Ninja World: I, Kisame Hoshigaki, am no longer human!

Upon hearing this, the two looked surprised and suspicious.

Seeing that they were still hesitant, the elder became somewhat impatient. He waved his hand, and the Second Tsuchikage and the Third Raikage moved, instantly releasing intense killing intent, about to launch an attack.

"Come on!"

With a sharp shout, Onoki retreated rapidly, and the group quickly fled Amegakure, leaving in a sorry state.

Yahiko and Konan's seals were broken, and they regained their freedom.

"Cough cough..."

At that moment, Nagato suddenly coughed violently and spat out a large amount of blood from his throat.

"Nagato!" The two were shocked and immediately stepped forward.

"I am fine."

Nagato wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, formed a hand seal, and sent the Second Tsuchikage and the Third Raikage back into the coffin and into the ground. He wasn't in good condition; if he manipulated too many resurrected corpses at once, he might lose control.

After resting for a while and recovering some of my strength,

"I'm going to Ryuchi Cave to recuperate next. I'll leave Amegakure and Akatsuki to you two."

Nagato briefly explained a few words to his two companions and said that he would leave Hanzo behind to assist them.

His purpose in convening the Five Kage Summit was to eliminate his nemesis, Kisame Hoshigaki. Although he failed to kill Kisame with his own hands, the enemy was indeed dead, which could be considered as achieving his goal.

However, Nagato was still somewhat uneasy.

Since he could use the Impure World Reincarnation technique to revive the dead, Kisame Hoshigaki's followers might also be able to revive them using the same method. Therefore, in order to eliminate any potential threats, he needed to make some preparations.

Once he recovers from his injuries, he will personally go to Kirigakure, turn the place into complete ruins, and kill all of Kisame's subordinates.

Not a single one was left.

Thinking of this, a sharp, cold glint flashed in Nagato's eyes.

The Land of Water, the Hidden Mist Village.

When news of Kisame's death reached Kirigakure, it was like a bolt from the blue for the people there.

If Konoha Village is now a sea of ​​joy, filled with laughter and celebration, then Kirigakure's atmosphere is the complete opposite. People take to the streets in fear, looking at each other in bewilderment, as panic spreads throughout the village like a plague.

In particular, news came from the front that the major ninja villages were already gathering large forces and would soon officially launch the Fourth Shinobi World War, joining forces to conquer the Land of Water and raze the Hidden Mist Village.

Upon learning this news, Kirigakure was thrown into chaos, as if the end of the world was imminent.

In this atmosphere, some people, sensing the danger, quickly fled the village, unwilling to stay and die. Others, however, were restless and prepared to cause trouble amidst the chaos.

As for the remaining Hidden Mist ninjas and villagers, it seems that all they can do is pray.

They prayed that, like last time, a mighty man like Kisame Hoshigaki would appear at the critical moment when Kirigakure's survival was at stake, and once again protect the village.

That possibility is extremely slim...

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234. Tsunade's Determination to Become a Living Slug Jinchuriki

Inside the Hidden Mist Village, in a dark, unnoticed corner.

The Snake Princess (Orochimaru) and Anko, master and disciple, stood here, watching the panicked and bewildered crowd on the street.

"Teacher, you're really in a sorry state. First you defected from Konoha to Amegakure, then from Amegakure to Kirigakure, and now Kirigakure is about to fall, and you're about to embark on a journey of escape."

Hongdou suddenly spoke up, launching a scathing attack on the Snake Princess.

"hehe."

Snake Queen smiled upon hearing this, not angry at all, after all, Red Bean was her most beloved disciple. She narrowed her golden snake eyes, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Disciple, I'm not in such a hurry. Let's hold back and observe the situation first."

"You're not still thinking of taking advantage of the chaos to seize power in Kirigakure, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Anko was quite astonished by Snake Princess's ambition. She frowned and said, "Teacher, haven't you heard? The four great ninja villages are already gathering their forces and will soon form an army of tens of thousands to attack. At that time, it will be a question whether Kirigakure can even continue to exist. What's the point of staying here?"

"Kisame is indeed dead. I've known that for a long time, since the Great Toad Sage predicted it long ago. However, Tsunade is still in Kirigakure. I want to see how she will deal with this situation."

The Snake Princess chuckled softly, clearly looking forward to it.

at the same time.

The four members of Yekura's team, along with Samehada, returned to Kirigakure, each bringing back a piece of good news and a piece of bad news.

The good news is that the team successfully completed Kisame's mission, retrieving four Jinchuriki from Amegakure. The bad news is that Samehada confirmed Kisame's death again, shattering the last remaining hope in the hearts of the Kirigakure members.

Even so, neither Yekura and her group of four, nor Yuki-onna and the others, were willing to believe this cruel and devastating truth.

"How could Kisame possibly die? He's an invincible ninja, he can't possibly be killed!" Hozuki Mangetsu shouted.

“That’s right. The Mizukage is both strong and wise, and his style has always been cautious and deliberate. He would never easily put himself in danger. There must be more to this than meets the eye,” Mei Terumi chimed in, her brow furrowed in deep thought. Perhaps she trusted Kisame too much, or perhaps she was just trying to reassure herself and her companions.

"Captain, what should we do now?" Ringo Yuri asked Yekura, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice choked with emotion.

"Go find Lady Tsunade."

After saying this, Yekura headed towards the medical department building, remembering Kisame's parting words—if anything happened to him, let Tsunade take charge.

The group of four quickly found Tsunade.

"You did a great job this time, thank you for your hard work."

When Tsunade saw the four Jinchūriki that Pakura and the others had brought back, she was surprised and rewarded them. She then instructed Shizune and Rin Nohara to take the Jinchūriki away and keep them under secret guard.

There are more pressing matters at hand than dealing with these Jinchūriki.

Seeing the anxious and worried faces of Yecang and the other three, Tsunade calmed them down and said in a deep voice, "Master Yuan has returned to the village. He will be in charge of all village affairs from now on. Your task is to do your best to assist him."

"Lady Tsunade, what about you...?"

Mei Terumi hesitated for a moment before asking, but she already had a vague answer in her heart.

Tsunade was never a member of Kirigakure to begin with, and now that Kirigakure is in dire straits, she has no reason to stay. The fact that she has held out until now before leaving is already more than enough.

"Lady Tsunade, don't go." Yuri stepped forward, reached out her two small hands and grasped Tsunade's hands, looking at the latter with pleading eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving."

Tsunade smiled, reached out and patted Yuri's head, and said to her, "The allied forces of the four great ninja villages are coming soon. In order to obtain enough strength to resist them, I must go to Shikkotsu Forest. Until I return, the village will depend on you young people."

Upon hearing this, the four were finally relieved and their faces lit up with joy.

"I will fight to the very last moment," Ye Cang said calmly, taking the lead in making his vow.

"We are too. Lady Tsunade, we will stay and protect the village until the day you return," Yuri and the others said with unwavering determination.

Looking at the young people's innocent yet determined faces, Tsunade was deeply moved.

"Please help me."

She took a deep breath, then turned and strode away.

"Lady Tsunade."

Suddenly, Mei Terumi's voice came from behind her. She asked unwillingly, "Do you really believe that the Mizukage is dead?"

Upon hearing this, Tsunade stopped in her tracks. However, she did not turn around, but said coldly, "It's time to abandon those unrealistic fantasies. From now on, Kirigakure can only be protected by people like us."

After saying that, she pushed open the door and left, leaving the four people standing there in a daze.

One hour later, at the Wet Bone Forest.

Splash!

Tsunade emerged from the hot spring lake in the center of the island, soaking wet as she climbed ashore. Her clothes clung to her body, revealing her full and alluring curves.

However, she rushed here not to soak in the hot spring, but to dive underwater to check on the condition of Kisame's true form—Kun.

As a result, no matter how she called out to it, it didn't respond at all, as if it were in a deep sleep, like an animal hibernating. Tsunade even suspected that something had gone wrong with Kun and that it had become a corpse.

"What is this guy doing? Is he trying to be too clever and messing things up?"

She frowned and murmured.

After drying herself off and changing her clothes, Tsunade found the live slug and asked it to confirm the condition of the Kun.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade, I'm not entirely sure what Kisame's current condition is either. But what I do know is that his shadow clone is very special, so its death has had a significant negative impact on his original body. Therefore, I'm afraid Lord Kisame won't be waking up anytime soon."

The live slug lowered its antennae, equally filled with worry for Kisame.

"That bastard actually messed things up at the crucial moment, abandoning the entire Hidden Mist Village and his large group of women and subordinates. Does he really believe I'll clean up his mess?"

Tsunade said through gritted teeth.

She had indeed thought more than once about simply leaving and ignoring all the mess in Kirigakure. But the thought that if she did nothing, Kirigakure would surely be swallowed up by the other four great ninja villages and disappear from the world forever remained.

At that time, not only will Yuki-onna, Yoru, Mei Terumi, and Yuri Amane die, but the entire Land of Water will also face devastation, with countless civilians dying in the upcoming Fourth Shinobi World War.

Tsunade is a medical ninja who understands the cruelty of war better than anyone else and doesn't want to watch helplessly as vibrant lives are lost.

So, after much deliberation, she finally decided...

stand out.

Yes, she wanted to stop the war. Not that she was on the side of Kisame or Kirigakure, but as a compassionate medical ninja, she wanted to save the innocent people.

However, Tsunade also knew that after losing Kisame Hoshigaki, with the remaining strength of Kirigakure, facing the four Kage—Nagato, Jiraiya, Onoki, and A—as well as elite Jonin like Minato Namikaze who was renowned throughout the ninja world, and countless other genin and chunin... it was almost like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; the difference in strength between the two sides was too great.

Even if she joined the battle, she wouldn't be able to defeat ten thousand men single-handedly and change the inevitable defeat of the Hidden Mist Village.

Now, there is only one last option left.

With that thought in mind, Tsunade walked up to Katsuyu, placed her hands on his body, and said with burning eyes, "Katsuyu, there's no time to lose. I've made up my mind. I'm going to become your Jinchūriki!"

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, the slug's antennae immediately stood up, and it shuddered, appearing quite shocked.

"What, you don't want to?"

Tsunade frowned and said in a deep voice, "You and Kisame discussed this a long time ago, didn't you? Did you really think I was kept in the dark? I overheard your conversation. How long do you plan to keep this from me?"

"...Lady Tsunade, I'm sorry." Facing the aggressive Tsunade, Katsuyu was filled with guilt and stammered.

"There's no time to apologize now, answer my question."