiro nodded. "She did. And more than one. And these powerful, god-like beings still covet our home. Some are even stronger than Kaguya."
"And that's not all. Kaguya has been sealed for thousands of years... but she's still alive. And there is a force in this world right now trying to free her and destroy everything."
"How is that possible?" Yakumo whispered. "How can anyone live for thousands of years?"
Ishiro was quiet for a moment. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. I know of seven beings who have been alive since that era."
Yakumo swallowed. She felt like Ishiro was telling her a fairy tale.
Ishiro said, "You've heard of the three great Sage regions, correct? They each have a Great Sage who has lived since the time of the Sage of Six Paths. The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku even taught the Sage of Six Paths how to use Sage Art."
Yakumo's grades were good. She knew of the Sage regions. The Iwa textbooks described them as "hoarders of Sage Art," and that the "great and brilliant Fourth Tsuchikage" had broken their monopoly and developed Iwa's own method.
She looked at the faint orange markings around Ishiro's eyes. "Sage Art... is that what you're using now?"
Ishiro nodded. "Maintaining Sage Mode for long periods extends one's life. That's why I'm almost always in this state."
He continued, "Besides those three, there is Kaguya, and the Sage of Six Paths and his brother."
Yakumo's jaw dropped. "The... the Sage of Six Paths is... alive?"
He was a legend. To hear he was real and alive... this was a greater shock than hearing about Kaguya.
Ishiro nodded. "Yes. I have met both brothers. But... the Sage's brother, Hamura, has passed on. By the way, Neji-kun also met him. He learned a method to become stronger from him."
"Neji-kun?" Yakumo felt a pang of envy for her talented peer.
She was dazed. "Wait... you said seven. Who's the last one?"
"The seventh," Ishiro said, "is the one trying to free Kaguya. He has also been alive since that era. I have fought his puppets, but never the man himself. He is... a cunning, patient, and deeply hidden enemy."
It took a long time for Yakumo to process this story.
"Lord Tsuchikage..." she said, "all this time... while we've been playing 'ninja'... you've been fighting this?"
Ishiro smiled and ruffled her hair. "I am the Tsuchikage. It is my duty to shield the village from these dangers. In the future, when you are grown and have inherited the Will of Stone, it will be your turn to shield the next generation."
At that moment, in Yakumo's eyes, Ishiro, smiling in the sunlight, seemed to be glowing.
Bathed in that light, all the confusion in her heart vanished. She had found her purpose.
"Lord Tsuchikage," Yakumo said, her voice firm, "please accept me as your disciple! I want to become an outstanding ninja, just like you! I want to fight those invaders! I want to protect our home!"
Ishiro nodded. "I accept. From this day, you are my disciple."
"Yakumo Kurama... this cruel world brought you misfortune. But it also gave you the hope of becoming one of the strong."
"If you can master the power of that monster inside you, then one day, you, too, can become a strong person... just like your teacher."
Yakumo nodded, her eyes filled with unshakeable resolve.
(End of Chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you