Chapter 117: A-Rank Secret Scroll Reward!
Grass—a village, and a country.
Nara Keisuke clearly knew the significance and role of the Kannabi Bridge campaign in the Third Great Ninja War. It was no exaggeration to say that this was a small-scale battle that changed the entire war situation! As for the certain "heroic youth" who "died" in that campaign, who later went on to change the situation in Konoha, in Kirigakure, and even triggered the future Fourth Great Ninja War... that was a story for another time.
Keisuke had never relaxed his attention on the Kannabi Bridge campaign. But he had originally thought it would take place either in the Land of Fire or the Land of Earth. He had never expected it to be in the Land of Grass... So it really is the great nations fighting while the small countries suffer, isn't it?
If I'm dispatched to the Land of Grass, will I accidentally get mixed up in Uchiha Madara's "child abduction plan" later on...
Nara Keisuke put away the map scroll in his hand and then passed it to Uchiha Shisui at his side. 'Hmm, it's hard to say. When it comes to the love in one's heart, Shisui has love too...'
"Arigato, Captain." Uchiha Shisui had no idea what his squad leader was thinking. He took the map scroll of the Land of Grass and also began to read it quickly.
Seeing that Keisuke's squad was about to turn the Hokage's office into a reading room, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but speak up. "This is the payment for this A-rank mission. Who's going to collect it?"
"Shisui, stop reading." Keisuke nudged his teammate with his elbow. "Go get the money."
"Oh, oh, my apologies." The obedient Uchiha Shisui quickly closed the scroll in his hand, took two steps forward, and accepted the mission payment from Lord Hokage's hands.
Seeing this scene, Hiruzen inexplicably felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
After collecting the mission reward, Nara Keisuke's squad immediately exited the Hokage's Office. The reward money for an A-rank mission far exceeded that of a D-rank one. Although Keisuke looked down on this little bit of money, whether it was Shisui, Retsu, or Shizune, they were all very satisfied with the generous payment.
Below the Hokage's Office, the squad split the money.
"Captain, how about I treat for today's meal?" Shizune brought up her small mistake from before. "Just as we agreed last time, we'll let Hyūga-san decide the location."
Before Keisuke had time to respond, Hyūga Retsu at his side enthusiastically said, "Alright!"
"...Then what are we eating today?" Keisuke replied, a beat too late. "Fried chicken?"
"No. I like fried chicken very much, but eating too much of it at once will decrease my enjoyment of it." Hyūga Retsu, for once, said a long string of words, which sounded quite reasonable. "I want to eat yakiniku today! Yakiniku Q isn't too far from here; we can get there quickly."
Shizune squeezed her purse. "N-No problem."
"Um, Shizune, can you get yakiniku to go?"
"Absolutely not!"
After a hearty meal.
Sent off by the young proprietress of Yakiniku Q, who was grinning from ear to ear, Keisuke's squad dispersed on the spot, each heading back to their own homes to enjoy the brief vacation after the mission.
Creating a [Shadow Creature], Nara Keisuke sat on its back and flew slowly towards Kikyo Castle.
In mid-air.
Keisuke took out the [Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique] scroll. After an internal discussion, the A-rank ninjutsu scroll would be kept by the squad leader for the time being, and then passed on to the other team members to learn in an orderly fashion later.
"The [Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique] rewarded by the Hokage. It seems this A-rank ninjutsu can be used openly from now on." Keisuke gently rubbed the surface of the scroll in his hand. "I'll have to give this scroll to the family later. The Clan Head should also like this A-rank ninjutsu... However, first the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique], and then this. Regardless of what happens behind the scenes, just looking at this matter alone, the Third Hokage can still be described as 'generous and magnanimous.' It's just a pity that the root buried in the darkness doesn't know the thoughts of the leaf bathed in the sun..."
Keisuke shook his head, put away the scroll, and in turn, called up his panel. One week spent to complete an A-rank mission, rewarded with one A-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll].
"A time-consuming and tedious A-rank commissioned mission like this is still not as satisfying as a combat mission." Keisuke looked at the A-rank scroll on his panel. "It's just that combat missions have a cooldown time, while commissioned missions don't... which is another advantage. Let's see what's in this scroll first!"
With a thought, Keisuke directly opened the [Shinobi Secret Scroll] on his panel.
[Opening...]
[Contents of this A-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll: Technique]
[A-rank Technique: Clone Great Explosion]
[Technique Description: A threatening shadow! Lure the prey close, then detonate directly!]
[Technique Effect: Use chakra to create a clone with a physical body. The clone can be detonated by the user by controlling the timing. The scale of the explosion is very large.]
[Technique Evaluation: I will bomb them with everything I have!]
"Another clone..." Keisuke was slightly taken aback, but when he saw the name of the technique clearly, he couldn't help but be surprised. "A-rank technique [Clone Great Explosion]? A suicide bomber?"
Under normal circumstances, the [Clone Great Explosion] could only produce a single attack effect. However... Nara Keisuke pulled up his own technique ability list and looked at the A-rank technique he had acquired long ago.
[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique]!
"The numerous [Multiple Shadow Clone Technique], paired with the self-destructing [Clone Great Explosion]." Keisuke rubbed his chin. "What Explosion Corps does Iwagakure have?! I alone am the Explosion Corps!"
Keisuke knew that if he were to replace the [Clone Great Explosion] with the equally A-rank [Mutual Multiplication Paper Bomb], then his "one-man-army version of the Explosion Corps" would be an instant kill. But it couldn't be replaced.
But thinking about it from another angle. "If in some future A-rank mission, I get the [Mutual Multiplication Paper Bomb] from a scroll..." Keisuke felt as if he had detected an incoming fusion strike. "[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique], stacked with [Clone Great Explosion], and then loaded with [Mutual Multiplication Paper Bomb]!"
"Nuclear peace comes from strength!"
The [Shadow Creature] flew through the walls of Kikyo Castle. The main gate, which had long since been repaired, no longer showed any signs of the damage from the attack. Keisuke controlled the [Shadow Creature], landed in the Kikyo Orphanage, and was, as expected, greeted by a wave of attention.
"Big Brother Nara is back!"
"What a cool bird!"
"Big Brother Nara, can I touch your—"
Keisuke pretended not to hear the innocent words of these children. Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he and Yakushi Nono'o shared a generous hug. "Sister Nono'o, I'm back."
Nono'o shyly pushed him away and said softly, "It's good that everything went smoothly."
He had been away on a mission, but not much had changed at the orphanage. The only thing worth noting was that under Nono'o's meticulous guidance, Yakushi Kabuto had not only successfully learned to mold and control chakra, but had also learned a simple D-rank medical ninjutsu.
With incomparable skill, Kabuto held a kitchen knife, twisted the neck of a rooster, and used the knife to make a 2.5 mm wound on its neck. The rooster's wings flapped up and down, but it couldn't escape his hand. He put down the knife and concentrated for a moment. A pale green light appeared on his right palm and pressed against the rooster's neck from a distance. The wound, which had been bleeding profusely, quickly stopped and healed under the effect of the Yang Release chakra.
The rooster "clucked" miserably.
Yakushi Kabuto released the little chicken, raised his small face, and looked at Nara Keisuke with great expectation.
"Very good, Kabuto," Keisuke said with a smile, giving a thumbs-up. "Your talent in medical ninjutsu is much stronger than most medical ninja I've seen!"
His praise was absolutely sincere. Kabuto's learning ability and talent were truly the kind that could rank among the top in the history of the ninja world!
"It's all because the Matron taught me well," Kabuto said, lowering his head a little shyly.
"This is a talent bestowed upon you by heaven, Kabuto." Nono'o raised her hand and picked off a few chicken feathers that had fallen on him. "You must make good use of your ability and master its power."
"I understand." Kabuto nodded seriously, firmly committing the Matron's words to heart.
"Kabuto, besides medical ninjutsu, do you know any other techniques?" Keisuke recalled the topic he had missed before and took the initiative to ask. "Has Sister Nono'o told you about chakra natures?"
"Yes, the Matron gave me a small white paper before," Kabuto replied meticulously. "The test results were wind, earth, and also water."
"A three-natured—no, a four-natured talent. That's very impressive," Keisuke nodded slightly. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. Let me give you another small gift. Wind, earth, and water. Choose one, and I'll give you a ninjutsu."
"Keisuke." Nono'o frowned and spoke up to remind him, "You're being too good to Kabuto."
"Because Kabuto has excellent talent," Keisuke said, unconcerned. "If the other children's ninja talent can compare to his, I can give them a few more ninjutsu as well. I don't expect the children to become some outstanding ninja in the future, strong enough to protect others or the village. But at the very least, after obtaining the power of chakra, they can use this power to protect themselves."
Hearing this, Nono'o reluctantly nodded. What she cared about was not some ninja. It was that if Keisuke showed too much favoritism towards Kabuto, it would cause dissatisfaction among the other children in the orphanage.
"Kabuto, have you thought about what ninjutsu you want to learn?" Keisuke looked at him, waiting for his reply.
The reason he valued Kabuto so much was, on one hand, because the other's talent was indeed outstanding. On the other hand, this was a child raised in "his own family"! When Kabuto grew up, he would definitely be a good tool-man, no less than Uchiha Shisui! This was Keisuke's true purpose.
"Actually, um..." Kabuto cautiously glanced at the Matron. "Big Brother Nara, in the future, I want to become a ninja just like you."
"A ninja like me?" Keisuke thought for a moment, then let out a light laugh. "I know what ninjutsu to teach you. To be precise, it's a nin-taijutsu."
(Author's Note:)
The [Clone Great Explosion] is an A-rank ninjutsu used by Uchiha Itachi in Asagiri no Kikyō (Return on the Morning Mist). Although I highly suspect this is just a "Fire Release" nature [Shadow Clone], analogous to Kakashi's "Lightning Release: Lightning Clone" used in the Pain's Assault arc. (Of course, it could also be a Water Release clone, the scene looks a bit like water...). But since the databooks don't specify, I won't expand on the setting for the [Clone Great Explosion].
(End of Chapter)
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