224. Encounter with the Fourth Raikage

In the dense forest, thousands of Cloud Village ninjas were moving swiftly.

At that moment, a thick mist surged in from the left, completely engulfing the entire forest.

"It's Hanekawa! Everyone, be careful!"

Dodai's heart tensed as he quickly warned the others.

"Use Wind Release!"

Samui immediately commanded.

Chakra transformed into a violent gust, blowing away the dense mist.

However, as soon as it was dispersed, the mist reappeared, endlessly rolling in as if it had no end.

Samui bit her lip.

Was this a waste of chakra? No, she reconsidered—it wasn't wasteful. It was just that Hanekawa had too much chakra.

His battle against the Four-Tails using Water Release had already proven how terrifying his chakra reserves were.

"He's over there!"

A nearby sensory ninja raised his hand and pointed to the right.

Samui drew her ninja sword and disappeared into the mist.

She scanned her surroundings, but her vision was completely obstructed—she could barely see a meter ahead.

Despite this, she wasn't too worried.

After all, the Cloud Village forces were nearby and could provide immediate support.

Moreover, she didn't believe Hanekawa would kill her.

Footsteps sounded.

Samui quickly turned around and saw Hanekawa standing there with a calm expression.

She secretly let out a breath of relief.

He hadn't attacked immediately—this meant there was still room for negotiation.

"You went to such great lengths just to see me. I must be pretty important."

Hanekawa looked at Samui and smiled.

"It's not about importance."

Samui responded coldly.

Perhaps Hanekawa hadn't realized it yet, but he was already one of the strongest figures in the ninja world. Every action he took carried immense influence.

With Konoha's main base heavily guarded, this was the only way they could contact him.

"Have you removed your restriction?"

Samui pursed her lips and asked.

"Yes."

Hanekawa admitted, "I picked up a few sealing techniques."

"…"

Samui was speechless.

Did he just remove the restriction himself?

What kind of monster was this?

At the same time, it also meant Hanekawa's identity as a spy hadn't been exposed yet.

"Do you remember the ninja who sent you to the Konoha orphanage?"

Samui continued before he could respond, "He's been imprisoned—for failing to recognize your genius."

"It's not really his fault."

Hanekawa blinked.

Back then, he truly had no talent—until he got his cheat.

"We all hope you'll return to the Cloud Village."

Samui looked at him expectantly. "With your strength, you could definitely become the next Raikage."

"Returning now would make all my efforts meaningless."

Hanekawa shook his head, rejecting the idea.

"Are you really going to betray the Cloud Village?"

Samui's heart tensed as she asked.

"I never said I was betraying it."

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow and countered, "Aside from removing my own restriction, what have I done to wrong the Cloud Village?"

Samui hesitated.

Thinking carefully, he wasn't wrong.

But his refusal to return already said enough.

"You have a point."

Samui regained her composure and spoke calmly, "This time, we came to ask for intel on Konoha and the Sand Village."

"I can provide it, but I need time."

Hanekawa wasn't surprised by her request. After a brief moment of thought, he agreed.

"Why?"

Samui's sharp eyes locked onto him, as if trying to see through his lie.

"My Sensei and I are in a difficult position right now."

Hanekawa sighed.

"That's impossible."

Samui frowned.

Tsunade struggling in Konoha? That had to be the biggest joke.

"It's about the Hokage succession."

Hanekawa explained, "Orochimaru wants to be the next Hokage, and my Sensei is his biggest competitor."

Samui pondered this.

Even as a Cloud Village ninja, she could tell that Konoha's next Hokage would likely be one of the Legendary Sannin.

Tsunade was the strongest candidate—her reputation had skyrocketed over the past two years.

Slaying Hanzo of the Salamander, wiping out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and capturing the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure—all these feats were tied to her.

Orochimaru wanting to be Hokage meant he had to go through Tsunade first.

"Right now, in the Frost Country battlefield, Orochimaru is the commander, while my Sensei is only the deputy. She holds less authority."

Hanekawa continued, "We've been stuck doing logistics for nearly a week."

"Really?"

Samui found it hard to believe.

"If my Sensei hadn't volunteered for this mission, you wouldn't have been able to see me."

Hanekawa paused for a moment before adding, "If you don't believe me, you can investigate. Many people know about this."

Samui froze for a moment, lost in thought.

Now that the Land of Frost had gathered tens of thousands of ninjas, there were bound to be spies from the Cloud Village within Konoha and the Sand Village.

Even if they couldn't access highly classified information, they could at least verify whether Tsunade and Hanekawa had truly been assigned to logistics duties.

"Because of Orochimaru's vigilance, I can't access the intel you want right now."

Hanekawa said, half-truthfully.

Samui remained silent.

She didn't know how to respond for the moment.

"As long as I have enough time, I can pass the intel to you."

Hanekawa chuckled. "Besides, I'd like to cooperate with you to take down Orochimaru."

Of course, that was a lie.

Exposing the Wood Release experiments alone would be enough to ruin both Orochimaru and Danzo—there was no need to take risks by collaborating with the Cloud Village.

He was just stalling for time until he could obtain Wood Release.

"How long will it take?"

Samui snapped back to reality and asked.

"I don't know."

Hanekawa shook his head. "I can't guarantee anything."

"I'll report this to Lord Raikage when I return."

Samui thought for a moment before continuing, "He will decide what to do."

"Thank you, Samui."

Hanekawa smiled.

Samui gazed at him, momentarily dazed.

She didn't know whether they would meet as enemies or allies next time.

"One last thing—you're already being watched by my Sensei."

Hanekawa said, his expression unchanged.

"I know."

Samui nodded.

Just as she was about to say more, Hanekawa suddenly stepped back and vanished.

Samui immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and reappeared in front of Dodai.

"What happened?"

Dodai asked as soon as he saw her.

"I met Hanekawa and talked to him for quite a while."

Samui spoke quickly. "But now's not the time to discuss that—ignore the mist! Move forward at full speed!"

"Stay alert and keep moving! Do not stop!"

Dodai's heart tightened, but he didn't question her. He immediately shouted out orders.

The next second, screams rang out.

From within the thick mist, swarms of kikaichū insects burst forth.

It was Aburame Shibi's secret technique.

And alongside him was Hyuga Hizashi.

He wasn't using the Gentle Fist for close combat but instead relied on his Byakugan to see through the mist, hurling deadly kunai at his enemies with pinpoint accuracy.

Hanekawa glanced at him, recalling a theory from his past life.

The Hyuga Clan, with their Byakugan, shouldn't rely on close-combat Gentle Fist—they should specialize in long-range ninja tools instead.

But then again...

Most ninja tools in this world weren't particularly powerful, often weaker than Gentle Fist techniques.

Besides, with the Byakugan's precision combined with Gentle Fist's ability to shut down chakra points, fighting ordinary ninjas was almost effortless.

A single strike could render an opponent unable to fight.

As for special opponents, well—if you couldn't win, you couldn't win, whether it was close-range or long-range.

"The Cloud Village Jonin are approaching!"

Hizashi immediately warned.

"Let's go!"

Hanekawa clapped his hands, raising a massive earthen wall several meters high in front of them.

Hizashi, Shibi, and the others didn't linger—they immediately turned and left.

Their goal was to harass and stall for time until Tsunade's reinforcements arrived.

"Damn it!"

Dodai smashed through the earthen wall, watching the Konoha ninjas flee, his face twisting in anger.

"This is a real headache."

Samui sighed.

"Don't worry too much."

Dodai took a deep breath. "I've already sent word to Lord Raikage—he should be here soon."

"Let's hope he makes it in time."

Samui said gravely.

Both the Cloud Village and Konoha were racing against time.

Whoever arrived first would gain the upper hand.

Meanwhile, Hanekawa and his team didn't go far before stopping.

"I wonder where Lady Tsunade is now."

Kurenai Yuhi said worriedly.

"We can ask Katsuyu."

Hanekawa had an idea and summoned the slug.

Since all of Katsuyu's fragments shared a consciousness, they could essentially serve as a communication network—though not as convenient as phones from his past life, since messages had to be relayed through the main body.

Still, it was quite useful in critical situations.

Poof!

Katsuyu disappeared.

After a few minutes, Hanekawa summoned her again.

"Lady Tsunade will arrive in about an hour."

Katsuyu said softly.

Hizashi, Shibi, and the others immediately brightened up, their expressions turning hopeful.

If they could wipe out these thousand Cloud Village ninjas, it would be a major achievement.

"Shibi-senpai, keep an eye on Cloud Village's reinforcements."

Hanekawa reminded.

"Hmm."

Aburame Shibi responded, "I've already deployed my kikaichū for defense around the area."

"Good."

Hanekawa nodded slightly.

They followed behind the Cloud Village ninja forces, taking occasional opportunities to harass them.

An hour later, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

Hanekawa looked up and saw Tsunade leading a group of ninjas descending from the sky.

He glanced around and noticed that most of them were jōnin.

"Well done."

Tsunade nodded at Hanekawa, then turned to the group and said, "No need for unnecessary words—get to work!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Without hesitation, the brutal battle began.

Though the Konoha ninjas were fewer in number, they had superior strength.

Very quickly, they gained the upper hand.

Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

Hanekawa clapped his hands, and chakra surged from his throat, forming a massive water dragon that crashed into the enemy ranks.

Water and blood splattered everywhere, accompanied by agonized screams.

The sound of cutting wind filled the air.

Countless shuriken rained down from above, locking Hanekawa in.

Water Style: Water Formation Wall!

Hanekawa glanced at the middle-aged man in the distance and quickly formed hand seals.

A wall of water rose, blocking the shuriken.

The middle-aged man lost sight of Hanekawa.

Just as he was about to form a seal, a pair of hands suddenly emerged from the ground.

He barely had time to react before he was dragged underground.

Only his head remained above the surface—just in time to meet Hanekawa's blade.

Two Cloud Village ninjas rushed toward Hanekawa.

Chidori Stream!

Hanekawa sheathed his Thunderfire Sword and formed a seal.

A surge of chakra transformed into dazzling lightning, radiating outward from his body.

"Arghhh!"

The two Cloud ninjas were instantly engulfed by the lightning, screaming in agony as their skin charred and their hair stood on end.

Water Style: Heavenly Weep!

Hanekawa spat out two water needles, ending their lives.

Dust rose into the air.

Suddenly, Samui appeared in front of Hanekawa.

Without hesitation, she drew her short blade and slashed at him.

The blade vibrated, releasing a streak of lightning, forming a Lightning Blade.

Water Style: Water Formation Wall!

A water wall rose in front of Hanekawa.

The Lightning Blade struck the wall, dispersing in all directions.

Some of the residual lightning even traveled through the ground, reaching both Hanekawa and Samui.

Samui's expression changed slightly as she leaped back, avoiding the lightning.

But at that moment, the ground bulged, and the head of a massive dragon formed.

The dragon opened its mouth and fired a Mud Bullet.

Samui quickly swung her short blade, unleashing multiple slashes.

The mud bullet shattered into pieces.

Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she heard a sharp sound behind her.

She turned her head—only to see Hanekawa's right fist, transformed into solid rock.

Samui's heart tensed, and she instinctively raised her arms to block.

Boom!

Hanekawa's punch landed on her elbow.

Her first sensation was hardness—then pain.

A powerful force sent her body staggering backward uncontrollably.

She steadied herself and looked down, noticing that her arm was already red and swollen.

But she knew Hanekawa had held back.

Looking around, she saw that the Cloud Village forces were collapsing like a crumbling mountain.

A sense of dread surged in her heart.

Just then, Aburame Shibi suddenly sensed something and shouted, "The Fourth Raikage is here! And he's alone!"

Tsunade and the others' expressions shifted slightly.

Before they could respond, a loud thunderclap echoed.

A brilliant flash of lightning descended.

A towering, muscular figure emerged—the Fourth Raikage, A.

His muscles bulged, and with just a simple punch, the air itself seemed to tear apart.

A surge of lightning gathered around his fist.

And his target—was Tsunade.

Tsunade's expression grew serious. Just as she was about to counterattack, a stone wall suddenly rose in front of her.

The Fourth Raikage sneered and shattered the wall with a single strike.

Heavy Stream Violence!

His fist shifted into an elbow strike, aimed directly at Hanekawa, who stood in his way.

Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique!

Superhuman Strength!

Hanekawa's arm turned to stone as he met the Raikage's elbow head-on.

Boom!

The impact shattered the ground beneath them, sending a shockwave of dust and rubble into the air.

Hanekawa took a step back.

But the Fourth Raikage took two steps back.

"You're not bad at all."

The Raikage looked at Hanekawa with surprise.

He hadn't expected that in their first exchange, he'd be at a disadvantage.

Even if it was just a slight one—and even though he hadn't used his full strength or activated his Lightning Chakra Mode yet.

_

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