novelraw Chapter 368 - 368 Jigen: Who Exactly Are You?!
Chapter 368 - 368 Jigen: Who Exactly Are You?!
Jigen, or rather, the Otsutsuki Isshiki occupying this vessel at the moment.
The face without eyebrows still maintained a well-like calmness and faint elegance.
He rapidly searched through the millennium-long memories carried by this body, confirming once again that he had never seen this black-haired youth before, nor encountered any human with a similar aura or appearance.
But this didn't stir much turmoil in his heart.
As the power gradually recovered after being severely wounded by Kaguya's sneak attack, his control over this 'vessel' improved day by day.
In his eyes, unless that treacherous woman Kaguya who betrayed him, or her two bastard sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, descended personally, there simply existed no threat to him on this planet.
The youth before him was perhaps merely an ant aware of a few secrets.
Therefore, his eyes didn't reveal vigilance or killing intent. Instead, with a hint of curiosity akin to observing a novel insect, he spoke calmly, his voice low and steady: "You know me? But in my memory, I don't seem to have any recollection related to you."
Beside them, Amado, seeing the situation, inwardly groaned.
He quickly put down the precise repair tools in his hand, took off oil-stained gloves, hurriedly stepped forward, his face forcing a smile trying to ease the atmosphere, playing the peacemaker: "G-gentlemen! Please, come in and sit! Whether this young man is here to buy something or specifically looking for Jigen-san, since you've entered the Amado shop, you're both my guests! Come, come, please come over here, this way!"
As he spoke, he deftly cleared a table and a few chairs piled with some miscellaneous items nearby, quickly wiping off the dust with a cloth, warmly inviting Menma and Kanon to sit.
However, both Menma and Jigen ignored Amado's invitation as if they hadn't heard.
The two still stood in place, their gazes meeting in mid-air as if invisible electric arcs crackled.
Within the cramped space of the shop, the atmosphere was stifling, suffocating, a heavy sense of impending storm spreading.
Kanon behind Menma unconsciously hugged the oil-paper umbrella tighter in her arms, her petite body slightly tensed.
Over the past few days of Menma's 'development' of her, her Uzumaki Clan's bloodline was guided and activated… her perception ability already far surpassed that of an ordinary Ninja.
But she discovered that, in her perception, she couldn't sense Jigen's Chakra Fluctuation at all!
It was as if he didn't exist!
'This person... is terrifying...' Alarm bells rang loudly in Kanon's heart. This was the first time since activating her Uzumaki Clan's perception ability that she encountered an existence she couldn't sense!
She cautiously observed Jigen, pondering privately: 'Is he the target Menma-sama has been searching for? Is he an enemy?'
Seeing the two still locked in a stalemate, Amado's smile became hard to maintain.
With a grave expression, he took a deep breath from the cigarette dangling in his mouth, then forcefully stubbed it out in a tin ashtray on the counter, emitting a soft sizzling sound.
Amado's mood was quite complex.
His acquaintance with Jigen could be traced back to the turbulent period of the Second Great Ninja War.
Back then, he was just an ordinary Chunin in Amegakure with some craft skills, somewhat famous in the village for repairing and crafting ninja tools and mechanisms. But in a war of that scale, someone like him was still like an ant.
Jigen took the initiative to approach him, ordering custom-made special ninja tools with extremely complex structures and unclear purposes.
Though the manufacturing difficulty was extremely high, the other party was generous with payment, and occasionally shared technological concepts far beyond the current Ninja World's level. This made Amado, obsessed with technological research, unable to refuse.
After a few years of cooperation, the two became regular business partners.
Amado gradually learned that behind Jigen seemed to be a secretive organization, with no shortage of powerful Ninja under its banner, even connections with some multinational conglomerates and national nobility.
Jigen never lacked money or resources, but he seemed to desperately lack top-tier technical talent, thus repeatedly attempting to recruit Amado.
However, Amado's heart was tied to his seriously ill daughter, Akebi. He only wanted to guard this small repair shop, live a peaceful, stable life, away from those conflicts and disputes.
But now...
Looking at the tense atmosphere in the shop, Amado's heart pounded nervously.
He knew all too well what this standoff between ninja meant. If a fight broke out, forget his small repair shop, the whole street might be devastated!
Just as the intangible standoff between Menma and Jigen grew increasingly tense, sparks seemingly about to fly in the air, both ready to erupt into violence at any moment, a critical juncture...
A frail, weak, clearly sickly female voice came from the stairway inside the shop leading to the second floor.
"Father..."
Though faint, this voice was like a fine needle, precisely puncturing the frozen, extreme atmosphere in the shop.
Menma and Jigen almost simultaneously withdrew some of their outwardly released aura, shifting their gazes from each other to the source of the voice.
They saw a young woman with medium-length golden hair, pale and haggard face, wearing a blue-green long dress, weakly leaning against the doorframe, breathing slightly heavily.
She had light purple eyes, appearing somewhat dim due to illness now, but a gentle undertone could still be discerned.
This was Amado's treasured daughter, Sanzu Akebi.
"Akebi!" Seeing this, Amado could no longer care about the tense situation in the shop. He hurriedly stepped forward, carefully supporting his daughter's teetering body, his tone filled with nervousness and concern.
"Why did you come down? Didn't I tell you to rest properly in bed?"
Leaning on her father's arm, Akebi barely steadied herself. She gave Amado a soothing, frail smile, saying softly: "I'm fine, Father... Just been lying down too long, wanted to come see you... if you've eaten on time today, not to overwork..."
Her voice was faint as a thread, but the concern for her father in her words was utterly sincere.
Menma looked at this Akebi before him, so different from the cloned, aggressive, violent-tempered [Delta] he knew from Boruto's era. A flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes.
The daughter who would ultimately make Amado completely join Jigen's [Kara], Sanzu Akebi, her personality was actually so gentle and understanding.
Menma didn't continue the meaningless stare-down with Jigen. He walked directly past Jigen as if he were just a passerby, naturally and calmly sitting at the table Amado had just cleared.
He even turned his head and said to Kanon, still nervously standing at the door: "Come in first. It's cold outside, damp."
Hearing this, Kanon felt as if granted amnesty. She quickly shook the rainwater off the oil-paper umbrella, leaned it by the door, then hurried to stand properly behind Menma, her red eyes still vigilantly glancing at Jigen from time to time.
And Jigen, after seeing Menma's actions, an elusive flicker seemed to pass through those bottomless eyes.
He similarly didn't choose to act immediately. Silently turning, he walked to the table opposite Menma, sitting down with a composed posture.
As if the earlier sword-drawn standoff had never happened.
Amado, seeing the two finally sitting down, though the atmosphere remained subtle, at least there were no immediate signs of a fight. His half-suspended heart finally settled somewhat.
He hurriedly carefully helped his daughter Akebi to rest on a simple small bed made from old quilts behind the counter, then busily began boiling water to make tea, trying to use this simplest method to maintain this hard-won, fragile peace.
Outside the window, rain fell noisily.
Inside the shop, Amado made several cups of coarse tea, placing them on the table before Menma and Jigen. The tea emitted faint steam, especially precious in this cold, rainy day.
He rubbed his hands together, with a trace of unease, carefully inquiring of Menma: "This... sir, may I ask what brings you to my humble shop today?"
His gaze shifted between Menma and Jigen, praying inwardly it wasn't trouble.
Jigen, with elegant posture, picked up the rough ceramic teacup, clashing with his usual preference for fine wine, but he didn't show any displeasure.
For Amado, a genius scientist with astonishing talent in combining technology and ninja tools, a rare encounter in his millennium-long life, he was willing to show sufficient patience and courtesy.
Jigen took a shallow sip of the slightly astringent tea, his gaze also falling on Menma opposite, awaiting his response.
Menma didn't immediately answer Amado's question. His gaze passed over the two, landing on the frail figure curled up on the small bed behind the counter, emitting occasional light coughs.
He held the warm teacup with both hands as if drawing a bit of warmth, then turned his sight to Amado, speaking in an even tone, but the content surprised everyone: "Jigen's matter can be set aside for now. Amado-san, how long has your daughter Akebi been ill?"
This abrupt turn stunned Amado, then set off alarm bells in his heart.
As a father, especially of a seriously ill daughter, he held an instinctive wariness towards any outsider mentioning his daughter's condition. "You... why are you asking this?"
Menma took a shallow sip of tea, set the cup down, his voice still steady, yet dropping a bombshell: "I have some connections with Konoha's Sannin, especially Tsunade-sama, who excels in Medical Ninjutsu. If your daughter needs treatment, I might be able to help make the connection."
"Konoha's Sannin? Tsunade-sama?!" Amado showed an astonished expression.
As a Ninja, how could he not have heard these thunderous names!
Especially Tsunade, renowned throughout the Ninja World for her extremely high Medical Ninjutsu attainments, hailed as the strongest Medical-Nin of this era.
'If... if they could truly get her to act, perhaps... perhaps Akebi really could be saved!'
This thought spread like wildfire in his heart.
He hadn't considered taking his daughter to Konoha for treatment. Firstly, as an Amegakure's Chunin, he had no connections in Konoha… secondly, hiring a Ninja of Tsunade's level would absolutely cost a fortune, something a small repair shop owner like him couldn't afford.
He instinctively glanced at Jigen beside him, quietly drinking tea, showing no emotion, then looked back at his daughter on the bed, her face flushed from coughing. The scales in his heart began to tip.
Finally, the desire for his daughter's recovery outweighed wariness of a stranger. He slowly moved aside, making way to the area behind the counter, his voice trembling slightly: "...Please."
Menma stood up, following Amado, walking towards the small bed behind the counter.
Kanon also immediately put down her teacup, following step by step behind Menma, watching curiously and worriedly.
Amado sat by the bed, carefully helping his frail daughter up.
Though plagued by illness, Akebi still managed to give Menma, who approached the bed, a gentle, slightly curious smile, saying weakly: "You... hello... I am Akebi... Sanzu Akebi."
"My name is Menma, Uzumaki Menma." Menma introduced himself simply, then reached out, gently placing his hand on Akebi's slender wrist.
His movements seemed ordinary, but the next moment, Amado and Kanon could vaguely sense an extremely fine, yet exquisitely controlled Chakra, like countless soft threads, spreading from Menma's fingertips, silently seeping into Akebi's Chakra Pathway, beginning a meticulous internal probe.
At first, Menma's brow slightly furrowed.
His Chakra circulated within Akebi's body, but the feedback indicated everything was 'normal', clearly inconsistent with his earlier speculation.
This 'normalcy' was instead extremely unusual.
"Hmm..." Akebi emitted a faint moan, then weakly smiled, saying softly: "Very warm Chakra... and a bit ticklish... Menma-san, you're also a very gentle person."
"Gentle?" Menma repeated noncommittally, as if asking himself or responding, but his eyes became more focused.
He changed his probing strategy, no longer seeking fine perception but suddenly increasing his Chakra output!
Hum—
A dark red Chakra glow instantly surged from Menma's palm, like a warm tide gently enveloping Akebi's entire body!
Amado, seeing his daughter enveloped by unfamiliar Chakra and noticing Menma's increasingly furrowed brow, his heart rose to his throat, palms sweating nervously.
This time, Menma quickly discovered the abnormality!
As his Chakra covered Akebi's entire body like quicksilver, he keenly detected several extremely tiny 'voids' near Akebi's heart, almost fused with the surrounding tissue.
These 'voids' weren't physical defects but more like... 'absolute vacuum zones' of Chakra. They perfectly evaded conventional sensing methods… even top-tier Medical-Nin would likely struggle to detect their traces.
Menma, because he knew Jigen's Chakra characteristics, thought of this reverse probing method: If the problem couldn't be sensed, then fill every corner with Chakra. Wherever couldn't be covered, that's where the problem's root lay!
Finding the target, Menma immediately manipulated the vast dark red Chakra, like a gentle yet firm tide, carefully 'pushing' those stubborn, 'resistant' tiny 'voids' away from their positions near Akebi's heart, following the chakra network, eventually 'forcing' them out through her skin!
The moment these few extremely faint, almost invisible anomalous Chakras left Akebi's body, they dissipated rapidly in the air like ice exposed to sunlight.
Even Amado, so close, only caught a glimpse of an extremely blurred distortion from the corner of his eye before it vanished without a trace, not giving time for closer inspection.
"Hmm..." Akebi suddenly let out a soft moan, startling Amado.
But immediately after, a healthy flush appeared on Akebi's originally pale face. She blinked, somewhat surprised, saying: "Feeling... chest doesn't feel as tight... breathing is much smoother... and, Father, I... I'm so hungry..."
Saying this, she actually stood up slowly, using her hands to support the bedside without Amado's help!
Though still somewhat weak, compared to her earlier critically ill state where even standing was difficult, it was a world of difference!
Amado, seeing the renewed sparkle in his daughter's eyes and the appetite she hadn't actively expressed in so long, immense joy instantly overwhelmed him, leaving him almost speechless with excitement.
Menma stood up, addressing the overjoyed father and daughter: "The problem is resolved, but the physical depletion from long-term erosion still needs gradual recuperation. Eat regularly, supplement nutrition… she'll recover gradually."
However, the next moment, his expression suddenly turned extremely grave, an expression Kanon had never seen on his face before.
He turned to Kanon, instructing seriously: "Kanon, take Amado-san and Akebi-san immediately to find Yahiko and the others. Tell Yahiko the matter I warned about before might be happening sooner than expected. Have them prepare as quickly as possible."
Kanon's body trembled slightly. From Menma's grave tone, she sensed the seriousness of the situation. Not daring to delay, she promptly responded: "Yes, sir!"
Amado, still immersed in the joy of his daughter's improving condition, was momentarily stunned by Menma's words. Then, following Menma's gaze, he saw Jigen still sitting at the table, elegantly sipping tea, as if indifferent to everything.
A thought he had never considered struck his mind like lightning, instantly plunging him into an icy abyss!
'Could it be... Akebi's illness... was Jigen's doing?!'
He had suspected heredity, the environment, even himself accidentally exposing his daughter to some dangerous ninja tool materials, but he had never suspected this business partner of several years, who occasionally inquired about Akebi's condition, who seemed very friendly!
A surge of anger and chill from being betrayed by someone he trusted instantly rose in Amado's heart. After ensuring his daughter followed Kanon to leave through the back door, he turned towards Jigen, his voice trembling with rage and disbelief: "Tell me! Jigen! Was it you?"
Jigen finally set down his teacup, emitting a crisp clinking sound.
He appeared disdainful of Amado's accusation, not even bothering to lift an eyelid, replying in a tone flat to the point of cold: "Merely a small measure to ensure smooth cooperation. After all, talent like yours requires appropriate guidance and bonds."
His gaze passed over the furious Amado, directly landing on Menma. For the first time, those eyes without eyebrows showed genuine curiosity and inquiry: "What I'm more curious about is how you saw through my arrangement? And you seem... quite familiar with me?"
Before the words finished, Jigen had already made his move!
He didn't even form hand seals, merely elegantly raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——!
Several half-meter-long, pitch-black rods, emanating a sinister chill and ominous Chakra, materialized around Menma from thin air. From tricky angles above, below, left, and right, they shot towards Menma with shrieks tearing through the air!
The speed was unimaginably fast!
Yet, facing this sudden, lethal attack, Menma didn't even move his feet.
Just as those Chakra Rods were about to touch his body—
"Shinra Tensei!"
A formless yet immense, terrifying repulsive force erupted from Menma as the center!
Bang bang bang bang—!
Dense impact sounds like rain on plantain leaves!
All the onrushing Chakra Rods, the moment they touched that intangible repulsive force field, were like hitting an indestructible wall. Not only was their forward momentum instantly disintegrated, but under the violent clash between the repulsive force and the cold Chakra within the rods themselves, they were forcibly blasted away, twisted, even partially shattered!
The turbulent repulsive force aftershocks mixed with shattered Chakra energy, like an out-of-control hurricane, instantly swept through the entire small repair shop!
Boom—!!
Wooden walls, display windows, neatly arranged ninja tools, workbenches...
Everything, under the crushing force of this power, was as fragile as paper toys, instantly shattered into countless fragments, imploding and collapsing inward!
The shop's roof, after emitting a groan of unbearable strain, collapsed with a crash!
Dust mixed with rainwater surged skyward!
Kanon, who had just led Amado and Akebi out the back door, hadn't caught her breath when she felt the ground beneath her feet violently shake!
She turned back in terror to see the small house where Amado and his daughter lived had already turned into a pile of ruins amidst the spreading dust and rain curtain!
"This... what is this..." Amado held his frightened daughter tightly, staring dumbfounded at the scene before him.
However, an even more shocking scene followed.
Thump!
A dull impact sound. A white figure shot backward from the dust-filled ruins, crashing hard into an abandoned sheet metal hut across the street, denting the fragile metal wall with a huge concave, the entire figure embedded within, raising a grating sound of twisting metal!
It was Jigen!
Immediately after, amidst the pattering rain, Menma's figure paced out unhurriedly from the not-yet-dissipated dust.
He remained spotless, rainwater sliding off automatically.
In his right hand, he now held a pitch-black Chakra Rod about one and a half meters long.
Menma stood at the edge of the ruins, rising dust behind him.
He looked down from above at Jigen not far away, struggling to stand from the metal dent, somewhat ferociously wiping a trace of dark red blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes cold.
Jigen's previous demeanor of being in complete control, elegant and composed, completely vanished.
He clutched his aching chest, looking up at Menma opposite, holding the black rod. For the first time, his eyebrow-less face showed unconcealed astonishment and gravity.
'The other party could actually use Chakra Rods...'
These were creations of Yin-Yang Release! Weapons only those who had mastered Six Paths power could condense and use!
'Since that treacherous woman's sons, Otsutsuki Hagoromo and Otsutsuki Hamura, passed away, this Ninja World should have had no one left who understood how to create and use this power!'
'This black-haired youth... Not only could he see through my hidden methods, but now I even produced Chakra Rods only the Otsutsuki Clan could use!'
'He was absolutely not an ordinary native of this planet!'
Jigen stared fixedly at Menma. For the first time, his voice carried unprecedented seriousness and questioning, echoing over the rain curtain and ruins:
"You... who exactly are you?!"