Chapter 239: Shifting the Battle to the Hidden Mist!
Under the perfect cover of the Shadow Invisibility Jutsu, Ōnoki never even saw the shadow thread that fused with the night and connected to his back. The instant it touched him, the clone's Yin Release chakra shot through his central nervous system, went straight to his brain, and sealed his consciousness.
'Who—'
The thought had barely formed before his mind was plunged into darkness. When the Third Tsuchikage's eyes opened again, they no longer belonged to "Ōnoki of Both Scales," but to "Nara-Ōnoki."
Shadow Manipulation Technique: Success!
And the moment he was taken, a notification popped up on Keisuke's panel.
[S-Rank Mission [Hands Off My Five-Tails!] has been completed!]
[You have obtained one S-Rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
Now that the leader of the invading force had been taken, Iwagakure's strategic plan had crumbled.
'Ōnoki has been controlled. The Iwa situation is basically handled.' Keisuke glanced at the notification. 'As for this scroll... I'll check it after all the missions are done.'
"Keisuke, Ōnoki's moving! He's coming this way!" Kokuō warned, seeing the Tsuchikage descend from the sky. It lowered its head, aiming its horns, ready to attack.
"It's fine, Kokuō. The fight is over," Keisuke said, stroking the silky white fur on its head. "Ōnoki is no longer a threat."
"What?" Kokuō was completely baffled. It hadn't seen or sensed any fight. Ōnoki was completely unharmed. What was he talking about?
But then, Ōnoki flew over and, showing no hostility at all, greeted it with a cheerful wave and a smile. "Hey, Kokuō."
"How is that possible..." The Five-Tails took a step back, stunned. It had never told Ōnoki its real name. And, it wasn't sure if it was just its imagination, but the look in Ōnoki's eyes seemed strangely familiar. "Keisuke! What is going on?!"
"I've taken control of him," Keisuke said simply. "You can think of it as a very special kind of genjutsu."
While the Shadow Manipulation Technique involved a deep knowledge of the nervous system and sealing arts, it was an S-rank jutsu that was primarily Yin Release. Calling it a "genjutsu" wasn't entirely wrong.
"A genjutsu..." Kokuō blinked its sea-blue eyes. Don't fool a Tailed Beast just because it hasn't seen much of the world! Does a genjutsu of that level even exist?! I didn't even see how he cast it... just how strong has Keisuke become?
The great white deer from the old era couldn't quite grasp Keisuke's current power level. It shook its massive head and threw the question from its mind. The river of ninja history was long, and every now and then, a monster was born. Hashirama Senju had been one. Now, Nara Keisuke was another. If he were an enemy, this would be a massive headache. But since he was an ally—and one that could be summoned for help at any time—the stronger he was, the safer Kokuō felt.
"So, now that you're controlling him... what are you going to do with him?" Kokuō asked. "Are we going to kill him?"
"No, he's still useful to me right now," Keisuke said, placing a Flying Thunder God marker on his new puppet. "Do you want to kill him?"
Ōnoki, with his Dust Release, was an invaluable research asset for Keisuke.
"I don't have strong feelings about it," Kokuō said with a shake of its head. "I don't like Iwa, but if he's useful to you, Keisuke, then we can let him live for now."
Good deer. Keisuke gave its head another pat, but before he could say anything more, his body vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Huh? Oh, the summoning chakra ran out..." Kokuō was about to re-summon him, when...
Flying Thunder God Technique!
...Keisuke instantly reappeared, having used the marker he'd left on Kokuō. "Your Flying Thunder God Technique is really useful!" Kokuō said in amazement.
"Want to learn it?" Keisuke asked. "It's much harder than the Summoning Jutsu, but it's based on the same principles."
"Is it hard?"
"From a ninja's perspective, this is S-rank. The Summoning Jutsu is C-rank."
"Then I'm not learning it!" Kokuō's blunt refusal cut him off mid-sentence.
"Alright then..." Keisuke shook his head. The "brute force" Summoning Jutsu, which just required a massive amount of chakra, was probably a better fit for a Tailed Beast anyway.
He turned his attention to his new puppet. He had the Tsuchikage, but he didn't know where the Iwa camp was. He needed a guide. 'Good thing I didn't kill that Lava Release ninja. He's useful now.'
He gave "Nara-Ōnoki" his orders. "Go and find the Third Raikage. The rest... you can figure it out."
"Understood," the clone replied, rolling its eyes, and flew off. "Wouldn't want to interrupt your fun."
"Is that really okay?" Kokuō asked.
"It's fine," Keisuke reassured it. He then pointed to the southeast. "Kokuō, now we head for the other battlefield!"
At this moment, Kumogakure was under his control. Iwagakure was under his control. The only opponent left... was Kirigakure.
And unlike the others, Kiri's forces were at full strength. Under the control of the masked Uchiha and Madara, they had gone all-out in this campaign. Keisuke knew the Seven Swordsmen were just a feint; the real threats were the high-end assets like Hōzuki Mangetsu... and the instigators themselves, Tobi and the masked Uchiha.
Keisuke and Kokuō set off at full speed for the final battle.
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