Tsunade then looked at the two ninja squads and glanced again at Guy, who was showing his white teeth and giving a thumbs-up.
He said confidently, "Tsunade-sama, just leave it to me!"
Tsunade chuckled lightly and said, "Then I'll be counting on you. Remember, you're not going to save Iwagakure, and there's no time now. Don't go head-on—just go through the motions."
Tsunade personally passed on the art of slacking off.
But someone as straightforward as Guy didn't take it in at all. He was full of plans to battle Kairen for several hundred rounds and carry youth through to the end.
After giving all the necessary instructions, Tsunade ordered,
"In that case, Shikamaru's squad and the Might Guy squad, heed my command and head to the Land of Earth's Iwagakure to support them."
"Roger!"
Tsunade smiled and pointed at them. "As for your captain…"
Guy jumped out to volunteer. "Of course it's me!"
Tsunade shook her head and continued, "Shikamaru!"
The green on Guy's face turned gray.
Shikamaru stepped forward. "Hokage-sama, I will definitely complete the mission."
Guy asked, "Tsunade-sama, I'm a jōnin. Why won't you let me be the captain?"
Tenten mocked, "Guy-sensei, just stop. Shikamaru is smart—he really is more suitable to be the captain than you."
"That's true!"
Neji nodded.
Guy looked to Lee, hoping this disciple would say a few good words for him.
Lee is an honest kid who can't lie, and he said it straight out.
"Guy-sensei, we're the type who don't use our brains, so let's not join the fun."
"Lee… (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)"
After the squads were assigned, Shikamaru set off with his few lackeys, planning to snatch back the wife who rightfully belonged to him from Kairen's side.
After they left, Shizune suddenly said, "Tsunade-sama, Ino and Tenten are also on the beauty list."
Tsunade froze, then immediately reacted. "That's right! Quick, hurry and call them back!"
"No, Tsunade-sama, they've already gone far."
"Damn it, I'm helping the villain."
The facts proved that sometimes Tsunade's brain had been sacrificed to her chest.
...
A dark corner of Konoha.
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune had previously gone out on a mission, dodged the purge of the Root organization, and barely saved their skins.
Each of them carried a sack on his back. They appeared behind Danzō, put down the sacks, and knelt on one knee.
Danzō didn't turn around and still carried that aloof big-boss aura. "The mission is complete!"
Aburame Torune had a reclusive personality and wasn't good with words.
Yamanaka Fū said respectfully, "Danzō-sama, both targets have been captured. We didn't alert the village's ANBU."
Danzō released a wind blade and cut open the tied mouths of the two sacks.
At once, two girls with differently colored hair revealed their heads.
One had light purple hair tied back, brown pupils, and a wild kind of beauty.
It was Anko.
The other had long purple hair and wore ANBU attire, possessing a unique moonlit beauty.
Yamanaka Fū added, "Yūhi Kurenai was protected by the Sarutobi family, so we didn't get her."
"Forget it. These two are enough."
Anko's nose twitched, and she woke up from unconsciousness.
At a glance she saw Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fū, who had attacked her for no reason, and immediately cursed, "You two bastards, got nothing better to do than attack me?"
Yūgao was also woken up by the noise. As soon as she opened her eyes she tried to break free, but her whole body was weak, and she couldn't even refine chakra.
With a wary gaze, Yūgao looked at the old man behind Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune.
"Shimura Danzō!"
Danzō snorted. "Did Tsunade not teach you any manners? I am an elder of Konoha."
"But soon I won't be. Very soon I will be the Sixth Hokage of Konoha."
Anko found a target and immediately opened fire with her little mouth.
"You old man, why did you grab us? You're not planning to do something perverted, are you? Yo yo yo… you still got it?"
Danzō fell silent, and only after a long while did he mutter,
"Worthy of being Orochimaru's disciple—just as annoying."
"Hmph! I brought you here for the peace of the Land of Fire. You also know you made it onto Moku Kairen's Beauty List. Giving you to him will buy peace."
Danzō then turned around, looked at Anko and Yūgao, and continued,
"Every Konoha ninja must have the resolve to give their life for the village. Do you have that kind of resolve?"
Yūgao fell silent, as if trying to understand Danzō's words.
Though this man's conduct was consistently despicable, what he said was not without reason.
These past few days the Hokage had been worried sick over Konoha's situation. As a defender of the Will of Fire, should one sacrifice oneself to exchange for Konoha's peace?
Anko's brain didn't take such turns. She pointed at Danzō's nose and cursed,
"You old thing, I think you've got bad intentions."
"Do you have a wife? Could you send your wife to that tyrant?"
Danzō, thick-skinned and hard-hearted, replied coolly,
"This old man has no spouse. If I did, I would not hesitate to send her in exchange for peace. I believe she would understand me."
"What about your old mother?"
"The same!"
Anko went on cursing, "You spineless old bastard."
Danzō didn't care at all and instructed Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune,
"Send the two of them to Moku Kairen."
"Okay!"
Danzō added, "Oh right, make sure you state my position clearly. Konoha is willing to submit to Moku Kairen and hopes he will support me as Hokage."
Anko immediately understood Danzō's heart. "Sure enough, one set in your mouth and another in your heart. You just want to collude with outsiders and still wrap it in so many circles."
Danzō didn't mind Anko's mockery; his thick skin had long been tempered to perfection.
He glanced at the sacks holding Anko and Yūgao.
"This kind of packaging won't do. That kid will definitely think our service isn't thoughtful enough."
"Change to a nicer package, so they don't return the goods."
Yamanaka Fū: "(´-﹏-`;)"
...
Iwagakure.
The shadow clone shouted for a long time, but Ōnoki didn't give any reply, as if he really wanted to curl up in the village.
Kairen calmly exhaled a puff of smoke.
Kurotsuchi stood to the side with her arms crossed. After thinking for a long time, she finally swallowed her pride and spoke to Kairen.
"You… can you not fight the village's ninjas?"
Kairen glanced at her. "Are you telling me how to do things?"
Kurotsuchi clenched her fists. "Give me time. I'll help you persuade the old man to surrender."
"Oh!"
Kairen was surprised. Even Kurotsuchi had submitted under his obscene might.
Kurotsuchi explained, "I just don't want to see so many villagers get dragged into this."
She had also gradually realized how extraordinary Kairen was; Iwagakure simply had no ability to resist.
The old man was also a stubborn old coot, unable to swallow his pride and bow his head to surrender.
So she wanted to be a middleman.
Kairen smiled at Kurotsuchi. "So you've agreed to live with me?"
"I refuse. Will you agree?"
Kairen shook his head. "That option doesn't exist! Go persuade the old man. We're all family—why do we have to fight to the death?"
"As long as he surrenders, I'll immediately appoint him Minister of War, in command of all the troops!"
"Hmph!"
Kurotsuchi snorted, didn't focus on Kairen's nonsense, and walked straight toward the loudspeaker shadow clone, snatching the loudspeaker with one hand.
"Old man!"
Ōnoki was pacing back and forth in the office. When he suddenly heard Kurotsuchi's voice, his spirits lifted at once.
"It's Kurotsuchi!"
Kurotsuchi continued to persuade him.
"You're not a match for this hooligan. Accept your fate! Hurry and surrender—don't drag everyone down with you."
Ōnoki's face immediately darkened when he heard this.
"Why is this wretched granddaughter speaking for that kid? Could it be she's fallen for him?"
Kurotsuchi went on, "Did you hear me? There are still so many women and children in the village. You wouldn't have the heart to drag them into the battlefield, would you?"
Ōnoki couldn't take it anymore. Chakra gathered in his throat, and with a thunderous sound it boomed out from within the village.
"Traitor! Our forebears built Iwagakure among towering mountains and steep ridges, and for generations have believed in the Will of Earth."
"Strong, unyielding, as tenacious as stubborn rock—we will never bow to the enemy even unto death!"
Kurotsuchi said helplessly, "You can't eat the Will of Earth! Besides, you're not young anymore—why push yourself like this?"
Ōnoki roared, "I am the Tsuchikage, the Kage who bears the responsibility of protecting the Land of Earth. With the nation in great peril, how could I lay down my arms and beg for surrender?"
Kurotsuchi cursed, "You stubborn old man—are you trying to drag everyone to die with you?"
Ōnoki immediately replied, "This is the tenacity of rock. Come… Akatsuchi, you tell me—should we resist to the end?"
Akatsuchi: "Um… actually… I—"
"What are you dithering about? Does this kind of answer even need thinking? Come! Entsuchi, you tell me."
"Uh… this… I—"
In the face of reality, warriors were only a minority. Everyone wasn't in a hurry to die. If you can't win, you can't win—why risk your life?
Ōnoki asked around once and immediately found that everyone was in the surrender faction, and he clenched his fist at once.
This wouldn't do. The pressure that kid brought was too great; not many people could hold on.
Ōnoki looked toward the light screen and happened to see the message about Konoha's support, so he asked:
[Hokage, how many people did you send? Where are you now?]
Tsunade lied: [More than twenty thousand ninjas. The whole village is mobilized. We're not far from Iwagakure anymore.]
Ōnoki was overjoyed. Reinforcements had arrived; the village was saved.
But the light screen immediately played another image.
It was Shikamaru's squad, still wandering in the forests of the Land of Fire—and most importantly, front and back together they were only seven people.
Ōnoki said angrily: [Konoha, you're completely just going through the motions!]
Tsunade didn't reply; it seemed her little trick had been exposed and she was a bit embarrassed.
Kurotsuchi laughed. "No one's coming to save you. Hurry up and surrender!"
Ōnoki's face was gloomy, and he stayed silent.
The people around lowered their heads obediently, not daring to touch Ōnoki's sore spot.
Everyone waited in quiet silence for Ōnoki's decision.
After a long while, Ōnoki's expression sharpened. That small body radiated an extremely powerful aura.
"Let's go. All of you, follow me out. We'll settle this with Moku Kairen once and for all."
The people around looked at each other, each waiting for the other to answer first.
Ōnoki's gaze turned cold, white Chakra appearing in his palm, and these people immediately moved obediently.
"Charge! Kill Moku Kairen!"
"Grab your weapons and teach him how to behave!"
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