Chapter 248: The Tail
Chapter 248: The Tail
The molten lava on the ground slowly receded, and the cracks in the earth gradually vanished.
Soon, the surrounding landscape returned to its original state.
The only noticeable change was the absence of vegetation, as the previous high temperatures had completely incinerated it, leaving behind a barren wasteland.
However, this posed no difficulty for Baishi.
Standing on the charred earth, Baishi stomped lightly, sending a surge of Wood Release chakra into the ground. Within moments, a lush forest sprouted into existence, rapidly covering the area.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice that this new forest closely resembled the old one, at least in terms of tree species and structure.
"Hmm, much better."
Baishi nodded in satisfaction, looking around at the restored scenery.
Although this wouldn't erase all traces of his presence, it was enough to obscure some clues.
With a swift movement, he appeared next to the unconscious Illusory Sound, grabbing him by the collar.
Just as he was about to leave, his eyebrows twitched, and his gaze shifted to a section of the ground not far away.
"Come out."
However, there was no response from that direction.
"Heh…"
Baishi chuckled softly, his tone suddenly turning icy cold.
"If you don't want to come out, then don't bother coming out at all."
With that, he lightly tapped his foot, sending a wave of Earth Release chakra into the ground, surging toward the suspicious area.
In the next instant—
A gaunt figure sprang out from the ground, then bolted away without looking back.
The fleeing figure was none other than Skinny Monkey—the first one to have sensed the impending danger.
When Baishi had manipulated the lava to cleanse the area, everyone except Illusory Sound was wiped out—
Everyone except Skinny Monkey, who had miraculously survived.
"Using Earth Release to hide underground? Quick reflexes, I'll give you that. But…"
Baishi shook his head, casually raising a single finger—
Gravity Manipulation activated.
Immediately, the retreating Skinny Monkey felt an invisible force latch onto him, sending him hurtling backward against his will.
"What… what kind of ninjutsu is this?!"
Skinny Monkey's face twisted in horror as he glanced back at Baishi, who hadn't moved an inch.
He mentally cursed the black-market informants a hundred times over.
From the beginning of this fight, Baishi had used abilities that weren't mentioned in any of the intelligence reports—
Aside from Wood Release, everything else was completely unexpected.
How could he not be furious?
If he ever got the chance, he swore he'd have a "nice, long chat" with the black-market boss.
Unfortunately—
That chance would never come.
SMACK!
The moment he was pulled back, Baishi effortlessly caught him by the throat.
"Bai… Baishi…! S-Spare me…!"
Feeling the immense force crushing his neck, Skinny Monkey's face turned deep red.
He clawed desperately at Baishi's wrist, pleading between choked breaths.
However—
Baishi wasn't interested in wasting time.
With the elite forces of Iwagakure now under his control, he no longer had any use for these random mercenaries.
With a slight tightening of his fingers—
CRACK.
Skinny Monkey's neck snapped.
Casually tossing the corpse back into the ground, Baishi grabbed Illusory Sound, activated Flying Thunder God, and vanished from the scene.
Mere moments after his departure—
Several waves of shinobi arrived, each from different factions.
Some found minor clues, while others came up empty-handed.
Among them, a few groups even clashed over territorial disputes.
But regardless—
None of this had anything to do with Baishi anymore.
---
Elsewhere, in an Underground Magma Chamber
Baishi reappeared, his form emerging into the sweltering, oppressive heat.
He scanned his surroundings, feeling the familiar warmth pressing against his skin.
Nodding in approval, he murmured—
"Much better."
Compared to low-temperature environments, maintaining high temperatures was significantly easier.
Especially with Lava Release at his disposal—
All he needed to do was find a magma-rich location, then modify it using Lava Release and Earth Release, creating a stable, high-pressure, high-temperature training ground.
Within such an environment, his Physical Constitution, Copper Skin & Iron Bones, and Absolute Adaptation would develop at an accelerated rate.
The only issue was that these lava fields couldn't sustain themselves forever, so he constantly needed to find new sites for modification.
A large number of the Iwagakure ninja he had recruited were currently assigned to scouting and preparing such locations.
After a final glance around, Baishi didn't immediately start training.
Instead—
He stepped into his Space Ring.
Inside, he walked up to the unconscious Illusory Sound, placed a firm hand on his head, and activated—
Mind-Reading Jutsu.
Instantly—
Illusory Sound's mental defenses crumbled.
His consciousness collapsed like a broken dam, allowing Baishi free access to his entire memory.
Using his overwhelmingly strong mental energy, Baishi browsed through the data at rapid speed.
Moments later—
Baishi opened his eyes, a look of understanding flickering across his face.
Truthfully, he had noticed the mercenary group's presence long ago.
Their conversation had already revealed a great deal of information, and the way his subordinates reacted to Illusory Sound's words had further piqued his curiosity.
Unlike the inexperienced Skinny Monkey, Baishi understood Kekkei Genkai far better.
With one look, he had already confirmed that Illusory Sound's power was indeed a bloodline trait.
And sure enough—
During their brief confrontation, the man had attempted to influence his mind.
Unfortunately—
With Heart Fortress at level IV, even the Mangekyō Sharingan's strongest genjutsu would fail against Baishi.
Needless to say—
Illusory Sound's second-rate Kekkei Genkai stood no chance.
From his memories, Baishi learned that Illusory Sound hailed from an obscure shinobi clan in the Land of Fields.
His so-called "Illusory Sound Bloodline" was the legendary inheritance of his clan.
After awakening his abilities, he took the name Illusory Sound, became a bounty hunter, and founded his mercenary group.
This was a common path for many small shinobi clans.
While some embraced the shinobi village system, others refused to integrate, preferring to form mercenary groups or underground factions.
Baishi had little interest in these minor clans—
But he was very interested in Illusory Sound's Kekkei Genkai.
With that in mind—
He grabbed the unconscious man and headed toward his laboratory.
Compared to before, Baishi's lab had become far more advanced, now equipped with a full array of high-tech experimental instruments.
And for that—
He had Sasori to thank.
Being obsessed with modifying humans into puppets, Sasori had established numerous hidden labs.
While searching through Sasori's memories, Baishi had discovered the locations of every single one.
Naturally, before leaving, he had plundered all the valuable equipment.
Now, it was time to put it to good use.
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