Chapter 250: The Grand Blueprint for the Six Paths-Level!
"The Eight-Tails..."
Keisuke looked at Killer B's body, which was lying on the ground like a corpse, and a shadow thread shot out from beneath him.
Shadow Manipulation Technique!
Knowing almost everything about Killer B's abilities, he was worried about making the same mistake as the future Sasuke—mistaking a tentacle clone for the real thing. To be safe, he would secure him first. The shadow thread connected to B's shadow without any resistance, and Keisuke's Yin chakra poured into his body, seizing control of his nervous system. At his mental command, B's body immediately stood up, moving smoothly.
Shadow Manipulation Technique: Success.
"It's the real deal," he confirmed. He then placed his hand on B's body, and a complex sealing formula spread across his skin, adding another layer of insurance.
Four Symbols Seal!
The A-rank Uzumaki seal was placed directly on top of Kumo's "Iron Armor Seal," reducing the chances of him losing control to a minimum. In Keisuke's view, a "Perfect Jinchuriki" was a far greater threat than the wild Three-Tails. The double-combo of Shadow Manipulation and the Four Symbols Seal completely locked down B's ability to resist, both mentally and physically. Only then could Keisuke relax.
"The Eight-Tails, Three-Tails, and Five-Tails. That's three of them." He gazed at B, his eyes seeming to pierce through to the seal within. "If I add the Nine-Tails... it seems I'll have to make a move on Kumo's Two-Tails as well."
Until he had a certain number of them, any single Tailed Beast—aside from a super-powered one like the Nine-Tails—was of limited value to him. Except for Kokuō, of course. In his heart, the value of the "great white deer" was even higher than that of the nine-tailed fox. But now that he had three, with the Nine-Tails already in Konoha and the Two-Tails "readily available" in Kumo, he had to start considering the "Tailed Beast Collection" plan.
He knew that gathering all nine would summon the Ten-Tails, which was the necessary condition for reviving Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. He had no intention of doing the dirty work for the "filial son of the ninja world," Black Zetsu. However... to collect some of the beasts' power beforehand, to fuse them and peek into the essence of the Ten-Tails' power... that, he felt, was a very worthy goal.
At the very pinnacle of the ninja world's power pyramid was what he called the "Six Paths-Level." And every single "Six Paths-Level" powerhouse was, without exception, related to Kaguya. Her sons, her grandsons, her grandsons' reincarnations... Keisuke had no interest in the Ōtsutsuki family's internal drama. But he was certain of one thing: Kaguya's power came from the Divine Tree. The Ōtsutsuki came to this world, planted the tree, it absorbed natural energy and produced a "Chakra Fruit," Kaguya ate the fruit and became the "Rabbit Goddess," and the tree, without its fruit, became the Ten-Tails.
In a way, the Chakra Fruit and the Ten-Tails were powers of the same magnitude.
Keisuke didn't have Ōtsutsuki blood; he couldn't "evolve" through his ancestry like the Hyūga or Uchiha. If he wanted to reach the top, he had to take a "shortcut."
"But... the Ten-Tails is still too far away," he murmured, burying the grand plan deep in his heart. "For now, I need to focus on figuring out Kekkei Genkai and natural energy."
You have to eat your meal one bite at a time. He had no dreams of becoming the Rabbit Goddess.
"First, let's get back to camp. There are other prisoners to deal with..."
Just as he was about to take B and A's corpse back, Minato teleported to the scene. He immediately saw B standing calmly beside Keisuke and rushed over. "Keisuke! Be careful—huh?"
"It's fine, Minato-san. I have him under control," Keisuke said.
Controlled... the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki? A few small question marks appeared over Minato's head. Did I hear him wrong, or is there something wrong with the fundamental concepts of the ninja world? Isn't it common sense that Jinchuriki are immune to control-type genjutsu? Or... does Keisuke have some special control method? He warily watched B, and only after confirming he showed no signs of aggression did he relax.
"Keisuke, should I add some more seals?"
"Be my guest." Keisuke stepped aside, silently dispelling his Shadow Manipulation so his clone-consciousness wouldn't be affected. "But no need for another Four Symbols Seal. I've already used one."
Used... a Four Symbols Seal? More question marks. That's a secret art of the Uzumaki. Where did he learn that? Tsunade-sama?
Minato silently walked over and, with his extensive knowledge, applied layer after layer of complex seals to Killer B.
"Minato-san, I'll leave the AB Combo to you," Keisuke said. "B is captured alive. A is dead, but as Kumo's Raikage-in-waiting, his body is extremely valuable. I have other matters to attend to. Could you please take them back to camp?"
For Konoha, the body of a top-tier ninja like A was an invaluable asset. As a master of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the secrets on his body would be far easier to extract than from a ninjutsu-type. If they could reverse-engineer even a fraction of it, it would be a huge boost to Konoha's strength. And as for B... that went without saying.
Minato knew the value of what they had accomplished. With this one battle, Kumogakure's top-tier power had been cut in half. It was highly likely they would now withdraw from the war. "Leave it to me," he said, nodding.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Keisuke's figure vanished. Minato, after finishing with B, summoned a large toad to transport the two Kumo ninja back to the camp.
Underground Cavern, Land of Hot Water...
Keisuke's figure appeared in the darkness. He instantly sensed three chakra signatures.
"Ōnoki is here?"
"He's already gone," the "Nara-Raikage" said, emerging from the shadows, holding the unconscious bodies of Hōzuki Mangetsu and Ishikawa. "He almost gave me a heart attack when he showed up, but it turns out he's one of ours. After we got the intel from this Lava-user, he flew off. He told me to tell you to hurry up and not to leave him alone in Iwagakure for too long."
"Understood," Keisuke nodded. Iwagakure was a poor village; there wasn't much worth stealing. He didn't need his "Nara-Ōnoki" clone to stay there long. "Let's swap you out."
He shot a shadow thread at the Raikage's body.
"It's about time!" the clone said with a grin, and dispelled itself just as the main body's consciousness was about to take over. An enormous, complex flood of memories poured into Keisuke's mind, and he closed his eyes, a massive headache blooming behind them.
"It seems you really can't leave a clone out for too long... it's only been a few days. I'll have to be more careful... and I'll need to rotate the Ōnoki clone regularly, too." He had already left a marker on his new puppet; swapping would be easy.
"Main Body," the new clone in the Raikage's body said, its voice full of despair. "The AB Combo is gone. And you're still planning to go after the Two-Tails. How am I supposed to handle this?!"
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you