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Chapter 200: Being a Kept Man, What a Wonderful Thing.
🕑 Added 2025-09-18 12:05:54 +0000 UTCChapter 200: Being a Kept Man, What a Wonderful Thing.
In the underground research base at Kikyo Castle...
Princess Tsunade, a massive scroll on her back, critically surveyed the lab's interior. Beside her, a bewildered Pakura stood with her hands clenched in the corners of her robes, looking for all the world like a small, helpless, pitiful orange cat.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Using a marker he had left behind, Nara Keisuke instantly teleported back from the Nara Forest. He had left a Shadow Doppelganger there to ensure no unnecessary conflicts arose between Kokuō and his clansmen. However, the moment he sensed the atmosphere in the lab and saw the tense standoff between Tsunade and Pakura, he felt as if he had taken an arrow to the knee.
Though he had been somewhat mentally prepared for this scene, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"Hi—"
"Nara Keisuke!"
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when a woman you are close to calls you by your full name, you must be careful. Princess Tsunade stood with one hand on her hip, her sharp eyes fixed on him, the cold light in her brown pupils threatening to pierce him through.
"Can you explain to me why this kunoichi, wearing a Sunagakure forehead protector, is here?!"
Pakura's lips parted, about to explain, but Tsunade seemed to have anticipated it. With nothing more than a casual glance in her direction, the little orange cat obediently shut her mouth.
And at that moment, the responsible ninja stepped forward.
"I believe I've mentioned this to you before," Keisuke said, feigning a calm he did not feel. "Pakura of the Scorch Release has submitted to the Nara clan."
Submitting to the new clan head of the Nara was, in effect, submitting to the Nara clan, was it not? In his mind, his answer was flawless. Pakura didn't seem to have a problem with it either; to her, there was no difference between Nara Keisuke and the Nara clan.
"But I don't recall receiving any such news," Tsunade said, her brow furrowing slightly. She did vaguely remember him saying something like that before. "And there has been no intelligence from the village about the capture of Pakura of the Scorch Release."
Due to the nature of her work, even though Tsunade wasn't on the front lines, she was still responsible for many affairs concerning the Suna front. She was well-versed in the intel on all of their powerful ninja. Pakura of the Scorch Release, and Rasa of the Magnet Release, were known as the two most outstanding elite Jonin of their generation. There were even rumors that whichever of them led Sunagakure to victory in the war would become the Fourth Kazekage.
Tsunade had never fought Pakura, but she knew her by reputation. For such a powerful Suna ninja to be living, unannounced, in Keisuke's private base...
Pakura saw the legendary Sannin of Konoha. Tsunade saw the renowned hero of Suna. Both assumed the other was at their peak. It was hard to say which of them was more surprised by the unexpected meeting. But judging by the current situation, it was Tsunade—with her deeper foundation and louder voice—who had the upper hand.
"It's just because I privately detained her," Keisuke said with a shrug, tossing out a minor issue. "But it's also because of that that I successfully researched Scorch Release, as you know."
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted and walked right up to him. "Since you've already mastered it, why don't you just kill her?"
You vicious woman! Pakura's eyes widened in disbelief at Tsunade's back. But given the other woman's reputation and her own lowly status as a prisoner, she didn't dare say a word, instead shooting a pitiful glance at Keisuke.
Watching the fat sheep pretending to be a tiger and the pitiful little orange cat, Keisuke's guilt vanished without a trace, replaced by a sense of amusement.
"As I just said, Pakura has already submitted to the Nara clan," he said, waving a hand at her. Pakura took this as a sign of great amnesty and immediately turned to leave. "Besides, she is part of a certain future plan of mine..."
Tsunade secretly pricked up her ears. Sensing Pakura's departure, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Nara! Do you have any idea how close I was to attacking her?!" she complained in a small voice. "There was no one else here the last time I came, and then I suddenly find Pakura of the Scorch Release here! And you didn't even seal her chakra! Do you know how dangerous that is?"
"Relax. Pakura is no longer a threat," he reassured her, recounting the time he had sent her on a solo mission. "I had her go to the Empty District outside the village... and I also have a Flying Thunder God marker on her, as well as a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, to prevent her from leaking any information about me."
"Well, as long as you know what you're doing. Don't play with fire," Tsunade said, seeing his confident expression. She relented, but gave one last warning. "In any case, she is still a Suna ninja. Though I just saw her and her movements were sluggish, her reactions slow, and nothing about her seemed impressive... almost as if she were..."
Almost as if she were like I used to be, she silently added.
"Pakura's skill is still there. She's just out of practice," Keisuke explained, before changing the subject. "Tsunade, what's with the giant scroll on your back?"
"It's what I told you about. The ninjutsu data I collected from my family." Tsunade undid the strap and set the massive scroll down on the floor with a thud. "You mentioned that Wood Style is a fusion of Water and Earth, right? My grand-uncle was a master of Water Style. So this time, besides Wood Style, I also brought a lot of Water and Earth jutsu. You can take a look."
Keisuke accepted the giant scroll. The moment his hand made contact, a notification appeared on his panel.
[S-Rank Ninja Tool Detected: [Large Sealing Scroll]!]
[S-Rank Ninja Tool: Large Sealing Scroll]
[Description: A space-time scroll for storing ninja tools!]
[Effect: Contains an extremely vast internal space, capable of storing a massive amount of tools, scrolls, etc.]
[Evaluation: Four-Dimensional Scroll]
As expected of the great princess of the Senju clan, casually pulling out an S-rank ninja tool! Compared to this, the B-rank scroll I ordered from Lady Cat looks like something I bought from a roadside stall.
Following Tsunade's instructions, he undid the seal on the scroll and took out all the technique scrolls stored within. With a great puff of smoke, a small mountain of scrolls appeared before him. He reached out and touched the one on top.
A waterfall of notifications flooded his panel.
[S-Rank Technique Detected: [Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands]. Learn?]
[S-Rank Technique Detected: [Wood Release: Gracious Deity Gates]...]
[...S-Rank Technique: [Wood Release: Top Transformed Buddha]...]
[...S-Rank Technique: [Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence]...]
[...S-Rank Technique...]
For the first time ever, the panel's refresh rate seemed to lag as notifications popped up one after another, seemingly without end. Keisuke pretended to be inspecting the scroll in his hand while he waited for the flood to stop. When it finally did, he quickly checked the contents of the mountain of scrolls.
A total of 47 ninjutsu: 11 S-rank, 12 A-rank, 14 B-rank, 9 C-rank, and 1 D-rank. Among them, 22 were Wood Style, 16 were Water Style, and 9 were Earth Style. They ranged from the incredibly powerful S-rank "Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands" to the humble D-rank "Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu."
Keisuke was fairly certain that Tsunade had brought every single Wood, Water, and Earth style scroll her family owned.
"Well?" Tsunade asked, her brown eyes filled with anticipation. "What do you think?"
"I can't give you a definite answer right now," he said, putting down the "True Several Thousand Hands" scroll and looking her in the eyes. "But I think... if I fail to research Wood Style with all of this, I will never be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life."
"That's a bit of an exaggeration!" she said with a laugh, waving her hand. But then she fell silent for a moment and said softly, "But, Nara... I really do want to become a ninja like my great-uncle."
"I know. And I will help you restore the glory of the Senju clan," he promised. He then picked up the now-empty Large Sealing Scroll and handed it to her.
Tsunade, still reeling from his words, looked at the scroll in confusion. "Hm? What are you giving this to me for?"
Keisuke was even more confused. "Aren't you taking it back?"
"Why would I take it back?" Tsunade said, casually pushing the scroll back into his arms. "Just like all the little scrolls, this big one is a gift to you, too."
