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

Yekura asked warily, "Who are you?"

"Ubuyashiki Yosuke, just call me Yosuke."

It was Yosuke who rescued Yekura from the valley.

Yosuke originally did not intend to interfere in the matter between the two ninja villages, but at the last moment, Yekura's sorrowful expression touched Yosuke, causing him to subconsciously save Yekura.

“Ubuyashiki Yosuke... I don’t know you.” Yekura recalled that she did not know Yosuke.

Yosuke poked at the fire, making the flames burn brighter, and replied, "Of course you wouldn't recognize me. In the ninja world, I'm not as famous as you are."

Why did you save me?

As a ninja, Yekura's wariness prevented her from trusting Yosuke. After all, someone who could rescue her from a group of Kirigakure ninjas didn't seem like an ordinary person.

"I saved them because I wanted to, there's no reason needed."

Looking at Yosuke's profile illuminated by the flames, Yecang smiled bitterly and said, "That's quite a capricious answer. But anyway, I'm someone who's been abandoned. Who you are and what your purpose is doesn't matter anymore."

Chapter 218 Coercion

All of Yekura's injuries were caused by shuriken. None of them were fatal, but the large number of wounds caused excessive blood loss, which endangered her life.

Before leaving Kagerou Village, Kaori gave Yosuke some ointment for treating external injuries. Although Yosuke's body would heal itself immediately after being injured, it was Kaori's good intention, so he took it with him.

I thought I'd never need it, but I never expected to actually use it now.

Xiang's special ointment has a very good healing effect. Ye Cang's shallow wounds have completely healed without leaving any scars, while the deeper wounds have scabbed over.

After some time, the firewood in the bonfire had burned out. Seeing that Ye Cang's complexion had recovered well, Yang Jie then asked, "Where are you going next?"

Ye Cang murmured in confusion, "I don't know... My village betrayed me, I... have nowhere to go..."

Yosuke invited Yekura, "Is that so... I can't stay here any longer. I have to go to the Land of Lightning. If you really don't know where to go, you can come with me to the Land of Lightning. Maybe you can change your mood, see the scenery along the way, and then you'll know where your destination is."

After some thought, Yekura didn't want to return to Sunagakure, who had betrayed her, but she didn't know where to go either. So she accepted Yosuke's invitation and went to the Land of Lightning with him.

Meanwhile, in Sunagakure, the Sunagakure ninja who had been tracking Pakura returned to the village and reported to Rasa that Pakura was dead.

Rasa immediately summoned all the ninjas to the Kazekage Building and announced on the spot: "Our Sunagakure hero, Pakura, went to Kirigakure to conclude a peace treaty with them, but was killed by the Kirigakure ninjas!"

This is a provocation from Kirigakure against Sunagakure! In the name of the Fourth Kazekage, I declare that if the Mizukage does not provide us with a reasonable explanation, then Sunagakure will declare war on Kirigakure!

After making the announcement, Rasa simultaneously relayed the message to Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

In Kirigakure, Mizukage Mei Terumi also learned that Yagura of Sunagakure had been murdered in the Land of Water.

Mei Terumi angrily questioned the ninjas below, "Why didn't you report to me when the envoy from Sunagakure came to the Land of Water?! Why did you insist on killing Pakura in the Land of Water?! Don't you know that these are critical times? Kirigakure, having just emerged from the Bloody Mist Village, cannot withstand the ravages of war?!"

Faced with Mei's questioning, the ninjas of Kirigakure fell silent, not daring to utter a word.

The ninja who had launched the sneak attack on Pakura retorted to Mei Terumi, "That Pakura guy killed so many of our Kirigakure ninjas, are we just going to let them go like that?!"

Mei Terumi roared angrily, "I know you hate Sunagakure to the core, but have you considered the consequences of killing Pakura in this situation?!"

Mei Terumi suppressed her anger and demanded, "Tell me, who told you about Yekura's arrival in the Land of Water?!"

"They are two wandering ninjas..."

Mei Terumi continued, "Then where is Yekura's body?!"

"At that time, Yekura was already seriously injured, but after Yekura released the Scorching Release, she disappeared in the valley. However, she probably won't survive."

Mei Terumi frowned, instantly realizing that this was a conspiracy, a plot by Sunagakure specifically targeting Kirigakure.

Mei Terumi immediately announced, "Dispatch ninjas to search for Yekura immediately! We must find him alive or dead!"

At the same time, a ninja from Kirigakure handed a letter to Mei Terumi.

Mei Terumi opened it and saw that it was a declaration letter from Sunagakure.

The contents demanded that Mei Terumi hand over the murderer who killed Yoruichi, or she would declare war on Kirigakure.

Just as Terumi Mei was pondering a countermeasure, letters arrived from Kumogakure and Iwagakure at the same time.

The letter largely condemned Kirigakure for its lack of martial ethics, claiming to be a neutral ninja village unwilling to join the war, yet secretly aiding Konoha and harming Sunagakure ninjas. It also threatened Mei Terumi that if Sunagakure did not provide a reasonable explanation, they would join forces with Sunagakure to declare war on Kirigakure.

Mei Terumi's forehead veins bulged as she crumpled the letter in her hand, roaring angrily, "This is simply outrageous!"

After venting her anger, Mei Terumi calmed down. It was now clear that the three major ninja villages of Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure were colluding to force Kirigakure to choose sides in this war.

It seems that Kirigakure can no longer remain unscathed in this war.

Mei Terumi sighed deeply: "Announce this: the murder of Pakura was committed by a Konoha ninja in disguise, who wanted to provoke a conflict between Kirigakure and Sunagakure. Kirigakure despises Konoha's actions, and from this moment forward, Kirigakure enters a state of war and declares war on Konoha!"

The balance was instantly shattered when Kirigakure joined the war.

After learning that Kirigakure had declared war on Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to age ten years, and his hair turned completely white.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were still discussing countermeasures.

"Damn it! I never expected Sunagakure to do something like this, to abandon the Blazing Release: Leaf Warehouse that made great contributions to their village, and force Kirigakure to join the invasion of Konoha!" Mitokado Homura said angrily.

Danzo, however, felt he could understand Rasa's actions; if it were him, he could have been even more ruthless.

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand weakly and said, "This is not the time to talk about this. The invasion of Konoha by Kirigakure is a foregone conclusion. Now that Shikaku's plan to launch a surprise attack on the Sand Village ninja force has failed, what are your thoughts on the next steps?"

Koharu Utatane said, "The Akatsuki organization hired by Konoha has accepted the commission and gone to the Land of Lightning to attack Kumogakure. If we can force the Kumogakure troops from the Land of Fire back to the Land of Lightning, then we can try to form an alliance with Kirigakure. Kirigakure must be furious that they were tricked by Sunagakure. If we work together from the inside and outside, we can defeat Iwagakure and Sunagakure, and the war may be over."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply: "It's ironic that the once prosperous Konoha would have to rely on a mercenary organization to change the situation."

Taking this opportunity, Danzo suggested, "Hiruzen, you need to make another preparation. If the Akatsuki fails to lure the Hidden Cloud Village ninja back to the Land of Lightning, then we will be locked in a deadly battle. You should also seriously consider deploying the Nine-Tails to the battlefield. I suggest that you hand over Naruto Uzumaki to me from now on, and I will train him to ensure that he will not go out of control once deployed to the battlefield!"

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refute Danzo. If the Akatsuki organization failed, the Nine-Tails, as a weapon of war, would be Konoha's last hope.

"Let's do it this way..."

Chapter 219 Hozuki Suigetsu

Not long after Yosuke and Yokura left, Gyutaro set foot in the Land of Water.

If Yosuke had left a day later, he might have been able to reunite with Gyutaro.

Gyutaro had barely ventured deep into the Land of Water when he was stopped by ninjas from Kirigakure.

The ninja from Kirigakure stepped forward and questioned the cloaked Gyutaro: "Who are you?! What is your purpose in entering the Land of Water?!"

Gyutaro scratched his cheek in confusion: "Huh? It wasn't this strict when I came to the Land of Water last time. What happened?"

The Hidden Mist Village ninja, sensing from Gyutaro's tone that he frequently visited the Land of Water, softened his tone slightly: "You must be a merchant from outside the Land of Water, trading here. I advise you to leave the Land of Water immediately. The Hidden Mist Village has already declared war on Konoha, and the entire Land of Water is under martial law."

Gyutaro asked in confusion, "It's only been a short time, and Kirigakure has already started a war? Wasn't Kirigakure supposed to remain neutral and not join the war?"

The Hidden Mist Village ninja sighed deeply and said, "It's all because of those despicable Hidden Leaf Village ninjas. They actually assassinated the envoy sent by Hidden Sand Village to conclude a peace treaty, and it was none other than Hidden Sand Village's hero, the Scorching Release user, Pakura. Our Mizukage was furious on the spot and declared war on Hidden Leaf Village."

"That's a real shame. But I came to the Land of Water this time to find someone. Once I find them, I'll leave immediately."

"No outsiders can enter Kirigakure now. If the person you're looking for is inside Kirigakure, give up and come back after the war is over. This time, the four great ninja villages are joining forces to attack Konoha, so I believe the war will end soon."

Gyutaro thanked him, saying, "Thank you. The person I'm looking for isn't in Kirigakure. We'll leave as soon as we find him."

Gyutaro, who had just left, was still completely bewildered: "Are the people of Konoha really that bold? Do they think they don't have enough opponents and want to take on the entire ninja world by themselves?"

Gyutaro ventured deep into the Land of Water and arrived at a lake.

Gyutaro shouted towards the lake, "Kid, I'm here!"

The entire lake surged, and a huge wave crashed towards Gyutaro.

After forming a simple Lightning Release hand seal, Gyutaro put his hand into the water.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike".

Suddenly, blue arcs of electricity appeared in the lake, accompanied by a scream.

The waves subsided, and the lake returned to calm. Half a head emerged from the lake, crying out in pain to Gyutaro, "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Gyutaro stopped releasing his ninjutsu, and Hozuki Suigetsu's figure slowly rose from the lake.

Hozuki Suigetsu complained, "It was just a joke, why did you have to use Lightning Release ninjutsu? My body is still numb."

"I was just kidding. Every time I use Lightning Release to shock you, you seem to enjoy it. I thought you really liked it."

Hozuki Suigetsu's face turned bright red as she retorted, "I didn't like or enjoy it at all! That's slander!"

Hozuki Suigetsu walked from the lake to the shore and sat down in front of Gyutaro, sulking.

When Hozuki Suigetsu first met Gyutaro, he was able to completely ignore Gyutaro's strange attack methods thanks to his water transformation technique.

No matter how strong Gyutaro's attack methods were, they were completely ineffective against Hozuki Suigetsu after he was fully transformed into water.

However, ever since Gyutaro found the Lightning Release technique that could counter his Water Transformation technique, Hozuki Suigetsu has been completely overwhelmed and has no chance to fight back.

Hozuki Suigetsu asked, "What brings you here today?"

Gyutaro explained his purpose and invited, "I've come to the Land of Water to invite you to join my organization. Would you like to come with me?"

Hozuki Suigetsu asked in surprise, "You want me to betray the village, then become your sworn brother, and I'll become your little brother?"

Gyutaro was stumped by Hozuki Suigetsu's question.

"Betraying the village... I don't know if joining our organization requires betraying the village, but I guess it shouldn't."

Although Yosuke founded the ^ organization, there were no specific rules or regulations; everything was done arbitrarily.

Gyutaro continued, "But once you join our organization, we'll be comrades."

Hozuki Suigetsu crossed his arms haughtily and said, "This is not enough to attract me. I have absolutely no reason to leave Kirigakure and join your organization."

"I see. If you refuse, then there's nothing I can do. I have other things to do, so I'll be going now." Gyutaro turned and left decisively.

Gyutaro's actions left Hozuki Suigetsu completely bewildered.

Shouldn't the procedure involve the person making an initial refusal, followed by Gyutaro's repeated invitations and promises of numerous benefits?

"Wait!" Hozuki Suigetsu called out to Gyutaro.

Gyutaro looked at Hozuki Suigetsu with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong, kid?"

Hozuki Suigetsu coughed lightly: "It's not impossible for me to join you, but I have one condition!"

"any request?"

"That is to help me collect the seven ninja swords of Kirigakure. If you agree to this condition, I will join you."