Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Chapter 242 Kakuzu: The Blame Falls from the Sky

In the base behind the huge waterfall, the middle-aged man who is the leader of the Taki Ninja is anxiously waiting. The ninja team he sent out has been on the road for a while, but no news has been sent back yet, which makes him feel a little uneasy.
"Chief! Chief! They are back!"

As he was pacing back and forth, the voices of his men suddenly rang out from outside the door. Excited, he immediately opened the door and walked out, wanting to see who the strange intruder was.
However, the scene after he stepped out of the room really surprised him.
All he saw were his elite subordinates, who he was so proud of, lying on stretchers with bruised faces and black eyes. There was not a single piece of healthy flesh on their bodies. After being wrapped in bandages, their entire bodies were swollen like pig heads.

"Ouch~Ouch~"

The painful groan brought the leader of the Taki Ninja back to reality. He looked around and found the captain of his team.

He rushed to his side in two steps, looking at the subordinate in front of him with some pity, whose skin was so swollen that even his mother couldn't recognize him. He slapped his thigh fiercely and asked anxiously,

"Cock!"

"Xiongda, how many people are there on the other side?"

The captain of the Ninja Team, Yudai, is his most capable subordinate. He is also very powerful. After drinking the Hero's Water a few years ago, he was promoted to the elite level. In the entire garrison, only he and the eccentric Kaku can suppress him.
But now, he was beaten into this state, and he was injured but not dead, without any fatal wounds on his body. From this, it can be seen that the strength of the perpetrator must be far beyond theirs.
"Boss, I'm not Captain Xiongda, I'm Ouyang, the captain is over there!"

The man who was mistakenly identified was in tears. His thigh was fine at first, but after being hit by the leader, it was completely broken. However, he still endured the pain, stretched out his trembling fingers, pointed at the creature wrapped like a mummy beside him, and identified it aloud,

"Oh, it's Ou Xi."

The leader who had mistaken the person said with a wandering look, "Ou Xi, although he has many tricks, his strength is average. I guess his leg is broken by the blow I just made." Then he turned his gaze to the medical staff who were bandaging the wound and gave an order,
"After you go down, make a good wheelchair for Ou Xi. Do you hear me?"

"Yes Yes Yes."

"Xiongda, what happened? Were you ambushed?"

This time they found the right person. Xiongda was wrapped like a mummy, with only his mouth and nose exposed. After hearing the leader's question, he began to tremble violently, as if he remembered something horrible, and then struggled to utter a voice,
"One person, the other side has only one person"

"Nani? What ninjutsu did you use?"

"One punch. Just one punch."

"How could so many of you be beaten into this state by just one punch?"

After hearing Xiongda's description, the leader immediately expressed doubts, and even suspected that his subordinates were controlled by illusions.

".That punch blocked out the sky and the sun."

Recalling the punch that Hashirama Senju threw at him in the air, the ninja named Yudai's voice was filled with fear from the bottom of his heart. He had seen fists as big as casseroles, but this was the first time in his life that he had seen a fist bigger than a mountain.

"Hey~Have you found out the other party's information?"

Seeing his capable subordinate start to talk nonsense, the leader sighed slightly. He was afraid that Xiongda's head was damaged. Then he gave up hope and asked a routine question,
"Senju Hashirama, he said his name is Senju Hashirama!"

The name was the only useful information their team had obtained. As for the other party's purpose, a green caterpillar with seven tails?
If I tell you, I'm afraid the leader will laugh his teeth off.

"Senju. Senju Hashirama."

As the leader of the ninjas of Taki no Kuni, his knowledge must be many times higher than others. He was only somewhat familiar with the name Senju Hashirama, but he knew a thing or two about the surname Senju.
"Why did the guy from the Fire Country come to us?"

A gleam of light flashed across his half-closed eyes, and the leader of the Taki Ninja was puzzled. Although their Taki Ninja was adjacent to the Fire Nation, there was no intersection between the two countries. They were separated by several natural canyons and had never interacted with each other. There had never been a conflict.

But this time, the other party actually took the initiative to come to the door.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, they heard the news about the Hero's Water.

"Why did you come at this time, not earlier? There must be a traitor!"

The spring that breeds the Hero's Water only produces a small amount of essence every few decades. Calculating the time, this year should be the day when the Hero's Water is produced. The other party chose this juncture to come, and they must be coming for their secret treasure.

"Check for me who has been out recently."

The seeds of doubt had already been planted, and the leader calmly ordered his confidant,

"Chief, recently, only Jiaodu has been going out frequently."

Soon, the confidant returned with the results of the investigation. According to the records of the garrison, only the young man named Kakuzu had been out in the recent period.
"Is there anything suspicious?"

The leader's heart skipped a beat. Kakuzu was one of his most promising subordinates. He was extremely talented and had extraordinary strength at a young age. He had originally thought of giving a portion of the Hero's Water to that boy after it was produced. He never expected that the other party was more anxious than him and was even willing to commit treason.

"Well, according to the guards' description, Kakuzu always goes out empty-handed and comes back with a big bag on his back."

As expected! Such blatant treason, not even bothering to cover it up, doesn't he take him seriously?
Although the leader secretly hated them, he did not make it public. Now the enemy was working together from both inside and outside, and Xiongda was also injured in bed. If they really started fighting, he would be unable to handle it alone.

Humph! Why use force when you can use your wrist?

At the other end of the station,
After polishing the rusty kunai to look like brand new ones, the young man named Kakuzu placed them on the table with satisfaction. Looking at the densely packed, coldly shining kunai in front of him, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Haha, I can make a lot of money again!"

There was a golden light flashing in Kakuzu's eyes. Each kunai was like a pile of green banknotes.

It was worth it that he went out day and night to clean up the battlefield and touch the corpses, picking out one broken kunai after another from the layers of broken limbs and arms.

"However, the Fire Nation hasn't been at war lately. Next time, we can only go to the Earth Nation to make a fortune."

Touching the gleaming kunai, Kakuzu was filled with doubts. In the past few years, the Land of Fire was his treasure land of wealth, with battlefields everywhere. He could get a large bag of it just by touching it.

However, the economy is not doing well now. After going around for a long time, he only touched a few. He could not earn as much as he could by completing a task.
"Next time, unless I receive a mission, I will never go to the Fire Country."

"Wow~"

Behind the largest waterfall in Taki no Kuni, a long-haired man with a tangled face looked around.
"Could it be that the intelligence is really wrong? This shouldn't be the case. It was clearly quite accurate before~"

At this moment, Senju Hashirama stood on a large white cocoon with a somewhat frustrated look, his eyes filled with anger, and he couldn't help muttering to himself,
You know, it's not easy for him to go to Taki Country. The remaining tailed beasts are either in the eastern sea or near Hot Spring Country. He originally planned to capture all the tailed beasts in the west of Fire Country and then move to the east, but he came up empty-handed here.
"How abominable!"

"Boom!!"

Hashirama stamped his feet angrily, and his big feet, which contained strange power, stepped hard on the large callus under his feet, making a violent thumping sound.
Chongming: Use it to make it harder!
"Ku Lama, don't come over here, there's a scary guy here!"

Chongming, who was in the cocoon, gritted his teeth and dared not make any sound, fearing that he would arouse the suspicion of the evil star above him. He could only call Jiuwei in the chat room to give it a shot of prevention in advance.
"What, so fast?"

The Nine-Tails, who had already entered the Land of Taki, cried out in disbelief after hearing what Chongming said.
"Does the other person have the red eye disease like Indra?"

Nine-Tailed Fox was nervous and quickly spoke out to confirm,

"There is no trace of Indra's aura, though."

Zhongming carefully checked the Senju Hashirama above his head. After confirming that there was no cold power unique to Indra, he breathed a sigh of relief and informed the Nine-Tails who was about to arrive of the good news.
"Just what?"

When it heard that it was not Indra, Nine-Tailed Fox felt relieved. It was not afraid of anything except the old man and his two beloved sons, so it asked casually with a relaxed and happy tone,
"Beep~beep~beep~"

However, Chongming, who was just on the phone, suddenly interrupted the conversation. The cold busy tone made Jiuwei feel cold all over. The hair on his body stood up and his vigorous steps became slow.
"Humph~ I'm not afraid!"

After thinking for a while, the Nine-Tailed Fox raised its head and snorted coldly. As long as it wasn't Indra who made anyone faint when he glared at him, it wouldn't panic. Chongming, that idiot, must have been controlled by humans because he couldn't fight back during the transformation period.

Thinking of this, Nine-Tailed Fox stretched out its limbs again and rushed towards the waterfall not far away. It wanted to rescue Chongming before he was completely captured.

Time goes back a few minutes.

"Bata~"

Senju Hashirama raised his foot in confusion. He wondered how he could have stepped through this uniquely shaped white boulder without exerting much strength.
"Um, this stone is empty?"

After shaking off the unknown liquid on his feet, Senju Hashirama discovered that the huge rock he had been standing on for a long time was actually hollow.

"hu~hu~"

Just as he was wondering, a suppressed gasp came slowly from the hole under his feet, which made him feel nervous. So he leaned over, put his face close to it and took a peek inside.

"Oh my god, what a big beetle!"

I saw Hashirama Senju's eyes flashing with excitement. He stared at Chongming who had already taken shape in the cocoon, and his saliva was almost dripping.

"So handsome!"

Armored insects have a fatal attraction to men, even the father of the child, Hashirama Senju, is not immune to this.

"If I catch this, Mada will be so jealous!" At this moment, Hashirama Senju, whose mind was bewitched by the handsome beetle, had already put the matter of catching the tailed beast aside, and was ready to catch this handsome big beetle.

"."

Zhongming felt offended, but he didn't dare to show any displeasure, because he had sensed a familiar power from the man above his head before Senju Hashirama stepped through his cocoon.

As a cautious person among the tailed beasts, Chongming adheres to the principle of not moving unless the enemy moves. Moreover, he has artificially broken out of the cocoon in advance. His condition is still very weak, so he immediately covers his head and pretends to be dead.
"It's a pity that it's not a tailed beast, but it's not bad either~"

Senju Hashirama looked carefully at the slightly panting Chongming, and glanced at the single tail on the other's butt, revealing a disappointed expression, but he quickly adjusted himself. After all, the harvest was quite good, capturing a handsome big beetle.

Not a tailed beast?

Hearing the mumbling of Senju Hashirama, the dead Chongming couldn't help but brighten up his eyes. He thanked the old man for the shape he made for him. No one would mistake wings for a tail, right?

"Stab!"

Suddenly, a harsh sound rang in Zhongming's ears. He glanced subconsciously and was horrified to find that the smiling Senju Hashirama tore open his cocoon easily like tearing paper, clapped his hands, and walked towards him step by step.

Sensing the danger approaching, Chongming was shocked and subconsciously used his scale powder to try to confuse the sight of Senju Hashirama.
"It looks quite active, it should be able to last until Konoha~"

Seeing that Chongming began to resist, Senju Hashirama, who thought that the opponent was about to die, nodded with satisfaction, then clapped his hands and used his own wood escape technique. Several ferocious wooden dragons, wrapped in tremendous power, rolled towards the confused Nanabi.

Good news, this scary man is not Indra.

The bad news is that his brother is a living devil.

Chongming burst into tears, the experience of being sucked to death by the Wood Release was still vivid in his mind. Compared to Indra who made anyone faint by glaring at him, they were more frightened by Ashura who used a big wooden man to do Thai massage.

"Nine Lamas"

Although it had just contacted the Nine-Tailed Fox, it had not yet informed the other party of the true identity of the man in front of it. Now that the wooden dragon had given a warning, it had to remind the Nine-Tailed Fox.
However, before he could dial the number, the wooden dragons had already entangled him. With a familiar suction force, Chongming's body softened and he lay straight down.
Hey, this living devil, I can’t beat him, I might as well just lie down~

Anyway, the other party looks stupid and stupid, and hasn't recognized himself as a tailed beast. When he lets down his guard, he can just spread his wings and run away.

As a result, Chongming, who had no intention of resisting, was captured so easily.

“This slime.”

After easily grasping it, Senju Hashirama clapped his hands excitedly. This trip was not in vain. Just based on this handsome big beetle, he could brag about it in front of Madara for the rest of his life.

But just as he raised his foot, the mucus remaining in the cocoon caught his attention. This liquid, which was rich in some strange power and full of violent aura,

Looking down, Hashirama Senju discovered an ancient man-made canal next to the cocoon. The mucus left in the cocoon was slowly flowing into it.
Is anyone collecting this slime?
Senju Hashirama raised his eyebrows and speculated in his mind,
"Chief, the water of heroes has begun to flow ahead of schedule!"

In the ninja base of Taki no Kuni, the leader had just finished comforting the injured ninja team and hadn't even sat down to relax when he heard an urgent report. Hearing this, he stood up with a gleam of disbelief in his eyes.
"How come it's so early?"

According to their records over the years, the flow cycle of the Hero's Water is very accurate, with an error of no more than one month. According to the time, the Hero's Water will flow again at the end of this year. Why is it early?

"Take me to see it!"

The leader, who was in doubt, immediately called his confidants and ran towards the direction of the Hero's Water.
"Why is this hero water so viscous?"

Coming to a hidden narrow space, the leader frowned, looking at the sticky liquid slowly flowing down from the top of the cliff, and called out in confusion,
He has been the leader for some years, but he has only seen the Water of Heroes flowing twice. The Water of Heroes was always as clear as water before, but this time it became sticky and made people feel physically uncomfortable.

"But the efficacy has not changed, and it even seems to be stronger."

The leader dipped his finger in a little sticky Hero's Water, put it in his mouth and tasted it carefully. Feeling the violent chakra rushing through his meridians, he couldn't help but see his eyes light up. This time, the Hero's Water was even more effective than before.

Taki Kingdom is about to take off!

The leader looked at the sticky water of heroes in front of him excitedly, and he could no longer suppress his excitement. As long as they had this water of heroes, their Taki Country would surely rise.

"Hey~ Why are you drinking this?"

Just when the leader of the Takikuni Ninja was immersed in beautiful fantasies, a disdainful voice sounded in his ears, making his whole body tense up. He subconsciously took a defensive posture and looked at the person who came vigilantly.

"Who are you and how did you get in?"

This is their forbidden area. Not to mention strangers, even their own people have to go through layers of screening before they are qualified to enter.

"Um, I'm Hashirama Senju, I came down from above~"

After all, he was an outsider, and he had to consider the locals' face when he came to someone else's land, so he touched his head embarrassedly and replied sincerely,

"You are Senju Hashirama! You are the one who beat Yudai and the others into such a mess?"

The leader, who was originally on high alert, had his eyes instantly turned red after hearing Senju Hashirama's self-introduction. This seemingly honest man in front of him was actually a ruthless thug.
Moreover, this guy is suspected of plotting against their secret treasure, so he must not be let off easily.

"Xiongda, you mean those guys with bad breath, right? I just taught them a lesson, no one was killed."

Senju Hashirama suddenly realized and replied with a frown,

"What is your purpose? Are you eyeing our secret treasure?"

Since the other party has found this place, the leader no longer keeps it a secret and speaks directly.

At the same time, with his hands behind his back, he made a subtle gesture to his confidants, asking them to cooperate with him and wait for the right opportunity to act.

"Secret treasure? No, no, I'm just looking for a green caterpillar with seven tails."

Unexpectedly, the other party misunderstood the purpose of his visit, and Senju Hashirama quickly waved his hands to explain,

"Seven tails? Caterpillar!"

The leader, who originally had a gloomy expression, suddenly had his pupils constricted after hearing Hashirama Senju's explanation. His heart seemed to slow down for a moment, and a surprised sound escaped from the corner of his mouth.
"You know? Please let me know. I, Senju Hashirama, will reward you handsomely!"

Senju Hashirama, who was about to leave, stopped immediately after seeing the expression of the leader opposite him. He looked at the other party excitedly and asked anxiously,

"We don't have any green caterpillars with seven tails here. We won't pursue Xiongda's matter for now. Please leave as soon as possible, otherwise don't blame us for being rude."

After recovering from the shock, the leader's eyes flashed with an ambiguous light, and he ordered them to leave expressionlessly. At this moment, he did not care why Hashirama Senju beat his men, or whether he coveted their secret treasures.
"Then you were shocked just now!"

"It's not normal to be shocked when hearing such an incredible insect, don't you think~"

The leader explained calmly, and turned around to ask his confidants behind him,

"That's right, that's right~"

"It really shocked me for a hundred years~"

"Okay, sorry to bother you, I'll take my leave now~"

Although he felt that the other party's attitude was a little strange, Hashirama Senju could not continue to press the issue. After all, this was a personal issue. If it got really serious, it would be escalated to the national level.
He had just promised the Daimyo of the Fire Nation to seek a peaceful path, but he couldn't turn around and go to war with his neighbors.

Looking at the back of Senju Hashirama, the leader slowly breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned his gaze to the slowly flowing Heroic Water. He not only knew about the seven-tailed green caterpillar, but also knew it better than anyone else.
The Water of Heroes is not rootless water. Only leaders of all generations are qualified to know its secret.

In the huge waterfall of Taki no Kuni, there lives a mythical beast. It has three forms in total. One of them is the green caterpillar with seven tails that Hashirama Senju just described.
At first, the mythical beast was in the form of a seven-tailed green caterpillar. After a period of time, the green caterpillar would shed its cocoon. The shed period was very long. After more than ten years, a six-winged beetle would break out of the cocoon and fly for several decades. The six-winged beetle would come back to shed its skin and become a green caterpillar again.
It goes round and round, endlessly.

The Hero's Water that they have been guarding is the water that flows out of the cocoon when the six-winged beetle breaks out of it.

"The Heroic Water is still flowing, which means it is still there. As long as it is there, our Taki Country will prosper."

"Master Chief, look at that guy. He jumped off the cliff!"

Just as the leader was staring at the Hero's Water and daydreaming, the surprised voice of his confidant sounded behind him.

"Just jump if you want to. Can we stop you if you want to die?"

He was interrupted with a look of surprise on his face. He looked in the direction pointed by his confidant, and the scene before him shocked him.
The departing Senju Hashirama jumped off a 100-meter-high cliff. Just as everyone was surprised, a wooden Arhat statue as tall as a mountain stood up from under the cliff. Every step his huge body took shook the earth.

But this scene was not the most shocking thing for them. When they saw the giant beetle behind the slowly leaving wooden man, the ninja leader of Taki Country could no longer hold back.
"This guy is not just coveting the water of heroes, he is clearly trying to dig up the roots of our Taki Country!"

(End of this chapter)