Chapter 133: Dual Kekkei Genkai!
With Orochimaru's silent "farewell," Nara Keisuke departed with the research scrolls for both the Explosion Release ninja and the Iburi clan.
It was almost midnight, and the sky was pitch black. As much as he wanted to immediately read and study the contents of the two scrolls, he thought of his three teammates and decided to return to their squad tent first.
"Captain?"
"Captain, you didn't get into a conflict with Orochimaru-sama, did you?"
"Captain, did he do anything to you?"
The three of them—Hyūga Retsu, Uchiha Shisui, and Shizune—were all awake, clearly waiting for him. Seeing him enter, they all voiced their concerns.
"Relax, I didn't fight him, and I got what I needed," Keisuke said, shaking the scrolls in his hand. "I was gone so long because I had to help him take care of a troublesome opponent. It's late. Everyone get some rest."
Seeing their captain's face was flushed with color and his voice was strong, the three of them managed to suppress their curiosity and went to sleep.
The next morning, the entire Konoha camp was buzzing with the rumor: "Orochimaru and Nara Keisuke teamed up to heavily wound the Iwagakure Five-Tails Jinchuriki!"
Only then did Shisui's team finally understand just who that "troublesome opponent" was.
"Captain..." Shisui said, looking at Keisuke, who was meditating with his eyes closed. "Did you really fight the Five-Tails Jinchuriki last night?"
"How would I know what you're asking about?" Keisuke opened his eyes and shrugged. "I'm just a Shadow Clone."
"Captain, Orochimaru-sama gave us a two-day leave," Shisui said, reigning in his astonishment and getting serious. "May I challenge you?"
"Challenge me?" Keisuke gestured with his chin toward the tent entrance, where the white-eyed young lady was approaching. "Look, Retsu is already here, and she's looking for you. If you want to challenge me, you can do it after you've thoroughly defeated her."
What Shisui didn't know was that this was almost the exact same line Keisuke had used to put Retsu off.
But Retsu stormed over, walked right past Shisui without a glance, and stared directly at Keisuke.
"Captain, I challenge you!"
"...How troublesome." Keisuke's Shadow Clone closed its eyes in pain. "Why are you two picking on a pitiful clone like me? When my main body gets back, you can talk to him about any challenges you want."
Far from the Konoha camp, in a secluded forest...
First thing in the morning, Nara Keisuke had flown away on his Shadow Creature, leaving only a Shadow Clone behind to maintain communications. For him, researching the two scrolls Orochimaru had given him was the more important task.
He created a Shadow Doppelganger and had it open the research scroll on the Explosion Release ninja.
"Orochimaru didn't tamper with the scroll." The doppelganger confirmed after a thorough check, then opened it and began to read. Soon after, the clone finished reading, dispelled itself, and sent the memories back to the main body.
Keisuke closed his eyes, browsing the information. Orochimaru's research on the Explosion Release ninja was frighteningly detailed. It naturally included the fusion technique for the elemental Kekkei Genkai itself. Just as Shisui's genjutsu-extracted intel had suggested, the user's Explosion Release was indeed a new nature created from the fusion of Fire and Earth.
"It seems the information is authentic. In that case..."
Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Keisuke formed the cross seal and, resonating with the energy in his Chakra Crystals, created clone after clone. He then activated the summoning seal on his wrist.
Summoning: Flash Blade Manifestation!
Stacks of Fire Release Masks, Earth Release Masks, and blank masks were summoned, which the Shadow Clones picked up in sequence. Clones and masks—the perfect test subjects for a Kekkei Genkai experiment.
Following the process he'd used to create the Scorch Release Mask, Keisuke set the clones to work in pairs, one controlling an Earth Mask and the other a Fire Mask. They continuously channeled the two chakra natures into a blank mask, following the ratios described in Orochimaru's scroll.
Crack—Crack—
The sound of shattering masks echoed through the forest. Although he had prior experience, there was a difference between Scorch and Explosion Release, and the blank masks inevitably broke under the strain. But this level of equipment loss was well within his budget. He paid the broken masks no mind and simply summoned more, continuing the experiment.
Time ticked by.
Finally, one of the Shadow Clone teams found the precise chakra ratio. The Fire and Earth natures successfully merged within the new mask, forming a perfect, undamaged new product.
Keisuke instantly noticed it. He used his Shadow Gathering Jutsu to grab the mask and bring it before him. A notification popped up on his panel.
[B-Rank Ninja Tool Detected: [Nature Mask: Explosion]!]
"A confirmed B-Rank tool! The experiment was a success!"
He checked the mask's basic effects and a look of delight spread across his face. "It's about the same as the Scorch Release Mask. B-rank level Explosion Release chakra, and it can be used to convert the chakra into 'Explosion Release: Killer Bomb'."
The two clones that had succeeded dispelled themselves, sending the procedural memory back to him. With their experience, Keisuke immediately created another one. After confirming he could perfectly replicate the process, he created one more Shadow Clone.
The clone and the main body nodded at each other. The clone began to mold Fire and Earth chakra within its own body, merging them at that subtle, precise ratio.
In the next moment, it opened its eyes. It bent down, picked up a rock, and infused it with the new chakra nature before throwing it.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
BOOM!
The stone, like a live grenade, exploded the moment it landed in a remote corner, unleashing a blast no weaker than a high-quality paper bomb. Another notification appeared.
[Having self-developed an elemental Kekkei Genkai [Explosion Release], your [Ninjutsu] and [Wisdom] stats have been increased!]
"It worked!"
Keisuke let the clone expend the rest of its Explosion Release chakra, then received its memory and began writing on a blank scroll. A moment later, a new A-rank scroll was born.
[A-Rank Miscellaneous Item Detected!]
[A-Rank Miscellaneous Item: Explosion Release Chakra Creation Method]
[Description: Knowledge/Technology]
[Effect: Through the simultaneous use of Earth-nature and Fire-nature chakra at a precise ratio, fuse them into the new Explosion-nature chakra.]
[Evaluation: Art is an Explosion!]
"The second elemental Kekkei Genkai, Explosion Release, successfully mastered!"
Keisuke was extremely satisfied as he put the scroll away. "Compared to Scorch Release... whether or not it's stronger, its applications are definitely broader. Even if I can't use it in a fight to hide my abilities, I can use it to make my own paper bombs. An explosive tag infused with true Explosion Release chakra will definitely be more powerful, and at the very least... it saves me trouble."
Paper bombs were a standard consumable, but they were expensive. While Keisuke didn't mind the cost, having to go to the store to buy them every time they ran out... that was troublesome. Now that he had mastered this, he could just make his own, achieving "semi-self-sufficiency" just like with his Nature Masks.
He reviewed his progress. "Wind and Fire make Scorch Release. Earth and Fire make Explosion Release. And according to my intel, Water and Fire make Boil Release. Although I don't have the specific technique for that yet, I do have Kokuō's contact information now, so that one isn't far off, either."
"Also..." Keisuke's gaze shifted to another corner of the forest, where a Shadow Doppelganger and a Shadow Clone were respectively holding an Earth Mask and a Yin Release Mask, attempting to fuse "Yin and Earth."
"The research isn't finished. The clones must continue to work hard!"
While the clones continued their various projects, Keisuke created one more to begin analyzing the other scroll from Orochimaru.
"The Iburi Clan," he mused, recalling the unique family he had encountered near Konoha. "It's like a physical Kekkei Genkai, but also an elemental one. I wonder how far Orochimaru got with his research on their 'Smoke Release'..."
After checking the scroll for traps, the clone opened it.
"Also a product of the fusion of Water and Earth, just like Wood Style. What is the difference between the Iburi clan's Smoke Release and the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju's, Wood Style?"
The very first sentence of the scroll made Keisuke freeze.
"Smoke Release is also a fusion of Water and Earth?"
He knew about Wood Style's origin (or at least part of it) from the future Yamato. But why would the same Water + Earth fusion produce one Kekkei Genkai that could suppress Tailed Beasts, and another that just... turned you into smoke? Through this one sentence, he finally understood why Orochimaru, who was obsessed with Hashirama's cells, would bother studying the Iburi clan in the first place.
He quickly read the rest of the scroll, but the subsequent notes made him wonder if Orochimaru had given him a fake.
"...As a Kekkei Genkai, Smoke Release is far too unstable!"
"...It is not a simple fusion of Water and Earth! It must contain other nature transformations!"
"...Fire! Smoke Release fuses Water, Earth, AND Fire, but it doesn't fuse them perfectly, so it cannot achieve a stable effect like Dust Release."
"...No, not just Fire! It may also contain Yin or Yang properties!"
"...Through a serum rich in life energy, the Iburi clan's Kekkei Genkai can be temporarily stabilized."
"...Indeed, spiritual energy, in its search for stability, will continuously demand physical energy."
"...The Iburi clan's Smoke Release is a product of four different chakra natures mixed together: Yin, Water, Earth, and Fire!"