Chapter 582: Absorbing the Reaper
Although the Reaper was far inferior to Mōryō, it was still a spirit creature, and its soul quantity was many times greater than that of a ninja.
Unfortunately, Ishiro couldn't absorb the Reaper's soul power.
Ishiro had thought Neji's awakened Tenseigan might help him deal with the Reaper. After all, he recalled the Tenseigan having special abilities related to souls.
But he hadn't expected that Neji's incompletely awakened Tenseigan would be helpless against it.
Ishiro was disappointed.
Just then, Neji said uncertainly, "Ishiro-sensei, I can't do it, but maybe someone else can."
Ishiro looked at Neji. In Iwagakure, the most proficient in soul jutsu was himself, followed by Natsuki and Katsumata.
Ishiro held no hope for Natsuki and Katsumata; they also had Reaper Death Masks and were researching them, but they hadn't made any progress.
Uchiha Izumi and Sōkai were also strong in Yin Release, but their abilities came solely from the Mangekyō Sharingan. They weren't researchers, and they didn't have the relevant dōjutsu abilities.
So Ishiro hadn't even considered them.
Aside from these five, no one else in Iwa had any special achievements in this field.
Even Neji wasn't actually that skilled in soul jutsu; Ishiro was relying on the potential Sage-level power of the Tenseigan.
Neji didn't keep Ishiro guessing. "It's Kaoru-senpai."
"Kaoru Fujii?" Ishiro was stunned.
Kaoru Fujii was Ishiro's disciple from Squad 7, teammate to Haku and Kamizuru Tsuruhime.
Haku was now an Elite Jonin. He was with Izumi's 5,000-man army, having participated in the ambush of the Kumo rout and the assault on Kumogakure. He had performed well and was currently in the Land of Lightning, leading a team to hunt down Kumo remnants.
Tsuruhime was in the village. Because Ishiro had demanded another batch of Aburame insects during negotiations with Konoha, she was busy breeding new bees.
With the help of her Sage-chakra-infused bees, Tsuruhime was now a Jonin. As her combat experience grew, her control over the bees improved, giving her combat power comparable to an Elite Jonin. Ishiro believed once the bees digested the new insects, she would reach the Elite Jonin level.
Kaoru Fujii was currently a Jonin, not yet an Elite Jonin. However, because her flames could burn souls, her combat effectiveness should be considered Elite Jonin.
But Kaoru hadn't participated in the wars against Kiri or Kumo.
After becoming a Jonin, she had returned to the Daimyō. She was, after all, a Guardian Ninja Ishiro had trained for him.
She was currently the only Iwa-trained Guardian Ninja who had returned to the Daimyō's side. The other candidates were mostly still genin, gaining experience on missions.
Ishiro didn't think a Jonin could help with a soul on the level of the Reaper, so he hadn't thought of her.
"Yes, Kaoru-senpai," Neji said. "Her flames can burn souls."
"Once, during this experiment, while she was testing something, I used the giant Tenseigan and saw a residue left behind in the soul after she burned it."
"At the time, I didn't know what it was. But as my strength increased and the Tenseigan opened, I have a guess."
"I suspect it's energy similar to chakra."
"Kaoru-senpai can turn a soul body into pure energy."
Ishiro's eyes lit up. He understood.
Neji meant: perhaps soul bodies are made of special energy, which contains each person's unique imprint.
Kaoru's flames could burn away that unique imprint, leaving behind pure energy.
If he could absorb that energy, he could strengthen his soul.
The more Ishiro thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He stood up immediately. "Neji, go rest outside. I'm going to get Kaoru."
Ishiro was impatient. Without waiting for a reply, he sealed the Reaper back into the mask and shot out of the room.
There was no teleportation array between Iwagakure and the capital, so Ishiro flew.
Soon, he arrived at the Daimyō's mansion.
However, he couldn't just grab Kaoru and run. He had to be polite and meet the Daimyō first.
The Daimyō was surprised but happy to see Ishiro.
The capital was busy. The Moon territory construction wasn't finished, and now they had to take over half the Land of Lightning. The Daimyō's office was short-staffed.
With so much to do in the two new territories, the usually slow pace of life in the capital had accelerated.
So the Daimyō was very satisfied with the Tsuchikage who was expanding his territory. He saw hope for the Land of Earth to dominate the entire shinobi world.
Hearing Ishiro had arrived, the Daimyō had his officials accompany him to meet the Tsuchikage.
"Does the Tsuchikage have business here?" the Daimyō asked. He knew Ishiro didn't like beating around the bush.
Ishiro nodded. "Your Excellency, I would like to borrow Kaoru Fujii to help with something back in the village."
The Daimyō was surprised. He glanced at Kaoru standing beside him. "Iwagakure is full of talent, with twelve Kage-level ninja. Kaoru is just a Jonin. How can she help you?"
The Daimyō was genuinely curious. When he interacted with other Daimyō now, his opening line was always, "My Iwagakure has twelve Kage..." It instantly demoralized them by 30%.
Ishiro smiled. "Just so you know, Your Excellency, as of today, the village has another Kage-level ninja."
That's right. After the third quickening, Neji's strength was firmly Kage-level.
And with the help of the giant Tenseigan, Neji's maximum combat power was beyond that of a newly advanced, unbalanced Kage like Natsuki.
Of course, Neji had this power entirely because of the Tenseigan; his life-level was elevated, granting him Kage-level strength. But in terms of will, he was still an Elite Jonin.
The Daimyō was delighted. "I heard the twelfth was your adopted sister. Who is the thirteenth?"
"One of my disciples," Ishiro smiled. "Neji Hyūga, from Konoha's Hyūga branch family. I stole him from Konoha years ago."
The Daimyō laughed. "Good, good! Stolen from Konoha is even better! The Tsuchikage is truly impressive. Congratulations on another disciple becoming Kage-level."
"Congratulations to you too, Your Excellency. Iwagakure is part of the Land of Earth," Ishiro replied.
The Daimyō was even happier. He remembered something and said to a minister, "Call back the messenger sent to Konoha! Change the 'twelve Kage' in the letter to 'thirteen'!"
The minister didn't think the Daimyō was being ridiculous; he ran out excitedly to do it.
Ishiro was speechless. He continued, "Kaoru's flames have a special effect, so I want to borrow her for a favor."
"A small matter," the Daimyō laughed. "Kaoru was your disciple to begin with. It's her honor to learn from you."
He let Ishiro take Kaoru. He also gave her a task: to guide the other Guardian candidates currently training in Iwa.
On the way back, Kaoru was excited to be on the porcelain platform again.
She missed life in Iwagakure. The capital was too small.
There weren't as many ninja here, nor were they as strong. She felt no pressure.
In Iwagakure, Kaoru's strength was only average; she wasn't even outstanding among Ishiro's disciples. But in the capital, she was the strongest guard.
So, although she trained seriously, her progress was slow.
When she heard Iwa had conquered Kumo, the feeling deepened. Life in the capital was far less exciting than in Iwa.
But she knew her duty as a Guardian was to protect the Daimyō. War had nothing to do with her, unless it reached the Daimyō.
So, getting to go back to Iwa made the bored Kaoru very excited. And since the Daimyō had given her a task to teach the candidates, she could stay for a few days.
"Ishiro-sensei, how are Haku and Tsuruhime?" she asked.
"Haku is in the Land of Lightning, clearing out Kumo remnants. Tsuruhime is in the village, busy raising her bees."
Kaoru was disappointed Haku wasn't there, but happy Tsuruhime was.
Ishiro saw her expression and smiled. "Later, you can lead a team of Guardian candidates to the Land of Lightning to assist Haku."
"Really?" Kaoru asked excitedly.
"Of course!" Ishiro laughed.
Then Kaoru remembered Ishiro had business with her. "Ishiro-sensei, what do you need my flames for?"
"Decomposing souls!"
On the platform, Ishiro explained his and Neji's theory to Kaoru.
Kaoru was stunned. She had gone to Katsumata's lab to practice Yin Release, but only to better control her flames. Her Yin Release level wasn't high, and she had never noticed any soul energy dissipating when she burned enemies.
Soon, they arrived in Iwagakure. Ishiro took Kaoru straight to Katsumata's lab.
Neji wasn't waiting idly in the room. He was with Katsumata and Natsuki, helping them with the Edo Tensei research by providing insights on souls he'd gained from the giant Tenseigan.
Seeing Ishiro arrive, Neji stopped, giving Katsumata and the others a chance to digest what he'd said.
Ishiro took Neji and Kaoru back to the room.
He took out the Reaper Death Mask. "This is the mask I told you about."
Neji communicated with the giant Tenseigan again and pulled the Reaper out of the mask.
Seeing the Reaper radiating powerful energy, Kaoru gulped. She was scared.
But looking at Ishiro and Neji, she calmed down. Two Kage-level ninja were protecting her. What was there to fear?
She followed Ishiro's instructions and began burning the Reaper with her flames.
As soon as the flames touched it, the Reaper recoiled. Though its intelligence was low, its instincts remained. The flames caused it intense pain.
Ishiro was delighted. It works!
He had been worried the power gap was too big. But the Reaper's reaction proved the flames were effective.
That was enough!
Ishiro and Neji exchanged a look. They acted together, trapping the dim-witted Reaper.
Then, Kaoru's flames engulfed the Reaper's soul body.
Though trapped by Ishiro's seals and Neji's dōjutsu, the Reaper struggled violently. But it was futile; it only prolonged the suffering.
As time passed, a wisp of the Reaper's body vanished under the flames.
Ishiro's Mind's Eye and Neji's Tenseigan both saw what they had been waiting for.
Sure enough, when the soul body was burned, soul energy separated from it.
Ishiro quickly stepped forward and collected the energy in a prepared bottle.
Unfortunately, the energy in the bottle dissipated completely after a short while.
Ishiro frowned. He thought for a moment, then collected another wisp of newly separated energy.
This time, he didn't put it in a bottle. He put it directly into his mouth.
Once the energy entered him, Ishiro used his own soul to quickly devour it.
It wasn't much energy compared to the Reaper, but Ishiro felt a slight increase in his own soul power.
He rejoiced. It works! He signaled Kaoru to continue.
He knew this absorption might have side effects.
But he had no choice. He had to walk the path of five-nature fusion. To do that, he had to strengthen his soul.
They spent an hour in the lab. Ishiro absorbed the Reaper's soul energy a few times, then stopped.
He transferred the energy Kaoru separated into her body.
He decided to strengthen Kaoru's soul first. If she became stronger, her efficiency would increase.
But Kaoru's soul wasn't strong to begin with. After absorbing just one wisp, she was full!
Ishiro sent her to rest and digest it.
For the next three days, Kaoru absorbed one wisp of soul energy each day.
After absorbing four wisps, she successfully reached the Elite Jonin level.
Kaoru was dazed. Becoming an Elite Jonin... is this easy?
Ishiro was also surprised, but considering the Reaper was close to Sage-level, it made sense.
Seeing how easy it was for Kaoru, Ishiro wanted to see if others could absorb it.
Unfortunately, most couldn't. Ninja whose Yin Release hadn't reached the third stage couldn't absorb it.
Only Ishiro and Natsuki (who was at the third stage) could.
Below the third stage, only Kaoru could absorb it because the energy was purified by her own flames.
Others, even Neji with the Tenseigan, couldn't.
Neji felt he might be able to once his Tenseigan fully evolved. But by then, he wouldn't need Kaoru to purify it; his Tenseigan should be able to do it itself.
After Kaoru reached Elite Jonin, her efficiency increased significantly.
She purified a lot of soul energy for Ishiro every day.
The Reaper lasted about a month under her flames before finally being completely burned away.
For the first ten days, it struggled violently.
For the last twenty, it was motionless; its remaining intelligence had been burned away.
The soul energy produced was far less than the Reaper's total mass, as most of it was burned off.
But after absorbing it, Ishiro felt his soul power had nearly doubled.
He felt full.
He decided to take a break. He sent Kaoru and Tsuruhime to the Land of Lightning to find Haku.
With Kaoru gone, Neji finally got a break. He had been guarding them during the absorption process, so he was tired too.
After they left, Ishiro went to the training ground near the White Sphere lab.
This was his dedicated space for five-nature fusion practice.
With his soul power doubled, Ishiro planned to practice intensely. He needed something soul-consuming to temper his new power.
Five-nature fusion was perfect.
His seven-layer method had reached the sixth layer.
Before, he could barely finish the fifth, and not even 10% of the sixth.
Now, having experienced Neji's third quickening and doubled his soul power, he felt he could make progress.
He reviewed the data from the White Sphere lab.
Once he had organized the massive amount of data, he began the experiment.
Layers one, two, three, and four went smoothly.
Layer five took a while, perhaps because he was unaccustomed to the sudden increase in soul power.
Finally, layer six. Before, he had completed less than 10%.
Tiny branches extended from the dense fifth-layer framework.
Under Ishiro's control, these tiny branches intertwined according to the data.
Slowly, the framework became denser.
Soon, he reached 10%.
Ishiro kept his breathing steady. He felt he had more in him.
He continued, extending more tiny branches.
10%, 20%, 30%.
When he reached 30% of the sixth layer, he finally hit his limit.
His body trembled, and a tiny branch went to the wrong place.
Chaos ensued. The entire rigorous framework began to collapse.
Ishiro was used to this. He expertly repelled the out-of-control chakra with Shinra Tensei.
Boom! An explosion rang out in the distance, kicking up dust.
Ishiro ignored it, drank some water, and started again.
The second time, he reached nearly 40%.
He felt he hadn't reached his current limit. His control had dropped because he had absorbed too much soul power at once.
He calmed his breathing and continued.
A few days later, Ishiro reached about 50% of the sixth layer.
This time, he felt he had truly hit his limit. To go further, he would need to improve his chakra control and proficiency.
He ended the practice.
Konoha.
While Ishiro was focused on his training.
Sakon, Ukon, Kidōmaru, Tayuya, and Jirōbō—Orochimaru's Sound Four (plus one)—finally succeeded in infiltrating Konoha.
Their success wasn't due to their strength.
It was because Konoha was in a special situation.
Ever since Ishiro set the strategy of targeting Konoha's manpower, Iwa ninja on missions would specifically target Konoha ninja.
Iwa used numbers to bully the few. Several Iwa squads would gang up on one Konoha squad.
Although they operated in secret and only killed a few at a time...
Iwa's operations were frequent. It seemed like Iwa had plenty of ninja with nothing to do but patrol the Land of Fire border.
If they found an isolated Konoha squad, they bit.
The cumulative losses were significant.
Konoha's high command reacted quickly. At first, they thought Iwa was launching a major invasion and mobilized the village's ninja. They even asked Kiri for help.
But soon, Kakashi understood Iwa's intent.
This was an open conspiracy. Iwa wasn't planning a decisive battle; they were fighting a war of attrition.
Konoha simply didn't have the numbers to compete. Even a one-to-one trade was bad for them. But with Iwa ganging up, Konoha's casualties were far higher.
Helpless, Kakashi deployed a large number of ninja to the border.
Combined with the many missions within the Land of Fire that required attention...
Konoha Village was currently very empty.
(End of Chapter)
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