Chapter 319: Go to the Pure Land?!

Chapter 319: Go to the Pure Land?!

Nara Keisuke's method for handling Uchiha Obito was very simple.

Bring him back to the Land of Hot Water, dump him within the range of a Konoha ninja's daily patrol, and then...

"Report, sir! The patrol team found a suspicious person northwest of the camp!"

A ninja from the Inuzuka Clan flickered into the Konoha camp's main tent, respectfully reporting to the Frontline Commander.

"After preliminary confirmation by the patrol, the person appears to be a... KIA ninja... from the Uchiha Clan!

"He claims to be a disciple of the Yellow Flash, and his name is Uchiha Obito."

"Suzaku-aniki."

Nara Keisuke (Doppelganger) looked at the new Chief of Staff to the side and gestured.

"Please go and confirm his identity. If it's correct, send the news back to the village, the Uchiha Clan, and Minato-aniki."

After Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Shisui, and the others were transferred from the Land of Hot Water front, the village sent some "reinforcements."

Nara Suzaku, who was once in charge of raising deer in the Nara Forest, was transferred to the Land of Hot Water and given the position of "tool"—ah, no, "Chief of Staff" by Nara Keisuke.

"Yes, sir!"

Nara Suzaku nodded meticulously and left the main tent with the Inuzuka ninja.

Although there was no war on the front, Nara Suzaku, as Chief of Staff, had almost nothing to do on a daily basis.

But he took the job of "Chief of Staff" very seriously.

This was a mission from the Clan Head!

'It seems my main body has handled everything over there...'

The [Shadow Doppelganger] stretched lazily, planning to slack off a bit more.

'Doing nothing, just watching the house. What a beautiful job...'

While the [Shadow Doppelganger] was slacking off, Nara Keisuke (main body) brought the [Large Sealing Scroll] to the temporary research base near the Konoha camp.

He had just watched Uchiha Obito get found and brought back by the Konoha patrol, and only then did he choose to leave.

Nara Keisuke had no intention of "personally" bringing Uchiha Obito back.

Since he "mysteriously disappeared" on the battlefield, he could just "mysteriously return."

As for what happened to Uchiha Obito after his return—whether he was questioned by Hiruzen Sarutobi, examined by Shimura Danzō, or protected by Minato Namikaze...

That was outside of Nara Keisuke's consideration.

Unlike his subordinate Uchiha Shisui, Nara Keisuke himself had no favorable impression of Uchiha Obito.

He only saved him as an afterthought because they were from the same village and he hadn't "completely lost it" yet.

Otherwise, if it were the future Tobi who deceived his master, exterminated his ancestors, and slaughtered his clan...

Nara Keisuke not blasting him to death would only be because [Kamui]'s escape speed was too fast.

He was unwilling to convict someone for things that hadn't happened yet.

So Nara Keisuke didn't act against Uchiha Obito.

But expecting him to carefully handle the aftermath?

He'd rather use this time to read a few more scrolls!

Inside the temporary research base.

Nara Keisuke took the [Large Sealing Scroll] from his back and, one by one, took out the many ninjutsu data scrolls he'd just brought back from the Land of Iron.

The panel continuously displayed notifications.

Even though Nara Keisuke had mastered a huge number of ninjutsu, Uchiha Madara's personal collection was simply too rich.

The learning prompts on the panel popped up and refreshed like a virus, not stopping for a long time.

Nara Keisuke focused on the numerous prompts on the panel, scanning ten lines at a time as he took inventory.

"Just as I thought, the contents of those four A-Rank [Secret Ninja Scrolls] really do overlap with Madara's personal collection."

Nara Keisuke pulled two A-Rank scrolls from the mountain-like pile in front of him.

"One is [Yin Release: Thunder Dispatch], and the other... isn't really an overlap."

Nara Keisuke looked at the [Black Receiver Forging Method] in his hand, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He had previously gotten an A-Rank Miscellaneous Item [Black Receiver] from Old Man Madara's [Secret Ninja Scroll].

That rod was a "chakra weapon" created from nothing by Old Man Madara's Yin-Yang Release.

Nara Keisuke himself couldn't use the [Black Receiver].

Because it was created by Madara's Yin and Yang chakra, it would only resonate with his chakra.

His original plan was to study the [Black Receiver] and, from that, develop his own exclusive chakra weapon.

He didn't expect this A-Rank scroll, [Black Receiver Forging Method], would save him so much time.

[A-Rank Technique: Black Receiver Forging Method]

[Description: Yin-Yang Release Jutsu! Forge weapons with chakra!]

[Effect: Simultaneously use Yin and Yang chakra to create a hard [Black Receiver] from nothing. The [Black Receiver] resonates with one's own chakra and has a strong disruptive effect on other chakras.]

[Evaluation: Stop jamming it in! It'll break!]

Compared to the A-Rank item, this A-Rank technique scroll described the [Black Receiver]'s properties much more clearly.

In fact, the [Black Receiver] wasn't just used as a simple weapon.

In the future, Nagato controlling the Six Paths of Pain, and Uchiha Obito (Rinnegan version) controlling the Edo Jinchuriki, both used specially forged [Black Receivers] as "remote controllers."

For "corpses" like the Six Paths of Pain and the Edo Jinchuriki, the control effect of the [Black Receiver] was excellent.

Nara Keisuke didn't really need [Black Receivers] to remotely control bodies, but the [Black Receiver Forging Method] was still very valuable to him.

"On one hand, I can use this to forge my own specialized chakra weapons. Who decreed that Yin-Yang Release creations must be limited to one form? It's just a matter of shape-transformation difficulty..."

Nara Keisuke weighed the scroll in his right hand, then extended his left. He released his Yin and Yang chakra, strictly following the method recorded in the [Black Receiver Forging Method].

"On the other hand, this hard, near-permanent chakra weapon... couldn't it be used as a backup ninja tool for the [Chakra Crystal]?"

Yin and Yang chakra fused in Nara Keisuke's palm, creating a fingernail-sized black pebble from nothing.

Nara Keisuke deliberately limited the chakra output, which is why the [Black Receiver] became a "black pebble."

Pinching the "pebble" between two fingers, Nara Keisuke then tried to infuse his normal chakra into it.

Streams of chakra flowed into the "pebble," but its black appearance didn't change, nor did its size.

Nara Keisuke cut off the flow. The "pebble" remained the same.

He sensed the chakra within this small piece of [Black Receiver], and just as he did with the [Chakra Crystal], he resonated with the internal chakra and released it.

Strips of black shadow tentacles drilled out of the [Black Receiver]—it was the Nara Clan's secret [Shadow Binding Jutsu]!

"From the looks of it, the [Black Receiver] and the [Chakra Crystal] are very similar. They can be used as backups for each other."

Nara Keisuke lightly rubbed the smooth surface of the small [Black Receiver].

"It makes me wonder if the [Chakra Crystal] was also a Yin-Yang Release creation from some historical figure..."

He mentally added "Refining the Shape Transformation of the [Black Receiver Forging Method]" to his daily research plan.

Nara Keisuke then turned his gaze back to the mountain of scrolls and data, a look of eagerness on his face.

"Yin-Yang Release secret techniques, Rinnegan Six Paths dōjutsu, Uzumaki Clan sealing jutsu, Wood Release, Storm Release...

"You really had some good stuff, Old Man Madara!"

Nara Keisuke had thought Uchiha Madara's personal ninjutsu collection would be rich.

But he never thought it would be this rich!

Fortunately, all this data was now Nara Keisuke's personal wealth, becoming fuel for his growth.

With the help of Uchiha Madara's abundant legacy, Nara Keisuke's personal research endeavors would surely take a leap forward!

"But then again, looking at Madara's rich collection, I can roughly see what he's been up to all these years..."

Nara Keisuke set aside the A-Rank Yin-Yang Release scroll [Black Receiver Forging Method] and picked up another S-Rank scroll—[Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees].

As the true co-founder of Konoha, it was normal for Uchiha Madara to have collected some [Wood Release] ninjutsu scrolls, like [Advent of a World of Trees], [Advent of a World of Flowering Trees], [Wood Dragon Technique]…

Alright, Nara Keisuke was a bit suspicious that when Uchiha Madara left Konoha, he might have used his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to "COPY" a copy of the Scroll of Seals.

Otherwise, it was hard to explain why Uchiha Madara had so many ultimate-level [Wood Release] ninjutsu scrolls.

This stuff couldn't have been a "breakup gift" from Hashirama Senju, right?

...Hmm?

The reason Nara Keisuke suspected this wasn't just because of the [Wood Release] jutsu, but also because of another ultimate forbidden jutsu that only the highest echelons of Konoha should have access to—

[S-Rank Technique: Summoning Technique: Edo Tensei]

[Description: The dead return to reality through a living medium!]

[Effect: Using a living person's life as a summoning medium, summon the soul of the deceased from the Pure Land, and have the soul attach to the medium, thereby achieving "resurrection."]

[Evaluation: Another source of all evil—Eh? Why "another"?]

There was no doubt that Uchiha Madara knew [Edo Tensei].

Setting aside Uchiha Kagami, who had "died and returned" and was still diligently "working" for Konoha...

In the future Fourth Great Shinobi War, when Uchiha Madara was summoned by [Edo Tensei], he immediately recognized his reanimated state and later even broke the jutsu himself.

After the caster (Yakushi Kabuto) unilaterally canceled the jutsu, Uchiha Madara used [Edo Tensei: Release] to actively break free, becoming a freely-moving "undead."

From this perspective, Uchiha Madara's understanding of [Edo Tensei] was absolutely above most shinobi!

Nara Keisuke immersed his mind in the [Edo Tensei] scroll's contents, only opening his eyes after a long while.

"This should be Tobirama Senju's initial version of [Edo Tensei]. Although Madara obtained this forbidden jutsu, he didn't improve upon it..."

As a renowned master of forbidden jutsu, Tobirama Senju had developed countless high-level ninjutsu.

But it had to be admitted, although some jutsu were developed by him, the ones who used them best weren't necessarily the Second Hokage.

The most famous example was Minato Namikaze and the [Flying Thunder God Technique]!

[Edo Tensei] was the same.

Tobirama Senju's [Edo Tensei], Orochimaru's [Edo Tensei], and Yakushi Kabuto's [Edo Tensei]…

The practical effects of the jutsu in the hands of these three were progressively stronger!

This [Edo Tensei] scroll in Uchiha Madara's possession was only the initial version.

Still, it was very valuable.

What interested Nara Keisuke most was the essence of [Edo Tensei]—it was a [Summoning Technique]!

The [Summoning Technique] was only a C-Rank jutsu, not too difficult, and something ordinary Chūnin could master.

But in terms of development potential...

The [Summoning Technique]'s value might be even higher than Master Minato's "Rasengan"!

The [Rasengan], in the end, was just extreme shape transformation, supplemented by some nature transformation.

From the initial "Rasengan," to "Big Ball Rasengan," "Wind-style Rasengan," and even "Six Paths Rasengan"...

It was all the same principle.

But the [Summoning Technique]?

From the C-Rank [Summoning Technique], to the B-Rank [Summoning: Lightning Flash Blade Transformation], to the A-Rank [Blood Source Curse], and even the S-Rank [Edo Tensei]…

The research potential of this basic space-time ninjutsu was truly vast.

From ordinary ninja beasts to high-level ninja tools, the [Summoning Technique] could even perform "soul summoning"!

"Whether it's the C-Rank [Summoning Technique] or the S-Rank [Edo Tensei], their core principles are the same."

Nara Keisuke reviewed the [Edo Tensei] scroll he had just browsed and recalled the other [Summoning Technique] variations he knew.

"Chakra is the power that connects the two worlds!"

The core principle of [Edo Tensei] was the [Summoning Technique]. The method was to use the deceased's DNA, sign a summoning contract with the dead, and then use the summoning to call the soul from the Pure Land.

Nara Keisuke wasn't very interested in the [Edo Tensei] jutsu itself, and he had no desire to become a "grave-robber" or a "dream-fulfiller."

But…

"Just as the [Summoning Technique] has its corresponding [Reverse Summoning Technique], could [Edo Tensei] also have a corresponding 'Reverse Edo Tensei'?"

Nara Keisuke stroked his chin, a bold idea appearing in his mind.

"The original [Edo Tensei] pulls people from the Pure Land.

"A reversed [Edo Tensei]... would be to go to the Pure Land yourself?

"The Pure Land!"

Nara Keisuke looked up, his gaze strangely distant.

He was actually very wary of the so-called "Pure Land."

The reason was simple.

The Pure Land has an "old cheat-seller grandpa" who's been lurking and watching for a thousand years!

Whenever he thought of the Sage of Six Paths, Nara Keisuke inevitably thought of the special BUFF hanging on his own body.

Although that thing had shown no presence at all, Nara Keisuke had never relaxed his guard against it.

[Six Paths Sage Art: Self-Cursing Seal Jutsu]!

"Even after checking myself a thousand times, I can't find any trace of that so-called [Six Paths Sage Art: Self-Cursing Seal Jutsu]..."

"And the A-Rank [Self-Cursing Seal Jutsu] I traded from the village... I checked it many times, but it's just an ordinary cursed seal jutsu, used to control a target's movements."

"So, what on earth is this [Six Paths Sage Art: Self-Cursing Seal Jutsu]?!"

Nara Keisuke put down the [Edo Tensei] scroll, sighing involuntarily.

"I really want to go to the Pure Land and have a good debate with that old man!"

According to his previous deductions, the [Six Paths Sage Art: Self-Cursing Seal Jutsu] had to be a Senjutsu cast by the Sage of Six Paths.

Although he didn't know why, let alone when…

Nara Keisuke had suspected he was a "transmigrator" who got caught by the "World Administrator"...

It was all very maddening.

Now that he had [Edo Tensei], he finally had a connection to the Pure Land where that "World Administrator" resided.

If his "bold idea" could come true, and he could really travel from the real world to the Pure Land via a "Reverse Edo Tensei"...

Then maybe Nara Keisuke could really solve this [Six Paths Sage Art: Self-Cursing Seal Jutsu]!

"A normal person can't go to the Pure Land. Even the 'old cheat-seller grandpa' had to wait for the Indra and Asura reincarnates to 'die' before summoning their souls..."

"So, to go to the Pure Land, I can only go as a soul!"

Jutsu involving the soul were very rare.

Jutsu that allowed the soul to leave the body were even rarer.

Based on the intelligence Nara Keisuke had, there were roughly three methods.

First, the S-Rank forbidden jutsu developed by Orochimaru, "Living Corpse Reincarnation."

But Orochimaru probably hadn't developed this jutsu yet, so it was off the table for now…

Second, the special ability of the Human Path of the Six Paths of Pain, "Soul Extraction."

But setting aside whether Nagato had even developed that yet...

Even if the Human Path was created, Nara Keisuke wasn't going to let it rip his soul out!

That was suicide...

And "Soul Extraction" was a special ability of the Human Path.

In other words, it was deeply bound to the Rinnegan!

Nara Keisuke was a mere mortal; he couldn't use Rinnegan abilities.

That left only the last method, which seemed... somewhat possible.

"Dan Katō's S-Rank ultimate technique, the [Spirit Transformation Technique]?"

Nara Keisuke's eyes flickered. He rummaged through Uchiha Madara's collection, but unfortunately, couldn't find the scroll for it.

"Was the [Spirit Transformation Technique] not recorded in the Scroll of Seals? Or did Madara's copy of the Scroll of Seals not have this jutsu yet?"

Dan Katō was active during the Second Great Shinobi War (and also died then).

During the war, Dan Katō used his [Spirit Transformation Technique] to kill enemies from a great distance, earning a formidable reputation.

If one had to describe it, the [Spirit Transformation Technique] was like a super-upgraded version of the Yamanaka Clan's mind-body-switch.

In Nara Keisuke's memory, the only shinobi in Konoha who had mastered the [Spirit Transformation Technique] was Dan Katō.

And information about the jutsu itself was even rarer…

Nara Keisuke couldn't be sure if it was a forbidden jutsu from Konoha's collection, an S-Rank jutsu Dan developed himself, or an ultimate forbidden jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan…

But since it concerned the Pure Land, and especially meeting the Sage of Six Paths, Nara Keisuke was going to try and get it.

If it was a Konoha jutsu, with his current merits, it shouldn't be hard to get it from the village elders.

If it was a Yamanaka secret jutsu, given the friendly relations of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, it wouldn't be hard to trade for it.

And if it was Dan Katō's personal jutsu…

"Tsunade—No! I can't ask Tsunade about this, absolutely not!"

Nara Keisuke grit his teeth, immediately switching targets.

"It's simpler to start with Shizune!

"Of course, that's assuming the other possibilities are wrong... So I still need to gather more intel on the [Spirit Transformation Technique].

"If only Shikaku-aniki were here... I'll find a chance to ask the old Clan Head!"

Nara Keisuke suppressed his agitation and turned his attention to the other jutsu.

Besides [Wood Release] and [Edo Tensei], Madara's collection had many others with ties to Konoha.

For example, the [Fire Release] jutsu, like [Great Fire Annihilation], [Great Fire Destruction], [Great Dragon Fire Technique]…

All Uchiha Fire Style ninjutsu.

There was also one non-fire B-Rank jutsu: [Uchiha Reflection], the "defensive counter" jutsu that required the S-Rank ninja tool [Flame Uchiwa] to use.

Besides these "Konoha-flavored" jutsu, there were many other special techniques.

Namely, Uzumaki Clan sealing jutsu!

[Adamantine Sealing Chains], [Four Symbols Seal], [Tailed Beast Sealing Technique], [Tailed Beast Unsealing Technique], [Five Elements Seal], [Contract Seal]…

Uchiha Madara's collection contained a massive number of sealing jutsu, including many B-Rank and A-Rank ones.

Seeing so many "Land of Whirlpools-flavored" sealing jutsu, Nara Keisuke was highly suspicious that after Madara left Konoha, he also went to the Land of Whirlpools and "robbed" the Uzumaki Clan!

And he had all the evidence right here!

"It's not just these sealing jutsu. Old Man Madara even has Kirigakure's ultimate Water Style ninjutsu, the [Water Mirror Technique]."

Nara Keisuke rummaged through the scrolls again, found another S-Rank jutsu, and slowly pieced things together.

"So, what probably happened was…

"After Uchiha Madara faked his death at the Valley of the End, he drifted to Kirigakure, controlled the Third Mizukage, waged war on the Land of Whirlpools, and used Kirigakure's shinobi to plunder all the sealing jutsu from the Land of Whirlpools and the Uzumaki Clan?"

Nara Keisuke didn't know if his deduction was correct.

But looking at the Uzumaki sealing jutsu and the Kirigakure ultimate Water Style, he felt his guess was... somewhat reasonable.

Among these Uzumaki sealing jutsu, the two highest-quality ones were—

S-Rank Technique [Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique]!

S-Rank Technique [Dead Demon Consuming Seal]!