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Chapter 214: They Want Me to Be Raikage? How?!
🕑 Added 2025-09-25 11:20:37 +0000 UTCChapter 214: They Want Me to Be Raikage? How?!
In the open-air hot spring of the Land of Hot Water...
Nara Keisuke's eyes, which had been closed in relaxation, suddenly opened as a stream of information flowed into his mind.
'Hm? A message from the Shadow Doppelganger? The Kumo camp, the Heavenly Transfer Technique... He's quite the opportunist, isn't he!'
After a moment of thought, Keisuke rose from the water and walked to the bank. "Kokuō, something has come up that I need to take care of. I likely won't be back tonight. You be careful."
The Five-Tails, Kokuō, poked its head out of the water, its sea-blue eyes watching him. "Got it. Be safe on the road."
Keisuke, his back to the beast, gave a small wave. After getting dressed, his figure vanished into thin air.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Back when he had first used his Shadow Manipulation to take control of the Third Raikage, Keisuke had also assigned a separate, invisible Shadow Doppelganger to secretly follow the AB Combo. This clone had left a trail of Flying Thunder God markers all the way back to their camp. Using one of these markers, Keisuke instantly teleported from the hot spring to the outskirts of the Kumo base.
Under the cover of his Shadow Invisibility Jutsu, he slipped past the patrols and, as if entering an unmanned land, walked directly into the "Nara-Raikage's" command tent, where he once again used his Shadow Manipulation to connect to his clone's consciousness.
Inside the mental space, two Keisukes stood facing each other. The clone was about to speak, but then, realizing the main body could just read his memories, he simply dispelled himself, sending a flood of information and chakra back to the original.
'...Yang Release Chakra Mode?'
Keisuke quickly sifted through the clone's "harvest" and found the most valuable item. He also found several other pieces of intel, including one on Kumogakure's Jinchuriki.
'Kumo's previous Two-Tails Jinchuriki is on the verge of death. They urgently need a new one...'
Only after seeing this did Keisuke understand why the Third Raikage had been so interested in the "Tailed Beast Sealing Method" scroll. Kumo's own sealing jutsu was the B-rank "Iron Armor Seal"—a technique he had just acquired from their library. It was far inferior to the Uzumaki clan's seals, which was why Kumo's two Tailed Beasts had rampaged and caused massive damage so many times. They desperately needed a better sealing technique. That, combined with the Third Mizukage's bait of a "main-family Byakugan," was the real reason they had joined the war.
'Kumo's Two-Tails Jinchuriki... will it be Yugito Nii...'
He created a new consciousness-clone and had it take over the Raikage's body. The new clone sat down cross-legged, propping its chin on its hand. "Master, if you have something to say, just say it."
"My original plan was to finish this 'heist,' take the Third Raikage as a prisoner, and leave with all the loot," Keisuke's main body said. "But now, the plan has to change. I need you to stay here, infiltrated as the Third Raikage, and prepare for future plans."
"I don't have a problem with that. You're the boss," the clone-consciousness shrugged. "But you want me to be the Raikage? How am I supposed to do that? With his reputation, the muscle-heads in this village are easy to fool, but what about the chakra problem? This is a war. I'll be expected to fight, but I can't mold his chakra. And I'll need to keep my own chakra reserves ready for an emergency."
"The Third Raikage just announced he's seeking peace with Konoha. Why would he need to fight? And if he's not fighting, why would he need to waste chakra? Besides, you're me. You should already know the solution," Keisuke said flatly. "I'm leaving. You'll know what to do. As for Kumo's little 'two-tailed cat-girl,' you can handle that as you see fit."
His consciousness withdrew, and his main body vanished from the tent. "Nara-Raikage" slowly opened his eyes and saw a ring with a Chakra Crystal set in it, now sitting on his desk.
'Sigh. Why did I have to be the clone?' he thought, picking up the ring. 'And if you'd made me infiltrate as the Mizukage, fine. But the Raikage... I don't think I'll find a single opportunity to be lazy here.'
Keisuke, of course, was unconcerned with his clone's suffering. Now that he knew Kumo was planning to temporarily cease hostilities, his job as "Supreme Commander" was practically finished. The enemy leader was his puppet. This war was his to command. He might as well take this precious "ceasefire" and turn his new job into a pure, lazy, desk-warming position.
Using the blank mask he had given to Shikaku, Keisuke teleported back to the new Konoha camp.
"Shikaku-san, still busy?" he called out.
Under the lamplight, Nara Shikaku was buried in a mountain of scrolls, looking every bit the overworked wage slave.
"...Clan Head. Where is the Five-Tails?" Shikaku didn't want to answer his new leader's heartless question and immediately changed the subject.
"You mean Kokuō. That's his name. You can call him that, too."
"Lord... Deer-King?"
"It's Kokuō," Keisuke corrected, then asked, "Any special orders from the village?"
"No," Shikaku shook his head, his expression heavy. "I relayed your... accomplishments... from today back to the village. They were... very happy. And then... Lord Third ordered us to hold the Land of Hot Water front with our current forces."
Keisuke wasn't sure he had heard correctly. "Our current forces? You mean the village isn't sending reinforcements?"
If he hadn't already seen the script, Keisuke would have teleported straight back to Konoha and asked Hiruzen if his brain had been bashed in by his monkey-king's staff.
"No," Shikaku said again. "Furthermore... it seems Lord Third is thinking of reassigning Minato and that 'Kagami' person. The pressure on the other fronts is apparently very high."
Minato was, in all fairness, Konoha's ultimate firefighter. His mobility was no joke. But pulling Kagami, too... Keisuke was speechless.
"Is he insane? Does he expect me to hold this front against the Third Raikage and the AB Combo by myself?"
"You forgot, Clan Head," Shikaku "helpfully" reminded him. "You also have Kokuō."
Keisuke had no comeback. From Hiruzen's perspective, Keisuke (who had just "defeated" all three Kumo powerhouses) plus a Tailed Beast was more than enough to hold the line.
"Also, one more thing, Clan Head," Shikaku said, pulling a new scroll from the pile. "A massive and extremely powerful thunderstorm just erupted not far from the camp. It didn't look like a natural phenomenon; it was more like a high-powered ninjutsu. The power was so terrifying it completely blew up a mountain peak. I haven't sent a sensor-nin to check it out... perhaps you could be troubled to take a look?"
"Shikaku-san, about that..." Keisuke paused. He was about to brush it off, since he knew exactly what that "thunderstorm" was. It was his Kirin. But then he remembered his new status as both "Supreme Commander" and "Clan Head." His words took a different turn.
"Is that... an official mission?"
"Hm?" Shikaku blinked, then quickly recovered. "Well, yes, of course... but are you really willing to go?" He had expected Keisuke to refuse. After all, the battle today must have been exhausting. Even Minato hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Of course... not," Keisuke said with a shrug, falling back into his old ways. "Shikaku-san, as you know, I'm very tired. I need to get some rest."
"Right..." Shikaku nodded. "Well, then... I'll just send someone to investigate tomorrow."
