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Chapter 224: S-Rank Mission: Undying Hell!
🕑 Added 2025-09-30 12:35:18 +0000 UTCChapter 224: S-Rank Mission: Undying Hell!
[S-Rank Ninja Commissioned Mission has been detected!]
[S-Rank Mission: Undying Hell]
[Mission Content: Proceed to Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water, investigate the connection between the immortal ninjas and the Chinoike Clan, and, if possible, nip the danger in the bud.]
[Mission Reward: S-Rank Shinobi Secret Scroll]
After deciding to investigate Hell Valley personally, Keisuke quickly created a new S-rank mission for himself. A simple "investigation" could not be rated S-rank, so to balance the difficulty and the reward, he added the addendum to "eliminate the potential crisis." As the supreme commander, he couldn't just leave the camp, but the situation in Hell Valley was so bizarre that no one could refuse his request to check it out himself.
Shikaku had wanted to send Minato or Kagami to wipe out the suspicious group, but Keisuke's insistence overruled him.
"So, Clan Head, who are you planning to take with you?" Shikaku sighed, giving up. "Or are you going alone?"
Keisuke had originally planned to go alone, but hearing Shikaku's question, he thought that bringing a few tool-men might not be a bad idea. "Hm, I'll take my squad with me." After a moment of mock consideration, he instructed, "Shikaku-san, please go and inform Shisui, Retsu, and Shizune."
Under Shikaku's summons, the three of them quickly arrived at his tent. Shisui and Shizune hadn't seen their captain in several days, and they were both excited to be going on a team S-rank mission. The only one who remained calm, even cold, was Retsu. She had already seen Hell Valley once with her Byakugan and knew what a vile place it was. If not for a direct order, she would never go back. But the captain's command was absolute.
A Shadow Creature emerged from Keisuke's shadow, carrying the four of them toward their destination. At its incredible speed, they quickly arrived. From a distance, the thick miasma still hung over the valley like a shroud, a grim warning to all who approached.
"Captain, should I clear the miasma?" Shisui asked, his hand already on the giant Three-Star Fan on his back. Though it wasn't the Gunbai, it was still remarkably effective at amplifying wind jutsu.
"Wait," Keisuke said, shaking his head and turning to Retsu. "Retsu, see if anything inside has changed."
"Byakugan!" She activated her dōjutsu and peered into the valley. "It's the same as last time. These people are still fighting and killing each other. Their numbers haven't decreased... huh?"
She paused. She had clearly seen a corpse thrown into the pool last time, its chakra vanished. How could their numbers not have decreased? Her confused hum caught Keisuke's attention.
"What is it?"
"One moment..." She did another quick count, and confirmed that the number was indeed the same. "Captain," she said, her voice grave, "there's something strange about the ninja below. It seems that even exhausting their chakra doesn't truly kill them."
They all knew the "cause of death" for the previous group had been "complete depletion of physical energy," which was just another way of saying "death by chakra exhaustion." But according to Retsu's observation, these ones couldn't die that way. Just then, she saw something else.
"One of the ninja in the valley was just beheaded... but his chakra didn't disappear. It was devoured by that strange pool!" she reported urgently, the veins around her eyes bulging. "And then... a new figure just crawled out of the pool! And it's joined the fighting!"
So they really are immortal. Keisuke gazed at the valley. It seems this is a base for that "Jashin Cult"—perhaps even their headquarters.
"Shisui," he said quietly. "Make your move."
Hearing the command, Shisui took the Three-Star Fan from his back and poured his molded wind chakra into it.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
He swung the fan. A massive gale roared out, slamming into the yellow-green miasma. Though it was only a basic C-rank jutsu, the wind was powerful enough to blow away most of the poison, drastically increasing their visibility. Shisui swung again and again, and with a final, great gust, the miasma was completely cleared.
With the veil lifted, the true face of Hell Valley was revealed. It was a barren, blood-soaked wasteland. Blood-caked figures were scattered throughout, locked in a savage, endless battle. When their weapons broke, they used their fists. When their arms were broken, they used their feet. And when all their limbs were gone, they used their teeth. The ninja in Hell Valley were like demons trapped in hell, fighting without fear of death.
The disappearance of the miasma finally caught their attention. They gradually stopped fighting and looked around, confused.
"Shisui," Keisuke said, looking down at the bloody scene. "Be careful."
Shisui sighed. It seemed that even on the Kumo front, his job was still the same. He leaped from the back of the Shadow Creature and dove toward the valley.
Swish—Swish—
A volley of shuriken summoned from the seal on his wrist rained down on the bloody figures, the metal tearing through the air.
Summoning: Flash Blade Manifestation!
The cultists' senses were dull. They didn't even notice his approach until the shuriken were already biting into their flesh. They roared in pain, finally locating their enemy and charging him as one. Their blood-caked faces were inset with two unsettlingly red eyes that glowed with an ominous light.
Shisui frowned. He threw another volley of shuriken, this time aiming for their vital points: head, heart, throat. His aim was perfect, but even with their brains and hearts pierced, the cultists didn't slow down. They roared like beasts, their speed easily matching that of a Chunin.
'Just like the intel said. They're immortal.' He suppressed the urge to draw his sword and instead flew through hand seals. 'Then what about their resistance to ninjutsu?'
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
The signature Uchiha jutsu erupted from his mouth. The massive fireball slammed into the charging horde, instantly turning them into human torches. The air filled with the stench of burning flesh.
And still, they did not stop. They charged straight through the flames, their bodies blackened and charred, but their advance unbroken. It seemed that neither blade nor fire could take their lives.
