The Hand of God Creates the Strongest Hidden Mist Village

Chapter 183 My True Friend, Brother Cheng!

Konoha was deeply worried about Makoto's ambition and magnanimity.

However, Gouju Cheng himself was completely unaware of this.

Or rather, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care at all.

At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged on a flat rock at the edge of the camp, surrounded by dozens of shimmering silver senbon needles. He held a small carving knife in his hand and was engraving the coordinates of the Flying Thunder God on the latest senbon needle.

This thing is more concealed than a kunai, but it's really difficult to carve, requiring extremely high control over chakra.

"It's another sunny day."

"Brother Cheng, how many have you carved this morning?"

Hozuki Mangetsu came closer, holding a rice ball in his hand and chewing on it, and asked indistinctly.

"About a hundred."

Without raising his head, Goji Cheng's fingers moved as steadily as a machine, carving the knife across the surface of the senbon, leaving behind fine lines that were almost invisible to the naked eye.

"A hundred or so?!" Manyue almost choked on her rice ball. "You carved so many in just one morning?"

"This is nothing, my goal is a thousand."

"One thousand————"

Full Moon swallowed hard, and a scene flashed through her mind.

With a wave of his hand, Makoto Gojibana unleashed a torrential downpour of thousands of books, his figure flashing wildly among them, each afterimage a deadly attack.

"This is terrifying!"

"Is it scary?"

Makoto Koji finally raised his head, a smile playing on his lips: "This is nothing."

He casually placed the carved booklet into the booklet box beside him, then stood up and stretched his limbs.

"Let's go find that blond kid and spar again today. That Spiral Sky Light Extreme Sharp Flash Second Form is really interesting; I've almost figured it out."

"Still sparring, huh?"

Man Yue grimaced, "Brother Cheng, you're going to spar, I'm going to get beaten up. Those Konoha ninjas can't beat you, but every time they see me, their eyes look strange."

"Who told you not to practice properly? You're always messing around with your sword. The foundation of your Hozuki clan is the Water Release technique."

"Look at the Second Hokage, his Steam Violent Power is so powerful that even Bloodline Elimination would avoid its edge. And look at you."

"Stop chanting, Master, stop chanting."

Full Moon covered her head, her face full of bitterness.

Who can compare to the Second Mizukage? He was the Second Mizukage, who overpowered the Third Mizukage and surpassed the First Mizukage!

"Don't put on that act. Your clan elders said you're the most outstanding genius of the Hozuki clan in thousands of years, a natural-born favorite of the ninja swords. What, does the Second Hokage have such a title as you?"

"—Just listen to that old Deng's bragging. His second-generation ancestor had six attributes: fire, thunder, earth, water, yin, and yang. I only have water. How can I compare?"

"Learning without mastering, mastering without specializing"

"I'll practice! I'll practice!"

The full moon shrank them away, covering their heads.

Gouju Cheng laughed heartily, clipped the thousand-book box to his waist, and strode towards the training ground.

He had only gone halfway when an unexpected figure blocked his way.

"Lord Kujira, you're going to spar with Minato again?" Orochimaru stood by the roadside, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "You seem to be in quite the mood."

"Lord Orochimaru."

Gouju Cheng stopped and looked at the other person with a smile: "What, you want to spar with me too?"

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Orochimaru licked his lips: "I've always been very interested in your abilities."

Gouju Cheng raised an eyebrow.

Makoto Karatachi was actually quite interested in Orochimaru.

As the disciple of the Hokage, the leader of the Legendary Sannin, and currently the most popular candidate for the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru's mastery of various secret techniques is unparalleled in Konoha.

Training with Orochimaru seems like a pretty good option.

"Then please give me your guidance, Lord Orochimaru."

"Please, sir."

Orochimaru gestured for them to proceed.

The two arrived at the training ground.

Minato Namikaze was practicing the Rasengan when he saw Makoto Karatachi and Orochimaru walking towards him together, and he was slightly taken aback.

"Lord Orochimaru?"

"Minato, take a rest for a bit." Orochimaru waved his hand. "I'll spar with Lord Gouju for a few moves."

Minato nodded and stepped aside, but did not leave.

He was also very curious about what the showdown between Orochimaru and Makoto would be like.

A number of Konoha ninjas quickly gathered around the training ground.

Makoto Karatachi has been making waves in the camp lately, while Orochimaru is a legendary figure in Konoha. Naturally, their sparring attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

"Lord Orochimaru, how should we fight?" Makoto Kujira asked, flexing his wrists.

"Do as you please." Orochimaru smiled. "Fight however you wish."

"Then I won't be polite."

Before he could finish speaking, Makoto Kuraki unleashed a barrage of senbon needles, and in the next instant, his figure vanished from the spot.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

A gasp of surprise rang out from the crowd.

For most of them, this was the first time they had ever seen Makoto Kujira use the Flying Thunder God Technique. His figure flashed across the training ground like a streak of light, moving at a speed almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

"Flying Thunder God"

Minato Namikaze clenched his fists, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Although I already knew that Makoto Kuriju had copied the Flying Thunder God Technique, I still couldn't quite describe the feeling at this moment.

This is a forbidden technique of Konoha, the culmination of the Second Hokage's efforts, and the signature move that made him famous on the battlefield.

And now, it has been performed so casually by a Hidden Mist ninja.

"interesting."

Orochimaru licked his lips, his body twisting like a snake, dodging Makoto's first attack from an uncanny angle.

His speed is not as extreme as Minato Namikaze's, but his flexibility and reaction speed far exceed those of ordinary people.

Gouju Cheng's attack missed, and his figure disappeared again.

The next second, he appeared behind Orochimaru, his kunai aimed straight at the back of Orochimaru's neck.

Orochimaru didn't even turn his head; his neck twisted behind him at an almost impossible angle, and he spat out a long sword.

Kusanagi Sword!

The sword blade clashed with the kunai, sparking dazzling flashes.

Gouju Cheng used the momentum to retreat, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Lord Orochimaru, you are skilled."

"You are not bad either."

Orochimaru sheathed his sword and quickly formed hand seals.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!"

Several venomous snakes shot out from his sleeves, their gaping maws lunging at Gouju Cheng.

With a flash, Gouju Cheng disappeared from the spot once again.

The Flying Thunder God Technique's high mobility was on full display at this moment!

The onlookers shook their heads helplessly. No one wanted to fight Minato Namikaze on the battlefield because of the existence of the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Makoto Karatachi had also mastered this technique.

However, Orochimaru was not discouraged.

The moment the venomous snakes that missed their target landed, dozens of even larger snakes sprang out and surrounded Goujucheng.

These snakes were several times larger than the ones we had just seen, and their scales had a metallic sheen, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary snakes.

The next moment, Orochimaru slammed his hands to the ground.

More snakes emerged from the ground, densely packed and layered, turning the entire training ground into a sea of ​​snakes!

"The Formation of Ten Thousand Serpents!"

The entire swarm of snakes crushed and ground all the Flying Thunder God Senbon needles, forcibly rendering Makoto Karatachi's Flying Thunder God technique useless.

But a pity.

As the smoke cleared, Makoto Gojibana appeared at the edge of the training field, completely unharmed.

There wasn't even a speck of dust on the hem of his clothes.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and noticed a tiny mark under his feet.

"Were the coordinates for the Flying Thunder God Technique already set at the very beginning of the battle?"

Orochimaru withdrew his hands, and the swarm of snakes dissipated.

"Of course, it's not like we're short of chakra anyway." Makoto Karatachi said with a smile, "The most important thing about the Flying Thunder God technique is the coordinates. Only with enough coordinates can the upper limit of this technique be high enough."

"Your understanding is profound."

"So-so." Makoto Karatachi waved his hand. "Lord Orochimaru, I've heard you have considerable expertise in biomedicine and various ninjutsu research. I wonder if I'll have the opportunity to learn a thing or two from you?"

"Oh?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow: "You're interested in these things too?"

"That's natural. We in the Hidden Mist Village have done a lot of research on these things, but when it comes to research, the best solution is always to pool our wisdom."

""

"good!"

Orochimaru licked his lips, his gaze toward Makoto becoming increasingly ardent.

He enjoys all kinds of ninjutsu and learns them.

They even do all sorts of research now!

Is this what a true friend is?!

The sparring match between Makoto Karatachi and Orochimaru caused quite a stir in the Konoha camp.

Although it was just a tentative exchange that only went so far, the strength and skills displayed by the two still broadened the horizons of the Konoha ninja watching.

Orochimaru's unpredictable and ever-changing nature, and Makoto Karatachi's elusive and unpredictable movements—every move and every stance carried deadly intent, yet both were effortlessly neutralized by the other.

After the sparring session ended, the two met privately again.

The two looked at each other and saw a similar gleam of longing for the unknown in each other's eyes.

"Are you also interested in biomedicine?"

Orochimaru's voice carried an undisguised eagerness.

"That's natural."

Makoto Goji took out a small, sealed glass bottle from his pocket. Inside was a pale green liquid that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. "This is my own concoction of chakra cell activator. It's more than three times more effective than regular military ration pills, but with only one-tenth of the side effects."

Orochimaru took the glass bottle and brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully.

He even poured it into his palm to study it, and then drank it all in one gulp!

A moment later, a hint of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Indeed—it's far superior to regular military rations. Moreover, the side effects are extremely well controlled, and the damage to cells is almost negligible. Your expertise in biomedicine is far deeper than I imagined."

"Lord Orochimaru, you flatter me."

Gouju waved his hand, looking humble.

Although Kirigakure's medical system is not well-known in the ninja world, its research in certain areas is indeed at the forefront.

Especially in poisons, antidotes, and some other things —

Human experiments that are not suitable for exposure to light.

In that distorted era of blood mist, there were always some outstanding, hidden things that were exceptionally excellent.

Orochimaru had clearly heard the rumors as well, and his interest grew even stronger.

"If I have the chance, I would really like to have a chat with the medical experts from your village."

"There will be an opportunity," Makoto Karatachi said with a smile. "Orochi-sama is welcome to visit Kirigakure anytime after the war ends. I will personally entertain him."

"Then it's settled."

"no problem."

Gouju Cheng stood up and dusted off his clothes.

"Then I won't disturb Lord Orochimaru's rest any longer. Let's spar another day."

Take care.

Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile, and his gaze toward Makoto became increasingly intense, as if the person before him were a beautiful woman.

This young man hidden in the mist is becoming increasingly unfathomable to him.

Not only do they have strength, ambition, and skill, but they also possess—a vision and perspective far exceeding that of ordinary people.

If such a person could become a friend—

No, even if we can't be friends, we must never be enemies.

At the very least, we must not act rashly before finding his weakness.

Although the battle with Orochimaru didn't allow me to copy any forbidden techniques, it was still a good thing to have formed a positive relationship with him.

But that makes sense.

Although Orochimaru possesses various forbidden and secret techniques, how could he possibly use those forbidden techniques in such a public sparring session?

"It's alright, there will be plenty of time and opportunities after the war ends."

Gouju Cheng strolled leisurely toward his camp, calling out to Manyue twice in the process.

Full Moon responded and quickly jogged over. But after taking only two steps, Makoto Gojibana's gaze flickered and landed behind Full Moon.

"You are quite audacious, brazenly infiltrating Konoha's territory and following my men. You are truly fearless."

"Wh-what?"

Full Moon was startled and looked back sharply, but saw nothing.

But his expression remained unchanged; given Cheng-ge's intuition, there was no way he could be wrong!

'

""

Sure enough, a figure slowly appeared a moment later.

Secret Technique: Camouflage Invisibility!

"What?!"

Man Yue was greatly alarmed.

"You're quite bold, daring to follow my people with skills of this level."

Makoto Karatachi looked at the man in front of him wearing a Konoha Chunin vest and raised an eyebrow: "Wait, you're not a Konoha ninja, are you?"

"—As expected of you, Your Excellency!"

The Konoha chunin cautiously glanced around before speaking in a low voice, "I am indeed an Iwa ninja, and I have come here for you!"

"Oh?"

Makoto Karuta chuckled lightly: "I think I made myself quite clear on the battlefield. What, Onoki is still not satisfied?"

"There's a saying in the underworld: everything in this world has its own price. The reason you refused is simply because the price wasn't high enough."

Naiwa Shinobu took out a scroll from his bosom and presented it with both hands.

"The Third Tsuchikage asked me to convey this message to you, along with a message: Your strength displayed on the battlefield in the Land of Grass is truly admirable. Furthermore, you have already intervened twice to help Konoha. Therefore, Iwagakure is willing to offer you the same compensation as Konoha—to remain neutral."

Another five hundred million taels!

As long as Goji Berry doesn't interfere!

Man Yue, standing to the side, gasped, and the way she looked at Makoto Kuraki changed.

Another five hundred million taels.

It hasn't been that long.

First, they made a fortune of over 100 million ryo in Daimyo Prefecture, then they took 500 million ryo from Konoha, and now Iwagakure is actually offering them money!

Is this the true value of top-tier powerhouses?!

Full Moon was shocked, but Makoto Kujiri didn't even lift an eyelid.

He took the scroll and casually opened it, scanning the contents with the backlight.

The scroll is short, but it contains a lot of information.

In his letter, Onoki first exchanged pleasantries, expressing his sincere admiration for Makoto Karatachi's strength and achievements, before turning the subject and proposing specific conditions.

Five hundred million ryo, in exchange for Makoto Karatachi remaining neutral in the upcoming battles and not interfering in the war between Konoha and Iwagakure.

If Gojiju is truly willing to side with Iwagakure, the price can be negotiated further.

In fact, Onoki even subtly mentioned in his letter that if Makoto Karatachi was willing to cooperate long-term, Iwagakure could offer him resources far exceeding those of Konoha!

"Lord Tsuchikage is really generous."

Gouju Cheng rolled up the scroll: "Five hundred million taels, that's no small sum."

"You are worth the price," said Naiwa Shinobu respectfully. "The Third Tsuchikage said that you are a genius that appears only once in a hundred years in the ninja world. A mere 500 million ryo is just an expression of our sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

Gouju Cheng smiled, a hint of amusement in his smile.

"What if I take your money and then turn around and help Konoha fight you?"

Naiwa Shinobu paused slightly, clearly not expecting Karatachi Makoto to be so direct.

After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke: "The Third Tsuchikage said that you are a man of your word."

17

"Reputation?"

Makoto Goji tachi laughed heartily, patted the Iwa ninja on the shoulder, almost knocking him over.

"Your Tsuchikage certainly knows how to talk. Alright, go back and tell Ōnoki that I appreciate his kindness. However—"

Gouju Cheng suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming more casual.

"I've already received the money from Konoha, so I have to finish this job. That's the rule."

"Your Mightiness----"

"Stop talking."

Gojiki Makoto waved his hand and tossed the scroll back to the Iwa ninja.

"Money is good, but rules are more important. My brother Cheng has relied on integrity for so many years. If he takes money from Iwagakure today and betrays Konoha, who can I trust tomorrow? Will Onoki still trust me?"

Naiwa Shinobu took the scroll, wanting to say something more, but seeing Makoto Karatachi's smiling yet unquestionable expression, he swallowed his words in the end.

"I will relay your words to Lord Tsuchikage without missing a single one."

"Go."

Gouju waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away flies.

"Next time you come, remember to bring some local specialties from the Land of Earth. There's no reason to visit someone empty-handed. Even if a deal doesn't go through, we can still be friendly."

"----yes."

The corner of Iwa's mouth twitched, and his figure slowly disappeared into the air.

While camouflage stealth technique isn't exactly a high-level ninjutsu, it's quite effective for infiltration and retreat.

Moreover, judging from his identity, he is probably not just a simple Iwa ninja. He is very likely a Konoha traitor who has defected. Otherwise, with his camouflage invisibility technique, there would be no way he could bypass the Byakugan's detection.

Full Moon leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Brother Cheng, five hundred million taels—aren't you tempted?"

, 7

"My heart is fluttering, how could I not be?"

Gouju Cheng glanced at him.

"But while I may be tempted, the rules cannot be broken. If I've taken Konoha's money, I have to get things done. That's the bottom line."

"We'll see."

Gouju Cheng gave a soft hum and patted Manyue's head.

"If Onoki finds out what I'm asking for next, even if I really cooperate with him, that guy will be so angry that he won't give me the final payment."

"The Bloodline Limit is something that Onoki has always regarded as a legacy of Iwagakure!"