Chapter 42: Soul Disguise, Obtaining Profound Meaning
Notes:
The ‘Konoha Hypocrite’ release schedule will now be a chapter daily.
Ryo is the currency used in the Naruto world. It is based on an old Japanese gold coin that was used in Japan before the Meiji period, later replaced by the yen.
Izanagi is a genjutsu that is cast on the user instead of others and is the most powerful amongst this type of genjutsu.
Uchiha Tonan returned home in a rush, shut the door, and poured himself a cup of tea. He fell into deep reflection.
At lunch, Tonan had noticed Uzumaki Kushina’s peculiar gaze, when she was observing him. It wasn’t ordinary but rather guarded with strong vigilance. It was similar to that of herbivorous animals that had to go to the crocodile-infested pond to drink water during the dry season on the prairie.
Tonan couldn’t understand where he gave the game away. His only choice at the time was to put on an act on the scene and leave in a hurry. He was anxious that he would expose too many flaws if he continued to stay.
“What exactly went wrong that made her so cautious against me in just our first meeting? She said people in the village were talking about me lately. But my actions were clearly on the side of righteousness and grief without the slightest flaw.”
Strange…
Tonan understood the principle of reflecting on one’s actions three times a day very well. Only with this kind of paranoid diligence, could he make continuous progress in his pursuit to be a master huntsman. Kushina’s intuitive vigilance might just be the Uzumaki physique and the Nine-Tails within her body.
Or maybe Kushina had an innate skill similar to telepathy or the Mind Reading Technique.
“So, she can see through my perfect disguise and look at my soul? This is not so easy to deal with… wouldn’t Kushina die during the Kyubi rebellion?”
Tonan sipped the tea while his finger rapidly tapped on the table.
Tap, tap, tap…
Suddenly, an idea sprung in his mind, and his frantic finger tapping stopped.
“I’ve got it! She can look directly at soul essence, isn’t it? Then, I will just disguise my soul.”
The corners of Tonan’s mouth rose slightly, and he walked to the mirror. In his eyes, three tomoe were already spinning rapidly.
“Genjutsu – Hypnotic Eyes!”
“I deeply respect Kushina. I respect her to the extent of regarding her as a parent figure, seeking motherly love from her. She illuminates my heart like a bonfire on a dark night.”
“When I see her, my soul’s fire will ignite and dispel all the darkness. Only on the day, Naruto will be born, my soul’s fire will extinguish on its own.”
Tonan entered a trance-like state, as a flame bloomed in his dim soul space. His eyes bled immediately after and his visual power was greatly depleted. But the result was notable. Now, whenever Tonan thought about Kushina, an intimate feeling emerged in his heart.
“A prey, after all, is a prey… you can’t escape.”
“This damned heartache…”
In the dimly lit room, a magnetic voice resounded.
………
In the evening, the Great Elder came over to Tonan’s house. He made this trip specifically to take him to the Naka Shrine. This could be regarded as the foundation for the Uchiha clan, and also its spiritual symbol. Only the Patriarch and Great Elder could enter and leave this place at will.
There were no electric lights here. Oil lamps were used to light it up. In the room, an oil lamp flickered, continuously moving the Great Elder and Tonan’s shadows on the wall.
“Tonan, this is the birthplace of the Uchiha clan. Usually, only when there is an important ceremony or event, everyone gathers here. But I brought you here today because of two reasons.”
“Last time, you did a great job of sowing discord among the Konoha top brass. Sarutobi Hiruzen was under tremendous pressure and was forced to give our clan generous compensation. This is a part of your share.”
While speaking, the Great Elder pushed a brand new bankbook in front of Tonan. Tonan shot a glance at the numbers with a wooden expression.
600,000 Ryo.
This alone was equivalent to an A-ranked mission reward. Converting it into pork bone broth ramen, it would be about ten thousand bowls.
Seeing Tonan not moved by a considerable sum of money, the Great Elder thought even highly of him. “This compensation is very large. After all, no one could find conclusive evidence. Now, you’re young, and the clan fears you may lose yourself if you’ve too much money. That’s why, after much thinking, the clan decided to give you 600,000 Ryo. The rest of the money is stored with us. You can let me know whenever you need it.”
Tonan smiled slightly, as he picked up the bankbook, and put it in his ninja bag.
“This is a lot, Great Elder, thank you.”
The Great Elder nodded with satisfaction and said while giving a scroll to Tonan, “You’ve become a genin now. You can choose three jutsu from the inheritance scroll. These jutsu are more advance than the previous ones. I’ve discussed with Fugaku and we’ve also decided to give you the clan’s strongest profound meaning. This is equivalent to choosing two jutsu. Take a look.”
Tonan had never heard of the Uchiha clan believing in a powerful profound meaning.
“Is it Izanagi?”
Tonan opened the scroll. And he saw the name of the profound meaning written on top of the scroll — Flicker Clone Technique.
“This is…” Tonan was startled.
The Great Elder smiled slightly, and he explained, “The difficulty level of training this jutsu is super S-rank, and it falls into nin-tai-genjutsu. Because of the training difficulty, the later generations split it into Body Flicker Jutsu and Clone Jutsu via research.”
“Later, Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, used it as a reference and created Shadow Clone Technique that produced physically real clones.”
Flicker Clone Technique, Body Flicker Technique.
Tonan suddenly recalled a person from the original book — Shisui the Teleporter. His Body Flicker Technique was not movement-type ninjutsu, but rather split into several physically real clones during a battle. And these tangible clones wouldn’t just disappear when they were attacked like shadow clones.
This was a divine skill. Tonan rolled up the scroll and said with a grateful look, “Thank you, Great Elder.”
The Great Elder then spread out a huge scroll in front of him again and said while pointing at it, “You can choose one more jutsu. It’s not that the clan is hesitant to give you more, but this is a rule set by our ancestors.”
“I understand.” Tonan was not greedy either. It wasn’t like the more ninjutsu, the better. He browsed through the scroll. The ninjutsu recorded in it were obviously more advanced than what he had seen earlier. Most of them were the combination-type jutsu such as tai-nin, nin-gen, tai-gen, and so on.
Their training difficulty was higher, but their power and effect were also more powerful. Simple ninjutsu couldn’t compare to them. Tonan finally saw a ninjutsu at the side of the scroll, and his eyes lit up. He then pointed at it and said, “This one.”
The Great Elder looked at the spot where Tonan had pointed.
Secret Technique – Beast Infestation.
The Great Elder narrowed his eyes and said with a frown, “Beast Infestation, this jutsu only works on ninja beasts. You have to use chakra to transform ninja beasts’ physique, and at the critical moment, you can make them go berserk.”
“This jutsu was developed by our ancestors using the Aburame clan’s Insect Infestation as a reference. But its effect in actual combat is not very impactful, and it usually consumes a lot of chakra. Are you sure you want to choose this?”
“I’m sure,” Tonan said with certainty.
“Alright, then.” The Great Elder nodded, made a hand sign, and slammed on the scroll. Then, a small scroll appeared in front of him and he glanced at Tonan.
Tonan understood his indication. He grabbed the scroll and put it in his ninja bag.
“Tonan.” The Great Elder’s voice suddenly became serious.
Tonan adjusted his glasses, sat upright, and said, “Great Elder, did you have any instruction?”
“What do you think about… where our clan’s future is?”
Tonan paused for a moment and replied, “Blind obedience will not change the Uchiha clan’s status quo.”
The Great Elder narrowed his eyes and said, “You mean…”
Tonan got up, looked down at the Great Elder, and said four words in a resolute tone.
“The strong are respected.”
After speaking, he turned around and walked away.
“Then I’ll be looking forward to that day.”
The Great Elder squinted his eyes and looked at the stone tablet deep in the room. He muttered to himself, “Everything, for the Uchiha.”
