Chapter 181: O, My Foolish Fat Sheep...
'The S-rank technique, Shadow Invisibility Jutsu, now infused with natural energy!'
Nara Keisuke put down his fried chicken. He appeared to be spacing out, but in reality, he was reviewing the details of the new technique on his panel.
'Broadly speaking, this can already be considered a Sage Art! An S-rank Sage Art!'
Of course, he knew it wasn't a true Sage Art. The core concept of Sage Art was the precise fusion of natural energy with one's own chakra to create new "sage chakra," which was then used to power techniques. His self-created jutsu merely absorbed natural energy onto the surface of a biomimetic film created by Yin Release. Due to this barrier, his chakra never made direct contact with the natural energy, so "sage chakra" was not actually formed.
'I can now clearly perceive and even manipulate the flow of natural energy. I have the basic ability to draw it into my body,' he thought. 'However, training in Sage Mode requires a massive amount of chakra, and my [Precision] stat has only just crossed the A-rank threshold. I'll need much more detailed data before I can even attempt it. I can probably ask Kokuō about this later.'
Thinking of Kokuō reminded him of his great-uncle. 'I wonder how the search for Sage Art materials I entrusted to him is going. The three great Sage regions? Or the Fire Temple? I hope it's the latter... a human's Sage Mode just feels safer than one from toads, slugs, or snakes.'
He pushed aside his desire for Sage Mode for now. The training was far too dangerous, and he had no need for that power at his current level. But he knew that in the future, once he grew stronger, it would be an unavoidable hurdle. For any ninja without Ōtsutsuki blood, mastering Sage Mode was the only ticket to the final battlefield. Any truly god-tier fighter who didn't have seven or eight Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind them was just embarrassing themselves. And the only thing that could nullify those all-powerful orbs was Sage Art. It was best to prepare for a rainy day.
He then reviewed the memories sent back from his clones. They hadn't reported back immediately after creating the new jutsu; they had tested it first. The results were—unsurprisingly—amazing. Because it utilized natural energy, the drain on his Yin Release chakra was even lower than a standard B-rank Shadow Piercing Bullet. Furthermore, it solved the fatal flaw of all other presence-concealment techniques: the faint sound of movement. When his Shadow Doppelgangers or Creatures used it, they could move at high speed without making a single sound.
When the Shadow Invisibility Technique was combined with his other shadow arts... a transparent body, a concealed presence, blocked chakra sensing, and even the ability to fly.
A certain ultimate ninjutsu, Uchiha Madara's exclusive Rinnegan dōjutsu, popped into his head.
Limbo: Border Jail!
'So, it turns out Uchiha Madara and I are the same type of ninja...'
With a thought, Keisuke closed the panel and polished off the rest of his chicken in a few quick bites. After months on the battlefield, he had really missed the taste. Of course, it wasn't just the taste of the chicken he missed...
"Kabuto, another order of fried chicken," Keisuke said to his newly appointed little brother. "I'm going to visit a friend in a bit."
For a normal ninja, returning from the front and turning in their mission report meant they could immediately go on leave. And since Shisui had already submitted the report for him, Keisuke could focus entirely on his vacation.
"Right away, Nara-aniki!" Master Kabuto replied, quickly preparing a fresh, hot box of chicken.
Keisuke said his goodbyes to Nono'o and Kabuto, took the chicken, and vanished, silently making his way towards the Nara Medical Research Institute. Months had passed, but the building looked the same as ever. He found his way to Tsunade's office and knocked.
"Cough!—Come in!" a slightly flustered voice called out.
Keisuke raised an eyebrow and pushed the door open. The thick smell of alcohol in the air told him exactly what had been happening.
"Drinking on the job again, Tsunade."
Tsunade didn't answer. She just pulled out the sake bottle she had hastily hidden and slammed it down on her desk with a dull thud.
"Since you brought chicken, sit down," she said, waving a hand at him—or possibly at the chicken box. "When did you get back?"
"Last night." Keisuke walked over and placed the still-warm box in front of her. "Enjoy."
Tsunade grabbed a drumstick and took a huge, unladylike bite, mumbling through a mouthful of food, "Nono'o's place?"
"Who else?" Keisuke leaned against the desk, watching her heroine-like display of eating and drinking, and said nothing more.
She quickly demolished the entire box of chicken and most of the bottle. After downing the last of the sake in one go, she let out a satisfied sigh. "Ahh, that's the stuff!"
Thump! She slammed the empty bottle down. Her pale face was flushed with a peachy blush as she stared straight at Keisuke. "The fun part's over. Now's a good time to hear some stories, to aid with digestion." She took a deep breath. "Nara, the reputation you've built on the front lines has reached even a washed-up doctor like me, hiding in the rear. 'The Shadow of Darkness'... heh. So, what did you find out?"
"I don't mind telling you," Keisuke said, looking directly into her hazy, unfocused brown eyes. "But in your current state, are you really fit to hear such a terrible story?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" she snapped, rapping the bottle against the desk. "I'm Tsunade!"
She stared into his eyes and found that his deep, black pupils were like a vortex, pulling her soul and consciousness in.
Genjutsu: Lacquer Eye!
Keisuke had silently cast the illusion, pulling the muddled Tsunade directly into a simple mental space he had created.
"This is... a genjutsu?" Tsunade looked around at the endless white void that filled her vision. "Nara, you dare use a genjutsu on me?"
"Oh, I dare to do much more than that." Keisuke's figure appeared in the illusion, and he slowly walked towards her. "Tsunade, even if I didn't say anything, you should have been mentally prepared for what Orochimaru has been doing. But what I want to know is, is the little bit you already know and suspect really enough to make you indulge yourself to this degree?"
He stood face-to-face with her, so close that she could see her own reflection in his eyes: hazy pupils, a distant gaze, a flushed face, messy hair... Less like one of the legendary Sannin, and more like a common drunk.
"You..." Tsunade subconsciously raised a hand and pushed him away.
In that instant, the illusion shattered.
"Hah... hah..."
Tsunade blinked, finding herself back in her office. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, finally returning to a state of clarity. "Sorry. You saw me in a disgraceful state, Nara."
"It's fine. I've seen worse," he shrugged. As long as she didn't go on a drunken rampage, it was within his tolerance. "As long as you don't start getting handsy, or mouthy, like those other times... I can accept it."
Tsunade shot him an irritated glare. The embarrassing memories she had tried so hard to erase came flooding back, launching a full-scale assault on what little was left of her pride.
"Get to the point!" She tossed the bottle aside and straightened her appearance. "What did you find out?"
Keisuke didn't answer directly. "First, you tell me what you've deduced. I'll see how you react, and then I'll decide whether to tell you."
"Orochimaru..." Tsunade bit her lip, but finally forced the words out. "He's been using our village's seriously wounded shinobi for experiments... even... human experiments."
'O, my foolish fat sheep...' Keisuke had originally intended to verbally tear into her, to use his words to shock her will back into existence. But seeing her in such a fragile state, he couldn't bring himself to rub salt in the wound.
"Do you want to stop there?" he asked flatly. "Or do you want to dig deeper?"
"Deeper?" Tsunade's brow furrowed tightly. "You mean... it's not just experiments on our own comrades?"
"Actually, yes. From your personal perspective, what Orochimaru has done is far, far worse than you can imagine," Keisuke said, choosing his words carefully. "Even after I've said all this, do you still want to hear it?"
Her brow locked. "Tell me!"
"Orochimaru is also researching Wood Style," Keisuke said, dropping the bombshell he had gathered. "With your knowledge, you should be able to figure out where the 'research material' for that came from. Furthermore, you should also realize... for him to be able to research Wood Style in the first place, this is not something that reflects his will alone."
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