Chapter 242: The Name Of Bronze Muscles And Iron Bones
Outside the Hidden Cloud Village.
Yoru stood on the peak of a mountain, using a telescope to look toward the Hidden Cloud Village.
The Eight-Tails was too tough, beaten for half the night and still not settling down.
Around the Eight-Tails, there were always small dots flying back and forth like mosquitoes, all Cloud Ninja gritting their teeth and charging forward.
Among them, the one flashing blue and charging rapidly was the Third Raikage.
Yoru glanced at Propane on the side, who was also observing the Hidden Cloud Village with a telescope, thinking to himself that you had quite the luck, still alive.
Until dawn, the battle finally ended.
The southwest area of the Hidden Cloud Village was completely destroyed.
Fortunately, the Hidden Cloud Village’s residential areas were on various mountain peaks with low population density; if destruction of the same scale happened in Konoha Village, at least one-fifth of the villagers would die.
At noon, Yakushi Nonou came to the mountain peak where Orochimaru and Yoru were, bringing the most accurate post-war intelligence.
This time, Yakushi Nonou was disguised as a youthful girl, with clear and sweet eyes, without any flaws.
If Yakushi Nonou didn’t say, no one would know who she was.
Yakushi Nonou came before Orochimaru:
“Lord Orochimaru, the Hidden Cloud Village lost 8 Jonin!
The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Fū also died, and the Hidden Cloud Village began screening new Jinchuriki today.
In addition, including the Anbu squad guarding Fū, the Hidden Cloud Village lost more than 60 Ninja in total.”
Orochimaru nodded repeatedly; he was very satisfied with this result.
Yakushi Nonou said again:
“Lord Orochimaru, the Hidden Cloud Village is like an exploding tag about to detonate; everyone is shouting to declare war on Konoha. Should our Konoha make plans early?”
“Hehe, are they that angry? This proves my action was very successful,” Orochimaru said:
“War and such is something the Hokage needs to consider; unless they send me as Commander-in-Chief, war has nothing to do with me.”
With that, Orochimaru left contentedly.
Yakushi Nonou watched the three people’s backs, feeling somewhat anxious inside.
Was the village really not afraid of the Hidden Cloud Village declaring war? That was war, a war where thousands of Ninja would die at once.
And the Fox, this time she tried to communicate with the Fox through eye contact, but the Fox still rejected her, seeming extremely repulsed by her.
The three didn’t hurry much on the way back, and 18 days later, they arrived outside Konoha Village.
Orochimaru said to Propane: “Propane, have the Root Ninja spread rumors that I created the Eight-Tails rampage incident in the Hidden Cloud Village, and the Hidden Cloud Village suffered heavy losses.”
After Propane nodded, he carefully said: “Lord Orochimaru, Ji, Geng, and the other four sacrificed; I’m afraid I can’t deploy many to help promote for you.”
“That’s Root’s matter; I just want the result.”
Yoru thought to himself that Orochimaru treated everyone coldly, cruelly, but fairly; it was good, at least not targeted at himself.
“Fox, come with me to the Hokage’s Office.”
“Okay.”
Propane watched the Fox leave with Orochimaru and could only go find Lord Danzo first.
Inside Root’s base, Propane met Danzo.
Danzo asked first: “Propane, according to the plan, after Ji, Geng, and the others discover the target, they would lead the culprit to Orochimaru, and Orochimaru would solve the culprit with you all. Why did Ji, Geng, and the others lose contact in the end?”
News of the disappearance of Ji, Geng, and the other four had already reached Root ahead of time.
Propane said: “Lord, I received Ji’s Ninja Hawk message and went to find Orochimaru immediately.
But when I found Orochimaru and wanted to confirm Ji’s position again, the Ninja Hawk could no longer find Ji.
I suspect that during those two full moon days, the four—Ji, Geng, Xin, and Ren—sacrificed; they weren’t a match for the culprit.
A mysterious Fire Release expert killed our four Root Ninja.
I wanted to go to the Land of Iron to search for the bodies of Ji and the other four, but Lord Orochimaru… he wasn’t willing to waste time on such matters.”
Danzo frowned; he hadn’t sent anyone to the Land of Iron to search for bodies either.
Because…
At this time, Root only had Propane and Gui left.
The once powerful Root, full of elites, had become so weakened.
A was Orochimaru, counted as half a Root Ninja. Orochimaru didn’t participate in Root matters except going to the laboratory.
B was Aburame Ryoma, who died early in the Land of Whirlpools.
Ding and Wu died in the Land of Rivers.
Ji, Geng, Xin, and Ren died in the Land of Iron.
The Anbu streamlining was already a weakening for Danzo, but now Root had suffered massive casualties, which was simply a fatal blow to Root.
Propane carefully watched Danzo, wondering if Lord Danzo would think that those who shouldn’t have died did, while those who should are still in front of him being an eyesore…
His and Gui’s abilities were limited; it was absolutely impossible to complete so many complex Root tasks.
What Root provided to the village that was most indispensable was contacting spy leaders in various countries and managing the spy system.
Having just Propane and Gui handle the spy system sorting that previously took several people was too difficult.
“Lord Danzo, should we start recruiting Root Ninja as soon as possible?”
Danzo didn’t reply.
Root carried out many unsavory tasks for Danzo; where were there so many absolutely trusted subordinates?
The Shimura Clan had suffered many deaths because of himself; recruiting Shimura Ninja into Root was unrealistic.
Danzo thought that to replenish Root, he still had to rely on the Tongue-Cutting Curse mentioned in the Second Hokage’s notes.
Unfortunately, the Uzumaki laboratory in the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed; he couldn’t obtain that technique and could only find a way to get it from Tsunade.
Danzo’s eyelids drooped, his expression grim.
Who exactly was it?
He had previously suspected Tsunade, the White Fang, or one of the Uchiha, but now it seemed the enemy’s killing ferocity exceeded the capacity of any one of these three sides.
This bone-deep killing intent, continuous assassinations, were completely aimed at fighting to the death, not like internal Konoha Village political struggles.
Whether Tsunade, the White Fang, or Uchiha Kane, none of these three could possibly change temperament so drastically and extremely in a short time.
Tsunade hid the Senju Clan in Konoha Hospital, in a posture of conserving strength and avoiding as much as possible.
Sakumo Hatake was flamboyant, but he was clearly accumulating prestige, absorbing subordinates through upright means.
Targeting Root so much at this time brought him no benefit; Sakumo Hatake didn’t seem like that kind of person either.
The Uchiha Clan…
The Second Hokage teacher had said that the Uchiha Clan was the Ninja Clan that understood love the most and also the easiest to turn hatred from love, with drastic temperament changes.
Could it be that the Uchiha Clan produced an extremely bloodthirsty killer?
Looking at it this way, the Uchiha Clan seemed the most likely.
“Where is Orochimaru? Why didn’t he come see me?”
Propane quickly said: “Lord Orochimaru went to the Hokage’s Office with the Fox.”
Danzo asked again: “The Fox didn’t return to Anbu first?”
“No, Lord Orochimaru specifically had the Fox go with him.”
Danzo frowned; did Orochimaru really want to be Hokage? Why was he so close to Anbu?
Danzo asked: “From this mission, what do you think of the Fox’s strength? Is he too close to Orochimaru?”
Propane said: “In this mission, Orochimaru caused the Eight-Tails rampage. But…
But the Walking Witch said that the Fox withstood a strike from the Third Raikage!
It was the Raikage clad in Lightning Release armor, in Lightning Release Chakra Mode state.
The Fox hard-blocked one move from the Third Raikage, flew back dozens of meters, and got up again like nothing happened.
The Third Raikage was very conceited and didn’t conceal the details of that night’s battle.
Orochimaru’s abilities certainly made the Hidden Cloud Village wary, but the Fox’s performance also left many Cloud Ninja Jonin debating endlessly.
The general conclusion was the same, though: Copper Fox lived up to the name of copper tendons and iron bones, with astonishing defense.”
Danzo’s eyes changed, becoming extremely serious.
He had long noticed the Fox, previously only considering him a capable subordinate under Kiiroinu, but now hearing that the Fox had directly withstood a strike from the Third Raikage, he realized he was wrong.
The Fox’s strength far surpassed other Anbu Captains.
Even Kiiroinu couldn’t possibly hard-block a strike from the Third Raikage head-on.
Not to mention Kiiroinu; if he and Hiruzen encountered the Third Raikage, they’d have to dodge while fighting.
Like Orochimaru, Danzo had somewhat underestimated the Fox before.
Danzo said: “Come on, go with me to the Hokage’s Office.”
Propane was happy inside; with so many dead in Root, he had gotten the chance to go to the Hokage’s Office with Lord Danzo.
