Chapter 25: Be My Slave
"Bathed in lightning... is that the Lightning Release Chakra Mode?" The Grass elite Jōnin stared in shock at Neji. He recognized the signature secret technique of the Hidden Cloud, but his mind immediately rejected the possibility. "No, impossible!"
There were only a handful of shinobi in the entire Hidden Cloud who could use the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. The boy in front of him was from Konoha; there was no way he could have learned it.
Neji was annoyed. He had deliberately avoided using the technique for two reasons.
First, it consumed a massive amount of chakra. At his current level, he could only maintain it for about three minutes. It wasn't a short time—even a giant like Ultraman only got three minutes—but it was a significant drain.
Second, if he was going to frame Konoha for this, he couldn't use the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, nor could he use Black Lightning. Anyone with a keen eye would be able to connect those two secret techniques to the Hidden Cloud.
But now, his secret was out.
Although... if I kill them all, then it's not exposed.
Neji's eyes narrowed.
"Six Grass-nin left."
"I have forty percent of my chakra remaining. I can only maintain the Lightning Release Chakra Mode for another minute and a half. I have to end this quickly."
Having made his decision, Neji took a deep breath. The brilliant blue lightning coiling around his right arm suddenly turned black, a violent and oppressive aura radiating outwards.
The moment the Black Lightning appeared, the Grass elite Jōnin's face went pale with terror. "I'll hold him off! The rest of you, retreat! Find Ryurin!"
Before his words had even faded, Neji vanished. He reappeared in front of the injured Tokubetsu Jōnin, his hand, wreathed in black lightning, clamping around the man's neck and lifting him into the air.
"You bastard! Let him go!" the elite Jōnin roared, his eyes shot with blood.
He then saw a cruel smile spread across Neji's lips.
With a slight squeeze, a sickening crack echoed through the clearing. The Tokubetsu Jōnin's neck was snapped.
Swoosh!
The elite Jōnin's eyes looked ready to burst from their sockets. He drew the ninjatō from his back and charged.
But Neji had no intention of meeting him head-on. He used the Body Flicker Technique, moving between the four remaining Grass-nin and snuffing out their lives with ease.
There are two types of Body Flicker. One is a physical technique, a form of nintaijutsu. This is what the vast majority of shinobi use. The other is a space-time technique, which is much faster and more versatile. Very few ninja in history have ever mastered it.
In his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Neji's body was pushed to its absolute physical limits. His physical Body Flicker was more than twice as fast as it was in his normal state. The Grass elite Jōnin couldn't even keep up, forced to watch as Neji slaughtered his comrades.
After dealing with the four remaining Grass-nin, Neji was left with about twenty percent of his chakra.
He turned to face the elite Jōnin.
The man stared back at him.
Without a word, they charged at each other.
Two piercing shrieks tore through the air, a sound so sharp it felt like it could shred anything in its path. In an instant, the fallen leaves between them were disintegrated by the force of their clash.
CLANG!
Sword met palm.
A shockwave of raw power exploded outwards.
Neji's right hand gripped the blade of the sword tightly, blood trickling from his palm. The Jōnin's katana was coated in a layer of pale blue chakra, which was just barely holding back the corrosive power of the Black Lightning. It was the only reason he had dared to clash with Neji directly.
The Grass Jōnin stared at Neji, who was now only inches away, his mind reeling with confusion. This particular nature transformation of lightning chakra... it looked just like the Hidden Cloud's secret technique, Black Lightning. How could this boy have learned it?
But Neji didn't give him much time to think.
He tightened his grip on the blade, and with a surge, he unleashed a tenth of his remaining chakra at point-blank range.
Lightning Release: Chidori Current!
Arcs of black electricity filled the night, engulfing the Grass Jōnin like a swarm of venomous snakes.
"Gah!"
The sudden assault of Black Lightning sent a terrifying, paralyzing sensation through his body. He lost all control of his limbs, becoming a lamb to the slaughter.
"Be my slave!"
Neji slowly reached out his hand, gathering the small amount of spiritual energy he had left and implanting the Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart into the man.
With that done, Neji deactivated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. His chakra was almost completely depleted.
The Grass elite Jōnin stood frozen in front of him, the hatred in his eyes slowly fading into a calm emptiness.
This was the second time Neji had used the Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart, and the first time on a living person. He was beginning to understand it better. The principle was similar to that of the Shadow Clone and other advanced clone jutsu. The Tenseigan separated the user's chakra and spiritual energy into an independent entity, which could then be used to control a "puppet."
The Shadow Clone Jutsu may have only been a B-rank ninjutsu, but in terms of sheer utility, no other technique could compare. It was worth noting that not even the Sharingan, the Byakugan, or even Kaguya's Rinne Sharingan could truly see through a Shadow Clone.
Neji tried to communicate with the Grass-nin in front of him. The man's once-hateful gaze now looked at Neji with something akin to reverence.
The next moment, he dropped to one knee. "Master!"
"Rise," Neji said, nodding with satisfaction. He then closed his eyes and, through the chakra sphere inside the man's body, began to read his memories.
A short while later, Neji opened his eyes, a look of disappointment on his face.
As he had suspected, the Box of Ultimate Bliss had been taken to Hozuki Castle by Mui three years ago. Yugito's search would be fruitless.
Unwilling to give up completely, Neji continued to sift through the man's memories, trying to find any other useful intelligence or secret jutsu. The Village Hidden in the Grass made its living selling information and stealing the techniques of other nations. There was bound to be something of value.
A few moments later, Neji's eyes snapped open, a look of unrestrained joy on his face.
An unexpected prize!
No, wait... thinking about the timeline, of course they would be in the Hidden Grass.
"Shōshirō," Neji commanded, "take me to see that mother and daughter."
"Yes, Master."
The Village Hidden in the Grass had, since the Warring States Period, been split between the pro-war "Fruit of the Grass" faction and the anti-war "Flower of the Grass" faction. The two were irreconcilable, occupying the northern and southern districts of the village, respectively. The northern complex Neji had just infiltrated was the headquarters of the "Fruit of the Grass."
Meanwhile, in an office building in the southern district.
A black cat leaped from a rooftop onto a windowsill and deftly squeezed through a small opening. It landed silently on the floor, and its body suddenly expanded. The black fur disappeared, replaced by a black samurai-style uniform.
The cat was, in fact, Yugito, who had successfully infiltrated using the Transformation Jutsu.
In the darkness, Yugito's eyes gleamed as she carefully examined the office. It was a small room, about thirty square meters, with a few bookshelves and a desk. The shelves were filled with scrolls, but they were all standard elemental jutsu, nothing of interest to her.
She walked over to the desk and examined the locked cabinet.
Click.
Yugito extended a long, sharp cat's claw from her index finger, inserted it into the lock, and easily picked it open.
"Uchiha-style Kenjutsu."
"Suna Basic Puppetry."
"Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai Research."