Chapter 489: A Highly Sought-After Haku
Haku's problem was completely resolved after Ishiro brought his sister, Yi Mizunashi, back.
Ishiro went to Kitsuchi's house to check on them. Haku and Yi were getting along well. However, the atmosphere between Kurotsuchi and Yi was not right at all.
With this, Squad 7 could finally get on the right track. Until now, Ishiro hadn't even taken them on a single mission. Having finally eliminated the hidden danger concerning Haku, Ishiro now had the time and energy to train and take on missions.
To fully integrate his three disciples and strengthen the bonds between them, Ishiro began a monotonous life of one mission plus training per day with Squad 7.
Every day, while his disciples were on their missions, Ishiro would carefully study Madara Uchiha's notes on Wood Release. Although the notes didn't specify the ratio of the three natures, they did record methods for suppressing and controlling Wood Release. These methods were very effective for Ishiro's goal of decomposing and fusing Light Release.
This was because the path Madara had walked was very similar to the one Ishiro intended to take. Madara had used his body to fuse with the Yang Release within Wood Release, and then united Yin and Yang. Ishiro planned to use his body to fuse with Light Release, and ultimately achieve the unity of the five natures.
Light Release and Wood Release were very different, but they had one thing in common: they were both domineering and uncontrollable.
Needless to say, of all of Orochimaru's many test subjects for Wood Release, only one had survived. Danzō could only suppress it with the power of his Sharingan; without it, his right arm quickly turned on him.
Light Release was just as domineering. Ishiro, its creator, had to be extremely careful not to be touched by it. He didn't even dare to synthesize Light Release chakra inside his body; that would be no different from suicide. This was why, decades after learning Dust Release, Ōnoki could still only cast it externally.
Ishiro had already integrated Porcelain, Storm, and Blaze Release into his body, but he had made no progress with Light Release.
But after reading Madara's notes, Ishiro finally had a glimmer of understanding.
Kekkei Genkai were already a high-level power, let alone a Kekkei Tōta. In terms of level, Ishiro's body could not suppress Light Release. It couldn't even put up a fight.
Madara had proposed a theory.
The biggest reason he was able to perfectly fuse with Hashirama Senju's cells—that is, Wood Release—was that his Yin Release could temporarily suppress the dominant Yang Release within it. That's right, temporarily suppress. Madara also believed that Hashirama's Yang Release had far surpassed his own Yin Release from the time of their battle at the Valley of the End.
Reading this, Ishiro guessed that, as he had suspected, Hashirama had likely died from a bloodline disease. His Yang Release, perhaps due to multiple all-out battles, had exceeded the limits his body could bear, and may have even reached the higher realm of a Sage. So, Hashirama had died from the backlash of his own Yang Release.
This was why the cells he left behind seemed to have infinite life force. They could be continuously cultivated and multiplied, providing life force to Madara, Obito, Danzō, and even later, Naruto. They could also support the consumption of countless human experiments.
In any case, Madara's Yin Release was no match for the Yang Release in Hashirama's cells, but his own strength was great enough to achieve temporary suppression. And that brief period of suppression was his opportunity to comprehend the mysteries of Yin-Yang Release.
In Ishiro's understanding, the miraculous chakra had used this opportunity to slowly adapt to the new environment. Through repeated attempts like this, Madara's chakra had completed its evolution.
In the end, he had miraculously achieved the fusion of Yin and Yang, creating the All Things in Nature technique.
From the many detailed descriptions of how Madara suppressed Yang Release, Ishiro was slowly finding his own path.
After a period of theoretical preparation, he finally decided to make his first attempt.
"You have a holiday starting tomorrow. You can do whatever you want," Ishiro told the three members of Squad 7.
"Yay!" Fujii Kaoru and Kamizuru Tsuruhime cheered loudly.
Haku's eyes also lit up, looking very happy. The C-rank missions Ishiro had been taking them on were incredibly boring.
Seeing this, Ishiro added, "Don't forget your daily basic training. Since you're not on a mission, your training time must be increased."
"Huh?! No way!" Kaoru and Tsuruhime protested loudly.
But under Ishiro's authority, their protests were useless. He directly assigned them a mandatory training regimen.
After sending his three disciples away, Ishiro went outside the village to practice Light Release. It was too dangerous to practice inside the village.
Unlike his previous practice sessions, this time, he first entered Sage Mode.
According to Madara's theory, he needed to use other chakra natures to suppress Light Release. His own chakra level was far from sufficient. So, he planned to use the amplification of Sage Mode. Of course, Sage Mode also had another benefit: if he was injured, it would speed up his recovery.
Ishiro sat cross-legged on the ground. He separated three fine strands of regular chakra inside his body and performed the nature transformations for Water, Earth, and Lightning. Then, he controlled these three strands to fuse, forming Light Release chakra.
This part wasn't difficult. The challenge came next.
While doing his utmost to keep the Light Release from going out of control, he enveloped it with a large amount of senjutsu chakra. Finally, he slowly released his control over the Light Release.
Without his control, it immediately showed signs of collapse. Ishiro, having cast Light Release countless times, knew that this "collapse" was the source of its annihilation damage. If it collapsed inside his body, it would be like taking a miniature Light Release attack internally. It wouldn't kill him, but its atomizing effect would take a chunk of flesh out of him.
He used his senjutsu chakra to suppress it with all his might.
It actually had some effect. The speed of the collapse slowed down noticeably. But it only slowed; it didn't stop.
Ishiro quickly formed hand seals and expelled the senjutsu chakra containing the Light Release from his body.
His speed was extremely fast, but he was still a beat too slow.
When the Light Release reached his left arm, the senjutsu chakra could no longer suppress it. It annihilated, taking the surrounding senjutsu chakra, a small section of his chakra pathway, and some of the nearby flesh with it.
Ishiro's mouth twitched. He waved his right hand, and the medical-nin in the distance rushed over and immediately began to treat him. With them were two full Anbu squads and Han, the perfect Jinchuriki.
Of course Ishiro wouldn't conduct such a dangerous experiment alone. That would be too risky. So he had arranged for Han and the Anbu as guards, and a medical-nin on standby.
The injury wasn't light, but in the shinobi world, it was nothing. The medic first cut open the outer muscle to release the gas produced by the Light Release, then used the Mystical Palm Technique to stimulate the cells around the wound. Soon, the missing tissue was regenerated.
The medic was quick, and the wound healed in a short time. However, he still warned Ishiro not to use the Mystical Palm Technique on the same spot too many times, or there would be side effects. Ishiro knew that human cells had a limited number of divisions and understood the consequences, so he nodded in agreement.
After the wound was treated, and the guards had withdrawn, Ishiro began to train again.
But he was not a thoughtless training brute like Naruto. He first carefully recalled the feeling from just now, then theoretically analyzed every detail of the process. Only then did he begin the second experiment.
This time, the effect was better. Although the Light Release still collapsed inside his body, the location of the collapse had moved a considerable distance down his arm toward his hand.
After being treated a second time, he conducted several more experiments.
Finally, on the last attempt, he successfully expelled the contained Light Release chakra from his body.
This time he was not injured. The chakra collapsed outside his body and was easily blocked by his porcelain.
With this, the most dangerous step of his training was over.
He conducted the same training many more times, and the situation of the Light Release annihilating inside his body never happened again.
As he practiced more, the length of time he could suppress the Light Release also grew longer. He would often hold it inside his body until he reached the absolute limit of his own chakra's suppression before expelling it.
After practicing outside the village for a few more days, once he felt he had a good grasp of the rhythm, he returned to the village, ready to continue taking missions with his three disciples.
He went to the training ground Squad 7 frequented to check on their progress.
He found the place was quite lively.
It was just after the Ninja Academy had let out for the day. Besides his three disciples, a group of little brats was split into two distinct factions in a standoff.
Kurotsuchi, Neji, and Karin were in one group.
In the other were a few more figures: Yi Mizunashi and Sakura, along with Sakura's two followers, Little Saiken and Little Chōmei.
Ishiro assessed the situation and entered the field from a direction away from the standoff.
Seeing him arrive, the tense atmosphere between the two sides eased slightly.
"Teacher Ishiro."
"Lord Tsuchikage."
"Ishiro."
Everyone except Yi Mizunashi greeted him, including the two Tailed Beasts. Seeing him, Yi looked a little guilty; she still remembered saying bad things about him the other day. But when she heard how affectionately Sakura called him, and how her two pets called him by name, she immediately hid behind Sakura.
Ishiro ignored his disciples and looked curiously at the two opposing groups. "What are you all doing?"
Sakura immediately stepped forward. "Lord Tsuchikage, this is my new classmate, Yi Mizunashi. I was helping Yi visit her older brother, but that woman is trying to steal him from her!"
Ishiro nodded, thinking: So Yi has entered the academy and become best friends with Sakura.
From the other side, Karin immediately retorted, "Nonsense! Big Brother Haku has always been Kurotsuchi's brother! She's the outsider! She's the one trying to steal him!"
The two main parties hadn't even spoken, but their best friends were already arguing fiercely for them.
Ishiro looked at Yi, then at Kurotsuchi, and understood. One was Haku's biological sister, the other was the girl he had grown up with and always treated as a sister.
He turned to Haku, wanting to know his thoughts.
Haku looked awkward. He tried to remain calm, but he kept his mouth tightly shut, refusing to speak.
From his expression, Ishiro knew he had clearly suffered over this matter. A man's first instinct would be to want both, only to end up pleasing neither.
Ishiro thought: I get it.
And Haku's two teammates, whether intentionally or not, chimed in.
Kamizuru Tsuruhime immediately declared, "I support Yi!"
Fujii Kaoru followed right after, "I'm on Kurotsuchi's side!"
Seeing Haku's mouth twitch, Ishiro knew these two were just enjoying the drama and fanning the flames.
He shot a glare at his two disciples, then looked at Kurotsuchi and Yi. "You're all academy students. What's the point of arguing? You'll have a competition. Whoever wins, gets Haku."
Haku: ...
He complained internally, "Teacher Ishiro, shouldn't you be mediating?"
Kurotsuchi was confident. She was also a genius and was sure she was no weaker than Yi, who was a year younger. She stepped forward. "Fine! I agree to a competition!"
Yi was a little intimidated. She had been at the academy for a few days and had already heard of Kurotsuchi's reputation as a genius.
But she couldn't lose face. "A competition it is! Who's afraid of who!"
Ishiro smiled. "Alright, I'll be the judge. You'll have three rounds. You can compete yourself, or choose a helper. Best two out of three. The loser can't call Haku 'brother' for a day."
"Deal!" Yi immediately agreed. The terms weren't harsh; she could accept it even if she lost.
Kurotsuchi had no reason to refuse. She just found Yi annoying and wanted a chance to put her in her place. A day was enough.
Ishiro said, "First round: a ninjutsu competition. But we won't be comparing jutsu casting. We'll compare chakra control."
Hiding his hand in his sleeve, he quickly formed a seal, then stomped his left foot. A five-meter-wide, twenty-meter-high earth wall immediately rose from the ground.
He then walked down the vertical wall, step by step. "You have half an hour to practice. Whoever can climb higher using this method wins. Considering the age difference, Kurotsuchi, you have to climb one meter higher than Yi. The timer starts now."
The two girls, who had been about to exchange more taunts, immediately rushed forward to practice.
Ishiro then turned to Haku. "Haku, you teach them how to do it."
Haku's smiling face froze. Teacher Ishiro, can you please stop stirring up trouble?
Ishiro didn't care if Haku was willing or not. He turned to Kaoru and Tsuruhime. "Didn't you two pick a side? You're responsible for making sure they don't fall and get hurt."
The two girls' bright smiles froze, then they replied in unison, "Yes, sir."
Having arranged his little opera troupe, Ishiro strolled to the side to leisurely watch the show.
He didn't waste time, entering Sage Mode and occasionally firing off miniature Light Release blasts into the sky. The onlookers were puzzled, wondering what kind of blue fireworks he was setting off.
Soon, with Haku's explanation, Kurotsuchi, Karin, Sakura, and Yi began to practice.
Neji did not participate. Being intelligent, he had immediately announced his withdrawal, emphasizing that a 2-v-2 was fairer. Kurotsuchi just glared at him but didn't say anything. She was confident enough. With the most troublesome opponent out, Yi felt a little more at ease.
Then, the four little girls began their first attempt at wall-climbing.
At first, Kurotsuchi and Karin were far ahead. Their talent and training were both excellent, their fundamentals far stronger than Sakura's and Yi's. Yi was younger and less talented, so the gap was obvious. Sakura's performance was the worst. As a civilian-born child, she had only just learned to mold chakra, and she had never practiced chakra control at all.
But as time went on, a shocking scene unfolded. Sakura began to catch up, slowly overtaking Yi.
Yi, far from being jealous, was overjoyed. "Go, Sakura! You have to beat that woman!"
"Okay!" Sakura, after struggling at first, was now getting the hang of it.
Her performance got better and better. Before long, she had surpassed the frantically stomping Kurotsuchi and Karin. A little while later, she walked all the way to the top of the wall.
And there was still time left of the half-hour limit.
Ishiro, who had been practicing suppressing his Light Release, also showed a flicker of surprise. He had been observing Sakura with his Mind's Eye and now knew why her progress was so fast.
It was partly due to talent, but more so because Sakura had two souls within her. Two souls participating in chakra control—the boost was immense.
Ishiro said, "Alright, the first round ends early. Yi Mizunashi's side wins."
"Yay!" Yi cheered, hugging Sakura, then made a provocative face at Kurotsuchi.
Kurotsuchi's face darkened, and she turned her head away.
Haku tried his best to make himself invisible.
Ishiro continued, "Second round: taijutsu competition..."
Ishiro had settled down recently. He spent his days taking his disciples on missions while practicing suppressing his Light Release chakra. He also occasionally stirred up trouble between his two "rivals," Kurotsuchi and Yi.
But Iwagakure itself was not quiet.
First, according to the strategy Ishiro had laid out, Iwa began to suppress Suna on all fronts. This time, however, the tactic was to win over the Land of Wind's Daimyo while cracking down on Sunagakure.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had an agreement: the Land of Earth would strengthen cooperation between the two nations, and in return, the Land of Wind's Daimyo had to cut Sunagakure's funding. This suited the Wind Daimyo perfectly; he hadn't wanted to spend so much on Suna anyway. Rasa had taken so much money, yet he lost every war. It felt like a complete waste.
And so, a strange scene emerged in the shinobi world: the Land of Wind's Daimyo bypassed Sunagakure and signed many cooperation treaties with the Land of Earth, while Iwagakure targeted Suna in various ways.
First, Iwagakure seized all missions related to the small countries north of the Land of Wind. Even if these missions were technically within the Land of Wind's borders, if Suna crossed the line, Iwa would decisively kill them. They did this openly, without any attempt at concealment.
At first, Suna would protest, accusing Iwa of trying to start a war. But Iwa simply ignored them. And the other villages, including Konoha, did not condemn Iwa, at most offering some perfunctory advice for both sides to calm down.
Second, Iwa would often secretly attack Suna ninja on missions within the Land of Wind.
Because of his heavy losses in the last war, Rasa didn't dare to completely fall out with Iwa. So, he could only periodically send elite squads to fight a war of attrition with Iwa on the border.
Ishiro was happy to see these small-scale battles. Iwa had just expanded its forces and needed combat to integrate them. Even if they lost some men, they could afford it.
But Sunagakure could not. Due to insufficient funding, they had already reduced their academy's enrollment. Another wave of this kind of attrition, and their numbers would only continue to dwindle.
Forced, Rasa changed his strategy. Instead of training a large number of ninja, he chose to focus on an elite path. At the same time, to obtain enough funds to keep the village running, he had to spend more and more time mining for gold.
But because of this, his relationship with his youngest son, Gaara, grew worse and worse due to a lack of companionship. Gaara's emotions also became more and more unstable. And Rasa, eager for results, was still allowing the chakra of the One-Tails, Shukaku, to influence him.
To be honest, Gaara was a genius when it came to controlling a Tailed Beast. But no matter how much of a genius he was, he was still a child.
Finally, Gaara could no longer bear Shukaku's pressure and went on a rampage.
Suna suffered heavy losses. Because Gaara had rampaged inside the village, they not only suffered a large number of casualties, but countless buildings were also destroyed.
For Sunagakure, the biggest loss from this rampage was financial.
Rasa now truly understood the feeling that a single penny can stump a hero. Sunagakure's finances were completely insufficient to support such a large-scale reconstruction.
When Ishiro heard about the Tailed Beast rampage, he expressed his regret. If he had known, he would have gotten involved. What a pity. If he had gone to Suna and caused trouble while they were suppressing the Tailed Beast, their situation might have truly been on the brink of collapse.
But even now, Suna's situation wasn't much better.
Ishiro immediately sent a diplomatic mission to Sunagakure.
His disciple, Takumi, was appointed as the head of the mission, representing Iwagakure to express their most sincere condolences to Suna.
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