People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

As soon as Yang Jie stepped off the boat, he saw two people waiting at the ferry dock.

Yosuke recognized them immediately as Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, given their strikingly different hair colors.

Minato Namikaze greeted Yosuke warmly: "Mr. Yosuke! It's been a long time."

Yosuke smiled and said, "Minato, it's been a long time."

After exchanging pleasantries, the three of them, led by Minato and his wife, arrived at a house.

After gesturing for Yosuke to sit down, Minato Namikaze began to recount the information he had gathered.

“Mr. Yosuke, first of all, regarding the information about Orochimaru that you are concerned about, over the years, Kushina and I have traveled through the ninja world and discovered traces of Orochimaru’s bases in various small countries, but most of them have been abandoned. However, we have found that there are still a few strongholds that have not been abandoned.”

These are the Frost Country in the north of the Land of Fire, the Tea Country in the south of the Land of Fire, and an island bordering the Land of Whirlpools. However, we didn't find any trace of Orochimaru when we infiltrated them. There were only some of Orochimaru's experimental subjects guarding the base. Kushina and I didn't alert him. Mr. Yosuke can try his luck when he has an opportunity.

Yosuke sincerely thanked him, saying, "Thank you so much, Minato. You've been a great help."

Minato Namikaze smiled gently and said, "This is what we should do. Next is information about the masked man."

Minato Namikaze's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression: "We've discovered a mercenary organization called Akatsuki. This masked man is a member of it, and its members are all rogue ninja from various villages, making them extremely powerful."

The Sage of Six Paths entrusted us with finding the person manipulating the ninja world. I think the Akatsuki organization must be involved, and it might even be their leader.

Yosuke also explained to Minato Namikaze, "Among the current official members of Akatsuki, there is one of my comrades who has infiltrated the organization. Moreover, Akatsuki has accepted Konoha's commission to attack Kumogakure and collect the two tailed beasts from Kumogakure. My destination this time is also Kumogakure."

Although he had left Konoha, Minato Habun remained concerned about the village's situation: "I've heard about Konoha's purge of the Uchiha clan, which has led to many ninja villages turning against Konoha. I never imagined Konoha would have to resort to hiring mercenary organizations to alleviate the pressure..."

“That’s right, Minato, are you going to Kumogakure with me this time?” Yosuke invited Minato Namikaze.

“Minato…” Kushina Uzumaki grabbed Minato Namikaze’s arm worriedly.

Minato Namikaze patted Kushina Uzumaki on the back and comforted her, "I know, Kushina."

Minato Namikaze looked at Yosuke and said, "Mr. Yosuke, we will not be going to Kumogakure this time. Kushina and I are very worried about Naruto and want to go to Konoha to check on him. If Konoha is in a critical situation, it is hard to guarantee that the higher-ups will not use Naruto as a weapon of war. At Naruto's young age, even if the seal is loosened, it will still be extremely dangerous for him."

Yosuke also felt that Minato and Namikaze's concerns were valid: "Well, it would be good for you to go and check on Naruto."

Then, Kushina Uzumaki asked Yosuke, "Mr. Yosuke, is the incense alright?"

"Kaori is doing well now. The surviving members of the Uchiha clan and Kaori are all in the Kagerou Village in the Land of Mountains. If you miss her, you can go and see her."

“I will, thank you, Mr. Yosuke.” Kushina Uzumaki thanked Yosuke.

The Land of Craftsmen is renowned for its expertise in crafting and using ninja tools, and it is home to a ninja village known as the Craftsman Ninja.

Yosuke gave his Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi to Itachi. Since Yosuke didn't have a suitable weapon, he planned to have a katana made in Takumi-no-Ninja Village.

Led by Minato Namikaze, Yosuke arrived at a ninja tool shop that Minato frequently visited, where he commissioned the manufacture of Flying Thunder God kunai.

The owner of the ninja tool shop was an elderly man with well-developed muscles. Upon seeing Minato Namikaze, he greeted him warmly, saying, "Minato, are you here to order kunai again?"

Minato Namikaze shook his head and said, "This time it's not me, it's my friend who wants to customize a katana."

The old man looked at Yosuke with surprise: "A katana? That's rare. I haven't received any custom katana orders in a long time. Are you a samurai?"

Yosuke nodded.

The old man then asked, "What are your requirements for the katana?"

After thinking for a moment, Yang Jie said, "The blade must be at least 60 centimeters long, and it must be tough and sharp enough. There are no other requirements."

"That's a simple request, but the simpler the request, the more difficult it is. Very well, I'll take this commission. You can come and pick up the knife at this time tomorrow!" The old man patted his chest and said confidently.

The next day, Yosuke arrived at the ninja tool shop as promised.

Upon meeting the old man, the old man confidently handed the katana to Yosuke.

Yosuke drew his katana, swung it a few times in the air, and gently bent the tip of the blade a few times.

The katana has excellent resilience and a good feel, and the weight of the blade is evenly distributed. The irregular patterns on the blade are also very beautiful, making it an outstanding katana.

Compared to the Kusanagi Sword, Yosuke preferred this kind of pure blade, unadulterated by anything.

Yosuke was quite satisfied with the katana: "How much, boss?"

The old man, a penny-pincher, rubbed his hands together and said, "Thank you for your patronage, 500 million taels."

Yosuke thought he had misheard the price and asked again, "How much?!"

But the answer was still 500 million taels.

"How can it be so expensive?!"

The old man explained, "In order to make a samurai sword that fits the samurai, I used very rare Tamahagane forging it. Tamahagane is a rare metal comparable to chakra metal. Every samurai is proud to own a weapon forged from Tamahagane, so the price is naturally higher."

Yosuke, who was very satisfied with the katana, stopped worrying about the price. With the help of Minato Namikaze, he settled the bill and left the ninja tool shop.

Having resolved the weapon issue, Yosuke once again arrived at the ferry crossing. After bidding farewell to Minato and his wife, he embarked on his journey once more, this time heading towards the Land of Water.

After transiting through the Land of Water, you can take another boat directly to the Land of Lightning.

As the ship drew closer to the Land of Water, the sky began to become foggy, reducing visibility to an extremely low level.

After finding a ferry and disembarking, Yosuke set off towards the interior of the Land of Water.

Compared to other countries where the shadow of war casts a shadow of fear over everyone, the Land of Water appears much more peaceful.

Chapter 217 Yekura

As Yosuke ventured deeper into the Land of Water, he discovered that even this peace was quite limited.

Although Kirigakure did not participate in the war, the entire ninja village had entered a state of wartime alert.

Yosuke wanted to enter Kirigakure, but was refused entry by the Kirigakure ninja guards who said that Kirigakure no longer accepted outsiders.

Yosuke, who had originally wanted to take a look at what Kirigakure was like, had to give up and instead bypassed Kirigakure to leave the Land of Water.

Yosuke arrived at the entrance of a valley and noticed a sexy woman in a backless dress walking into the valley, even in the rather cold weather of Kirigakure.

Furthermore, the woman was wearing a headband from the Sand Village.

Just as Yosuke was about to step into the valley, he discovered that a large number of auras were appearing in the shadows, closely following the woman who entered the valley.

Yosuke concealed his presence and discovered that the auras following the woman belonged to Kirigakure ninjas. Moreover, not far from this group of Kirigakure ninjas, there were also two Sunagakure ninjas tracking them.

Yosuke was puzzled: "Isn't Sunagakure fighting Konoha on the front lines? Why would they come to Kirigakure, which isn't involved in this war, to seek cooperation...? But those Kirigakure ninjas don't seem to welcome her; they look more like they're about to attack her..."

This scene completely piqued Yosuke's curiosity, and he quietly followed in their footsteps.

As they traveled to the middle of the valley, a ninja from Kirigakure emerged from the thick fog.

"Lord Yekura, who has mastered the Scorching Release technique, I have come to welcome you. It is an honor to meet you."

The Hidden Mist Village ninja approached Yekura warmly and said, "Since the fog is so thick, you'll probably need someone to guide you."

Ye Cang said, "Thank you for your hard work, but it's just crossing a valley, there's no way we'll get lost."

The Hidden Mist Village ninja scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Yes, you're right. Please."

Yekura leaped over the Hidden Mist Village ninjas and walked ahead.

Suddenly, a kunai pierced Yekura's back.

Yekura turned around in disbelief to look at the Hidden Mist Village ninja: "What...are you doing...?"

The Hidden Mist Village ninja glared at Pakura with hatred: "Let you taste the pain that your comrades, who were harmed by the Hidden Sand Village, experienced!"

The Hidden Mist Village ninjas quickly retreated, followed by a barrage of shuriken fired by other Hidden Mist Village ninjas hidden in the shadows.

Caught completely off guard, Yecang hastily used a kunai to block the shuriken.

However, the sheer number of shuriken was overwhelming, and a significant number of them still managed to hit Yoko.

Upon seeing that Yekura was seriously injured, the ninjas of Kirigakure gradually approached her and surrounded her.

The Hidden Mist Village ninja who had initially led Yekura on the way reappeared, coldly looking at the dying Yekura and saying, "Don't misunderstand, the grudges of our village can never be eliminated, so we absolutely cannot let you see Lord Mizukage. Your death is only a small consolation to us!"

Only now does Yekura realize that she has become Rasa's bait, which explains why Rasa's behavior was so abnormal at the time.

Just as Yosuke was wondering why the two hidden Sunagakure ninjas weren't going to rescue Pakura.

Yosuke overheard two Sunagakure ninjas saying:

"The mission was completed unexpectedly smoothly. After revealing Yekura's whereabouts to the ninjas of Kirigakure, they indeed attacked and killed Yekura. It was all part of the Kazekage's plan."

"Ha, a hero of Sunagakure? Sunagakure doesn't need a second voice. She slaughtered so many ninjas from other villages during the Third Shinobi World War, and she still thinks she can coexist peacefully with others. It's laughable. When she disobeyed the Kazekage's orders, her fate was already sealed."

"Pakura's Scorching Release technique is now history. Let's go back and report to the Kazekage. Kirigakure is about to fall into their trap. The real war is about to begin. Our Sunagakure will definitely rise again and become the number one ninja village in the ninja world!"

Two Sunagakure ninjas left the valley.

Yosuke also learned the general situation from their conversation.

The Sand Village wanted the Mist Village to join the war against Konoha, so they paid the price of a ninja to force the Mist Village, which was unwilling to join the war, into this chaotic battle.

After the Sunagakure ninjas left, the Kirigakure ninjas wanted to deliver the final blow to Pakura and take her life.

Yekura, however, dragged his heavily injured body and staggered to his feet, his face filled with sorrow.

"I never imagined that after giving my all for Sunagakure, I would be betrayed in return. How pathetic..."

Several fireballs surrounded Yekura's body.

The Hidden Mist Village ninjas were horrified: "Scatter! This is Pakura's signature Scorch Release technique. If you get hit, all the moisture in your body will evaporate!"

Upon hearing this, the Hidden Mist Village ninjas quickly retreated.

Yekura looked sadly into the sky: "This world is truly disappointing..."

Yekura manipulated the fireball, attacking in all directions.

A violent explosion occurred throughout the valley.

The moment the Hidden Mist Village ninjas who couldn't escape touched the flames of the explosion, all the moisture in their bodies evaporated, turning them into mummies-like dried corpses.

Instantly, smoke and dust filled the valley, mingling with the mist and completely obscuring all vision.

When the smoke cleared and the Hidden Mist Village ninjas regained their sight, they were horrified to find that the heavily injured Pakura had vanished.

In a misty forest in the land of water.

Ye Cang opened her eyes weakly and wearily, and found that she was not dead, but there was a campfire and a strange man in front of her.

Yekura tried to get up to be on guard, but the moment she tried to move, she aggravated her wounds, causing her excruciating pain.

"It's best not to move around too much, otherwise the wound will reopen and need to be bandaged again."