Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 94 Mask

Battlefield of the Land of Wind.

Sunagakure Village Camp.

Inside the meeting tent, Chiyo, Rasa, Pakura, and other Jonin were gathered. On the table in the center of their room were four different pale masks.

"Is this the Hollow Mask?" Chiyo's right hand extended five chakra threads from its five fingers, the other end of which connected to a mask on the table.

Under the control of the chakra threads, the mask was kept suspended in mid-air.

"It's truly peculiar; it devours and interferes with the flow of chakra, while simultaneously eroding the spirit of those it comes into contact with! And the medium for all of this is the chakra of a ninja!"

After carefully observing, Chiyo was somewhat surprised.

As the puppet master of Sunagakure, the effort and energy she expended controlling such a mask were actually greater and higher than controlling multiple puppets in battle.

In particular, the power that invaded her mental world along the chakra lines gave her a sense of déjà vu.

What is it?

Chiyo frowned, deep in thought. Suddenly, when her gaze fell on an elderly man who had come with her in the corner of the tent and looked very old, she immediately understood where this sense of familiarity came from.

Jinchūriki!

According to the information Rasa provided, the amplification and mental corruption associated with this mask are similar to those of an out-of-control Jinchūriki in many ways.

Especially the accompanying unsettling, malevolent power. It seemed to be mixed with Yin magic, souls, and the power of nature.

"You only managed to snatch four? Where did those Cloud Ninja barbarians get these masks?" Chiyo released the chakra threads and placed the masks that were controlled by the threads back on the table.

She didn't believe these masks originally belonged to the Cloud Ninja. As someone who had been active in World War II and had children and grandchildren, she knew more about the secrets and intelligence of the ninja world than most others.

After all, living a long life and holding a high position, one is bound to know things that others do not.

Was it a spoil of war that the Cloud Ninja plundered from the Uzumaki clan back then?

The Uzumaki clan seems to have a ritualistic practice involving masks.

But shouldn't that be a regular sacrificial ceremony?

Chiyo subconsciously made a connection to a certain possibility. When the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, the Cloud Ninja, who were the main force, obtained the most spoils. It's hard to say what they got from the Uzumaki clan.

After all, in terms of longevity, the Uzumaki clan is one of the few that can rival the Hyuga, Uchiha, and Senju clans. It's not surprising that such a family would possess some special ninja tools and treasures.

"It's Konoha!"

Rasa's answer made Chiyo raise her head. The word Konoha filled her with disgust, and if she had no other choice, she would never want to form any meaningful alliance with Konoha.

Of course, White Fang's death was some consolation to her.

"Information extracted from a Jonin prisoner revealed that the Cloud Ninja once sent an envoy to Konoha in order to obtain the healing talisman technology created by Konoha's Technology Development Department."

In addition, the delegation brought back a special mask. Rasa told Chiyo everything he knew.

"One?" Chiyo nodded first, then looked at Rasa in astonishment, and then at the four masks on the table.

"They're all real." Rasa naturally noticed Chiyo's doubts, but he had also had people test all four masks, and they were indeed consistent in every way.

"Did those Cloud Ninja barbarians master the technology to make masks?" Chiyo even temporarily put aside the question of healing talismans and asked with a serious expression.

The impact of the mask on the battlefield is second only to the appearance of the tailed beasts, and in some situations, the mask is even more useful than the tailed beasts.

If the war situation hadn't become so dire, she wouldn't have needed to bring the last of the village's available ninja forces to provide support.

One of the culprits behind all this is the mask! It disrupted the balance of power on the battlefield.

"It's probably even more troublesome than that!" Luo Sha's expression was complex, even tinged with a hint of fear: "They're splitting apart!"

Chiyo's gaze sharpened instantly.

"Souls! They are feeding on the souls of ninjas! All the ninja souls they kill, corrupt, and influence will form some kind of close connection with them."

"And when it has devoured enough souls, the mask will split. From one, it becomes two!" Rasa said, a chill running down his spine.

He had personally witnessed the scene of a person who had been transformed by wearing a mask, his face filled with fear after the mask was removed, and then his physical body dissipating like flying ashes.

The battlefield of the Ninja World War became the perfect breeding ground for the masks to accumulate power!

Chiyo and the Jonin inside the tent stared silently at the four pale masks on the table, each with a different expression.

Luo Sha didn't know what this situation meant, but his instincts made him keep his distance from the mask.

"What about Konoha? What's the news from Konoha? I remember Orochimaru from the front lines, he's the founder of the technology development department, right?" Chiyo's gaze swept over Rasa.

"I sent people to inquire, but Orochimaru's response was only that the mask involves the soul and nature, and is related to the masks used in the Uzumaki clan's rituals." Rasa shook his head. He believed that Orochimaru must know more, but he certainly wouldn't easily reveal that "more."

"Furthermore, Orochimaru revealed a very important piece of information!" Rasa, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the tent, said in a serious and earnest voice, "The power of the mask can be increased!"

Is it scalable?

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, but their expressions changed drastically in an instant.

Since the power of the mask itself is already astonishing, if it can evolve and grow, will its final power really rival that of the tailed beasts?

"What are the conditions?" Chiyo keenly grasped the key point. Given the dire situation in Sunagakure, she didn't mind using some means to strengthen her own forces.

Even though she knew that the always sinister Orochimaru would never kindly reveal this information to the Sand Village, and that there must be some reason she couldn't yet figure out, she wouldn't give up.

Because the Sand Village has truly reached its final moment. Success means survival, failure means the Sand Village might survive, but it will never become one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Even if it's a cup of poisoned wine, the Sand Village has no choice but to grit their teeth and drink it.

After all, she brought the One-Tailed Jinchuriki with her this time, so she was prepared to go all in.

"soul!"

Luo Sha gave everyone an answer that was exactly what they expected.

"A large number of souls, or the souls of powerful beings! The stronger a ninja is, the more souls are absorbed and accumulated by the mask, and the faster the mask can evolve and grow."

What Rasa didn't say was that the flesh and blood of bloodline limit ninjas were also part of the Masked Ninja's recipe. However, they didn't actually devour the flesh and blood of bloodline limit ninjas; instead, they absorbed their blood and devoured their abilities.

"In other words, their evolution has already begun!"

Chiyo glanced outside the tent and vaguely smelled the faint scent of blood and the oppressive, despairing atmosphere in the air.

"Do you have any information on the number of masks the Cloud Ninja barbarians have?" Chiyo asked Rasa.

"Three masks!" Luo Sha stated a number without hesitation, "But that's just the previous number. We don't know if they have any other masks hidden."

Chiyo's pale complexion improved slightly.

Three.

There are four of us on our side.

In terms of numbers, our side can use the masks to create four powerful mutants.

"But the three masks on the other side are far more powerful than the masks we possess. Especially One; every time it appears, it brings defeat to the Sand Village."

Rasa glanced at Chiyo cautiously, then forced himself to speak.

"It is indeed difficult to deal with. It now poses a threat no less than that of the Tailed Beasts," Yekura added from the side.

That monster that slaughtered indiscriminately on the battlefield was the nightmare of all the Sand Ninja who had witnessed its terror. At least half of the Jonin in the tent would show a grim expression at the mere mention of its name.

"Tell me the information. The next time it appears, it might be me facing it." Chiyo took in everyone's expressions and sighed inwardly.

If she could, she truly wanted to spend her twilight years with her grandson. But her scorpion hadn't returned to the village for a long time, and there had been no news of him. Just like the missing Third Kazekage, he remained untraceable to this day.

She was also preoccupied with many affairs, and couldn't even send someone to find her scorpion.

"As far as we know, the power of the masks differs from that of the tailed beasts. The masks amplify their power based on the power of the ninjas they absorb."

Generally, the first ninja to wear it will have their strength and abilities simply amplified by the mask. However, the more souls it absorbs and the more wearers it has, the more likely the mask will eventually evolve into a power similar to a ninja's bloodline limit!

The three masks possessed by Yunyin are number one, number two, and number four. Number one represents ultimate defense, survivability, and destructive power.

It is said that its first wearer was Monim, a steel-style ninja from the Cloud Village, so its defensive power is the strongest of all masks!

Its skin, known as steel skin, can withstand all thrown ninja tools and even most wind-style techniques.

Even if you manage to break through its defenses and inflict damage, its powerful vitality will quickly heal its wounds.

It possesses incredible strength, capable of inflicting area damage similar to ninjutsu with sheer power. If it manages to penetrate a group, even a Jonin might die.

Most terrifyingly, it can now perfect its power by devouring. Last time, it not only possessed powerful defense, rapid regeneration and healing power, and immense destructive force, but also speed and the ability to conceal itself.

It is an immortal monster roaming the battlefield. Unless its mask is removed, or its wearer's body is left to decay and collapse, the battlefield where it roams is a meat grinder.

Luo Sha said slowly.

"What about sealing techniques?" Chiyo asked, frowning. "Wouldn't sealing techniques be the best solution against such a troublesome enemy?"

Chiyo, who was clearly troubled by Rasa's words, was somewhat angry. Just like the Tailed Beasts, all the ninja villages that possessed them knew that the best way to deal with them was not to exhaust themselves killing them, but to seal them away as much as possible.

"The sealing team has suffered heavy losses, and they cannot prepare for sealing unless they can restrain the enemy. We must preserve the sealing team's strength to deal with other major troubles," Rasa replied.

Chiyo remained silent for a moment.

She also thought about what other big troubles Luo Sha had mentioned!

Tailed Beasts!

Whether it's a Jinchūriki from the Cloud Village or the Sand Village, a sealing team is always needed. In case a Jinchūriki goes berserk, the sealing team has to step in and try to seal the Tailed Beast.

The war between the Cloud Ninja and the Sand Ninja has now reached this point. Without external intervention, it is highly probable, or even inevitable, that both sides will release their tailed beasts for a final battle.

Thinking of her own Jinchūriki, Chiyo couldn't help but glare again at the old man in the corner who was resting with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the outside world.

Even though the village is in such a critical moment, Bunpuku is still unwilling to release the power of the tailed beast to fight for the village.

What's even more remarkable is that Bunpuku doesn't exhibit the typical Jinchūriki's tyranny or resentment and hatred towards the village. Even when the village imprisoned him, he remained calm and composed.

As a Jinchūriki, Bunpuku was simply an anomaly.

Despite being incredibly powerful and capable of effectively controlling the Tailed Beast to prevent it from breaking through the imperfect seal, he insisted on treating the Tailed Beast as if it didn't exist.

However, at this crucial moment, if Bunpuku remains stubborn, then they will have no choice but to forcibly release Ichi-Tachi.

"Your choice is right; I was just being nosy," Chiyo said, shaking her head.

"What about Iwagakure? We've already held off the Cloud Ninja forces. When are they going to keep their promise to us?"

Faced with Chiyo's question, Rasa remained silent for a moment before replying, "Iwagakure has already fought many battles with Kumogakure. Onoki wants to eliminate this major problem of Kumogakure once and for all."

"One-time use?" Chiyo frowned slightly. As a living fossil among the five great ninja villages, Onoki is undoubtedly someone who must be taken seriously.

Chiyo, who had fought Iwagakure many times, knew very well that if that stubborn and domineering old man, Onoki, said that, he must have a plan.

"Yes, according to what Iwagakure revealed, Onoki has mobilized almost all of his ninjas this time, intending to surround Kumogakure and work with us to eliminate their forces."

Rasa was shocked and excited when he heard about the plan. In fact, the Hidden Stone Village had made great contributions to the Sand Village's ability to hold out for so long against the fierce attacks of the Third Raikage and the Cloud Village forces.

Rasa was well aware of Onoki's intentions in stalling for time. He simply wanted the Sand Ninja to wear down the Cloud Ninja's strength, ideally resulting in both Sand and Cloud Ninja being severely weakened, before the Iwa Ninja would step in to clean up the mess.

At that time, the Iwagakure ninja will be able to seize the most benefits, and the Sunagakure village, which has suffered heavy losses, will be unable to compete with Iwagakure.

When Iwagakure and Konoha went to war, Sunagakure, an ally of Konoha, was unable to provide support.

But regardless, if Onoki can really do what he says, then at least the current dire situation of Sunagakure can be resolved.

(End of this chapter)