Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for only $7 to get early access to upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations <<
----------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 70: Jūgo? Nothing Special
...
Bang!
Inside the base, Karin, still in her pajamas, slammed open the door to Sasuke's room and shouted anxiously, "Sasuke! There's an enemy!!"
Sasuke's eyes snapped open, and he leaped from his bed. "Who?!"
"In the sky! It's just..." Karin closed her eyes, using her Mind's Eye of Kagura to sense. This was a Kekkai Genkai ability exclusive to the Uzumaki clan, with a terrifying sensory range of dozens of kilometers.
The next second, her sensing was complete. Karin opened her eyes. "This chakra should be the Akatsuki's White Tiger, but..." Her tone was hesitant. "Her chakra level is just... not normal. She shouldn't have this much chakra. It's several times more than what I've sensed before..."
"Akatsuki... White Tiger..." Sasuke quickly dressed, grabbed his sword, and walked out the door with a cold expression.
"Hey... Sasuke..." Karin followed behind him, flustered. "That woman's chakra level isn't normal. She must have some scheme, coming here to find us now. We have to be on guard."
"Hmph!" Sasuke pointed to his own crimson eyes and said with utter self-assurance, "Before these eyes, all schemes are laid bare. So what if her chakra has increased? Even if her chakra is as vast as the Nine-Tails, it's nothing in the face of these eyes."
He had seen the White Tiger a few times during his time in the Akatsuki. He had a slight impression of that perpetually cold woman, but not a strong one. He certainly didn't feel threatened. She was just an ordinary Kage-level expert, nothing more.
Karin was still a little worried. "That woman was very close with Nagato, who had the Rinnegan. She might have some hidden trump card. She won't be easy to deal with."
"Hmph! No matter what trump cards or intentions she has, they will be shattered before these eyes. Since she's so clueless as to come looking for death, I'd say she's in a hurry to meet her dead Akatsuki leader."
The Mangekyō Sharingan had given Sasuke supreme confidence. Before these eyes, no one was his match.
Bang! Bang!
As the two passed the water tank, the sound of Suigetsu's heavy pounding came from within.
"Hey, hey! Is there an enemy here? This great man wants to go too! My injuries are almost healed! I don't want to stay in this tiny tank anymore! I want to fight too!"
Although he wasn't fully recovered, it wouldn't affect his movement. It was less that he wanted to fight and more that he was bored from being in the tank and wanted to go watch the show.
Crack!
A flash of a blade, and the water tank's glass was instantly cut in two. Whoosh! A torrent of water, carrying Suigetsu, poured out. Sasuke glanced at it, sheathed his sword, and ran quickly toward the exit. Karin followed closely behind.
"Hey, hey! You two, wait for this great man!" Suigetsu cursed as he stood up, hurrying to catch up.
...
On the back mountain of the base.
The flock of birds on Jūgo's body suddenly took flight as if startled, landing by his ear and chirping incessantly.
He opened his eyes. "You're saying someone is here? And they're above me?"
Jūgo carefully sat up, avoiding the small birds on his body. He then looked up at the sky. "Who's there?!"
He saw two small black dots, falling at high speed, rushing straight for him. They were incredibly fast. When the distance closed to a few hundred meters, he instantly recognized who it was. "Akatsuki's White Tiger!" What is she doing here? Jūgo wondered.
Then, his vision blurred. In the blink of an eye, Konan had descended from the sky, hovering steadily in front of him. Konan landed on the ground, looking at Jūgo with an expressionless face. Seeing the Akatsuki robe on his body, her gaze turned three parts colder. The Taka team had not been invited to join the Akatsuki by her, but by Obito Uchiha, acting on his own. Now that she had the determination and the idea to rebuild the Akatsuki, she didn't want anyone who didn't align with her will to wear the Akatsuki robe.
Alex, nestled in Konan's chest, was also watching Jūgo. The man currently looked as calm as a simple mountain villager. But he had a dual nature. Once he went berserk, he was a frenzied killing machine. On this trip, Sasuke Uchiha wasn't the only target; Jūgo, who could use senjutsu, was as well. Whether it was to study his special constitution or to find the location of the village where he grew up, they needed to subdue him.
"White Tiger, what are you doing here?" Jūgo merely watched Konan warily. He didn't feel any killing intent yet and wanted to talk first to find out her purpose.
Konan's gaze swept past Jūgo, scanning the area behind him. She said coolly, "Where is Sasuke Uchiha?"
The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
"Are you... also here to harm Sasuke?"
Jūgo lowered his head. The small birds on his body hurriedly flew away. His skin visibly turned a dark gray. His arms thickened, and fleshy pillars sprouted from his back. In an instant, he had absorbed natural energy and activated his Cursed Seal, or perhaps, his Sage Transformation. Upon hearing the ill intent in Konan's voice toward Sasuke, Jūgo chose to go berserk immediately.
"Sasuke is the one Kimimaro acknowledged! I won't let anyone harm him!!"
"Hehehehe!!!"
He suddenly threw his head back and laughed maniacally, his eyes filled with bloodlust. At this moment, Jūgo's berserk nature had overwhelmed his humanity. He was completely frenzied.
"Impulse!"
He raised his arm, which had tripled in thickness. Chakra gathered as he bent his knees, about to leap like a wild beast to deliver a devastating blow to this person who dared to harm Sasuke.
"Die, die, die!!"
Jūgo's body leaped, his feet leaving the ground, and then... there was no 'then'.
Sheets of white paper stuck to him, instantly wrapping him up like a mummy. His forward momentum stopped abruptly. He was left floating in mid-air, unable to move.
Behind Konan, Honoka let out a sigh of relief. She had been given a real fright by that monster rushing at her. She was also very confused. How did a perfectly normal person turn into a beast-like monster in the blink of an eye? Thank goodness Lady Konan was stronger. She had subdued this seemingly powerful monster in an instant.
Suddenly, the wrapped mummy began to bulge. This was especially true around Jūgo's monstrous right arm, which swelled larger and larger, as if being inflated. Puff! In the next instant, the paper was blasted open, and a visible jet of blue gas erupted from within.
"Hehehehe! Axe Cleaver Impulse!!"
Jūgo's fleshy pillars and the pores on his right arm simultaneously jetted a large amount of chakra. After tearing apart the paper restraining him, he shot toward Konan like a cannonball, even faster and more powerful than his previous attack.
But it was useless.
A white paper hammer swung in from the side, smashing into the charging Jūgo and sending him flying. As he flew, his body uncontrolled, a large sheet of paper stuck to him once again, wrapping him into a mummy.
Konan glanced at Honoka. Seeing the white mummy floating in front of her, Honoka immediately understood. She pressed her right hand against the mummy and said in a low voice, "Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
A large sphere of water enveloped Jūgo. Under this double restraint, he could no longer resist and was firmly trapped.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Spear!!"
Suddenly, a beam of azure light shot out like a bolt of lightning, aimed at the right hand Honoka was using to maintain the Water Prison Technique.