Konoha: Tsunade, I am the Hokage

Outside an underground black market in the land of rivers, Kakuzu suddenly slowed his pace.

He sensed something was wrong!

seem……

Someone is watching me!

However, after only a few seconds, Kakuzu continued walking inside.

After entering the door, he created a clone that quickly disappeared using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or technique).

Beneath the rocks, a plume of smoke vanished swiftly.

He sensed something was wrong!

According to the manual written by Kyohiko, when the enemy exhibits certain unusual signs, it means that they may have been exposed...

The best course of action is to conceal your presence and escape as quickly as possible!

The ninjas of the Ibri clan have always strictly followed their instructions.

and so.

When he noticed Kakuzu pause slightly, he immediately flew away without a second thought of lingering to observe further.

This saved his life.

Kakuzu searched all the way but found no one. Instead, he found a large cave and a network of rat trails.

Inside, there were several squeaking baby mice, terrified.

mouse?

Or, a spirit beast similar to a rat?

but.

There was no trace of chakra detected at the scene.

Or is it just my imagination?

Kakuzu emerged from the ground, his brow furrowed. He still couldn't believe it was just an ordinary rat; he suspected it was a summoned beast.

However, following the rat trail, no trace of chakra was detected.

At that moment, from the other side of the road, Kurozuki Raiga walked over with a knife tucked into his sleeve.

"Is it all changed?"

"Did you feel like you were being watched? Or did you sense the ninja leaving just now?"

"no."

Kurozuki Raiya shook his head.

He looked around and then said, "Do you feel like someone is following you? Do you have any leads?"

"No, we only found one relatively large mouse hole."

Kakuzu answered.

Kurosu Raiga looked around, gripping the hilt of a knife, his eyes filled with a hint of wariness.

"This place is close to the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, which is an area where the dark forces are active, so it's possible that we're being monitored."

"Yes, it's best to be cautious."

"That……"

"It'll be out soon."

Kakuzu's clone has already gone down to the bottom to accept missions and exchange them for money.

Kurozuki Raiga sighed silently.

Kakuzu...

This problem is really a headache!

Unfortunately, his opponent was very strong, especially after attacking Takigakure and stealing the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. He was well aware of the difference in their strength.

In the two-person team, he was in a weaker position and could only suppress his opinions.

He looked outside and couldn't help but think—

If he had known he would be cooperating with this guy, he would never have agreed to the Mizukage's request!

"Let's go."

Kakuzu created a clone and handed the scroll back to his original body.

He killed a ninja from Takigakure, and this was one of his bounties. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

"Making money won't be so easy from now on!"

Kakuzu sighed.

Kurozuki Raiga sighed softly.

"Money is something you only need enough of; what's the point of having so much?"

"I can live a long time, so it will definitely be useful for me. But you could die at any moment, so it won't be of much use to you."

Kakuzu chuckled softly.

Then, in a low voice, he said, "Let's go. Our goal is to hunt down Yekura; she ruined our plans."

"We previously found out that she appeared in the vicinity of Kikyo Castle in the Land of Rivers, which may have some connection with Konoha."

"It's okay, we'll just kill them and leave."

……

The northern part of the land of rivers.

Yekura was preparing to continue her infiltration into Amegakure to observe Hanzo and the village's situation, but after a while—

A wisp of smoke suddenly appeared in a crater not far from her.

Her gaze immediately turned serious.

"Who?"

The next second, the smoke in the puddle transformed into a person.

"Lord Yekura, this is a letter from the Konoha Anbu intelligence group, sent by the village."

"Um?"

Ye Cang was puzzled.

Previously, she would usually contact Konoha when she had any information, so why did Konoha take the initiative to contact her this time?

and……

She looked at the other person, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes.

How do Konoha ninjas find their own way?

and.

She didn't really notice the other person until they appeared.

This ability is very strange!

She took a deep breath, took the letter, glanced at it briefly, and fell silent.

Konoha was for the sake of Rasa and Sunagakure.

Sunagakure Village...

Yekura squatted on the rock.

To say she has no feelings for the village would be a lie, but she's not really willing to go back.

There is no place for her in the current Sand Village.

and--

She is under Kyohiko's control and it is impossible for her to truly return to Sunagakure.

Yekura remained silent for a few seconds.

"I've already answered that once before, and my stance remains the same: I won't be going back to Sunagakure. Rasa shouldn't even think about it."

After saying that, she got up to leave.

Upon hearing her reply, Ibrahim took out another scroll.

"This is a letter from Lord Kyohiko. He said that if you do not wish to return, he asked me to give it to you."

"what?"

Ye Cang paused for a moment, then took it.

She glanced at it and frowned slightly.

The above shows the movement trajectory of Kakuzu and Raiga Kurosuki. They are currently in the area of ​​the Land of Rivers, and Kyohiko judges that it may be related to her.

Finally—

"Interested in hunting down Kakuzu and Raiga Kurosuki?"

Hunting down Kakuzu and Kurozu Raiga?

Ye Cang's lips twitched slightly.

Where is the hunting...?

Given Yoshimine Kyohiko's abilities, she probably wouldn't even need to lift a finger to defeat Kurosuki Raiga and Kakuzu.

Her most important function is perhaps to act as bait.

but.

Ye Cang pondered for a moment.

"I will cooperate, but Kakuzu and Raiga Kurosuki are both very strong, so I hope he can come to our aid as soon as possible."

"yes!"

Ibrahim disappeared quickly.

……

Konoha, Anbu.

"Bird Number One is back!"

"Let me see."

Yamashiro Aoba immediately went over, took down the text on it, and quickly glanced at it.

"Send it to the office immediately!"

"Yes."

Watching the crows flying around, Yamashiro Aoba's face broke into a bright smile.

It worked!

The investigation traced Kakuzu from the Land of Rivers, and the news was quickly sent back to Konoha. After processing and analysis, it was sent to the front lines...

This efficiency is thanks to the crows who signed the psychic contract.

Although these crows have no ninjutsu abilities, under his training, they have gradually developed a high level of intelligence and teamwork.

The next step is to train them as much as possible and adapt them to intelligence operations.

This will require a lot of effort!

but.

At least, we've taken the first step.

The secret service office.

Jingyan received the reply, smiled, and said, "Go ahead, I understand."

Then, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to transmit the information to his main body and Kakashi, and then continued to handle official business.

A few minutes later, two figures appeared in the center of the Flying Thunder Formation inside Kikyo Castle.

Kyohiko and Kakashi arrived together.

"What's our mission this time?"

Kakashi was brought here by Kyohiko, but he was still unsure of what to do and was somewhat confused.

He hasn't participated in any field missions for a while.

Kyohiko laughed and said, "Kakuzu and Raiga Kurosuki are both rogue ninja from their respective villages. We'll kill them and send them to our villages."

"what?"

Kakashi was taken aback for a moment.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Who am I going to deal with? It can't be Kakuzu, can it?"

He doesn't know Kakuzu's specific information yet, but his strength is definitely top-notch. Even with his recent extra training, he probably wouldn't be a match for him.

"You deal with Raiga Kurosugi."

The opponent is using the Lightning Blade: Fang, and is quite skilled in Lightning Release. With Kakashi's mastery of Lightning Release, he can put up a fight against the opponent.

As for Kakuzu...

Kakashi and Kakuzu are fighting now...

That's like sending a heart.

"When are we leaving?"

"No rush."

Kyohiko led Kakashi out of the room and then to Mount Kikyo.

He has already instructed Ibri to lie in ambush near Yekura, so that he can provide immediate support should the battle break out.

Now that it's past, given Kakuzu and Raiga Kurosuki's vigilance, they would definitely run away immediately and wouldn't fight them again.

……

The country of Sichuan.

"We've found Yekura's location."

A person emerged from the ground.

Bai Zetsu said, "She's near the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, and it seems she wants to enter the Land of Rain."

A flawless version after careful inspection!

"Are they going to track down Hanzo? Hmph, she's really loyal!"

Kurozuki Raiya sneered.

Kakuzu said, "Loyalty what? She's just a back-and-forth guy; neither Konoha nor Sunagakure will accept her."

He took the scroll.

The scroll depicts Yekura's approximate location. Although it's not the usual spot, a ninja's activity range wouldn't allow them to travel too far in a short time.

Let's go!

Kakuzu increased his speed.

Some time later, on the border of the Land of Rain, a figure lurked in a thicket of trees.

She used her transformation magic to almost blend into her surroundings.

but.

To an experienced ninja, this transformation technique was clearly not strong enough.

At least, Kakuzu quickly noticed where she was hiding.

Thunderclaps crisscrossed in the rain.

Suddenly.

Gala!

A deafening clap of thunder came from behind, followed by a wild laugh that echoed all around.

"Enjoy the funeral I've prepared for you!"

The next second, the blades clashed.

boom!

Thunder Blade Technique - Lightning Strike!

Two bolts of lightning spread rapidly, striking forward from all directions, and reached Ye Cang's vicinity in the blink of an eye.

next second.

The blazing white lightning directly engulfed Yekura's body.

but.

This is just a shadow clone.

In an instant, Yekura had already appeared in the distance—

She rushed into the land of rain.

however.

In that instant, a massive curtain of water rose up from the rain curtain of the Land of Rain ahead.

Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!

The water, which crashed in all directions, was accompanied by intense lightning.

Lightning Release: False Darkness!

With the combination, the lightning of the ninjutsu exploded instantly, blasting outwards in all directions.

A torrent of thunder and water surged rapidly toward Yecang.

In an instant, more than a dozen fireballs appeared around Ye Cang, and the flames quickly scorched the surroundings as the wind blew.

but.

In the Land of Rain, her abilities are severely limited.

boom!

Water and fireballs exploded, creating a misty, rainy scene all around.

The corners all appear in front.

He sneered and said, "Ye Cang, the burial place you chose for yourself is quite good; it perfectly counters your own Scorching Release."

"Kakuzu, the traitorous ninja of Takigakure!"

Yecang's expression was solemn, as if she had just learned that he and Kurosuki Raiga were going to hunt her down.

A solemn expression appeared on her face.

"I didn't expect to see you here. So, Hanzo is cooperating with you after all?"

"you guess."

Kakuzu chuckled softly.

The next second—

Behind him, masks cracked one by one.

The Earthly Grudge Yu split off and became a separate entity.

"Although I can't use your Scorch Release technique, I still really want to keep the heart of a Bloodline Limit user..."

The next second, he formed a hand seal, and strands of resentment and hatred appeared.

At the same time, ninjutsu techniques appeared from all around.

Fire Release: Head Carving

Thunder escape · False darkness.

Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.

Wind Release...

The four ninjutsu combined, unleashing a powerful burst of chakra, and surged forward in an instant.

Wind and fire swept through, and water mines raged.

rear.

A thunderous feast descended.

With the help of the Raiga Raiga Raijutsu, Raiga Raiga's Lightning Release directly transformed into dense bolts of lightning.

Feast of Thunder!

Yekura unleashed her full chakra, forming hand seals, and a hurricane swept behind her.

The best course of action now...

The only way is to create a passage from behind.

but.

Raiga Kurosuki's strength far exceeded her expectations; his lightning-style bombardment actually blocked her wind-style ninjutsu.

Simultaneously.

The lightning bolt moved with incredible speed, reaching her in the blink of an eye.

The re-emerging fireball expanded, forming a formation around it.

She was extremely anxious.

If Kyohiko doesn't come soon, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to collect her corpse!

In my anxiety.

Yecang did not give up resisting or fleeing, but the wind and thunder gathered together, suppressing her escape route, and the swirling flames were about to engulf her...

At that very moment.

She sensed a fluctuation of chakra.

The next second—

boom!

A startling sound rang out.

The next moment, trees rose from the ground all around, forming a huge barrier.

Wood escape·Wooden spindle wall!

boom!

Flames, thunder, hurricanes, and water converged and exploded beneath the wooden ingot wall.

Kakuzu raised his head, his pupils immediately contracting.

Ahead, a wooden barrier perfectly sheltered Yekura.

This is……

Wood Release Ninjutsu!

and.

In this day and age, it's astonishing that someone can still produce such amazing wooden ingots.

Yoshimine Kyohiko?

Kakuzu took a deep breath, and the threads on his body changed once again.

The next moment, the wood disintegrated.

"Looks like I wasn't late. I hope I didn't scare you?"

Jingyan chuckled softly.

Ye Cang gasped for breath and coughed repeatedly: "I'm not dead, so I'm not late."

"Haha, I'll take that as a compliment, after all—"

"To prevent them from escaping, they must be allowed to penetrate deep enough!"

As he spoke, he clasped his hands together.

The still-unshrinking wood beneath his feet became one with his feet.

"Stop him!"

Kakuzu was surprised, and then the silk thread was instantly in front of Kyohiko.

This gesture...

He had heard Ban mention it.

Sage Mode!

"I've heard that you always like to tell people that you once fought against the First Hokage?"

Jingyan maintained the gesture of clasping his hands together.

Neither of them answered.

Because at this moment, he has only one goal—

Kill Kyohiko!

boom!

Many ninjutsu techniques converge once again.

"I'll block it..."

Yekura forms hand seals.

"No need! You deal with Raiga Kurosuki, I'll handle this one!"

Instantly, symbols bloomed all over Jingyan's body.

The Art of a Hundred Healings!

The next second, even more distinctive lines appeared on his face.

Sage Mode.

He was in full force, his eyes filled with icy killing intent.

"Kakuzu, the First Hokage couldn't kill you back then, but today, I won't give you a chance to escape!"