Chapter 433: A Mysterious Powerful Being
Chapter 433: A Mysterious Powerful Being
Upon returning to the camp, Biwa Juzo, who had sustained more severe injuries, immediately sought medical treatment from the ninja doctors, while Kuriyama Arare, who had fared better, reported back to Kakiya Yagura about the mission first.
"During our mission, we encountered a powerful Konoha squad with one more member than us," Kuriyama recounted gravely. "Despite our valiant efforts, we ultimately fell short. In the midst of the battle, Suika Yamafugu-ki was killed."
Kirigakure was a village of ruthless rules, and Kuriyama sought to mitigate the impact of their failure with artful language. In a sense, he wasn't lying; Kakashi's team did have one more person than theirs, although not every member of Kakashi's squad played a significant role.
"Suika Yamafugu-ki's sacrifice was not in vain," Kuriyama continued. "Several ninjas from the Konoha squad were also severely injured by us. However, as our casualties were greater, we chose to retreat to avoid further impacting the battle. But then, a ninja skilled in Ice Release blocked our path.
Fortunately, Mizunoto Samui also arrived to provide support. Due to my injuries and those of Biwa Juzo, we retreated early and returned to the camp. The rest of the Ninja Blade Corps fought alongside Mizunoto to deal with the Konoha ninjas." Kuriyama provided a brief overview of the entire battle.
Kuriyama believed that this mission shouldn't cause too much of an issue. Although they had lost a member of the Ninja Blade Corps, the Konoha side had undoubtedly suffered greater losses.
It was no ordinary squad that could defeat the Ninja Blade Corps head-on. If they survived, their future strength would be evident to all.
"This powerful Konoha squad... were they the Ino-Shika-Cho trio?" Kakiya Yagura inquired, deep in thought.
The Ninja Blade Corps was Kirigakure's trump card, and there were few Konoha squads on the eastern battlefield capable of defeating them. In Kakiya's estimation, only the Ino-Shika-Cho trio or a team led by Orochimaru could pose such a threat.
However, if Orochimaru had been present, the battle wouldn't have ended in mutual casualties, so Kakiya directly asked about the former group.
Kuriyama's face beneath his mask held a hint of embarrassment, but he honestly revealed the names of Kakashi's team, "They were Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, Uchiha Obito, and other super geniuses of Konoha."
Although Genma Shiranui's performance had also been remarkable, Kuriyama didn't know his name.
A fleeting look of astonishment crossed Kakiya Yagura's face. He wouldn't say that this information was completely unrelated to his expectations, but it was certainly unexpected.
As one of the high-ranking members of Kirigakure, Kakiya Yagura was familiar with these three names. He had read the reports of the Jonin Exams led by Genma and knew that these three were the geniuses who had stood out during the Konoha Chunin Exams, even defeating the young prodigies that Kirigakure had specifically scouted.
"Are you saying that you lost to a few Konoha ninjas who have only been Chunin for a couple of years?" Kakiya Yagura's eyes narrowed, his voice sharp.
Kakiya was aware of Kakashi and the others' talent, but that wasn't a valid reason for the Ninja Blade Corps' failure. After all, the Ninja Blade Corps were already renowned ninjas, and their genius was merely a stage they had passed long ago.
Feeling the intense pressure emanating from Kakiya Yagura, Kuriyama couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.
Unlike their group, which had only recently formed, Kakiya Yagura was a bona fide powerhouse whose might shook the ninja world. He was highly likely to become the Fourth Mizukage.
"Yagura-sama, our intelligence is outdated," Kuriyama explained, steeling himself. "Their current strength far surpasses what they displayed during the Chunin Exams, especially Might Guy.
Might Guy has mastered a powerful taijutsu called 'Golden Ultimate.' He only used it twice during the fight. The first time, he severely wounded Suika Yamafugu-ki, and it was only due to Samehada's healing abilities that he regained his combat prowess. The second time, he shattered the Decapitating Carving Knife and nearly killed Biwa Juzo."
Kuriyama could have tried to cover up the truth with lies, but after the battle, they would collect the bodies, and when they examined Suika Yamafugu-ki's memories, the lies would be exposed. So, Kuriyama opted to stick to the facts as much as possible.
"Not all of them were genius ninjas, though," he added. "There was also a middle-aged taijutsu user. If it weren't for him holding off Ajisai and Kuroi, we would have surely killed Might Guy and the others."
A thoughtful expression crossed Kakiya Yagura's face.
While the defeat of the Ninja Blade Corps was infuriating, the information it revealed was chilling.
The fact that a few ten-year-old genius ninjas could rival the might of the Ninja Blade Corps was terrifying. If they were already so formidable at such a young age, what would they become in the future?
"However, with Mizunoto Samui there, they probably won't get away," Kakiya Yagura mused, his tone calming.
No matter how promising their future might be, it was still the future. As long as they were eliminated before that future arrived, their potential would never be realized.
After asking about some of the details, Goki allowed Kurayukimaru to leave for treatment and then dispatched another Kirigakure ninja to the battle site to investigate.
However, when the informant he sent returned, Goki received intelligence that he had never expected.
"Mizunashi is missing, along with Suika Yamafugu-ki and four other members of the Ninja Blade Corps," the informant reported in a low voice, his head lowered as he dared not meet Goki's gaze, knowing the latter would be furious.
"Mizunashi is missing?" Goki asked, his expressionless gaze fixed on the informant. The clenched fist betrayed the turmoil within, despite his outward calm.
The informant nodded, "There were traces of Mizunashi's Ice Release at the battlefield, and the ground was littered with shattered ice."
Goki's face remained stony as he dismissed the informant.
"You useless, good-for-nothing Mizunashi!" Goki fumed inwardly, barely containing his rage.
Disappearance was a polite term. In reality, there were only two possibilities for someone missing from the battlefield: desertion or being killed/captured by the enemy.
Given Mizunashi's status, he wouldn't have deserted. As the leader of the Ninja Tribe and one of the beneficiaries of the Ninja Village, Mizunashi had no reason to flee.
If he hadn't deserted, then he must have been killed or captured. Given Mizunashi's strength, it was unlikely that he had been captured alive. Thus, in Goki's mind, Mizunashi was as good as dead.
Goki found it incredibly frustrating, not just because of Mizunashi's death but also because of the loss of five members of the Ninja Blade Corps.
With five out of seven members lost, the once-powerful group was now effectively crippled, and the remaining two could only be considered slightly stronger than the average jonin.
The death of Mizunashi and the effective disbandment of the Ninja Blade Corps meant that Kirigakure had lost two of their trump cards in quick succession.
"This puts us at a severe disadvantage," Goki's expression darkened. "Who was the ninja that killed Mizunashi? Is there a powerful ice-style user in Konoha?"
He wished he could resurrect Mizunashi just to punish him all over again. He also contemplated sending away Bibashi Juzo and Kurayukimaru, effectively disbanding what was left of the Ninja Blade Corps.
Despite being a mere skirmish, the encounter had wiped out Kirigakure's advantage in the Fire Country and even put them at a significant disadvantage.
Mizunashi's death wasn't just a loss of a strong fighter; it was also a loss of critical intelligence. Mizunashi knew the locations of their camps, supply routes, and battle plans.
Due to Mizunashi's death, Goki had no choice but to immediately alter all of Kirigakure's arrangements on the eastern battlefield, no small feat.
The terrifying killing intent within the tent caused the ninja guarding it to break into a cold sweat. He took a moment to silently mourn whoever had incurred Goki's wrath.
As much as Goki wanted to take his anger out on his subordinates, he knew this wasn't the time for punishment. Instead, he swiftly ordered a change in strategy while summoning Bibashi and Kurayukimaru to inquire about the details of the battle.
Goki needed to know the identity of the ninja who had killed Mizunashi. If it had been Orochimaru or the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, he could accept that. But if it wasn't them, it meant there was a new powerful ninja from Konoha on the battlefield.
"I didn't see his face, but I witnessed the Ice Release jutsu he used," Bibashi shook his head.
Kurayukimaru nodded in agreement; they had left the battlefield too early.
Goki's face darkened further, and he struggled to restrain himself from punching the two in front of him.
Ace assassination squad? Useless squad!
Kurayukimaru was baffled by Goki's anger. He had no idea who had upset the battlefield commander, as everything had been fine just a short while ago.
"What happened? Have Kuroi and the others not returned yet?" Bibashi suddenly recalled something.
It was rare for ninja battles to last an entire day and night. Considering the time that had passed since they had left the battlefield, the fight should have been over by now.
"They're not coming back. Unless something unexpected happened, they were all likely killed by the Konoha ninjas," Goki said coldly.
"You two are lucky to be alive, thanks to your injuries."
The information about the Ice Release was far from sufficient to identify any strong Konoha ninja, as there were none known to use that ability among their ranks.
Biwa Juzo and Arare Kuriyama exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting their mutual shock.
They couldn't believe that Mizunashi and the others were all dead. What kind of power did it take to defeat them all? Had Orochimaru joined the battle as well?
"Are there any other notable geniuses in that squad?" Gojyu asked.
Since Mizunashi was dead, there was a good chance that the genius ninja had survived, and Gojyu needed to update their information and adjust their priority level accordingly.
"There's also a younger Uchiha ninja, even younger than Uchiha Obito, who is quite a genius," Kuriyama replied, quickly sketching a likeness of Shijima from memory and handing it to Gojyu.
Gojyu took the sketch and asked a few more questions, but as he realized he wasn't going to get much more useful information from the pair, he dismissed them to recover from their injuries.
Gojyu swiftly adjusted Kirigakure's strategy and sent a report to the village, informing them of the latest intelligence.
His forces were lacking in strength, and if they wanted to continue their success on the eastern battlefield, they would need reinforcements from Kirigakure.
Otherwise, they would be gradually pushed back by the Konoha ninja forces until they were forced out of the Fire Country altogether.
Gojyu believed that Kirigakure should send more troops to continue the fight, as this was a rare opportunity that shouldn't be missed.
Usually, a failure of this magnitude would prompt preparations to retreat and defend their home territory. However, their opponent was Konoha, which was currently under assault from multiple fronts.
Konoha was already stretched thin, so even if Kirigakure chose to retreat, Konoha wouldn't pursue them, nor would they be able to invade the Water Country across the sea.
In other words, Kirigakure could engage in battle without any reservations, and even if they lost, they wouldn't have to worry about being demanded for reparations.
If Konoha dared to ask for compensation, Kirigakure could simply continue the stalemate and see if Konoha could outlast the other Great Shinobi Villages.
...
In the Hokage's office, the four Konoha elders were gathered for a meeting.
"This Hayato Uzuki actually managed to kill four members of the Ninja Blade Corps while fighting Mizunashi at the same time. Even Minato would have a hard time doing better," Mito Men said with admiration.
They were discussing the latest battle report from the front lines.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his goat-like beard with a smile, knowing Uzuki's abilities but still surprised by the speed of his achievements.
"If you had sent Uzuki to the battlefield earlier as I suggested, the war situation would definitely be better than it is now," Danzo said, taking the opportunity to nudge Hiruzen. He had wanted to send Uzuki to help Orochimaru for a long time, but Hiruzen had always refused.
"Uzuki is an excellent Root member that I cultivated. I know where his abilities can be best utilized," Danzo emphasized.
Mito and Tsunade exchanged glances, surprised to learn that Uzuki was Danzo's protege.
"First of all, Uzuki wasn't ready for the battlefield back then. Secondly, his current strength is mainly due to his own hard work, not your training. Did you teach him combination jutsu? Or did you impart the Flying Thunder God Technique to him?" Hiruzen rebutted.
He had taught Uzuki jutsu himself and didn't consider Uzuki to be Danzo's protege, seeing Danzo's claim as self-aggrandizement.
In Hiruzen's opinion, Uzuki's achievements were mainly due to his natural talent, his own efforts, and the resources Hiruzen had provided. Root, on the other hand, had restricted Uzuki's growth, as evidenced by the fact that Uzuki progressed faster after leaving Root.
"Uzuki built a solid foundation in Root!" Danzo insisted.
Of course, he was well aware that Uzuki's current strength had nothing to do with Root and that it was Hiruzen's mentorship that had propelled his growth. Nonetheless, Danzo felt he deserved some credit since Uzuki was technically his Root ninja, even if his training of Uzuki had been against the rules.
Hiruzen didn't refute this, as Uzuki had indeed been a top-tier jounin when he first left Root.
After their brief exchange, they continued the meeting, discussing whether to publicize Uzuki's achievements to boost morale or keep him a secret weapon for now.
(End of Chapter)
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