Chapter 270: "I Killed Myself"!
"That four-mouthed kid was always shouting about how 'art is an explosion,' right up until he turned himself into Patrick Star."
Nara Keisuke closed his eyes, immersing himself in the complex and profound contents of the [Dust Release Chakra Creation Method] scroll. "His silly, pink-starfish-like brain could never have imagined what he was truly missing out on."
He wasn't, of course, referring to Deidara missing out on "black earth" (Kurotsuchi). Though the future Fourth Tsuchikage was a bit of a loss... He was referring to Dust Release itself, and the many unique earth-style secret arts of the Second and Third Tsuchikage. Imagine if Deidara hadn't been so obsessed with his "art" and had instead stayed in the village, diligently learning from Ōnoki. Who else could have become the Fourth? But alas... he was an artist.
Keisuke opened his eyes. The core of Dust Release was its ability to disintegrate all matter to an atomic level, a destructive power that surpassed almost all other ninjutsu. And now... it was his.
He did a quick check of his remaining chakra, ensuring he had enough for the "return trip," and then formed the hand seals. Wind, Earth, and Fire chakra swirled and fused within him. He aimed at a large boulder a short distance away, his hands pressed together, then spread them flat.
Dust Release: Detachment from the Primitive World Technique!
A cube of pure, destructive energy, roughly two meters in length, formed in front of him, its surface glowing with a faint white light. The front half of the boulder, where it made contact with the jutsu, was instantly disintegrated into invisible atoms.
He dispelled the jutsu, and the cube of energy slowly faded. The ancient boulder now had a perfectly square, mirror-smooth cross-section, as if it had been cut by space itself.
"Just as expected, the attack power of Dust Release is completely off the charts!" he marveled. "It's not a space-time jutsu, but its effect is almost the same... atomic-level destruction. It's as strong as a cheat."
Of course, it had its drawbacks—high energy consumption and a long wind-up time. But its overwhelming power more than made up for them. He was extremely satisfied, not just with the destructive force, but with the high-level fusion techniques for combining three different nature transformations that were detailed in the scroll. These techniques would be invaluable for his future Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta research.
To desire Dust Release, to possess Dust Release, and to surpass Dust Release. That was his true goal.
"I know you're satisfied with it, but stop admiring yourself, Main Body," the impatient voice of "Nara-Ōnoki" interrupted his thoughts. "The real Ōnoki can't be away from the village for too long. So, what's it going to be? Are you sending me back, or are you killing me?"
"Ōnoki of Both Scales..." Keisuke looked at the "Tsuchikage" clone who had brought him these precious scrolls. "What do you think is the best course of action?"
Discussing how to "deal with Ōnoki" with "Ōnoki" was a bit strange, but the clone didn't mind. "If you ask me, just killing him would be the most efficient." His voice was calm, as if he were talking about a weed on the side of the road. "Neither he nor Iwagakure has much value left to us. Why keep an enemy around who can't even be exploited?"
Keisuke agreed with his clone's assessment, which was, of course, his own. Iwagakure's ultimate inheritance was now his. There was no more "oil to be squeezed" from the Third Tsuchikage. As for the consequences... he wasn't a Konoha elder, and he certainly wasn't an Iwa ninja. Why should he care? The only "loss" would be that he could no longer farm Ōnoki's A-rank scrolls. But since he'd already taken all of Iwa's good stuff, there was probably nothing left to get anyway.
"Alright," Keisuke said after a moment's thought. "Can you... kill yourself?"
Is that even a human question? "Nara-Ōnoki's" eyes widened. "Seriously, Main Body? You need me to 'commit suicide' for you?! Don't be so ridiculously lazy."
"Ahem, what are you talking about?" Keisuke coughed. "I just teleported all the way here from the Land of Hot Water, and I have to teleport back. This is energy conservation."
"What 'energy conservation'!" the clone retorted. "You can fool others, but you can't fool yourself... that's just pathetic. Fine! I'm going to go kill myself!"
He resentfully flew off, and a moment later, a flash of white light from a Dust Release jutsu erupted in the distance. The final memory that was sent back to Keisuke was of the clone flying directly into its own attack.
True... 'I killed myself.'
The great Ōnoki of Both Scales had died, silently, at the hands of Iwagakure's own proudest technique.
Keisuke did a quick check to make sure he hadn't missed anything, and then, before anyone in Iwagakure could react, he vanished.
Flying Thunder God: Shadow Flow Blade!
A few moments later, he was back in the Land of Hot Water. 'I was wrong just now,' he thought, feeling his depleted chakra reserves. 'Dust Release is for killing and looting. The Flying Thunder God is for home and travel.'
The long-distance trip was too taxing. He decided against popping back to the village for a visit. He sealed the Iwagakure scrolls away, created a Shadow Creature, and slowly made his way back to Kokuō's hot spring.
The next afternoon, Shikaku arrived with the "final offer" from Konoha's high council.
"Clan Head," he said, handing over a scroll. "This is the village's offer. It should be the absolute maximum they are willing to accept."
Keisuke took the scroll but didn't open it. "Can't we push them a little further?"
"Clan Head," Shikaku said, hesitating for a moment. "Lord Third's exact words were... if you continue to insist, he will send Lady Tsunade to negotiate with you."
"Heh!" Keisuke let out a cold laugh. He had been wary of Hiruzen playing the "fat sheep" card from the beginning. Why had he waited until now? If he had sent her at the start, Keisuke might have given in a little, for the sake of her... generous spirit. But now... it was obvious they had deliberately excluded her from the negotiations. The reason was simple: they knew she would side with him. And now, Hiruzen was playing her as his final trump card. It was a clear signal: this was the final offer.
He opened the scroll. The first things he saw were the three A-rank jutsu:
A-rank Barrier Jutsu: Heavenly Canopy Method.
A-rank Cursed Seal Jutsu: Self-Cursing Binding.
But what truly surprised him was the last one, the hard-fist taijutsu.
A-rank Technique: The Eight Inner Gates Formation!
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