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Chapter 179: The Secret Art of Wood Style!
🕑 Added 2025-09-08 12:56:05 +0000 UTCChapter 179: The Secret Art of Wood Style!
Down from Mount Kikyo was Kikyo Castle. The town's lights were sparse under the night sky. Nara Keisuke stopped in front of the Kikyo Orphanage. After tidying himself up a bit, he was about to give Yakushi Nono'o a big surprise when an unexpected visitor walked out of the orphanage.
"Clan Head?" Keisuke said, surprised to see the old man emerging. "What are you doing here?"
"Keisuke?!" Nara Shikano shouted, completely devoid of his usual calm, strategic demeanor. He was more like a fanatic fan about to meet his idol. "You're finally back!"
"Finally?" Keisuke looked at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me you've been waiting for me at the orphanage for the past two days..."
"Actually, that's exactly the case," Yakushi Nono'o said from the side, clenching her fists to resist the urge to rush forward and hug the man she hadn't seen in months. "For the past few days, Shikano-sama has been right here at the orphanage. When I asked him what he was doing, he wouldn't answer. He just waited. He arrives in the morning and leaves late at night, his timing more precise than the children's."
"Clan Head?" A guess formed in Keisuke's mind. "You wouldn't happen to be waiting for the Five-Tails, would you?"
"I am!" Nara Shikano clenched his fists, a fanatical light shining in his eyes. "Days ago, I heard the news that you had crushed the Iwagakure forces and even captured their Five-Tails Jinchuriki! I knew the village would bring him back immediately, and I knew you would come to see Yakushi-san as soon as you returned, so I've been waiting and waiting... So, where is he?"
"On Mount Kikyo, with the Third Hokage," Keisuke said with a shrug. "He mentioned something about the village holding a special council meeting to decide the Jinchuriki's fate."
"That's bullshit!" Nara Shikano showed no respect for the Hokage, cursing loudly in front of them. "The Five-Tails was captured by you, Keisuke! The Five-Tails belongs to the Nara clan! I'm going to go confront the Third Hokage right now!"
Shadow Beast Scroll! A pitch-black eagle emerged from Shikano's shadow. Under the cover of night, it shot away like the wind, the old man forgetting to even say goodbye.
Keisuke's mouth twitched. He knew his great-uncle's greatest wish in life was to personally touch the horns of the Five-Tails, but now that the Jinchuriki was back in the village, was it really necessary to act this crazy? He shook his head and turned his attention to the lovely woman standing beside him, opening his arms.
"Nono'o-nee-san, I'm home."
Yakushi Nono'o pointed a finger behind him. Keisuke turned his head, speechless, to see that the old clan head had, for some reason, flown back.
"Clan Head, what on earth do you want?"
"Ahem!" Nara Shikano cleared his throat and stroked his beard. "Keisuke, you know, the Third Hokage is, after all, exceptionally powerful... What are your chances of dealing with him?"
"...Clan Head." Keisuke stared straight at him. "Don't tell me you're also planning a coup."
"'Also'?" Shikano's eyebrow shot up, but he quickly waved his hands. "No, no, it won't come to that. But, Keisuke, you understand. It's like shogi. If you want to play a match, you must first have the strength and confidence to face your opponent. I just want to see how strong our king piece truly is."
"Let's put it this way," Keisuke said after a moment's thought, ranking the combatants in the village from his own perspective. "For me, right now, fighting my way from the west gate of Konoha to the east gate would be difficult. But fighting my way from Kikyo Castle to the Hokage Tower should be no problem at all."
"Excellent!" A look of pure joy spread across Shikano's face. He mounted his shadow eagle and flew off again. "I won't disturb you two lovebirds any longer!"
After making absolutely sure his great-uncle was gone for good, Keisuke turned back and took Nono'o's hand, their fingers intertwining. "Nono'o-nee-san, I..."
"Keisuke, your conversation just now with the Clan Head..." Nono'o's brow furrowed slightly, her face full of worry. "You're not really going to have a conflict with the Third Hokage-sama, are you?"
Though she had her own issues with Root, she still held a great deal of respect for the Third Hokage. But if Keisuke were to clash with him, she would, without a doubt, stand by his side.
"By saying that to the Clan Head, I was actually trying to minimize the chance of a conflict," Keisuke said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "It's like a card game. When both players have a strong hand, as long as neither is a madman, both will hesitate to start a fight."
Nono'o nodded, dropping the frightening subject. Her usual gentle smile returned. "Keisuke, welcome home."
"Nono'o-nee-san, as much as I want to say 'I'm coming in' right now," Keisuke said, standing at the gate but making no move, "I need to put away my 'luggage' first."
"Luggage?" Nono'o caught his deliberate emphasis and guessed that this "luggage" must be something special.
"Wait a moment, Keisuke. I'll let the other caretakers know. The research lab that you commissioned Oyakata En to build is finished. We can go there."
Keisuke waited for a moment. Nono'o quickly spoke with the other staff, told the children to go to sleep, and then left the orphanage with him. They rode the Shadow Creature through Kikyo Castle, quickly arriving at a nondescript, remote building. From the outside, it was a plain two-story house with a normal interior, but its basement had been meticulously converted into a fully equipped private research lab.
The two of them entered the facility.
"Oyakata En's construction skills are truly superb, Keisuke," Nono'o said, giving him a tour. "I also took the liberty of purchasing some medical research equipment for you, as you requested."
"It's already perfect!" Keisuke looked around, extremely satisfied. In any case, it was hundreds, if not thousands, of times better than the simple earthen bases he had been using on the battlefield.
The live White Zetsu, the technique scrolls, the special ninja tools... Keisuke placed his various "luggage" in their respective places. He also set up numerous Isshitōjin seals, linking them together to form a hidden barrier to increase the lab's security.
'I should learn a more advanced barrier ninjutsu later to protect the secrets in here,' he thought. 'But my original idea is still the best. A private research base that only I know about. But finding or building one that meets my needs is extremely difficult...'
With Tobi and Madara still lurking in the shadows, he had little faith in this underground base's defenses. But then again, with the White Zetsu's abilities, how many places in the world were truly safe from their infiltration?
'The sky, the sea, the sacred lands, or somewhere even farther away...'
He pushed the thought aside. For now, this base was more than enough. After setting everything up, he went to the second floor. Nono'o had already prepared a sumptuous meal.
"Keisuke, would you like to take a bath first, or have dinner first?"
"I think... I'd like to start with you."
Keisuke closed the distance between them.
Day and night, he labored tirelessly.
[[Wisdom] +63]
The next morning.
Keisuke woke up feeling completely refreshed, the first thing he saw being the notification on his panel.
'It's been a while. Such a huge increase to [Wisdom] in one go. My [Strength] and [Speed] should be ranking up soon, too...'
He turned his head to look at the still-sleeping woman beside him, and couldn't help but feel a stir.
"Mmm... don't..." Nono'o's eyes were closed, her brow furrowed as she instinctively grabbed his hand. "Let me rest a little longer."
Keisuke obediently retracted his hand. Just then, another notification popped up.
[S-Rank Mission [Support the Front Lines] has been completed!]
[You have obtained one S-Rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
'Hm? This mission... did Shisui hand in the scroll for me?' Keisuke had been planning to go to the Hokage's office himself, but it seemed his trip had been saved. 'As expected of Shisui, my good tool-man!'
He focused on the scroll and opened it.
[Opening...]
[Contents of this S-Rank Shinobi Secret Scroll: Technique]
[S-Rank Kekkei Genkai Technique: Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique]
[Description: The monstrous plant that grows from the depths of the earth! An anomalous dragon that can restrain even shocking monstrous strength!]
[Effect: By transforming one's chakra nature to "Wood," the user can infuse it into their own cells or a tree seed, causing it to grow rapidly, and then use shape transformation to form it into a dragon. The Wood Dragon possesses incredible binding power and is extremely durable, capable of restraining even the Nine-Tails.]
[Evaluation: If you were a dragon, that would be fine too.]
