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[Konoha] Chapter 329: Pills and Rebellion!
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 17:27:02 +0000 UTCGenetic defects are not so easily remedied. For example, despite Hayate’s bloodline disease, it has not been truly cured.
Instead, it is mitigated by the effects of Hashirama cells, counteracting the damage caused by the disease, making it seem as though Hayate has fully recovered.
Given the current advancements in Hashirama cell research, transplanting them into Kimimaro would not pose any technical challenges.
However, Kimimaro’s bloodline disease is far more severe compared to Hayate’s.
Even Hashirama cells cannot entirely neutralize the damage caused by using his Kekkei Genkai. Or more precisely, the efficacy of diluted Hashirama cells is insufficient.
Of course, Shūichi has already decided to perform a Hashirama cell transplant on Kimimaro after the Chūnin Championship ends to lay a foundation for him.
If possible, Shūichi plans to gradually increase the intensity of the transplanted cells, potentially including Ten-Tails cells or even the genetic components of the Ōtsutsuki clan, such as the power tied to Kaguya’s All-Killing Ash Bones.
However, there is no guarantee Kimimaro can withstand such changes, even though Kaguya is, in essence, one of Kimimaro’s ancestors—the source of the Shikotsumyaku.
After all, Kimimaro doesn’t possess the same cheat-like advantages as Shūichi.
---
After finishing the discussion about Kimimaro, Minato Namikaze shifted his attention to Haku and smiled. “The Ice Release Rasengan—there must also be an Ice Release Rasenshuriken, right?”
Shūichi nodded. “Haku is exceptionally talented, and his ability to mold Ice Release is remarkable.”
“In the future, he will become a powerhouse beyond the Kage level.”
Hearing this, the Fourth Kazekage diverted his focus from his daughter and asked, “Lord Shūichi, what do you think of Temari?”
Temari?
Shūichi’s gaze turned to the fan-wielding Temari, and he was momentarily reminded of the little girl who once proclaimed she would defeat him.
She’s grown up now.
In an instant, all the details of Temari’s missions flooded into Shūichi’s mind. He commented, “Her mastery of Wind Release is impressive—quite advanced for her age.”
“She’s even begun to grasp the basics of Wind Release Chakra Mode. Was this taught by Baki?”
The Fourth Kazekage nodded. “Baki is her instructor.”
Baki, having undergone special training under Shūichi in the past, later obtained Shūichi’s Cursed Seal and gradually developed his Wind Release Chakra Mode.
This wasn’t something Shūichi directly taught him; instead, Baki developed it based on insights gained during his training.
Apart from Baki, another person who mastered Wind Release Chakra Mode is Asuma Sarutobi.
Unlike Baki, however, Asuma leveraged the power of a Tailed Beast during his experiments. After mastering Wind Release Chakra Mode, he quickly progressed to Fire Release Chakra Mode. Combining the two, supported by the Tailed Beast’s chakra, he reached a level akin to Shūichi’s in the past.
Currently, Asuma is even exploring Scorch Release.
In contrast, Baki has chosen to focus exclusively on refining his Wind Release to its absolute peak.
Within the Sand Village, Baki’s Wind Release is undoubtedly the strongest, even surpassing that of the Fourth Kazekage.
Under Baki’s guidance, Temari has grown significantly stronger than her canon counterpart.
For someone her age to grasp even the basics of Wind Release Chakra Mode is exceptional, setting her apart among her peers in the Chūnin ranks.
Naturally, Shūichi understood that the Fourth Kazekage’s question wasn’t solely about Temari’s current abilities.
So, he elaborated, “The path of Wind Release has been well-paved by Baki, and Temari can follow it.”
“However, to achieve greater heights, she will need a stronger physique and an extraordinary chakra reserve.”
“Another option would be developing Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tōta, or even Kekkei Mōra. As the Third Tsuchikage has pointed out, bloodline powers provide significant feedback to the user’s body.”
“And then there’s the power of Sage Mode.”
“When a ceiling obstructs progress, lateral growth—building a solid foundation—is essential for breakthroughs.”
“That said, there’s no rush for Temari. She can focus on fully mastering Wind Release Chakra Mode before moving to the next stage.”
The Fourth Kazekage nodded in agreement, but he then asked, “Lord Shūichi, could you grant Temari the Sage Seal?”
This request caught the attention of the other Kage, particularly Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage.
They were well aware of the pros and cons of Shūichi’s Sage Seal.
Over the years, their approach had been to train to master Sage Mode independently. If that failed, they used the Sage Seal as a stepping stone and abandoned it once they could sustain Sage Mode on their own.
However, the reality is that very few have managed to achieve Sage Mode through their own efforts, even with the Seal’s assistance.
After all, mastering Sage Mode requires an enormous chakra reserve, which excludes the majority of jōnin.
Thus, many still rely on Shūichi’s Seal.
The Fourth Kazekage’s reasoning was clear.
Shūichi is undoubtedly the king of this era. To reject his help is to deny the inevitable future.
With Shūichi’s overwhelming power, dismantling the Five Great Shinobi Villages would be trivial. His choice of a cooperative approach suggests a deliberate effort to preserve the talents of the ninja world.
In such a time, aligning with Shūichi is the only way to avoid being left behind by history.
Moreover, does Shūichi even need a Cursed Seal to control others?
Wouldn’t Infinite Tsukuyomi suffice?
Who could possibly resist him?
While the Sand Village might cease to exist in the future, the Fourth Kazekage hoped its legacy could endure as an integral part of the ninja world, rather than fading into history.
Faced with this request, Shūichi readily agreed, saying, “Of course, that’s no problem.”
“After the Championship ends.”
“Well, if Temari has both the strength and luck, she might not even need my Seal.”
The Fourth Kazekage was momentarily puzzled and quickly asked, “What do you mean, Lord Shūichi?”
The others, including Minato, also looked over curiously, as even he hadn’t been informed.
Shūichi smiled. “I’ve prepared a special reward for the top three—or rather, the top ten—in this tournament. Consider it a surprise.”
The Fourth Raikage couldn’t resist asking, “What kind of reward?”
Ōnoki speculated, “Lord Shūichi, does it have something to do with chakra?”
Shūichi nodded and smiled. “I mentioned before the pills of the Ōtsutsuki clan.”
“These are formed from concentrated chakra and can enhance one’s strength upon consumption.”
“While they aren’t as potent as the God Tree’s fruit, they are still highly effective.”
Pills!
Everyone was stunned.
Terumi Mei frowned silently. She knew that refining pills consumed Shūichi's reserves. However, since he had already made up his mind, she refrained from voicing her objection at this moment.
At that point, Shūichi raised his hand, and a single pill floated in his palm, drawing everyone’s attention.
This was the first time pills had appeared in the shinobi world!
The golden pill, no larger than a thumb, emanated a terrifying aura of power.
In truth, the pills weren’t as mystical as they seemed. They were essentially an artificial version of the God Tree’s fruit.
When Shūichi condensed his chakra into pills for others to consume, it was akin to creating a diluted version of the God Tree’s fruit.
It was similar to how the Sage of Six Paths had passed on his chakra to Naruto and Sasuke, essentially granting them a cheat-like boost.
The difference was merely the scale of the "cheat."
While the process did consume some of Shūichi’s accumulated chakra, it wasn’t a big deal for him. A few days in the starry void could replenish his reserves quickly.
The true key to his pills lay in the quality of the chakra and the information embedded within them.
For instance, abilities related to Kekkei Genkai, advanced chakra nature transformations, and more.
In essence, Shūichi could customize the pills to suit specific needs.
---
As Shūichi and the others continued their casual conversation, the Chūnin Battle Tournament was still raging on.
Amid the chaos of the Third Raikage’s death, the Cloud Shinobi had retreated from the Land of Earth, prompting Kurotsuchi and her team to cease their pursuit.
Kurotsuchi glanced at her panel, revealing a satisfied smile—her team was still in first place for points.
However, by now, she was the only remaining member of her squad.
If she didn’t regroup with others, she would be forced to act alone moving forward.
Deidara faced a similar situation.
But unlike Kurotsuchi, Deidara didn’t care in the slightest. In fact, he seemed excited.
For him, teammates only hindered the expression of his explosive art.
After tightening his golden ponytail, Deidara flashed a bright smile and said, “Kurotsuchi, I’m heading out!”
Kurotsuchi was taken aback. “Deidara, where are you going?”
Deidara’s smile radiated confidence. “To the main battlefield, of course!”
“I’m going to fight alongside the Third Raikage and show everyone the true art of explosions!”
Kurotsuchi and the other Iwagakure shinobi were stunned.
“Is he crazy?”
Before anyone could react, Deidara leapt onto his clay bird, waving back at them. “See ya!”
Watching him take off, Kurotsuchi shouted, “Deidara, you’ll die!”
“If you die, you won’t make it to the final competition!”
Deidara laughed, unfazed by rankings. “The art of explosions is eternal. Rankings are just childish games!”
As Deidara disappeared into the distance, Kurotsuchi sighed and massaged her forehead. “That guy is so reckless.”
The others exchanged uncertain glances. One Iwagakure ninja asked, “What should we do now? Should we follow him?”
Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses and said, “Helping the Third Raikage escape is an impossible task unless more than half the shinobi squads unite.”
Iruka added, “That’s clearly not going to happen. Most squads will likely side with Iwagakure. As long as they survive the Third Raikage’s attacks, they’ll secure points for the finals.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Although Kurotsuchi wanted to help Deidara, she knew it wasn’t a wise choice. She eventually agreed. “You’re right. We have no reason to side with the Third Raikage.”
---
Elsewhere.
Deidara sat on his clay bird, chewing on a soldier pill to restore his chakra, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “This is an absolutely brilliant idea.”
“I’ll give everyone a surprise. Hmph!”
After quietly recovering his chakra for about half an hour, Deidara stood up.
He had arrived.
Below him, the Third Raikage pierced through layers of Iwagakure’s Earth Release defenses like a bolt of lightning. Deidara’s excitement grew even more.
This was the perfect battlefield for him to showcase the art of explosions!
"Lord Shūichi is truly incredible, creating a place where one can unleash their abilities without worrying about other problems," Deidara praised sincerely.
Controlling his clay bird, he soared over the Iwa ninja army.
"Watch the skies!"
"It's that brat, Deidara!"
"That guy… Could he be siding with the Third Raikage?"
Many Iwa ninjas recognized Deidara immediately. After all, he was quite infamous in Iwagakure for his bombastic antics, causing explosions wherever he went, much to everyone’s annoyance.
Among the Iwa forces were not only genin and chunin but also jonin elites, including Kurotsuchi's father Kitsuchi and others known figures from Iwagakure.
Deidara’s clay bird circled overhead as he plunged his hands into his ninja pouch, the mouths on his palms voraciously devouring the clay.
Before long, he crafted a massive clay dragon, drawing sharp reactions from the Iwa forces below.
Kitsuchi’s face darkened as he shouted, “Be on guard! Prepare for explosives!”
As the dragon roared and swooped, the Iwa ninjas quickly formed hand seals to create defenses. Some used Earth Release to fire rocky projectiles at Deidara in the sky.
Interestingly, Deidara avoided hovering directly over the Third Raikage, making his intentions clear. The Iwa forces didn’t hesitate to act.
BOOM!
The clay dragon began "raining" explosive clay, unleashing a series of detonations that filled the battlefield with smoke and chaos.
The Third Raikage, who had paused his assault, glanced upwards. “An Iwa shinobi with Explosion Release siding with me? Unexpected.”
The Raikage, too, was an “actor,” summoned back from the Pure Land by Shūichi Hoshita.
Not just him, but even the Third Kazekage had been brought back by Shūichi for this extended battle.
“Times have truly changed,” the Raikage mused before resuming his assault.
With a younger fighter unleashing relentless attacks, as the main star of this battle, he couldn’t just stand idly by.
The Third Raikage pressed his assault to keep the Iwa forces occupied.
Meanwhile, the clay dragon was eventually taken down, forcing Deidara to ascend to avoid the counterattacks.
But by now, Deidara had almost completed preparing his next move.
He crafted another clay dragon, using it as both a decoy and a diversionary attack, while the smoke and dust from the explosions concealed his true self. His clay bird, carrying a clay clone, dove toward the battlefield.
Though the clay dragon was shot down again, its explosions created enough cover and cleared an area of the battlefield.
Deidara’s clay bird landed, releasing his clay clone onto the ground.
Immediately, the bird split into smaller explosive traps, scattering across the battlefield to hinder the advancing Iwa ninjas.
“Hahaha!”
“Feel the art of explosions!”
Deidara laughed maniacally as his clay clone’s body began to swell rapidly, transforming into a massive clay figure in moments.
“Defend!”
An Iwa jonin shouted urgently, realizing the imminent danger.
Clearly, Deidara was about to unleash a devastating attack. With the distance involved, there was no time to counter with Lightning Release.
Earthen walls shot up instantly across the battlefield.
High in the sky, Deidara raised a single hand, his eyes alight with exhilaration. “Ka-tsu!”
In an instant, the bloated clay clone erupted in a colossal explosion.
The blast was undeniably powerful, but Kitsuchi frowned.
The explosion… didn’t feel right.
Something was off.
“Everyone, get away from that area!” Kitsuchi bellowed.
Unbeknownst to most, the explosion had dispersed countless micro-explosive clay particles into the air, which the nearby Iwa ninjas unknowingly inhaled. These particles lodged inside their bodies, undetected.
As the troops followed Kitsuchi’s order to retreat, Onoki, observing the battle from afar, clenched his fists in frustration.
“Traitor!” he muttered through gritted teeth as he watched Deidara’s antics.
(End of Chapter)
