Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 215 Yellow Flash

"Didn't succeed?"

Back at the camp, Jiraiya's heart sank as he watched Mitarashi Shishou return empty-handed, guessing that his sister-in-law might have been captured.

"The other party was very fast. We chased them all the way to the beach, but we can confirm that they are still alive."

Mitarashi Shishou said helplessly, "We tracked them all the way to the sea, but once we reached the sea, we couldn't continue the pursuit."

"Can you confirm the other person's identity?"

Clenching his teeth, Jiraiya was also very annoyed.

He had only been there a few days when one of his own powerful members was kidnapped by the enemy, and his fate was unknown. This was a provocation against him.

"No, only the Inuzuka clan's ninjas remembered the other party's scent."

Mitarashi Shishou was even more helpless. It was embarrassing to even mention it: their own powerful member had been captured on their own territory, and they hadn't even seen a trace of the person who captured him.

"Could the Inuzuka ninja smell this?"

At this moment, Minato Namikaze, who was standing behind Jiraiya, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and took out a brand new book. The portrait of the woman on the cover alone was very eye-catching.

Upon seeing the book's cover and title, Mitarashi Shishou's eyes widened in disbelief. The expressions of the others present were also quite strange, their gazes constantly shifting between Jiraiya and his disciple, Namikaze Minato.

They truly are a master and disciple!

They knew Jiraiya's character well; he didn't have any major problems, but his minor quirks were quite disliked, to the point that they didn't even dare let their wives go to the public bathhouse.

I never expected that the seemingly serious Minato Namikaze would also have picked up such a bad habit. You really can't judge a book by its cover.

"Minato, this is not the time for jokes."

Jiraiya felt a little embarrassed, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of relief.

As expected, Minato secretly inherited his excellent style, and with the Flying Thunder God Technique as a foundation, his future achievements will surely surpass his own.

"This was given to me by Tamura Hiroshi. I haven't read this book yet, so it should still have his scent. I wonder if it still does after all this time."

Minato Namikaze forced himself to explain that this was a gift from that bastard during the Chunin Exams.

But he only watched it to get to know the other person, really!

"You also doubt him?"

Nara Shikaku was surprised, and Minato was also wondering if it was that person.

"You suspect that kid kidnapped Koizumi?"

Upon hearing that name, Jiraiya became serious, and Mitarashi Shishou went out to find the Inuzuka ninja who had just returned with him.

"According to the information previously sent back, there were no signs of fighting around Izumi's treehouse, and even the burning treehouse was intact, and the surrounding explosive tags were not triggered."

Izumi's strength is not weak, but the opponent was able to injure and take him away. This could be due to the use of drugs, illusions, or the opponent's strength or speed being too great, leaving Izumi no time to retaliate.

There are no such strong individuals in Kirigakure; it can only be from Kumogakure. The only ones who fit the criteria are Tamura Hao and Uchiha Hikaru.

However, Uchiha Hikaru possesses a space-time jutsu and can teleport over extremely long distances, making it difficult for him to leave a scent that we can track. Therefore, Tamura Hiroshi is more likely the culprit.

Nara Shikaku shared his analysis, saying that he had been pondering the matter since the news came back and was quite certain that it was Tamura Hiroshi.

Jiraiya and the others remained silent, but they agreed with this analysis. They had made some guesses before, and there weren't many people who could capture Koizumi so easily.

Minato Namikaze agreed, saying that his initial reaction was just a gut feeling, while Shikaku provided a detailed analysis, truly befitting the Nara family.

A moment later, an Inuzuka ninja entered with his ninja dog. After taking the book, he first gave Namikaze Minato a strange look, then sniffed it carefully, but found nothing. Finally, he handed it to the ninja dog beside him.

The ninja dog had a stronger sense of smell, and it sniffed for a while before barking.

"There was that person's scent, but it was very faint, extremely faint."

After communicating with the ninja dog, the Inuzuka ninja indicated that there was a scent.

"It really was him."

Jiraiya was furious when he got confirmation; that kid was too arrogant.

"Senior Sakumo, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Jiraiya glanced at Sakumo Hatake, who remained silent while holding his sword. Neither of them had spent much time with the kid; only Sakumo had faced off against him on the northern front for several months, so he certainly knew more about him.

"He is very strong, but we should be more wary of his intelligence than his strength. According to the intelligence we have, he is the successor that the Raikage is training under Tsuchida. He will likely be the assistant to the Fourth Raikage in the future. Now, he has kidnapped Shimura Izumi before the war. He must have a deeper purpose."

"The Nara family member, keep a close eye on him from now on; he'll be your main rival here."

Hatake Sakumo knew that the boy's wisdom and courage were far beyond those of ordinary people. During the Chunin Exams, the boy had made many schemes and had made contact with the Uchiha Senju and himself.

"I knew coming here wouldn't be easy."

Nara Shikaku muttered something, realizing he'd have work to do from now on.

"What a troublesome brat."

Jiraiya was extremely annoyed; he least wanted to face such a troublesome opponent.

"Should we report this to the Third Hokage?"

Yuhi Shinku inquired, after all, Shimura Izumi's identity was too special.

"No need. The situation in the village isn't good either. The teachers have more worries than we do here."

Jiraiya shook his head, deciding not to bother his teacher, and besides, the village no longer had any more forces to send over.

"The main focus of the upcoming war will be defensive warfare, holding off the offensives of Kirigakure and Kumogakure while looking for opportunities to counterattack and inflict heavy damage on the enemy."

When Jiraiya talked about the next battle strategy, he originally thought of taking the initiative to attack, at least to destroy the military base that Kirigakure had set up in the Land of Waves. Without that military base near the Land of Fire, it would be difficult for the Kirigakure ninja to gain a foothold there.

They gave up after only checking the mental state of the Hyuga branch family ninjas who were in charge here, and now Koizumi has been captured by them.

It's difficult!

Although he had mastered Lava Release and Sage Mode, he would still be at a disadvantage when fighting the Hidden Mist Ninja in the sea.

"The sea is not our home ground; fighting there would put us at a disadvantage."

Mitarashi Shishou agreed, as he also did not want to fight the Kirigakure ninjas at sea.

Putting everything else aside, all they need to do is launch a large-scale water escape at sea to create a tsunami that can be thrown at us, and there's simply no way to stop it.

Not to mention that most of the Hidden Mist ninjas can dive into the sea to fight, so even if they have the Byakugan to defend against them, it will be difficult for them to deal with it.

Most importantly, he didn't want Shimura Izumi to be killed because of them. If someone like Shimura Danzo held a grudge against him, things would get complicated in the future.

"Just hold on, don't be greedy and reckless, otherwise you'll easily be outmaneuvered by the enemy. The village and the Land of Fire can't afford to lose again."

Kurenai Yuhi's ideas were more conservative, after all, the Northern Front was completely wiped out because of its proactive attack.

Otherwise, according to the principles of the Hidden Cloud Village at the time, they could have continued that kind of fighting, perhaps even until the end of this Shinobi World War.

Unfortunately, the Uchiha were the ones leading that battle, and they all had some mental issues.

The other three fronts were all seeking stability, but you guys went on an aggressive offensive, and well, the result was that your entire army was wiped out.

Regardless of any shady dealings behind the scenes, the order to launch the attack was given by the Uchiha clan.

"Then let's be even more cautious."

Jiraiya glanced at Sakumo Hatake and agreed with Kurenai Yuhi's assessment.

Compared to victory, remaining undefeated is more important, which is what the teacher specifically reminded us of before we set off.

Leaving aside Jiraiya and the others who were discussing things here, on the other side, Tamura Hiro openly carried Shimura Izumi back to the Land of Waves, carrying her back to the manor under the watchful eyes of a group of Kirigakure ninjas.

"Why did you carry her back?"

Wearing his pajamas, Ye Yue Ai was completely bewildered. He had been sleeping soundly when he was woken up to find out that his junior brother had carried Shimura Izumi back, so he rushed over immediately.

Did he know that his junior brother was a fake spy? This is Shimura Danzo's daughter, how dare you?

"I know what I'm doing."

Tamura Hiroshi didn't explain much, but gave him a reassuring look.

He had Danzo's permission; as long as Izumi could reform and escape Hiruzen Sarutobi's clutches, even drastic measures were acceptable.

Seeing that her junior brother said this, Ye Yue Ai could not ask any more questions at this time, and could only inquire in detail later.

"You really do have designs on her."

Kushina Uzumaki, wearing fox-patterned pajamas, walked over and saw Izumi Shimura lying on the ground, convulsing. She immediately gave him a disdainful look.

He said he wasn't interested in her at first, but this time he ended up bringing her along.

"What do you know, you little kid? Her identity is extraordinary. As long as we have her in our hands, Konoha will not dare to attack easily, which will give us a greater advantage."

He reached out and tapped the girl's fair forehead. Tamura Hao had considered many factors when he brought her back.

"real?"

Kushina rubbed her forehead in pain, looking very suspicious. Did this big bad guy really not have any lewd thoughts about her?

"Fake!"

Rolling his eyes, Tamura Hao looked down at Shimura Izumi, who was being stabbed by lightning-style chakra. The next step was to settle the girl down. Perhaps he could use her as bait, but he didn't know if anyone would take the bait.

"You big bad guy!"

She glared at him angrily, then asked, "When are we going to the Land of Whirlpools next?"

She learned from her brother Ai that the next battlefield would shift to the Land of Whirlpools, or more precisely, to the peninsula of the Land of Fire, which is connected to their Land of Whirlpools.

"The rainy season will begin there in two months, and the rainfall will increase significantly, which will be more conducive to the collective combat of the Hidden Mist ninja."

This was the time they had agreed upon with Yagura and the others. The first phase involved Kirigakure secretly sending all of their Earth Release ninjas to build fortifications and camps there.

Once it's built, they'll all move over there, openly digging the river and dividing up the Land of Fire's territory.

Even if Konoha doesn't want to attack, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire will force them to attack.

They only need to wait in ambush and fight a defensive battle, which will make the fighting more enjoyable and more effective in wearing down Konoha's ninja army.

"This time, we're going to really teach that damned Konoha a lesson!"

Clenching her fists tightly, Kushina Uzumaki harbored intense hatred for Konoha, especially for the Hokage faction.

"Vanilla, go and fetch a copy of the manuscript."

Tamura Hao gestured to Uzumaki Vanilla, indicating that he needed to write a report to submit to Kirigakure to explain the capture of Shimura Izumi and avoid any misunderstandings.

Without hesitation, Vanilla Whirlpool turned and left, returning shortly with the manuscript.

Tamura Hiroshi sat down and quickly wrote down information about Jiraiya and the others, including not only their numbers but also their detailed methods and habits.

Especially Jiraiya, who had mastered Lava Release and Sage Mode, and Minato Namikaze, who had mastered Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Take this to the Mist Ninja on duty at the main gate."

After writing it down, Tamura Hao handed it to Uzumaki Vanilla. With this detailed information, Yagura Karatachi should be much more at ease when facing Jiraiya and the others in the future.

The intelligence was quickly delivered to Yagura Karatachi by the Hidden Mist ninja. Even though he was sleeping, Yagura Karatachi got up quickly and summoned all the high-ranking officers to review the intelligence and discuss it in a targeted manner.

"Sage Mode, Lava Release, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Flying Thunder God Technique—none of them are easy to deal with."

Having read the intelligence, Kusano Yato was very serious, and the others also understood the power of those two.

"We can only ask Ms. Uchiha Hikaru from Kumogakure to keep an eye on Minato Namikaze."

Qing suggested that such space-time ninjutsu was unsolvable; even if they had great strength, it would be useless if they couldn't hit anyone.

This is something that only Uchiha Hikaru, who is also proficient in space-time power, can handle. We mustn't let Minato Namikaze leave behind the Flying Thunder God Technique formula for someone, so they can come and kill them when they're sleeping at night.

Yagura nodded in agreement. He was helpless against that kind of space-time ninjutsu. Even if he launched a Tailed Beast Ball, the opponent could immediately run away, so it wouldn't be very meaningful. They could even transfer the Tailed Beast Ball to their heads, which would be fatal.

Against this kind of opponent, the Tailed Beast Cannon in the form of a beam of light is more suitable, at least you don't have to worry about it being transferred away by the opponent.

"How's the exploration going over there?"

They then inquired about the exploration of the second battlefield, explaining that it was no easy task to open up waterways based on the water levels of the bays on the east and west sides and the topography of the peninsula.

One of the ninjas in charge of contacting the matter stood up and replied, "The terrain of that section of the peninsula is still being explored, but it has been confirmed that the sea level of the eastern bay is much higher than that of the western bay. Once a river channel is opened up, a relatively rapid river can be formed."

The village consulted experts who provided a preliminary plan: we should first secretly use Earth Release ninjutsu to create an underground river, then bombard and excavate from west to east, using the underground river to quickly transfer rocks and soil to the sea.

"Start excavating from the west."

Yagura turned to look at the map hanging on the wall. This meant their fleet would have to go around a large bay, but it wouldn't be a big problem.

This battle won't last long; once the river is blasted open and dug out, it will be considered a success.

With that river serving as a natural barrier, Konoha cannot be breached without several times the manpower.

Where there is water, the Hidden Mist Ninja are the true rulers.

"Perhaps after we start the battle there, we can ask a group of Iwagakure ninjas to come and assist us, which will greatly speed up our river clearing."

Kusanagi offered a suggestion: he had a fairly good relationship with the son of the Tsuchikage, Koto, and if they could invite the Earth Release ninja from Iwagakure to come over, the excavation of the river would definitely be greatly accelerated.

"The Third Tsuchikage is a cunning old fox; he'll definitely try to make demands, but as long as they're not excessive, it'll be fine."

After thinking it over, Yagura nodded in agreement.

Of course, these are just their ideas and suggestions; we still need the Mizukage's approval for such matters.

"After fighting for so long, life must be tough for Iwagakure. And if we fight hard, the pressure on them will be less."

The Tongcao Ye Erren believed that the chances of success were high, and since they weren't making people work for free, they could pay them.

"It's not just the problems in Iwagakure; the problems within Konoha are even more advantageous to us. In order to inspire the ambition and morale of the major ninja clans, the Third Hokage has spread rumors about passing on his position and has even finalized the list of candidates."

While this could greatly boost the morale of the ninja clans, it would also exacerbate the conflicts between them.

The last decisive battle in the Land of Hot Springs perfectly illustrated this point. This time, the Senju clan will likely have their own agendas, and even Shimura Danzo and Fugaku Uchiha, who escaped last time, will be keeping an eye on things. Our chances of winning will increase even further.

Qing presented his analysis, which was unanimously accepted by everyone.

The internal conflicts within Konoha were already common knowledge. They were laid bare from the moment the Hokage faction plotted against Uzumaki Village, and they spiraled out of control after the death of the First Hokage's wife.

And so, the Uchiha clan followed in the footsteps of the Uzumaki clan, their elite forces were all wiped out, leaving them crippled.

The Hokage faction schemes against others, and others will scheme against them in return. I believe that those people will definitely not miss this opportunity created by the combined efforts of Kirigakure and Kumogakure.

"Senior Tongcao, you should lead a team to Iwagakure. You're more familiar with that area, so try to bring as many Iwagakure ninja as possible."

Alternatively, we could try having them send over the Four-Tails Jinchuriki; we could then share the secret technique of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

Furthermore, Jiraiya also possesses both Sage Mode and Lava Release, so Iwagakure would definitely be interested in that as well.

Yagura looked at Kusakabe no Eito, who was relatively familiar with Iwagakure, especially since he had become friends with the son of the Tsuchikage, making it easier to talk to him in the past.

Plus, with the alliance's name on it, bringing a group of people over shouldn't be a problem.

However, he hoped to bring over the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, not only because it would add another top-tier powerhouse, but also because having another Tailed Beast Jinchuriki would allow them to use the Tailed Beast Bomb to dig the river channel together, which would double the speed.

The faster the river channel is dug, the better, so that Konoha can adjust its strategy accordingly.

They also have enough bait on their side, besides the Tailed Beast Cannon they are researching, there is also Jiraiya who possesses Sage Mode and Lava Release.

The Four-Tails' power is Lava Release, and the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki also has Lava Release bloodline limit. The opponent must also be training in Sage Mode. Having a target as a reference will definitely make training much easier.

With these baits in place, we're not worried about the other side not coming.

"Mission accomplished!"

Tongcao Yeren was full of confidence, believing that this was a win-win situation for everyone and that Iwagakure might disagree.

"Everyone should be prepared. We must start a large-scale war with Konoha as soon as possible to draw their attention here and provide cover for the deployment of the second battlefield."

If we win this battle, a new chapter will begin for our Hidden Mist Village, and you will all join me in reaching the summit!

After scanning the crowd, Yagura Goji tachibana said confidently, showing full confidence in this battle.

"yes!"

Everyone stood up in unison, their hearts filled with excitement.

This battle is also crucial to their future; a victory would significantly elevate their status in the village.

Once the previous group of people retires, they will become the village's leaders.

(End of this chapter)