I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But I Was Forced to Become Hokage

Chapter 34: B-Rank Technique: [Shadow Piercing Bullet]!

Nara Keisuke and the clan head walked out of the archive building together and into the courtyard of the Fire Temple. At that moment, Master Chūkaku appeared quietly, as if he had sensed their movements in advance.

Nara Shikano was not surprised, merely stating lazily that he wished to go to the guest hall to rest for a while. Master Chūkaku readily agreed and then looked toward Nara Keisuke.

"Abbot Chūkaku," Nara Keisuke said, bowing slightly with a polite attitude. "If it's convenient, could you provide me with a quiet room?"

Nara Keisuke did not, as the clan head had suggested, rush to test the practical effects of the [Chakra Crystal]. Although he did have that idea, and the Fire Temple was indeed an excellent "mission trigger location," compared to testing the practical effects of the [Chakra Crystal], what he wanted to do most right now was find a private space to see just how much the power of the high-level techniques he had acquired had changed after equipping the A-rank ninja tool.

Master Chūkaku's attitude was the same as ever. "Please follow me."

Under Master Chūkaku's guidance, Nara Shikano found a place to rest, while Nara Keisuke was also led to a quiet room.

Inside the quiet room, Keisuke first found a meditation cushion, sat cross-legged upon it, and calmed his mind.

'According to the itinerary the Clan Head revealed earlier, we will stay in Kyoto for one day to wait for the Daimyo's office to prepare the first batch of war supplies.'

'Tomorrow morning, after receiving the supplies from the Daimyo's office, we will depart from Kyoto, return to Konoha, and continuously clear out the surrounding bounty hunters along the way.'

The upcoming schedule flashed through Keisuke's mind as he meticulously arranged his training plan. 'Roughly calculating, I still have the better part of a day to use as I see fit.'

'In such a short time, I can forget about improving the [Super Beast Scroll], and forget about fusing [Camouflage Concealment] with the [Shadow Secret Techniques]... I should temporarily focus my main energy on the B-rank technique [Blood Piercing Bullet], which is the easiest to modify!'

'But first, let's test the effect of having A-rank level chakra!'

Using the [Super Beast Scroll] required the help of "special ink." Nara Keisuke had no desire to use his own blood to practice it in a quiet room at the Fire Temple. The practice for this B-rank technique could only be postponed further.

'Let's try the effect of [Camouflage Concealment]!'

Nara Keisuke roughly confirmed his plan, activated his [Lacquer Eye], and swept his gaze around, finding no residual spiritual energy.

The next moment, the [Chakra Crystal] on his index finger flashed with a faint light, and his entire person vanished into thin air, becoming transparent and formless.

'After getting the help of the [Chakra Crystal], I can finally cover my entire body with the effect of [Camouflage Concealment]!'

With a thought, Nara Keisuke's figure reappeared on the cushion, a brilliant smile on his face. Taking advantage of his abundant chakra, he practiced [Camouflage Concealment] repeatedly. After ensuring he could enter a state of transparency at will, he finally turned his attention to the [Blood Piercing Bullet].

He did indeed have the idea of improving the B-rank technique [Blood Piercing Bullet]. The Chinoike clan could use it proficiently because their own bloodline limit, the "Ketsuryūgan," allowed them to control their own blood at will. Accelerating blood flow, multiplying blood cells... these were all the Chinoike clan's specialties. So, using the [Blood Piercing Bullet] was almost no hindrance for them.

But Nara Keisuke was different. He didn't have the Chinoike clan's bloodline limit. Even though he had obtained the technique scroll for [Blood Piercing Bullet] and could use this special B-rank Yin Release secret technique, he would also need to continuously consume his own blood in the process. The deadliest part was that he could only consume blood, not replenish it. For him, the [Blood Piercing Bullet] was undoubtedly a self-harming ninjutsu that would "kill a thousand enemies but cost him eight hundred."

If he had no other choice, he might have held his nose and continued to use it. But Keisuke clearly possessed a "combat ammunition" far better than "blood"—shadows!

Perhaps because they were both Yin Release secret techniques, the process of fusing the [Shadow Secret Techniques] and the [Blood Piercing Bullet] went much more smoothly than Keisuke had imagined.

Nara Keisuke extended his index finger, aimed it at the ground, and a deep shadow converged at his fingertip, forming a lacquer-black pellet the size of a fingernail.

"Bang!"

Nara Keisuke mimicked the sound of a firearm firing. The black pellet, following his will, shot out from his fingertip without a trace of smoke or fire, flying into the human-shaped shadow on the ground.

A message suddenly popped up on the panel.

[B-rank Technique: Shadow Piercing Bullet]

[Technique Name: Self-Developed Technique, Advanced Shadow Secret Technique]

[Technique Effect: Infuse one's own Yin Release chakra into a shadow and materialize the shadow into a condensed, solid pellet. Fire it out like a bullet, concentrated at a single point. The initial velocity can reach the speed of sound.]

[Technique Evaluation: A bullet of darkness!]

[Having self-developed one B-rank technique [Shadow Piercing Bullet], your [Ninjutsu] and [Wisdom] stats have been enhanced to a certain degree!]

'A B-rank technique, [Shadow Piercing Bullet]. This can be considered a proper long-range attack ninjutsu!' Nara Keisuke was in a very good mood. 'The key is, compared to other B-rank ninjutsu, the [Shadow Piercing Bullet] consumes very little Yin Release chakra and is also more stealthy!'

Furthermore, Nara Keisuke believed that the [Shadow Piercing Bullet] still had a lot of development potential. Not even looking far ahead, once he "developed" the [Rasengan] and integrated its ultimate shape transformation into the [Shadow Piercing Bullet], couldn't he increase the power of this B-rank technique by several times?

At noon, Keisuke had intended to solve his lunch problem with Military Ration Pills in the quiet room. But the clan head unexpectedly arrived and invited him to taste the Fire Temple's special vegetarian meal. Keisuke couldn't very well refuse and could only follow along.

During lunch, Keisuke secretly glanced at the old clan head, who was eating slowly and deliberately across from him, and silently calculated in his mind. 'Whether in terms of technique rank or overall value, the [Shadow Piercing Bullet] can't compare to the [Lacquer Eye].'

'The rank and value of the [Shadow Doppelganger Technique] are sufficient, but the difficulty of an S-rank ninjutsu is far too high.'

Keisuke knew he had another choice—[Super Beast Scroll]. In terms of comprehensiveness and practicality, the value of [Super Beast Scroll] was no less than that of [Lacquer Eye], and it could even be compared to the Nara clan's basic [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu]. The problem was, [Super Beast Scroll] was a gift from Princess Tsunade. If he were to really offer it to the family in exchange for an S-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]... Keisuke felt he should at least ask for Princess Tsunade's opinion.

'I should temporarily suppress the idea of getting the next S-rank mission from the Clan Head. My current abilities are already enough for me to research and practice for now...'

Not knowing if it was just his imagination, Nara Shikano felt that this vegetarian meal was more agonizing than usual, as if someone were secretly plotting against him. He glanced at Keisuke, who was quietly eating across from him, and finally let go of this baseless unease. 'It can't be that this kid, Keisuke, has created another incredible ninjutsu, right...'

After lunch and a short rest, Nara Shikano looked at Keisuke, who was meditating with his eyes closed, and asked, "Keisuke, would you like to go see the Fire Temple's ninja monks train?"

"Is it alright?" Keisuke opened his eyes and looked at the clan head. He had originally planned to ask Master Chūkaku's opinion later on. After all, he was well aware of the Fire Temple's strength, not just from the clan head's account, but from another connection as well.

In Keisuke's knowledge, the ninja monks of the Fire Temple possessed a special skill called the "Talent of the Sage Clan." The concept of "Sage" had a very specific meaning in the ninja world.

Sage Mode!

According to Keisuke's speculation, the "Talent of the Sage Clan" that the Fire Temple possessed was most likely a rudimentary skill of using natural energy, inherited from Ninshū. Perhaps in terms of power, it couldn't compare to the Sage Mode passed down in the three great sage regions (Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest). But at the very least, it was a way to come into contact with natural energy!

"Absolutely no problem," Nara Shikano said, giving his guarantee. "You might not fully understand the concept of 'Ninshū'... I don't really understand it either. In short, in the philosophy of the Fire Temple, chakra does not belong to any single person, but to all living beings in the world. So, the Fire Temple is not averse to spreading their skills and abilities to the outside world."

Since Nara Shikano had put it that way, Keisuke naturally wouldn't be coy. He followed behind the clan head, and they went together to the Fire Temple's training grounds.

At the same time, somewhere in the Land of Fire, a tall man with green pupils, carrying a corpse, silently walked into a public restroom. Through a hidden door in the wall of this restroom, the man entered a special space hidden beneath the public building.

The Bounty Station. Also known as the Underground Exchange. The place where bounty hunters usually gathered and conducted their activities.

"Mr. Kakuzu, you've come again?" The staff at the Bounty Station recognized the newcomer at a glance and greeted him enthusiastically.

Kakuzu paid him no mind, tossed the corpse over, and said in a cold voice, "I've brought the body. Settle the bounty."

"Of course, no problem! Mr. Kakuzu, you're a legendary figure among us bounty hunters!" The staff member was very enthusiastic. While counting the money, he handed over a scroll. "This is the latest intelligence circulating within the Land of Fire. It's said that a rogue ninja who fled from the Land of Hot Water is carrying all of their family's wealth and assets with them."

As soon as his voice fell, Kakuzu's green eyes instantly lit up with a wolfish green light.

"Give me his intel!"

(End of Chapter)

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