[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For $5][www.p@treon.com/zaelum] [Thank You For Your Support!]
"He went alone to intercept the Two-Tails Jinchuriki?"
Upon hearing this, Sakumo was initially shocked, instinctively grabbing the White Fang's tanto, intending to support Yoichi.
However, he quickly realized that even if he went now, he wouldn't be able to find Yoichi, and the Hidden Leaf camp needed him.
"Why didn't you persuade him to come back? Moreover, the mission has already overrun by seven days."
"Sorry, Sakumo-senpai, but we couldn't persuade Captain Yoichi."
Daiki explained somewhat helplessly, indicating that if Yoichi had been that easy to persuade, they would have returned to the Leaf on the eighth day of their mission instead of well past the deadline.
Sakumo asked, "What has your squad been doing this time? Report in detail."
"In the past few days, we've been clearing out Cloud ninja in our assigned area. After killing five Cloud ninja squads, there weren't many left, so Captain Yoichi wanted to push deeper."
Daiki recounted their squad's activities in detail, which essentially boiled down to taking initiative beyond orders, but they had achieved significant results.
They had killed a total of forty-one Cloud ninja, including several jōnin, which was considered an exceptional contribution. Moreover, upon their return, their ninja tool bags were still fully stocked, Daiki even brought back two extra explosive tags, akin to stocking up supplies.
Normally, other clearing squads would need a long rest after killing one Cloud ninja squad and must return to camp for supplies after two.
However, no squad in the entire camp had managed to eliminate ten Cloud ninja squads like Yoichi's team, maintaining full readiness after multiple engagements, a rarity even among elite teams.
Sakumo speculated that it wasn't that they couldn't persuade him, but rather that after a few attempts, they felt continuing deeper wasn't an issue, so they simply followed along.
"Since Yoichi-kun is confident, then let's wait for his return. I am somewhat confident in his abilities; he wouldn't do something that risks his life unnecessarily."
Sakumo remembered Yoichi's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, considering that if Yoichi decided to escape at full strength, fewer than five people in the Cloud Village could catch up to him.
"You've done well with the information on the Two-Tails. Gather all the jōnin here; we need to adjust the camp."
Although many surveillance and patrol ninjas were deployed around, if the Cloud ninja managed to infiltrate and locate the camp, it could spell disaster.
Once all the jōnin had arrived, Sakumo relayed the news, and everyone was startled, not expecting the Cloud to stake everything on bringing both Jinchuriki to wage war against them.
Aren't the Stone ninja guarding?
"Adjust the camp, start spreading out more from today, protect the logistics and medical units well, and pass this information back to the village to relay to the Stone Village."
Sakumo ordered, figuring that since the Cloud was concentrating such forces near the border with the Land of Hot Springs, their defenses against the Stone Village must be weaker. Provoking an attack from the Stone could put pressure on the Cloud.
After issuing his orders, Sakumo could only wait in the camp, hoping for good news from Yoichi.
Elsewhere,
Kira's analysis was correct; the Cloud wouldn't rely solely on one method of communication. While messenger ninjas could more accurately convey the Third Raikage's intentions, they had other ways to send messages.
When the message from a falcon arrived but the messenger ninja did not return, Doroi realized something might have happened to the messengers, and the enemy could have intercepted the information.
Continuing with the original plan might lead to an encounter with the enemy, but not sending Yugito to the frontline could delay the Third Raikage's plans.
After some thought, Doroi decided to continue sending Yugito to the frontline.
This area was a Cloud supply line; the enemy wouldn't be numerous, and since they just intercepted information, the Leaf wouldn't have much reinforcement; by dispatching more personnel and informing A and B, who were searching for the Leaf's Sakumo outside, everything should be fine.
Doroi guessed that the one who intercepted the messenger ninja could be Sakumo of the Leaf, capable of acting so brazenly behind their lines and possessing the strength to kill a messenger ninja; few in the Leaf could match that.
Perhaps using Yugito as bait could lure Sakumo in, killing two birds with one stone.
Once Doroi made up his mind, he immediately went down to make arrangements, selecting several elite Cloud squads to escort Yugito.
Once everything was arranged and it was time to depart, Doroi informed the leading jōnin of his plan.
They nodded gravely, facing the man who had severed the Third Raikage's arm, none underestimating him, and prepared to confront him with full force.
The group left the village, heading towards the Cloud frontline in the Land of Hot Springs.
It was Yugito's first time leaving the village, and she was curious about everything, looking around even while they hurried.
"Yugito, don't look around; stay alert."
A Cloud jōnin cautioned, "We might encounter the enemy this time; always be on your guard."
"I understand."
Yugito immediately responded, then curiously asked, "Lan-senpai, are so many people needed to go to the frontline?"
"Only you are going; we are here to escort you."
Lan of the Cloud responded, "We might face a very powerful enemy this time. If an enemy appears, you must immediately hide behind us; they are targeting you!"
"I understand."
Though she agreed, Yugito was somewhat defiant internally, thinking, how could the enemy do anything to her with so many fellow villagers protecting her?
And in a critical moment, Matatabi could still help her.
After traveling for a while, the seventeen-member team had just left the Cloud village's patrol range.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning burst from the woods, followed by intense thunder.
A flash of lightning, the sharp Raikage instantly pierced the heart of the leading Cloud ninja, then in less than 0.4 seconds, he withdrew his blade and with a forceful step, rushed towards the second person.
"Enemy!"
The second Cloud ninja quickly reacted, his face showing shock and anger as he leapt back to avoid, but his eyes suddenly met the blood-red three tomoe Sharingan, plunging him into darkness.
"Gale Style: Razor Whirl!"
A series of sharp, water-like lasers were instantly released by another Cloud ninja, attacking Yoichi.
However, Yoichi didn't even dodge, just raised his Lightning Release Armor, and his blade continued its trajectory, slashing down.
Squelch.
The blade flashed, a head flew up with blood spurting.
And the Gale Style attack, hitting the Lightning Release Armor, seemed ineffective, all blocked by the lightning wrapped around Yoichi.
However, it was a bit numbing, after all, it was Gale Style, a mix of lightning and water chakra properties.
"Leaf's Uchiha Yoichi!?"
Cloud's Lan gritted his teeth, two of their companions lost in an instant; that speed and the powerful lightning armor made him feel as if he was facing the Third Raikage.
"Attacking us near the Cloud Village, you're seeking death!"
"Seeking death? With just you?"
Yoichi looked at the bodies on the ground, then at Lan who had spoken.
His action made all the Cloud ninja angry, and they took up a defensive formation.
"I guessed you would send reinforcements, and probably also inform the Cloud ninja at the front. But you probably didn't expect me to intercept you so close to the Cloud Village, and why didn't you watch the sides?"
Squeak, squeak, squeak!!
Suddenly, a more intense thunder sounded from both sides of the woods, causing the Cloud ninja to hastily check the noises.
Lan also glanced sideways, and when he saw two Yoichi's thrusting with one hand and extending three fingers, he couldn't help but shout in alarm, "Be careful, that's the Third Raikage's Triple Piercer!"
And in the instant Lan looked away, Yoichi sheathed his blade and formed a seal, chakra gathering at his throat while his body rapidly heated.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Massive flames burst forth from Yoichi, rapidly expanding into a sea of fire thirty meters wide, the blistering wave of heat rushing forward.
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
Lan used a Water Release and quickly leaped back, warning, "Get away, I can't block this Fire Release."
His Water Release dried up into steam before the Great Fire Annihilation, barely lasting a few seconds.
The blazing inferno sent all the Cloud ninja scrambling, which gave Yoichi's shadow clones an opportunity.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Two shadow clones using the Triple Piercer instantly killed four Cloud ninja, but the shadow clones stopped after killing two each.
This gave other Cloud ninja a chance to use jutsu and explosive tags to drive them back.
In almost an instant, Yoichi had killed six Cloud ninja, his terrifying strength causing Lan of the Cloud to clench his teeth in anger.
"Take Yugito and leave this place! Osai, Zaparo, follow me to stop him."
After speaking, Lan moved forward to use jutsu.
"Gale Style: Razor Whirl!"
The other two Cloud jōnin also followed Lan, trying to hold Yoichi in place.
"Lightning Release: Raiton Barrier."
"Lightning Illusion: Flash Pillar."
The powerful light from the Lightning Illusion attempted to block Yoichi's vision, but the other side's shadow clones, as Yugito and others tried to escape, immediately followed, one using Fire Release: Dragon Flame Singing Jutsu.
Four fire dragons swiftly blasted towards Yugito and her group, blocking their escape route.
The other shadow clone, wrapped in lightning, charged directly at Yugito.
Yoichi's target was clear: the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
"Damn it, don't underestimate the Cloud!"
One of the Cloud jōnin drew a short knife, also using cellular activation, wrapping the blade with swirling lightning; many Cloud ninja knew this technique, and this jōnin was one of the best.
"Die!"
This Cloud jōnin, face full of anger, faced the charging shadow clone of Yoichi without flinching, ready to trade lives to stop him.
But to his surprise, at the moment of clash, his knife stabbed directly into Yoichi's shadow clone, and the clone showed no reaction.
"Die, ha"
Boom.
The shadow clone vanished, but a shuriken fell from it.
Just as the Cloud jōnin puzzled over this, Yoichi suddenly appeared in front of him, then flicked his blade like a flash of lightning, swiftly slicing across the Cloud jōnin's throat.
"Who did you just say was going to die?"
As his vision darkened, the last thing the Cloud jōnin heard was this question, but he had no time to ponder as his head fell.
The shadow clone carrying the Flying Thunder God seal vanished in an instant, allowing him to teleport there, bypassing the earlier group of Cloud ninja.
The reason he didn't have the shadow clone catch up immediately was to let Yugito run a bit further, so that when Yoichi's real body teleported over, he had enough time to kill them all.
Those who had just stopped him were jōnin; it would take Uchiha Yoichi a minute or two to kill them all, so he simply bypassed this barrier and headed straight for his target.
The remaining Cloud ninja around Yugito had no jōnin left, and they couldn't react to Yoichi's speed.
Once close, his blade flashed, blood splattered, and heads flew.
"Damn it, stop!"
Yugito, seeing her companions slaughtered before her eyes, became enraged, her emotions resonating with Matatabi, causing red tailed-beast chakra to emerge, as she rushed to attack Uchiha Yoichi.
But after killing the last Cloud ninja, Yoichi instantly appeared behind Yugito, knocking her out with a hit from the hilt of his blade.
"The Two-Tails is captured."
A smile appeared on Yoichi's face, although it was risky, the objective was achieved.
"Damn it, put down Yugito!"
At that moment, Cloud's Lan, Osai, and Zaparo arrived, surrounding Yoichi on three sides.
Five Cloud ninja squads, besides them, everyone else was dead; their comrades' deaths fueled their anger, but Uchiha Yoichi's strength made them feel powerless.
Facing Yoichi, they could feel the despair the Cloud felt against the Third Raikage.
"Fine, I'll kill you all before I go then."
Yoichi still had over half his chakra left, creating a shadow clone to hand Yugito off to, then he slowly raised his Raijin.
----------------------------
"Lan, Osai!"
A and B arrived ahead of schedule, discovering a battlefield with traces of a fire jutsu and blood on the trees and the ground strewn with bodies of their villagers.
And they saw a Leaf ninja removing flesh from Lan's body, beside him lay a girl, their village's Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito.
"Damn it, let go of Yugito."
A immediately recognized the Uchiha clan symbol behind the Leaf ninja, knowing all this was his doing, and shouted angrily.
"Kill him, B!"
"Right, big brother!"
The two rushed at Yoichi, their anger urging them to kill the Leaf ninja before them, their rationality demanding they rescue Yugito quickly, so they charged.
"Next time I'll play with you guys."
But Yoichi didn't plan to tangle with them any longer, having already gained enough from this mission. He pulled out a smoke bomb, threw it at his feet, and teleported away using the Flying Thunder God Technique just as the smoke began to billow.
Boom!
In the instant Yoichi teleported away, several enormous tentacles from a tailed beast swept through, dispersing the smoke with their violent motions.
A looked around, his anger palpable as he realized the enemy had vanished. "Where is he?"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For $5][www.p@treon.com/zaelum] [Thank You For Your Support!]
The sensory ninja was still behind, and after waiting for others to arrive, Ai angrily ordered the sensory ninja to immediately track the whereabouts of Yōichi.
However, Yōichi left using the Flying Thunder God Technique, using all the chakra in his body, including some stored Nine-Tails chakra, and then teleported to a civilian town on the outskirts of the Land of Hot Water.
This was a location where Yōichi had previously left a mark of the Flying Thunder God Technique, far from the battlefield. At that time, he had his shadow clone hide the mark there, making it impossible for the Cloud ninjas to sense from such a distance.
After failing to sense anything, Ai boldly split up with Killer Bee to search. Despite the potential danger, they decided to send out signals before dying.
But after searching three to four kilometers separately, the four people could not find Yōichi.
In the end, they could only regroup reluctantly. Ai instructed one of them to send the message back to the Cloud Village, while he and Killer Bee were to inform their leader and then set up defenses at the border to intercept anyone coming through.
This was probably the Cloud ninja's last hope of getting Yugito back.
The Two-Tails had been stolen, a major incident for the Cloud Village. They had to retrieve it quickly; if they couldn't regain Yugito at the border, they were ready to start a decisive battle.
In the Cloud Village, the Tailed Beasts were a legacy of power, never to be lost.
After teleporting away, Yōichi ate some soldier pills and rested for less than ten minutes before continuing on his way; although he could have rested more, he felt the Two-Tails inside Yugito becoming restless.
Even if the Jinchūriki passed out, the Tailed Beast was still not docile.
"It seems there's no one skilled in sealing techniques at the camp, and my own sealing skills are mediocre. It looks like I'll have to ask the village to send Mina over."
Yōichi thought to himself. Although Konoha had a sealing unit, Yugito was his war prize and from now on was to be kept under his control; Konoha had no say in the matter.
"Struggling for the position of Hokage is difficult now, but when I return, I'll convince Sakumo-san to take the role!"
Hokage Sakumo-sama was a better choice than Hiruzen. Unlike Hiruzen and other high-ranking officials of Konoha who followed Tobirama's philosophy, Sakumo adhered to a blend of the samurai way and the original will of fire from the First Hokage.
He would protect the village, but he cared more about the comrades of Konoha. Sakumo inherited Hashirama's original ideas, not the will of fire that followed after the death of Madara.
Gulp, gulp.
Red Tailed Beast chakra surged again from Yugito's body, causing Yōichi to frown slightly before using his own chakra to suppress the Two-Tails' chakra, simultaneously entering the sealing space within Yugito.
The Cloud Village used the Iron Armor Seal, not as secure as the Four Symbols Seal but still capable of controlling the Tailed Beast.
Inside Yugito's sealing space, Yōichi saw a giant cat demon enveloped in blue flames, lying within the boundaries of the sealing technique, unable to leave.
"Matatabi, you better stay quiet, or else I'll just kill Yugito and let you resurrect in a few years!"
Yōichi's Sharingan slowly rotated as he spoke. He would not be threatened by a Tailed Beast; as for making friends with them, he lacked the patience.
These Tailed Beasts harbored deep hatred towards humans, and Yōichi did not want to pretend to be a noble light and befriend the Tailed Beasts; it was too troublesome.
"Meow!"
A sharp cat cry followed, then the Two-Tails, with its fur bristled, said, "If you dare harm Yugito, I will never let you go."
"Her Jinchūriki status is only a few days old, and you're already this close? But you're threatening me, do you really want to resurrect in a few years?"
Yōichi was not intimidated by an animal.
"Harsh words should be backed by the ability to enforce them. If you try to take possession again, I'll just kill Yugito."
With that, Yōichi controlled his chakra and left Yugito's internal sealing space.
Securing the Two-Tails was certainly advantageous, but if it continued to cause trouble, Yōichi feared it might be problematic once he returned to the Konoha camp. If he wasn't careful and the Two-Tails rampaged at the camp, he would become a criminal.
However, just as Yōichi was about to head back to the Konoha camp, he suddenly sensed a familiar chakra.
After mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, his sensory abilities had greatly improved. Although the Thunder God marks were his own creation, without sufficient sensory capability, he couldn't detect the marks.
"Is that... Tsunade?"
Yōichi thought for a moment, then changed direction and headed towards the town.
The nearby town was an ancient town in the Land of Hot Water, famous for its hot springs and situated on the eastern side of the Land of Hot Water, a place where Cloud and Leaf ninjas were unlikely to clash.
Given its hot springs and entertainment facilities, it attracted wealthy individuals from other countries.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the town, Yōichi carried Yugito as he entered.
Crowds could be troublesome, and since Tsunade had only used her ninjutsu once after arriving, it was difficult to locate her.
However, Yōichi had a way to find people. He first asked a local about all the gambling houses' locations, then inquired about famous hot springs and inns.
If Tsunade was here, she would only be in one of these three places; the other areas like the red-light district were not suitable for her.
The person asked, seeing Yōichi's cold expression and the sword at his waist, didn't dare intervene, even though he was carrying a sleeping young woman. He honestly provided information about the casinos, hot springs, and inns, then quickly left.
Encountering a few who wanted to meddle, before they could speak, they were subdued by Yōichi's genjutsu, which made them dance naked in the streets, causing a spectacle.
Luckily, at the second casino, Yōichi heard about Tsunade. A woman with golden blonde hair and twin ponytails, busty, accompanied by a young girl with short black hair, gambling with dice in a VIP room on the second floor.
As Yōichi reached the second floor, he heard Tsunade's voice.
"How about it, big sister, you said one roll decides win or lose, are you betting high or low this time?"
The professional gamblers opposite her, eyes filled with greedy lust, were not lusting after her beauty but her money.
They felt lucky, having gambled for many years, this was the first time they encountered someone so easy to win against; they hadn't even used their gambling skills, and this woman was losing money like water.
Shizune quickly whispered into Tsunade's ear, "Tsunade-sama, if we lose, we won't even have money left for meals." She now regretted not heeding Yōichi-sama's warning, having impulsively let Tsunade try to recoup losses.
Now it seemed they might not even know where to sleep tonight.
"I'm sure I'll win this time!"
Tsunade declared confidently, then slammed her hand on the tatami mat and shouted, "I'm betting low!"
"Wait a second, she's betting high."
The door behind them suddenly opened, and a voice spoke up.
Tsunade turned around, her memory flooding back, "What are you doing here?"
"We'll talk about that later, now you're betting high, roll the dice."
Yōichi finished speaking and directly used the Raijin to open the dice box, the sum of the three dice exactly indicated high.
--------------------------------
In the inn, Tsunade and Yōichi sat at a table covered with several bottles of shochu and some snacks, bought by Shizune to celebrate not having to sleep on the streets today.
"Kid, what are you doing here, and who's that young girl you're carrying? She's from the Cloud Village, isn't she?"
After drinking a cup of sake, Tsunade's tone was unfriendly as she stared at Yōichi; a flush tinted her cheeks, her ample bosom resting on the table, occasionally drawing glances.
Hmph, even if he just helped her win some money, that incident at the gate of Konoha was not forgotten.
"I was passing by after returning from the Land of Lightning and sensed Tsunade-sama's chakra, so I came to check and also to ask for a favor."
Yōichi gestured towards Yugito beside him and continued, "Her name is Yugito, she's the Two-Tails Jinchūriki from the Cloud Village. Tsunade-sama, I believe you are skilled in sealing techniques. Please help me seal her chakra, otherwise, it will be troublesome when we return to the Konoha camp."
"Cloud Village's Two-Tails Jinchūriki? Cloud Village must be furious."
Tsunade's face showed shock, then her expression turned serious, "What's the situation now? Is there a war between the village and Cloud?"
"Not just with Cloud, but also with Sand. The Sand Village's Third Kazekage died, and the Third Raikage caused trouble in Konoha, but he was repelled by me and Sakumo-sama."
Yōichi briefly explained the recent events, then added, "That's the situation. The Two-Tails is too troublesome. If we don't seal her chakra, even returning to the Konoha camp isn't safe."
"It's easy to just seal the chakra. There should be a sealing technique already on the Cloud Village's Two-Tails Jinchūriki. Just apply a conflicting seal, and she won't be able to use any chakra."
When it came to serious matters, Tsunade spoke straightforwardly, then proceeded to inspect the seals on Yugito.
"I've never seen this Cloud Village seal, but it's different from the Five Elements Seal. Just apply another seal, and she'll be completely unable to use chakra; others in the village can perform this seal, you can find them later."
After saying this, Tsunade formed hand seals, gathered chakra in her five fingers, and pressed them against Yugito's abdomen: "Five Elements Seal!"
Five tomoe appeared around the Iron Armor Seal, and Yugito's face showed a look of pain, which slowly eased after a while.
Tsunade clapped her hands and said, "There, she can't use chakra now."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back. However, Cloud might trace us here, it's better if you don't stay long."
Yōichi said, preparing to take Yugito back to the Konoha camp. His time away had been long enough, and Cloud now knew of Yugito's abduction; they might directly attack the Land of Fire.
"You have urgent matters, so I won't keep you. You helped me win money earlier, let's consider the sealing technique as payment."
Tsunade finished, then waved her pale fist, continuing, "But don't think I'll forget what happened at the gates of Konoha. I'll settle that account with you later."
Yōichi looked puzzled and asked, "The gates of Konoha? What happened?"
Tsunade, with a threatening look, said, "If you play dumb today, prepare to lie down!"
"Never mind, Tsunade-sama, I'll go report back to Sakumo-sama."
Before leaving, Yōichi paused and then told Shizune, "You should have learned a lesson today. Next time you give money to Tsunade-sama for gambling, I won't be there to help you win."
Shizune nodded resolutely and said, "I understand, Yōichi-sama. From now on, I definitely won't give Tsunade-sama money."
"Go, go, don't lead Shizune astray!"
Tsunade, flushed with anger and embarrassment, pushed Yōichi out the door. Today was just bad luck for her; next time, she would definitely win back, Uchiha brat didn't know anything about gambling.
After Yōichi left, Tsunade sat at the table and poured herself another cup of sake, grumbling, "I knew it, winning money just brings bad luck, now I've run into that brat."
Shizune asked, "But if Yōichi-sama hadn't helped us win money, wouldn't our luck have been even worse? Tsunade-sama, you wouldn't even be able to drink now."
"Shizune, you don't understand, that sealing technique just now used up a lot of chakra, isn't that unlucky!"
Tsunade argued breathlessly, convinced she was jinxed.
"Let's not stay here tonight, Shizune. Let's soak in a hot spring and leave this place, then head to the Land of Tea."
--------------------------------
"Yōichi-kun, you're finally back. Who is she?"
Sakumo saw Yōichi returning with a Cloud Village girl and immediately guessed the situation.
If it was true, Uchiha Yōichi had indeed accomplished a great feat.
"She's the Cloud Village's Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito. Now her chakra is sealed, and she can't use it."
After the chakra was sealed, there was no need to knock her out daily, so Yugito was now conscious and standing beside Uchiha Yōichi.
Hearing his words, Yugito spoke angrily, "You better send me back to the Cloud Village, or the Third Raikage will never forgive you."
"Forget it. If you want to die, I'll give you a kunai, and you can kill yourself. If you don't want to die, just stay quietly by my side. I don't keep living prisoners."
Yōichi warned Yugito, then ordered the ninja outside the tent to lock Yugito in his resting tent.
After everyone left, Yōichi said to Sakumo, "Sakumo-san, I'm sorry for taking action without orders."
Sakumoshook his head and said, "It's not important. If you hadn't discovered the Two-Tails Jinchūriki's information, we would have been even more passive in the future. You are a hero, Yōichi-kun."
(End of Chapter)
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT