Chapter 264: The First S-Rank Attribute!

Chapter 264: The First S-Rank Attribute!

The "Konoha F4's" decision had not yet reached the Land of Hot Water. Nara Keisuke, seeing everyone had their own tasks to attend to, informed Kokuō and then went to his temporary research base alone. With the war on this front basically over, he had a large amount of free time, and it was time to continue his various research projects.

Upon arriving, he split off a number of Shadow Doppelgangers. With their linked minds, he didn't need to give them any specific instructions; they all knew what to do. Leaving the tedious work to them, he quickly returned to Kokuō's side. With the number of clones he could now create, he no longer needed to personally participate in most of the experiments. He could just create the clones, give them the tasks, and then sit back and reap the rewards. This freed him up to focus his time and energy on... the advanced study of energy conservation.

He returned to Kokuō's side and leisurely watched as Kakashi, Rin, and Shizune continued to familiarize themselves with Isobu, and as Shisui and Retsu practiced the jutsu he had given them. After some time, Shikaku, having received a message from the village, arrived on a shadow beast.

"Clan Head," the chief of staff gestured for him to come aside. "The village's decision regarding the Three-Tails has arrived."

"What's their opinion?" Keisuke asked.

"Lord Third wishes for Hatake Kakashi to become the new Three-Tails Jinchuriki," Shikaku said softly, glancing at Isobu. "As for Nohara Rin and Shizune, the village feels that as medical ninja, they are not suitable candidates."

"Tsk! That excuse..." Keisuke ts'ked, but didn't dwell on it. "I'll inform the Three-Tails later. But... isn't the village going to send any other candidates? I thought they would at least want a few backup options."

"Lord Third made no mention of anyone else participating," Shikaku said, shaking his head. "Also, Clan Head, the intelligence on a Jinchuriki must be strictly confidential before they have fully matured, especially since we took this one from Kiri. The sealing plan should not be known by too many people."

"That makes sense," Keisuke conceded. "So, has the village decided to buy it?"

"Yes," Shikaku nodded seriously. "Lord Third also sent over the village's 'offer'."

Keisuke's interest was piqued. "What's the offer?"

"Three A-rank ninjutsu, and ten B-rank ninjutsu," Shikaku said. "And a certain amount of gold and resources."

"Are they trying to bargain with a beggar?" Keisuke was speechless. "In their eyes, is a Tailed Beast only worth that much?"

Shikaku also felt the offer was far too low. If it were a wild, untamed beast, the price might be fair. But Keisuke had already tamed it. The value of a tamed beast and a wild one... how could they even be compared?

"Clan Head, should I reject their offer then?"

"Wait," Keisuke said, stopping him. "The jutsu they offered... can we choose them ourselves?"

"No..." Shikaku shook his head again. "The three A-rank jutsu are: the Second Hokage's Mutually Multiplying Exploding Tags, the A-rank large-scale genjutsu Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, and... the summoning contract for the Rashōmon."

"You don't need to tell me the B-rank ones," Keisuke said with a look of disdain. "They're clearly trying to fob me off with junk. What use are those three? The first is a suicide jutsu that only works with Edo Tensei. The second is redundant, as the Nara already have the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. And as for the third... the chakra cost to summon a single gate is astronomical. A Nara would be better off just flying away."

Shikaku couldn't agree more. The village's offer showed no sincerity at all.

"Shikaku-san, tell them to draw up a new offer," Keisuke instructed. "If they can't give me a price I'm satisfied with, then I don't mind having another Tailed Beast to command. If they don't want to buy, then fine, don't buy."

"Clan Head, if you have specific requests, you can just tell them," Shikaku suggested. He didn't want to waste time haggling.

"Barrier ninjutsu, sensory ninjutsu, hard-fist taijutsu, curse-mark jutsu, sealing jutsu... there are many types I want," Keisuke rattled off a list. "In short, you can ask for anything that suits my needs or the clan's development. If they're willing to talk, then we'll talk. If they still want to try and get something for nothing, then they can go talk to Isobu themselves."

Having a pillar in the clan really changes things... Shikaku was filled with a sense of relief. "Understood, Clan Head!" he said, his voice firm. "One more thing. This evening, I will be arranging for a transport back to the village. Minato and Kagami will be leaving as well, on the village's orders."

"Got it," Keisuke nodded. "What about Shisui and Kakashi?"

"Your three subordinates, along with Hatake Kakashi and Nohara Rin, will remain in the Land of Hot Water for the time being," Shikaku said.

"Fine. I'll leave it to you, Shikaku-san. With you in charge, I can rest easy."

The chief of staff left to carry out his orders, and Keisuke returned to Kokuō's side.

Just then, a flood of memories from his clones poured into his mind. The "inverse" Kekkei Genkai he had derived yesterday had all been successfully converted into their corresponding "Chakra Creation Method" scrolls.

[Swift Release Chakra Creation Method], [Steel Release Chakra Creation Method], [Crystal Release Chakra Creation Method], [Transparency Release Chakra Creation Method]...

As the knowledge flowed into him, a new notification popped up on his panel.

[Having learned multiple Kekkei Genkai chakra creation methods, your [Wisdom] stat has been increased!]

[[Wisdom]: A+ -> S-]