Chapter 706: Son Ryouka's Assassination Squad
Chapter 706: Son Ryouka's Assassination Squad
"In that case, Shinshu is indeed more formidable than we imagined," Nokami Sphere remarked.
He seemed to have figured out the reason behind Stone Hide Village's strange behavior.
They were only willing to offer money, but as soon as it came to providing personnel, they refused to discuss it further.
Now it seemed that Stone Hide Village might have already received some information, wanting to eliminate Shinshu but also fearing Son Ryouka's retaliation, leading to such actions.
"That's right. To deal with Shinshu, we must find a way to kill Son Ryouka first, or else it will be a never-ending problem," Stone Splitter nodded in agreement.
For Stone Hide Village, eliminating Shinshu was a necessity. The stronger Son Ryouka was, the more urgent it was to eradicate Shinshu.
Currently, Son Ryouka was the only one holding the banner for Shinshu. If they didn't seize this opportunity and allowed Shinshu to continue growing, it might become the next Leaf Village, still possessing the power of the Senju Hashirama.
This was something Stone Hide Village couldn't tolerate, especially since the Rain Country bordered the Earth Country.
"The question is, how do we kill Son Ryouka, and how much information does Stone Hide Village have on him?" Earth Platform pondered for a moment before continuing.
A ninja's battle begins before the actual fight, and the difficulty varies greatly depending on the availability of information.
Without any intelligence, Earth Platform believed that going after Son Ryouka would be suicidal.
However, with sufficient information and the collaboration of powerful ninjas from multiple villages, he thought there was a good chance of success.
The exact probability depended on the quality and specifics of the information.
"This is all the information Stone Hide Village currently has on Son Ryouka," Stone Splitter said, taking out two identical scrolls and handing them to Earth Platform and Nokami Sphere.
"Regarding the Five Great Elements, the confirmed information is that Son Ryouka is exceptionally skilled in Fire Style, capable of suppressing Hanzou's Water Style with his Fire Style. Apart from Fire Style, he also possesses a formidable level of Wind Style, having once demonstrated a powerful Wind Style Jutsu during a lecture.
Additionally, Son Ryouka is suspected to be proficient in Water Style, Lightning Style, and Earth Style. Although he hasn't used these elemental Jutsu publicly, his performance during lectures has shown a level of skill beyond ordinary individuals." Stone Splitter explained.
"Son Ryouka possesses a unique secret technique with an extraordinary effect. Its principle is unknown, but its specific manifestation is the generation of a shield around his body, a defense so powerful that it can withstand the full power of the Tsuchikage's Dust Style without a scratch."
Stone Splitter didn't want to bring up Ohnoki, wanting to preserve some face for his village's Tsuchikage, but for the sake of accuracy, he had to mention it.
Ohnoki's Dust Style was renowned for its power in the ninja world, and using it as a reference best demonstrated the strength of Son Ryouka's defensive Jutsu.
"Withstand the Tsuchikage's Dust Style without a scratch!" Earth Platform exclaimed, looking at Stone Splitter in surprise.
The Third Raikage's Lightning Style Chakra Mode was known as the strongest defense, but Earth Platform didn't believe the Third Raikage could withstand Ohnoki's Dust Style without injury.
If the Lightning Style Chakra Mode had such formidable defense, the Third Raikage would have surpassed the other Kage to become the strongest ninja of his time.
Dust Style was a Bloodline Limit capable of decomposing matter, and most ninjas would choose to dodge or avoid such attacks.
Nokami Sphere also showed a shocked expression.
Everyone knew the strength of the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Style, and withstanding it without injury was indeed beyond common sense.
"Son Ryouka is also a master of Taijutsu, possessing extremely powerful techniques..." Stone Splitter continued his explanation.
In the battle between Ohnoki and Son Ryouka, the only injury Ohnoki sustained was from a punch exchange with Son Ryouka.
As Earth Platform listened to Stone Splitter's explanation while reading the scroll, his eyebrows furrowed.
With a defense capable of withstanding Dust Style and mastery of powerful Jutsu and Taijutsu, how could they possibly counter him?
Nokami Sphere tried to envision Son Ryouka as an adversary, considering what kind of strategy would be needed to defeat him.
"Our higher-ups believe it's necessary to form a multi-village assassination squad dedicated to studying Son Ryouka and ultimately killing him," Stone Splitter concluded.
In fact, Stone Hide Village's higher-ups had debated this decision for a long time before reaching a conclusion.
There had always been a dissenting voice among them, suggesting an alliance with Shinshu to counter Leaf Village.
However, as Shinshu hadn't provided any positive feedback in this regard, the higher-ups felt that Shinshu couldn't stand with Stone Hide Village against Leaf Village, and the idea of an alliance gradually faded away.
"This is a significant matter, and I don't have the authority to decide. I need to report the situation to the Raikage and let him make the final decision," Earth Platform replied, not agreeing directly as his rank wasn't high enough.
However, internally, he was inclined to agree.
Cloud Hide Village had ignored Shinshu due to the distance and the belief that Shinshu needed more time to become the sixth great ninja village.
If Son Ryouka had the power of a Ninja God, then the potential of Shinshu would be extraordinary.
Despite Shinshu's current lack of ninjas, if Son Ryouka were to reveal his true strength and rally them, loosening the requirements for joining Shinshu, there would undoubtedly be an influx of ninjas and ninja clans.
Nokami Sphere's response was similar.
The meeting was temporarily adjourned.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha.
After learning that Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden were holding an exchange conference in Six Paths City, Enma immediately headed to the Hokage's office.
Although the exchange between Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden was not a concern, the involvement of Shinshu warranted attention.
After all, Enma was well aware of Son Ryouka's capabilities.
In his haste, Enma entered the Hokage's office without knocking.
Upon entering, he noticed Fuyuki Kamizono was also inside.
He nodded slightly to Fuyuki as a greeting, then turned to Yu Sheng Mu Yue with a serious expression, "Mu Yue, there's unusual activity from Shinshu."
"The exchange conference between Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden in Six Paths City?" Mu Yue asked.
Enma nodded.
"Fuyuki and I were just discussing this. I believe Shinshu is not directly involved and is merely renting out the venue." Mu Yue continued.
"The fact that Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden chose Six Paths City instead of their own villages for the exchange conference might be an attempt to mislead us, exacerbating the conflict between Konoha and Shinshu."
"But if Shinshu is willing to let Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden hold the conference in Six Paths City, doesn't it suggest they have their own intentions?" Enma felt that the previous exchange with Mist Hidden was a mistake.
This conveyed a wrong message to the other ninja villages, as if Konoha wanted to ally with Mist Hidden to completely crush the others.
In reality, Konoha did not have such intentions, and the current mainstream voice among the Konoha leadership was to focus on development.
"There's an inherent conflict between Shinshu, Sand Hidden, and Stone Hidden. Both the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind border the Rain Country. Regardless of Shinshu's intentions, it's unlikely that Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden would want to see Shinshu continue to grow stronger." Fuyuki said after some thought.
His thoughts were similar to Mu Yue's, believing that Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden were intentionally misleading to create opposition between Konoha and Shinshu.
"The Land of Fire also borders the Rain Country, and our strength is the greatest." Enma sighed.
He didn't think Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden could maintain their cooperation with Shinshu indefinitely, but in the current situation, he felt that Shinshu might temporarily ally with Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden to deal with Konoha.
"There is a possibility of that, and I will dispatch more ninjas to investigate." Mu Yue didn't argue further with Enma.
As the leader of Shinshu, he was well-informed, but Enma was unaware of his identity, making it a delicate situation. Presenting evidence would clarify who was right and wrong.
Enma breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. He appreciated this about Mu Yue; unlike Danzo Shimura, Mu Yue was receptive to advice.
A few days later, after Mu Yue obtained the information from his ninjas, he ordered the Anbu to summon Enma to the Hokage's office.
"Third Hokage, here's the intelligence regarding the exchange conference between Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden."
Mu Yue didn't waste any time. As soon as Enma entered, he handed over the intelligence.
"The rental fee for the venue, the movements of Shinshu's key ninjas during the conference..."
After reading it, Enma realized his judgment might have been wrong.
Sand Hidden and Stone Hidden had offered a substantial fee for the venue, and even Enma was tempted to accept if they had approached Konoha. It was hard to resist such an offer.
An awkward atmosphere filled the office for a moment.
Mu Yue didn't let the silence linger. He quickly produced another piece of intelligence and spoke, "Additionally, our informant discovered something valuable in Shinshu, which I believe could lead to a potential collaboration with them."
"Puppet limbs that function like normal limbs?" Enma's expression showed surprise.
In a large ninja village like Konoha, there were ninjas who lost limbs on missions every year, significantly reducing their combat effectiveness or even rendering them unable to continue as ninjas.
If Shinshu possessed the technology Mu Yue mentioned, Konoha could instantly gain a group of experienced ninjas.
"It's definitely worth a try," Enma agreed.
As long as Shinshu didn't demand an exorbitant price, Enma believed that even a slightly higher cost could be acceptable.
If all the ninjas in Konoha who had lost limbs could obtain puppet limbs, it would be as if Konoha had gained several years' worth of development.
Action: Enma couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt as these thoughts crossed his mind.
Previously, driven by his desire for vengeance against Danzo Shimura, he had subjected Shinshu to various forms of pressure, and even challenged Son Ryouka to a duel, nearly making a grave mistake.
Now, due to Son Ryouka's unique strength, he held a particular wariness towards Shinshu and made another erroneous judgment.
While the latter had no actual impact and could be set aside for now, the former did indeed affect the relationship between Shinshu and Konoha.
It was only natural that Shinshu would want to take advantage of Konoha or even outright reject them.
"Perhaps I truly am getting old," Enma sighed inwardly.
Currently, he was no match for Son Ryouka and Yu Sheng Mu Yue in terms of strength, and he often made wrong judgments in handling affairs, which made Enma feel a strong sense of defeat.
He was no longer the Third Hokage who was invincible on the battlefield and capable of stabilizing the rear, bringing development to Konoha.
"Please, Fourth Hokage, take on more responsibility in this matter, even if it means paying a price for it," Enma requested.
Konoha currently had too many tasks, and the arrival of the puppet limb was perfectly timed.
After saying this, Enma turned and walked towards the door, his face filled with melancholy as he turned around.
Perhaps it was time for him to retire completely.
"Third Hokage, there's a meeting tomorrow regarding the Ninja Academy reform, specifically about the important positions in the reformed Ninja Academy," Yu Sheng Mu Yue said.
The Ninja Academy reform was already on track, with the teaching buildings and various facilities completed, the curriculum edited, and promotion within Konoha already done. They were just waiting for the official opening in April.
"Yes, I will attend," Enma smiled and turned to look at Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Perhaps nurturing the next generation for Konoha was a good choice.
Not long after Enma left, Shizuru Uchiha knocked on the door and entered the Hokage's office.
"Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue, these are the opinions of the current Uchiha clan ninjas regarding the Police Force, along with the third batch of Uchiha Police Force reference list," Shizuru Uchiha placed the collected information on the desk and reported.
Currently, the Uchiha ninjas who had left the Police Force were only temporarily reassigned, and to truly sever the connection between the Uchiha and the Police Force, they would have to make this temporary reassignment permanent, allowing most of the Uchiha to genuinely leave the Police Force.
To prevent the sensitive Uchiha from having negative thoughts and causing a significant backlash, Yu Sheng Mu Yue asked Shizuru Uchiha to regularly collect the Uchiha's opinions to find the right opportunity.
"Currently, around thirty-five percent of the Uchiha ninjas still believe that the Police Force is an indispensable power for the Uchiha, and among the remaining Uchiha ninjas, not all of them support the Uchiha's detachment from the Police Force. A significant portion of the Uchiha ninjas hold an indifferent attitude."
"This means the timing isn't right yet, and we haven't done enough," Yu Sheng Mu Yue replied as she flipped through the materials.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue wasn't too surprised by this result, as the Uchiha had been in the Police Force for decades, and it would be challenging to resolve the issue thoroughly in a short time.
"The third batch will be these few," Yu Sheng Mu Yue circled the names of the selected Uchiha ninjas and showed them to Shizuru Uchiha.
Except for the first batch, Yu Sheng Mu Yue selected only a few ninjas for the second and third batches, as things that were too easily obtained were rarely cherished.
"Additionally, the reform of your clan's cultivation should be implemented as soon as possible to ensure that the education of the new generation doesn't encounter problems," Yu Sheng Mu Yue reminded.
Shizuru Uchiha's life mission was to eliminate the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha and to integrate the Uchiha into Konoha. If the Uchiha's mindset didn't change, this would be difficult to achieve.
Currently, the Uchiha considered themselves Uchiha ninjas first and Konoha ninjas second.
To fulfill her life mission's requirements, even if it wasn't putting Konoha first and the Uchiha second, it should at least be equal.
In fact, even without the mission requirements, Yu Sheng Mu Yue would still do something similar. The Sharingan could easily lead the Uchiha to extremes, and having a relatively positive worldview might help change this situation.
[Name: Shizuru Uchiha]
[Life Mission: Uchiha and Konoha]
[Main Goal: Eliminate the Conflict Between the Uchiha and Konoha and Integrate the Uchiha]
[Mission Progress: 68.6%]
As Yu Sheng Mu Yue had anticipated, after her policy assistance as the Hokage, Shizuru Uchiha's life mission was quickly catching up to Kaito's.
PS: Apologies...
I fell asleep while typing yesterday, so this is yesterday's update.
I also revised Chapter 620 yesterday, mainly the content of the ninja village meeting, modifying some inappropriate wording.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
