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Chapter 128: The Iwagakure Jinchuriki Attacks!
🕑 Added 2025-08-13 14:42:43 +0000 UTCChapter 128: The Iwagakure Jinchuriki Attacks!
A month later, faced with the new B-rank Earth Release ninjutsu that came from a [Shinobi Secret Scroll], Nara Keisuke could always recall the night he obtained the [Earth Release: Rock Shelter Collapse].
[B-rank Technique: Earth Release: Rock Fist]
[Technique Description: A fierce and mighty fist of rock.]
[Technique Effect: Mold, circulate, and accumulate earth-nature chakra in the arm, turning one's own arm into a hard rock fist, greatly increasing the arm's hardness and strength, thereby delivering a powerful blow.]
[Technique Evaluation: Quick, use Rock Fist on him!]
'B-rank technique [Rock Fist]?! As expected, another Earth Release!'
Nara Keisuke looked at the earth-style ninjutsu he had mastered. He now possessed more than a dozen B and C-rank earth jutsu. Even an elite Jonin from Iwagakure probably couldn't compare to him in terms of the number of earth techniques mastered.
But compared to the sheer quantity, the quality of these ninjutsu was very ordinary.
[Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling], [Earth Release: Rock Javelin], [Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears], [Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique]...
High EQ: Advanced shape transformations of Earth Release.
Low EQ: A clod of dirt, a big clod of dirt.
Keisuke had even gotten a B-rank technique, [Earth Release: Hiding in Rock Technique], from a scroll. It was an advanced invisibility jutsu that allowed one to become invisible in a rocky area. The problem was, he already had the A-rank [Camouflage Concealment], and had even modified that into the [Shadow Invisibility Technique]. Why would he need an inferior [Hiding in Rock Technique]!
The Earth Release ninjutsu with special effects that he truly wanted to obtain, like the ones mastered by the Third Tsuchikage that didn't seem like Earth Release at all, he hadn't gotten a single one!
[Earth Release: Rock Fist]. This was probably the best quality B-rank earth ninjutsu he had obtained in this one month. At least it was no longer just a "shape transformation of Earth Release"!
Keisuke closed the panel, recalling his "diligent work" over the past month. In the month since arriving at the Land of Grass battlefield, Team Keisuke, at a rate of one B-rank mission every three days, had swiftly eliminated the supply storage points that Iwagakure had set up in the Land of Grass, greatly damaging their material logistics system.
The reason their mission completion speed had dropped from "two in two days" to "one in three days" was not because Keisuke was proactively slacking off, or leading his team to collectively slack off. It was because the speed at which Konoha's ninja could scout out Iwa's supply points could not keep up with his team's mission completion speed.
In the first few days after arriving at the battlefield, Team Keisuke had cleared out the multiple "Cut Off Supplies" missions that had accumulated at the Konoha camp at high speed. But in doing so, all of the Iwa supply points that Konoha knew of were wiped out by them. If they wanted to carry out more "Cut Off Supplies" missions, they could only wait for their other comrades to discover the locations of Iwa's remaining supply points. As such, their mission completion speed was slowed down.
But even so, perfectly completing more than ten B-rank missions within a month had still made Team Keisuke's reputation resound throughout the Konoha camp. Missions like [Cut Off Supplies] and [Cut Off Supplies 2], which involved destroying the enemy's logistics points, were not in themselves very difficult. The truly difficult part was breaking through the enemy's layers of blockade to reach the supply point, destroying it in time before enemy reinforcements arrived, and then successfully escaping!
Before Keisuke's squad arrived, if a Konoha ninja wanted to destroy an Iwa supply point, they basically had to use human lives to fill the gap, or wait for a passing "Yellow Flash." But after his squad's arrival, Iwa's logistics system was more than half destroyed, and the pressure on the main front lines was also eased considerably. It was only natural that Team Keisuke's name became famous.
And as their reputation spread, the Iwa ninja also noticed this "chief culprit" that was destroying their village's supply points. At the same time, they were actively collecting and analyzing intelligence on Keisuke's squad, intending to strangle this highly active elite Konoha team.
Keisuke didn't know about Iwagakure's counter-attack plan, but he could roughly guess. If they were to let his special squad go unchecked, that would be abnormal! But he didn't care about their plan. Because...
"Captain, Lord Orochimaru just informed me that the known Iwa supply points have been basically cleared out by us." Uchiha Shisui walked into the tent, bringing a message from the supreme commander. "Lord Orochimaru said that the difficulty of obtaining intelligence on Iwa supply points is getting higher and higher, and it's estimated that no accurate intelligence will be available in the short term, so our mission will be temporarily suspended for a period of time."
"Suspend the mission?" Keisuke, who was lying on a simple military cot, propped his head up and looked at Shisui. "Then can we go back to the village to rest?"
"Uh, Lord Orochimaru didn't seem to give us the order to return to the village." Shisui paused for a moment and continued, "But he did say that we should rest in the camp for two days for the time being. He also said that in the future, the task of scouting for Iwa supply points might be handed over to us..."
"So he's just cutting out the intelligence gathering step and having us try our luck in the Land of Grass?" Keisuke's mind spun, and he immediately sorted out the situation. He turned his head and looked at HyΕ«ga Retsu, who was gnawing on a cold rice ball. "HyΕ«ga, you're going to have to work hard!"
Retsu, sporting a Byakugan, silently accelerated her eating speed. The young lady of the main family had figured it out. If this team didn't have her and Shisui to support it, it would definitely be led astray by the captain! If nothing else, just look at Shizune. After moving with the squad for half a month, she had basically done nothing but sit on the back of the shadow eagle and get blasted by the cold wind.
In this squad, Shizune, the medical ninja, basically couldn't play any role. This was the team's luck, and also Shizune's misfortune. To avoid her medical ninjutsu skills regressing instead of improving after a month on the battlefield, Shizune had already proactively applied to go to the infirmary to take care of other normal wounded. Of course, during normal mission periods, she would still act with the team. Going to the infirmary could be seen as a kind of "self-cultivation" for her during her mission downtime. Just like how Retsu would always challenge Shisui whenever she had free time, even though her record was still all losses... and the challenge to the captain was still a distant prospect...
Seeing Retsu not respond and just eat, Keisuke shifted his gaze back to Shisui. "Shisui, did Orochimaru say anything about increasing our mission difficulty? For example, raising a B-rank to an A-rank."
"Lord Orochimaru didn't say so explicitly," Shisui said, shaking his head.
"What a pain." Keisuke got up from the bed. This action immediately attracted the attention of the other two team members. "I'm going toβwhat are you looking at?"
Shisui said in surprise, "Captain, you're actually getting up at night."
Retsu also cast a shocked gaze. "Incredible."
"You two are really enough!" Keisuke stretched out wide and walked towards the tent flap. "I'm going to see Orochimaru first."
"Captain, you're not planning to do something to Lord Orochimaru, are you?" Shisui's concerned voice came from behind.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Shisui," Keisuke said, turning his head. "I'm just going to collect a 'debt.' Forgot? That Explosion Release ninja we met before. More than a month has passed. Orochimaru's research should have produced some results by now, right?"
Bidding farewell to his two team members, Keisuke walked towards the main command tent of the camp. Many ninja on the way saw this "Nara Special Jonin" who had recently risen to fame and nodded to him in greeting. However, in Keisuke's team, the most famous was not him, the captain, but Uchiha Shisui. Who could blame him for always being the main attacker on missions?
Although there was still some time before he would earn a "title," Keisuke believed in "Shisui of the Body Flicker's" hard work.
Keisuke casually responded to the greetings of the other ninja. The others were not surprised. For a Nara clan ninja to be willing to return a greeting was already a great effort!
Arriving at the central area of the camp, after being announced, Keisuke smoothly entered the main tent.
"Nara-kun." Long time no see, Orochimaru still had that polite and courteous posture. "Is there something you need?"
"Lord... Orochimaru." Keisuke glanced at the surrounding sensory ninja and ultimately added the honorific. "Do you still remember that Explosion Release ninja from Iwagakure we captured a while ago?"
"So it's about this matter." Orochimaru lightly licked the corner of his mouth. He had thought Keisuke had already forgotten about this. After all, with his lazy disposition, it would be perfectly normal to forget an insignificant Iwa ninja. What's more, he hadn't brought it up for over a month... He hadn't expected the other to actually be interested in Kekkei Genkai! Then the Wood Release back then...
"Come talk with me outside!" Orochimaru invited Keisuke.
He was just about to nod in agreement. But just at that moment, a familiar cry of alarm rang out. "Mist! Lord Orochimaru!" A Konoha ninja wearing a special machine helmet shouted loudly. "Iwagakure's Five-Tails Jinchuriki! Two o'clock direction!"
Even if he liked to play with snakes, even if he was doing human experiments, even if he was researching the First Hokage, Orochimaru was still that good Konoha ninja who wanted to become the Fourth Hokage. "The Five-Tails Jinchuriki is attacking!"
Orochimaru stopped his intention to leave immediately. He looked at Keisuke and said solemnly, "Nara-kun, with your ability, act with me!"
(End of Chapter)
