Chapter 212: Kumogakure's Storm Release is Number One in the World!
Inside the Kumo camp...
"Nara-Raikage" sat in the commander's seat, a mountain of scrolls piled on the desk in front of him. These had all been moved from the real Third Raikage's tent, and they covered every imaginable affair of Kumogakure, large and small. It was no exaggeration to say that once he finished reading these, Kumogakure would be as exposed to him as his own backyard.
Amidst the pile was a scroll that only the Raikage himself was permitted to access. He picked it up, and a familiar set of text met his eyes.
'Heh. The A-rank 'Tailed Beast Sealing Method'!'
As he browsed the contents, a cold smile touched his lips. He had now basically confirmed the mastermind's identity. 'Just as I thought. Uchiha Madara and that White Zetsu, Tobi, have their hands in this!'
Konoha used the Four Symbols Seal to seal its Tailed Beast. Even that old root Danzō used the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, a derivative of it. In the current era, the only factions that possessed these specific Uzumaki sealing techniques were, as far as he knew, himself (thanks to Madara's decoy base) and Madara.
'Of course, I can't completely rule out Konoha... That old root Danzō, in the name of the Will of Fire, has done countless filthy things. Who knows if he's committed treason...'
His brow furrowed. He instinctively wanted to rule out Konoha, but he had to admit Danzō was a viable suspect. Don't ask why. If you have to ask, the answer is "Number One Scapegoat of the Ninja World."
'Regardless. Whether Danzō is involved or not, I can't let my guard down around him. As soon as I get the chance, I'll kill that old root!'
He set the scroll aside and began to inspect the others. He picked up another, and the musty, ancient scent of rock wafted from it.
'Hm? A contact scroll from the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki? Iwa and Kumo are really allied?'
He quickly scanned the contents. It was all the usual political nonsense: "Konoha is too powerful," "We must join forces," "Splitting the spoils after the war..."
'I just don't get it... I fight so I can live a peaceful life. But these ninja have been slaughtering each other from the Warring States period all the way to the Third Great Ninja War... what's the point?'
He tossed Ōnoki's letter aside and picked up another.
'Well, I'll be. The Third Mizukage? This 'invisible man' also sent a request?'
He checked the Mizukage's letter. It was far more detailed than Ōnoki's and included a very specific piece of intel: The Shadow of Darkness's team has a member of the Hyūga main family! And after this, a clear objective for the spoils of war: One pair of Byakugan, to be split one eye each for Kumo and Kiri.
'The Hyūga? The Byakugan?' Keisuke was stunned. 'Kumo's surprise attack on the Land of Hot Water, and Kiri's sudden entry into the war... their true target... was Retsu's Byakugan?'
As surprising as it was, he had to admit it made sense. For any village outside Konoha, the Byakugan was an irresistible prize, a true "divine weapon" in wartime. And in the original timeline, Kumo's obsession with the Byakugan would continue long after this war, leading to the "Hyūga Affair."
He put the pieces together. Ōnoki (revenge for the Five-Tails), the Third Mizukage (controlled by Madara), and the Third Raikage (lust for the Byakugan) had all allied. As for Suna... they were just "fishing in troubled waters." Their Kazekage was gone, their Jinchuriki was locked up, and their elite forces had been captured by him. They were just opportunistically tagging along.
'The Third Mizukage...' Keisuke's gaze lingered on the scroll. If he remembered correctly, the Third Mizukage's relationship with Madara was analogous to the Fourth Mizukage's relationship with Obito. 'The Kazekage is always getting solo'd... and the Mizukage is always being manipulated. The suspicion on Madara just gets stronger and stronger...'
He was about to continue reading when a loud crash echoed from outside. He frowned, listening for a moment. Hearing no ensuing panic, he chose to wait. A few moments later, Dodai and several other Kumo ninja entered, carrying a massive, ornate pot and an equally giant sealing scroll.
"Lord Third! The village has used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to send the items you requested!"
"Bring them in," the "Nara-Raikage's" calm voice replied.
They placed the items on the floor and were about to leave.
"Wait," Keisuke commanded. "Unseal that scroll and take all the data out. I'll review it later."
Though the order was strange, Dodai complied. He undid the seal, and a mountain of individual jutsu scrolls tumbled out. After neatly stacking them, he and the others finally left.
Keisuke's attention was immediately drawn to the massive pot. He stood up, walked over, and placed his hand on its crimson shell.
[SS-Rank Ninja Tool Detected: [Amber Purifying Pot]!]
[SS-Rank Ninja Tool: Amber Purifying Pot]
[Description: One of the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths! It uses the power of words as the key to its seal!]
[Effect: 1. Call the target's name. If they respond, the pot will absorb and seal them. 2. Can hold a maximum of SS+-rank chakra energy.]
[Evaluation: I call out your name, do you dare to answer?]
'This tool is just ridiculous,' he thought, recalling the other Treasured Tools. 'Not just this SS-rank pot, but the Seven-Star Sword, the Crimson Gourd, the Golden Canopy Rope... they all use words as their attack! The only exception is the Bashōsen... but my Gunbai can only reflect as Wind Style, while that fan can use all five elements... This is just absurd. Anything connected to that family is broken!'
He tore his gaze away from the pot and focused on the pile of scrolls. For a "normal" ninja like him, knowledge was more reliable. He walked over and placed his hand on the pile.
[A-Rank Ninja Tool Detected: [Kumo Sealing Scroll]!]
'Well. I guess I shouldn't have expected Kumo's inheritance to be as rich as the Senju clan's...' he sighed. In this world of bloodlines, Kumogakure was the odd one out. The only ones in their history connected to the Sage were a pair of infamous criminals. 'Well, I just hope their jutsu collection has a few surprises...'
He touched the scrolls, and the panel messages streamed past.
[S-Rank Technique Detected: [Heavenly Transfer Technique]. Learn?]
[S-Rank Technique Detected: [Storm Release: Storm Demon Dragon]...]
[...A-Rank Miscellaneous: [Storm Release Chakra Creation Method]...]
[...A-Rank Miscellaneous: [Lava Release Chakra Creation Method]...]
[...A-Rank Technique: [Lightning Release: Black Lightning]...]
[...A-Rank Technique: [Storm Release: Thunder Cloud Inner Wave]...]
[...A-Rank Taijutsu: [Super Vibrato Lightning Sword]...]
[...B-Rank Technique: [Lightning Release Chakra Mode]...]
[...]
The list went on and on. But Keisuke, having only glanced at it, let out a small sigh.
'Only two S-rank jutsu?'
'As I thought. No one is as sweet as my fat sheep...'
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