Chapter 58: The Greedy Yamanaka Chujiu

Shisui Uchiha reacted extremely fast, releasing the kunai that had been burned red-hot in time, and his body retreated at top speed to dodge the massive blue flames.

While retreating, he rapidly formed hand seals, the tomoe in his Sharingan spun quickly, and taking advantage of the moment Yugito turned her head to look back, he used the crossing of their gazes to cast a genjutsu.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"

Shisui successfully dragged Yugito into the genjutsu, but it was immediately broken by the Two-Tails, Matatabi.

Nii Yugito asked smugly with a smile, "Do the Leaf Ninja not know that I am a jinchuriki, or do they not know that jinchuriki are unaffected by genjutsu?"

As she spoke, her figure flashed, both hands reaching for Shisui Uchiha's face, while the two tails behind her gathered chakra into fists and smashed down toward Shisui's head from above.

How could such a crude attack possibly land a hit?

Shisui Uchiha merely ducked and kicked off the ground sideways, easily dodging the attack, and against the opening exposed by Yugito's all-out strike, he delivered a vicious counterattack.

To be honest, Shisui was very cautious when attacking, holding back at least half of his strength for contingencies.

Because Nii Yugito's all-out attack came inexplicably, and the way she exposed an opening was as immature as a freshly graduated Genin.

So Shisui worried the opening was deliberately baited by the enemy, a trap set against his own extreme speed.

But he still resolutely launched his attack.

Even if it was a trap, that opening was real—a chance that could kill a ninja!

What Shisui Uchiha did not expect was that his counterattack succeeded; the kunai in his hand stabbed into Yugito's left side, beneath the ribs.

If not for the dark blue flames blocking it for a moment, if he had been able to thrust with all his strength instead of holding back half for contingencies, the entire kunai could have been driven in.

Shisui Uchiha could not help but feel deep regret, but Nii Yugito was overcome with shock and fury.

Even with only three inches inserted, her internal organs suffered severe damage, blood splattered out, and her strength plummeted wildly.

Yugito could not understand at all why she had just attacked Shisui's head with full force.

She clearly knew the opponent's Body Flicker Technique was unbelievably fast.

Of course, this was all thanks to Yamanaka Chujiu!

Although Yamanaka Chujiu had vanished from Yugito's eyes, in truth he had merely erased his presence from her mind; he had always been on the battlefield, less than thirty meters from Yugito.

Shisui Uchiha's genjutsu was the perfect moment he had been waiting for.

The Two-Tails Matatabi dispelled the genjutsu on Yugito, but at the same time it was also seized by Yamanaka Chujiu, its emotions and thoughts completely controlled.

Yamanaka Chujiu had originally only intended to influence the Tailed Beast's emotions; he never expected that the Two-Tails Matatabi, true to form as a cat-shaped Tailed Beast, had a head stuffed full of fixed programs, its logical thinking outrageously simple.

The moment he delved deep into Matatabi's mind, he gained control of this great cat's thoughts.

Unfortunately, Tailed Beasts are not independent lives like humans; Matatabi's soul and mind are tightly connected to the other Tailed Beasts, making it impossible to convert it into a Living Puppet.

Yamanaka Chujiu did not even dare attempt it, because he faintly sensed the presence of a higher-level life—whether it was the Sage of Six Paths hidden in the Pure Land, or the Ten-Tails in hibernation.

Either one was an existence he could not afford to provoke right now.

Now…

Actually, there was no need to fully control the Two-Tails Matatabi; this chakra cat's thoughts were so simple it couldn't even tell whether an idea was its own.

As long as Yamanaka Chujiu tossed his own thoughts in, Matatabi would treat them as its own ideas and influence Yugito to act on them.

The Two-Tails was tsundere and stubborn; Yugito was humble and obedient.

The so-called perfect jinchuriki actually had the relationship inverted—the ninja had their thoughts controlled by the Tailed Beast, becoming a near-puppet existence.

So Yamanaka Chujiu controlling Matatabi's thoughts was equivalent to controlling Yugito's thoughts.

He didn't even need to stir her emotions; he could indirectly make Yugito make clearly abnormal, self-harmful choices.

For example, at an inappropriate moment, exploding with full force to attack an unsuitable target, thereby exposing a massive opening.

Because the influence was exerted through Matatabi, even if Yugito sensed something was wrong with herself, she had no way to determine exactly what the problem was.

Solving the problem was even more impossible.

Unless she could make up her mind and pull the Two-Tails cat master out of her belly.

Well, Yugito absolutely did not want to die, and the Fourth Raikage absolutely would not allow it either.

With the battle having reached this point, Yamanaka Chujiu's plan had exceeded expectations; what remained was to keep tossing thoughts in to disrupt Yugito, creating attack opportunities for Shisui Uchiha.

Killing her—he didn't dare.

Think about it: not long ago, killing an ordinary Jonin like Hyuga Hiashi was enough for the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen to force his brother Hizashi to commit suicide.

If Yamanaka Chujiu and Shisui Uchiha dared to kill the Two-Tails jinchuriki, the Fourth Raikage would swear to the Third Hokage that as long as those two killers were killed, Kumogakure would sign a peace treaty.

Besides defecting on the spot, did Yamanaka Chujiu have any other way to survive?

Could he really team up with his teacher Orochimaru and stage a Xuanwu Gate Incident in Konohagakure, creating a ninja-world version of the Xuanwu Gate succession?

Capturing her was also not an option.

Common sense in the Ninja World is that ninja are fragile; even the most powerful ninja can be taken down by a much weaker one through carelessness.

But capturing another ninja absolutely requires overwhelming superiority in strength.

If Yamanaka Chujiu and Shisui Uchiha working together possessed the strength to overwhelm the Two-Tails jinchuriki, Sarutobi Hiruzen would be a fool to believe it—he wouldn't be the Third Hokage!

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, the Fourth Raikage, and everyone else would all conclude that Yamanaka Chujiu held a great secret.

A secret that allowed a Special Jonin to defeat and capture a perfect jinchuriki!

By then, even Orochimaru couldn't protect him…

Wait, Orochimaru might even suddenly turn hostile, teaming up with Shimura Danzo to go after Yamanaka Chujiu, trying to crack the secret on him.

Therefore, manipulate Nii Yugito to stall for enough time, and incidentally let Shisui Uchiha inflict a certain degree of injury on her to weaken Kumogakure's combat power.

Of course, such a long time was also enough for him to do some work on the Two-Tails Matatabi, planting a few extra Thought Seals.

Even if he couldn't turn the Two-Tails into a summoning beast this time, after a few more attempts it would surely succeed.

Yamanaka Chujiu couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Tch, I'm truly a villain!"

"But when heaven offers, refusing it brings disaster!"

"It's you, Matatabi, who failed to grow a brain, plainly laying yourself out before me; if I didn't reach out and take it, I'd surely regret it for a long time."

"If my thoughts can't flow freely, it will damage my Dao-heart!"

"So you can't blame me!"

"Most importantly of all, I didn't lay a hand on Yugito—I went after the Two-Tails, Matatabi. It's a Tailed Beast! Not a person!"

"I didn't violate the prohibitions I set for myself!"

Yamanaka Chujiu finished his mental preparation, and a smile appeared on his face.