Chapter 91: The Drunken Golden Goose!
'Ninja from Iwagakure have also launched an attack on Konoha tonight?'
Receiving the memory from the [Shadow Doppelganger], Nara Keisuke was slightly stunned, and the action plan that had been continuously forming in his mind was instantly abandoned. At the same time, a cold, resolute face flashed in his mind—it was the Iwagakure spy he had encountered outside Kikyo Castle long ago. The very same ninja who had contributed an A-rank secret scroll, [Camouflage Concealment], to him.
At that time, due to that spy's activity, Keisuke had once believed that Iwagakure would launch a surprise attack on Kikyo Castle in the upcoming Third Great Ninja War. But he had never expected that it wouldn't be until today, in Konoha Year 49, that a ninja unit would attack the castle, and it would be Sunagakure. He had even less expected that Iwagakure's ninja unit would also come tonight, but their target was not Kikyo Castle, but elsewhere.
Also transmitted along with the memory was an urgent message from the clan head. 'Keisuke! Don't get entangled with Sunagakure's Puppet Brigade any longer! The village cannot spare any additional support for now!'
Well, isn't that just great.
Keisuke exclaimed internally. If he had known beforehand that the follow-up troops couldn't catch up, why would he have wasted so much effort playing with Suna's remnants for so long...
Keisuke immediately gave up the plan to continue delaying the Puppet Brigade's movements. He carried the still-unconscious Pakura in his hand and retreated from the deep darkness that the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique] had shrouded the area in.
When he was once again bathed in the faint moonlight, Nara Keisuke's shadow reappeared. Under the control of his will, a [Shadow Creature] instantly took shape from the shade, carrying him and Pakura high into the sky.
Having lost the user's chakra output and maintenance, the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique] covering the land also began to gradually lose its effect at this time, about to release the group of Suna ninja.
Standing atop the freely flying [Shadow Creature], Nara Keisuke seized this final opportunity. He raised his palm, condensed the last of his Yin Release chakra, aimed at Chiyo below, and once again unleashed a—
[Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon]!
Thump!
The familiar strange, dull sound erupted. In the blink of an eye, it crossed more than half the night sky, carrying a ferocious momentum that could smash through bamboo, and ruthlessly bombarded Chiyo's position.
Although she had not yet broken free from the absolute dark environment formed by the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique], Chiyo's ears keenly caught this vaguely familiar sound. The experienced old puppet master unhesitatingly raised her left hand. The components covering her left forearm once again spread out like rays and instantly formed an incomparably sturdy chakra shield.
Puppet Light Shield Seal!
BOOM—!!
A high-pitched roar that could pierce clouds and crack stone erupted once again. The violent airwave caused by the collision of the chakra bullet and the chakra shield directly dispersed the last remnant of the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique]. The bewildered Suna ninja were all revealed under the moonlight.
But just like the last time, the [Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon] still failed to break through the defense of the Puppet Light Shield Seal and completely crush Chiyo.
'The old woman was actually hiding such a move... Both of her hands have been modified into special puppet mechanisms.'
Seeing that the [Shadow Creature] was about to fly out of the combat range, Keisuke, in the moment before the mission failure notification popped up, decisively speed-ran this final combat mission.
[You have speed-run [A-rank Mission: Chiyo]!]
[You have obtained one B-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
The [Shadow Creature] carried Nara Keisuke and Pakura far away. Chiyo, left behind, watched them depart and slowly lowered her trembling left hand. If one were to look closely, one would find that the old puppet master's face was incomparably pale, like a dead person's. Her figure was also swaying, like a candle in the wind.
The protective effect of the Puppet Light Shield Seal was indeed powerful. But correspondingly, the chakra consumption of this defensive technique was also astonishing. If she had used the chakra pre-sealed within a puppet, then Chiyo herself would not have had any consumption. But the one that had just taken two [Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannons] was the shield released through her modified puppet arms. This required the consumption of her own chakra!
For an old ninja over fifty, two consecutive Puppet Light Shield Seal techniques in a short period had almost taken her life! But in the next moment, the surrounding Suna ninja, after checking the situation, said with some difficulty, "Lady Chiyo, we can't find any trace of Lady Pakura... It seems she was abducted by that Konoha ninja."
"Pfft!" Chiyo suddenly sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Her whole person lay on the ground, her breath as faint as a thread, as if she would really die in the next second.
Riding the [Shadow Creature], Nara Keisuke flew rapidly back to Kikyo Castle and, based on the intelligence transmitted back by the [Shadow Doppelganger], brought Pakura back to the clan grounds.
When Keisuke landed from the sky on the [Shadow Creature], the old clan head was forcefully feeding a shouting Ebizō a pill. It was unknown what kind of secret pill Nara Shikano had fed him, but Ebizō's eyes closed, his legs kicked out, and he passed out on the spot.
Seeing this scene, Keisuke didn't know what to say. He could only give a dry laugh. "Uh... Clan Head, you're in good spirits."
"Keisuke, you're back!" Nara Shikano looked at his junior with both surprise and joy and hurriedly came up to him. "You don't know, Ebizō and I are from the same period. In the first two Great Ninja Wars, I fought him several times but was never able to win. I didn't expect him to be captured alive by you tonight..."
As he spoke, Nara Shikano suddenly felt that something was not quite right. If Keisuke could easily capture Ebizō alive, did that mean he could deal with him just as easily? The old clan head comforted himself internally: 'Mm, no need to be so particular among family...'
"The same period?" Keisuke was somewhat surprised. His own clan head had already safely retired, yet Ebizō was still fighting and being captured on the battlefield... Was this a moral decay, or a distortion of human nature?
"Yes, as far as I know, Ebizō is a high-ranking official in Suna's intelligence agency." Nara Shikano nodded, his tone unabatedly excited. "You capturing him alive means we can use this opportunity to dig out a large amount of secret intelligence about Sunagakure from his brain to help us gain more advantages in the war. Keisuke, this is absolutely a great merit!"
Keisuke had no intention of thinking about how great this so-called "great merit" was. He only hoped to use this opportunity to raise his rank... Recalling the reason the clan head had summoned him back, Keisuke asked hurriedly, "Clan Head, what about those Iwagakure ninja?"
"The intelligence just came back from the village. The Iwa ninja launched a surprise attack from the northeast of the village." Nara Shikano stroked his beard and answered methodically, "The defensive forces of the castle over there are no match for Kikyo Castle, and their reaction speed was not as fast as ours. They were breached almost instantly by Iwagakure's Explosion Corps. The casualty situation is still unknown for now, but it should be very serious. However, Lord Third has already led the village's core forces to provide support. The village did not issue a summons to Kikyo Castle, perhaps considering that we also endured a round of attacks... It probably isn't a major problem."
Keisuke nodded, setting aside his worries, and then asked, "But Clan Head, the Suna Puppet Brigade and the Iwa Explosion Corps attacking the small castles around the village on the same night... could there be a problem here?"
"Of course there's a problem. If the Suna and Iwa ninja didn't collude in secret, how could they have such coordinated actions?" Nara Shikano sneered, then showed an indifferent, calm expression. "But what does that have to do with me? I'm just a retired old man. Even if there is a problem, it should be for Shikaku to worry about solving."
What a fine "Nara-Style Secret Technique: Art of Passing the Buck"...
However, Keisuke also nodded. The question he had just asked should be something the village's highest level needed to worry about. What did the solution to such a national matter have to do with a mere Genin like him?
After chatting for a while, Keisuke finally remembered Pakura, whom he had brought back. He released a shadow tentacle to pull her over.
"A kunoichi from Sunagakure?" Nara Shikano looked down at Pakura. But for some reason, his gaze first focused on the streak of orange at the end of her green hair, which looked like highlights. Information about famous Suna ninja circled in his mind, and he quickly recognized her identity. "Keisuke, you actually captured 'Pakura of the Scorch Release' as well?"
"Yes, an unexpected gain." Keisuke nodded, his tone as casual as if he were saying he had picked up a stray cat on the side of the road.
The old clan head's mouth twitched a few times. He had hoped that his family's junior would grow up quickly. But Keisuke's growth rate... was simply like a perverted growth! This was just outrageous, wasn't it?
"A Kekkei Genkai ninja of an elemental release type. This can be considered a very precious 'special resource'," Shikano said, glancing at the unconscious Pakura. "If we were to hand her over to the village, it could also be considered a great merit. Maybe one day in the future, a few ninja with the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai will appear in Konoha."
"Um, Clan Head, about that." Keisuke said, somewhat hesitantly, "Can I keep Pakura for now? And not hand her over to the village for processing? To be honest, I'm quite interested in her Kekkei Genkai ability."
"Of course, no problem," Shikano responded directly to this question. "Pakura was your captive to begin with. No one else in the village gave you any help in this matter. You naturally have the right to dispose of her."
The old clan head did not ask what kind of research Keisuke planned to do with Pakura. He just reasonably provided a private place to hold her.
After handing over the two most important "human resource gains" from this operation to the clan head, Keisuke took his leave. He had originally intended to return directly to the Kikyo Orphanage. But just before leaving, he silently turned in a different direction, heading for the medical research institute, which was closer to the family compound.
Arriving at the institute with familiarity, he went upstairs, pushed the door, and entered the office he had been in countless times. The first thing that rushed into Keisuke's nostrils was an incomparably heavy smell of alcohol. His brow furrowed slightly. He looked towards the window of the office—that was also the place Princess Tsunade liked to be the most.
Faint moonlight filtered through the window screen, draping the small room in a shimmering, silvery-white thin veil. By the window, Princess Tsunade had removed her usual deep green outer robe. The silvery-white moonlight shone on her mostly exposed fair skin. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether the moonlight was too white, or her skin was too white.
Keisuke silently admired the scene of a beauty drinking alone under the moon for a while, then raised his hand, intending to turn on the room's light.
"Don't turn on the light." The blonde-haired Princess Tsunade suddenly spoke, inviting Keisuke, who was at the door. "I know it's you, Nara. Come over, have a few drinks with me."
Keisuke lowered his right hand and stepped forward, avoiding the scattered wine bottles on the floor, while also declining her invitation. "The Three Prohibitions for Ninja, no alcohol."
"Tch!" Tsunade let out a disdainful snort. She held a huge wine bottle, and with an equally huge impact, she suddenly turned around to face him. On her fair and delicate melon-seed face were two scarlet blushes. Her small, full, cherry-pink lips were stained with moist wine, reflecting an alluring luster under the gentle moonlight. And if one's gaze were to follow the fragrant wine dripping down, past the perfectly lined chin, slide over the long, fair neck, pause for a moment at the shallow hollow formed by her delicate collarbones, and continue downwards...
Keisuke had to confess again. He especially had a thing for big-breasted blondes.
Tsunade suddenly sneered. "Coward!" With that, she didn't give Keisuke any time to respond. She took a step forward and crashed into him. "Nara, do you also think I'm a coward?"
The sorrow and frustration that had been accumulating all night seemed to have found an outlet at this moment. The tipsy Tsunade seemed to be treating Keisuke as an all-encompassing tree hollow, revealing her heart without reservation.
"I also want to contribute to the village that my grandfather built."
"I also want to go to the battlefield and protect the village with everyone."
"But just because of that... because of that illness... I can only hide in the rear, doing some insignificant little things!"
"A ninja like this, if not a coward, then what is she?"
Keisuke felt the heavy smell of alcohol Tsunade was exhaling and inconspicuously took a step back. "You're drunk, Tsunade—"
"I'm not drunk!" Tsunade interrupted him. A drunkard would never think they were drunk. She lifted the wine bottle in her hand and took a large swig, swallowing the liquor almost desperately. "I can still keep drinking! Nara, join me!"
Keisuke's brow furrowed. "I don't drink."
Tsunade crashed into him again. "Then I'll accompany you!"
(End of Chapter)
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