Chapter 275: Chapter 275: You Think You’re Hot Stuff Now? Hot Stuff, My Foot!
In Iwagakure, inside the Tsuchikage’s office.
"Konoha took away a group of wandering ninjas in the Land of Snow. It seems these wandering ninjas created a special kind of Chakra Armor."
The Anbu captain was reporting the situation.
Onoki’s face was grim. After listening, he took a deep breath.
"So, they obtained the research on this Chakra Armor in the Land of Snow?"
"Yes."
"Are there specific files and data?"
"The files and personnel have all been taken away. The squad that is currently in pursuit, it is unclear if they can completely eliminate them."
"Well done!"
Onoki nodded with satisfaction.
This kind of research talent, if we can’t have it, Konoha can’t have it either!
But the next second, he frowned. The Land of Snow. The people Konoha sent there, was it really just for the Land of Snow’s Chakra Armor, and to accept the Daimyo’s commission on the side?
Onoki thought for a long time.
"The situation in the Land of Snow, it’s best to continue observing..."
He was pondering.
The Anbu captain said.
"This subordinate believes that our manpower is not quite sufficient."
"How can we be short of manpower?"
"This subordinate has found that Jiraiya is currently traveling along a route from the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass to the Land of Rain. I believe that Amegakure in the south may have had some contact with Konoha."
"Amegakure."
Onoki was somewhat wary.
With Hanzo in charge, Amegakure itself was not weak. What’s more, the current Sunagakure, forced by the situation, had become a loyal ally of Konoha. Once Amegakure joined this alliance, then the entire south would become the territory of Konoha and its allies. In comparison, although their Land of Earth, Land of Lightning, and Land of Water had also formed an alliance, they were scattered, their battle lines were long, and their hearts were not united. Once a fight broke out, the Land of Earth, being close to three countries at the same time, would surely suffer heavy losses. If it came to that point, Onoki didn’t believe that the Third Raikage and Karatachi Yagura would have the courage to help them without reservation.
His face was grave.
"On the Land of Snow’s side, temporarily monitor the border situation. The key is to monitor the movements between Amegakure and Konoha. If it is confirmed that they have reached an alliance..."
Who knows, I might have to strike first! Onoki thought to himself.
The Anbu captain nodded.
"This subordinate understands!"
*
In the Land of Snow.
"What? Is Gai alright?"
"He’s fine. That lord arrived in time to save us!"
Yazawa nodded.
The others were still a bit shaken, but he had seen some things and knew very well the strength of Konoha ninjas. Not to mention Namikaze Minato who arrived later. Even the previous Might Gai’s strength was quite impressive, much stronger than the ninjas of the same age from other villages they had seen. As for Namikaze Minato, this person’s strength, in his current view, was already comparable to Ryoho Kyohiko’s.
Too strong! One ninjutsu directly killed all enemies in a crushing manner. They had never seen that kind of jutsu before; it simply overturned their understanding of ninjutsu.
When Nara Shikaku heard that Gai was fine, his heart also settled down. Minato would definitely be fine. As long as Gai’s life was not in danger, everything was not a big problem.
"Did Minato say anything else?"
"He said he should wait there until the snowstorm stops, and then bring all the villagers over directly."
Yazawa answered.
Nara Shikaku nodded.
"I know. Kurenai, you contact Mr. Kojin and arrange for them to stay temporarily. They will go back to Konoha with us. I will arrange the rest."
"Yes!"
Yuhi Kurenai nodded.
Shikaku walked quickly towards Kazahana Sosetsu’s residence. He had to discuss and finalize the issue of housing for this group of wandering ninjas with the Daimyo. He quickly arrived at the Daimyo’s mansion.
These few days, the Daimyo’s mood had been very good. Although his younger brother had died, Kazahana Doto had wanted to kill him and his family, so Sosetsu naturally couldn’t feel much sadness about it. On the contrary, these few days, the health of his wife and daughter, as well as the experimental results of the greenhouses, had made him overjoyed. Seeing Nara Shikaku enter, he laughed loudly and immediately said.
"Shikaku, come, come, I was just about to look for you. This time’s..."
"The greenhouses?"
Shikaku reminded him.
Kazahana Sosetsu nodded repeatedly and smiled.
"Yes, the greenhouses! This greenhouse is indeed very useful, much better than the snow-melting machine I had imagined!"
"Daimyo-sama, regarding the improvement of the greenhouses, we have more plans. But there is a more important matter at present."
"Oh? Please speak, I will go and handle it immediately!"
Kazahana Sosetsu did not hesitate.
During this time, he had completely seen Shikaku’s ability. Smart, capable, and very familiar with the games between nobles, he could completely reconcile the contradictions between him and the nobles. It could be said that without Shikaku, he couldn’t have handled this group of nobles so quickly in such a short time. So, whatever Shikaku had to say, he would definitely agree to it at the first moment.
"It’s like this..."
"No problem!"
After Kazahana Sosetsu finished listening, he immediately made a decision. "This is a successful experience of your country. We have no reason to refuse. And as you said, the Guardian Shinobi can not only protect the safety of the capital, but also shelter the surrounding greenhouses."
"This is a good thing that kills two birds with one stone!"
The situation in the Land of Snow was special. Most of the population was gathered in the area near the port. In the vast snowfields to the south were scattered villages, or some villages arranged along the railway line. As long as these areas were sheltered, it was basically equivalent to sheltering most of the subjects of the Land of Snow. To use a group of Guardian Shinobi to strengthen the security of the capital and this area, and to protect the stability and safety along the railway line, this deal was too cost-effective!
"Where should they be arranged?"
Kazahana Sosetsu looked at Shikaku.
Shikaku’s mouth twitched slightly. Isn’t this a question you should be thinking about? However, he only hesitated slightly before quickly stating his own idea. The Daimyo naturally had no problem and directly approved his proposal.
***
Ryoho Kyohiko had received Jiraiya’s message early on, because—the current him was at Mount Myoboku.
Bang!
Sage chakra continuously erupted.
The collision of fists and feet, accompanied by powerful strength. However, in one exchange after another, Nagato quickly fell into a disadvantage, gradually unable to hold on. Just as Kyohiko was charging at him, Nagato raised his hand, and in an instant, a powerful suction force erupted from his palm.
Universal Pull!
At the same time, Sage Art: Frog Kata! Under the combination of the two techniques, an unexpected instant kill could be achieved.
But the next second, Ryoho Kyohiko’s speed suddenly increased. With a body flicker, he instead rushed towards him, and at this moment, his whole body was blooming with lightning—Lightning Release Armor! Under the double amplification of the powerful Lightning Release chakra and Sage Mode, his entire body’s strength and defense were greatly enhanced.
Smack!
A chop. His palm was like a knife, directly cutting open the attack of the Frog Kata, and then in an instant, he was in front of Nagato.
Nagato was shocked and immediately used an Almighty Push, hoping to send Kyohiko flying. But the next second, he realized something was wrong—he heard the sound of a kunai impact. That was the sound of a kunai being sent flying by his Almighty Push.
Nagato immediately got up and jumped away, forming hand seals with both hands. But the next second, the sound of breaking air was heard, and in an instant, Kyohiko had already appeared in front of him.
Shadow of Dancing Leaf.
Thump!
An axe kick. He was directly smashed to the ground.
Boom!
The earth rumbled, and a thick smoke rolled. Ryoho Kyohiko landed with the Flying Thunder God. It was only a few seconds, but the winner had been decided.
Fukasaku, who was watching from the side, only came to his senses after Nagato was knocked to the ground and instantly jumped down from above.
"Kyohiko-chan, you’re being too harsh. Don’t hurt Nagato!"
"He’ll be fine. I held back my strength."
Ryoho Kyohiko stood up.
He looked at Fukasaku.
"Nagato said he had completed his training. Is this it?"
"This..."
Fukasaku didn’t know how to answer.
In their eyes, Nagato was indeed already very powerful. Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, after entering Sage Mode, all his abilities could be greatly enhanced, and he could easily defeat any toad on Mount Myoboku. But in front of Kyohiko, Nagato was as fragile as a child. But in fact—between the two of them, Kyohiko was the younger one. It was at a loss for an answer for a moment.
Fortunately, at this moment, Nagato had already stood up, coughing repeatedly, but he was not injured.
"I lost."
"Your ability is very strong, but you rely too much on the ability of your own eyes and don’t know how to judge flexibly in battle."
As Ryoho Kyohiko spoke, he shook the kunai in his hand. "I just threw a kunai. Why did you assume I would use the Flying Thunder God to get to it?"
Nagato was speechless. Just now, he had indeed fallen into Kyohiko’s trap, judging that Kyohiko would use the Flying Thunder God to get behind him. But in fact, no matter how he judged, in that kind of situation, it was difficult for him to win. Because the initiative of the battle was not in his hands. Ryoho Kyohiko could choose to launch an attack from any direction at will.
Although Kyohiko was a few years younger than him, at this moment, he felt that he was the student. But... whether it was Yahiko, Jiraiya, or Fukasaku, and even himself, they all admitted that Kyohiko’s judgment and suggestions were more correct. Including now. Nagato understood that what Kyohiko said was very right. But thinking of the situation of Yahiko and Konan in Amegakure, his heart could not be calm. He pursed his lips, a little unconvinced in his heart.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"There are not many ninjas in the shinobi world as strong as you. Does it mean that if I can’t surpass you, I have to stay on Mount Myoboku forever?"
Ryoho Kyohiko asked faintly.
"Your Sage Mode, after leaving Mount Myoboku and the toad oil, how much effect can it have?"
Nagato was silent. Although he could enter Sage Mode, he needed to rely on the Rinnegan to meditate for a long time before he could enter the state. And the other party... Nagato looked at Kyohiko. Just now, the other party could activate Sage Mode in a very short time, only needing one or two minutes.
Ryoho Kyohiko chuckled lightly. The next second, roots grew from his feet, and vines spread from his feet, growing and taking root, making him one with the surroundings. Then, Kyohiko clapped his hands together. Body energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy mixed, quickly extracting sage chakra. In just ten seconds, the patterns of sage transformation appeared on his face.
A look of astonishment appeared on Nagato’s face. This speed... how is that possible! He couldn’t believe it. He looked around, but just now, he indeed hadn’t sensed the fluctuation of a shadow clone being released. So, Kyohiko did indeed have the strength to quickly enter Sage Mode in a few seconds!
"This isn’t my fastest."
"The Shodai-sama back then could quickly enter Sage Mode with a clap of his hands. This is also my current training goal."
"Of course, you don’t necessarily have to train to this step. But at the very least, you have to solve the problem of the speed of sage transformation. Otherwise, your Sage Mode..."
Ryoho Kyohiko shook his head, clearly not approving.
Nagato’s initial unwillingness and defiance were finally completely silenced in the face of reality. He needed five or six minutes to enter Sage Mode. Compared to Kyohiko’s speed, it really couldn’t be considered having mastered Sage Mode.
Ryoho Kyohiko glanced at Nagato, then thought for a moment.
"According to my investigation and speculation, you should be from the Uzumaki clan, just like our village’s Uzumaki Kushina and Uzumaki Yuki."
Nagato was silent. The Uzumaki clan, he had no impression of it. But Minato had said before that Konoha’s Kushina had red hair similar to his, and her chakra amount was also much more than an ordinary person’s. But he didn’t want to have any connection with the Uzumaki clan.
"The Uzumaki clan does not have a Kekkei Genkai inheritance in terms of dōjutsu..."
"What are you trying to say?"
Nagato frowned.
Ryoho Kyohiko shook his head gently.
"I was just wondering about the origin of your eyes. Of course, it’s not impossible for a pair of eyes to mutate..."
"The Rinnegan is indeed too mysterious. Besides the Sage of Six Paths, no one knows how it is passed down."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Fukasaku.
"Fukasaku-sama, there are still important matters in the village. I will go back first. I’ll come back to help with the training next time."
"Alright."
Ryoho Kyohiko left.
Fukasaku looked at Nagato and coughed lightly.
"Nagato, ah..."
"I will continue to train. If he can do it, I can do it too!"
Nagato went back and sat silently on a stone.
Fukasaku started to speak, then stopped. He wanted to say—the reason Kyohiko could do it so quickly was because the other party had mastered Wood Style and could directly fuse with nature through it to receive natural energy. This was something that neither Nagato nor Namikaze Minato could do.
***
In Konoha, at the Hokage’s Office.
Ryoho Kyohiko returned from Mount Myoboku and immediately went to find Tsunade. But—thanks to Konoha’s powerful intelligence capability, before his message arrived, Kakashi had already received feedback from the front-line intelligence personnel and knew that Yahiko and Konan had crossed the border and entered the Land of Fire. And the two of them had not sneaked in, but had traveled south from the Land of Rivers to Kikyo Castle, and then entered the territory of the Land of Fire, a completely regular and legal route. Counting the time, they were almost there.
But—
"According to our intelligence, Rasa has also brought a team over, saying they want to jointly hold the Chunin Exams."
Tsunade tossed the intelligence scroll to Kyohiko, then sneered. "What joint hosting is fake. His main purpose is to hope to get some benefits from us."
"The benefits are deserved, but they themselves are not up to the task."
Ryoho Kyohiko glanced at it, then put it on the table.
He could understand Rasa’s mood. Wanting to get more, but not wanting to pay too much... in the end, he could only be in a dilemma. If this continued, by the time Rasa made a choice, it might already be too late.