Chapter 64: Preparing to Create a Temporary Jinchuriki
"A shadow clone?"
Ao blurted out, his face immediately losing all color.
At the same time, Kaguya Daizo also charged over. But looking left and right, Hyuga Ritsu's figure was no longer visible in the dense fog. More accurately, the fog was disappearing at tremendous speed.
In the blink of an eye, the mist that had lost its chakra support dissipated completely.
"Where is he?"
Kaguya Daizo looked around. Not seeing Hyuga Ritsu, he turned to look at Ao, instinctively asking, "Ao, where did White Yaksha flee to?"
"Where did he flee to? We've all been played!"
Ao roared, his complexion black as the bottom of a pot.
"A shadow clone? You're saying after all our trouble, we were all competing with a shadow clone?" Suikazan Fuguki's expression was frighteningly ugly.
"Isn't that obvious? I personally watched White Yaksha get hit by your Needle Jizo and vanish in white smoke. If it's not a shadow clone, what else could it be?"
"Damn it!"
In his anger and urgency, Suikazan Fuguki burst into profanity.
Feelings of humiliation and fury made him feel like his brain was boiling.
"Enough, Fuguki. Now isn't the time to lose your temper."
Ao was the first to calm down.
He frowned tightly, attempting to analyze. "If we've been struggling all this time with a shadow clone, could this be a trap Konoha set for us?"
"Impossible. If it were a trap, right now we'd already be surrounded three layers deep by Konoha shinobi."
Suikazan Fuguki flatly denied the trap theory.
Ao frowned but didn't argue with Suikazan Fuguki, because he also felt the possibility of a trap was low. Their current unharmed situation was the most powerful evidence.
He activated his Byakugan but didn't see any ambush forces lurking nearby.
"If this isn't a trap set for us, then what exactly is going on? Why is the White Yaksha we blocked according to intelligence just a shadow clone? Where is White Yaksha's true body right now?" Ao organized his thoughts and asked the key question.
Suikazan Fuguki crossed his arms over his chest, displaying a contemplative expression.
Biwa Juzo and Hoshigaki Kisame were also deep in thought. But Kaguya Daizo just stared blankly into space, completely unaware of what thinking was. Ringo Ameyuri was also too lazy to strain her brain, looking around in boredom.
After several seconds, Hoshigaki Kisame spoke up. "If there's no problem with the intelligence, could it be that White Yaksha detected that someone in Konoha Village wanted to deal with him, so he created a shadow clone to attract attention on the surface while his true body went to meet Hatake Kakashi's squad through another, more covert method?"
Hearing this, Ao's eyes lit up. He said, "That's right! Kisame, your line of thinking is correct. White Yaksha isn't a fool. He might have truly detected that someone within Konoha Village wanted to use our blade to kill him. But unless he plans to defect, he has to follow orders. So even knowing this route wouldn't be peaceful, he still had to go meet Hatake Kakashi's squad. That's why he played this trick to fool us!"
Having said that, he looked at Hoshigaki Kisame with considerable appreciation. This confidant that Suikazan Fuguki had cultivated was quite capable! Not only was his combat strength impressive, but his mind was also exceptionally sharp. A talent!
"Meeting Hatake Kakashi's squad—does that mean he might run into Kirishima Shinya and his group?" Suikazan Fuguki's expression became energized.
If so, they still had a chance.
"Nine times out of ten."
Ao nodded heavily.
"Then let's go find Kirishima Shinya."
Suikazan Fuguki waved his large hand, making the decision. Hearing this, the others had no objections.
---
Uchiha Aika entangled with three Mist ANBU. Hyuga Akiba faced the pincer attack of two Mist ANBU. Nohara Rin was knocked down and taken away with a single punch by White Zetsu disguised as Mist shinobi.
Hyuga Ritsu, hidden in the great snake's mouth underground, quietly observed all of this.
He didn't go to rescue Uchiha Aika, who was in a precarious situation. He also didn't extend a hand to help his cousin Hyuga Akiba. He simply followed Kirishima Shinya and his group underground as they took away Nohara Rin.
After capturing Nohara Rin alive, Kirishima Shinya led the Mist shinobi continuing to move. They passed through the forest and arrived at an open plain. Kamaha spoke up. "Shinya-sama, this place will do."
Hearing this, Kirishima Shinya immediately raised his hand, signaling to stop advancing.
He surveyed the surroundings. He didn't think this place was particularly special, but Kamaha was the expert in transferring and sealing the Three-Tails. If Kamaha said this place would work, then they'd use this place!
"Suiro, Hiegusa, you two are responsible for surveillance. If any Konoha shinobi approach, signal immediately and eliminate them." Kirishima Shinya issued his orders.
"Yes, Shinya-sama."
Suiro and Hiegusa, two jonin, accepted the orders. Leading the remaining Mist shinobi, they scattered in all directions, guarding each approach in squad formations.
Next, Kirishima Shinya looked at Kamaha, who was carrying Nohara Rin. He said, "Kamaha, rest a bit. Once your condition is adjusted, immediately begin the Three-Tails' transfer and sealing."
Kamaha nodded. He laid the girl he'd been carrying on his shoulder—her hands and feet bound—flat on the ground. He also sat down beside her, taking out rations and water to eat and drink, replenishing his consumption. After resting for about ten minutes, he spoke up. "Shinya-sama, I'm ready."
"Then begin."
Kirishima Shinya was swift and decisive. As he spoke, he very carefully extracted from the pouch at his waist a fist-sized, pitch-black teapot with raised relief carvings of sharks and pufferfish.
This ordinary-looking, unimpressive teapot was the Gami Pot—a ninja tool capable of sealing tailed beasts.
At this moment, the Three-Tails, one of the two tailed beasts possessed by the Hidden Mist Village, was sealed within it.
He simply handed the Gami Pot to Kamaha.
Kamaha very carefully accepted the Gami Pot. Holding it in his hands, he examined it carefully for a moment, unable to help sighing. "Such impressive technique! Such a small teapot can actually seal a tailed beast!"
"It truly is mysterious. Unfortunately, to this day we still haven't been able to figure out the underlying principles."
Kirishima Shinya sighed with considerable regret.
This Gami Pot had originally fallen into their Kirishima clan's hands over a hundred years ago. Nearly every generation had studied this thing. But including the First Mizukage, numerous talented clan members had failed to discover anything significant. They simply couldn't figure out how that expert from the Uzumaki clan hundreds of years ago had crafted this kind of ninja tool capable of sealing tailed beasts.
Even though they'd destroyed Uzushiogakure and plundered the Uzumaki clan's archives, because Konoha had taken the lion's share, they ultimately hadn't been able to find any useful inheritance from the fragmentary remains.
Kamaha placed the Gami Pot on Nohara Rin's abdomen.
His left hand pressed on the Gami Pot. His right hand began forming seals. With each seal formed, the chakra within his body also mobilized and transformed accordingly, gradually pulling the Gami Pot's lid open. Opening just a crack, a tsunami-like violent aura suddenly burst forth from within.
All the Mist shinobi instinctively tensed their muscles, as if facing a formidable enemy.
But Kamaha remained steady as a mountain, continuing to form seals. Then from the crack in the opened Gami Pot flowed viscous crimson chakra like ointment, penetrating through clothing and slowly seeping into Nohara Rin's abdomen.
In just an instant, the unconscious Nohara Rin seemed to endure tremendous pain. Her features contorted in struggle, her eyelids twitched slightly, and her body instinctively twisted. But Kamaha pressed down on the Gami Pot, and the pot was on Rin's abdomen—equivalent to Kamaha firmly suppressing Rin. No matter how much she twisted her body, she couldn't budge the Gami Pot even a fraction.
That crimson tailed beast chakra flowed endlessly into Nohara Rin's body.
Hyuga Ritsu, hidden deep underground, quietly watched all this unfold. Even when memories transmitted back from his shadow clone suddenly surfaced in his mind, his expression remained unchanged, motionless.
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