Chapter 47: B-Rank Ninja Tool: [Nature Mask]!
Chapter 47: B-Rank Ninja Tool: [Nature Mask]!
Numb!
Looking at the item description on the panel, Nara Keisuke's entire mood could only be described with one word: completely numb!
It wasn't that he hadn't guessed that the wood used to make chakra paper had a special quality. For example, maybe it was some kind of "mutated tree." After all, if even toads, slugs, and snakes could mutate, why couldn't trees?
At the very most, Keisuke had thought this type of tree was a special wood created by the First Hokage using his Wood Release when he was conquering the world. He hadn't expected... that not only was the wood from a "mutated tree," but it was also related to "Wood Release." Except it was Wood Release's own ancestor—the Divine Tree!
Information about the "Divine Tree" surfaced in Nara Keisuke's mind. "A sacred object of the Ōtsutsuki clan, which absorbs a planet's energy to bear a Chakra Fruit, the original source of chakra, the true form of the Ten-Tails..."
Keisuke looked at the SSS-rank miscellaneous item [Branch of the Divine Tree] before him and retracted his hand as if electrocuted. "How can something like this be bought so casually from a shop? This isn't one of the Six Paths Sage Tools!"
At this moment, Keisuke felt as if he had intended to grab a paperweight to hold down a book, but had casually pulled out an Infinity Stone instead.
Even knowing that this [Branch of the Divine Tree] was a world away from the real Divine Tree; even knowing that the SSS-rank evaluation was definitely inflated; the most urgent matter was to figure out the origin of this branch as soon as possible!
'Two possibilities!'
Keisuke scooped up the [Branch of the Divine Tree], casually had two [Shadow Doppelgangers] clean up the house and do some self-training, then ran out the door without looking back.
'First possibility: this [Branch of the Divine Tree] is indeed a product of the Great Pillar's Wood Release, and the true rank of Wood Release is not some Kekkei Genkai, nor a Kekkei Tōta, but the legendary Kekkei Mōra!'
'Second possibility: the source of this [Branch of the Divine Tree]... is the Gedo Statue!'
With a restless heart, Nara Keisuke quickly arrived at Manten-dō. It was nearing midnight, and besides the owner, there was no one else in the shop.
"Hm, this customer?" The owner looked at the Aburame clan ninja who had come running back holding a piece of wood, his eyes filled with vigilance. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"This piece of wood." Nara Keisuke placed the [Branch of the Divine Tree] on the counter. "Where was it purchased from?"
"What do you mean by that, customer?" The owner dropped the act, crossing his arms with a cold attitude. "The supply channels are a vital secret for my small shop's survival. Do you think I'm the type to just casually revea—"
"I'll add money."
"You're a great judge of character, sir!"
After receiving a considerable tip, the Manten-dō owner said in a low voice, "This special wood used to make chakra paper is a new species discovered in recent decades. At first, everyone thought this tree only grew within the Land of Fire, but it turned out that a tree with similar effects was later discovered in the Land of Iron."
Keisuke pressed on, "So where did this piece of wood come from?"
"You're making things very difficult for me, sir," the owner said with a smile plastered on his face. "I'm just an ordinary ninja tool shop owner. If you were to ask me what special products a certain country has, I could give you an answer or two. But how could I possibly tell if a piece of wood grew up in the Land of Fire or the Land of Iron?"
Keisuke picked up the [Branch of the Divine Tree] and examined it back and forth. The shop owner watched this strange behavior from the Aburame ninja, but considering the tip he had just received, he didn't try to stop him. 'Are the ninjas of the Aburame clan really that rich? It seems the price I added before was too conservative...'
Just as the Manten-dō owner's mind was wandering, "Boss, one bottle of silvervine drink, check please."
"That will be 50 ryo."
Keisuke took out a coin, paid, and then left Manten-dō with the [Branch of the Divine Tree] and the silvervine drink.
'In the end, I got nothing... well, not completely nothing. At least I got a clue about the Land of Iron.'
'The special trees within the Land of Fire could probably correspond to Senju Hashirama's Wood Release.'
'But the Land of Iron? Does the Gedo Statue have any connection to the Land of Iron?'
'Or could it be that Uchiha Madara's hiding place for the decades after his faked death was located in the Land of Iron?'
Back at home, Keisuke placed the silvervine drink on a storage shelf near the entrance and took the [Branch of the Divine Tree] back to the training room. Although he still hadn't figured out its specific origin, he still intended to use it to make the [Nature Masks] as originally planned.
"Using an SSS-rank item for practice, am I being recklessly wasteful?"
For the first mask, Keisuke didn't have high requirements for precision. He cut off a piece of wood about five centimeters thick from the branch—the [Nature Mask] also needed a certain level of protection—and tentatively infused his own chakra into the wood. But his meager chakra, when injected into the [Branch of the Divine Tree], was like a stream flowing into the ocean, causing no effect whatsoever.
"It seems the [Branch of the Divine Tree] doesn't have a special reaction to chakra like chakra paper does... although that's to be expected."
"But in that case, the defensive effect of a [Nature Mask] made from the [Branch of the Divine Tree] against pure chakra attacks should be quite outstanding, right?"
Keisuke casually picked up a kunai and tapped the piece of wood a few times. The collision produced a very dull "thud-thud" sound. "The physical protection is also good, not as fragile as I imagined."
Keisuke threw himself into the process of polishing and making the [Nature Mask]. A rough, simple wooden mask gradually took shape under his hands. "Considering the abilities I've mastered, the nature of the first mask will be 'Earth'!"
Keisuke rubbed the wooden mask in his hands while resonating with the [Chakra Crystal] on his right index finger, using it to continuously create Earth-nature chakra and infuse it into the mask. After charging it for a period of time, the first mask was finally successfully created. The panel popped up with a prompt almost simultaneously.
[B-rank Ninja Tool Detected: [Nature Mask]!]
[B-rank Ninja Tool: Nature Mask]
[Tool Description: A wooden mask made from a branch of the Divine Tree and imbued with nature chakra.]
[Tool Effects: 1. The [Nature Mask] contains a B-rank level of Earth-nature chakra, which can be mutually transferred and used with the user; 2. The Earth-nature chakra contained within the [Nature Mask] can be converted into the B-rank technique [Earth Release: Earth Spear] for self-defense.]
[Tool Evaluation: Everyone wears a mask... I just made one myself.]
"The first [Nature Mask] I've made, and its item rank is unexpectedly high!" Keisuke examined the wooden mask in his hands. The surface of the natural wood-colored mask had no extra patterns, with only two eye holes carved out. "I just don't know if the [Shadow Doppelganger] can use it."
A figure emerged from Keisuke's shadow. He casually tossed the [Nature Mask] to it. But before he could speak, the [Shadow Doppelganger] slapped the mask onto its face first.
"I reject my humanity! My original self!"
"I knew it..." Keisuke sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Try out its effect."
The [Lacquer Eye] appeared, and two shadow blades shot out from under his feet, tearing through the air to slash at the [Shadow Doppelganger] in front of him.
[Shadow Sewing Technique]!
Clang! Clang!
The sharp shadow blades struck the [Shadow Doppelganger], but instead of destroying the clone made of Yin Release chakra on the spot, they only produced two crisp sounds. Looking closely, the surface of the [Shadow Doppelganger]'s body had, at some point, taken on a deep, lacquer-black color, the characteristic feature of using [Earth Release: Earth Spear].
"The [Shadow Doppelganger] can use the [Nature Mask]!" Keisuke's eyes lit up. "And this defense is pretty good!"
He hadn't used the [Shadow Sewing Technique] with his main body; his main body was still lying in the shadows! The [Shadow Doppelganger], with an ability level close to an elite Jonin, had used the B-rank ninjutsu [Shadow Sewing Technique], yet it hadn't broken the defense of the [Nature Mask]. This effect could be considered very good.
"Give me the [Nature Mask]. I want to see how much chakra it has left after taking a hit like that." Keisuke caught the mask tossed back by the doppelganger and silently sensed it. "The chakra consumption is also acceptable. One mask can probably withstand five slashes of that level."
Keisuke knew that his doppelganger could switch between tangible and intangible forms and basically didn't need to worry about physical attacks. But his main body still had to be concerned about this issue. Now with the [Nature Mask], his main body's defense also soared. As long as he didn't encounter a targeted Lightning Release attack, with the defense shown by the [Nature Mask], even if his main body was lying in the shadows, he wouldn't have to worry much about being accidentally injured in battle.
"Of course, the [Nature Mask] also has an extraordinary significance for the [Shadow Doppelganger]," he thought. "The [Shadow Doppelganger] is made of Yin Release chakra and can only use the main body's Yin Release ninjutsu. But now with the [Nature Mask], the [Shadow Doppelganger] can also use the corresponding elemental ninjutsu!"
Keisuke wanted to strike while the iron was hot and create two more "Wind" and "Fire" nature masks. But seeing that it was almost midnight, he followed his normal routine and chose to go to bed.
It was only in his sleep that Keisuke didn't notice a new message pop up on his panel.
[Within one natural day, no strenuous exercise was performed other than satisfying one's own physiological needs... Your [Strength] attribute has been enhanced!]
[Strength +24]
[Strength: E- → D-]
(Author's Notes:)
A little popular science about the concept of money in the ninja world. Some readers don't have a deep understanding of this. In the ninja world, [1 Ryo = 10 Yen]. It's not the usual sense of one ryo equals one yen. Also, regarding the silvervine drink that appears in this chapter, its price is not mentioned in the original work. But there is a reference. The cola sold at Ichiraku Ramen is 15 ryo a bottle.
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Furthermore, the connection between chakra paper and the Divine Tree is just a secondary setting for this book.
(End of Chapter)
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