Chapter 50: An Uchiha's Point of View!
Chapter 50: An Uchiha's Point of View!
The North? The Land of Lightning? The Land of Earth? Or some other small country?
Nara Keisuke pondered for a moment before choosing to ask, "Lady Cat, do you have any more detailed information?"
"If you're referring to the specific buyer, I have no intelligence on that here." Lady Cat shook her head, while also extending her fingers and rubbing them together a few times, the meaning self-evident. "But if you're willing to pay a sufficient fee, I can help investigate and search for related intelligence in the black market. It might be difficult to find out who the specific buyer is, but it should be possible to find the general destination of the Chakra Crystal."
"Let's forget it then," Nara Keisuke said, declining Lady Cat's offer.
Chakra Crystals were invaluable. Not to mention the reasons and uses the "person from the north" had for purchasing it, even if Keisuke knew the crystal's exact whereabouts, he couldn't afford to pay the price to buy it back from them.
"Mm, one more thing." Keisuke placed the two D-rank genjutsu scrolls into his ninja tool pouch. "This may be a bit too direct, but I assume Lady Cat will keep the details of this transaction confidential, right?"
"Of course! I am well aware of how much ninja value intelligence." Lady Cat showed no displeasure at all, instead replying with great solemnity. "Strict confidentiality regarding client information is the foundation upon which black market merchants survive. I am a legitimate merchant, after all!"
Nara Keisuke nodded lightly, but in his heart, he only believed about half of her words. Setting aside the old clan head's prior warnings, if black market merchants were truly so principled, then they wouldn't be "black market merchants"! Strict confidentiality was usually just because the client buying the information couldn't afford a large enough price.
But on second thought, Keisuke let go of his unnecessary worries. The main reason was that the Uchiha clan also commissioned ninja tools and purchased goods from Lady Cat and the Nekomura clan. If anything really went wrong, the first ones to get their fur ruffled would definitely be that group of red-eyed patients from the Uchiha clan.
Next, Keisuke and Lady Cat discussed the detailed requirements for forging the kodachi.
"I will arrange for a ninja cat to travel to the Land of Iron as soon as possible, find a swordsmith with an open schedule, and relay Nara-kun's requirements to them," Lady Cat said meticulously. "According to past procedures, once the swordsmith is confirmed, they will complete a first draft of the weapon based on your specific requirements. At that time, I will have a ninja cat bring the draft back to Konoha to seek your opinion, Nara-kun. After both parties have confirmed there are no problems with the weapon design, the official forging will begin."
Keisuke nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Lady Cat."
"What's so hard about it? It's just taking people's money to handle their affairs," Lady Cat said, covering her face with a light laugh, her tone returning to the playful and easygoing one from the beginning. "However, the little brother from the Nara family is truly considerate and polite~"
Keisuke couldn't handle such a foxy cat-lady and could only say his goodbyes. Before he left, Lady Cat suddenly asked, "Little brother from the Nara family, I noticed just now that you seemed to have some conflict with little Inabi?"
"It was nothing major." Keisuke briefly recounted the scene from that day. "I didn't pay it much mind, but it seems he doesn't see it that way."
"So it was that day..." Lady Cat sighed. "Normally, little Inabi's personality isn't that aggressive. It's just that he lost a summoning animal partner that day, which is why he ignored the Military Police Force's rules and overstepped his bounds."
A summoning animal partner? Keisuke recalled for a moment. Is she referring to the cat corpse I saw on the bed at the Beast Taming and Medical Treatment class?
"As fellow ninja clans, I understand the pressure and responsibility of the Uchiha clan leading the Konoha Military Police Force." Hearing the implied suggestion for reconciliation in Lady Cat's words, Keisuke also replied tactfully. "But I think as long as things are done by the book, no normal person wants to have a conflict with the Uchiha."
Lady Cat's beautiful eyes lit up, and she looked at Keisuke with approval. It's such a pleasure to talk to a smart person. You are all my customers. Can't we all just talk business, make deals, and earn big money in harmony? Why must you fight to the death!
Bidding farewell to Lady Cat, Keisuke followed Denka out of the complex, empty district.
"Little brother Keisuke, come again soon, meow!"
With that parting word, Denka turned and slipped into the ruins of the empty district.
Nara Keisuke headed towards Konoha alone. He still had other matters to attend to today...
Outside the ruins, a familiar voice rang out. "You, from the Nara clan, stop right there!"
Keisuke stopped, his eyes slanting to look at the newcomer. "Uchiha Inabi, I don't enjoy fighting, but that's only because I find it troublesome. Understand?"
"You—" Uchiha Inabi leaped out from the shadow of a wall, standing about five or six meters away from Keisuke. "Enough nonsense! You won last time with a sneak attack. This time, I absolutely will not lose to you!"
If I don't extinguish this guy's fighting spirit, it will just lead to an endless stream of trouble in the future...
Keisuke glanced lightly at Uchiha Inabi and, with a thought, directly used the genjutsu he had just acquired.
[D-rank Technique: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique]
[Technique Description: A basic genjutsu that manifests the fears hidden in a person's heart.]
[Technique Effect: Consumes one's own Yin Release chakra to disrupt another's cerebral nerves, causing a scene of their fear to reappear in their mind. The more tragic the imagined scene, the greater the blow to the person involved.]
[Technique Evaluation: The best way to eliminate fear is to face it!]
In Uchiha Inabi's vision, dense lacquer-black tendrils suddenly burst out from Nara Keisuke's body. These shadow tendrils pierced the air like javelins, running through his body as blood shot out from the wounds...
'Wait! My body!'
Two black tomoe instantly surfaced in Uchiha Inabi's eyes.
"You bastard, you dare to use genjutsu in front of an Uchiha clan's Sharingan!"
"What?" Nara Keisuke looked at the furious Uchiha Inabi with some curiosity. "Is genjutsu an exclusive ability of your Uchiha clan? Do I have to submit an application to you if I want to use it?"
The anger in Inabi's heart burned even hotter, and his face flushed red. "Then I'll let you witness the power of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan!"
The black tomoe spun ceaselessly in Inabi's pupils. He took a step forward, fixing his gaze on Keisuke's eyes, trying to make their lines of sight meet. But his gaze only hit a pair of sunglasses. Manten-dō's finest, single-sided tactical sunglasses.
"Is this the power of the Sharingan you're so proud of?" Nara Keisuke adjusted his sunglasses, his expression placid. "Strong. Too strong."
If he were facing a three-tomoe, or even a higher-level Mangekyo Sharingan, Keisuke would have definitely closed his eyes without a second thought. But a two-tomoe? To be safe, Keisuke still quietly closed his eyes. No matter what, the Uchiha clan's genjutsu ability was very potent. Even a two-tomoe couldn't be easily underestimated.
Through the thick tactical sunglasses, Inabi couldn't observe the state of Keisuke's eyes, but he knew very well that his genjutsu had failed. The Sharingan's genjutsu was basically a "dōjutsu-type genjutsu," requiring eye contact to take effect. Faced with this type of genjutsu, closing one's own vision was the best counter.
The Uchiha clan could naturally use non-dōjutsu-type genjutsu. But setting aside how troublesome that would be, Uchiha Inabi, at least for now, didn't know any other type of genjutsu. In the end, he was only a Chunin.
Hearing the undisguised ridicule in Keisuke's words, Inabi instantly formed hand signs, decisively abandoning genjutsu and switching to ninjutsu. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Whoosh—
A scorching hot, orange-red great fireball erupted from in front of Inabi, and the air was instantly burned hot and distorted. The giant fireball rushed towards Keisuke, but at the same time, it created a small visual obstruction.
"To use such a dangerous Fire Release ninjutsu against a ninja from the same village." Nara Keisuke's figure became illusory, and his entire person slowly submerged into the ground. "I've really underestimated you, Uchiha Inabi."
Earth Release: Earth Dragon Hiding Technique!
"Did the Great Fireball hit?" Inabi dispelled his Fire Release and looked expectantly at the other side, only to see empty air. "That Nara guy is gone!"
Inabi's pupils contracted slightly, and then he keenly sensed a strange movement in the ground beneath his feet. He was just about to flicker away to avoid the anomaly underfoot.
Swish!
But just then, a shadow spike rose from the ground, accurately piercing through Uchiha Inabi's own shadow. An incomparably strong controlling force came with the spike, pinning Inabi firmly in place, unable to move.
Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!
The shadow continuously expanded and transformed. Nara Keisuke emerged from the ground and lightly stepped on Uchiha Inabi's shadow. He took a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and held it against the latter's neck.
"The battle is over."
Feeling the cold touch on his neck, Uchiha Inabi caught a glimpse of the kunai from the corner of his eye, and infinite bitterness welled up in his heart.
"Ninjutsu, genjutsu, strategy... you haven't surpassed me in a single area," Nara Keisuke said, putting away the kunai and turning to leave crisply. "You're still far from being able to beat me."
"I lost." Uchiha Inabi stood motionless, his hands clenched tightly. "But the Uchiha clan has not lost!"
"Are you still a child?" Nara Keisuke's voice grew more distant, clearly not taking the matter to heart. "Are you going to go cry to your parents just because you can't win..."
(End of Chapter)
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