Chapter 316: Kekkei Genkai Disease
"What?! The Fourth Hokage's son?! Not only learned Flying Thunder God Technique but is also the Nine-Tails jinchuriki?!"
Cloud Village, Raikage's office.
After hearing the emergency report the representative brought back—astounding news displayed during Konoha's Chunin Exam, intelligence about Uzumaki Naruto—Fourth Raikage Ay suddenly stood from his chair, his robust frame trembling slightly from shock and fury. Bronze skin beneath with knotted muscles—this news was undoubtedly disaster-level for him!
Though on past battlefields, the Fourth Raikage's heart toward Konoha's "Yellow Flash" Minato Namikaze indeed held appreciation and respect toward the strong.
But setting aside personal feelings, as Cloud Village's heir, his innermost true thoughts naturally hoped to eliminate as soon as possible this existence posing tremendous threat to the village.
Flying Thunder God Technique appearing and disappearing unpredictably—in this shinobi world generally having high attack and low defense, on battlefields it was practically like opening cheat mode.
The Fourth Raikage gritted his teeth, veins bulging at temples, forcibly suppressing the furious impulse to smash the desk. He took several deep rough breaths, forcefully waving his hand at the intelligence-reporting ninja, signaling the other to withdraw first.
Calm down... must calm down and analyze! The Raikage forced his boiling blood and fury to cool, beginning to weigh pros and cons with Kage-level thinking.
First... obtaining this key intelligence's timing point was really too late! Too passive! He thought furiously, chest blocked with stifled energy.
If years ago they'd known Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki was actually the Fourth Hokage's biological son, Cloud would absolutely spare no cost, think of every method—whether assassination or kidnapping—to strangle this future mortal threat in its cradle!
But... now the other party's identity was not only exposed, more critically, he'd already clearly mastered Flying Thunder God Technique! Thinking this, intense crisis surged through the Raikage's heart.
Before that nearly rule-breaking space-time ninjutsu, all traditional infiltration, assassination, siege tactics became laughable child's play.
Therefore... the only way out was absolutely sparing no cost to immediately initiate and accelerate research on Anti-Flying Thunder God Tactics before the other side could control the Nine-Tails' terrifying power!
This concept had actually been proposed for discussion within Cloud's leadership when Minato Namikaze burst forth, dominating battlefields. But later, following the Fourth Hokage's death, this research project with unclear prospects was temporarily shelved.
Now, it was time to restart it—and as the highest priority strategic project!
The Raikage's mind rapidly sketched action plans, immediately summoning the village's most elite sealing technique experts and space-time ninjutsu theoretical researchers to establish a special team.
Fully analyze all preserved battle records of Konoha's Minato Namikaze, not missing even the most minute fragments, attempting to find possible weaknesses in Flying Thunder God Technique's execution intervals, coordinate-setting patterns, or energy fluctuations.
Develop super-large-range, continuously maintainable Lightning Release barriers, attempting to use Lightning attribute chakra to disrupt or annihilate spatial coordinates.
Or research special sealing jutsu formulas capable of interfering with, blocking, or even distorting space-time coordinate sensing.
Even if finally developed methods could only delay Flying Thunder God users by a few seconds, that would be enough to gain critically important warning and collective counterattack time for the village!
The Fourth Raikage had just made up his mind when simultaneously an absurd feeling surged up.
Between nations, between villages, there were no eternal friends, only eternal interests. He couldn't help thinking of that organization bursting forth, using absolute martial force to shock the entire shinobi world—the Ember organization.
That organization, not asking positions or interest demands, merely because diplomatic friction or war signs existed between nations, dared openly intervene, almost antagonizing the entire shinobi world's traditional rules... But terrifyingly, they possessed horrifying strength sufficient to support such mad behavior!
He rapidly compared—if Cloud Village mastered strategic weapons like Flying Thunder God Technique, the Raikage would definitely find ways to use it as deterrent leverage, gaining maximum benefits at negotiation tables, even when necessary for... certain "special operations."
But now, precisely because this Ember organization existed, villages like Konoha possessing Flying Thunder God successors conversely couldn't easily use this power to launch diplomatic coercion or military adventures against them.
Thinking this, the Raikage's heart actually birthed strange "relief." This lawless organization, to some degree, conversely became the... buffer maintaining terror balance?
Just as he clarified thoughts, preparing to issue orders for full research on anti-Flying Thunder God tactics—
Bang!
The office door was suddenly pushed open. A Cloud ninja affiliated with the intelligence department hurriedly burst in, interrupting the Raikage's thoughts.
"Raikage-sama! Frontline spy activity squad transmitted emergency news!"
"Spy activity?" The Raikage's attention was immediately attracted. "What important intelligence was discovered?"
"Just after our representatives left Konoha, Sound Village and Sand Village jointly launched a surprise attack on Konoha during the Chunin Exam finals!" The intelligence ninja reported at rapid speed. "Moreover, Sand Village deployed their One-Tail jinchuriki and... made it enter out-of-control complete Tailed Beast transformation state!"
The Raikage's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could digest this astounding news sufficient to trigger major war, the report continued.
"However... Sand's One-Tail jinchuriki was stopped by Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki! And... Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki also used Tailed Beast transformation power!"
"What?! Konoha's jinchuriki also transformed into a Tailed Beast?! Was it an out-of-control state?!" The Raikage shot up from his seat. Flying Thunder God Technique plus Tailed Beast destructive power... The Raikage's teeth even trembled slightly from this terrible imagination.
However, when he looked toward that reporting ninja's face, his heart suddenly sank—the other party's face didn't show the expected joy or excitement upon learning an enemy village suffered calamity, but was full of gravity and disbelief.
"...No, Raikage-sama! The Nine-Tails... the Nine-Tails jinchuriki's Tailed Beast transformation didn't lose consciousness! He not only completely controlled that power but even threw the complete One-Tail out of Konoha Village! Therefore, Konoha Village in this attack... basically suffered no serious Tailed Beast destruction!"
He took a deep breath, speaking the most fear-inducing conclusion.
"Based on comprehensive intelligence analysis... Konoha Village has extremely high probability... already mastered technology or methods capable of perfectly controlling and utilizing Tailed Beast power!"
---
Land of Fire, deep forest hinterland.
Other Ember organization members had all returned to headquarters after mission completion. Only Uchiha Shisui still remained here.
Before the Konoha Crush Plan began, he'd successfully captured Orochimaru's important confidant, Kabuto Yakushi. Through Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu hypnosis, he'd obtained large amounts of classified intelligence. Current actions were based on one of these intelligence pieces.
Shisui's hand like iron pincers firmly gripped the wrist of this white-haired youth appearing only fifteen or sixteen before him. In those pale fingers tightly grasped an incomparably sharp weapon seemingly directly constructed from forest-white bone.
Is this Orochimaru's originally selected vessel? Shisui gazed at the other's hollow yet stubborn eyes. From the Land of Water's Bloody Mist, that already-annihilated Kekkei Genkai clan... probably the world's last Kaguya clan member, Kimimaro.
He'd originally only come to investigate this potential variable based on intelligence, never expecting to directly encounter him en route to the predetermined location. What surprised him even more—this youth seemed planning to single-handedly go rescue the imprisoned Orochimaru in Konoha?
Battle, or rather combat that couldn't even be called battle, ended the instant they met. Mangekyo Sharingan's overwhelming pupil power almost effortlessly invaded Kimimaro's spirit, completely controlling his actions.
However, while controlling the other, Shisui also keenly noticed a detail—before brief combat, this white-haired youth's mouth corner had overflowed with a glaring crimson trace...
Coughing blood... combined with powerful Kekkei Genkai... could it be Kekkei Genkai disease?
This guess made Shisui's heart sink slightly. He couldn't help thinking of that Uchiha Yu imprisoned by the organization, whose heart was now full of confusion—he'd accompany her whenever he had time.
About a year ago, Yu had also shown similar illness signs, body gradually weakening. Fortunately, under Shisui's day-after-day careful care, plus earnestly requesting the leader use a special ability for treatment, Yu's condition gradually stabilized and improved.
He still remembered what the leader had said then—that Uchiha Yu's Kekkei Genkai disease having possibility of cure was largely because those Mangekyo Sharingan originating from bloodline no longer existed in her body.
This Kaguya clan youth before him... the situation seemed about the same...
Shisui looked at Kimimaro controlled by genjutsu with hollow eyes, preparing to bring him back first.
Shisui easily hoisted the thin-framed Kimimaro onto his shoulder, adjusting position to ensure the other wouldn't be too uncomfortable. Then his figure flashed, speeding toward the organization headquarters direction.
Next, he'd still need to make another trip to Konoha according to the leader's orders... to "invite" that imprisoned Orochimaru back as well.
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