Chapter 15
It took more work than Utakata expected to learn Soap Bubble Ninjutsu. It was more complicated than anything he had seen before. It needed better chakra control to master it than anything else. Creating bubbles for what he wanted took too much concentration to do it consistently. The bubbles' size, thickness, and volume must be calculated before making them. The pipe helped a bit to channel the chakra, but it would take a long time until he reached an advanced level and could use it in combat.
Utakata has observed that it is very versatile, even more than water ninjutsu. In theory, Utakata could fill the bubbles with whatever he wanted. It could be used defensively and offensively and even make excellent transportation. But Utakata concentrated on sensing abilities he could use with the bubbles. Using them to extend his chakra, he could cover more ground while trying to sense someone.
With the six-tailed chakra running through his body, Utakata shouldn't have trouble using more advanced and powerful jutsu later. But for now, he couldn't control six tails chakra, so it was better to begin with small things and learn gradually until he mastered this ninjutsu. And by that time, he should have control of his six tails chakra.
For now, it was too early to access his tailed beast's chakra. Harusame forbade it, too, and Utakata agreed that he was too weak to control it. Yet, he feared that he would have to. There is a reason why he became a jinchuriki, and the village will exploit him as much as possible. Utakata only hoped that he would be given more time.
"How is your training doing?" Utakata sensed Harusame watching over him but still acted surprised to see him.
"Slow," Utakata replied.
"I would say steady," Harusame said. "Don't rush it. Even if it takes you ten years to master it, it would be unbelievably fast."
"Do I have ten years?" Utakata asked.
"No, you have no time," Harusame replied. "An order came. You will be leaving the village in a week. You will join an assault team and raid the Land of the Lightning fortress."
Utakata wasn't too surprised at the news, but he didn't expect the sour look of his master. Utakata could tell that Harusame disliked the orders, but Utakata didn't know why. It was hard to know what kind of feelings Harusame had toward him or the village. But he didn't think that Harusame was upset about him. It was probably because of the one giving the order.
Utakata knew that Harusame had to work under the Third Mizukage or Yagura. From what he understood, those were the two most prominent factions in the village. One of them probably gave the order, and Harusame didn't like it. If they didn't play with his life, Utakata wouldn't care much, but he had to be careful to keep his life around Harusame and the factions in the village.
"We only have a week to prepare you," Harusame said. "You regained full control of your chakra, but the mission will probably need you to use the Tailed Beast's chakra. There is no way to learn to control it for you, but it might be possible to use its chakra for a small amount of time without damaging yourself."
A week? It was more time to prepare than Utakata usually got. Previously, he was lucky to get a full day to prepare, but he guessed he wasn't a nameless shinobi anymore. He was a jinchuriki, one of two in the village. A powerful weapon that could turn the tides of any battle. He shouldn't be surprised to have some privileges. That was the least the village could do for him.
…
"Ha!"
With a yell, Utakata collapsed to the ground. He was beyond exhausted. His body hurt like hell, and he felt like his bones were breaking. Utakata could only use the Chakra of the Six Tails for five minutes. Anymore, and he risked the chakra consuming him, which would lead him to lose control of his body. If Six Tails wished to take control of Utakata at that moment, Utakata couldn't defend himself.
"I have told them it is too early for you," Harusame helped Utakata as he complained. "You can only access half of the tail's power, and even then, only for a few minutes. You cannot change the battlefield as the village wants. It will at least take years before you have enough power."
Harusame could complain as much as he wanted, but he at least should have expected his enemy faction to try to get rid of Utakata as soon as possible. Utakata still didn't know to whom he belonged, to the Third Mizukage or Yagura, but neither would let others have him. Before Utakata gained more power, it was better to get rid of him.
That is why Utakata didn't have time to complain. He needed to get stronger and survive. He didn't care if he was used as a weapon to kill people. He simply didn't want to be killed off and forgotten. He had to gain the power to defend himself as soon as possible. While Harusame was right that he wouldn't be very useful in battle with the amount of control he has over the Tailed Beast's chakra. Utakata thought differently.
In five minutes, he could control the chakra and strengthen himself. He could surprise his opponent and deliver a fatal injury. Or he could use that power to escape. Not only did the tailed beast's chakra strengthen him, but it also protected his body, making it easier to lessen the damage he would receive. With his sensing abilities, Utakata believed that he could escape most situations.
"I will be fine, master," Utakata said. "You can't change the orders, and the village needs me. I must respond."
Utakata has long accepted his fate as a weapon, but it wouldn't be too bad if the village leaders believed him to be subservient and easy to control. It will make his life simpler as long as he proves his usefulness. After the war, he might gain some freedom and be able to do missions he wants, not what the village forces him to do.
"Rest for the last two days," Harusame said. "You have trained more than enough in the past five days. I will prepare everything you need for the mission."
Utakata thanked his master, but in his head, he thought that Harusame was only pretending. It didn't take much effort to prepare for a mission, and for someone like Harusame, money wasn't something meaningful. Utakata could tell that Harusame was trying to get close to Utakata to control him better. Utakata pretended it worked, but he still kept some reservations around Harusame.
There was no one Utakata could trust in this village, especially with his life. He will pretend to be helpful and easy to control until he has enough power to challenge the village leaders. Then he won't need to keep his façade and will do whatever he wants even if he doesn't know what he wants right now. It was better to at least have some goals in his mind than moving mindlessly.
…
Utakata had to give credit to Harusame. He got everything he needed: high-quality clothes, light armor for arms and legs, and light chainmail. Looking at the equipment, Utakata got angry because he was sure he had been scammed previously. He never found fault with his equipment but never felt so comfortable and light while wearing it.
Even kunai and shuriken looked sharper and felt a bit heavier. His new tanto blades felt more balanced in his hands, too. Utakata hoped that Harusame got someone he knew to make them. Otherwise, Utakata would have to accept that he was scammed previously. It wouldn't be surprising, but he would feel disappointed that he didn't notice it.
What was impossible not to notice was the stares he received as he arrived at the meeting place for the mission. While most residents didn't even look at him, the village's shinobi noticed him and knew what he was. Utakata could see various emotions running through the eyes of the shinobi. Most prevalent were the eyes of resentment and fear.
The Village Hidden in the Mist promoted a hostile environment among its shinobi. They were encouraged to infighting among their ninja to ensure that only the strongest survived, as long as that strongest was someone the village could control. So, a jinchuriki, a weapon that belonged only to the village leaders, would be isolated from other shinobi as he was different from the rest. Fear and resentment was only normal reaction to him, as Shinobi knew they couldn't touch him, and wherever he was sent, his comrades were guaranteed to have the most demanding missions.
"It seems everyone is gathered," Utakata ignored the stares of the shinobi around him and turned to the mission's commander. "I will now debrief our mission. The twelve of us will use the distraction made by our comrades on the frontlines and attack Azure Tempest, the fortress near the borders of the Land of the Lightning. This fortress is a key defensive position for the Lightning forces and has been a major obstacle in the Mist's advances."
The commander made it sound like a simple mission, but Utakata knew better. Azure Tempest was a critical defensive position for a reason. Even if the Mist's forces surround the fortress and attack the Cloud's forces, holding them off from reinforcing it, it still will have plenty of shinobi on standby. They will not only have to infiltrate the fortress and defeat the shinobi inside, but after destroying the fortress, they will have to escape the Land of Lightning.
There were only twelve of them on this mission. The village should know that Utakata was far from perfect jinchuriki and wouldn't be too much help in the assignment. So, they either didn't expect the mission to succeed or were counting on someone other than Utakata. It was hard not to suspect that someone might want Utakata to fail. If he did so a couple of times, his credibility would fall to the ground and give a reason for the village to replace him with another.
From what Utakata understood, he was chosen to be a jinchuriki because of his compatibility with the six tails, so there weren't many who could replace him, at least for now. But it didn't mean that there wouldn't be anyone in the future, and if Yagura or the Third Mizukage didn't want Utakata to have this power, it wouldn't be too hard for them to make sure he was replaced.
Well, Utakata had to make sure he succeeded in the mission for all their plans to fall apart, whatever they were. For now, he boarded the boat and waited until he was brought to the Land of the Lightning. He had enough rest in the past two days and checked on his equipment while sailing. Making sure he had everything, even if he had done that three times by now.
The Bubble-Utilising Pipe was secured on Utakata's neck. The sides of his torso sheathed his tanto blades. Kunai and shuriken bags were attached to his belt. The steel wire was wrapped on his wrist guards. And in his backpack, he had a change of clothes and food rations. After tying his long brown hair into a ponytail so it wouldn't get on his eyes, Utakata felt ready for anything thrown at him.
"You think you are someone special now that you become a beast," A boy Utakata's age came before him. The boy had an eyepatch on one of his eyes. "Well, you are still that no-name orphan from the academy. Don't think I have forgotten what you have done to me. So, you better watch your back."
"Do I know you?" Utakata asked, not taking his threat seriously.
"Play your little games, lowlife," The boy replied. "But remember, I will pay back for what you did to me. No one will protect you. You have no allies in this mission. So, I would start begging for mercy if I was you."
"And if I were you, I would leave me alone," Utakata replied. "Because if you try anything in the mission, I will kill you and everyone that stands before me."
"Watch how you are speaking to a member of the Hozuki clan," A friend of the boy with one eye came to spout his nonsense before Utakata. "Kazaki Hozuki was chosen for this mission because of his accomplishments in the war, unlike someone like you who got a beast stuck in you."
"If you don't leave me alone to eat my food, you will be stuck at the bottom of the sea," Utakata didn't give a shit about them. He could sense that they were nothing special. He had killed quite a few shinobi like them in the war already. Utakata won't hesitate to get rid of them if they give any reason. Even if they were clan members, Utakata was a jinchuriki, the ultimate weapon of the village. There were only a select few who could mess with him now.
A.N. As always, If you want more, up to seven advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852, and now I will take requests from my patrons. More info on my pa treon.