Chapter 555: Another Kage-Level
After being successfully brainwashed, Yakumo Kurama asked Ishiro, "Lord Tsuchikage, what must I do to quickly obtain the power of the monster inside me?"
Ishiro said, "Simple. You can do the same thing as Shion. Come on, let's go find her right now."
With that, Ishiro stood up and flew off toward Katsumata's lab.
Yakumo paused, then followed him, asking, "Lord Tsuchikage, Shion has a monster inside her, too?"
Ishiro nodded. "Yes. And the monster inside Shion is even more terrifying than yours. The one inside you merely wants to realize its own ambitions. The one inside Shion wants to destroy the shinobi world."
Yakumo's eyes lit up. "So... I'm not alone."
Ishiro said, "Of course you're not. In fact, all the Jinchūriki in the shinobi world are just like you, carrying a monster that everyone fears. But in our village, we no longer ostracize the Tailed Beasts or discriminate against Jinchūriki. I'll introduce you to the village's Jinchūriki another day."
Yakumo quickly asked, "Is it Han-sama?"
Ishiro nodded. "You've heard of Han?"
"Yes," Yakumo said. "I heard Han-senpai is a village advisor now. He also took on three disciples, and all three of them have already become Jonin. Although he can't compare to you, Lord Tsuchikage, Han-sama is also a famous teacher in the village. He's an outstanding ninja."
Ishiro was surprised. So Han's image among the villagers had also become that of a "good teacher"? Or perhaps, at some point, the ability to teach had become a key metric for judging a ninja's excellence in Iwagakure.
Ishiro added, "And even without counting the Jinchūriki, even without Shion, even if you were the only exception in the world, you still wouldn't be alone. Remember, the village is your home, and your family here will never reject you."
Yakumo's bright eyes shone, and she nodded vigorously.
They soon arrived at Katsumata's lab, and Ishiro handed Yakumo over to Katsumata and Natsuki.
Natsuki looked very unhappy. She felt her brother was exploiting her again.
She pouted at Ishiro. "Bro, if you're going to take on disciples, just take them! Why do you keep dumping them on me? I have no time to take on my own disciples now. I was planning to pick some from this year's graduating class!"
Ishiro thought for a moment. "Have you read Uchiha Madara's Yin Release notes?"
"I've read them," Natsuki said. "Wait, don't change the subject!"
Ishiro said, "I have something... more advanced than Madara's notes. I can't write it down word-for-word, but I can write down my understanding of it for you to reference. Interested?"
Natsuki's eyes lit up, her anger instantly forgotten. "Really? You have something like that?"
"Of course," Ishiro said. "Come here, I'll write it for you now. But you have to promise to properly teach Shion and Yakumo."
Natsuki waved her hand impatiently. "I know, I know, leave it to me! Now write, write!"
Ishiro walked to Natsuki's desk, thought for a moment, and then began to write.
But what Hamura Ōtsutsuki had demonstrated was a process, not words. Translating it into text was not easy.
Ishiro wrote as he thought, sometimes going back to make corrections, sometimes striking out entire sections.
Natsuki, watching over his shoulder, frowned. Just as she would start to follow his train of thought, he would change his mind and alter it.
This happened several times, leaving her feeling antsy and uncomfortable. But she said nothing, seriously trying to follow his thought process.
A long time later, Ishiro finally finished a rough draft of the Yin Release principles.
He looked up to say something to Natsuki, but he froze.
Natsuki was staring blankly at the scroll, a dazed look on her face.
His Mind's Eye told him that her soul was fluctuating wildly.
He panicked for a second, thinking something was wrong, but then he realized what was happening.
He pulled back the hand he was about to use to shake her. Is... is her Yin Release about to break through from the second stage to the third?
He quickly picked up the brush again and, dredging his memory, continued to write.
He could feel that as he wrote, Natsuki's soul fluctuations grew stronger.
But... she was still just short of the threshold.
Ishiro was getting anxious. He had nothing left to write. Her soul fluctuations began to slow. Her breakthrough was about to fail.
Ishiro didn't want to waste this chance.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He began to write about the strange, wondrous feeling he'd had while his soul was inside Neji's body during the Tenseigan quickening.
As he tried to describe that feeling of metamorphosis, Natsuki's calming soul fluctuations violently surged again.
It's working! Ishiro thought, overjoyed.
He wrote furiously. He used his porcelain to block Katsumata, who was about to enter.
Katsumata, being sharp, saw what was happening and immediately took Shion and Yakumo back to the lab.
A while later, Natsuki's soul fluctuation suddenly stopped... and then a new, completely different wave of power pulsed from her.
This was a tangible wave. A second-stage user couldn't produce this. Only a third-stage user, like Ishiro, could make their Yin Release feel so substantial.
Natsuki had succeeded. She was now Kage-level.
Ishiro let out a long breath. That was difficult! Writing down "insights" was agonizingly hard for him. But, he had persevered.
And... he had a strange feeling. By being forced to write it all down, his own understanding of Yin Release had deepened.
A moment later, Natsuki's soul stabilized.
Ishiro looked at her. "How do you feel?"
Natsuki, unaware of what had just happened, said, "I... I think I understand it. I feel like I've gained something, but I can't... quite describe it."
Ishiro patted her head. "Natsuki, I have a mission for you. Write down exactly what you just 'gained.' I want a full report. No less than one hundred thousand words."
He turned and walked out.
Natsuki nodded, not thinking much of it. She was used to writing reports for Katsumata.
But as Ishiro reached the door, she suddenly realized...
"One... one hundred thousand words?!"
Ishiro, walking away, called back, "That's right. Not one word less. Also, make a copy of what I wrote for Katsumata. Give the original back to me with your report."
He left.
A few seconds later, a roar came from the office: "A HUNDRED THOUSAND WORDS?! BIG BROTHER, WHY DON'T YOU GO DIE!!!"
Katsumata and the two girls heard the yell and came out.
"Natsuki, what's wrong?"
Natsuki pointed at the scroll. "My brother wrote me some notes, and now he's forcing me to write a report! And... and he wants a hundred thousand words! It's making me so mad!"
Katsumata, however, was studying Natsuki's aura. His perception wasn't as good as Ishiro's, but after a moment, he confirmed his suspicion.
Seeing her most trusted "Katsumata-nii" just standing there, Natsuki said pitifully, "Nii-san..."
Katsumata smiled. "Natsuki, feel your soul. Do you... do you feel like you've reached the third stage?"
Natsuki froze. She focused inward.
A moment later, she was jumping up and down. "It's true! I'm really at the third stage! Katsumata-nii, I'm Kage-level! Just like my brother!"
She threw her arms around Katsumata and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Katsumata's face instantly turned bright red. He glanced nervously at Shion and Yakumo, who were both watching with the burning fire of gossip in their eyes.
Natsuki also realized what she'd done. She and Katsumata were close, but they hadn't crossed that line. It was... awkward.
Shion whispered to Yakumo, "The rumors are true! They really are a couple!"
Yakumo nodded. "I knew it! He was so distracted in the lab, obviously worried about her!"
Their "whispers" were perfectly audible.
Katsumata cleared his throat. "Well... Natsuki, you should... you should get started on that report. You're the first person in the village besides the Tsuchikage to reach the third stage of Yin Release. Your insights are... very important for the village. That's why he's asking. It will help Sakura, Shion, and Yakumo."
Natsuki nodded, grabbed a brush, and then handed Ishiro's scroll to Katsumata. "My brother said to make a copy. I have to give him the original."
Katsumata took the scroll, and after a few more words of encouragement, he led the two little gossips out of the office.
Natsuki began to write, but every so often, she would let out a little giggle.
Katsumata, in his own office, looked at Ishiro's scroll. His expression was strange.
As an outsider, he could clearly see the agony in the writing. The crossed-out sections, the chaotic thoughts... it was the look of a writer on a deadline.
He quickly understood.
Ishiro hadn't just wanted a report for the village. He was getting revenge on Natsuki for making him work so hard to help her.
Katsumata shook his head, smiling, and began copying the scroll. The insights were too valuable to lose. And, he admitted, making Natsuki write more would be helpful. He decided not to tell her.
The next day, Ishiro sat in his office, looking at both his and Natsuki's reports.
Natsuki hadn't managed 100,000 words. She'd written a few tens of thousands of rambling, repetitive nonsense. He tossed it aside.
He was looking at his own messy, corrected, chaotic scroll.
Reading it again, a day later, he was finding new insights.
He took out a blank scroll and began to write... and ended up with a new report, longer than the first.
Then he wrote a third one, this time cleaning up his thoughts.
He tied the three scrolls together, labeled "1," "2," and "3."
He then closed his eyes and began to meditate.
He trained for five days straight. Izumi, as his new assistant head, came by but, sensing he was in a deep state of training, she didn't disturb him. Instead, she posted ANBU guards outside.
Five days later, Ishiro opened his eyes. He picked up his brush again, but this time, he wasn't writing insights. He was writing questions.
As the foremost (and perhaps only) master of Yin Release, he had no one to ask.
He wrote them all down, intending to see if he could find the answers the next time he "hitched a ride" on Neji's quickening.
He let out a long breath. This had been his first time truly converting Yin Release theory into practice, and the harvest was immense. He felt... closer to beings like Mōryō and the Reaper.
He called in the ANBU, found out why they were there, and then convened an emergency high-level meeting. (Shinya and Rōshi were at the Moon passage; Kawakita was in the Land of Moon; Ōnoki and Sōkai were watching Shinnō. Only Ishiro, Ikura, Kitsuchi, Megumi, Deidara, Han, and Izumi were present.)
"I have good news," Ishiro announced. "My sister, Natsuki, reached the third stage of Yin Release a few days ago. This makes her Kage-level."
"However," he continued, "the village is severely lacking in Yin Release attack jutsu. Her power is great, but she can't fight like a normal Kage. She's all utility. We need to find a way to get high-level offensive Yin Release."
Megumi said, "That will be difficult. Even Danzō only gave us the standard Yamanaka techniques."
Ikura said, "He probably only had the standard techniques. The clan secrets are likely kept by the clan head."
Izumi added, "The Yūhi clan's genjutsu is also very good. My father once told me their strongest illusions can rival an Uchiha's. But their clan hasn't produced a strong ninja in a long time. Their best jutsu may be lost."
Ishiro nodded. He had once thought Kurenai Yūhi was weak because Itachi had broken her genjutsu with a single glance. But now he realized that was a massive gap in level, not technique.
"I understand," Ishiro said. "If the opportunity arises, we will make trading for Yamanaka and Yūhi clan jutsu a priority."
Everyone nodded, sensing Ishiro was about to "make an opportunity."
"Ikura, with Natsuki's advancement, you'll need to adjust our tactical deployments. Don't let her go to waste."
"Understood," Ikura said. "I'll assess her abilities. A pure Yin Release Kage... this is a first. I'll need to see who she pairs best with."
Megumi, who was close to Natsuki, asked, "Should she be made an Honorary Advisor?"
Ishiro, knowing his sister's personality, shook his head. "Let's wait. Not until she's mastered the Spirit Infiltration Jutsu. Megumi, I'll need you to teach her."
Megumi nodded.
(End of Chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you