"You..." Kazahana Dotō struggled, trying to break free from the shackles made of smoke.
His strength was not weak, and with the boost from the chakra armor, he actually managed to break free. It was just that... in that time, it was enough for Kyohiko to kill him several hundred times over.
Seeing the person before him clearly, cold sweat beaded on Kazahana Dotō's forehead.
A Konoha ninja? Why is this happening!
He looked dumbfoundedly beside Kazahana Sōsetsu, only to see two people standing to his left and right. One looked like Konoha's Nara Shikaku. The other... a girl, he didn't recognize her. But the person in front of him wore a mask and seemed to be Konoha's Hatake Kakashi.
This lineup... Kazahana Dotō understood that at this moment, it was already impossible for him to kill Kazahana Sōsetsu! But what was going on with Konoha? Weren't they supposed to be allied with him? Why were they with Kazahana Sōsetsu now?!
His mind was in chaos as he quickly thought of a countermeasure.
Run! Something is wrong here!
Kazahana Dotō quickly fled towards the door. The next moment, a strange cry was heard. He raised both hands, and a black dragon ice storm swept out. But that figure instantly passed through from below, a faint lightning glow emanating from its body.
Might Gai's Lightning Release ninjutsu was not powerful. All he could do was use lightning chakra to stimulate his body's activity, but that was already enough. Under the stimulation of the lightning chakra, his speed reached a state comparable to opening one of the Gates, instantly passing through the obstruction to arrive in front of Kazahana Dotō.
And then—
Bang!
With one kick, Kazahana Dotō was sent flying into the air.
Following that, Yūhi Kurenai's hands formed a seal.
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!
Kazahana Dotō's pupils shrank. He immediately closed his eyes but was still hit by the genjutsu.
Genjutsu: Release!
He immediately dispelled the genjutsu, but... Might Gai appeared above him.
Bang!
A downward smash kick. The immense force penetrated the armor, making his abdomen feel like a churning sea.
Kazahana Dotō struggled to form hand seals. Chakra covered his entire body, forming a layer of ice armor. But after Might Gai kicked him down, he took out a nunchaku from his waist, using the force of gravity to enhance its power.
He immediately rolled to avoid it after landing, but... the nunchaku curved and changed direction, slamming viciously onto his hand.
Crack!
The bones in his fingers were slightly fractured.
Kazahana Dotō endured the pain and got up to run outside. But the next second, a wall of water rose up at the entrance.
Water Style: Water Formation Wall!
But in the Land of Snow, the water quickly froze after appearing, turning into a wall of ice.
Are these guys using me for practice?
Kazahana Dotō's heart was filled with despair. He roared, "Didn't Konoha promise to support me?"
"We did not. You must have misunderstood. Our Konoha has always had no intention of interfering in the affairs of other countries and villages. Moreover, His Excellency the Daimyō is our client this time. How could we possibly harm our client?" Nara Shikaku said with a look that screamed "idiot."
Kazahana Dotō had long known he had been fooled. His roar just now was just to create an opportunity for himself—the only way out now... was to kill Kazahana Sōsetsu! If the daimyō was dead, wouldn't they have to choose him?
Kazahana Dotō extracted a large amount of chakra, and the chakra armor on his body operated at its limit. But the next second, he found that he couldn't move.
Shadow Imitation Technique!
Nara Shikaku maintained the hand seal with both hands and smiled faintly. "How could I possibly let you use it?" He looked at Kazahana Sōsetsu. "Your Excellency, it is now up to you to decide whether to kill him or what to do."
The daimyō closed his eyes. As an older brother, he couldn't bear to kill his own younger brother. But if he didn't kill Kazahana Dotō, the chaos in the Land of Snow could not be quelled. The Konoha ninja were here now, but once they left, would the other party spare him and his family? It was clearly impossible.
"Brother, big brother, Your Excellency! I won't do it again, I'll never do it again! Just let me go!" Kazahana Dotō realized that he really had no way to turn the tables. He understood—if he didn't beg for mercy now, he might die.
Kazahana Sōsetsu took a deep breath. In that brief moment, images of his wife and his soon-to-be-born child, as well as the countless subjects of the Land of Snow, flashed through his mind. No matter how much he couldn't bear it, he had made a decision.
Kazahana Sōsetsu stood up and waved his hand. "Please, help me kill him!"
"No! Kazahana Sōsetsu, how can you kill me? You can't kill me! I..." Kazahana Dotō was terrified.
But the next second, a sword slashed across his neck, directly cutting through his chakra protection. The small wound on his throat was quickly blocked by ice. Following that, Kyohiko extended a finger and hit a pressure point on his throat. Chakra entered from the outside and exploded in the pressure point, destroying the "gate of life." At the same time, layers of resin spread and covered his entire body.
Kazahana Dotō felt a powerful force. But when the resin covered his entire body, all that powerful force could do was... shatter it.
The amber stone shattered and scattered on the ground. But the next second, the swirling smoke transformed into shackles, quickly binding Kazahana Dotō. A vine grew out from below, absorbing his chakra, along with another layer of restraint and sealing.
Kazahana Dotō's aura rapidly weakened in a short time.
"As expected, it's still not enough." Kyohiko was lost in thought.
When one of the "Eight Gates" was completely destroyed, that portion of power would instantly erupt. The terrifying power was enough for Kazahana Dotō to instantly break free from the amber sealing. This was enough to show... that the amber sealing had its limits. It was still not enough to seal some powerful individuals with explosive abilities on its own. It needed to be coordinated with other secret techniques and sealing jutsu. For example, Smoke Transformation, Gate of the Great God, or Wood Release.
"You are..." Kazahana Sōsetsu was extremely astonished.
No matter how inexperienced he was, he knew that a ninjutsu like Wood Release was not something Hatake Kakashi could use.
"Ryoho Kyohiko pays his respects to Your Excellency!" Kyohiko bowed.
Kazahana Sōsetsu's mouth fell open, his face filled with shock. It really is this genius from Konoha!
He was dazed for a moment, then quickly came to his senses. "Are you here for our cooperation?"
"I am here for the friendship between Konoha, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Snow," Kyohiko smiled.
Then, he turned Kazahana Dotō's body into amber—if left here, as Dotō's body collapsed, blood would inevitably flow out. In the daimyō's residence, appearances had to be maintained.
Kazahana Sōsetsu looked down at the amber-encased Kazahana Dotō and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. This was his own brother! But now, he had to have someone kill him. He felt no joy in his heart.
Kazahana Sōsetsu looked up at the three of them and was about to speak when a maid suddenly rushed in from outside. But when she saw this scene, she was dumbfounded. What... what's going on?
She was terrified, her first reaction being that she was about to be silenced. But soon, she looked up and saw Kazahana Sōsetsu. As the daimyō, Kazahana Sōsetsu was known for his benevolence.
"My lord, my lady is about to give birth!"
"What? Have you called for a midwife?" Kazahana Sōsetsu asked urgently.
The maid nodded repeatedly. "We have, but currently, there seem to be some difficulties..."
"You must save both!" Kazahana Sōsetsu roared. What difficulties... How could he not understand what she meant?
Coming right after the matter with Kazahana Dotō, at this moment, he couldn't help but feel anger and killing intent.
"Yes, I, I'll go back right away..." The maid had never seen Kazahana Sōsetsu so furious before and immediately ran out in a panic.
"Wait!" Yūhi Kurenai called out. She looked at Kyohiko and Shikaku, seeking their opinion. After getting a nod of approval, she continued, "Your Excellency, I am also a medical ninja. Perhaps I can be of some assistance."
"What? You're a medical ninja?" Kazahana Sōsetsu was overjoyed. He immediately said, "Quickly, quickly take her to Fuyuna's side!"
"Yes, my lord! Please, come with me!" The maid was also overjoyed. Kazahana Sōsetsu and his wife, Kazahana Fuyuna, usually treated them very well. She naturally did not want her mistress to die in an accident. She quickly led Yūhi Kurenai towards the backyard.
Gai walked to Kyohiko's side, wanting to speak but was stopped by Kyohiko.
Shikaku glanced at the two of them, then leaned closer to Kazahana Sōsetsu. "Your Excellency, you don't need to worry. Yūhi Kurenai is a disciple of Tsunade, and her medical ninjutsu is very skilled. At the very least, Kyohiko's medical ninjutsu is also top-notch. There will be no problem."
"Oh? Kyohiko-kun's medical ninjutsu is also superb?" Upon hearing the identity of "Tsunade's disciple," Kazahana Sōsetsu's doubts were immediately mostly dispelled. Hearing Shikaku say that Kyohiko's medical ninjutsu was also top-level... his heart was already filled with immense joy. Such wording gave him a full sense of security. At the very least, neither of them should be in any mortal danger. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then, shall we go inside and take a look?"
"Alright." Kyohiko nodded and followed the daimyō into the backyard.
Yūhi Kurenai was already sterilizing herself, preparing to enter the room. The environment of the Land of Snow was not as good as Konoha's, and its technological development was very peculiar. This time, due to the sudden birth, plus the climate of the Land of Snow... as a result, medical care and personnel were very scarce here. After simple sterilization, Yūhi Kurenai quickly entered the room. She had never delivered a baby before. However, she had seen many cases in the hospital and read many books. Assisting in recovery would not be a problem.
He, on the other hand, began to ponder how to write the report later and how to use the "Smoke Transformation Technique." The Grandmaster-level Smoke Transformation still couldn't avoid the problem of being countered by "wind." But the ninjutsu combinations derived from Smoke Transformation could enrich his own tactics, and it would also be of some help to the Iburi clan's Smoke Transformation Kekkei Genkai.
***
Outside the Hidden Waterfall Village.
"How does it feel to see your hometown again?"
"Not great." Kakuzu sneered coldly. He looked into the distance, a cold smile on his face. "The current Hidden Waterfall Village is laughably weak. If not for the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, it wouldn't even be worth my time to come back."
"..." Kurosuki Raiga looked into the distance, silent. He couldn't understand Kakuzu's thoughts.
Kakuzu smiled. "Kid, if you love your country so much, why did you defect?"
"Because I was too weak to change that country," Kurosuki Raiga answered.
Upon hearing this, Kakuzu couldn't help but sneer. "You're not even close. If you had faced Senju Hashirama, you would know what true strength and despair are."
"You've faced him?" Kurosuki Raiga retorted.
Kakuzu's mouth twitched. "Yes, I once fought Senju Hashirama and survived. So, kid, your little bit of insight is simply laughable in my eyes..."
"Let's go." He walked towards the Hidden Waterfall Village. "Let's capture the person quickly. I have another target recently. If I can catch him, I can get a lot of money."
Kurosuki Raiga didn't answer. He had joined Uchiha Madara's recruitment to become stronger, and Kakuzu was indeed very strong! He followed Kakuzu.
After a moment, outside a waterfall, a cruel smile appeared on Kakuzu's face. "Although I don't care, I don't want to run into them. So, I'll leave them to you to deal with!" With that, his figure dissolved into countless threads and disappeared.
The next second, dozens of figures shot out from the mouth of the waterfall.
Kurosuki Raiga looked at the cloudy sky, sneered, and said in a low voice, "Let me hold a funeral for you all!" With that, his hands formed a seal. A thick fog spread.
"Hidden Mist Technique? It's a Mist ninja!"
"Anbu from the Hidden Mist, or a rogue-nin?"
"This is... thunder!" In the mist, the enemy could not be seen, only rolling thunder.
The Hidden Waterfall Jonin immediately thought of someone— "It's Kurosuki Raiga!" they shouted.
But the next second.
Crack!
A flash of lightning broke through the mist.
Lightning Release: Kiba!
The explosive lightning shot out in all directions. Then, in an instant, a figure emerged from the mist. One slash. After a scream, Raiga disappeared back into the mist. At the same time, lightning was continuously released.
At the entrance of the Hidden Waterfall Village, under the lightning and mist, a gorgeous funeral of death was held. Kurosuki Raiga's laughter echoed all around.
But at the same time, inside the Hidden Waterfall Village—
"Leader! This is bad, the Seven-Tails, the Seven-Tails is rampaging!"
"What?" The leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village, who was just about to go out to deal with Kurosuki Raiga, was incredulous. The Seven-Tails and the Jinchuriki had always been very stable. Why did it suddenly rampage? Something must have happened!
He was stunned for a second, then his face changed drastically. "Not good!"
The leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village immediately rushed towards the direction of the Tailed Beast. Soon, he heard a mad roar. Over there... someone was fighting?! Who could it be?
He sped up, and then he saw a figure shuttling among the Tailed Beast. Then, lightning and water cannons intertwined inside, and strange masked creatures faintly appeared.
Kakuzu!
The leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village was incredulous. He was just about to take out a signal flare when he saw Chōmei in front of him suddenly gather chakra, a powerful chakra fluctuation emitting from its mouth.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
Three masks instantly appeared on Kakuzu's shoulders. Wind, Fire, and Lightning. The three masks gathered, and in an instant, a terrifying beam of light shot out. The two streams of chakra converged, erupting in a terrifying wave.
The next second, Kakuzu flew out from the chakra explosion, landing not far from the leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village.
Not good!
The leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village flickered to run, but from below, countless threads shot out, directly binding him. Then, Kakuzu flickered to his side. A hand passed through his chest.
"I'll take your heart!" Kakuzu smiled cruelly, and the tentacles quickly writhed, sewing it onto his own body.
Behind him, Chōmei quickly flew over. The next second, Kakuzu quickly disappeared with Earth Release, and countless tentacles flew out, entangling Chōmei.
The two sides were still fighting fiercely, and the Hidden Waterfall Village was plunged into chaos and destruction.