Chapter 186: Tonight I Set Sail! Fugaku: You're Going to Work First
As Uchiha Tsukasa walked out of Root headquarters carrying the scroll containing the "Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique," he suddenly felt somewhat lost.
Taking inventory of what he had, he now possessed numerous techniques waiting for him to master.
Setting aside Orochimaru's "Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique"—he'd completed that training ahead of schedule thanks to the Cursed Seal, solving one problem.
Afterward, Orochimaru had given him the "Cursed Seal Experiment Scroll" to help him master the seal's transformation. He also had Jiraiya's "Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique," the "Forbidden Technique: Izanagi" that the Uchiha clan had promised him, and now Danzō had given him the "Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique."
Judging from the current state of the Third Shinobi World War, the next major battle should break out within the next few months.
Meanwhile, Konoha and Sunagakure remained locked in a stalemate in the Land of Rain after their major battle.
On another front, Iwagakure had launched a vengeful surprise attack across most of the shinobi world against Kirigakure. In the original timeline, Iwagakure should have achieved a decisive victory at the Green Reef near Kirigakure's main island.
However, due to the butterfly effect caused by Tsukasa's actions, this surprise attack had turned into a protracted war. Iwagakure—possessing the strongest war potential during the Third Shinobi World War—was now bogged down in a quagmire with supply lines spanning half the shinobi world, unable to extricate itself from the conflict with Kirigakure.
This situation gave Konoha the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure on the Land of Rain battlefield, pushing them back to the borders.
Four of the five great shinobi nations had already mobilized, but one nation remained uninvolved in this war: the Land of Lightning—Kumogakure!
According to the original history, around Konoha Year 47, Kumogakure, with the AB Combo as its main force, would launch a surprise attack on the Land of Fire. They would traverse the Lightning-Cloud Gorge, cross the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water, and invade Konoha from the direction of the Land of Fields.
It was at that time Konoha would receive the news and urgently dispatch Minato Namikaze to reinforce the border, marking the first encounter between Minato and the AB Brothers.
The reason Kumogakure hadn't launched its attack yet was that the Land of Hot Water had temporarily become a bridgehead for Iwagakure's assault on Kirigakure. Iwagakure had seized the offensive route.
If Iwagakure's surprise attack became a prolonged war, even they wouldn't be able to maintain such extended supply lines. Iwagakure would quickly seek an opportunity to end the conflict.
It was foreseeable that when that time came, Iwagakure and Sunagakure would attack the Land of Fire from the direction of the Land of Rain. Once they secured the offensive route, Kumogakure—which had been observing from the sidelines—would also begin to mobilize!
Tsukasa estimated that the window of opportunity left for him wouldn't be long.
The war between Iwagakure and Kirigakure was essentially driven by the enmity between the two villages dating back to the Second Mizukage's era, but hatred alone couldn't sustain such a war indefinitely.
As Pain would say in the future: one must know pain, experience pain, accept pain, and understand pain. Then both sides, having tasted that pain, would fear it.
The Land of Water was notoriously difficult to conquer, Iwagakure was burdened with impossibly long supply lines, and Kirigakure was simultaneously dealing with internal strife.
This war, which had been forced into a prolonged state by various factors, was causing immense suffering to both sides. A war without visible gains couldn't last long.
After analyzing the war situation for a while, Tsukasa found himself unconsciously walking through the streets of Konoha.
The moon hung high in the sky, its clear light illuminating the brightly lit village. Looking down from above, the strips of lights formed by Konoha's streets resembled luminous rivers flowing through the night.
Observing the bustling crowds around him, the flowing masses of people, and the young ninja academy students laughing, playing, and chasing each other through the streets, Tsukasa snapped out of his reverie.
Pulling himself from his jumbled thoughts, he looked down at the scroll in his hand, feeling a real headache coming on.
He could set aside the Wild Lion's Mane Technique and Izanagi for now. After all, they were standard ninja techniques. As long as he mastered the hand seals and chakra flow during activation, his current abilities would allow him to learn them quickly.
These two techniques were particularly manageable—one with only three hand seals (Rabbit, Sheep, Boar), and the other practically a no-seal technique. With the Sharingan's assistance, he could master them rapidly. Plus, with his mental progress tracking, practicing them to combat-ready proficiency shouldn't be too difficult.
As for the other two techniques...
Orochimaru's method for training the Cursed Seal was similar to the "Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique"—filled with densely packed experimental records. To understand it, he'd need to borrow books on anatomy, medical jutsu, and cellular biology from the library. Otherwise, he might accidentally cripple himself during training.
Danzō's "Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique" was even more challenging. It was a pure Uzumaki sealing technique that, frankly, looked like incomprehensible scribbles to Tsukasa.
Only because of his foundation with the newly discovered barrier techniques could he barely recognize it as a sealing jutsu—but that was about it. To truly master this self-destruct sealing technique, he'd need to find outside help and essentially take a crash course.
Each and every technique awaiting his attention was like a different challenge calling out to him.
Thinking about the coming months when he'd be exhausted and preoccupied with mastering these techniques, Tsukasa rubbed his temples.
Just then, a melodious, provocative voice suddenly emanated from an establishment beside him.
Tsukasa abruptly looked up and realized that, without noticing, he had returned to Konoha's entertainment district—where he'd once left with humiliating memories!
Gazing at the pink-lit doorway before him, the silhouettes moving like clouds behind the curtains, and the decadent sounds emanating from within...
Tsukasa swallowed hard, then straightened his back and scoffed disdainfully.
"Hmph! Mere worldly temptations won't corrupt my ninja way!"
"However... a true shinobi must confront their failures head-on. Besides, training requires a balance between work and rest."
His face bathed in pink light, Tsukasa hesitated for a moment, then a resolute expression suddenly appeared on his face like the toughest warrior!
"I'm definitely not going there to slack off—I'm... challenging my weakness!"
"I'm going to become a true Uchiha, and this time I'm going to get revenge on that jerk who kicked me out last time!"
"Hmph! A shinobi cannot have any weaknesses!"
With this thought in mind, to achieve complete mental fortitude—
Tonight, I set sail!
Tsukasa mustered his courage, his face flushed and heart pounding as he took a step toward the forbidden establishment!
He pushed against the door, forcing it open from a crack, widening it until the pink light engulfed him!
Tsukasa's heart raced, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
However, the next moment—
Click!
The lights suddenly went out, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
A playful, mocking voice rang out—
"Captain, I knew it! As long as I used this genjutsu, this kid would definitely fall for it!"
In the pitch-black darkness, over a dozen pairs of scarlet Sharingan suddenly lit up, all staring directly at Tsukasa.
From the dark interior, footsteps echoed, and with heavy steps, a stern face with fierce eyes appeared before him.
It was Uchiha Fugaku!
Tsukasa's eyes widened, and the smile on his face froze!
At this moment, Fugaku stared at the young man before him with a mixture of relief and exasperation. He said softly:
"Young Clan Head, it's time we had a talk about how you demolished the clan's ancestral shrine!"
End of Chapter 186
[Reader Event Active]
500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter
Thanks for reading!
70+advance chapters on P1treon Soulforger