Ryosuke grabbed Ichikishimahime by the throat, Ripple continuously pouring in, freezing all of its escape methods.
Ichikishimahime spat its forked tongue, hoarsely speaking, "Human! What do you want to do to me, I warn you, "
"What the hell are you beeping about."
Before she finished speaking, White Snake swung its arm in a full arc.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
Three heavy slaps landed across her face.
After pulling out two discs, he stomped down with one foot, killing Ichikishimahime.
[Executed Ichikishimahime, gained 400 soul fragments.]
'So this was the so-called "Snake Immortal."'
Having lost the protection of humans, it was nothing more than a worth-400-soul-fragments…
White Snake glanced at the memory within the disc.
"Ho! Ryuchi cave, Kumogakure, those two bastards were coming straight for you… eh?"
White Snake saw Tagitsuhime, who had been moving with Ichikishimahime, "One even got away. As expected of Orochimaru's old kin, really slippery. Not gonna chase?"
Ryosuke's expression was heavy. He didn't reply, striding back into the forest from earlier.
Sasuke was running over from the mountain peak direction.
When he saw Ryosuke, at first he showed a smile. But then, when he caught sight of Takeshi collapsed on the ground, body completely scorched, that smile froze on his face.
Ryosuke stretched out his hand, placing it on Takeshi's chest. Sasuke waited nervously at the side.
"There's still a faint heartbeat."
He saw Orochimaru's ninjutsu disc still spinning.
It was Orochimaru-style ninjutsu's tenacious survival ability, which in a dead-end desperate situation preserved Takeshi's life.
Ryosuke decided that once he got back, he'd burn some paper money for Orochimaru, as a way of thanks.
"Brother Ryosuke, what do we do now?" Sasuke asked.
Ryosuke glanced at the memory disc of Ichikishimahime in White Snake's hand.
"First, we go back, and settle our own people."
———
That night was destined to be busy.
The attack from Kumogakure stirred the entire Kirigakure into action.
Especially the full outbreak of the Two-Tails, even though Yugito's main target was Sasuke, the enormous size, and the wanton chakra shockwaves released, still affected many people.
Kirigakure's hospital was overflowing with people. Many medical-nin still studying at the ninja academy were temporarily mobilized to help.
Terumi Mei sat in the Mizukage building, her hair messy, bloodshot filling her eyes.
Even though she hadn't slept all night, for a Kage-level ninja, she should not possibly be this haggard.
It was the reflection of her inner anxiety.
Terumi Mei searched through documents, spreading them across the desk.
Clack!
The office doors opened, Zabuza rushed in. He was slightly panting, licking at his dry lips.
"They're back."
"Who?"
"Ryosuke and Sasuke, and Takeshi, all of them are back!"
Terumi Mei stood up. Because her movement was too sudden, the chair toppled to the ground, "Where are they?"
"Here."
Ryosuke and Sasuke walked in.
Takeshi had already been handed over to the medical team, undergoing emergency treatment.
Tsunade and Kakashi were on their way to Kirigakure, expected to arrive before tomorrow night.
Once this medical giant Tsunade arrived, Takeshi's life would truly be saved.
"Zabuza," Terumi Mei said, her voice nasal.
"Huh?"
"Get out."
"Oh."
Zabuza scratched his head and left.
When the Mizukage office doors closed, Terumi Mei, who had been tormented all night under psychological pressure, finally reddened her eyes, strode forward, and hugged Sasuke tightly.
"I'm sorry. Ryosuke trusted me and left you here, and it's all my fault for not having arranged the defenses properly."
Sasuke lightly patted Terumi Mei's back, "It's okay, Auntie Mei, look, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"
"Mm?"
Terumi Mei loosened her embrace, "Auntie?"
Why is Ryosuke brother, while she's an Auntie?
Ryosuke walked to the desk. The scattered files were all about Kumogakure.
Some were agriculture and industry distributions, some were names of Kirigakure spies planted in Kumogakure.
"What are you planning to do?"
Terumi Mei wiped her tears away. Once work was mentioned, she shifted back into Mizukage thinking mode, "Kumogakure's attack on Kirigakure is a provocation."
"Since they want war, I'll give them war."
"I plan to activate the hidden operatives in Kumogakure and blow up their farms and factories."
"I know, Kirigakure just went through turmoil. I also know that among the Five Great Nations today, Kumogakure is the strongest."
"But precisely because of that, we can't let anyone look down on us, otherwise, things like this will happen endlessly."
Terumi Mei hadn't gone home all night, still wearing strawberry bear pajamas.
But with her string of clear, logical arguments, political, military, and national power considerations, no one would think she was childish.
Ryosuke smiled and said, "That's fine too, Mizukage-sama."
Terumi Mei rubbed her sore nose, chuckling.
Ryosuke gathered the files on the desk, "But there's no need. These informants were arranged by Kirigakure over several years, even decades. Keep them for now."
He took out Ichikishimahime's memory disc.
"Kumogakure, Ryuchi cave, I'll visit them one by one… and have a talk."
Terumi Mei subconsciously asked, "Talk how?"
Ryosuke smiled but didn't answer, only leaving one sentence behind, "I'll first make a trip to Snowy Village."
His blade, after the last Mizukage Overthrow Battle, had been handed to Sword Grandpa for repairs. So when he went looking for Tsunade, it was fine, and when he killed the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, that was fine too. But Ryosuke had been missing a trusty weapon.
To go talk with Ryuchi cave and Kumogakure, without a blade, it's impolite.
———
In a ninja-led world, information spread extremely fast.
In just one day, the intel about the Two-Tails jinchūriki Nii Yugito leading a surprise attack on Kirigakure was already on the desks of all the ninja village leaders.
The Kage of each village, the daimyō of each nation, as well as leaders of various ninja organizations, were all waiting for Kirigakure and Ryosuke's response.
Military retaliation?
Public condemnation?
Or… admit defeat?
"I remember, Ryosuke's stance was 'Ninjas are not enemies, but comrades fighting side by side.'"
Pain stood under the eaves, gazing at the gloomy sky as sheets of rain poured down.
Konan stood behind him, holding the fresh intel. The report stated that the Two-Tails jinchūriki, Nii Yugito, had already fallen.
Pain said, "I really want to know, when faced with another nation's invasion, will he still uphold his 'comrade theory'? Or will he…"
"Choose to walk the same path as me."
Pain coldly looked toward the sky.
Hatred inevitably leads to the same outcome.
Ryosuke's ideals were too dreamlike, too naïve.
Those who haven't suffered true blood and fire can never know what actually brings peace.
"No, that's not right."
Suddenly Konan spoke, "Ryosuke wrote in his notebook, 'Even if the militarized Kumogakure chooses to trigger the Fourth Ninja World War, the civilians of Kirigakure and Kumogakure will always stand on the same front line."
"We have, and only have, one enemy, the scum of Kirigakure and the militaristic running dogs of Kumogakure.'"
"Hatred is not aimed at an entire village, but at those with mistaken ideology."
Pain, "..."
After a few seconds of silence, he quietly skipped the topic, once again gazing at the rain curtain, muttering, "Then let's see if Ryosuke will practice his own convictions."
———
At the same time, Ryosuke, carrying a great blade, arrived at a very remote karst cave.
Sasuke, traveling with him, took out Ichikishimahime's memory disc, holding it up to compare with the cave before them.
"This is Ryuchi cave. Brother Ryosuke, are we going in?"
Ryosuke slightly shook his head.
He was not a rat, had no habit of drilling into holes.
"Let them come out and talk."
An Avro Vulcan appeared, its underbelly missile bay opening.
Missiles dropped like rain.
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