Shikatoki had already made a concession.
Chiyo’s mind raced as she weighed her options.
Although one of Monzaemon’s puppets had been destroyed, there was still a chance it could be repaired.
There was absolutely no way she could simply abandon them.
Besides, the true core of puppetry lay in the construction of the puppets themselves.
Puppet manipulation wasn’t something one could master simply by looking at a scroll.
And Shikatoki was only asking to read it for ten minutes.
Like Chiyo, the Third Kazekage was also weighing his options.
What he was considering, however, was whether they could kill Shikatoki— and what consequences would follow if they did.
The thought was quickly dismissed.
For some reason, the darkness spreading behind Shikatoki gave him an intense sense of danger.
More importantly, if they killed Shikatoki here, it could very well trigger another war with Konoha.
That was something Sunagakure absolutely could not afford.
“Fine!”
Chiyo finally relented.
With obvious reluctance, she pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Shikatoki.
“Ten minutes.”
“Of course.”
Shikatoki opened the scroll and immediately began converting its contents into a Template.
As long as a technique was complete, Template generation was practically instantaneous.
Still, Shikatoki pretended to study the scroll seriously.
Before the ten minutes were even up, he rolled it closed and returned it to Chiyo along with the puppets at his feet.
He even added a compliment.
“Monzaemon truly deserves to be called the founder of puppetry.”
“Profound stuff.”
Chiyo snorted coldly.
“Shikatoki Nara.”
“The next time we meet, I’ll kill you.”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
Shikatoki shrugged.
“The invitation has been delivered.
Whether you attend is up to you.”
“The Wind Daimyō is going anyway.”
“I’m leaving.”
Shikatoki departed Sunagakure and disappeared into the desert.
Only the Third Kazekage and the others remained behind, their expressions dark.
After putting some distance between himself and Sunagakure, Shikatoki stopped.
Darkness slowly rose beside him.
A shadow gradually stood upright.
This wasn’t anyone else’s shadow.
It was a shadow Shikatoki had created himself.
However, because there was no other person’s shadow acting as a medium, this shadow possessed no soul.
It was nothing more than an empty shell.
As a result, it couldn’t move independently.
After gaining control over soul power, Shikatoki had already tried creating a soul for one of these shadows.
The shadow had successfully begun moving— but its movements had been incredibly stiff.
It was completely useless in actual combat.
[Shadow Summoning: Summons a Shadow Warrior.]
[Added Templates:]
[Soul: Grants the Shadow Warrior a soul, allowing it to act independently.]
[Monzaemon’s Puppet Manipulation Technique: Grants the Shadow Warrior fluid movement.]
“Run.”
Shikatoki issued an order.
The Shadow Warrior immediately sprinted forward.
Its movements were remarkably smooth.
“Attack me.”
The Shadow Warrior charged at Shikatoki.
Unfortunately— there was no technique or skill behind its attacks whatsoever.
It simply started wildly swinging its fists like an amateur brawler.
“Stop.”
“That’s enough.”
The Shadow Warrior disappeared.
Shikatoki fell into thought.
“I still need a Template that can store shadows.”
“Otherwise, I’ll have to summon them from scratch every single time.”
“And I need some kind of combat Template too.”
“That ridiculous flailing just now was pure comedy.”
Shikatoki understood his modified Shadow Imitation Technique very well.
It was powerful.
And absurdly devious.
But there was one absolute requirement— the target had to possess a shadow.
When he encountered Jashin, he hadn’t been able to extract a shadow at all.
His Shadow Imitation Technique had immediately become useless.
Likewise, if an opponent could prevent Shikatoki’s shadow from ever touching theirs, then he wouldn’t be able to extract it.
Most importantly— the shadows he created himself were truly his own soldiers.
Once he had an army like that, he wouldn’t be some mere Shadow Sovereign anymore.
He would be— the Shadow Monarch!
How cool was that?!
“Good progress.”
Shikatoki smiled.
“Next stop—”
“Iwagakure.”
He continued travelling at a relaxed pace and soon arrived at Iwagakure.
Unlike Sunagakure—
Iwagakure had clearly received advance notice from its Daimyō.
Every aspect of the reception was handled properly.
The etiquette was flawless.
Shikatoki couldn’t find anything to complain about.
Ōnoki even personally saw him off when he left.
“Shikatoki.”
Ōnoki wore the kind smile of a friendly elder.
“Iwagakure greatly appreciates your abilities.”
“If one day you can no longer remain in Konoha, Iwagakure’s doors will always be open to you.”
There was an old saying— you didn’t slap someone who greeted you with a smile.
“Of course.”
“Then, Lord Third Tsuchikage, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“I already told you.”
Ōnoki waved his hand.
“Call me Uncle Ōnoki.”
“There’s no need to be so distant between us.”
“Next time.”
After leaving Iwagakure, Shikatoki visited several smaller shinobi villages in the surrounding regions.
The invitations were delivered without incident.
His next destination—
Kumogakure.
The village was situated among towering mountains shrouded in clouds and mist.
Perhaps because they lived closer to the sun, many of the people here had darker complexions.
At the village entrance— a muscular man with slicked-back hair stared at Shikatoki.
Shikatoki stared back.
He looks familiar.
“Hello.”
“I’m Shikatoki Nara.”
“I’ve been ordered to deliver an invitation for the Chūnin Exams.”
The man maintained a polite tone.
“I’m A of the Yotsuki Clan.”
“Follow me.”
“My father wants to meet you.”
He turned and led the way.
Shikatoki immediately realised who the man was.
The future Fourth Raikage.
Which meant his father was the Third Raikage— the man known for possessing both the Strongest Spear and the Strongest Shield.
The journey through the village went smoothly.
Before long, Shikatoki entered the Raikage’s office.
“So.”
The Third Raikage’s very first sentence instantly filled the room with tension.
“You’re Shikatoki Nara.”
“The one who killed Raita.”
Shikatoki’s expression didn’t change.
“It was a battlefield.”
“Wasn’t it always going to be either him or me?”
“You’re right.”
The Third Raikage accepted the answer without hesitation.
“We’ve received the invitation.”
“Kumogakure will send participants.”
“There’s also something I’d like your help with.”
That immediately caught Shikatoki’s interest.
“You want my help?”
“That’s right.”
“During the Second Shinobi World War, you sealed the One-Tail.”
“You’re also a disciple of Mito Uzumaki.”
“I assume your mastery of fūinjutsu is considerable.”
The Third Raikage’s meaning was already obvious.
“The Two-Tails is having problems?”
Shikatoki asked.
“Or the Eight-Tails?”
“The Two-Tails Jinchūriki is still very young.”
The Third Raikage explained everything openly.
“Kumogakure’s sealing techniques are too crude.”
“The current seal is unstable, and the Two-Tails’ chakra frequently erupts out of control.”
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure was the only one that had systematically developed the concept of a perfect Jinchūriki.
Instead of simply suppressing a Tailed Beast— they encouraged communication between Jinchūriki and Tailed Beast, allowing the two to gain mutual recognition and eventually fight together.
Of course, other villages had possessed what could be considered perfect Jinchūriki as well.
For example—
Bunpuku of the One-Tail.
And Mito Uzumaki of the Nine-Tails.
But neither had reached that state through a formal system of training.
Shukaku simply had a good relationship with Bunpuku.
As for Kurama…
Kurama simply couldn’t do anything against Mito.
And back when Hashirama Senju had still been alive?
Which Tailed Beast would have dared cause trouble?
So Kumogakure really does have poor fūinjutsu.
Shikatoki suddenly understood something.
No wonder they wanted to steal the Uzumaki Clan’s sealing techniques.
Perhaps that had even been one of the reasons behind the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan in the original timeline.
“I can help.”
Shikatoki looked at the Third Raikage.
“But what do I get in return?”
“You can’t expect me to work for free.”
The Third Raikage placed a scroll in front of him.
“This contains part of Kumogakure’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode.”
“I heard you obtained Monzaemon’s Puppet Manipulation Technique from Sunagakure.”
“I imagine this should interest you as well.”
The Lightning Release Chakra Mode— a secret technique passed down through Kumogakure.
By stimulating the body with Lightning Release chakra, it could dramatically enhance the user’s physical abilities.
Calling it one of Kumogakure’s most closely guarded secret techniques wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“Only part of it?”
Shikatoki asked.
“Which part?”
“Only the method of stimulating the cells to enhance physical strength.”
The Third Raikage answered frankly.
“If you want to develop the full Lightning Release armour similar to a Tailed Beast cloak, you’ll have to research that yourself.”
A smile appeared on Shikatoki’s face.
“Deal.”
The physical strength of his self-created Shadow Warriors was indeed lacking.
If he converted the Lightning Release Chakra Mode into a Template— perhaps he could dramatically increase their physical capabilities.
“Good.”
The Third Raikage turned toward A.
“Take him to Yugito Nii.”
“Understood, Father.”
Along the way, numerous villagers and shinobi looked curiously toward Shikatoki.
His complexion alone made it obvious that he wasn’t from Kumogakure.
More importantly— the Konoha insignia was tied around his left arm.
Seeing someone openly displaying Konoha’s symbol inside Kumogakure was incredibly rare.
“Shikatoki Nara.”
A suddenly spoke.
“After you finish repairing the seal, would you fight me?”
Shikatoki stopped walking.
“Why?”
“My father told me to learn from you and Minato Namikaze.”
A answered seriously.
“I don’t know what exactly I’m supposed to learn.”
“So I figured it would be easier to fight you first, see how strong you are, and find out whether there’s anything I can learn.”
Shikatoki couldn’t help laughing.
The Third Raikage had probably meant for A to study Shikatoki and Minato’s tactical thinking and battlefield planning.
But A apparently thought his father meant he should learn from their combat strength.
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
Surprisingly, after chatting along the way, Shikatoki found A fairly easy to get along with.
“This is where Yugito lives.”
They had only just entered the residence when—
Boom!
The Two-Tails’ chakra swept outward.
A’s expression changed.
“Damn!”
“It’s happening again!”
The sealing shinobi responsible for watching Yugito immediately rushed forward.
Unfortunately, Kumogakure’s sealing methods were extremely crude.
Shikatoki disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique and appeared beside Yugito Nii.
“Leave it to me.”
Then his voice turned firm.
“Now—”
“Calm down.”
“Who are you?!
This is—”
“Listen to him.”
A interrupted the sealing shinobi.
When they saw him, they immediately bowed.
“Lord A.”
“Mm.”
A nodded.
“This was my father’s decision.”
“Watch carefully.”
“See if you can learn anything.”
Shikatoki rolled his eyes.
You’re already thinking about stealing techniques?
As expected of you, future Fourth Raikage.
Shikatoki didn’t immediately begin adjusting the seal.
Instead, his consciousness entered Yugito’s inner world.
There— a massive cat covered entirely in blue chakra flames lay inside an incredibly small cage.
Its treatment was honestly even worse than Kurama’s.
“Who are you?”
Matatabi’s voice was surprisingly gentle.
It was almost impossible to imagine that this same Tailed Beast had caused the chakra rampage outside moments ago.
“Why are you disturbing your Jinchūriki?”
Shikatoki asked directly.
Matatabi didn’t hide anything.
“I only wanted to make this place a little larger.”
Shikatoki nodded.
He placed his right hand against the cage.
“Don’t resist.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Thank you.”
Shikatoki could only sigh internally.
Matatabi truly deserved its reputation as the politest of the Tailed Beasts.
The cage opened.
Then— a completely new sealing formula appeared.
Matatabi’s available space expanded dramatically.
Yet despite the larger interior, the new seal itself was actually stronger than the previous one.
Of course—
Matatabi didn’t care about the increased sealing strength.
It had no intention of rebelling in the first place.
“This is much more comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem, Matatabi.”
Matatabi, which had just settled back down, suddenly stood up.
Excitement entered its voice.
“How do you know my name?!”
“Are you the person the old man told us about?!”
“No.”
Shikatoki smiled.
“The person the Sage of Six Paths spoke about hasn’t even been born yet.”
He extended his fist.
“But I’d still be happy to become friends with all of you.”
“My name is Shikatoki Nara.”
“I’m from Konoha.”
“Kurama is currently in Konoha as well.”
Matatabi slowly lay back down.
One of its tails extended toward Shikatoki’s fist.
“Thank you.”
“I can sense that you bear no ill will.”
“You’re a good person.”
Shikatoki laughed.
“Hey, don’t just hand out the ‘good person’ card like that!”
The moment Shikatoki and Matatabi made contact— the Skill Editor’s notification sounded.