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GSiN: Ch. 110
🕑 Added 2025-05-30 18:54:44 +0000 UTC---Third POV---
This type of summoning technique could only be performed using a pre-set medium, allowing it to substitute for the actual contractor in releasing the summoning. To achieve the effect of someone suddenly disappearing, only a reverse summoning technique would work.
However, the reverse summoning technique required both parties to formally sign a blood contract. Otherwise, it would consume an enormous amount of chakra, clearly, this kind of large-scale summoning couldn't be executed by a pre-made summoning scroll.
While Minato and Ryouma were having an intense and passionate discussion, Kakashi and the other two on the side were completely confused.
Double-layered seals, technique models, reverse summoning... Understanding these sealing theories was indeed a bit too much for them.
Obito shook his dizzy head and asked, "Why don't you just make a shadow clone and try stamping it to see what happens?"
"…"
That... actually made a lot of sense. Ryouma was momentarily speechless.
"Obito's got a point. I'll give it a try," Minato said with a chuckle, scratching his head. He and Ryouma might have been overthinking it.
He formed the hand signs for the Shadow Clone Technique.
With a "poof," a clone appeared in a puff of smoke. It took the scroll and the seal from the original without hesitation and stamped it.
One second.
Two seconds.
Nothing happened.
Ryouma frowned slightly. "Looks like there's still some condition that hasn't been met."
Surely it couldn't be checking the holder's age? That would be way too intelligent, and utterly unscientific. Well, a system is not scientific as well...
"Yeah, this is a bit troublesome." Minato sighed as well.
In that case, they'd have to analyze the technique written on the scroll line by line. And that certainly wouldn't be a quick task.
"Sorry," Minato said apologetically, looking at him. "You'll be working overtime tonight."
Ryouma casually shrugged. At this point, it was like being halfway through a math problem, he was curious to see the full structure of the technique himself.
---
Early the next morning, Obito dragged Kakashi along to see Ryouma and Minato. Not wanting to disturb them during their decoding efforts, the three of them had sensibly gone off to do their own things the night before.
Obito, with dark circles under his eyes, knocked on the command center's door. "Did you decode it?!"
Creaaak~
The door opened from the inside. It was Inoichi, he had also worked overnight in the interrogation unit and returned at dawn with vital intel to report to command.
"Yo, Obito, Kakashi." Ryouma, seated at the round table, waved to greet them.
"So? Ryouma, what was all that strange stuff about yesterday?" Obito unceremoniously pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.
Kakashi instinctively glanced around and noticed there were now many more glass containers in the room than last night, each holding tentacles of varying lengths. These tentacles resembled octopus limbs, but lacked suction cups. After a night of intel analysis, Ryouma and Minato had mostly figured out what had happened in this incident.
"The Jashin cult?"
"Jashin?"
Kakashi and Obito exclaimed in surprise simultaneously.
That's right. This incident was caused by a newly emerged organization from the Land of Hot Water, called the Jashin cult. Even within Yu, quite a few ninjas had been absorbed into the cult, becoming accomplices in the recent kidnappings.
According to the memories of the two captured Yu ninjas, their mission had been assigned by someone they referred to as "Honored One."
This so-called "Honored One" was likely a figure akin to the cult's high priest or leader. As for their goal, well, they claim it was to summon Jashin and destroy the world. Whether there was a deeper, real motive behind that remained unknown.
It would probably require finding this "Honored One" to uncover the truth.
Still, Ryouma had a good idea of what it might be. Most likely something like immortality, or ruling over the shinobi world. It couldn't possibly be something like resurrecting a lover, that would be way too abstract.
Kakashi pointed at one of the nearby glass containers. "Was this tentacle summoned using the summoning formula on the scroll?"
"That's right," Ryouma nodded. "We have already decoded how the technique works."
"What is it?" Obito asked eagerly.
"It's based on line of sight," Ryouma said, pointing to his own eyes.
"If the target stamps the seal willingly, and they're in a place where no one is watching them, the summoning technique activates. A tentacle is summoned to pierce the skin of their palm, absorb blood for positioning, and then triggers a reverse summoning technique to transport the scroll-holder away."
However, the precision wasn't perfect. Even if someone saw the event only from the corner of their eye, the technique might still count it as "not being watched." That was why so many parents were causing a fuss near various stalls last night.
They were sure that was where their children disappeared.
Obito suddenly remembered how he nearly stamped the seal himself the night before, and a chill ran down his spine. Being silently dragged away by an unknown tentacle in an unobserved corner, disappearing into the shadows and transported to some terrifying unknown place... just the thought of it was enough to make his skin crawl.
"Th-Then... those kids must be in serious danger," he suddenly realized and exclaimed.
"Mm," Ryouma closed his eyes and confirmed Obito's fear. "In the worst-case scenario, the children might have been..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but both Kakashi and Obito could fill in the rest.
Bang!
Obito slammed his fist down hard on the table. "Damn it! They're targeting innocent kids?!"
Good thing he wasn't the Raikage, otherwise, the Konoha camp would've run out of replacement tables.
"Ryouma... can we...?" he opened his mouth to say something, but then lowered his head and gave up.
Kakashi had already told him the night before that this incident likely stemmed from internal affairs within Yu. As allies, Konoha didn't have a legitimate reason to interfere. And Obito knew how busy Ryouma was, he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way and slow his friend down.
Kakashi looked gloomy too, but he was more rational than Obito.
"Did you two not notice that Captain Minato isn't here?" Ryouma sighed.
"Huh?"
Inoichi explained, "Before you arrived, the leader of Yu came in person. He's in the meeting room with Minato right now, probably discussing this very incident."
Kakashi's always-dull eyes lit up slightly. "So that means the higher-ups in Yu weren't aware of the kidnappings."
Just as Ryouma had speculated, those Yu ninjas who were absorbed into the cult secretly swapped out the real ink pads and scrolls without the village's knowledge.
"That's great!" Obito cheered and pumped his fist. "If that's the case, then Konoha has a legitimate reason to take action!"
---
The atmosphere in the meeting room was somewhat tense. The leader of Yu had his hands clasped together, bowing low in a posture of humility, his words full of earnestness.
"Please, Minato-sama. We really have no other choice."
"You're too polite," Minato replied, a bit uncomfortable with this leader, who looked as old as the Third Hokage, speaking to him so respectfully.
In truth, the leader of Yu was in a difficult position. Many Yu ninjas had been brainwashed by the Jashin cult. As a result, Yu's combat strength had plummeted. Realizing something was wrong last night, he had dispatched the remaining combat-capable ninjas to confront the cult.
Unsurprisingly, they lost. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here today asking for help.
The Jashin cult had clearly come prepared, exploiting the fact that the leader of this minor hidden village had no elite fighters to rely on. Among the enemy was a man clad in black leather, incredibly powerful, referred to as the Bishop by the cultists.
Last night, the brainwashed Yu ninjas used every means at their disposal to suppress the actions of grieving parents whose children had disappeared. Now, the ordinary citizens of Yu had completely lost faith in their own ninjas.
Worse still, many children of nobles and officials from across the shinobi world, who had come to Yu for vacation, had also mysteriously vanished.
This incident had directly impacted Yu's income, and might even tarnish the reputation of the entire Land of Hot Water internationally due to this horrific kidnapping case.
The leader of Yu expected that it wouldn't be long before the daimyō of the Land of Hot Water came to hold him accountable. After all, the country had spent a lot of money maintaining Yu, expecting it to provide security. Not only had they failed, but they'd essentially paved the way for the cult's success.
At this point, the daimyō might even consider long-term contracts with the neighboring Konoha instead. In short, the leader of Yu was determined to secure Konoha's help today to eliminate the Jashin cult. As for the missing children… judging by the crazed behavior of the cult members they captured last night, the leader feared the worst for them.
"For the sake of the alliance our villages have had since Yu was founded, please help us!"
Minato felt a bit troubled. According to their original schedule, the Konoha team was supposed to depart and return to the village today. Not to mention, they were still embroiled in a war with Iwa. They couldn't afford to delay their operations for a minor cult.
To him, and to Konoha as a whole, this cult that seemed so threatening to Yu was merely a backwater group. After all, a small hidden village barely had over a thousand ninjas at most, nothing compared to the tens of thousands of fighters the Five Great Nations could field.
"I understand how you feel. Once I return to the village, I'll be sure to report the situation in Yu to the Hokage."
Nothing was more important than matters concerning his own village. Especially now, when Jiraiya was taking a beating on the Iwa front lines.
Sensing that Minato was preparing to take his leave, the Yu leader gritted his teeth and made a firm offer. "If Konoha is willing to help us through this crisis, we are prepared to offer five percent of Yu's total tourism revenue for the next five years."
Feeling that still might not be enough, he raised the stakes further.
"In addition, we will prepare 150 million ryō as a commission for this mission. All we ask is that you dispatch a powerful ninja to help us defeat the Bishop of the Jashin cult."
"Ok," Minato replied without hesitation.
"If not, wait, you agreed?" The Yu leader was stunned. "But that cult leader is very strong, are you…"
The leader began to worry, had he been too pushy, leading Minato to casually send just a couple of minor ninjas to brush them off? If that were the case, he'd have to be careful not to let those Konoha ninjas get killed. That would be a disaster.
Minato saw through his thoughts and smiled confidently. "Don't worry. If even he can't handle that bishop, then I'm afraid there's no one in the entire shinobi world who can help you."
Upon hearing this, the Yu leader's pupils dilated slightly. If there was anyone in the Land of Hot Water right now whom Minato could hold in such high regard… there was only one person who fit the bill.
Minato clapped his hands and called toward the door. "Come in."
Under the Yu leader's eager gaze, the door to the meeting room opened. A black-haired boy wearing goggles burst in, loudly announcing, "Who's the leader? I'm here to save your village's children!"
Several large question marks metaphorically popped up above the Yu leader's head. If he remembered correctly, wasn't the famous Leaf's Gale supposed to be a white-haired youth with a fat tanuki on his shoulder?
There was no way this goofy-looking kid was him.
"All right, Obito. I'm determined to take this mission, so you and Captain Minato can head back to the village. I can handle it alone." Ryouma was simply worried that if Obito tagged along, it might be dangerous for him, definitely not because he wanted the 150 million ryō commission.
…Probably.
The shrewd Yu leader's sharp eyes swept over the two white-haired youths who came in behind the boy. When his gaze landed on the fat tanuki, he instantly knew who it was. In one swift motion, he rushed up to Ryouma, grabbing his hand tightly with his rough, calloused palms, speaking with utmost sincerity. "Please, you must join our operation against the cult."
Ryouma calmly pulled his hand back and patted the leader on the shoulder. "Sounds like you've heard of me?"
"Uh…" The leader of Yu recalled how the shinobi world described the Leaf's Gale:
The explosion maniac.
The Bastard in Suna's eyes.
The one who obliterated Kiri.
A battlefield tyrant who didn't sleep unless he killed at least 100 Kiri ninja a day…
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. None of those were particularly good titles.
Ryouma was well aware of his fearsome reputation and didn't press the topic any further. In the end, thanks to Obito's persistent begging, he relented and took both him and Kakashi along to fulfill the Yu leader's request.
He figured it could be good résumé-building for them anyway, especially since the mission was likely to be reclassified as S-rank later. He had already discussed it with Minato: once the cult matter was settled, he would use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport himself, Obito, and Kakashi directly back to the village.
Considering how slow Minato's larger group would be while traveling, it was entirely possible Ryouma's team would return to Konoha even faster.
