Chapter 4: A-Rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!
"What? Shadows!?"
Staring at the dense mass of shadow tentacles surging from beneath Nara Keisuke, Ōishi was startled.
"You brat... you're a member of the Nara clan?"
As the one responsible for spying on Kikyo Castle, Ōishi had a general understanding of the shadow secret arts mastered by the Nara clan.
The Iwagakure spy subconsciously wanted to raise his right hand and gather chakra—to use either Camouflage Concealment or the Body Flicker Technique, anything to avoid direct contact with the kid's shadow.
But just then, Ōishi suddenly felt as if his arm was shouldering a thousand-pound weight. Forget about making the gesture to gather chakra; even lifting his arm was extremely difficult.
"It was that explosive tag from earlier! And the flashbang!"
Ōishi was, after all, an elite Jōnin from Iwagakure. He immediately understood the cause of the situation, but by now, it was too late.
In his [Lacquer Eye] state, Nara Keisuke's control over his shadow secret arts had reached a level of complete mastery. He had already used their overlapping shadows to firmly control his opponent.
[D-Rank Secret Technique: Shadow Paralysis Jutsu]
Jutsu Description: The fundamental secret shadow art of the Nara clan.
Jutsu Effect: By creating corresponding Yin Release chakra from one's own spiritual energy and infusing it into a shadow, one can shape and manipulate the shadow to overlap with a target's shadow, thereby restricting the target's ability to move.
Jutsu Evaluation: You stay right here. Don't move.
For a high-level ninja, the control effect of the [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu] was not absolute. The simplest and most direct way to break free was to rely on one's own brute force. If Ōishi were in his peak condition, it wouldn't have been too difficult for him to break free from Nara Keisuke's [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu].
But his current injuries were far too severe. Trying to break free with brute force was nothing but a fool's dream!
Moreover, Nara Keisuke had no intention of giving this Iwagakure spy who had invaded Kikyo Castle much time for nonsense. If he couldn't end the battle before the flashbang's light faded, then he would be the one in a desperate situation!
Therefore, after controlling the enemy with the [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu], Nara Keisuke decisively gathered more Yin Release chakra and infused it into his shadow. The shadow tentacles beneath him became thicker and more solid.
[B-Rank Secret Technique: Shadow Sewing Technique]
Jutsu Description: At the user's request, the shadow transforms into sharp blades.
Jutsu Effect: Materializes one's own shadow into hard, sharp shadow blades, achieving a dual purpose of attack and capture. It can also attack multiple targets simultaneously.
Jutsu Evaluation: The unseen blade is the deadliest!
The shadow tentacles, following Nara Keisuke's will, scrambled to fly towards the enemy's position. On closer inspection, one would find that the tips of these bundled shadows had already transformed into shadow blades shimmering with a cold, dark light!
Psh-psh-psh—
With a series of hair-raising thuds, Ōishi's body, like a broken rag doll, was pierced with multiple wounds by the dense shadow blades. The unwilling light in his eyes dissipated into the deep night along with the last glimmer of the flashbang.
A few new messages quietly refreshed on the panel, indicating the mission was complete.
[You have killed the B-Rank Shinobi Combat Mission target!]
[[B-Rank Mission: Iwagakure Spy] is complete!]
[First-time mission completion, mission reward quality has been upgraded by one tier!]
[You have obtained one A-Rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]. Opening it will grant a random A-Rank quality Jutsu, Shinobi Tool, or other miscellaneous item.]
'My... mission... is complete!'
Seeing the notification pop up on the panel, Nara Keisuke's highly tensed nerves suddenly relaxed. The lacquer-black shadow in his eyes silently faded as he exited the [Lacquer Eye] state, and the solidified shadow blades dissipated into the air.
Nara Keisuke's [Wisdom] attribute was only C-rank to begin with. To defeat the enemy, he had first forcibly used his self-developed A-rank jutsu, [Lacquer Eye], and then followed up with the D-rank [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu] and the B-rank [Shadow Sewing Technique].
At this moment, Nara Keisuke felt his vision darkening and an intense wave of sleepiness washing over his mind. His spiritual energy had been consumed too drastically in the recent battle.
'Thanks to the chakra pathway system model provided by the <
Nara Keisuke took a few gasping breaths, forcing himself to stay alert and not collapse onto Tsunade's back.
'The [Wisdom] attribute is secondary. The key is that my [Stamina] attribute is too low! A D-rank evaluation corresponds to a Genin, so an E-rank [Stamina] is probably the level of a student who just entered the academy!'
The "shadow chakra" that the Nara clan used to manipulate their [Shadow Secret Arts] was essentially a form of "Yin Release chakra" created solely through spiritual energy. To stabilize the jutsu's effect, this "shadow chakra" would almost instinctively seek supplementation from physical energy during its use, regardless of friend or foe—this was also the basic principle of the [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu].
To execute a [Shadow Secret Art] of sufficient strength and stability, the user not only needed to invest a significant amount of spiritual energy but also had to actively provide a certain degree of physical energy. Even though the consumption of the user's own physical energy during the execution of [Shadow Secret Arts] was minimal, Nara Keisuke's own [Stamina] attribute was simply too poor!
This was the fundamental reason he had previously considered his "shinobi talent to be not ideal."
A low [Stamina] attribute meant he lacked sufficient physical constitution and cellular activity, and thus couldn't refine enough physical energy. The lack of physical energy led to insufficient reserves for refining standard chakra, which in turn resulted in a lack of power in conventional ninjutsu and taijutsu. Even worse, with insufficient basic chakra to enhance his physical condition, Nara Keisuke's motor functions and combat mobility would be disastrously deficient!
Before today, the [Jutsu Abilities] Nara Keisuke had mastered, aside from his family's inherited shadow arts, were only the basic "Three Academy Techniques," and even those he couldn't use freely and smoothly. On this point, even Might Guy, who had long since graduated from the academy, could say, "My skill with the Three Academy Techniques is superior to yours"...
This was why Nara Keisuke, despite being in the same cohort as people like Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, didn't graduate from the academy until he was 12. His academic imbalance was just too severe!
In the shinobi world, a pure taijutsu-type warrior still had a path to walk. But a pure ninjutsu-type stationary turret couldn't even make it out of the starting village!
'Fortunately, I've finally completed the [Lacquer Eye] jutsu. The effect of being able to perfectly control my own Yin Release chakra means I won't need to consume extra physical energy when using [Shadow Secret Arts] in the future.'
'From now on, I just need to focus on how to supplement and enhance my physical energy... not to mention I have the <
Nara Keisuke suppressed his excitement and silently summarized the experience he had gained from this real combat mission. Besides one A-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll], a few other notifications had just refreshed on the virtual panel.
[You have self-developed one A-Rank jutsu [Lacquer Eye]. Your [Ninjutsu] and [Wisdom] attributes have been enhanced! Your Overall Evaluation has increased!]
[Ninjutsu: C → B-]
[Wisdom: C- → C]
[Overall Evaluation: D-Rank (Genin) → C-Rank (Chūnin)]
'The increase in overall evaluation doesn't bring any tangible benefits, so it's not very significant.'
'The key is that I've figured out a way to increase my stats! Learning and developing ninjutsu, and increasing my knowledge and experience, can raise my spiritual energy, which is [Wisdom]!'
After receiving the panel information, Nara Keisuke's mood became even more cheerful, and his spirits revived.
'Oh right, there's still that A-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!'
Taking a deep breath, Nara Keisuke opened the A-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll] on the virtual panel with a thought.
[Opening...]
[The content recorded in this A-Rank Shinobi Secret Scroll is: Jutsu]
[A-Rank Secret Technique: Camouflage Concealment]
Jutsu Description: The jutsu for Iwagakure's super-advanced invisibility technique.
Jutsu Effect: Through fine chakra control over the water molecules in the air, wrap them around the body's surface to eliminate refracted light and one's own presence, thereby making the entire body transparent.
Jutsu Evaluation: Transparent Human
'Super-advanced invisibility jutsu [Camouflage Concealment]!'
As Nara Keisuke was reviewing the jutsu's information, he suddenly heard a weak call from in front of him.
"Na-Nara..."
Tsunade's voice was still trembling noticeably, a clear sign she hadn't yet broken free from her hemophobia.
"Is the enemy dealt with?"
Ever since her vision was blocked by Nara Keisuke, the only external information Tsunade could receive, aside from the warm, steady small hands over her eyes, were the fragmented sounds caught by her ears. Deep in a state of panic, Tsunade hadn't heard any other loud noises for a while besides the obvious explosions of the explosive tag and flashbang, and she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
If not for those small hands still being warm, Tsunade would have suspected that Nara Keisuke had already...
"The battle is over. It's just that the scene is a bit ugly."
Nara Keisuke came back to his senses, closed the panel, and glanced at the spy's corpse in front of them.
"Should I let go now?"
"Don't!"
Tsunade exclaimed, subconsciously raising her hand to press down on the back of Nara Keisuke's hand. But the moment their skin touched, she recoiled as if shocked by electricity.
A Sannin, actually needing the comfort and support of a child...
Tsunade, oh Tsunade, how could you have fallen so low!
"...Was I particularly ugly and unsightly just now?"
After a moment of silence, Tsunade asked in a hoarse voice.
"I'm a medical-nin, yet the moment I see blood I..."
"A ninja is someone who possesses extraordinary endurance."
"Because you are a medical-nin, because you are the Sannin Princess Tsunade whom everyone relies on and trusts, you must not show any emotion even when facing your own trauma, and can only face the pain alone."
Nara Keisuke looked up at the bright moon in the night sky, carefully choosing his words.
"Fear, weakness, retreat... these are negative emotions that an elite ninja should never display. But to be able to witness the pain of Princess Tsunade, who is supposed to be so strong as to be flawless... I don't find it unsightly. On the contrary, I find it quite pleasant."
Tsunade listened quietly to Nara Keisuke's response. Clearly touched, she bit her lower lip, and the gloom in her heart was inexplicably swept away.
"Nara, you always say such strange things..."
Tsunade let out a breath, her tone becoming noticeably lighter and more cheerful.
"Help me up! The commotion from the battle just now was so intense, someone should have heard it and be heading this way—no! Someone is already here!"
Nara Keisuke first helped Tsunade up, then followed the direction she was listening to. His eyes immediately lit up.
"Sister Nono'o!"
(End of Chapter)