Si Vis Pacem -‖- Para Bellum [Naruto FanFic]
Author: Assurbanipal_II
Arc XII Chapter 31
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â... ... ...â Tobi was standing in the middle of the cave, motionless, sunk in thought. His voice had fallen silent. He turned towards the source of his sudden consternation with apparent irritation, glaring at the boy even from behind his orange mask. His posture hardened visibly. Gone was his usual benign nature, replaced by something far more sinister. Even if it was just for a fraction of a moment, Tobiâs mask had slipped, much to her amusement. â...â
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Shikamaruâs eyes narrowed, his mind working tirelessly, piecing together available information. âHe didnât dodge, though. He didnât even try to. He took your attack head on. You shouldâve made contact, but you didnât. Upon impact, you phased right through him. I suspect that the enemy mustâve deployed some kind of intangibility. Probably through some sort of spatial displacement technique.â
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Shikamaru threw a glance at Lee. âHey, Lee, listen!â His words made Lee stand at attention. âDid you feel anything strange while passing through him? Anything abnormal? Any tickling? Or anything else? It doesnât matter what. Every piece of information is relevant!â
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Choji raised an eyebrow, his broad frame shifting ever so slightly. âWhat do you mean, Shikamaru?â
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Shikamaru continued his analysis, his eyes sharp. âBased on what we know, we canât exclude either option, but I have a strong suspicion that his intangibility applies only to himself. The fact that Lee felt nothing at all supports my theory. His ability is a jutsu. It must use chakra. If he was altering Leeâs state rather than his own, Lee would have felt something. He might not be a sensory ninja, but he would have noticed. You canât just pull a trick like this on someone without people realising.â
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Shikamaru glanced up. âThe questions remain, though, whatâs the range of his ability? How does he identify incoming objects? Does he require any direct vision? Or does he rely on a sensory field? How fast is his response? Can he affect multiple objects at once? Are there any other potential limitations?â
Tenten fidgeted, her impatient fingers twitching, itching for the next fight. âSo what are you suggesting then that are we going to do then? How are we going to counter his ability?â
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Shikamaru raised his index finger. One. âOur friend knows heâs miscalculated. We forced him to reveal his cards.â
He raised his middle finger. Two. âAnd last but not least, his intangibility isnât invincible. If it was, he wouldnât put on this whole farcical performance just to hide it. He wouldnât go to such lengths to play the bumbling fool. He wouldnât be some nameless lackey shoved around at will by our little princess. His ability has a weakness. Itâs just a matter of finding out.â
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Tobiâs chakra signature betrayed him. His use of chakra and the corresponding increase in ambient chakra was keenly felt. The increase was distinctive and noticeable. He might have thought himself subtle, but his use of chakra was far from inconspicuous. Quite the contrary. Her bare eyes were able to pick up on his chakra. Even without her Sharingan activated, she was able to discern his signature.
His use of intangibility correlated with an increase in chakra activity, which meant that the phenomenon was most definitely a jutsu that relied on chakra to operate. Furthermore, his use of chakra was localised and limited, which corresponded with the area of contact. Chakra activity ceased the moment contact ended, as did his intangibility.
His use of chakra was brief, controlled, precise, and meticulous. The conclusion was clear, as Shikamaru had suspected, his intangibility applied only to himself, and not even to his entire body. Only portions of his body turned intangible, and then only for brief durations. Which suggested that his ability was active in nature and not passive. His use of chakra was far too precise and controlled for a mere reflex reaction, which in turn implied that he had to identify incoming objects in order to deploy his intangibility.
And most importantly, the fact that he deliberately limited its use suggested either an exceedingly high chakra consumption prohibitive for prolonged combat or significant stress on the user, or both. Otherwise, such a limited and evidently efficient minded use of his chakra would not be required.
Nevertheless, despite all this, there was something else that aroused both her interest and suspicion. Her purple eyes saw beyond the veil. They saw what lay hidden. The phenomenon ... The jutsu ... His chakra ... The pattern ... The frequency ... It all felt strangely familiar. It all felt strangely suspicious. It was different, yet undeniably similar. She had sensed this pattern before. Quite recently, in fact.
...
...
...
â
âââââââ
âââââââ
â... ... ...â Tobi was standing in the middle of the cave, motionless, sunk in thought. His voice had fallen silent. He turned towards the source of his sudden consternation with apparent irritation, glaring at the boy even from behind his orange mask. His posture hardened visibly. Gone was his usual benign nature, replaced by something far more sinister. Even if it was just for a fraction of a moment, Tobiâs mask had slipped, much to her amusement. â...â
â
â
â
â
â
Shikamaruâs eyes narrowed, his mind working tirelessly, piecing together available information. âHe didnât dodge, though. He didnât even try to. He took your attack head on. You shouldâve made contact, but you didnât. Upon impact, you phased right through him. I suspect that the enemy mustâve deployed some kind of intangibility. Probably through some sort of spatial displacement technique.â
â
â
â
Shikamaru threw a glance at Lee. âHey, Lee, listen!â His words made Lee stand at attention. âDid you feel anything strange while passing through him? Anything abnormal? Any tickling? Or anything else? It doesnât matter what. Every piece of information is relevant!â
â
â
Choji raised an eyebrow, his broad frame shifting ever so slightly. âWhat do you mean, Shikamaru?â
â
â
Shikamaru continued his analysis, his eyes sharp. âBased on what we know, we canât exclude either option, but I have a strong suspicion that his intangibility applies only to himself. The fact that Lee felt nothing at all supports my theory. His ability is a jutsu. It must use chakra. If he was altering Leeâs state rather than his own, Lee would have felt something. He might not be a sensory ninja, but he would have noticed. You canât just pull a trick like this on someone without people realising.â
â
Shikamaru glanced up. âThe questions remain, though, whatâs the range of his ability? How does he identify incoming objects? Does he require any direct vision? Or does he rely on a sensory field? How fast is his response? Can he affect multiple objects at once? Are there any other potential limitations?â
Tenten fidgeted, her impatient fingers twitching, itching for the next fight. âSo what are you suggesting then that are we going to do then? How are we going to counter his ability?â
â
â
â
Shikamaru raised his index finger. One. âOur friend knows heâs miscalculated. We forced him to reveal his cards.â
He raised his middle finger. Two. âAnd last but not least, his intangibility isnât invincible. If it was, he wouldnât put on this whole farcical performance just to hide it. He wouldnât go to such lengths to play the bumbling fool. He wouldnât be some nameless lackey shoved around at will by our little princess. His ability has a weakness. Itâs just a matter of finding out.â
â
Tobiâs chakra signature betrayed him. His use of chakra and the corresponding increase in ambient chakra was keenly felt. The increase was distinctive and noticeable. He might have thought himself subtle, but his use of chakra was far from inconspicuous. Quite the contrary. Her bare eyes were able to pick up on his chakra. Even without her Sharingan activated, she was able to discern his signature.
His use of intangibility correlated with an increase in chakra activity, which meant that the phenomenon was most definitely a jutsu that relied on chakra to operate. Furthermore, his use of chakra was localised and limited, which corresponded with the area of contact. Chakra activity ceased the moment contact ended, as did his intangibility.
His use of chakra was brief, controlled, precise, and meticulous. The conclusion was clear, as Shikamaru had suspected, his intangibility applied only to himself, and not even to his entire body. Only portions of his body turned intangible, and then only for brief durations. Which suggested that his ability was active in nature and not passive. His use of chakra was far too precise and controlled for a mere reflex reaction, which in turn implied that he had to identify incoming objects in order to deploy his intangibility.
And most importantly, the fact that he deliberately limited its use suggested either an exceedingly high chakra consumption prohibitive for prolonged combat or significant stress on the user, or both. Otherwise, such a limited and evidently efficient minded use of his chakra would not be required.
Nevertheless, despite all this, there was something else that aroused both her interest and suspicion. Her purple eyes saw beyond the veil. They saw what lay hidden. The phenomenon ... The jutsu ... His chakra ... The pattern ... The frequency ... It all felt strangely familiar. It all felt strangely suspicious. It was different, yet undeniably similar. She had sensed this pattern before. Quite recently, in fact.
...
...
...
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