Malphegor
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YTS: Ch. 158
🕑 Added 2025-04-12 17:08:25 +0000 UTC[Major changes to a supporting character's fate.]
[Progress of the the worldline has deviated.]
[Obtained:
- 1 associated trait extraction (random)
- 1 trait extraction
- 1 gifting opportunity]
---
Hmm? What's going on?
The surrounding scene dissipated, revealing a high-pressure water blade condensed by Water Release.
The rewards for taking down Yagura were fairly satisfying.
If Kei hadn't used the associated trait extraction from taking down Rasa earlier, he could have directly upgraded his red trait to a golden legendary one, achieving another leap in strength.
If he saw a Mizukage, a Tsuchikage, and a Rinnegan wielder all at once again, he wouldn't even hesitate—he'd charge straight in.
At the end of the day, strength was the ultimate confidence. Only when one had absolute power over their enemies did they no longer need to bother with complex tactics and strategies.
The associated trait extraction guaranteed that the extracted trait would be related to his existing ones, as long as the level difference wasn't too great.
If he merged them… wouldn't that mean another upgrade? Right now, even his weakest trait was at least blue-tier!
But still… Why did Yagura get one less trait extraction opportunity compared to Rasa?
Was it because he didn't have a good son? After all, both of them had about the same amount of screen time in the original work.
One was the Kazekage, the other the Mizukage.
One diligently mined gold, only to be killed by Orochimaru; the other was muddle-headed and controlled, ultimately ending up as the bloodthirsty lunatic who had his tailed beast extracted. Even though being controlled was quite humiliating, Yagura was still the Three-Tails jinchūriki, which should have been a bonus factor. Yet, in the system's evaluation, he still ranked lower than Rasa.
The difference must have been due to Gaara.
Killing or not killing… the fluctuation in fate's power doesn't seem to make much difference?
When Kei's water blade was about to land, Yagura's fate power had already faded to almost nothing. Yet, the rewards for defeating him were still roughly the same as those for Rasa, who had a faint purple fate power.
Both were influenced by Black Zetsu.
What's the point of overthinking this? From now on, if I like someone, I'll spare them. If I don't, they're dead. No need to complicate things…
He clicked his tongue and stopped dwelling on the unnecessary details. There were no good people in the shinobi world.
Everyone had blood on their hands.
Take Yagura, for example. Not to mention that under Obito's control in the original story, he made the Bloody Mist even more brutal.
Just the fact that he was able to sit as the Mizukage under Madara's secret control… Could such a person really be considered pure and kind?
Yagura was like this, and most ninjas in the world were no different.
Similarly, after surviving in this world for so many years, Kei's own hands were stained with no less blood than anyone else's.
By the logic of his past life… If he were to die now, he would end up in hell.
Shaking his head, he brushed off those stray thoughts.
He turned his gaze toward the direction Ōnoki had fled.
The Tsuchikage used Earth Release to slip into the cracks in the soil left behind by Kei's fast-growing wood, burrowing deep underground and escaping beyond the Four Red Yang Formation's range.
Kei noticed his movements but prioritized the opportunity to kill Black Zetsu. Since he figured he could always get Ōnoki later, he didn't pay much attention to his escape.
However, after getting out of the barrier's range, that old man didn't just run away. Instead, he headed toward the Konoha encampment.
He gathered the Iwa ninjas, who had been caught off guard by the large-scale Wood Release, the barrier, and the Gedo Statue, bringing them all under his command.
Suna, intimidated by the massive wooden structure that towered like a pillar reaching the sky two kilometers away, also hesitated.
After Ōnoki ordered Iwa to halt their attack, Suna quickly followed suit, withdrawing to the northwest and forming a defensive position alongside Iwa.
---
Meanwhile, Konoha's reinforcements were just within reach.
Jiraiya, upon seeing Kei's shadow clone and Danzō, realized that backup was imminent.
He immediately led the frontline forces, who had suffered heavy casualties—over a hundred lost in battle—into a counter-surrounding formation against Iwa and Suna.
At first, Kei's shadow clone didn't understand why his main body suddenly went berserk and launched such an overwhelming attack. But as soon as he sensed the unfamiliar senjutsu energy and the sudden appearance of the Rinnegan's aura, he immediately understood, the main body had powered up and caught a big fish.
He quickly communicated with Jiraiya and the others, telling them that he was the one who used Wood Release and that they should not act rashly.
They would wait until his main body arrived before making any further moves.
"You sure know how to hide, huh?" Minato gritted his teeth as he looked at the shadow clone of his close friend beside him.
Earlier, he had sensed spatial fluctuations from the Flying Thunder God Technique appearing around the battlefield.
He didn't even need to think to guess who it was.
But shortly after those fluctuations, an intense battle erupted there, and the Puppet Brigade's ambush on their rear was exposed in advance.
He wasn't particularly sensitive to politics, but his combat intuition and battlefield awareness were his strong suits.
He immediately realized that they had secret reinforcements assisting them.
That was why, during the battle just now, he had been focused on preserving their forces rather than recklessly charging into the enemy ranks.
But what he never expected was, his friend had not only arrived on the battlefield via the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he also unleashed a massive ultimate move.
That guy could use Wood Release!
While staying alert to both the Iwa and Suna forces, Jiraiya perked up his ears, listening closely to the conversation between his student and Kei.
He had a ton of questions about this Wood Release ability.
"Well, recently I mastered a technique that allows me to form contracts with deceased individuals..." Kei's shadow clone smoothly used the excuse of [Borrowed Account Login] as a cover.
He explained to the two beside him how he had acquired Wood Release.
"Then why didn't you use it earlier—?" Minato was puzzled and subtly glanced at Danzō, hinting at whether Kei was worried about attracting the attention of those with ill intentions.
"Hold on a second, let me check in on my main body." Kei's shadow clone dissipated into a cloud of chakra smoke.
Memories rapidly returned to his main body.
The next moment, a wooden clone appeared beside Minato, using a specially marked Flying Thunder God kunai at his waist.
Glancing at Jiraiya, who was looking at Danzō with clear disgust on his face, Kei no longer hid the truth.
He directly began explaining the origins of the Ōtsutsuki clan, the history of the shinobi world, the origins of chakra, and Black Zetsu's past schemes.
---
Meanwhile, on the Iwa side, dressed in tattered clothes, covered in wounds, and appearing as if he had aged ten years, Ōnoki sat cross-legged before a thousand Iwa ninja.
He looked at the various expressions in the eyes of his subordinates—some filled with concern, some uneasy, some uncertain, and some completely lost.
Lifting his hand, he pointed to the crimson barrier two kilometers away, which seemed to reach the heavens.
Inside the semi-transparent barrier, the colossal silhouette of the Gedo Statue and the four massive wooden warriors loomed. Even from two kilometers away, they exuded an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.
"Konoha has someone who possesses the power of Wood Release. That is the same power that once ended the Warring States period and created the era of ninja villages."
"A Kiri ninja with the power of the Rinnegan was defeated by them. I, too, have been defeated. The conditions they have proposed..."
His voice carried an unmistakable sense of exhaustion and resignation.
During the battle, the Three-Tails, which had been summoned through the Rinnegan, had cowered in a corner like a powerless child, unable to resist against the Wood Release constructs.
If even the Three-Tails was so helpless, then how much stronger could the Four-Tails and Five-Tails really be?
That was a power beyond what humans could resist.
He felt he had let down the previous generations of Tsuchikage, and he had let down the countless Iwa ninja who believed in him. But if he didn't make this decision now, what would they use to fight against such a force?
Would he have to watch as the ninja of his village charged forward one after another, only to die in vain?
Perhaps, as the Tsuchikage, this was the last thing he could do for the village. Let him bear the shame and humiliation alone, so that the ninja who truly loved the village could be spared from it...
Thud!
From behind, Kitsuchi delivered a precise chop to the back of his father's neck.
"The Tsuchikage fought to the point of exhaustion and suffered serious injuries. He is no longer able to continue leading as Tsuchikage. I will inherit the position of the Fourth Tsuchikage. On behalf of Iwa, I will negotiate a peace treaty with Konoha..."
Tears streamed down Kitsuchi's face, and his voice was choked with emotion. Yet he forced himself to stand tall and firm.
He was both an Iwa ninja and Ōnoki's son.
He knew all too well how painful and difficult this decision had been for his father, a man who had remained stubborn and resolute his entire life. How could he bear to let his father endure this shame and pressure alone?
