r18novel Chapter 202 Response and Rewards
Chapter 202 Response and Rewards
Chapter 202 Response and Rewards (Seeking monthly votes and donations)
The sound echoed through the huge hall, creating a sense of spaciousness.
Madara Uchiha, who was sitting on the giant wooden chair, slowly opened his eyes. His Sharingan with three tomoe was clearly visible in them, and for some reason, even in its normal state, he did not seem to want to close them.
His gaze shifted downwards, looking at the half-black, half-white creature in front of him. It was Black Zetsu, a creature he had created after awakening the Rinnegan, by combining Yin-Yang Release with his own consciousness.
Although the exact cause is not yet clear, it may indeed have been an accident, but through various investigations, it has been confirmed that it is indeed a derivative of itself, and its loyalty and security have been verified.
"Jue, how is the situation outside?" His voice was hoarse and cracked, probably because he hadn't spoken for a long time.
"Lord Madara, the situation in the ninja world is just as you predicted; it has begun to descend into chaos. Konoha and Sunagakure are currently engaged in a major war, Iwagakure recently declared war on Konoha, and Kumogakure and Konoha have also clashed in the Land of Hot Springs. Apart from Kirigakure, which is far from the mainland, the other four major ninja villages are fighting to varying degrees."
"Oh, very good!" Madara's voice gradually returned to normal, deep and heavy, yet lacking in vitality. "But that's not enough. Find a way to get Kirigakure to join the battle. Only by weakening the power of all nations as much as possible can our final plan be implemented more smoothly!"
"As you wish, Lord Madara!" Black Zetsu said without hesitation, "I will take care of it immediately."
Madara nodded weakly, then, as if remembering something, he mustered his spirits and asked, "That Uchiha kid, his name is Obito, right? How is he doing?"
"Yes, Lord Madara, Obito Uchiha is currently in the Land of Rivers with his team, participating in the battle against Sunagakure. His strength is improving rapidly. Although he hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet, he already has combat power close to that of a Chunin."
"Oh, he hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet. It seems the ninja world has been too lenient with him, not letting him experience enough suffering." Madara pondered for a long time, while Black Zetsu waited quietly by his side.
"Forget it, it's not the right time yet. Let him grow on his own for a while longer, but keep a close eye on his every move, especially when he's on a mission. Don't let him out of your sight."
"No problem, Lord Madara!" Black Zetsu replied respectfully, but then seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to say something more.
"Is there anything else?" Ban asked impatiently. He needed more rest now. For the sake of that ultimate goal, he was conserving every bit of his life, and rest was the best way to achieve it.
"Lord Madara, not long ago, two of our White Zetsu sent out to gather intelligence were destroyed."
"Damage? Are you sure? Has someone discovered it?" Madara's expression immediately became tense. He was no match for the ninja world in terms of power, which was why everything was being done in secret. He absolutely could not let others discover his whereabouts during this period.
"They were likely caught in the aftermath of a battle. From the traces left at the scene, it was discovered that the two ninjas involved in the battle were skilled in Fire Release and Wind Release, respectively. Their ninjutsu had a wide range of effects, and the two White Zetsu died from Fire Release."
"Is it really that coincidental?" Madara Uchiha was a suspicious person. This situation seemed too coincidental. Although White Zetsu was not strong, he should not have been killed by the aftermath of a battle between two ninjas.
Black Zetsu thought for a moment, but in the end he still said something he didn't want to talk about: "The two White Zetsu who were discussing poop at the beginning died."
The empty hall fell into a deathly silence; even the sound of breathing disappeared.
Those two White Zetsu were so famous that even Madara was deeply impressed by them. If it weren't for the difficulty in creating White Zetsu now, he would have already sent those two White Zetsu back to the furnace to be remade.
Now that these two guys have died in the aftermath of someone else's battle, then perhaps, possibly, it doesn't seem impossible that they did.
"Investigate more carefully and see if any related news has been leaked in the ninja world."
"Yes, Lord Madara."
With a final response, Black Zetsu's figure sank back into the ground, and the hall returned to silence. Madara's heavy eyelids slowly closed once more.
The Land of Rivers, Sunagakure's front-line camp, central command tent.
After listening to the ninjas' mission report on escorting the supplies, an eerie silence fell over the tent.
After a long silence, Fengying finally broke the stillness.
"It's that Matsushita Taichi again, and that space-time ninjutsu again. Doesn't anyone have a better solution?"
"I've also looked up some information during this time. This space-time ninjutsu is called Flying Thunder God. It was developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Because it is extremely difficult to learn, so far, apart from the Second Hokage himself, I haven't heard of anyone else learning it."
"I never expected that this ninjutsu, which has been lost for so long, would be learned by people in Konoha, and two of them at once!" Ebizo continued the Kazekage's topic and gave a brief introduction to the Flying Thunder God ninjutsu, but he didn't mention any solutions to it.
Indeed, the Flying Thunder God Technique is extremely rare, and it's understandable that the ninja world lacks a way to counter it.
However, there are only two ninjas in the ninja world who can use the Flying Thunder God Technique, and both of them are fighting against Sunagakure, which is truly infuriating.
"Matsushita Taichi and Namikaze Minato, these two ninjas are the Konoha ninjas who have been active in our rear during this period. Apart from the Flying Thunder God Technique, they are top-notch among Jonin. Our small units are basically doomed to perish when they face them."
"How about we transfer Yekura to the front lines?" Ebizo tentatively suggested, his eyes glancing at the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who sat in the main seat.
Pakura can be considered to be a ninja of equal renown to Rasa among the younger generation of Sunagakure. It can be said that before Rasa mastered Magnet Release, he was inferior to Pakura in both reputation and strength.
Even now, among the high-ranking members of Sunagakure who oppose Rasa, there are still quite a few who support Yokura.
If Yekura were transferred to the front lines at this time, and she were to achieve enough merit, Rasa's position as Kazekage might be shaken again. This is not only something Rasa doesn't want to see, but also a scenario that most of the Sunagakure high-ranking officials don't want to see.
"Let's wait and see. Iwagakure has already declared war on Konoha. Let's see what Konoha's next move is, and whether they will transfer them away from this battlefield." Chiyo suggested a compromise, which could only be described as passive waiting, and sounded far too negative.
"Send the Jinchuriki to the front lines, and we'll launch a large-scale attack, release Shukaku, and give Konoha a good beating," Rasa said expressionlessly, but his suggestion made both elders look at him.
After a long while, the two elders nodded in unison, clearly agreeing with Rasa's idea to send Shukaku's jinchūriki to the front lines to participate in the battle.
Even if the Kazekage hadn't mentioned it, it was bound to happen sooner or later. If the current battlefield trend continues, Sunagakure is slowly dying. Therefore, Sunagakure desperately hopes for a great victory to change everything, and Jinchuriki are the best choice.
Soon, a communications eagle took off from the camp and flew towards Sunagakure Village.
Since the death of the previous monk Bunpuku, the Jinchuriki of Shukaku in Sunagakure has changed several times. Apart from Bunpuku, who was able to suppress Shukaku with his own will, the other hosts were often on the verge of going berserk due to their own abilities and Sunagakure's clumsy sealing techniques.
Therefore, the task of transferring the Jinchūriki is no simple matter. According to Rasa and the two elders, the village would need at least a month to prepare for the transfer.
Therefore, for the next month, the fighting on the front lines will still depend on them.
That evening, when Taiichi returned to the camp, he immediately heard the news that had spread throughout the ninja world: Iwagakure had officially declared war on Konoha.
Now that the second ninja village has declared war on Konoha, it's likely that Kumogakure will follow soon, and Kirigakure, an overseas ninja village, will also join the battle against Konoha sooner or later.
Konoha's toughest time has only just begun, and all Taichi can do now is to improve his strength as quickly as possible and strive to play a greater role in future battles.
Wandering through the camp, Taiichi observed that although everyone was discussing Iwagakure's declaration of war, the overall morale was still quite high.
After all, Iwagakure's declaration of war was still too far off for them; Sunagakure was the enemy they needed to face. And in the battles of the past few days, Konoha had definitely been dominating Sunagakure.
Before he knew it, Taiichi wandered into the central command tent, and his leisurely figure immediately attracted Jiraiya's attention inside the tent.
"It's Taiichi! Come in quickly, I was just about to look for you!"
Taiichi was startled and looked around before realizing he was already there. Hearing Jiraiya's call from inside the tent, he immediately scurried into the main tent.
At this moment, besides Jiraiya himself, only Shikaku and two other advisors appointed by the Hokage were present in the tent.
The three advisors were pointing at a huge sand table of the Land of Rivers, which marked various outposts and occupied points of Konoha and Sunagakure.
Taiichi glanced at it quickly and found that most of the Land of Rivers was currently under the control of Konoha.
This situation is very good. You should know that when Sunagakure first started the war, Jiraiya moved the camp to the rear in order to preserve his strength, giving up a lot of controlled areas.
Now, not only have they fought back completely, but they've also pushed back to the Sand Village's side, demonstrating Konoha's significant advantage on the current battlefield.
Taiyi's arrival naturally attracted the attention of the three strategists, but they only nodded to Taiyi in a friendly manner before immersing themselves in the simulation of the future battle.
"Jiraiya-sensei, did you need something?" Taiichi asked, looking puzzled. He rarely had the time to stroll around the camp, but he was caught red-handed by Jiraiya.
Jiraiya glanced sideways, leisurely flipping through the intelligence reports, but said with a hint of annoyance, "What, getting all high and mighty! Can't I talk to you for no reason?"
"Of course I can! You're my teacher, and I'm always online. Even if I'm out on a mission, you can have my shadow clone notify me to come back anytime!" Taiyi's expression was exaggerated, and he showered her with flattery without any scruples.
Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at Taiichi's exaggerated performance and words. Although he didn't understand what "always online" meant, he understood what Taiichi was trying to say.
"Alright, stop joking around. The village's reward for you has been announced. We called you over so you can choose one." Jiraiya waved his hand, gesturing for Taichi to come closer.
"Oh, so soon! What's the reward this time?" Taichi rubbed his hands together excitedly, looking like he couldn't wait.
"Knowing you don't lack anything, I'll help you choose. How about choosing a ninjutsu from the Book of Seals?" Jiraiya was full of confidence; he knew Taiichi quite well.
He was already quite wealthy, had no worries about food and drink, and lived in a place even better than Jiraiya. He didn't have any particular desire for power; his only interest was in improving his strength. Ordinary ninjutsu obviously couldn't satisfy his needs, so naturally, he needed the forbidden techniques from the Scroll of Seals.
Sure enough, Taiyi cheered with joy when he heard that he could choose another ninjutsu from the Book of Sealing. Last time he chose the Flying Thunder God Technique, which was also a ninjutsu he desperately needed, but who would complain about having too many good things!
Moreover, the sealed book does indeed contain the ninjutsu he desperately wants now.
"Jiraiya-sensei, may I use the Spiritification Technique?"
"Spiritualization Technique?" Jiraiya hadn't expected Taichi to make a choice so quickly. He had originally wanted to fulfill his responsibility as a teacher and properly introduce the other ninjutsu in the Book of Seals to Taichi, but he hadn't expected that Taichi had already made his choice.
"This is a ninjutsu that involves the soul. It is extremely dangerous to practice or use it. You should think carefully!" Jiraiya warned Taiichi. Jiraiya was also very familiar with the Spirit Transformation Technique, after all, it was the signature skill of his rival, Kato Dan.
It can be said that the Spirit Transformation Technique both brought Kato Dan fame and ultimately cost him his life. Therefore, Jiraiya had to solemnly remind Taichi to prevent him from rashly choosing it due to a lack of understanding of the specifics of ninjutsu.
Taiichi naturally understood Jiraiya's good intentions, but he remained firm in his decision: "Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei, I have a thorough understanding of the effects of the Spirit Transformation Technique, so I'll choose this ninjutsu!"
Jiraiya stared into Taichi's eyes for a long time, and finally, after confirming that Taichi had thought things through seriously, he said no more.
As a teacher, he only needs to provide guidance. For a disciple like Taiyi, who already has a clear plan for his own cultivation, there is no need for him to say anything more.
Then, to Taichi's astonishment, Jiraiya produced a sealing scroll, skillfully forming hand seals. With a "bang," seven or eight ninjutsu scrolls appeared on the table—Dark Travel Technique, Mutual Explosion Tags, Reaper Death Seal—
The scroll of spirit transformation technique that Taiyi chose was right there among them.
Goodness, they've brought over every ninjutsu Taiichi could possibly choose from!
This is only possible because of Jiraiya. Anyone else would not have the same level of respect or trust!
Jiraiya casually picked out the scroll for the Spirit Transformation Technique from among the many scrolls, and then formed a series of hand seals. As Jiraiya's hand seals changed, the patterns on the surface of the scroll also changed slightly.
After completing 108 hand seals, Jiraiya finally handed the scroll of the Spirit Transformation Technique to Taichi.
"I won't tell you to destroy it after you finish reading it, but you need to understand the rules. This kind of ninjutsu cannot be passed on without the village's permission." Jiraiya instructed Taichi, while also making sure to put away the other scrolls on the table.
But after not hearing Taiyi's reply for a long time, he looked up curiously and saw Taiyi staring intently at the other reels on the table. He couldn't help but tease him with amusement.
"Stop looking! You saw it yourself, these scrolls are sealed with a one-time seal. If you open them without permission, the village will find out immediately. You're not trying to become a rogue ninja, are you?"