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Chapter 204: To the Front Lines Again, The Undercurrent Surges!
🕑 Added 2025-09-20 11:56:19 +0000 UTCChapter 204: To the Front Lines Again, The Undercurrent Surges!
If they were really following the rules, a summoned beast should be classified as part of the ninja's own strength. Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to reject Keisuke's demand out of hand. But... this was a Tailed Beast they were talking about. A being capable of going head-to-head with the world's most powerful ninja.
After a long, tense silence, Hiruzen finally opened his drawer, pulled out a blank scroll, and drew up a new mission for Nara Keisuke—or rather, for the Five-Tails, Kokuō.
Keisuke accepted the scroll and led his three team members out of the office. Now that he had secured a reasonable mission fee for Kokuō, he had no reason to linger.
Downstairs, Keisuke looked at his team, who were ready to depart—especially Shisui, who now had the Flame Uchiwa strapped to his back. He created a Shadow Creature to carry the four of them.
"First, we're going to Kikyo Castle, then to the Nara Forest," Keisuke said, his voice carrying back from the front of the creature. "It's time you all met our new teammate."
Shisui and the others knew their captain had captured the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. And based on his conversation with the Hokage, they had a pretty good idea of who this "new teammate" was. But... that wasn't a good enough reason for them to be so calm about it!
Shisui, Retsu, and Shizune exchanged shocked glances but didn't ask any questions. They would be seeing the "real thing" soon enough.
The Shadow Creature flew quickly over Konoha's walls and landed in Kikyo Castle. Keisuke took the giant Large Sealing Scroll from his clone and slung it onto his own back, then dispelled the clone. As the memories flowed into him, he did a quick check, and finding no issues, he had the Shadow Creature take off again, heading for the Nara Forest.
Gazing down from the sky at the pure white Tailed Beast in the lush forest below, Shisui, Retsu, and Shizune were completely and utterly shocked.
'That chakra is terrifying!'
'It looks like... a great white deer...'
'The Captain is amazing!'
Keisuke, unaware of his team's inner turmoil, leaped from the creature's back and landed on Kokuō's head.
"Kokuō, we have a mission. And a reward," he said, quickly relaying Hiruzen's orders. "Let's move out."
Having been sealed in a Jinchuriki for decades, Kokuō had learned a thing or two about the ninja world. Still, accepting a formal mission from a ninja village... this was a new and interesting experience.
"Keisuke," Kokuō said, stretching its limbs and rising to its feet before breaking into a light run. "If I complete this mission, will Konoha really pay me?"
"Of course," Keisuke replied, as his Shadow Creature took to the air to follow. "And if anyone dares to stiff you on the payment, I'll personally take you there to collect."
Kokuō let out a cheerful laugh and, as fast as the wind, bounded out of the Nara Forest. The Shadow Creature guided it from above, and the four ninja and one Tailed Beast set off for the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
After half a day of travel, they arrived at the border and successfully rendezvoused with the Konoha shinobi who had retreated. Kokuō's debut, unsurprisingly, caused a massive panic. Fortunately, Keisuke's personal reputation was high enough that he was able to calm the troops.
"Keisuke... no, Clan Head."
Nara Shikaku walked out from the crowd, his expression complex as he looked at Keisuke. If it were up to him, he would happily give up the title of clan head. All that time spent on tedious family chores... wouldn't it be better to raise a few more deer or play a few more games of shogi? He would have supported a change in leadership with both hands and both antlers.
The problem was, this new arrangement meant the new clan head got all the rights, while he, the old one, was stuck with all the responsibilities. What kind of move was that? They were just bullying him because he was a nice guy, weren't they?
But as he looked at the great white beast his kinsman was riding, his bitterness began to fade.
"Ahem, Shikaku-san." Keisuke, sensing the awkwardness, cleared his throat and handed over the appointment letter. "Brief me on the current situation... I am now the Supreme Commander of this front."
"..." Nara Shikaku numbly accepted the letter, confirmed its contents, and handed it back. Fine. A tool-man it is.
"Here's the situation..."
Under Shikaku's explanation, the full, disastrous picture of the Kumo front was laid bare. Last night, the Third Raikage had single-handedly charged into the Konoha camp, launching an indiscriminate attack and critically wounding the commander, Shimura Danzō. Under the cover of darkness, the Konoha forces had abandoned the camp and scattered, fleeing all the way back into the Land of Fire.
Keisuke rubbed his chin. "So, in other words, we've lost our buffer zone, correct?"
That "buffer zone" was, of course, the Land of Hot Water. The five great nations were not directly adjacent; they were separated by smaller countries that were inevitably crushed whenever a war broke out. Before last night, Konoha and Kumo had each occupied half of the Land of Hot Water. Now, Konoha had lost it all.
"Yes," Shikaku said, his expression grim. "From now on, the war will be fought... within the Land of Fire."
"From my experience, the location of a main camp is supposed to be top secret, right?" Keisuke asked. "When I was on the Iwa front, we relocated the instant the enemy found us. How did Kumo pinpoint our location?"
"I don't know," Shikaku shook his head. "Furthermore, the Third Raikage's arrival was too sudden, as if he just appeared out of thin air. I suspect that Kumo not only had our location, but they also used their 'Heavenly Transfer Technique' to send him directly into our camp."
The Heavenly Transfer Technique. A unique Kumo jutsu that could transport a target to a specific location at high speed. Unlike the Flying Thunder God, it was more of a physical... hyper-velocity... movement.
"It's not just this front," Keisuke said, sharing the intel he'd received from Hiruzen. "The Land of Grass and the Land of Rain were also attacked at almost the exact same time. It seems someone has leaked all of our camp locations to the other villages."
Shikaku's brow furrowed. If it was just one camp, it could be blamed on Kumo's spies. But multiple camps, all at once... he was certain this was a conspiracy. But who had the power and the audacity to coordinate an attack involving all five Great Nations?
Keisuke and Shikaku were in perfect agreement, and they had both already narrowed it down to the same suspect. 'If this isn't Ōnoki's revenge for the Five-Tails, then it can only be Uchiha Madara pulling the strings...' Keisuke's eyes narrowed. 'And if it is Madara... how far will he go?'
Pushing aside his thoughts of the mastermind, Keisuke asked about the former commander. "The Third Raikage attacks the camp, and Shimura Danzō... how is he not dead?"
Shikaku, knowing the bad blood between Keisuke and Danzō, wasn't surprised by the question. As a Nara, he naturally stood with his new clan head.
"Under the Raikage's assault, the entire right side of Danzō's body was almost completely destroyed. If he hadn't used a reverse summoning to escape in time, it's unlikely he would have survived," Shikaku explained. "His Root ninja sacrificed themselves to cover his retreat. But even so, he has effectively lost his right arm. Judging by his age and condition, I believe his career as a frontline ninja is likely over."
