Naruto: Hiding in the Anbu Until I Became a Super Kage

Chapter 511 511: A Bit of a Delay

Hoshigaki Kisame didn't escape very far.

The Senju Broadsword swung horizontally; it was hard to tell whether it chopped or smashed off Hoshigaki Kisame's head.

The Great Sword Samehada fell to the ground. This sword came to life, wriggling towards Yōkō like a fish, tentatively extending its hilt towards his hand. Samehada opened its large maw, its long tongue wagging obsequiously.

Yōkō snorted coldly. He said, "You've existed for decades, almost like a living creature. I suppose you possess a unique soul. Perfect for me to test a technique I've been developing."

The Great Sword Samehada sensed the killing intent. After trembling, it hurriedly tried to crawl away.

However, three Wood Dragons erupted from the ground, capturing the Great Sword Samehada. Samehada tried to absorb the chakra from the Wood Dragons, but the Wood Dragons were even more adept at absorbing chakra. The Great Sword Samehada quickly lost its ability to resist, its split mouth whimpering.

Yōkō clapped his hands together. "Ninja Art: Three Gods Soul Grinding Technique!"

Three translucent divine statues suddenly appeared around Yōkō. The statues were ten men tall, simultaneously lowering their heads to gaze down at the Great Sword Samehada beneath their feet.

All three gods reached out their hands, and a triangular prism-shaped barrier materialized between them. The barrier descended, crushing down upon the Great Sword Samehada.

The Great Sword Samehada's external appearance remained unchanged, but the source of its vitality, that unique soul, let out a silent wail. Yōkō felt the intensity of the soul's resistance and was very satisfied. The Great Sword Samehada's soul could be considered immortal, capable of persisting indefinitely, and was far stronger than an ordinary human's soul. Yet, Such a soul had little resistance against the Three Gods, specialists in soul manipulation.

This technique was prepared for those souls in the shinobi world that should have died long ago but stubbornly clung to immortality and eternal life—the Sage of the Six Paths, Ootsutsuki Kaguya, Ashura, Indra, all were on his death note.

Yōkō picked up the Great Sword Samehada. With its soul obliterated, the blade was limp, like a sea cucumber that had lost its elasticity.

Dragging the dead Great Sword Samehada back to the earlier battle site, Yōkō saw six corpses neatly arranged on the ground. Nara Shikaku's work was meticulous, everything orderly.

Nara Shikaku said, "Lord Fox, Might Dai was the main force in this battle. He alone restrained three of the Swordsmen, creating the opportunity for us to strike. I recommend he be promoted to Jōnin. Under specific circumstances, Might Dai possesses the strength of an Elite Jōnin, even Kage-level."

Might Gai looked up at his father, who was scratching his head sheepishly due to Shikaku's recommendation. When his father first taught him the Eight Gates, Gai had sensed his father wasn't as useless as he seemed, but hearing Shikaku-sensei say his father had Kage-level strength filled Gai's heart with immense joy.

Yōkō nodded and said, "Jōnin Shikaku, after returning to the village, you write the application. I will review it and grant Might Dai the status of Jōnin."

"Understood, Lord Fox."

Nara Shikaku had heard from Ebisu that Lord Fox had stopped Might Dai from using his trump card, saying it was "unnecessary." That the strength Might Dai displayed wasn't his full power; he had even stronger abilities meant. That kind of power was considered by Lord Fox to be too powerful, unnecessary to use against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He wondered where Might Dai had obtained such a formidable heritage that Lord Fox treated him so specially on multiple occasions.

Yōkō looked at the six corpses and said, "That was inconsiderate of me; I didn't bring back Hoshigaki Kisame's body. Leaf Monkey, go in the 2 o'clock direction, about 1100 meters away. You'll find Hoshigaki Kisame's body."

"Yes, Lord Fox!"

Arranged as neatly as the corpses were the ninja swords or their fragments. Yōkō walked over and used the Senju Broadsword to systematically shatter the remaining intact swords.

He then flung out a wooden vine, bundling the seven swords together into a thorny, spiked shape. "Wait a moment. I'll go deal with these swords."

Yōkō Body flickered away, appearing in the Kazekage Building in Sunagakure.

Pakura, who was handling documents, was started. Yōkō looked at Pakura's back and nodded repeatedly. "Not bad, Pakura. The Kazekage's ceremonial robe you modified is backless. It suits you very well."

Pakura said, her heart still racing, "It's fortunate there are no assistants in my office, otherwise our relationship would be exposed."

Yōkō said, "This month, I will destroy the Land of Water and subdue Kirigakure. Next month, I aim to destroy the Land of Lightning and subdue Kumogakure. So what if our relationship is exposed?"

Pakura thought to herself, True. Fox is about to become the foremost figure in the shinobi world.

Pakura said, "Fox, someone has been subtly spreading a rumor, calling you the 'Shinobi World's Underworld King,' the 'Underworld King Fox.' Be careful."

Yōkō said dismissively, "It's fine. Just a title with a bit more intimidation factor. I have many titles; one more doesn't matter. Ah, right, I almost forgot the main reason I came. I need your help with some welding."

"Welding?" Pakura sometimes struggled to follow Fox's train of thought. "Weld what?"

Only then did Pakura look back and see the iron-thorned spiked ball behind Fox. Her pupils dilated. These... these weren't iron thorns. Weren't these Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swords? "You... you want to weld the Seven Ninja Swords together?"

"Yes. Use your Scorch Release to weld the areas where the iron vines are wrapped. Completely destroy the Seven Ninja Swords while also serving as a warning. Even top-tier ninja swords like these have a day when the blade is destroyed and the wielder perishes."

Pakura didn't fully understand Fox's thinking, but she strongly supported it.

Yōkō left a Flying Thunder God Kunai on the spot and disappeared with Pakura.

When Pakura's vision cleared, she found herself in a tree hollow in the Land of Rain. Inside were furniture and a large bed made of Wood Release. A large bed... Pakura blushed for a moment. She decided to focus on the task at hand first.

A Scorch Release fireball appeared, burning onto the iron-thorned ball of the Seven Swords. A few minutes later, the metal melted, and the seven swords were welded together into a single, spiked, thorny ball.

Yōkō nodded repeatedly. "Excellent, excellent. A very nice piece of installation art."

Just as Yōkō was about to send Pakura back to Sunagakure, she pushed him towards the large bed.

"Underworld King Fox, delaying you for a little while shouldn't affect your grand undertaking of unifying the shinobi world, right?"

"That would be quite a delay! Wouldn't that take several hours?"

A little over half an hour later, Yōkō hurriedly admitted defeat.

"Pakura, your strength has increased quite rapidly! You've been practicing the Lozenge Seal well, your chakra reserves and physique have improved so noticeably. No more, no more! Any longer and it really will delay my grand undertaking of unifying the shinobi world!"

A little over an hour later, Yōkō returned to a spot not far from the coastline of the Land of Water.

He tossed the iron-thorned ball of the Seven Swords to Nara Shikaku, gesturing for him to keep it. "This iron-thorned ball will be useful later when we subdue Kirigakure. Let's go. I was delayed by a little... matter. We're heading for the Capital of the Land of Water."

Nara Shikaku keenly noticed that Lord Fox's aura seemed a bit strange, like... well, it didn't seem like official business.

Outrageous. It's the middle of a Great Shinobi War, and Lord Fox is being a bit... reckless.

(End of Chapter)