Chapter 533: Negotiating with the Sage of Six Paths
The moment Ishiro appeared, he immediately used Porcelain Release, applying a layer of defense to himself and Akino Atsumi.
He let out a sigh of relief only after getting a clear look at the surroundings.
Teleporting directly into a battlefield... I need to do this less often. It's too dangerous.
Ishiro scanned the retreating Kumo ninja, then glanced at Ikura and the others beside him. Finally, his gaze landed on Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage in the distance.
Seeing the Fourth Raikage isolated—and the big oaf was still flying in the air—Ishiro's eyes lit up. He said to Akino Atsumi, "Akino, you return to the village first. Ikura, we're going to take down the Fourth Raikage."
Ikura was startled by Ishiro's sudden appearance, but his shock quickly turned to joy.
Ishiro's timing was perfect. Their five Kage-level shinobi had been fighting the Kumo army with no significant gains, and he was getting frustrated.
Hearing Ishiro target the Fourth Raikage, Ikura immediately nodded. "I'll go with you. Deidara, you and the others continue to tie down the Kumo army."
"Also, notify Kawakita to launch an all-out assault."
Ishiro didn't interfere with Ikura's command. After Akino Atsumi left using the Flying Thunder God, Ishiro used his Porcelain Release to fly himself and Ikura toward the Fourth Raikage.
The sudden appearance of Ishiro and Akino had immediately drawn Kumo's attention.
When Ishiro and Ikura charged the Fourth Raikage, the Kumo commander panicked.
He immediately issued an order: "Killer B, fire the Chakra Cannon! All flight squadrons, intercept the Tsuchikage! Cover Lord Raikage's retreat!"
In the air, Deidara and the others knew this was the critical moment. He coordinated with the two Jinchūriki to continuously intercept the Chakra Cannon's blasts.
As for those flight squadrons, Deidara figured they wouldn't have a good time picking a fight with the Tsuchikage.
As expected. These flying ninja, who had been an insufferable nuisance to Deidara's group earlier, were completely countered by Ishiro.
As a fellow flyer, Ishiro's speed and agility completely crushed them.
His seal-less Porcelain Release easily restricted their movement. Coupled with his Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in, Ishiro bullied these flying ninja like it was child's play.
Ishiro and Ikura hadn't flown far before they met the first oncoming flight squadron.
Facing the suicide attack of a dozen Kumo ninja, Ishiro kept his hands in his pockets, not even bothering to look up, and simply activated his Porcelain Release.
A massive amount of porcelain mud appeared from thin air, enveloping the entire squadron of a dozen men before the fast-charging ninja could even react.
While still flying at high speed, Ishiro even had the leisure to meticulously control the porcelain to strip the flight tools off their bodies, perfectly intact, and seal them into a scroll.
Next was the second squadron. They tried to harass Ishiro from a distance, but Ishiro simply used Banshō Ten'in and pulled them in.
And then... there was no 'then'. They quickly followed the fate of the first squadron.
The third and fourth squadrons coordinated a pincer attack.
Ikura started forming seals to assist, but Ishiro had already taken his hands out of his pockets.
He formed seals with both hands simultaneously—but each hand was forming a different set of seals. Two large-scale Light Release jutsu shot out, one left and one right, to meet the two squadrons.
The squadron on the left was closer. They couldn't turn in time and smashed head-on into the Light Release. Amid screams, the dozen-odd ninja were instantly disintegrated.
The squadron on the right was further away and turned in time when they saw things go bad. More than half of them escaped.
Watching the few Kumo ninja flee pathetically, Ishiro frowned. A mistake. That wasn't a clean flex.
The Kumo flight squadrons' desperate blockade had no effect. Ishiro proceeded toward Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage almost without slowing down.
When Ishiro and Ikura arrived at their battle location, the Fourth Raikage had only managed to fly a few kilometers away.
Ishiro looked at the Fourth Raikage, who was also using a flight tool, thought for a moment, and his hands flashed through seals. He cast a B-rank Gale Release jutsu.
Ikura, still forming his own slower seals, was puzzled. He had never seen Ishiro use Gale Release in battle. Why abandon his much more proficient seal-less Porcelain Release for this?
The next moment, Ikura understood.
The Fourth Raikage's speed was extreme. Light Release and Dust Release couldn't hit him. Even Porcelain Release would have trouble boxing him in.
But for some reason, while Ishiro's Gale Release couldn't hit the Raikage directly, the projectiles had a tracking ability.
After missing, they would turn around and re-target the Raikage. The Raikage made several sharp turns in the air but couldn't shake them.
This tracking ability looked familiar to Ikura. Wasn't this exactly what Kumo's Chakra Cannon did?
Shouldn't this be a Kumo secret technique? When did Ishiro learn it? And from where?
Ishiro seemed to know what Ikura was thinking. While continuing to cast Gale Release, he explained, "I learned it from Kumo."
"Remember all that tech data I brought back from infiltrating Kumogakure? This was in there."
"I was originally hoping to integrate this trait into my Light Release, but I haven't succeeded yet. For now, I can only use this trick with Lightning and Gale Release."
As Ishiro spoke, the Fourth Raikage was finally hit.
He could dodge Ishiro's Gale Release alone, but with the added interference from Ikura and Ōnoki's ninjutsu, the Raikage finally made a mistake and was struck.
The Gale Release did almost no damage to him; his Lightning Release Armor wasn't that easy to break.
However, the flight tool on his body wasn't as durable. When its internal components were struck, it immediately lost function.
The Fourth Raikage, who had been zipping through the air, lost control and began to fall diagonally toward the sea.
Seeing this, Ishiro grinned. He and Ikura flew rapidly toward the falling Raikage. Ishiro stretched out his hand and shouted, "Banshō Ten'in!"
With no way to gain leverage in mid-air, the Fourth Raikage was immediately pulled toward Ishiro.
But the Raikage was not one to be slaughtered. Realizing his flight tool was useless, he instantly unstrapped the armor and kicked off it. Using the recoil from the kick, he propelled himself out to the side, breaking free from Ishiro's pull.
Ishiro smiled slightly. "Fast reactions."
Talk was cheap; Ishiro's hands didn't slow down at all.
One C-rank Light Release jutsu after another shot toward the Raikage. For Ishiro, C-rank Light Release was practically second nature—low cost, high effect, and extremely fast to cast.
The advantage of a bloodline wielder was on full display.
The Light Release hasn't fully fused with my body yet. There's still room for improvement, Ishiro mused.
Ōnoki, meanwhile, was using Dust Release. His casting frequency was much lower than Ishiro's, but his jutsu had a massive area of effect. Every time Ōnoki's Dust Release arrived, it was a life-or-death test for the Raikage.
Stuck in the air with no foothold, there was very little the Raikage could do.
The Raikage knew a few B-rank Lightning Release jutsu. He could have used them to counter Ishiro's C-rank Light Release, but he simply couldn't keep up with Ishiro's seal speed.
All the Raikage could do was continuously pull things from his ninja pouch, kicking off them to change his trajectory.
He dodged the first few attacks, but it became harder and harder.
Ikura, beside Ishiro, considered using his five-element ninjutsu but decided against it. His attacks might not hurt the Raikage and could even become a foothold for him.
After a moment's hesitation, Ikura cast a genjutsu at the Raikage.
Ikura wasn't a genjutsu specialist, and a standard illusion wouldn't work on someone of the Raikage's chakra level. But the circumstances were unique. The Raikage was panicked and in a bad state. Hit by the genjutsu, he faltered for an instant.
The Raikage's reaction was fast; he snapped out of it in less than a second.
But that momentary lapse was all Ishiro and Ōnoki needed.
A C-rank Light Release jutsu grazed the Raikage's leg, which he failed to dodge in time, taking a large chunk of flesh.
This was only the beginning. With his leg injured, his control over his body weakened. To make matters worse, he couldn't dodge the second Light Release jutsu that followed.
This one was even worse. It directly vaporized the Raikage's knee. His leg below the knee separated from his body and fell toward the sea.
Suddenly, Ishiro's senses flared.
He kept attacking the Raikage while looking toward the Kumo fleet.
"Lord Third, use Dust Release to detonate the Tailed Beast Ball! Ikura, leave the Raikage to me. Focus on defense!"
In the distance, Killer B had entered a partial Tailed Beast state. He had just unleashed a massive, chakra-draining attack to buy time. In that brief moment while Deidara's group was suppressed, B formed a Tailed Beast Ball in his mouth.
From the direction he was aiming, Ishiro knew it was coming for them.
Ishiro instantly understood Killer B's plan and praised it internally. Good tactic.
The Raikage was tough; he might not die even if caught in the Tailed Beast Ball's blast. But if Ishiro, Ōnoki, and Ikura were hit, they would be. A Tailed Beast Ball was indeed the best way to save the Raikage.
But Killer B thought of it a little too late. Or rather, he found the opportunity too late.
By now, the Raikage had completely lost control of the situation and was in no condition to cooperate with the plan.
Ishiro continued to launch Light Release at the Raikage while forming a porcelain defense.
A few seconds later, a black Tailed Beast Ball tore through the sky, aiming for the sea surface below Ishiro's group.
Killer B didn't dare aim directly at the three of them; if they dodged, the ball wouldn't detonate. So he aimed at the sea.
But before the Tailed Beast Ball could reach its target, it was struck by a beam of white light.
Boom! Part of the Tailed Beast Ball was disintegrated by the Dust Release, and the rest of it exploded.
Although the explosion was weaker than its full potential, it still created a massive shockwave.
But before the shockwave could reach Ishiro's group, it slammed into a sky-high wall of water cast by Ikura. The shockwave was blunted, its pressure diverting to the sides.
The small remaining force broke through the water wall and continued toward them.
At that moment, four giant slabs of porcelain mud floated into place, blocking the last of the blast and protecting all four people present.
That's right—Ishiro had protected the Fourth Raikage as well. He had no intention of letting the blast blow his target away.
As the after-effects of the explosion dissipated, another of Ishiro's Light Release jutsus struck the Raikage, who was just about to hit the water.
This time, it hit him in the chest.
After everything he'd been through, the Raikage was grievously injured and had no strength left to dodge. He was hit squarely.
Looking at the large hole in the Raikage's chest, Ishiro didn't let his guard down. He sent one more C-rank Light Release at the Raikage's head.
Plop.
At last, the Fourth Raikage's headless, battered corpse finally fell into the water.
Seeing this, Ōnoki, Ikura, and Ishiro all sighed in relief.
It was finally over. The Fourth Raikage was too tenacious. If he hadn't been caught flying, Ishiro really wouldn't have had an easy way to deal with him.
Ishiro said, "Lord Third, Ikura, you handle the Raikage's body. This battlefield is yours. I need to return to the Land of Fire front as soon as possible."
Ōnoki nodded. "Go. Kumo won't be able to cause any more trouble. Take a few people with you."
Ishiro said, "I'll take Deidara. Also, Sōkai and Izumi are the only ones in the village, and they're in bad shape. You should return soon."
Ōnoki nodded at Ikura. "I'll head back now."
The battle here was pretty much over anyway. With the Raikage dead, fighting on the ground wouldn't be a problem. Ōnoki had used a lot of chakra sparring with the Raikage, so returning to the village to hold down the fort was a good choice.
Ishiro flew to Deidara's side, grabbed the guy (who was having the time of his life), and flew toward the Land of Earth.
Not long after, he encountered the main army led by Kawakita.
Ishiro landed and asked Kawakita, "Where is Akino Atsumi?"
Finding Akino, Ishiro had no time for pleasantries with Kawakita. He had Akino teleport himself and Deidara back to the Iwa main camp on the Land of Fire front.
When he arrived back at the camp and saw that no major battle had broken out, Ishiro finally relaxed.
He looked at Akino Atsumi. "Akino, get some good rest. There's no more need for teleports."
Akino nodded. Her face was pale and her body was trembling slightly; she had clearly overdrawn her chakra.
After she left to rest, Ishiro personally arranged her security detail, then went to the command center.
Shinya Matsutani-kun and Kitsuchi were in the command center, tallying casualties.
Seeing Ishiro return, Kitsuchi quickly asked, "Ishiro, how did the battle at sea go?"
Ishiro smiled at them. "We won. The Fourth Raikage is dead."
"How are things here? Any movement from Konoha?"
Hearing Ishiro say the Fourth Raikage was dead, the two of them, along with everyone else in the command center, couldn't help but cheer.
It was so loud that no one heard Ishiro's question. After everyone calmed down, Ishiro asked again.
Kitsuchi reported, "No movement from the Konoha army. They did sense us using space-time ninjutsu to adjust our deployment and sent scouts to investigate."
"But I had Shinya Matsutani-kun disguise himself as you and make a few appearances, so Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake didn't make any special moves."
Ishiro nodded. It seemed Konoha believed he had only sent Sōkai and Izumi back to the village to recover, not that he had gone to support the Kumo front.
Hearing this, Ishiro's mind was finally at ease. He found a place to sit down.
He was exhausted from the last two days.
Whether it was finding Danzō in the Land of Wind, fighting Kakashi's team, or killing the Fourth Raikage, each event had required his full, focused attention.
On top of that, he'd been spooked by the Sage of Six Paths twice. Neither scare was minor, and the memory was still fresh.
Thinking of the Sage, Ishiro's mind stirred.
This time, just like the last, the Sage had actively interfered with his plans.
Ishiro told Kitsuchi he was stepping out and left the Iwa camp alone.
He went to a secluded spot outside the camp.
He scanned the area with his Mind's Eye, and after confirming no one was around, he tentatively called out in a low voice, "Sage of Six Paths?"
Silence. No reaction.
Ishiro tried again. "Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki?"
Still no reaction.
Ishiro frowned and called out again, "Naruto's dad!"
"...Sigh." This time, a sigh echoed in Ishiro's ear.
Ishiro quickly turned around. Someone had appeared behind him at some unknown time.
The man wore white robes adorned with black magatama, held a staff made of Truth-Seeking Orbs, and sat cross-legged in the empty air.
Ishiro swallowed. As much as he wanted to fleece the Sage, seeing him for real still made him nervous.
He tried to scan him with his Mind's Eye but sensed nothing.
Ishiro's brow twitched. He was confident in his Mind's Eye; an ability surpassing S-rank shouldn't be that much worse than the Sage. He could clearly see the Sage, but he couldn't sense any trace of his existence.
He had encountered this before—when facing Obito Uchiha in his Kamui state.
This meant that although the Sage looked like he was right in front of him, he was actually in another dimension, similar to the Kamui space.
Could it be the Pure Land? Ishiro wondered.
Collecting himself, Ishiro bowed. "Greetings, Sage of Six Paths. Thank you for your gift last time."
The Sage of Six Paths didn't speak. He just looked at Ishiro with a flat expression.
Ishiro didn't want the conversation to stall. "Senior, Naruto-kun isn't suited for life in Konoha. The village is too chaotic. It's been mired in internal conflict since its founding."
"Why not let him come to Iwagakure? Our village is united, which aligns with the original goal of your Ninshū: to have ninja understand one another."
"A united Iwagakure can also help Naruto-kun better understand the 'love' that Ashura spoke of."
"In Konoha, as a Jinchūriki, all he feels is the ridicule and ostracism from everyone."
"Our village's attitude toward the Tailed Beasts is also far better than Konoha's."
"Oh, right, Sage-sama. Speaking of Tailed Beasts, our village's Kokuō the Five-Tails and Son Gokū the Four-Tails, as well as Kokuō-kun and Chōmei-kun, all miss you dearly."
"You should visit when you have time."
"Also, the Uzumaki Clan and the Uchiha Clan are your descendants, right? Both of them have officially joined Iwagakure."
"You could say Iwagakure is your home, too. Don't be a stranger. Come home and visit when you're free."
"And we even have a Hyūga Clan member, Neji Hyūga. He's a descendant of your brother. We're all one big family here."
The Sage of Six Paths looked at Ishiro, somewhat speechless. He said, "They all call you Tsuchikage. I suppose I shall do the same."
Ishiro quickly replied, "That's too formal! We're family. You can call me Ishiro, or even Ishiro-kun."
"Or how about 'Kitsune-kun'? That's my nickname, the 'Fox of Iwa'."
"Your favorite Tailed Beast just so happens to be the Nine-Tails. You see? We're bound by fate."
The Sage of Six Paths: "..."
His expression remained blank. "I wish for you to give Naruto and Sasuke a normal environment to grow up in. Do not interfere with them."
Ishiro sighed. "Senior, when you say 'normal environment,' are you referring to the one in Konoha?"
"An environment where a village hero can be driven to suicide? Where a perfectly good Hokage can be forced to step down without having done anything wrong?"
"Where the son of a hero is ostracized by the entire village and called a monster?"
"You call that a normal environment?"
He paused, then continued, "Now, look at the lives of the children our village has taken in."
"Neji-kun found an older sister in Riori Uzumaki who genuinely cares for him. And the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans? They are the ones living normal lives."
The Sage of Six Paths was silent. After a moment, he said, "Tsuchikage. What is it that you want? Just say it."
Hearing this, immense joy swelled in Ishiro's heart.
His eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Now, you put me on the spot. I mean, I would like a detailed method for fusing all five chakra natures... but how could I be so bold as to ask for such a thing?"
The rings on the Sage's staff rattled a few times. He then said, "The former Hoshigakure... Village Hidden in the Stars... had a meteorite. You should find it useful."
With that, the Sage of Six Paths vanished from before Ishiro.
Ishiro didn't stand there foolishly looking for him. Instead, he stood in place and tried to recall the function of that "star" from Hoshigakure in the original story.
Wait... I think I already destroyed Hoshigakure. I wonder where that star went...
(End of Chapter)
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