I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But I Was Forced to Become Hokage

Chapter 42: Overall Evaluation Rises Again, Official Jonin!

'One mission, three rewards, a win-win-win—no, I win three times!'

Looking at the two gleaming A-rank and one B-rank [Shinobi Secret Scrolls] on the panel, Nara Keisuke's heart was filled with delight. 'Old man Kakuzu, he's actually a pretty nice guy!'

Through this mission, Keisuke felt as if he had triggered a bug in the "Lazy System." Did he kill Kakuzu? He killed him twice. Was Kakuzu still alive? He most certainly was. Was the combat mission completed? Not at all. In fact, in the split second before failure, he chose to speed-run it and get a consolation prize.

'Under the condition that the enemy is still alive, ending one of the enemy's lives can be considered as completing a combat mission once, and it seems to ignore the completion cooldown time for combat missions...'

This is great!

Nara Keisuke was beginning to understand everything. Whether this was a bug with Kakuzu or a bug with the "Lazy System," Keisuke only knew... he could take even more!

'Theoretically speaking, for Kakuzu's A-rank combat mission, I can farm a maximum of five A-rank rewards!'

'Of course, if I want to achieve sustainable development, I should destroy four of his hearts and then choose to speed-run...'

Streams of wicked ideas flowed into Nara Keisuke's pure heart. 'Also, in the ninja world, while beings as hard to kill as Kakuzu are few and far between, he is not the only one.'

'This flexible mission completion method of getting multiple bites from one fish can be replicated... this is awesome!'

While Nara Keisuke was still thinking about which other ninja in the world possessed multiple lives, Nara Shikano, Akimichi Chōza, and Yamanaka Inoichi were still vigilantly scanning their surroundings. The off-generation Ino-Shika-Chō team didn't have a virtual panel to report the news; they had no idea that Kakuzu had already fled the battlefield. All they could do now was raise their guard and fight together.

However, the condition of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio was certainly not good. After the direct clash with "Lightning Release: False Darkness," Akimichi Chōza looked particularly battered. He was scorched black all over, his armor was damaged, and steam was rising from large patches of his skin, as if he had nearly been cooked by the high-voltage current. Nara Shikano, at his side, was also pale from excessive chakra consumption. Only Yamanaka Inoichi's condition remained intact.

"Chōza, get the Three-Colored Pills ready." Nara Shikano knew that Chōza was in bad shape, but he had no other choice. "Inoichi, expand your senses and search for the enemy's position!"

The three great clans of Ino-Shika-Chō had cooperated for many years, and the coordination between their three clans' secret techniques was nearly perfect. But even so, "fighting above their weight class" was still an extremely difficult task for them, especially against a "small hexagon monster" like Kakuzu. Even a ninja of the same level, and even if they had intelligence on Kakuzu's abilities, would find it very difficult to deal with him. Not to mention that the Ino-Shika-Chō's raw power was inferior to Kakuzu's, and they had no prior intelligence on him!

If it weren't for the "invisible ninja's" surprise attack just now, the Ino-Shika-Chō team would probably have already suffered casualties.

Now that Kakuzu had disappeared and the team had lost sight of him, they could only huddle together, standing back-to-back while scanning the battlefield.

Akimichi Chōza, his face resolute, took out a small transparent box from his ninja tool pouch. Inside the box were three different colored pills: red, yellow, and green. This was the Akimichi clan's final, ultimate move...

"Uncle Shikano, I can't sense Kakuzu's presence," Yamanaka Inoichi reported in a low voice, his gaze fixed on a patch of "empty air" not far away. "But the other ninja is still on the field. However, he's just been standing there without making a move."

"An invisibility ability?" Nara Shikano deliberately turned his head to look in another direction. "This is really unfriendly to ordinary ninja like us... Friend!" At the end, Shikano suddenly raised his voice. "Kakuzu has already left! We will take our leave now!"

Not to mention that they couldn't yet determine if the "invisible ninja" was friend or foe, after the battle with Kakuzu, the Ino-Shika-Chō team was no longer at full strength. They didn't want to continue fighting at this time either.

"Uncle Shikano, that invisible ninja has left using an earth-style jutsu. It seems he's gone to pursue Kakuzu," Inoichi reported again, having just sensed something new. "An Earth Release ninjutsu, plus that invisibility ability, it's somewhat similar to a secret technique from Iwagakure—Lady Tsunade just updated the intel on it a few days ago. Perhaps this invisible ninja is from Iwagakure..."

Nara Shikano nodded slightly but made no comment. He had already ruled out the possibility that the "invisible ninja" was from Konoha. One reason was enough to explain it: if it were a Konoha ninja, they would have regrouped with them by now.

'A ninja from Iwagakure? Hunting Kakuzu? Or are they spying on the Land of Fire's intelligence? Or perhaps a scout from another village?' Thoughts swirled in Nara Shikano's mind, but he couldn't reach a conclusion for the time being. 'Forget it, I don't need to think about this kind of thing. I'll just throw this matter in front of the Third when I get back to the village. I'm going to retire and raise deer at home...'

"Inoichi, go call the kids back—never mind, let's just go over to them," Nara Shikano made the final command. "Chōza, hang in there."

The off-generation Ino-Shika-Chō team began to regroup with the other group.

At this time, Sarutobi Asuma's squad had already reached an open area, silently waiting for news. Nara Keisuke's expression flickered. He pretended to bend down, but in reality, he picked up the [Chakra Crystal] ring from the ground and put it back on. In the battle with Kakuzu just now, the [Shadow Doppelganger] had used the [Chakra Crystal] on the ring to cast [Camouflage Concealment]. After all, the [Shadow Doppelganger] could only use the Yin Release secret techniques that the main body had mastered, and [Camouflage Concealment] was not one of them.

'Speaking of which, after this battle, I've discovered that the direction I was considering before was completely wrong!' Nara Keisuke gently rubbed the ring on his finger, falling into a state of deep thought.

'In essence, [Camouflage Concealment] is a molecular-level chakra control technique; it doesn't involve the substance itself. The so-called [Camouflage Concealment] works by wrapping a thin film of water molecules around a person or object to achieve an optical camouflage effect. Promoting the fusion of [Shadow Secret Techniques] and [Camouflage Concealment] is not about creating invisible shadows, but about coating the shadows with a layer of water molecules to conceal their movement trajectory!'

'Specifically, it means changing the chakra used to cast [Camouflage Concealment] from conventional chakra to Yin Release chakra! Turning it into a ninjutsu driven by Yin Release chakra.'

Nara Keisuke gradually sorted out his thoughts and then called up the panel again. 'While I have the time, let's see what was in those three [Shinobi Secret Scrolls]!'

The virtual panel opened. Nara Keisuke fixed his gaze on the [Shinobi Secret Scrolls]. After some deliberation, the first one he opened was still the B-rank scroll. 'I'll use the B-rank scroll as sacrificial fodder first...'

[Opening...]

[Contents of this B-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll: Technique]

[B-rank Technique: Earth Release: Earth Spear]

[Technique Description: A body that can defend against all things, like a diamond.]

[Technique Effect: Utilizes Earth Release chakra flowing throughout the body to harden the skin, increasing defensive power to the limit, while also enhancing the user's [Strength] attribute and attack power. Extremely versatile.]

[Technique Evaluation: Hah! Iron Body!]

'[Earth Release: Earth Spear]! This is old man Kakuzu's defensive technique!' Nara Keisuke's eyes lit up as he looked at the information on the panel. He had an extremely deep impression of the defensive jutsu Kakuzu used to withstand the "Spiked Human Bullet Tank." But the information on the panel was not just that.

[Having learned the B-rank technique [Earth Release: Earth Spear], your [Ninjutsu] and [Wisdom] stats have been enhanced to a certain degree! Overall evaluation has increased!]

[Overall Evaluation: B- (Special Jonin) → B (Jonin)]

'A B-rank physical defense skill has directly raised my survivability and also my overall evaluation!' Keisuke let out a light breath, calming his emotions. 'However, I can't ignore the speed reduction that [Earth Release: Earth Spear] brings during its use, nor its weakness to Lightning Release!'

Riding the wave of good fortune, Keisuke continued and opened the next A-rank scroll.

[Opening...]

[Contents of this A-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll: Technique]

[A-rank Technique: Flame Wind Wild Dance]

[Technique Description: A compound ninjutsu, a combination of Wind and Fire.]

[Technique Effect: Simultaneously mold Fire and Wind-style chakra and release the B-rank technique [Fire Release: Searing Migraine] and the B-rank technique [Wind Release: Pressure Damage]. Use wind to fan the flames, and the fire to borrow the wind's power, creating a massive sea of fire.]

[Technique Evaluation: Ah! This wind! Ah! This fire!]

Looking at the [A-rank Technique: Flame Wind Wild Dance] on the panel, Keisuke's brow furrowed slightly. Compared to [Earth Release: Earth Spear], the power of [Flame Wind Wild Dance] was certainly a great improvement. 'But at the end of the day, isn't this just a combination of two B-rank ninjutsu? At most, it has the effect of 'simultaneous use,' but the power hasn't been increased that much...'

Keisuke was not very satisfied with the contents of the second scroll. He deliberately waited for a moment before opening the final A-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll].

[Opening...]

[Contents of this A-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll: Miscellaneous]

[A-rank Miscellaneous Item: Nature Mask Forging Method]

[Item Description: Knowledge/Technique]

[Item Effect: Through the use of chakra-rich material, forge a [Nature Mask] of a corresponding element. After wearing it, one can freely use the chakra energy contained within the [Nature Mask]. The grade of the [Nature Mask] is determined by the amount of chakra invested, with the highest quality being A-rank.]

[Item Evaluation: El Toro (X) — A Ninja (√) never takes off his mask.]

(Author's Notes:)

Kakuzu's strength is really immense. Just the five nature transformations alone are not something an ordinary person can touch... For a conventional ninja, there's no way to counter Kakuzu's five nature transformations. Attacks that are not Lightning Release can basically not break through the defense of [Earth Release: Earth Spear]. Genjutsu is also ineffective against the freely moving [Earth Grudge Fear]. And Kakuzu's own combat experience is exceptionally rich. To call him a "small hexagon warrior," I feel there's really no problem.

The [Nature Mask] is inspired by Kakuzu's five elemental masks.

(End of Chapter)

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