Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 243 The Power of Shadow, the Three Giants

Sosuke walked to the side of Yatsushiro's body.

He squatted down.

The three tomoe in Yashiro's left eye had faded, and his right eye was an empty, blind eye.

"What an extreme madman."

Zong put on a pair of medical gloves.

He conjured a chakra scalpel.

The movements were precise.

He severed the optic nerve in the eighth generation's left eye and removed the Mangekyou Sharingan intact.

This is an extremely valuable strategic resource.

Sosuke took out a specially made glass bottle filled with nutrient solution, put the eyeball in it, and sealed it.

Mikoto watched his actions quietly without stopping him.

"I'm sorry, Misaka-sama."

Sosuke handed the glass bottle to Mikoto.

"It's rather impolite to do this in front of you."

Mikoto's gaze fell on the glass bottle. It was a part of Fugaku, once bearing the glory and burden of the Uchiha clan.

A hint of sadness flashed in her eyes.

"No. You keep it."

Mikoto shook her head.

"This is the power left behind by Fugaku. Rather than letting it rot in the ground or gather dust in a shrine, I'd rather give it to you."

"If it can become your bargaining chip, or transform into some kind of power—perhaps it can even help us get the ferret back."

"I see."

Sosuke put the glass bottle into the scroll.

"I will make it achieve its maximum value."

Sousuke then began searching Yashiro's body.

He pulled out a blood-stained scroll from the inner pocket.

The spool is very worn out.

Sosuke unfolds the scroll.

It contains an extremely obscure theory of chakra fusion, as well as a bunch of failed experimental records.

The scroll begins with five characters.

【Ghost Sprout Technique】.

Sosuke's pupils contracted.

He remembered.

More than two years ago, Hiruko hunted down bloodline limit ninjas everywhere and even attacked Kikyo Mansion. That incident was eventually brought down by the Uchiha Guard, led by the Eighth Hokage of the Uchiha.

It turns out that back then, Yatsushiro secretly intercepted Hiruko's forbidden technique fragments.

"No wonder he was able to forcibly merge with Fugaku's eyes—"

Zongsuke understood.

"He used the fusion properties of the Ghost Sprout Technique to forcibly connect the nerves of that eye to himself."

Sosuke tucked the scroll into his pocket.

This is also a valuable piece of loot.

He took out a sealing scroll and sealed the entire body of the eighth generation inside it.

Take it back and hand it over to Orochimaru or Chiba. This Uchiha corpse, modified by the Oni-Garuru technique, is also an excellent experimental subject.

"hiss----"

A soft gasp came from the side.

Sosuke turned his head.

Mikoto covered her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Sosuke immediately stepped forward and helped her up.

"fine----"

Mikoto lowered her hand.

Her eyes were slightly red, and although there was no bleeding, they were bloodshot.

"But—my eyes are a little stinging."

She blinked, and her vision blurred and doubled.

"This is normal."

Sosuke examined her pupils.

"Although the vortex factor provides a huge amount of chakra, this is, after all, your first time using the Mangekyou Sharingan at such a high intensity."

He raised his hand, and a soft green healing chakra shone from his palm, covering Mikoto's eyes.

The cool chakra seeped into my eyes, relieving the stinging sensation somewhat.

"This power—"

Mikoto closed her eyes.

"That was indeed very domineering. If you hadn't injected me with that drug, I'd probably be blind by now."

"After you go back and rest for a few days, the stinging sensation will disappear."

Sosuke gently comforted her.

"Let's go. We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's go back to Konoha."

It was already late at night when I returned to Konoha.

Sosuke took Mikoto back to the Uchiha clan's territory.

Soji had been waiting at the mansion. When he saw Mikoto return safely and learned that Yashiro was dead, the young clan leader breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't ask about the details of the battle, nor did he inquire about the whereabouts of Fugaku's eyes.

He's a smart man. Some things are safer in Sousuke's hands than in the Uchiha's.

After settling Mikoto in, Sousuke returned to the Takaya Estate.

The body of the eighth generation and the scroll were sent to the underground laboratory and given to Chiba for analysis.

That Mangekyou Sharingan was sealed in a top-level safe.

a few days later.

Big events.

The entire ninja world underwent a dramatic and earth-shattering change.

Onoki of Iwagakure, Killer Bee, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, and the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure, who had remained inactive, secretly reached an agreement.

They originally thought that after losing Danzo Shimura, two high-ranking advisors, and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha would inevitably fall into internal strife and fall apart.

But the opposite is true.

Instead of internal strife, Konoha displayed an extremely terrifying suppressive force.

Orochimaru rose to power with lightning speed and ruthless methods.

The financial resources of the Takaya Trading Company were like a bottomless pit, supporting the consumption of supplies at the front lines.

The legendary Princess Tsunade has even returned to the medical department to take charge.

The combination of these three forces has made Konoha's war machine operate more efficiently than ever before.

"If Konoha is allowed to catch its breath, the ninja world will have no power to restrain Konoha."

This is a common conclusion reached by the leaders of the three major ninja villages.

Therefore, there was no probing, no negotiation.

"Konoha must die."

97

A three-sided attack, a full-scale outbreak!

The capital of the Land of Fire, the castle tower of Daimyo Prefecture.

The daimyo sat on his large throne, looking at the urgent battle reports from the front lines, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Useless! They're all useless!"

The daimyo slammed the battle report onto the ground.

He heeded the advice of the radical faction of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and wanted to take the opportunity to weaken Konoha and even expand his own samurai group.

But now, the wolves have really arrived.

His samurai group crumbled at the first contact under the bombardment of ninjutsu from the regular ninja village alliance. The crossbows that had been purchased at great expense jammed after a few rounds of firing because the Takaya Trading Company had cut off the supply of core parts, turning them into scrap metal.

Daming panicked.

His previous cuts to Konoha's military budget were intended to weaken the village and reclaim power. But he absolutely did not want the Land of Fire to be destroyed!

If the Land of Fire is gone, where will he be the daimyo?

-

"Quickly! Send a message to Konoha! Send a message to the Takaya Trading Company!"

The great name roared.

"Give them whatever money they want! Make them hold on!"

Gaowu Manor, third floor study.

Rena Yamashiro stood in front of the table, reading aloud to Sosuke an urgent secret letter that had been sent overnight by someone from the Daimyo's prefecture.

"—The Daimyo's Mansion promises to give Uchiha Itachi the best court treatment and will never mistreat him."

"—The military budget allocation for the next fiscal year will be immediately restored, and increased by 20% on top of the original amount."

"—All caravans under the Takaya Trading Company are exempt from customs duties along their routes within the Land of Fire."

Rena finished reading the last line.

"Lord Takaya, the Daimyo demands that Konoha and the Takaya Merchant Guild must defend the border of the Land of Fire to the death and must not allow the allied forces to set foot in the heart of the Land of Fire even a step."

The emperor compromised.

Sousuke leaned back in his chair.

"You think you can just cry for help when you can't win? It's not that easy."

"Reina."

"exist."

"Draft a reply, using respectful language that reflects our determination to go through fire and water for the daimyo."

Sousuke sneered.

"But a few clauses were added to the terms. First, in order to defend the country, the Takaya Trading Company needed to expand its legal private army to two thousand men. Second, several important ports along the southeast coast, including the right to allocate supplies, would be placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Takaya Trading Company."

Since the lord has asked him for a favor, he should take this opportunity to completely legalize and maximize his armed forces and economic privileges.

"Yes." Rena quickly wrote it down in her notebook.

The battle raged on the front lines, and a tense atmosphere pervaded Konoha Village.

Hokage Building, Operations Conference Room.

Nara Shikaku stood before a huge military map, his brow furrowed. The map was covered with red arrows.

Surrounded on three sides, it has loopholes everywhere.

-

Tsunade sat on the sofa, rubbing her temples in frustration. She had just come from the medical department after performing three critical surgeries, and her white coat still smelled of blood.

Where is Orochimaru?

Tsunade slammed her hand on the table, making the teacup rattle.

"The front lines are practically breached, where is this Hokage?!"

Shikaku sighed.

"The Anbu went to ask him three times. The door to the underground laboratory was locked tight. The Hokage said—he was conducting a crucial experiment, and no one was allowed to disturb him."

"fart!"

Tsunade said angrily.

The meeting room door was pushed open.

Sosuke walked in, before he could even say hello.

"Sousuke-kun, you've come at the right time. You need to go and summon the Hokage. We need to issue the highest-level mobilization order now; only the Hokage's seal is valid."

Nara Shikaku said.

Sousuke did not refuse, turned around and left the conference room, and went to Orochimaru's underground base with ease.

The moment you enter, the smell of formaldehyde hits you.

The laboratory is filled with huge transparent culture tanks.

Orochimaru was standing in front of a huge culture tank. Floating in the green nutrient solution inside was a monster covered in black spots, its bones twisted and deformed.

That was the product of a failed experiment involving the cursed seal.

Orochimaru bit his thumbnail, his face contorted with madness.

"It's too brutal—the natural energy is too violent—even with the neutralizing effect of the vortex factor, the genes of ordinary humans still cannot withstand this direct infusion—"

He muttered to himself like a madman.

Sosuke stopped a short distance behind him.

"Hokage-sama, three countries have joined forces to attack. Captain Shikaku and Lady Tsunade are waiting for you to take charge."

"Leave me alone."

Orochimaru didn't even turn his head.

"Don't waste my time on those pointless arguments."

Sosuke was not surprised.

"Lord Orochimaru, are you looking for a special constitution that can naturally absorb natural energy without dying from the rejection reaction?"

Orochimaru was stunned.

He slowly turned his head, his golden vertical pupils staring at Sosuke.

"What did you find?"

"I've reviewed the Chamber of Commerce's intelligence network that covers various countries. In a remote village on the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, there is a special kind of person."

"They are born with the ability to absorb natural energy. Although the price is that their minds go berserk, their bodies can perfectly adapt to the erosion of natural energy and even convert it into their own power. Their bodily fluids may be the perfect buffer for your cursed seal experiment."

"The Jugo clan." Sousuke uttered this name.

Orochimaru's eyes suddenly lit up with an alarming light, as if he had seen the ultimate truth.

"Where is it? Give me the exact coordinates!"

"I can give you the information. But on one condition—"

Sosuke took out a document and threw it on the lab table next to him.

"You need to go up there and do the job of Hokage, and sign the mobilization order."

Orochimaru glanced at the war briefing on the table and suddenly let out a low laugh.

"Heh heh heh—a pointless war. Even if you win, you'll still be fighting in a few years. What can people gain from this low-level mutual slaughter, besides wasting their lives?"

He opened the drawer, took out the Hokage seal, and tossed it to Sousuke.

Sosuke caught the seal with a slightly surprised expression.

"This thing will just gather dust here with me."

Orochimaru ripped off his white coat and tossed it aside.

"Since you enjoy worrying about war so much, I'll leave Konoha to you."

"I want to go to that village you mentioned myself. I want to witness a real miracle."

Before he finished speaking, Orochimaru's body transformed into dozens of white snakes, hissing as they burrowed into the cracks in the ground and disappeared from the laboratory.

They left decisively and without a trace of regret.

Sousuke, holding the Hokage's seal, remained standing there.

Sosuke looked at the heavy seal in his hand, his thumb gently stroking the "fire" character engraved on it.

His lips slowly curled up into a meaningful smile.

When Sousuke returned to the meeting room with the Hokage seal, Shikaku and Tsunade were both stunned.

"What does he mean by this? A hands-off manager?" Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger.

"The Hokage has a more important strategic mission to carry out, and he has authorized me to affix the seal on his behalf."

Zongjie placed the seal in the center of the conference table without changing his expression.

Shikaku looked at Sosuke, a flash of understanding in his eyes.

He did not ask Orochimaru about his whereabouts.

At this moment, the highest power in Konoha rested on the shoulders of these three.

They quickly completed the division of labor.

Nara Shikaku, as the "brain," was responsible for formulating macro strategies and deploying regular troops.

Tsunade, as the "heart," is responsible for the medical rescue system and the logistical support for prosthetics for the disabled.

Takaya Sousuke, on the other hand, is the "blood" and the "fangs." He is responsible for throwing money around, providing endless weapons, and mobilizing the private army of the Takaya Trading Company to fill any gaps in the defense.

"Let's begin troop deployment, Captain Shikaku." Sousuke leaned back in his chair, his voice steady.

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