Chapter 265: Thunder Rises, Clouds Part (Part 2)
Dana, having just woken up, had no time to savor the changes brought by his golden thoracic vertebrae. He had already appeared in the Heavenly Transfer Technique base.
He had just had a sincere conversation with the Third Raikage, and now he was going to wrap things up.
Dana handed the coat back to a nearby research ninja. The clothes they found for him when he woke up were terribly ill-fitting. Wearing them, he looked like a muscle-bound pervert in tight spandex, so he took the shirt off, wearing only loose pants.
"Coordinates: The Capital. Maximum speed. Arrange it immediately."
The research ninja looked up at Yotsuki Dana and hesitated. "Dana-sama... I'm afraid there isn't a delivery pod suitable for your size..."
Dana paused, feeling somewhat helpless. The change in his physique was truly unexpected.
"Then just teleport me directly."
"Sir, that might not be safe..."
Body transportation via Heavenly Transfer was something only the Third Raikage had attempted in the early days when the technique was immature, and even he got injured upon landing. Such reckless bravery hadn't happened in years. Although the technique had been improved multiple times, the research ninja felt unsure.
"It doesn't matter. The current me can withstand it."
Dana stood shirtless on the transmission platform.
The research ninja said nervously, "Be careful, sir!"
Then, Dana turned into a streak of rainbow light and flew toward the horizon.
Although it wasn't his first time using Heavenly Transfer, body transmission felt very different from being in a pod. Dana carefully sensed the process. Wrapped in the chakra energy of the technique itself, given his current physical strength, he could handle it easily.
With the speed of the Heavenly Transfer, he arrived at the capital in a few breaths. The streak of rainbow light attracted many people's attention.
At this moment, the capital was already engulfed in a sea of fire.
Hovering mid-air, Dana frowned.
"As expected, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu are the biggest trouble. But it's time to end this."
The rainbow light arrived above the capital but didn't land directly. Instead, it floated in the sky.
Yes, floated.
Many battles in the capital stemmed from White Zetsu's possession and mimicry. The nobles' insistent demand for "immunity from inspection" at the beginning had brewed a disaster. Many noble guards had been secretly replaced or implanted with spores. They were creating chaos continuously, even opening the prisons holding the samurai and mercenaries.
Tetsuo Okine panted heavily. He was chasing the guard of the Land of Earth's Prince. This guard had killed the Prince of the Land of Rainbows with a single slash in the banquet hall, then fled frantically, destroying everything in his path without engaging in prolonged combat. He even attacked his own companions, clearly in an abnormal state.
Even on such a chaotic night, involving the death of a prince, Tetsuo and his squad wanted to capture the target alive; otherwise, it would be hard to explain.
However, the enemy was slippery as an eel.
Just as the target was about to escape, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, piercing through the Iwa ninja's head.
Tetsuo looked up and saw his leader, Yotsuki Dana, floating cross-legged in the sky, slowly retracting a finger and nodding at him.
"Dana-sama!"
The surrounding Cloud ninja felt like they had found their backbone.
Dana nodded to them and spoke through the Communication Snail network to everyone: "Priority one is extinguishing fires and protecting civilians. Do not hold back against those who resist."
"YES SIR!"
Dana spun in mid-air and flew in another direction. However, seeming unskilled, he crashed through a corner of a roof. His face twitched, but he didn't show any pain.
Yes, this was one of his new abilities. By converting Lightning Chakra into "magnetic" force, he achieved flight—or rather, levitation.
It seemed his previous ability to sense lies was also related to magnetic field changes.
He wasn't sure if his "magnetism" was the same as Suna's Magnet Release, but it could indeed lift his body.
However, his control wasn't great yet. The reason he chose to fly cross-legged like a Buddha was that the center of gravity was more stable. If he stood straight, he might end up performing a spacewalk with 360-degree spins.
Utilizing the high-altitude perspective and "Pulse" Vision, Dana sniped several chaos-makers. Then, unexpectedly, he encountered a few acquaintances.
Minato Namikaze, carrying the struggling, tied-up Prince Shohei on his back, was hiding in a dark alley with his teammates, seemingly waiting for the chaos to end before escaping.
After spotting them, Dana floated over cross-legged, glanced at them, and said, "Why are you guys here? Forget it, doesn't matter. Stay here obediently. If you encounter Cloud ninja, cooperate, don't resist."
The three stared blankly as Yotsuki Dana flew in, then stared blankly as he flew away.
Tsume Inuzuka stammered, "Minato? Was I hallucinating just now? Was the Purple Moon Demon... flying?"
Minato said heavily, "Yes. It seems he has mastered a new ability..."
Hizashi Hyuga added, "Rather than flying, I'm more curious why he isn't wearing a shirt."
Dana, not yet far away, heard Hizashi's comment. losing control for a moment, he flew crookedly and smashed several roof tiles.
Next, time to meet the main culprit.
The banquet hall was already a mess.
No, accurately speaking, the entire Asuka Castle was in chaos.
This was the fourth time this year...
But the Thunder Daimyo wasn't panicked at all.
Raihara Yukihiro walked barefoot on the carpet soaked in the blood of who-knows-which prince, making squelching sounds.
Tables were broken, likely used as weapons by someone.
Candlesticks were extinguished because they had pierced someone's body.
Plates were overturned, fruit rolling everywhere.
Yukihiro was searching for something in the ruins.
"Eh? Found it. There's still some here."
Yukihiro pulled a wine bottle from the arms of some unlucky dead guy who seemed to have used it to block a dagger.
Shaking it, he found there was still plenty left. Yukihiro kicked the corpse away, then took the bottle to a window sill. uncorking it, he watched the burning capital outside with a smile.
"Burn! Burn! All you bastards who stood in my way."
A deep voice rang out from above.
"Is it beautiful?"
Yukihiro's hand trembled, and the bottle dropped before he could take a sip.
Yotsuki Dana slowly descended, landing in front of Yukihiro.
"This should be our third meeting, right?"
A trace of fear appeared involuntarily on Yukihiro's face, but he quickly reverted to a smiling expression.
"Ah, Yotsuki-dono. Are you here to protect the capital? There are so many people causing trouble outside. You should hurry and arrest them all!"
"Oh? Does Daimyo-dono not know those people?"
"How could I? I've been locked in Asuka Castle by the Cloud. How would I know what's going on with them?"
"You're lying."
Yukihiro froze.
Dana squatted on the roof. Even squatting, he was half a head taller than the scrawny Yukihiro. The difference between them looked like an adult and a toddler.
"Daimyo... no, Raihara-dono. Is the death of Prince Ariki and Prince Inoue last night related to you?"
"Naturally, it has nothing to do with me. I was at the banquet all night."
"You're lying again."
Yukihiro froze again. He didn't know how the other party could so flatly determine he was lying. Panic started to rise in his heart.
"I used to think you were stupid. Now I realize you're stupid, vicious, and self-important. You could be called the worst possible choice for a Daimyo. How did Jun'en Furuya pick someone like you...? You might have many secrets, thinking your schemes succeeded, thinking you're the mantis stalking the cicada. But actually, you're just the cicada. Someone wants you to die, to fall into the Cloud's soup bowl and disgust us. But it doesn't matter anymore. Since I beat the bird behind you to death, it's irrelevant."
Pausing, Dana added, "Oh right, you don't even know the bird exists..."
Yukihiro stumbled back a few steps, panic appearing on his face. "What do you mean? Let me tell you, I am the only legitimate Daimyo of the Land of Lightning!"
Yotsuki Dana bent down and flipped in through the window.
(Flashback to conversation with Third Raikage)
"I originally thought my method of handling things was fine. I thought I had already broken the rules. But when I fought a certain old geezer, I suddenly felt I was still too conservative. The reason this mess is never-ending is ultimately because we're being led by the nose."
"Old Man, actually, before I fell into a coma, I had a thought. We are too passive."
"How so?"
"The enemy wants to disgust the Cloud through the Daimyo's estate. Just defending blindly won't work. Even if we defend Asuka Castle, the enemy can cause chaos elsewhere in the Land of Lightning. There are plenty of cities and towns. More people will die then."
Third Raikage: "Monsters capable of moving freely underground, possessing and controlling others... are indeed hard to deal with."
"Yes. Although I killed one of their backers, they obviously haven't given up. The situation is: the enemy can weaken the Cloud by plunging the entire Land of Lightning into chaos, but we cannot protect ourselves by protecting the Land of Lightning. Do you know why, Old Man?"
The Third Raikage asked instinctively, "Why?"
"Because the Land of Lightning doesn't belong to us. We can only protect the Daimyo's estate."
"Dana..."
"But the Daimyo's estate is trash. We can't defend it. Without Raihara Yukihiro, there will be a Raihara Ariki. If Asuka Castle is secured, other places will burn. With the Daimyo system, it's impossible to defend against Black and White Zetsu's sabotage and infiltration. Or rather, even without them, the Daimyo's estate is just a parasite sucking blood from the Land of Lightning. And because of the system, we are being dragged around putting out fires."
"So, Old Man, the logic is actually very simple. The Land of Lightning is the Cloud's foundation, and the Daimyo's estate is the termite in that foundation. The Land of Lightning is something the Cloud cannot give up, but the Daimyo's estate is not. Rather than letting countless civilians die later, I'd prefer the Daimyo and nobles die now. The Daimyo system is beyond saving. Instead of letting enemies exploit the loopholes in the rules to restrain the Cloud, the Cloud should set its own rules. Using a ninja's method..."
Seeing Yotsuki Dana's cold eyes, Raihara Yukihiro seemed to realize something.
He fell to the ground, kicking backward frantically, trying to put distance between himself and Dana.
"I am the Thunder Daimyo! I am the master of Asuka Castle! I am the only surviving male of the Raihara clan! How can you kill me?! HOW DARE YOU KILL ME?!"
His tone was incredulous. His plan had succeeded perfectly; how dare he?!
"I order you! I ORDER YOU TO GET LOST!"
A warmth spread in his crotch; he had actually peed himself.
Dana slowly raised a hand, lightning glowing at his fingertips.
"YOU CAN'T KILL ME... MY FATHER IS JUN'EN FURUYA!!!!" Yukihiro screamed hysterically.
"I don't give a damn who your father is! Goodbye, idiot."
With the end of the final scream, a beam pierced Yukihiro's head. His body went limp, merging with the corpses filling the room.
"Oh my, seems I heard something shocking. But it doesn't matter anymore."
Dana clapped his hands. There was no fluctuation in his heart, contrary to what he expected.
He stood up and looked out the window at the burning capital of the Land of Lightning in the distance.
Suddenly, everything became clear. There was much to be done.