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Chapter 89: Jūgo's Information
Konan murmured, "The three great Sage regions..."
Snake, slug, and toad. She had heard Alex speak of these three animal sages. Each region had its own unique Sage Mode. White Snake Sage Art focused on attack, Slug Sage Art focused on regeneration, and Toad Sage Art focused on balance. To master senjutsu, one had to travel to one of these regions and pass their trials to be taught. Once senjutsu was learned, one's power would undergo a qualitative change, becoming a Super Kage. This was one of the powers she had to master. She wondered which Sage region Jūgo's birthplace was closest to...
Konan gathered her thoughts and stepped into the prison cell with Alex. The rattling of chains had already stopped. Jūgo, suspended in the air, had stopped struggling and was calmly watching the person before him. He didn't know why the White Tiger had gone to the trouble of capturing him. But if she wanted him to sell out Sasuke, she was dreaming! Sasuke was the one Kimimaro had acknowledged. He would never betray him, even in death!
Swoosh!
A sheet of paper flashed past Jūgo's mouth. The iron ball stuffed tightly inside was instantly pulled out, allowing him to speak.
"White Tiger! You can forget about getting any information about Sasuke from me!" His voice was low, filled with unshakable resolve.
Who wants to ask you about that poser... Alex felt it was completely baffling. This Jūgo guy was being a bit dramatic. I know more about that poser than you do, and in more detail.
"You can't..."
Konan had no intention of wasting words. A red light flashed in her eyes, and the Sharingan activated instantly. Jūgo, completely unprepared, looked directly into the blood-red pupils, and the words in his mouth died.
Sharingan Genjutsu!
Konan instinctively activated the genjutsu using her Sharingan. Its power wasn't yet comparable to an Uchiha clan member with the same three tomoe. After all, she lacked the Uchiha clan's experience in training the Sharingan and their exclusive Sharingan genjutsu. But it was more than enough to handle Jūgo, who had little resistance to genjutsu.
Alex, looking at Jūgo who was now in a hypnotic state, was very satisfied. As expected of the Sharingan, one glare and they go silent. It was a must-have item for home, travel, and interrogating subjects. To maximize the Sharingan's value and power, they had to get their hands on the Uchiha's Sharingan training methods and all their ninjutsu and genjutsu. And where was all that? Naturally, with Danzō of Root, who had received the entire Uchiha legacy... That guy had a lot of good stuff. Hashirama's cells, a backup of the Scroll of Sealing, and more. Thinking of this, Alex wished he could go find Danzō right now, kill the boss, and get the loot.
Konan looked at the dazed Jūgo and asked, "Why can your body absorb natural energy?"
Jūgo answered mechanically, "I don't know. Orochimaru once developed the Cursed Seal by studying my body. He guessed it might be due to the influence of the environment where I grew up."
Konan pondered. This matched Alex's earlier analysis. It seemed they really would have to go to Jūgo's birthplace to search for a possible entrance to one of the three Sage regions.
"Where were you born?"
"A small village on the border of the Land of Bears."
"Are there other villagers in your village who can absorb natural energy like you?"
Hearing this, a trace of sorrow suddenly appeared on Jūgo's blank face, as if he was recalling a very painful childhood experience. The chakra in his body began to surge, and he showed faint signs of waking from the genjutsu.
Konan snorted coldly, increasing the output of her visual prowess. The sorrow on Jūgo's face vanished, and he returned to his dazed state. His chakra also calmed down.
"When I was young, I absorbed too much natural energy one time and went completely berserk. I... I madly killed all the villagers..."
"Killed them! Killed them!! Hahaha! I killed them all!!"
Jūgo suddenly went berserk. His skin rapidly turned black, and dark, fleshy pillars erupted from his back. It seemed the slaughter from his childhood had left an incredibly deep scar on his heart. Now that it was mentioned, he couldn't let it go even in a genjutsu state and subconsciously entered his Sage Transformation. He began to struggle violently as a reflex, trying to break free. The iron chains rattled loudly.
Alex floated beside Konan, controlling sheets of chilling paper to stick to Jūgo's body one by one. With a flash of cold light, Jūgo was instantly frozen into a block of ice, unable to struggle any longer. Just stay put... The information had been obtained. As for what to do with this guy, Alex hadn't decided yet. He'd just stay frozen for now. With his body unconsciously absorbing natural energy, he wouldn't die anytime soon.
Konan didn't care in the slightest if Jūgo lived or died. She deactivated her Sharingan. "Alex, are we going to Jūgo's village first, or continuing to collect bloodlines?"
Alex bobbed in the air, thought for a moment, and said: [Let's go to Jūgo's village first. If there really is an entrance to one of the three Sage regions there, and if we can find it, we'll prioritize learning senjutsu.]
Senjutsu was extremely important and would be a massive boost to Konan's strength. After yesterday's battle with Sasuke Uchiha and Obito Uchiha, they would inevitably seek new power now that they knew they were outmatched. The next time they met, she would likely be facing an Eternal Mangekyō Sasuke and a Rinnegan Obito. Two Super Kages... and it wouldn't be long.
Konan nodded. "Alright."
She walked out of the brig. Kameda immediately hurried over from a distance. "Lady Konan."
"Set a course for the border of the Land of Bears."
Alex formed the village location Jūgo had described into a map and controlled a sheet of paper to fly in front of Kameda. Kameda bowed, received the paper with both hands, and said loudly, "Lady Konan, I will go to the control hall at once to set the new course." With that, he hurried away.
Konan didn't return to her room, nor did she go to the deck. Instead, she went straight to the Ankoru Vantian's energy core.
"Lady Konan!" Several Sky Ninja working there quickly stood up and greeted her.
"What is the situation?" Konan's gaze fell on the purple-black box on top of the energy pool. It was cold and sinister. Bizarre, giant faces were carved on its four sides. It was the Box of Ultimate Bliss!
A Sky Ninja respectfully replied, "Lady Konan, half of the chakra generated by the energy pool is being continuously absorbed by the Box of Ultimate Bliss. According to Mui of Hōzuki Castle's notes, we estimate it will only take three days of infusion to reach the critical point to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss again."
"Continue, and be sure to monitor it at all times. Stop the chakra infusion just before the critical point."
"Yes, we will not be careless. We are monitoring it at all times."
Konan nodded. Seeing no problems, she turned and left the energy room. Satori, inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss, was practically immortal and, at any rate, was Kage-level. Coupled with its ability to read minds, it was very tricky to deal with if you didn't know its weakness. When the time came to go to Konoha or the Village Hidden in the Clouds, it could be released to serve as cannon fodder and split the enemy's fire. That was the Box of Ultimate Bliss's greatest value. As for granting wishes, that was pure nonsense. Alex had studied it; the box wasn't very useful, but it was decent as cannon fodder or a trash receptacle.
...
Half a day later, the Ankoru Vantian was parked high in the sky. On the deck, Kameda stood behind Konan. "Lady Konan, we are directly above the destination."