Chapter 539: The Sage of Six Paths: Are You Afraid of Him?
Kenichi returned to the cave.
Everything was still the same.
The camouflage covering the cave remained intact, which meant no one had been there.
However, Kenichi still had no intention of going back inside.
He climbed to the top of the hill, which was pockmarked from the explosion, and looked down at the town below.
The town was still the same.
There were no changes.
There were also patrols, but this time, Kenichi noticed that their patrolling speed had slowed considerably.
It seemed the previous explosion had caused them some trouble, making them much more cautious even during patrols.
"Even ninja can die."
Kenichi sneered.
Ninja and ordinary people were almost two opposing classes.
No.
They were not even opposing classes.
Ninja and ordinary people were two different types of beings.
But now, the ninja, who were like gods to ordinary people, had died at Kenichi's hands.
Kenichi felt little emotion inside.
After all, countless ninja had already died by his hand.
If not for this genjutsu, Kenichi would have gone out and killed that dog, Otsutsuki Isshiki, long ago.
That dog seemed to have a grudge against him, constantly casting genjutsu on him and leaving him defenseless.
Kenichi did not pay too much attention to it.
Instead, he descended from the hill, then unusually lit a fire and made a covered stove, minimizing the smoke as much as possible.
Then Kenichi cooked a pot of porridge, cracked two eggs into it, stirred them evenly, and added a little salt, making a simple egg white rice porridge.
It was not particularly delicious.
There were not even any pickled vegetables.
But compared to plain flatbread, hot egg porridge was an extremely rare delicacy.
When Kenichi brought the porridge to Konan, her eyes widened in surprise.
Kenichi and Konan both enjoyed their dinner thoroughly.
The warm porridge warmed Kenichi's body and soul, giving him more strength.
Later that night, Kenichi glanced at the sleeping Konan, then quietly left the narrow tunnel and entered the forest in the dead of night.
Kenichi needed to dissect a ninja.
The method of achieving this could not involve poison, nor could it be a quick kill that left no chance for resistance while also ensuring minimal damage to the corpse.
And that was not all.
Kenichi also had to guard against the supervised farmers.
Who knew if those farmers would hinder him from recovering the ninja's corpse?
"But I always feel that the best way to complete this task should be to wait and reap the benefits."
Kenichi mused as he looked at the dark forest.
Although he needed to dissect a corpse, it did not say that he had to dissect the corpse of an enemy he personally killed.
This meant that if Kenichi found a corpse on the battlefield, he could also use it for research to complete the task.
That would be relatively simpler.
But the problem was that although the Shinobi World was already at war, this area had not yet been affected by the fighting.
Kenichi did not know how long he would have to wait for the fighting to reach here.
So, the best method now was for him to find a way to develop stealthily.
Although it would involve some risk, it was worth it compared to the potential gains.
Kenichi returned to the location he had observed during the day.
The distant tree stood there, solitary and highly recognizable, surrounded by rice and other crops that seemed close to ripening.
Kenichi planned to take some rice when it matured.
He remembered that this war seemed to last for several years, and the flour he had bought earlier would not last much longer.
He would run out of food eventually.
In the original story, Konan and her companions stole things everywhere to survive.
But Kenichi could not enter the town.
Or rather, he could not enter it now.
So he needed a new source of food to ensure he would not starve in the future.
A person without foresight would have immediate worries.
Kenichi did not want to be unable to produce food when the time came.
"So now it's..."
Kenichi looked at the big tree ahead.
For the past three days, he had been observing the ninja's movements.
Every morning, the ninja would unfailingly escort a group of farmers to tend to these crops.
Afterward, the ninja would patrol around the rice fields and occasionally whip anyone he considered lazy.
But even while walking, the ninja would pay attention to the path underfoot.
However, over these three days, the ninja had slowly become more careless, and their inspection attitude had become much more perfunctory.
Kenichi was not surprised.
After all, there was no such thing as guarding against thieves forever.
Even ninja could not maintain a high level of vigilance for so long.
Sooner or later, they were bound to slacken.
This was also the terrifying aspect of weapons like landmines.
Using them occasionally could truly make enemies feel utterly uncomfortable.
Checking for them wasted time, and one did not know where they might be.
But if they did not check, then once they hit the jackpot, they would be heading straight to the Pure Land.
However, Kenichi thought that after just one such attack, the Amegakure ninja probably would not pay too much attention.
At most, they would consider it an isolated incident.
Their relaxed attitude during this period confirmed it.
"If properly deployed..."
Kenichi looked at the town ahead.
Black powder landmines, with enough explosive, could kill ninja.
He had verified this.
Although he did not know whether they would be effective against jonin, landmines were currently the easiest weapon for him to make.
They had the highest concealment and decent lethality.
If this thing was used well, it might even produce miraculous effects.
Kenichi carefully walked to the base of the large tree, then looked at the tree before him.
To obtain a relatively complete ninja corpse, landmines would not be very useful.
Kenichi scratched his head.
He had to admit that completing this task was not easy.
But after careful thought, Kenichi felt it might not be impossible.
"I protest! Why can't a ninja without legs work?"
Kenichi grumbled.
If a legless one was acceptable, it would be much simpler and safer.
The only problem would probably be...
"Hmm?"
Kenichi paused.
Something had occurred to him.
Dissecting a ninja, gaining an understanding of ninja.
No problem.
But it did not say he could only dissect one ninja.
If Kenichi set a landmine, killing a ninja and blowing off his legs, and then set a bouncing mine, killing another ninja and blowing off his upper body.
Would that not combine into a ninja with both legs and a body?
In that case, he should be able to complete the task, right?
Kenichi narrowed his eyes.
He hesitated for a moment, then decided to try.
After all, trying would not affect anything.
Just as Kenichi was about to act, a pair of hands suddenly reached in and gripped his.
Before Kenichi could say anything, his body was violently thrown backward.
In the next second, Kenichi opened his eyes.
Before him were countless black rods, densely packed and aimed at his entire body.
"A genjutsu that trapped you for so long?"
The Sage of Six Paths' voice held some displeasure.
Kenichi's mouth twitched.
He once again felt the immense power within his body.
But at this moment, Kenichi was also cautious.
He glanced at the battle.
He did not know how much time had passed since he entered the genjutsu, but Madara seemed fine.
It was the Sage of Six Paths who had just pulled him out of the genjutsu.
"How long was I trapped?"
Kenichi was a bit confused.
He had spent a long time in the genjutsu, almost feeling as if he had lived a second life.
"Ten seconds."
The Sage of Six Paths looked at Kenichi, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Kenichi's state was somewhat dazed.
It seemed that dog, Otsutsuki Isshiki's genjutsu, was incredibly powerful.
It could directly immerse someone in genjutsu to the point that they could not extricate themselves, even causing effects like this.
Kenichi took a deep breath.
Ten seconds?
He had spent over half a month in there, but only ten seconds had passed outside?
This was practically a second life.
If it were brought to his previous world, it would likely cause a massive societal collapse, as human life within genjutsu could be infinitely prolonged, potentially leading to some very interesting events.
"What should I do? I don't even know how his genjutsu activates!"
Kenichi looked at Otsutsuki Isshiki, his heart heavy.
That dog's genjutsu ability was simply too overpowered.
And for some reason, Kenichi noticed that every time, his genjutsu was aimed at him.
However, this genjutsu did not seem to be without benefits.
Kenichi had just mobilized the power within him, and he was surprised to find that a significant amount of his primordial chakra had settled.
This surprised Kenichi.
It was his first time seeing a genjutsu that could accelerate the settling of his primordial chakra.
Could it be due to Otsutsuki Isshiki's power?
After all, Otsutsuki Isshiki was a pure member of the Otsutsuki Clan, and among the more powerful ones at that.
He was originally supposed to eat the Divine Tree's fruit, but Otsutsuki Kaguya's sneak attack allowed Kaguya to become the ancestor of chakra in this world.
"This... I don't know either."
The Sage of Six Paths' expression was grave.
He could not discern how Otsutsuki Isshiki's genjutsu was being used.
He had not gathered any information on that front.
"Hagoromo, as the son of that mongrel, how could you ever understand the true power of the main Otsutsuki Clan?"
Otsutsuki Isshiki sneered.
He instantly vanished from his spot.
In the next second, one of Madara's legs was severed.
Madara's eyes also became dazed.
The Sage of Six Paths' expression became very solemn.
Otsutsuki Isshiki's strength was simply too overwhelming.
And this was already Otsutsuki Isshiki in a weakened state.
If he slowly recovered more of his strength through Karma, he would likely become even more troublesome.
"I'm tired of this boring game, Hagoromo. If you can't come up with any new tricks, then prepare to die."
Otsutsuki Isshiki floated in the air with a cold expression.
Immediately after, a black space appeared behind him.
Inside, a complete Ten-Tails roared.
The Sage of Six Paths' pupils contracted.
Ten-Tails?
This guy actually still had a Ten-Tails?
And the Ten-Tails' mouth began to condense a Tailed Beast Ball.
A trace of blood also seeped from Otsutsuki Isshiki's mouth.
His body had not fully recovered, and forcibly mobilizing the Ten-Tails' power had caused his old injuries to relapse.
Thinking of this, Otsutsuki Isshiki's eyes swept over Kenichi, who stood beside the Sage of Six Paths.
A strange look flashed in his eyes, and this attention was caught by the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage of Six Paths' mind raced.
Why was Otsutsuki Isshiki looking at Kenichi?
Why?
Kenichi clearly had nothing else noteworthy about him.
Yet from Otsutsuki Isshiki's recent behavior, he seemed very concerned about Kenichi's existence.
This left the Sage of Six Paths puzzled.
A genjutsu of that level had trapped Kenichi for ten seconds.
If he had not intervened, it might have lasted even longer.
Otsutsuki Isshiki had paid so much just to kill Kenichi.
So what was so unique about Kenichi that made Otsutsuki Isshiki go to such lengths?
Could it be...
"Kenichi, you..."
The Sage of Six Paths thought of something and spoke quickly.
But before he could finish, the Tailed Beast Ball spat out by the Ten-Tails caused a huge explosion.
The intense roar interrupted the Sage of Six Paths and also forced Kenichi to dodge.
At the same time, Kenichi angrily charged toward Otsutsuki Isshiki.
But before Kenichi could get close, something appeared out of thin air.
Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was just about to strike, had his pupils constrict.
He instinctively wanted to stop, but it was too late.
In the next second, Kenichi and Otsutsuki Isshiki both touched that thing.
Immediately after, Kenichi's body turned into light and disappeared from this world together with that thing.
As if no trace of its existence remained.
"Although that unknown variable has been sent away..."
Otsutsuki Isshiki frowned slightly.
Kenichi had been sent away, which was what he wanted to see.
But the method of sending him away was different.
Otsutsuki Isshiki looked at the Sage of Six Paths.
"You're afraid. Afraid of that young man, aren't you?"
Otsutsuki Hagoromo smiled at Otsutsuki Isshiki, and a trace of anger flashed in Otsutsuki Isshiki's eyes.
His plan had been to directly kill Kenichi, resolving the worry in his heart.
But the Sage of Six Paths' interference had made everything uncontrollable.
"..."
Madara was a bit confused.
What happened?
The Sage of Six Paths took a deep breath.
He had not expected that thing he had inadvertently found earlier to have such a function.
But where had that thing sent Kenichi?
"Plough..."
Otsutsuki Isshiki's expression was grim.
.....
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