IDKjust
patreon
Chapter 140n
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 15:01:44 +0000 UTCChapter 140n
2-in-1-chapter
-----------------
“I believe so.”
Yagura Karatachi furrowed his brow.
“If I remember correctly, that Konoha shinobi is called Uchiha Shisui?”
“Yes, it is Uchiha Shisui.”
Yagura nodded.
“Shisui the Body Flicker… I have heard his name for a long time,” Genji sighed. “On the battlefield, even Ao avoids him. Shisui the Body Flicker is said to be second only to the Uchiha clan head among their fighters.”
“What kind of opponent would it take to injure a man like that? Within the Land of Water, who could possibly wound him?”
“If my guess is correct, the child of the Kaguya clan must be carrying a serious problem.”
Yagura opened his mouth to object. He felt that Genji’s speculation was little more than a castle in the air. To say that the child of the Kaguya clan carried some enormous trouble, based only on Shisui being injured, seemed to him to be a leap with no foundation. But in the end he held back his rebuttal, because he saw the sorrow and helplessness that had surfaced between Genji’s brows.
Suddenly it became clear.
Genji was not unwilling to keep the Shikotsumyaku in the village; it was that Kirigakure had no leverage at all to negotiate with Konoha. If the Konoha shinobi refused to let go of the Shikotsumyaku they had already obtained, then for the Mist to demand its return would be nothing but humiliating themselves.
As for Konoha magnanimously handing over the heir of the Kaguya clan to Kirigakure… such a thought was nothing but a dream.
Apart from the Land of Water, where complex reasons had led the populace to loathe kekkei genkai, no other land or village had ever ceased its pursuit of them. Kumogakure’s obsession with the Hyūga clan’s Byakugan was but one example, the clearest example. In truth, the missions of those spies sent into other villages were not only to gather intelligence, but also to steal bloodline limits.
The Magnet Release of Kumogakure had been stolen from Sunagakure by means of a seduction scheme.
“I was too impulsive, Genji.”
Yagura let out a weary sigh.
“The taste of bowing and scraping is a bitter one.”
“All for the sake of the village,” Genji replied. His aged, wrinkled face revealed a steadfast determination that could not be shaken. So long as it was for the village, then even if they had to abase themselves before Konoha shinobi, what of it? The interests of the village outweighed all else.
“Yes. All for the village.”
Yagura repeated the words softly. His chest was filled with a flavor like a bottle of five spices overturned, a mingling of feelings impossible to describe. “This chair is truly hard to sit upon.”
Genji said nothing more. There was no need. The seat of the Mizukage had never been easy to occupy, and especially now, when Kirigakure was tossed about in storm and rain, the seat of Mizukage was all the harder to hold.
........................
.........
.
Whoosh!
A sharp gleam pierced through the stone pillars, and in an instant all thirty-six of the irregularly placed targets on the training field shattered. The arc of white light reversed direction, slowing as the undamaged blade returned neatly into Shisui’s hand at the edge of the grounds.
His gaze swept over the fragments scattered across the ground, then back to the shimmering edge of the sword.
Different Kusanagi blades possessed different abilities, but almost all shared an indestructible durability. It was said they were forged from the hardest substance in the shinobi world, though what that substance was had long been lost to history. What remained undeniable was the unmatched hardness of the Kusanagi blades.
In these past two days, Shisui had come to understand deeply just how unyielding this sword was.
No matter what he tried, he could not leave the faintest scratch on the flawless, mirror-smooth blade of the Sky Sword. That very toughness made Shisui grow fond of the weapon, for its sturdiness and reliability.
“It seems you are quite satisfied with it, Shisui,” came a familiar voice from behind.
“It suits me well,” Shisui admitted without hesitation.
Two days of practice had been enough for him to master the Sky Sword. With his talent, he had only needed to see the specialized summoning technique for ninja tools once to bind a contract with it. With the spiritual strength granted by his awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, he had already brought the Sky Sword under a level of control that could be called proficient.
“As long as you are satisfied.”
Rēn walked up beside him.
“You came looking for me. Is there another mission? If it’s something troublesome, I might not be in the best condition right now.” Shisui held the Sky Sword in his left hand; his right arm was still bandaged. Even after treatment from skilled medical-nin, the wound where his shoulder had been pierced would not heal completely in so short a time. The earliest estimate for full recovery was still twenty days away.
“Shisui, if you say that, you wound me. Don’t treat me like some demon who would exploit even the injured. We are friends, are we not?”
“…Rēn, just tell me what it is.”
“We are returning to the village.”
Rēn spoke the words plainly.
“Returning to the village? Now?”
Shisui was taken aback.
It was far too sudden. A matter like this should have been discussed a few days in advance. He had made no preparations at all.
“The plan was to leave in two days. But just now, urgent intelligence arrived from the village. Kumogakure has moved south.”
“What?”
Shisui could not restrain his cry of shock.
“Kumogakure moving south? How could that be? Why so suddenly?” He shook his head vigorously as he spoke, half-convinced that he was still muddled with sleep and dreaming. But the pain from his shoulder wound, flaring as he jerked his head, reminded him with searing clarity that this was no dream, but reality.
“Kumogakure likely intends to exploit our war with Kirigakure, to strike while the fire is hot.”
Looking at Rēn, who showed not the slightest trace of panic, Shisui frowned deeply. “Rēn, what exactly is going on?”
“I thought I made myself clear enough. Kumogakure has moved south. To be precise, not only Kumogakure. Our spies in the Land of Earth have sent word that Iwagakure is also restless. It may not be long before reports come of Iwagakure forces moving south as well. The Hokage has written, urging us to return to the village at once.”
Rēn explained the intelligence he had received in a casual tone.
Compared to Shisui’s shock and anger, his own emotions showed no turbulence. Even when he had first learned of the reports from the village, he had remained just as calm as he was now, because there was nothing in them worth surprise. The stirrings of the Cloud and the Stone were not unexpected in the slightest.
From the very incident in which the Cloud-nin had dared to attempt a raid on Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, within the borders of the Land of Fire, it was already clear that their aggression was straining against restraint.
Or rather, the fact that the Cloud had managed to hold back until now only showed that their patience was greater than Rēn had originally expected.
“Rēn, could it be that we have… wasted too much time in Kirigakure?” They had been stationed in the village for nearly a full month, and Shisui could not suppress the thought that perhaps such a large fighting force remaining abroad for so long had given the Cloud and Stone the courage to take the risk.
“It doesn’t matter much.”
Rēn understood what Shisui meant. In truth, many others had come to the same conclusion when the intelligence first arrived. They believed that the absence of a force of more than a hundred elite Jōnin had directly led to the outbreak of renewed war. If not for Rēn’s reputation and the depth of his authority, some might already have begun voicing blame that he had wasted too much time in Kirigakure.
“Don’t forget the ambush you encountered when escorting Naruto to the front lines. The Cloud’s audacity is greater than you imagine.”
Shisui fell silent at once. He had experienced it firsthand—an attack by Cloud-nin within the Land of Fire itself. He could not deny Rēn’s words. Their boldness was indeed beyond his expectations. His hand closed unconsciously around the hilt of the Sky Blade.
He understood now. The war with the Mist had barely concluded, and yet a new war had already begun.
“Is there truly no way to turn this aside?”
Rēn did not mock Shisui’s lingering hope. He only laid the truth bare with calm, steady words. “The Cloud’s blade has already been thrust forward. At this point, patience serves no purpose. Without resistance, only death awaits.”
The light in Shisui’s eyes dimmed further.
“Shisui, war cannot be avoided. What we can do now is to give everything we have to bring it to an end as quickly as possible. Only by doing so can we lessen the destruction it will cause. Escaping from the problem will never solve it. To resolve it, you must face it directly.”
By now the commotion from the delegation’s quarters could already be heard. The Konoha shinobi were hastily packing their gear under emergency orders.
“Send me north!”
Shisui spoke suddenly, scarlet eyes shining with resolute determination.
“Are you certain? Your injuries—”
“By the time I reach the front lines they should be nearly healed. And even if they are not, the Sky Blade does not require me to wield it by hand. It is not a serious issue. As for Kimimaro, I must trouble you to arrange someone to care for him for the time being.”
Shisui had made his decision. Rēn was not wrong. Since the war could not be stopped, then the only option was to end it as swiftly as possible.
Rēn smiled faintly. He would never command an injured clansman to undertake a mission, yet when one of them volunteered out of a sincere desire to contribute, he could not bring himself to refuse.
“I will see that Kimimaro is taken care of, you need not worry. As for you, Shisui, once you head north, remember to fight within your limits. And above all, be cautious of that man who calls himself Uchiha Madara. It is not impossible that this stirring of the Cloud and Stone has some connection to him.”
Shisui started in alarm. His expression grew all the more grave, and he nodded with solemn resolve. “I will be careful.”
“Better to be too careful than not careful enough. Just don’t grow careless.”
Rēn narrowed his eyes slightly. With Shisui on the northern front, he himself would be able to return to the village for a time.
