Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 192 Training Kakuzu (Part 2)

Not only him, but even another accomplice turned into white smoke, which also seemed to be a shadow clone.

Without a goal, the crowd could only stare blankly.

At this point, the team members, who were already bound together by shared interests, realized they had made a mistake and naturally began to question the team: "Hey, this isn't what we agreed on. How did it turn out like this?"

Ji Guang was in a bad mood and retorted: "You're asking me? Who should I ask?"

Xiao Fu's expression turned serious: "Given the nature of those two guys, I'm afraid they'll retaliate against us next."

The crowd looked grim, and they were beginning to regret their actions.

Just as everyone was thinking about how to deal with the two men's next revenge, they suddenly noticed a ball-shaped object that had rolled into the room at some point.

Everyone was stunned. Before they could react, the spherical object suddenly emitted a bright light, followed by a huge explosion. Those who were slow to react were injured on the spot.

Ji Guang dodged the explosion. He had expected the two men to retaliate, but he didn't expect the retaliation to come so quickly, let alone that it would be a group of people.

One of the men, who was in the lead, shouted, "Phantom Troupe, surrender! You're surrounded!"

Ji Guang was taken aback. "Who are you...?"

The tall, burly man at the head of the group ripped off his clothes, revealing his true identity: "We are the twelve guardian ninja of the daimyo. You dare to kidnap Prince Shinji, you villain!"

Ji Guang and the others gasped in shock, looking as if they had lost their parents. They forced smiles and argued, "You've mistaken us for someone else. We are perfectly law-abiding citizens."

The guardian ninja sneered, "Someone reported you for gathering here. Whether you're law-abiding citizens or not, we'll find out by arresting and interrogating you."

report?

The Phantom Troupe is elusive and difficult to report, so it must have been someone within the organization who tipped them off.

Those who reported them can easily figure it out with a little thought.

After Ji Guang understood what was going on, he became so angry that his facial features contorted.

The team members nearby started fighting amongst themselves, blaming each other and shirking responsibility.

"Shut up, all of you. If you want to live, then fight your way out together."

Yoshimitsu quickly formed hand seals, accumulating a large amount of chakra in his mouth, and immediately unleashed a powerful fire jutsu attack, with flames surging like waves.

The guardian ninja countered each move, forming a wall of water around them.

Water and fire are incompatible, creating thick water vapor that forms a temporary blind spot.

Seizing the opportunity, Ji Guang and his men scattered like birds and beasts, running away at breakneck speed.

Seeing that the target was about to escape, the pursuit team split into several smaller teams to give chase.

The Konoha team also joined the pursuit. After a chase, Aokiji and the others caught up with two members of the Phantom Troupe and surrounded them.

Aokiji smiled slightly when he saw the two catching up. What a small world!

Ji Guang cursed, "You guys are really persistent!"

One of the ninjas surrounding them shouted, "You're at your wits' end. Surrender now!"

surrender?

Jiguang immediately threw a kunai wrapped with an explosive tag.

Of course, such a direct attack wouldn't cause any damage, and the ninjas chasing them were all carefully selected and wouldn't be bad.

Ji Guang knew that he was completely doomed today. Surrender was out of the question. The crime they had committed this time was too big, and what awaited them was a fate worse than death.

Rather than that, he decided to fight to the death. He quickly formed hand seals, and the water in the nearby pond was stirred, forming a water dragon that flew towards a boy of medium build.

Perhaps it was because the boy's physique was similar to that of the despicable Ye Wang that Yoshimitsu chose to attack him with a water dragon bullet.

Aokiji was taken aback. Why were so many people attacking him?

But it's fine, he just happened to have a ninjutsu to use, so he quickly formed a hand seal.

In the blink of an eye, the water dragon had already rushed in front of Aokiji and was about to hit him when he raised his right hand, and the water dragon's head began to freeze.

"Crackling crackling..."

With a sound of freezing, the water dragon froze piece by piece at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually forming a majestic ice dragon.

Aokiji raised his left index and middle fingers together, forming a sword-like gesture, and formed a hand seal: "Ice Release: Crystal Dragon Subduing".

The ice dragon, restrained and pulled, circled around him before flying into the air.

Aokiji leaped onto the dragon's head, grabbed its horns with both hands, and steadied himself.

This technique was developed by Aokiji and his crew with the help of the penguins. Although it is still unfinished, it can be used and even allows for simple flight.

Putting aside the power of his ice dragon for the moment, its appearance was indeed quite impressive. Upon seeing this, everyone looked up and turned their heads in surprise, astonished by this kind of ninjutsu.

Orochimaru chuckled, "It seems Aokiji has been developing some interesting ninjutsu lately."

Back in Konoha, the two of them would often spar and improve, so he was quite familiar with the ninjutsu Aokiji knew.

Aokiji controlled the ice dragon, letting out a deep dragon roar as it charged forward.

Ji Guang dodged by jumping to the right.

The ice dragon lost its target and crashed into the ground. As the dust settled, Aokiji slowly emerged from it.

This move is really cool, but the target is a bit fragile, and controlling it is also a problem.

As soon as the speed of the Ice Dragon increases, Aokiji loses control of it. Even though he clearly saw the enemy dodge, the Ice Dragon is like a car without brakes or a steering wheel, crashing headfirst into the ground and smashing to pieces.

Aokiji exhaled, thinking that this move could be improved, when something stabbed at his side with incredible speed.

Aokiji slid and turned, barely dodging the attack. He saw the object clearly; it had missed its target and quickly retracted.

Aokiji looked in the direction of the contraction and saw a man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks. The user was a guy in the organization called Suneo.

This is his secret technique, "Talk-no-jutsu," which allows him to freely extend his protruding mouth and attack like a woodpecker.

Aokiji glanced at Orochimaru, who was watching the show, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

This world possesses secret techniques that allow the free extension of one's hands, such as hands or necks, so it's not surprising that it can also extend its mouth.

Aokiji knew the two's strength inside and out, and had no interest in fighting them both alone. He turned around and shouted, "Hey, you can't just watch me perform all by myself, can you?"

Reminded by him, everyone came to their senses and charged forward without regard for martial ethics. Even though Ji Guang and Xiao Fu fought desperately, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

However, there was nothing that could be done about it. The daimyo's son spared no expense in his pursuit of revenge, hiring a large number of ninjas to hunt down the Phantom Troupe. It was already quite good that the members of the Phantom Troupe were able to escape for a while after being discovered.

"They died in battle..."

Looking down at the two people lying in a pool of blood, Aokiji felt quite emotional.

Orochimaru's gaze remained calm: "After all, having committed such a grave offense, living would only bring more suffering."

Aokiji nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, the other teams also finished their work.

After the groups met up, they discussed the situation and found that all their targets were dead, which made things difficult.

When issuing the mission, the son of the lord explicitly ordered that if possible, the enemy should be captured alive.

The Phantom Troupe suffered this calamity, and the members had vastly different attitudes towards being captured alive. They felt that they would definitely suffer a fate worse than death, so they all decided to die in battle or commit suicide to avoid endless suffering.

The arrest team was hoping that some of the other team members would survive, but to their surprise, the other team members thought the same thing.

One of the arresting officers asked timidly, "How...how are we supposed to explain this?"

"In short, let's examine their memories first to avoid any omissions." The leader of the Guardian Shinobi looked down at the corpses, his voice low.

As soon as he finished speaking, several ninjas stepped forward, knelt on one knee, placed their hands on the heads of the dead bodies, and closed their eyes to probe their memories.

Aokiji stood to the side, his eyes slightly narrowed. After a moment, the ninjas frowned and said, "We might have been used."

The guardian ninja frowned and inquired about the matter. After some discussion, he rubbed his temples, unsure how to report being used against someone. He figured the person in question would be furious if they found out.

With the mission successfully completed, Tsunade and the others had no intention of staying any longer and prepared to return to Konoha to report on their work.

Tsunade invited him back to the village, but Aokiji declined, saying he wanted to wander around outside a little longer.

Tsunade frowned: "Haven't you had enough fun outside all day?"

Aokiji laughed and said, "A true man makes the world his home."

Tsunade chuckled, feigning disdain: "A real man, you?"

"How can I not be a good man?" Aokiji asked another person, seeking his agreement: "Don't you think so, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru silently watched the two without saying a word, his eyes darting between them. He thought to himself, "You two are really good at pretending. Otherwise, if we had met by chance, I would never have believed that you two were having an affair."

Orochimaru changed the subject: "Aokiji, you've been traveling every day for the past six months without a stable income. Do you have enough money?"

"Hey, you guys must be getting a lot of rewards for this mission, right? I did some work, can't I get a share?"

Seeing Aokiji's embarrassed expression, Tsunade seized the opportunity and scoffed, "What do you mean by 'wandering the world'? I think you're just begging around."

Aokiji ignored her and walked away, leaving Tsunade with the back of his head.

Tsunade called out, "Hey, where are you going?"

Aokiji didn't even turn his head: "I'm going to find a bowl and beg on the street to pay for my travel expenses."

Tsunade was speechless for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "Fine, come here."

"what?"

"Come here when I tell you to."

Under Tsunade's forceful voice, Aokiji had no choice but to return to her side.

Tsunade took out a small green wallet, unzipped it, and took out a wad of banknotes: "If people knew that a dignified Konoha ninja had fallen so low as to beg on the streets, we would become a laughing stock in other ninja villages."

Aokiji's eyes lit up even more: "Are you planning to take care of my mother?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes and said, "What kind of daydreaming are you having in broad daylight? This is a loan, and the interest will increase every month according to the bank's rate."

"As a companion, shouldn't you lend a helping hand and support me without expecting anything in return?" Aokiji pouted, "How dare you charge me interest?"

Tsunade put the money back into her wallet, her face full of displeasure: "I've decided, you can go back to begging on the streets. I'll just pretend Konoha doesn't have a ninja like you anymore."

Aokiji, with a cheeky grin, reached for his money and said, "No, I was just kidding. Interest is fine."

In this way, their "poor guy" persona will be firmly established.

After waving goodbye to Tsunade and the others, Aokiji went to an inn and found Kakuzu hiding there. He told Kakuzu the information he had gathered.

Kakuzu's cold eyes shifted slightly: "I really want to see the expression on the daimyo's son's face when he learns the truth. It should be quite interesting."

"Well, I don't think it will be too pleasant."

Aokiji casually chimed in, though he was more interested in improving his strength right now: "Brother Kakuzu, do you have a moment?"

Kakuzu was in a good mood, but his voice remained as deep as ever, revealing neither joy nor sorrow: "What is it?"

"It's nothing. It's just that it's been more than half a year since we last fought. In the past six months, I feel that my strength has improved a lot, and I want to spar with you to test my own strength."

Kakuzu showed little interest; he had no interest in sparring with anyone.

Aokiji continued, "Of course, I won't let you help me for nothing; I'll pay you."

Kakuzu agreed: "I won't be responsible if you get injured."

An agreement was reached, and Aokiji and Kakuzu went to a desolate place to fight, where they wouldn't have to worry about being disturbed.

Kakuzu glanced around: "I won't hold back. You'd better show your full strength from the start."

Aokiji dared not be negligent; his eyes turned completely red, and three tomoe appeared around his pupils.

Sharingan...

Kakuzu narrowed his cold eyes, not in a hurry to make a move. He knew that his opponent still had a ninjutsu to enhance his condition that he hadn't used yet.

As he wished, Aokiji's body developed markings. He first entered the first stage of the Sage Art, clenching his fist to gather power, and then entered the second stage, with the markings continuously thickening and expanding.

"It seems a little different from last time."

Kakuzu half-closed his eyes, recalling the first time he saw Aokiji in this state. A slight comparison revealed a clear difference.

Aokiji warned, "Be careful, Kakuzu-nii. I'm much stronger now than I was six months ago."

"Your strength should match what you just said."

Before the words had even faded, Kakuzu teleported behind Aokiji, feigning a punch to the face. While the enemy's attention was focused on his fist, Kakuzu would seize the opening and deliver a powerful kick to the enemy's legs.

This move proved effective time and again throughout Kakuzu's long career as a ninja, and many ninjas, including those with extensive combat experience, fell victim to it.

However, this trick was no match for the Sharingan's excellent perception. Aokiji worked together to successfully block Kakuzu's attack.

During the standoff, Kakuzu's voice was deep: "You've certainly grown quite a bit."

He was surprised that Aokiji hadn't seen through his movements with his Sharingan, but rather that he could keep up with his speed. Had he really grown so much in just over six months?

Kakuzu became slightly serious, and black tentacles began to sprout from his arms, twisting and writhing.

Aokiji recognized this as Jigan-gura, Kakuzu's secret technique, and quickly withdrew, retreating rapidly. Fighting someone like Kakuzu at close range was extremely unwise.

(End of this chapter)