Chương 235: Chapter 236
Gensou lowered his gaze to the massive crater beneath him.
Previously, within the underground cavern, there had been someone else besides Orochimaru.
Though it seemed the other person had perished under the effects of the Shinra Tensei, reality was different.
Crack!
Crack!
A fissure extending deep into the earth formed quickly beneath Gensou's stomp.
Soon, a mangled and lifeless large snake appeared before his eyes.
Gensou extended his hand, drawing the snake up before him. He then split open its abdomen, revealing the grotesquely disfigured and almost unrecognizable Kabuto lying within.
Noticing Kabuto showed no signs of life, Gensou glanced at the still-intact glasses perched on his face and chuckled softly.
"Your skill at playing dead is impressive, but you can't hide the chakra within you."
Kabuto's disguise was convincing enough that even experienced ninja would assume he was dead.
However, in the presence of the Rinnegan, Byakugan, and Sharingan, even suppressed chakra flow couldn't go unnoticed.
Gensou reached out with his right hand, and a black rod extended from his palm.
At the same time, Kabuto, realizing his disguise had failed, opened his eyes helplessly and began to speak:
"I—"
Thud!
Before Kabuto could finish, the black rod pierced through his forehead.
His head snapped back, his gaze dimmed, and he was truly dead this time.
Gensou had no interest in listening to Kabuto's words.
This so-called dream-weaver of the Fourth Shinobi War had always been Orochimaru's loyal dog.
Giving him the best possible ending meant sending him off to accompany Orochimaru.
With this, Orochimaru's main body was dead, and his most trusted and knowledgeable confidant was also gone.
Those remaining, like Karin and Jūgo, would likely either be indifferent to Orochimaru's death or even celebrate it, having no intention to revive him.
As for those still loyal but weaker, their lack of access to the inner circle would prevent any attempts to bring him back.
This ensured that Orochimaru would pose no further threat in the future.
With the task complete, Gensou turned to look in the direction he had come.
Judging by the time, the surprise involving the Three-Tails should also be reaching its conclusion.
At the lake where the Three-Tails resided, a thick, unnatural white mist blanketed the water's surface. Anyone entering the mist could see nothing—not even their own hands—unless they had abilities like the Byakugan, making it easy to lose their way.
At this moment, Hanare was hidden on the lake's surface.
Having temporarily evaded pursuit from the Konoha ninja, she knelt down on one knee amidst the rippling water and retrieved bandages from her pouch, skillfully wrapping her injured left arm.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps on water reached her ears.
Turning her head, Hanare saw Gensou approaching through the mist.
Unlike before, Hanare didn't immediately bow in greeting but instead formed a hand seal and said:
"Release!"
In an instant, Gensou vanished.
The surroundings returned to a sea of white.
The mist released by the Three-Tails carried a built-in genjutsu effect.
Hanare had relied on this mist's illusionary properties to escape pursuit by Konoha ninja with Byakugan.
As for her falling into a genjutsu herself?
As a master spy, her willpower was as solid as iron, and ordinary genjutsu had little effect on her.
Hanare resumed tending to her injury.
Before long, just as she finished wrapping her wound and was about to lower her hand—
"So, this is our first meeting, but you must be the secretary working for the leader, correct?"
A stranger's voice came from ahead.
On high alert, Hanare looked up.
Through the thick mist, a figure in a black cloak with red clouds emerged, revealing a shark-like face as he addressed her.
As Gensou's secretary and intelligence chief, Hanare immediately recognized the newcomer as Kisame, the Akatsuki member recently recruited by the clan leader.
Still cautious, she formed a release seal to confirm the figure's reality and exchanged coded phrases before finally relaxing.
"It's me. I expected you to arrive in half an hour after receiving the message, but you're already here," Hanare said.
"You can always count on Akatsuki's efficiency, especially when it comes to capturing tailed beasts," Kisame replied politely.
Kisame showed no signs of carelessness toward Hanare, who was not only trusted by Gensou but also a beautiful woman.
He glanced at the freshly bandaged wound on Hanare's shoulder. "Ran into some trouble?"
"I was discovered by Konoha ninja," Hanare said calmly.
"Need me to take care of it?" Kisame grinned, patting the Samehada strapped to his back.
Hanare shook her head. "Focus on the task at hand."
She pointed to the lake below. "The Three-Tails is at the bottom of the lake."
"Got it." Kisame nodded. "In that case, things are about to get noisy. For safety, you should leave first."
Hanare had no objections.
Her mission was complete. The capture of the Three-Tails could be left to Kisame and his companion.
Without hesitation, she vanished to rendezvous with Gensou.
Once she was gone, Kisame patted the Samehada.
"Time to get to work!"
Splash!
Kisame plunged into the water.
Fifteen minutes later.
Boom!
The large lake erupted in a violent upheaval.
The white mist dispersed.
Before the Konoha ninja pursuing Hanare could react,
A massive column of water shot skyward, covering the entire lake.
Roar!
At the crest of the colossal wave, a towering beast let out an enraged bellow.
Amid the chaos, Kakashi barely managed to steady himself against the churning waves. Hearing the roar, he looked up, his Sharingan narrowing in shock.
"The Three-Tails!"
Beside him, Yamato took a sharp breath. "This is insane! Someone actually forced the Three-Tails out of the lake!"
As a Konoha Jonin, he instantly realized the massive wave was man-made.
"It's him!"
Kakashi's Sharingan quickly locked onto Kisame, who was surfing the waves with ease.
"Akatsuki has arrived."
The other Konoha ninja also noticed the figure atop the water column, far more composed than the involuntarily airborne Three-Tails.
This small lake had become a battlefield for Orochimaru's subordinates, Gensou's forces, and now Akatsuki.
The Konoha ninja felt a growing sense of unease.
Especially since they couldn't intervene at the moment.
Amidst the Three-Tails' roars, the water column lost its strength, collapsing after launching the beast skyward.
The momentum sent the massive creature further into the air.
Just then, the sound of wings beating broke through.
Standing on a giant clay bird, Deidara grinned as he hovered beside the Three-Tails.
"You've arrived!"
(End of Chapter)
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