Chapter 63: You Give a Peach, I Give a Plum: The Path of Win-Win!
Chapter 63: You Give a Peach, I Give a Plum: The Path of Win-Win!
Perhaps because the idea of "contending with the Uchiha clan" sounded so troublesome that it made one want to retire on the spot, Nara Shikaku quickly skimmed past the topic.
"There is one more thing." The new clan head's gaze focused on the ring on Nara Keisuke's right index finger. "Keisuke, I heard from my father that you successfully resonated with the Chakra Crystal that has been in the family's collection for a long time?"
"That's right." Keisuke raised his right hand, displaying the indigo gemstone on the ring. "The effect is outstanding."
"The Chakra Crystal is indeed a very powerful ninja tool, but this is your own personal fortune." Nara Shikaku nodded, then changed the subject. "What I want to say is, the Chakra Crystal contains a vast amount of chakra. And as far as I know, you don't seem to know any high-level ninjutsu, do you, Keisuke? I'm referring to high-level ninjutsu other than the Shadow Secret Techniques."
'No, actually, I know quite a few high-level ninjutsu...' Nara Keisuke looked at the new clan head and asked tentatively, "What does the Clan Head mean?"
"The family's Shadow Secret Techniques belong to the category of Yin Release and have many restrictions in their use." Nara Shikaku pulled a wooden box from the side of the desk, handed it to Keisuke, and gestured for him to open it. "Compared to conventional elemental jutsu, the Shadow Secret Techniques have their pros and cons. Now that you have the Chakra Crystal and can command more chakra, learning some elemental ninjutsu can effectively compensate for the shortcomings in your abilities."
Keisuke weighed the wooden box in his hand. "So what's in this box?"
"A few C-rank elemental jutsu scrolls collected by the family," Nara Shikaku said casually, rubbing his chin. "Considering the special nature and confidentiality of the ninja profession, this box contains one ninjutsu scroll each for the four nature transformations of water, fire, wind, and lightning. You can choose to learn them as you see fit. Also, my father said you've used Earth Release in battle before... so there are two Earth Release scrolls inside, one C-rank and one B-rank. You can open the box and have a look."
Nara Shikano, at the side, saw his son perfectly carry out his instructions and couldn't help but nod slightly. As mentioned before, in the old clan head's view, Keisuke's most important task at present was to learn how to skillfully use the abundant energy stored in the [Chakra Crystal]. (Chapter 45) However, the Nara clan's [Shadow Secret Techniques] were Yin Release techniques, and the chakra used for them was a special Yin Release chakra created solely from spiritual energy. Shikano wasn't sure if the chakra in the [Chakra Crystal] could be converted into this special "shadow chakra," but he knew it could definitely be used to amplify the power of conventional ninjutsu!
Therefore, after returning to the village, Nara Shikano had specifically had his son collect some five-elemental-release jutsu for Keisuke to learn and use, which would also broaden his range of abilities. At first, the old clan head hadn't planned on giving all these scrolls to Keisuke so quickly. After all, the reward for the [Lacquer Eye] scroll had already been issued by the family. Even if he was the clan head, he couldn't just casually reward the clan's talented junior.
But who could have predicted that the news of "Nara Keisuke defeating Uchiha Shisui" would spread like wildfire throughout Konoha these past two days? Now, he could conveniently use this pretext to give out the five-elemental-release jutsu the family had prepared...
Nara Keisuke was unaware of all the twists and turns behind these ninjutsu scrolls. He just silently opened the heavy wooden box in his hand.
A stream of messages instantly flowed across the panel.
[C-rank Technique Detected: [Lightning Release: Ground Running], learn?]
[C-rank Technique Detected: [Wind Release: Great Breakthrough]...]
[...C-rank Technique [Fire Release: Great Fireball]...]
[...C-rank Technique [Water Release: Starch Syrup Capture Field]...]
[...C-rank Technique [Earth Release: Earth Substitution]...]
[...B-rank Technique [Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall]...]
Perhaps knowing that Keisuke's chakra natures clearly included "Yin" and "Earth," among the six ninjutsu scrolls prepared by the old clan head, the two Earth Release ninjutsu were far more practical and valuable than the other four.
[C-rank Technique: Earth Release: Earth Substitution]
[Technique Description: Instantly turn the body into mud or rock.]
[Technique Effect: By using one's own Earth Release chakra, at the moment of being attacked, gather nearby mud or rock and use it as a medium to form a human shape, causing the opponent to mistakenly believe their attack was successful.]
[Technique Evaluation: This is a substitution defense!]
In terms of effect alone, the [Earth Release: Earth Substitution], which involved nature transformation, was undoubtedly far stronger than its "initial form"—the E-rank [Substitution Technique]. It used local materials, was convenient to use, and was more deceptive. As for the other technique, [Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall], there was no need for a detailed explanation. The great name of the Dog-Style Wall—ah no, its powerful defense, was known to almost every ninja.
Taking advantage of the moment he was inspecting the scrolls, Nara Keisuke used the "Lazy System"'s one-click learning function to quickly learn the five elemental ninjutsu, excluding the [Lightning Release: Ground Running].
'If I had known this was coming, I wouldn't have spent so much at Lady Cat's place before.'
'But then again, having one more secret channel to acquire ninjutsu scrolls isn't a bad thing.'
'And the ninjutsu that flow into the black market are often of higher quality and effect than conventional ones, like that [Water Release: Water Cutter]...'
Various thoughts flashed through Keisuke's mind. He gently closed the wooden box, took a deep breath, and said seriously, "Clan Head, I am very satisfied with these ninjutsu."
"That's good." Nara Shikaku nodded. "Since we didn't know your specific chakra natures, besides the Earth Release ninjutsu, the ranks of the other techniques are relatively low. If you have any other needs in the future, you can ask the family again."
Although the Nara clan was a secret-technique-type family, after hundreds of years of long accumulation, the clan's collection of conventional ninjutsu was not small. And even if the family didn't have the ninjutsu Keisuke needed, they could still obtain the corresponding scrolls through other means such as purchase or trade. It was just that the cost would inevitably be much higher... But for the future of the family, it was all worth it!
"Clan Head, the rewards you have given are really too much," Nara Keisuke said after a moment of silence. "I don't even know how to repay the family."
"It's nothing," Nara Shikaku said with a light laugh. "Isn't the meaning of a family to think for its members? If you really want to repay the family, then just research some more special secret techniques. To be honest, I'm extremely satisfied with the [Lacquer Eye] technique! Eliminating the hand sign step, you don't know how much easier it is... um, I mean, it provides a greater advantage in battle."
Nara Shikaku thought he was just making small talk. He didn't know that Keisuke was now seriously considering the new clan head's words.
Originally, Keisuke hadn't wanted to have too many entanglements with the other ninja in the clan. But... they were just giving him too much! Perhaps from Shikano's or Shikaku's perspective, they were placing an early bet on cultivating the family's super genius, with certain utilitarian thoughts involved. But in Keisuke's own judgment, the value of the resources he had received so far had already far exceeded his own contributions...
Only taking and not knowing how to give back was not a long-term solution. What's more, "repaying the family" was almost synonymous with an "S-rank family mission." For Nara Keisuke to share his "self-developed ninjutsu" with the family was a complete win-win. It's just that Keisuke could win even more!
So...
"Clan Head, what if I really do research another special ninjutsu?" Keisuke asked with great solemnity.
The new clan head's light laughter came to an abrupt halt. The old clan head's eyes also widened.
"Keisuke, this is no joke," Nara Shikano said, putting down the bucket of fried chicken. "Have you really researched another high-level secret technique? Like the [Lacquer Eye]?"
"No." Keisuke's first sentence let the two clan heads breathe a sigh of relief, but his next sentence made their hearts leap into their throats again. "It probably can't compare to the [Lacquer Eye]."
The new and old clan heads simultaneously showed a speechless expression. What do you mean it probably can't compare to the [Lacquer Eye]!? Do you think the [Lacquer Eye] is some kind of common [Clone Technique] you can find on the street?!
The old clan head eagerly asked, "Keisuke, have you really researched a new technique?"
"I already have a direction," Keisuke replied. "I should have some results very soon."
The ninjutsu he was thinking of at this moment was not the [Super Beast Scroll]. Although he really wanted to trade it for another S-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll] from the old clan head, in the end, the current [Super Beast Scroll] had not yet been successfully modified. It was still a Yang Release ninjutsu and didn't quite fit with the Nara clan's Yin Release tradition.
What Keisuke was thinking of now was the [Spiraling Shadow Binding Bullet]. To be more precise, it was the basic [Shadow Binding Bullet], with the "spiral acceleration" removed.
First, the [Shadow Binding Bullet] had already been demonstrated in front of Namikaze Minato. Second, the "spiral acceleration" feature involved the A-rank technique [Rasengan], and it was not yet convenient to reveal this jutsu. Finally, the quality, function, and value of the [Shadow Binding Bullet]—in Keisuke's eyes—was already enough to be worth the ninjutsu scroll resources the family had subsequently rewarded him with.
No hand signs, long-range, supersonic speed, low consumption, and strong control. The value of the [Shadow Binding Bullet] to the Nara clan ninja was self-evident.
Nara Shikano smiled. "I look forward to that day!"
Nara Shikaku also nodded in agreement. But the young new clan head suddenly realized something. If Nara Keisuke really did research another high-level secret technique, how would the family reward him this time?
(End of Chapter)
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