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Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Darkness and Light!

The powerful gust exploded, surging past Shūichi on both sides. The resulting windstorm tore apart numerous buildings in its wake.

Kakuzu\'s pupils contracted slightly as he observed this lunatic\'s display of strength.

However, his hands didn\'t pause. Immediately, he executed another jutsu. This time, his mouth emitted a brilliant burst of electricity, forming a blue beam that pierced through an advancing samurai. The beam then swept across the battlefield, shredding everything in its path—including Shūichi, who was caught in the attack\'s range.

Leaping into the air to avoid the attack, Shūichi noticed more samurai rushing toward Kakuzu from behind. With a smirk, he said, "Let me give you a hand!"

Forming three seals in an instant, Shūichi exhaled a massive fireball, which roared toward the samurai—and Kakuzu was conveniently in its path.

After all, with his supposed immortality, getting hit shouldn\'t be an issue, right?

Kakuzu snorted and quickly began forming seals for a Water Release technique.

Though Kakuzu\'s sealing speed was impressive, before he could complete the technique, the incoming fireball abruptly split apart, transforming into a dense swarm of flaming moths.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The moths shot forward with incredible speed, enveloping Kakuzu before he could finish his seals.

Flame Moths!

Boom, boom, boom!

The moths detonated in a series of fiery explosions, unleashing a raging inferno that engulfed Kakuzu and the charging samurai alike.

"Let\'s cool things down a bit!"

As Shūichi landed, his hands formed seals, and his jutsu was completed.

Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!

He spewed forth a torrent of water, which surged into a massive wave, crashing toward the blazing inferno ahead.

Shūichi\'s hands didn\'t stop. He formed three more seals.

Binding Water Serpents!

From within the rushing water, countless serpentine shapes emerged, resembling a swarm of snakes hidden beneath the surface.

The wave collided with the flames, creating a burst of steam that enveloped the battlefield.

"Watch out below!"

"Ahh!"

Shouts and screams echoed through the mist as the water serpents sprang from the depths, ensnaring the samurai and dragging them underwater. Moments later, the dazed and unconscious warriors floated to the surface, their weapons clattering away.

Soon, the steam cleared, revealing a battlefield strewn with unconscious samurai floating on the water\'s surface.

At the center stood Kakuzu, his clothing in tatters and numerous scorch marks marring his body. Black tendrils writhed from his damaged frame.

Although his hardened skin could negate most physical attacks, it couldn\'t completely withstand the impact and explosive force of such a large-scale Fire Release technique.

Looking at the disheveled Kakuzu, Shūichi grinned. "Ah, my apologies! That was a new Fire Release technique, and my control isn\'t quite refined yet."

Kakuzu\'s expression darkened as he stared at Shūichi. "It seems you\'re not without skill. But in future missions, be more careful and don\'t get in my way!"

With that, Kakuzu turned and walked away.

Shūichi smiled, shouldering his scythe as he followed.

"Be careful, huh? One day, I\'ll be taking that \'careful heart\' of yours!"

...

In Konoha Village, inside a study, Shūichi suddenly looked up.

The spiritual clone he had sent out disguised as Kogami Kohai returned its memories to him.

After processing them, Shūichi chuckled. "Kakuzu really is an interesting guy... Earth Grudge Fear is one way to achieve immortality, I suppose."

Kakuzu was from the same era as Hashirama Senju, far older than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Mizukage, or even Onoki.

"Two consecutive missions targeting the daimyos of small nations. That old rock Ōnoki sure is restless."

Shifting his focus, Shūichi snorted coldly. After sending a shadow clone to the Hokage\'s office, he once again cast his Spiritual Clone Technique.

For now, using White Zetsu to impersonate Kogami Kohai was a temporary measure.

His spiritual clone shot out at incredible speed, heading straight toward the Land of Rivers.

...

Hokage\'s Office

After hearing the intelligence report, Minato Namikaze frowned. "Iwagakure is trying to infiltrate these small nations through political means, huh?"

Shūichi nodded. "That seems to be the case."

"They\'ve already made a move against the leader of Kusagakure. Given that the war just ended, they wouldn\'t dare provoke us directly."

"But targeting the daimyo of the Land of Grass using the Akatsuki\'s hands puts us in a difficult position. We can\'t retaliate in kind without creating an endless cycle of chaos that would destabilize the Land of Grass."

"Of course, that\'s under normal circumstances."

Minato immediately recognized that his disciple had a plan. Smiling wryly, he asked, "What\'s on your mind this time?"

Shūichi smirked. "Iwagakure\'s strategy is obvious. They aim to support a daimyo aligned with them, who would then restrict Kusagakure and distance them from us."

"In that case, why can\'t we use the same method?"

"We eliminate the daimyo they support and have the daimyo of the Land of Fire, under the pretense of alliance, send someone to the Land of Grass to support a young, impressionable daimyo. Better yet, arrange a political marriage between the Land of Fire\'s nobility and the new daimyo of the Land of Grass. This would give us legitimate grounds to involve ourselves in their affairs."

"Once that happens, the new daimyo of the Land of Grass could naturally hire Konoha\'s shinobi for protection!"

Minato was stunned. "Are you suggesting the Land of Fire absorb the Land of Grass?"

Shūichi shook his head. "Not absorb, merely control."

"Now isn\'t the time for outright annexation. We don\'t want to provoke Iwagakure into conflict. But we can start laying the groundwork."

With a grin, he continued, "For example, through the marriage I mentioned. Initially, we control the Land of Grass\'s daimyo while maintaining the interests of their existing power groups. Simultaneously, we allow the Land of Fire\'s nobles, ministers, and merchants to infiltrate and deepen cooperation."

"When the time is right, and the daimyo of the Land of Grass dies, their spouse could inherit the title. Eventually, this new daimyo could lead the Land of Grass into integration with the Land of Fire."

"Of course, throughout this process, we\'ll need to collaborate with Kusagakure to fend off any overt or covert attacks."

"And we must be cautious not to let Kusagakure learn about the final step of this plan, as it conflicts with their interests. If the Land of Grass ceases to exist, so too does Kusagakure."

Minato carefully considered the plan and became increasingly convinced of its merit. Looking at Shūichi, he couldn\'t help but laugh. "Kushina was right. You\'d make a better Hokage than me!"

Shūichi immediately waved his hands. "Sensei, you\'re only twenty-four! Don\'t entertain such thoughts."

"Well, the specifics of how to proceed should be discussed with the Third Hokage and Shikaku-senpai."

With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Minato could only smile wryly at his disciple\'s antics. After a moment of thought, he called out, "Genma!"

Shiranui Genma promptly appeared.

Minato instructed, "Please invite the Third Hokage and Shikaku here."

"Understood!"

...

Before long, Minato, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Shikaku Nara gathered in the conference room.

After listening to Minato\'s recounting of the plan, both Hiruzen and Shikaku were momentarily stunned.

"This plan..."

Hiruzen, puffing on his pipe, seemed at a loss for words.

Shikaku remarked, "This doesn\'t sound like a plan devised by a shinobi."

Hiruzen nodded. That was exactly his thought as well.

The plan wasn\'t crafted from Konoha\'s perspective but rather from that of the daimyo of the Land of Fire—or even beyond.

Minato smiled. "This was Shūichi\'s idea. He also obtained the intelligence."

"As expected."

Shikaku spoke gravely, "I have to admit, though, this plan is astonishing and highly effective."

"My recommendation is to implement it. If necessary, I\'m willing to visit the daimyo\'s court to persuade the daimyo, as well as the other ministers and nobles."

Minato, although already leaning toward the plan, turned to Hiruzen. "Third Hokage, what\'s your opinion?"

Hiruzen replied, "It\'s feasible, but we should prepare contingencies in case of failure."

Minato nodded and turned back to Shikaku. "Shikaku, I\'ll leave the detailed planning to you."

"This will be classified as an S+ level mission and plan."

"Once the plan is finalized, you\'ll need to visit the daimyo\'s court personally."

"You can inform the daimyo that this strategy was proposed by Shūichi."

Shikaku nodded firmly. "Understood."

...

After the meeting, Minato returned to the Hokage\'s office and immediately began making arrangements.

The plan\'s finer details needed improvement, but preliminary tasks had to begin.

For instance, gathering intelligence on the Land of Grass\'s daimyo. They needed to confirm whether the newly appointed daimyo was indeed leaning toward Iwagakure, as Shūichi suggested.

If so, the plan could be set in motion, starting with the assassination of the new daimyo.

Unlike Iwagakure, Minato had no intention of using the Akatsuki for such dirty work. He planned to rely on the Anbu instead.

As he contemplated the steps ahead, Minato couldn\'t help but understand why the Third Hokage had tolerated Danzo in the past.

If Danzo\'s Root division were still active, such unsavory tasks could be delegated to them, leaving the Hokage with plausible deniability in case of exposure.

"Darkness and light—this is the burden a Hokage must bear!"

Minato\'s gaze grew resolute. He had no intention of re-establishing another Root division like Danzo\'s.

Shūichi had risked everything to eliminate Danzo, allowing Minato to consolidate power more effectively after taking office. How could he now shirk from the darkness and disappoint those who placed their trust in him?

...

After handing over the intelligence and strategy, Shūichi stepped back and left the matter to others.

He trusted that Nara Shikaku and his team were far better at improving the plan than he was.

Currently, he was extremely busy and didn\'t have the time to micromanage. He simply maintained progress updates to stay informed.

Thanks to his body, now comparable to that of a Tailed Beast, he could divide himself into countless clones to handle various tasks.

However, Shūichi soon realized something amusing—Kakuzu was a workaholic.

Not only did Kakuzu take on missions for the Akatsuki, but he also did freelance bounty work.

Seeing such a diligent "employee," Shūichi couldn\'t help but feel a bit envious of Konan.

As the days passed, the New Year drew closer, and preparations for another surgery on Hayate Gekkō began.

December 28, Year 48 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar

In his study, Shūichi reviewed his progress over the past year. After organizing his thoughts, he fully focused, heightened his mental clarity, activated the Star Curse Mark, and finally used "Flash of Insight."

The precious ten-minute countdown began.

Lowering his gaze, Shūichi\'s mind raced at incredible speeds, causing his head to heat up dramatically. Wisps of steam curled upward from his scalp.

Time ticked by.

In this state of accelerated thought, ten minutes felt like an eternity, yet in reality, it passed in the blink of an eye.

As the effects of "Flash of Insight" faded, Shūichi sighed, feeling as though he had fallen from the perspective of a god to that of a fool.

Fortunately, the harvest this time was immense.

After gulping down a prepared mixture of saline and glucose water, Shūichi began inscribing the technique formula onto a blank scroll.

The Star Curse Mark was his first priority for improvement, even though he had already mastered Sage Mode.

To Shūichi, the Star Curse Mark remained critical. It could serve as an alternative to Sage Mode by continuously nurturing his cells with natural energy, effectively maintaining a pseudo-Sage State for extended periods.

This function was similar to how Tsunade used a small amount of chakra to sustain her youthful appearance and vitality over time, requiring very little chakra consumption.

Shūichi\'s ultimate goal for the Star Curse Mark was to allow him to feed on natural energy and become a true sage!

This ambition stemmed from the fact that the Star Curse Mark originated from the Tag Tree, specifically a power initially granted to the Totsuka Blade.

Its inherent characteristic was absorbing natural energy.

Currently, despite Shūichi\'s enhanced physique and chakra transformation achieved by assimilating Tailed Beast energy, he still lacked the unique ability of the Tailed Beasts—to replenish physical energy by absorbing natural energy.

To recover quickly, he still needed to use transformation jutsu to mimic a Tailed Beast.

With complex technique patterns flowing from his pen, this session\'s breakthroughs far exceeded previous attempts.

It took him a full hour to complete the latest iteration of the Star Curse Mark formula.

The earlier version of the Star Curse Mark only boosted Fire, Wind, Yang, and Yin Release.

This time, Shūichi had perfected it to provide a comprehensive enhancement akin to Sage Mode.

In other words, it could amplify ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu universally—for himself, at least.

For others like Nono or Shizune, since Shūichi was the creator and source of the curse mark, they would gain enhancements comparable to his level in Yang Release transformations.

This was intentional on Shūichi\'s part.

After all, he didn\'t want to see his close companions grow old and frail over time.

Additionally, the Star Curse Mark could now be segmented for specific enhancements.

For instance, the previously designed Improved Bijuu Sealing Mark enhanced Fire Release. He had also created:

--- Star Curse Mark Series ---

- Seal of Life for Might Guy, which amplified Yang Release and incorporated the Creation Rebirth technique.

- Takemikazuchi Mark to boost Lightning Release.

- Mitsuhanome Mark for Water Release.

- Shinatsuhiko Mark for Wind Release.

- Haniyasu Mark for Earth Release.

- Kagutsuchi Mark for Fire Release (before Bijuu Sealing Mark)

Each seal was named after deities, giving them a dignified and divine connotation.

Going forward, Shūichi decided he wouldn\'t casually share the secrets of the Star Curse Mark anymore.

After storing the scroll and sealing it securely, Shūichi shifted his focus back to the Tag Tree.

Another tag was ready to be unlocked.

(End of Chapter)

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