chapter 98 part 1
Chapter 98: A Huge Sensation
Regarding Hidan's 99 uses, each one proved more effective than the last.
Tsukasa Kaede demonstrated this with his actions. See? With Hidan's blessing, the Spatial Rift Jutsu could now even transfer Tailed Beast Bombs!
This was also Tsukasa Kaede's first time achieving such a feat.
As early as the Land of Hot Water battle, Tsukasa Kaede had already developed the second stage of Spatial Rift. At that time, facing the Four-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb, if he had actively charged forward, there was a possibility he could transfer the Tailed Beast Bomb away and then return precariously. But it was too dangerous; a slight misstep would have obliterated him along with the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Out of caution, Tsukasa Kaede didn't do so at the time.
But now it was different. Tsukasa Kaede had a more reliable assistant—a guy even harder to kill than a Zombie.
"See, Hidan, you succeeded. I told you before not to underestimate yourself. Now even a Tailed Beast Bomb is powerless against you."
Tsukasa Kaede didn't stint on his praise.
Hidan was dumbfounded throughout. His meager brain cells barely allowed him to process what had just happened, and his entire face immediately flushed crimson.
"Are you praising me?! I almost got killed just now! My whole body was almost flattened by that Tailed Beast Bomb!"
"Look at you, getting anxious again. Didn't you *not* get killed? Your Undying Body won't have any problems. You must trust Jashin and my power."
"Is that the same thing? If that thing had exploded when it touched me, I would've been pulverized, and my Undying Body wouldn't have helped! I just don't like to think, I'm not stupid!" Hidan's eyes widened, his heart pounding. But then again, he felt an extraordinary thrill.
How many people in the entire Shinobi World had the experience of touching a Tailed Beast Bomb and surviving?
Tsukasa Kaede shook his head. "I calculated everything. Although I rashly used you as a Jutsu Medium, you're the only one in this world who can do this. Moreover, a Tailed Beast Bomb's structure is extremely stable; it won't explode until the collision intensity reaches a certain level."
He also pointed to the massive gully on the ground—clear evidence of the pressure released when the Tailed Beast Bomb bore down.
If it could leave such a mark on the ground without exploding, how could a mere Hidan touching it cause it to detonate?
"Hidan, your mental fortitude isn't strong enough. You need more tempering. I hope this experience helps you grow a little."
"Grow your— Argh, it hurts, it hurts! Get your hand off me!"
Hidan hadn't finished cursing when he began to wail, simply because Tsukasa Kaede had placed his hand on Hidan's shoulder.
Tsukasa Kaede smiled faintly. "Honestly, even if you truly die, I'll bring you back. Your body might be gone, but your soul remains. Even if your soul returns to the Pure Land, I'll retrieve you and resurrect you. You've seen my methods; you know I'm not joking..."
He didn't mind Hidan grumbling; that guy's personality wasn't the type to be well-behaved.
"...Alright, fine. Really, next time you develop a Jutsu Formula like this, you can totally tell me beforehand. It's not like I'd refuse."
Hidan mumbled, knowing Tsukasa Kaede was probably telling the truth.
Hidan had already witnessed the power of the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu; a pile of corpses had turned into desiccated husks, transferring all their life force to him.
This had also caused Hidan's body to explosively improve, making him comparable to the Senju Clan. Toka Senju had previously felt a surging life force from Hidan and was astonished by it.
Tsukasa Kaede chuckled reassuringly. "It's not that I didn't tell you beforehand; it's that I didn't expect it to succeed on the first try."
"??? You used me to perform a jutsu you weren't even sure about? Is it too late for me to become a Rogue Ninja now? I seriously want to chop you up!"
Hidan was about to explode with anger. He thought he was unreliable enough, but this teacher seemed even more abstract.
The others watched Hidan shouting, uttering dangerous words.
"You two have a great master-disciple relationship. We owe you a lot this time. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened; we might all have died here."
Jiraiya was also shocked that Tsukasa Kaede could transfer a Tailed Beast Bomb. Most Kage-level powerhouses were powerless against a Tailed Beast Bomb; simply preserving their lives was an extraordinary feat.
No one would dare claim to transfer such a massive thing on the spot like Tsukasa Kaede!
Well, although the specific steps of this transfer Jutsu Formula were quite peculiar... that wasn't important. The main thing was that the objective was achieved without a scratch! "Judging by the direction of the explosion just now, it seems the Tailed Beast Bomb was transferred to the northern region within the Land of Fire's borders?" Minato was very interested in this jutsu. It directly showed him that this was the path he should take: use Space-Time Ninjutsu to transfer Tailed Beast Bombs and become a powerful ninja capable of directly contending with Tailed Beasts!
Even the usually calm Minato was now surging with emotion.
What he didn't know was that in the original timeline's battle, Jiraiya's squad had been pushed to a dead end, completely helpless against the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. In the end, it was Minato who led Jiraiya and the others to escape, narrowly avoiding total annihilation.
Now, only the Five-Tails' mood was less than pleasant; it became even more irritable, emitting a sharp shriek, stomping the ground several times with its massive hooves, then lowering its head and charging forward.
"A standard charge posture for a deer-like animal, and quite impressive at that," Tsukasa Kaede observed, narrowing his eyes.
As expected from the Five-Tails, renowned for its taijutsu. If another Tailed Beast encountered this situation, its first reaction would likely be another Tailed Beast Bomb, or continuous Tailed Beast Bombs if one wasn't enough—Tsukasa Kaede truly had no way to deal with continuous Tailed Beast Bombs right now. His Spatial Rift Jutsu was powerless against such high-frequency, machine-gun-like attacks.
After all, there was only one Hidan.
"Next, it's going to be a tough fight. Everyone, I need to extract some of the Five-Tails' chakra for research, and I'll need your help." Tsukasa Kaede made no secret of his objective.
*Swish!* Numerous Zombies dispersed, launching ninjutsu attacks at the Five-Tails. Various Five Natures immediately bombarded the Five-Tails, further enraging the creature.
"There shouldn't be any ninja in this world who can contend with this monster purely through taijutsu. And since none of us are proficient in genjutsu, ninjutsu is the best choice. I'll join in, Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Jiraiya unleashed a high-level Fire Release jutsu.
If he entered Sage Mode, with the two Great Elder Toad Sages, he could use Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet, and even a Fire Release jutsu that wasn't exactly a Fire Release jutsu—Sage Art: Goemon—since Goemon was actually a hybrid Elemental Release of Fire Release + Wind Release + oil.