Chapter 229: The Dawn of an Upgrade for the Lacquer Eye!
'An S-rank scroll really gave me a miscellaneous item?'
That was Keisuke's first, disappointed thought. 'And from the description, this 'Research on Blood' isn't even a crafting technique like the Nature Mask Forging Method. It's just... pure data.'
If it were just pure data, that would be one thing. The brain research he had gotten from the Yamanaka clan had been a massive help. But this was "Research on Blood" from the Chinoike Clan. Before acquiring their secret arts, the only "blood" related technique he had was the basic D-rank Hemostasis Jutsu.
'Oh well. What's opened is opened...'
He returned to the main tent and immersed his mind in the new S-rank knowledge. 'Let's see what this is all about.'
The Chinoike were likely the foremost experts on blood in the entire ninja world. At least, before the Uchiha were hired to seal them away in Hell Valley, their research was second to none.
The S-rank data was divided into sections. The first, and by far the largest, was a massive collection of professional-level research on blood cells and tissues. To a medical ninja, this section alone would be priceless.
The second section detailed the Chinoike's understanding and mastery of blood itself. They viewed it as a special type of "liquid" and manipulated it much like a Water Style user, with research into both "shape transformation" and "nature transformation."
'Changing blood into the shape of various weapons, or compressing and hardening it... isn't this the basic principle behind the 'Blood Piercing Bullet' I got from Oyakata En?'
He had finally found something interesting. He didn't care about the shape transformation, but the nature transformation was fascinating. 'Blood compression, hardening, using it to strengthen one's constitution... there's a lot of good stuff in here.'
If he would give their nature transformation research a nine out of ten, then the final section of the data, he would give a perfect score. It was the clan's research on their own Ketsuryūgan.
While the Chinoike were not as strong as the Uchiha, they had still earned their dōjutsu the nickname "the Hypnotic Eye." This final section contained an extremely rich and detailed analysis of the ocular nervous and chakra pathway systems.
But what was most interesting was a theory they had proposed: by increasing the number of cells in the eye, one could expand the ocular chakra network, thereby increasing its chakra capacity and, ultimately, the power of the Ketsuryūgan.
This part of the research was, to Keisuke, a priceless treasure. He didn't have the Ketsuryūgan, but he did have the Lacquer Eye. As the first A-rank technique he had ever developed, it had recently received a major upgrade when he reverse-engineered "Genjutsu: Sharingan." But Keisuke had always known that "eyes are the true path to power in ninjutsu." The Rinnegan, the Tenseigan, the Byakugan, the Sharingan... the ninja world was filled with strange and powerful eyes. His A-rank Lacquer Eye was good, but he had always wanted to push it to a higher level.
And now, with this S-rank research... he could finally see the dawn of that upgrade.
'As expected of knowledge from an S-rank scroll!' His opinion did a complete 180. 'This is a million times better than some trash forbidden jutsu like Death Controlling Possessed Blood!'
Overall, the value of this research absolutely lived up to its S-rank rating, especially with its special significance for him. Thoroughly satisfied, he sent a clone to fetch Nara Shikaku.
The research was a long-term project. The intel he'd just gotten from the Jashin priest, however, needed to be dealt with immediately.
"Shikaku-san," Keisuke said, tossing two scrolls to the chief of staff as he entered the tent. "Take a look at these. The one you're holding is the report Shisui just wrote down."
"The Village Hidden in Hot Water, the Jashin Cult, a masked man, the Chinoike Clan..." Shikaku read through the first scroll at a glance, then opened the second. "This is... the mission route for Hatake Kakashi's squad?"
"Yes," Keisuke nodded. "Both of those were just recovered from Hell Valley."
"How is this possible..." Shikaku looked at the scroll in disbelief. A Konoha Jonin squad's movements had been perfectly predicted and an ambush had been set. His mind, moving at incredible speeds, instantly grasped the implications. There were only two possibilities: either an enemy spy had infiltrated Konoha's high command, or... a high-ranking official was the traitor.
"This is... a huge problem," Shikaku said, rubbing his temples in distress.
"Indeed it is," Keisuke said, happily washing his hands of the matter. "Shikaku-san, I'll leave this to you to handle."
Shikaku let out a long sigh and immediately began to formulate a plan. "First, this must be reported to Lord Third, and it would be best if he is the only one who knows. Second, we can't ignore Minato... hasn't his squad been running into a lot of strange things lately?"
"Anyway," Keisuke's figure vanished, his final words echoing in the tent. "I'm counting on you, Shikaku-san! I'm going to go check on Kokuō. It's too dangerous to leave him out in the wild alone."
While Keisuke was teleporting to his "temporary research base," back in the Kumo camp...
"Nara-Raikage" was methodically going through Kumogakure's various administrative documents. For the past few days, using the chakra from his crystal ring and the perfect cover of his invisibility jutsu, he had gathered intel on almost every ninja in the camp. As a result, he could now perfectly impersonate the Third Raikage. Even his own son couldn't tell the difference.
There was just one problem: muscle training. He had debated between "lifting weights" and "doing paperwork" and, as Keisuke, had chosen the paperwork.
"The previous Two-Tails Jinchuriki is growing weaker. A new one has already been selected," he read from a file, his eyes lingering on the photo attached. "Nii Yugito... The village needs the Amber Purifying Pot to mitigate the danger of the resealing process..."
He considered ordering the dying Jinchuriki to the front lines to "squeeze out her remaining value"... for the good of the village, of course.
Just then, a black-robed figure emerged from the floor of the tent. The One-Eyed Uchiha had returned.
"You again!" "Nara-Raikage" said, putting down the scroll, his voice rough and impatient. "What? Have you decided on the payment for hiring our village?"
The masked man's single Sharingan stared at the hulking Raikage. If he weren't completely outmatched, he would have burned this Kumo brute to a crisp with a fireball by now. But Obito had now awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan. The next phase of the plan had to begin, and for that, the Raikage and the AB Combo were indispensable tools.
"In addition to the previous Sealing Method," the masked man said, taking out two new scrolls and tossing them over. "Take these. Two Kekkei Genkai secret arts, from the Third Mizukage and the Yuki Clan."
Keisuke's clone caught them. The panel flashed.
[A-Rank Miscellaneous Detected: [Lava Release Chakra Creation Method]. Learn?]
[A-Rank Miscellaneous Detected: [Ice Release Chakra Creation Method]. Learn?]
"With these two scrolls, Kumogakure can have two more Kekkei Genkai clans," the man said coldly. "I believe our sincerity is now sufficient."
The Tailed Beast Sealing Method, Storm Release: Light Fang, Lava Release, and Ice Release... he had indeed paid a heavy price.
But "Nara-Raikage's" response was...
"Not enough!"
He tossed the two scrolls aside and crossed his arms. "You've only paid with a few insignificant scrolls. I, on the other hand, am betting my entire village!"
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