Chapter 290: Earth Release Kekkei Tōta – Technique of Mass
"Ah…"
Suddenly realizing that everyone around was staring at her, Tsunade hastily pushed the Lightning Release clone—Sakumo —away, her face flushed with embarrassment. She turned and ran off, leaving behind only a soft, "Don't die."
Sakumo remained in place, savoring the lingering scent of the well-endowed cow-girl's embrace. Truly, soft and full things were always sweet.
Maybe one day he could have the Third Hokage—turned into a dog—sit and watch their "bonding" moments. Would the old mutt get excited?
Thinking of the image, Sakumo chuckled to himself, then turned and returned to his original position.
Along the way, both strangers and acquaintances greeted him warmly.
"Congratulations, Lord Sakumo."
"Seems we'll be attending your wedding with Lady Tsunade soon."
Sakumo responded with polite smiles, offering no concrete answer. No one pressed him.
Thanks to this commotion, the pre-deployment tension eased significantly.
Not long after, the Third Hokage arrived. After assigning personnel to each unit, he offered a few parting words, and the various squads departed.
As expected, Kakashi wasn't in his father's unit. Instead, he was assigned to the Kumogakure front, under the command of Konoha's Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze—along with Obito and Rin.
Sakumo glanced at Obito's departing back.
The wheels of fate were already turning. The awakening of the Kamui Sharingan was fast approaching.
Li Yao could hardly wait to tear everything down.
…
Iwagakure.
The morning sun brought a chill—like the uneasy hearts of the villagers.
Kurotsuchi walked through the streets, picking up breakfast for her junior disciple as usual.
This time of day used to be bustling, but now the village streets felt deserted.
The Third Great Ninja War had raged for almost two years now.
This war was especially brutal. Half a year ago, even children still in the academy were sent to the battlefield. Anyone capable of fighting had gone. Even her father, the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, was mostly stationed at the front, only returning occasionally to manage wartime affairs.
"Look, it's Kurotsuchi bringing breakfast for that coward again!"
"No idea what the Tsuchikage was thinking, taking in someone that scared as a disciple."
"My five-year-old's braver than him!"
"Right? Even if he won't fight, at least guard the gate or something. Hiding in a cave training jutsu all day? Pathetic."
"He gets paid a jōnin's salary every month, yet he contributes nothing. Does he even know shame?"
Kurotsuchi heard all the venomous gossip as she walked. But she said nothing, enduring the stares and harsh words in silence.
She understood how much pressure the village had endured over the past six months and how many lives had been lost. Let them vent—maybe it would help.
Still… she clenched her fists.
"Junior brother… you need to hurry up and finish that jutsu. I can't keep protecting you forever."
As the Tsuchikage's daughter, she loved her village just as much as anyone. If her junior couldn't complete his new technique soon, she'd have no choice but to head to the front lines herself. Her father and the others had borne this burden long enough.
Arriving at the breakfast shop, the owner—already familiar with her—asked if it would be the usual. She nodded.
Soon, carrying steamed corn and a large takeout bowl of ramen, Kurotsuchi returned to a small mountain on the village outskirts.
"Hm…?"
As soon as she reached the top, a powerful gravitational force pulled her toward the cave where her junior trained.
"Could it be…" Her eyes lit up in surprise. But before she could speak, the gravity surged even stronger.
Crack!
The surrounding rock walls split. Inside the cave, it was like a black hole had appeared, sucking in everything nearby.
Boom! Boom!
Fragments of stone smashed together in midair, forming a massive spherical boulder.
"Not good!"
Kurotsuchi's face paled. She was being pulled in too—fast. She had no time to react, couldn't even form hand signs.
Just as she was about to slam into the boulder, the gravity abruptly vanished. She flipped in the air and landed feet-first, narrowly avoiding collision.
"Junior—"
She barely got the word out when the boulder suddenly cracked open at the top. A figure shot out at supersonic speed, leaving rings of white air behind as it blasted into the sky.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Massive sonic booms echoed overhead, triggering panic among ANBU stationed in the village. Mistaking it for an enemy attack, they sounded the alarm and began eBakuating civilians.
Chaos erupted.
Meanwhile, high in the sky, the Earth Release clone—Shiyan—hovered in the air, laughing heartily.
"Excellent, excellent!"
"It's finally complete!"
"Earth Release: Technique of Mass!"
He examined his current body—it felt like solid steel: thick, dense, unyielding. The sense of defense and raw strength was intoxicating.
As an upgraded version of the Heavy Rock Technique, it not only granted immense theoretical mass, but also applied that mass's theoretical density to his body.
In short, Shiyan had assigned his body a fictional mass of 10,000 tons. That fictional density was then reflected in his physical structure—even if not physically changed, chakra made his body behave as if it had such mass and density.
The result was terrifying hardness. His body now felt like a living weapon.
Even while breaking the sound barrier mid-air, he felt no resistance. The air tore around him like a breeze. He didn't even need to blink—his eye membranes could withstand the force.
With such imagined density, his defense bordered on monstrous.
He even felt like he could tank a Tailed Beast Bomb with his bare body.
"Not bad at all!"
"Time to go deal with the Third Raikage!"
After praising the new technique a bit longer, his expression turned cold and he descended swiftly.
Only the Water Release clone remained incomplete.
But not for long. Obito had entered the battlefield. It was almost time to eliminate the Third Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage.
"Kurotsuchi…"
ANBU guards were the first to arrive at the mountain, surveying the collapsed terrain and boulder fragments caused by the gravity explosion. They turned to Kurotsuchi to ask what had happened.
She, however, just smiled and looked skyward. "He finally decided to come back."
The ANBU followed her gaze just as a figure descended rapidly.
BOOM! Crack!
The moment the Earth Release clone—Shiyan—landed, the ground split beneath him. Had he not immediately deactivated the mass effect, he would've plunged through the mountain.
"Lord Shiyan!"
The dust cleared. The ANBU were ready to scold the notorious slacker—but the chakra radiating from him made them fall silent and switch to respectful tones.
(END CHAPTER)
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