https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-247-Kakashi-What-Happened-to-You-/12553589/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-249-The-Battle-of-Myouboku-Mountain/12553591/
Chapter 248: Unexpected Events and Arrivals
Chapter 248: Unexpected Events and Arrivals
After his trip to Konoha, Yuyi Xuan Yue couldn't find Naruto, but he did manage to obtain an Uchiha Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan and removed the seal that Orochimaru left on Anko Mitarashi. Not a bad haul.
In the following days, he created a shadow clone to search for the three grand holy lands.
Even with some delays, he was still among the fastest teams chasing after the tailed beasts.
The only ones who could surpass him were Deidara and Qing Ming, who were already on their way to Sunagakure.
"So this is the Sand Hidden Village where Brother Sasori used to stay? It's pretty desolate, and the environment is worse than many small ninja villages. Hmm."
Deidara, standing on the clay giant bird, looked down at the village surrounded by towering walls, with only a narrow passage for entry and exit.
He had thought that the environment of Iwagakure, often plagued by rock falls, was harsh enough, but Sunagakure, enveloped in yellow sand and scarce greenery, seemed even more formidable.
"For ninjas, a harsh environment can sometimes be an advantage," Qing Ming commented, floating beside him.
A harsh environment breeds resilient people.
It was this adversity that forged the indomitable will of the Sand Ninjas. Despite being the least funded by their daimyo and having a smaller number of ninjas among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they still boldly joined the Great Ninja War. They never backed down, always rising again after each defeat, regardless of casualties.
In contrast, Takuminokura, with its more favorable environment, had ninjas who had already surrendered to the might of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, spending their days crafting ninja tools in grueling work conditions.
When they heard that the only formidable member of the village, the Four Symbols Man, intended to resurrect himself, the entire village packed up and fled overnight, fearing retribution from the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
As the founder of Takuminokura, Qing Ming had deep feelings about this.
Deidara, however, had no interest in delving further into these matters.
He glanced at his ring and said, "The boss hasn't given the order to act yet, so we'll have to wait for now."
"Be cautious of those flying ninja tools; don't let them spot us," Qing Ming warned.
"They're just little toys," Deidara waved dismissively.
Despite his words, he still found a concealed spot to wait.
While he didn't mind being discovered, and could just forcefully take the Jinchuriki if needed, his boss would not be pleased with any delays caused by his actions.
The thought of incurring the boss's displeasure sent a shiver down Deidara's spine.
The boss's art was indeed perfect, but Deidara had no desire to experience it on himself just yet.
Especially since his own art still had room for improvement.
So, he waited patiently.
In the Land of Lightning, Sasuke and Kisame were making their way to the Cloud-Lightning Pass.
Although they were still some distance away, they could already hear the muffled rumble of frequent and dense lightning strikes unique to the Cloud-Lightning Pass due to its special environmental structure.
Hence, it was also a sacred place for Lightning Release training.
The Fourth Raikage, Ay, imprisoned the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, here for his own safety and training.
"I heard that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is a perfect Jinchuriki. I wonder how his strength compares to a regular Jinchuriki?" Kisame struck up a conversation as he walked alongside Sasuke.
Sasuke didn't bother humoring Kisame and confidently replied, "In front of the Sharingan, whether it's a tailed beast or a Jinchuriki, the outcome is always the same."
"Sharingan," Kisame glanced at Sasuke, "You're more confident than Itachi when it comes to the Sharingan."
"Alright, I understand." Kisame nodded to acknowledge the instruction.
The two continued their journey towards the Cloud-Lightning Pass.
Heading towards the Land of Lightning as well were Kakuzu and Hidan, but their path did not lead them to the Cloud-Lightning Pass.
In terms of distance, they were much closer to their destination.
Along the way, Kakuzu even took the time to kill a wanted criminal on the bounty list and cashed in the reward at an underground black market in the Land of Lightning.
Hidan was used to such behavior by now.
Instead of impatiently rushing as he used to, he now preferred to sit alone and contemplate new religious doctrines like a philosopher.
"Kakuzu, what do you think love is?" Hidan asked.
"Love is money," Kakuzu replied.
"No, no! Money is not love; love is an emotional outburst."
"Money is also an emotional outburst."
"Still wrong! Never mind, I won't discuss this with a money-grubber like you. Kakuzu, how about I experience love firsthand by having an affair? What do you say?"
"The essence of love is money. Do you need me to lend you some? I'll take a 40% cut."
"..."
Bickering along the way, Kakuzu and Hidan leisurely made their way towards their destination.
As they had not received orders from their leader to take action yet, the two had originally planned to wait on the outskirts.
However, when they arrived, they saw nothing but ruins in the distance.
"If I'm not mistaken, that should be where the Two-Tails Jinchuriki is located," Hidan said, pointing at the ruins with a puzzled look.
According to their intelligence, this place was supposed to be a Cloud ninja outpost.
But now, it was completely collapsed, and Hidan could even smell the thick scent of blood.
"Something unexpected happened!"
Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged glances, and without another word, they flashed towards the ruins and began a thorough search.
"There are traces of a Two-Tails chakra here; the time of occurrence was about an hour ago. There's no corpse of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, so either they escaped or were captured," Kakuzu reported.
"Now what?"
"We chase, of course!"
Being the first time they were executing a mission for the new leader, neither Kakuzu nor Hidan wanted to fail.
As one of the oldest ninjas in the world, Kakuzu had extensive experience. After searching the scene, he quickly determined the direction in which the assailant had left.
No time to waste.
They had to take down the culprit and retrieve the Two-Tails Jinchuriki!
Kakuzu and Hidan immediately set off.
After spending a considerable amount of time searching, Hagoromoka's shadow clones successfully located the three places with the most concentrated natural energy by following the flow of natural energy.
Upon sensing and examining these locations, one place filled with vibrant life force and another damp underground cave were excluded.
Hagoromoka dismissed the shadow clones, and his true body arrived at the third location.
Before him were mountains surrounded by lakes, with thick mist enveloping the central area, obscuring everything from outsiders.
Hagoromoka's Rinnegan eyes swept through the mist, and he sensed the familiar tailed beast chakra.
Indeed, this was the place.
Mount Myoboku, they had arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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