Chapter 240: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind?
Chapter 240: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind?
The next day, upon waking, Kurotsuchi found that her injuries were almost completely healed. My recovery power is this strong? she wondered. Just yesterday I was covered in wounds from clay bombs.
The voice in her heart told her this was normal. She nodded. Yes, normal.
Getting dressed, she smoothed her hand over her long, fair legs. A feeling of joy welled up inside her; they felt remarkably good to the touch, and she couldn't resist stroking them a couple more times before finally pulling on her red bodysuit and strapping on her Iwagakure-marked forehead protector. She stepped out of her room, ready to greet the new day.
She possessed the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, along with Water, Earth, and Fire chakra natures. Lava Release was a combination of Fire and Earth natures, making her Water Style ninjutsu relatively weaker in comparison.
Yet, when she arrived at the training ground today and executed two Water Style jutsus, their sheer power startled even herself. How did I suddenly become so proficient in Water Style ninjutsu? Then, she felt an unnaturally vast amount of chakra within her body.
For a moment, she was astonished. Astonishment quickly gave way to understanding. Ah, right. I'm a genius. A sudden surge in chakra overnight is just basic procedure.
When the surrounding ninjas commented on her exceptional talent, she simply smiled and said nothing. I'm the genius of Iwagakure. The power of my Water Style ninjutsu is just... a billion times stronger than usual. It's perfectly normal.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Danzo, along with his Root ninjas, stealthily tracked the injured Kamizuru kunoichi into the Land of Earth. If Root ninjas were captured, the standard protocol was to simply deny being members of Konoha. If he were captured... there was only one path for him: death. He wouldn't need to worry about the aftermath. After I'm dead, let the floods come!
Entering the Land of Earth felt like returning home to him; there was no pressure at all. His assistant for this operation was the young ninja who wasn't yet known as Sai. This pale-faced, handsome youth normally wore regular clothes – long shirt and pants, nothing unusual. But whenever he went on a mission, he immediately began to flaunt his abdomen. In this particular field, he was practically as famous as Ino among those who liked to show off their midriffs.
Dragging her heavily injured body and carrying the Bikochu insect, the Kamizuru kunoichi traveled through the Land of Fire, the Land of Grass, and entered the Land of Earth. She found Kurotsuchi at a border outpost. After a slight hesitation, she laid bare her entire plan.
"Lady Kurotsuchi! This is my grandfather's hair, and this is the Bikochu!" she pleaded, grabbing tightly onto the sleeve of Kurotsuchi's left arm with a tone of desperate urgency, like someone begging for help with stagnant goods. "If this insect can molt into an adult, it will track the last scent it smelled. I believe it can surely find the place where my grandfather hid the secret scroll before he died! This will allow us to restore the Kamizuru clan! Please, Lady, help me, cough, cough, cough—" The kunoichi coughed violently, spitting up large mouthfuls of blood.
Putting down the weak and elevating the strong was a common occurrence, and Iwagakure was no exception; it had its share of such dynamics. The kunoichi hadn't initially held much hope, but Kurotsuchi's attitude this time greatly encouraged her.
"Alright. As a member of Iwagakure, your matters are the village's matters. Go get treated for your injuries first. Afterward, I will personally lead a team with you to find the secret scroll. I'd like to see who dares to harbor ill intentions!"
At this moment, Kurotsuchi was like the embodiment of justice, her words powerful and full of heroic spirit.
The Iwagakure ninjas at the outpost had varied expressions. The older ones were nonchalant, while the younger ninjas were quite excited, ready to pledge their lives to follow Lady Kurotsuchi. Occasionally, a few ninjas who were interested in the Kamizuru clan's secret techniques also put away their minor schemes. This technique belonged to insect users; it would be useless to a regular ninja anyway. There was no need to anger the young Lady over something so trivial.
The Root spy at the outpost relayed Kurotsuchi's words to Danzo. Danzo sneered. He had seen plenty of hot-blooded young ninjas like Kurotsuchi; clearly, she hadn't experienced the harsh realities of the world yet.
Danzo felt a bit apprehensive about Kurotsuchi, primarily because of her identity. This was the Third Tsuchikage's granddaughter; some said she was being groomed as his successor and might become the Fourth Tsuchikage in the future. Whether she would become the Fourth Tsuchikage wasn't Danzo's concern. Kurotsuchi's strength, in his eyes, was merely decent, far from being a top-tier expert. What he feared was Kurotsuchi calling for reinforcements. If Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, or a Jinchuriki showed up, he wouldn't be able to handle them.
While Iwagakure had fewer top-tier experts, or Kage-level individuals, their core strength – the regular Jonin and Chunin – had always been formidable. In the current ninja world, the three powers with the strongest military might were Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure. Kumogakure's military strength was immense, but their ninjas were overly aggressive; they charged fast and died fast. Iwagakure ninjas, on the other hand, were more cautious, often hunkering down behind Earth Style: Earth Walls for defense. Often, after a major battle where corpses littered the field and the enemy suffered heavy casualties, Iwagakure ninjas would all be wounded, looking miserable but actually very durable. After some rest, they'd be back in fighting shape. Konoha was like planting crops; they'd harvest one batch today, fight tomorrow, and harvest another batch. Relying on their large population and the strong foundation laid by the First Hokage, outstanding ninjas emerged in an endless stream.
Iwagakure didn't have such a strong foundation, but they had high defense and long health bars. The village was full of ninjas who had survived the Great Ninja Wars – elites who had lived through hundreds of battles.
With advantages naturally came disadvantages. The fact that an army of ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas was held up by the Third Raikage alone for three days and three nights was undeniable proof that Iwagakure ninjas had weak attack power. Try putting Konoha ninjas up there? Three days? They'd kill the Third Raikage in half a day! Danzo believed he couldn't compare to the Third Raikage at all.
It wouldn't take many; just a few hundred Iwagakure ninjas surrounding him with Earth Walls on all four sides, and his corpse would become an Iwagakure collection piece.
Danzo secretly prepared several plans, all essentially involving 'plucking teeth from a tiger's mouth,' 'plucking teeth from a tiger's mouth,' and 'plucking teeth from a tiger's mouth.' The difference lay in the number of subordinates sacrificed.
His luck was good; Kurotsuchi, for whatever reason, didn't call for reinforcements. Following the original plan, the Kamizuru kunoichi had the Bikochu take one last scent of her grandfather's leftover hair and forehead protector before it was about to molt. After remembering the scent, they waited for a full day. The Bikochu successfully transformed into an adult.
This unique insect circled twice in the air before flying north into the Land of Earth. "Follow it!" Kurotsuchi ordered one of her subordinates to carry the injured Kamizuru kunoichi on his back, then assigned two small squads. A group of ten people followed at extreme speed.
They traveled over mountains and valleys, running through the rugged peaks of the Land of Earth for four days before finally stopping before a set of ancient ruins.
"Lady Kurotsuchi, it must be here. The Bikochu won't... cough, cough, won't make a mistake," the Kamizuru kunoichi kept encouraging the others, afraid they might give up.
Kurotsuchi had had almost no rest these past few days, but she didn't feel tired at all. Her body was full of strength; she just felt a bit annoyed from constantly running around following this damn bug. Now, they had finally found the place.
"Alright, let's go in."
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