Chapter 777: Hostage? What’s That?
Three hours later.
Hundreds of kilometers north of the Fire Nation Daimyo’s residence, near the border.
A small team moved swiftly.
They were Kinkaku’s squad, successfully escaping the Daimyo’s residence, including Kinkaku himself and six other elite Kumogakure ninjas.
Kinkaku held the bound hostage Naori, while the Edo Tensei Daimyo was held by another Kumogakure ninja.
In terms of results, Kumogakure’s operation was undoubtedly a great success.
Though they failed to kill Tobirama, they exposed Konoha’s scheme to control the Fire Nation and captured Naori and the Edo Tensei Daimyo as two key hostages.
Now, they just needed to bring the hostages back to win the battle.
As for Ginkaku, left behind to hold off the enemy at the Daimyo’s residence?
With three Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths protecting him, even facing Tobirama himself, he wouldn’t lose easily.
He’d likely hold them off and escape.
Even if he truly lost, Konoha wouldn’t necessarily kill Ginkaku.
After all, Kinkaku held two critical hostages—one alone was enough to trade for Ginkaku. He was confident Tobirama wouldn’t dare harm his brother.
Unfortunately, Kinkaku was completely unaware of Izuna’s revival, grossly misjudging Konoha’s support level.
And the price would be steep!
"Kinkaku-sama, should we wait for Ginkaku-sama?"
"No need to wait for Ginkaku—they’ll be fine!"
"Understood."
"Everyone, speed up! Just a few dozen kilometers to the border. Once we’re out of the Fire Nation, we’re safe!"
Kinkaku urged, slightly excited.
Challenging the Uchiha clan and all of Konoha in this era was thrilling.
And Kinkaku, with his eccentric personality, loved exhilarating challenges!
Plus, this was a huge achievement!
With this, it wasn’t impossible for the brothers to become the Second Raikage!
"Yes, sir!"
All Kumogakure ninjas responded, accelerating again.
Unnoticed, the ninja at the back of the team quietly slowed, deliberately dropping out, blending into a large tree, and vanishing without a trace.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Along the way, Naori kept her eyes closed, pretending to be unconscious.
To reduce Kinkaku’s vigilance and killing intent.
She was ninety percent sure Kumogakure wouldn’t kill her, a valuable hostage, with the other ten percent for the unpredictable ’sudden inspiration’ of a fool.
Some fools’ bizarre thoughts and actions couldn’t be fathomed even by a sage pondering for three days and nights.
But Naori had to admit, Kinkaku was cunning and cautious.
He was a natural master of tracking and counter-tracking.
He not only changed escape routes multiple times but meticulously erased all traces, ordering some team members to use clones to create false escape routes, misleading potential pursuers.
As a result, Naori couldn’t find a chance to leave secret codes.
But that didn’t matter.
She believed Tobirama’s skills would track her down.
If Madara also acted, Kumogakure was likely already on a death countdown!
After all, no matter Kumogakure’s plan’s outcome, it couldn’t stop Konoha’s overwhelming momentum.
What was Konoha’s momentum?
The First Hokage and Madara; with them, Konoha’s momentum was unstoppable!
In the end, it was just a matter of a big victory versus a massive one.
Compared to Kumogakure’s clownish antics, Naori cared more about whether Izuna was truly revived.
(Reversing life and death, resurrecting the dead—could Madara-sama really perform such a miracle?)
(If Izuna-sama is revived too, how glorious will the Uchiha clan be in the future?)
Even Naori couldn’t help but hope.
She also knew of the deep enmity between Tobirama and Izuna.
She thought their conflict would be severe.
But when Tobirama heard of Izuna’s revival, the wave of excitement far outweighed his anger, something Naori couldn’t miss.
The story between these two second-in-commands might be more complex than she’d imagined!
Was it mutual respect between geniuses and archenemies?
Or something else?
Naori pondered while monitoring the team’s movements.
(Their speed’s slowing. Where are we?)
(Just past the Fire Nation border?)
(They’re erasing traces again? Creating misleading illusions?)
(They’re really cautious! Wait, why’s one person missing? Was he sent to disrupt tracking?)
(No, that abnormal Kumogakure ninja disappeared! He’s trouble!)
Naori was shocked, realizing something was off.
Earlier, during Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s attack, she fought several Kumogakure ninjas, stabbing three with kunai.
But one Kumogakure ninja, after being stabbed, didn’t bleed blood but a viscous white fluid.
Though he quickly covered the wound, how could it escape her Sharingan’s sharp observation?
That wasn’t human blood!
Naori recalled seeing something similar in Madara’s lab—called White Zetsu?
She wasn’t sure of the truth or whether it was that ninja’s identity or a special technique’s effect. This was one reason she chose to be captured, infiltrating the enemy team to investigate.
And now, that abnormal Kumogakure ninja had vanished.
This was clearly not normal!
At that moment, before Naori could probe further, something unexpected happened.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
A massive fireball, like a meteor, fell from the sky, spreading into a sea of flames, instantly burning many surrounding trees, engulfing Kinkaku’s entire team.
Izuna landed on a tree branch in the distance, facing the red sea of flames, his expression cold.
His fire element power wasn’t as strong as his brother’s, but its scale was still terrifying.
Tobirama, riding Ginkaku with a stiff face, also jumped onto a tree.
Seeing the sea of flames ahead, he grew anxious.
"Are you insane?"
"Naori’s still in their hands! A large-scale attack like this could hurt her..."
Everyone called Tobirama aggressive and brutal, but compared to this mad Izuna, he was too kind!
"The one called Kinkaku is protected by the Banana Palm Fan—he won’t die easily."
"Along the way, how many enemy clones misled us?"
"A large-scale attack is more effective to prevent them from using clones to escape!"
Izuna’s logic was clear.
He didn’t intend to burn Naori with them; he just wanted to limit the enemy’s escape.
"There’s a gentler way! You—"
Tobirama’s words were cut off.
A massive water element whirlwind rose from the sea of flames, blocking the surrounding fire, forming a small shelter.
With the Treasured Tools’ Banana Palm Fan, Kinkaku’s five-element techniques had decent power.
Though not matching Izuna’s fire element, it was enough to protect himself.
As the flames subsided, many surrounding trees were charred, fully exposing Kinkaku and his group’s position.
Kinkaku and two nearby Kumogakure ninjas were safe, protected by the water whirlwind.
But the three farther Kumogakure ninjas weren’t so lucky. They were burned to charred corpses in the sea of flames, dead on the spot.
Fire elements can’t kill? Not true—it depends on the target.
For ordinary ninjas, fire was a top-tier weapon, especially Izuna’s fire breath, not something anyone could withstand.
It was comparable to the explosive force of dozens of tanker trucks.
Could humans endure that?
"SENJU TOBIRAMA!"
Kinkaku looked up, seeing Tobirama and others on the tree branch, and flew into a rage.
He didn’t understand how the enemy caught up so fast!
They’d been moving full speed without stopping—how were the enemies faster? They’d set multiple misleading traps; at least some worked, right?
Until Kinkaku saw Ginkaku, ridden by Tobirama, his face changed drastically.
"Brother, why’d you betray us?"
"No!"
"That’s not Ginkaku! No signs of life..."
"It’s fake?"
"It’s Edo Tensei, like this Daimyo puppet!"
"Damn it!"
"Senju Tobirama! You dared kill Ginkaku? And turned him into a puppet?!?!"
Recognizing Edo Tensei Ginkaku, Kinkaku was furious.
He never expected his brother, left to hold them off, was dead! And revived with Edo Tensei!
(Damn Senju Tobirama, damn Konoha!)
(Don’t they know the value of captives and hostages?)
(Even if they defeated Ginkaku, they shouldn’t have killed him, right?)
No wonder the enemy caught up so fast—they controlled Ginkaku to track!
Kinkaku’s counter-tracking skills couldn’t hide from Ginkaku; trained by the same master, he couldn’t counter his moves!
"Kinkaku, surrender!"
"You don’t want to end up like your brother, do you?"
Tobirama ignored Kinkaku’s curses, directly threatening to persuade surrender.
His goal was only to save Naori.
Once the hostage was saved, the trivial Kinkaku—he’d make him regret being born!
Only by capturing Kinkaku and Ginkaku and making them his mounts could he wash away his shame and silence his future self.
"Senju Tobirama, you bastard, I’ll kill you!"
"Kill me? You think you’re worthy?"
Tobirama, anxious, cut in sharply:
"I’ll give you three seconds to think. If you don’t want to die, drop your weapons!"
"Shut up! Bastard! You dared kill Ginkaku—don’t forget I still have evidence against you! Your Konoha dared kill the Fire Nation Daimyo! The world won’t tolerate this! As long as I have this guy, your Konoha is done!"
Kinkaku grabbed the Edo Tensei Daimyo beside him, threatening with the hostage.
Ultimately, he was just a ninja, stuck in the rigid Warring States Period mindset, thinking killing a Daimyo was a capital crime against the world, unsustainable for any village alone.
"Threatening me with that?"
"Fool!"
"Edo Tensei: Release!"
Tobirama’s face was full of disgust, unable to hold back his scorn. He casually formed hand seals, releasing the Edo Tensei.
*SHUA!*
The Edo Tensei Daimyo in Kinkaku’s hands crumbled, his soul ascending and vanishing, his body turning into floating Edo Tensei dust.
His key hostage tool vanished on the spot.
"This... how? What forbidden technique is this? It can be released like that?"
Kinkaku was stunned.
In Parallel World 1, it’s only Konoha’s second year; the First Ninja World War hasn’t started. Other nations know little about Tobirama’s forbidden techniques, and he hasn’t yet earned the title of the world’s fastest ninja.
Let alone secret info like how to release Edo Tensei.
Threatening Tobirama, the jutsu’s user, with an Edo Tensei hostage?
Utterly laughable.
Simultaneously, Tobirama jumped off Ginkaku’s back, controlling Edo Tensei Ginkaku to proactively attack Kinkaku.
Since Kinkaku was so foolish, Tobirama didn’t mind letting him experience the painful drama of a sibling fight!
"Aaaaarrgghh!"
"Stop, don’t control Ginkaku! Damn Senju Tobirama, I said stop!"
Seeing Edo Tensei Ginkaku attack with an expressionless face, Kinkaku grew angrier.
The two remaining Kumogakure ninjas beside him were forced to fight Edo Tensei Ginkaku but were killed in a few moves.
Though Edo Tensei Ginkaku’s power was reduced, he was still far stronger than average Jonin.
With Edo Tensei’s immortal body, even Kinkaku at his peak couldn’t easily defeat him.
Plus, the sibling bond further hindered Kinkaku’s performance.
Kinkaku knew this too.
Seeing Tobirama unmoved, Kinkaku had to switch his threat target.
He grabbed Naori beside him, choking her neck, and threatened Izuna in the distance:
"Hey, you there, Uchiha ninja, right?"
"Stop Senju Tobirama now!"
"Or do you want to let Senju Tobirama kill your clan member?!?!"
Kinkaku had heard of Tobirama’s hatred for the Uchiha clan, common knowledge in the ninja world, so he didn’t expect to threaten Tobirama with Naori.
Instead, he used her to threaten Izuna to stop Tobirama.
After all, Izuna, with long black hair and extraordinary fire element power, proved his Uchiha identity even without activating Sharingan.
As long as he cared about his clan member’s life, he wouldn’t just watch.
"Stop!"
Izuna suddenly shouted.
Tobirama, startled, instinctively made Edo Tensei Ginkaku halt the attack.
Seeing this, Kinkaku got excited, thinking his threat worked, his heart elated.
But moments later, his smile froze.
"You’re too slow! Let me take out this bastard!"
As he spoke, Izuna reactivated Susano’o.
He condensed a third-form half-body Susano’o armor, began drawing a bow, and quickly locked onto Kinkaku.
He seemed completely unconcerned about the hostage threat in the enemy’s hands!
Kinkaku was terrified: Σ(ﾟДﾟ)!!!
Tobirama was shocked: (ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!!
Naori was full of praise: (≖ᴗ≖)✧
*SWOOSH!*
Before anyone else could react.
Izuna released his hand, a chakra arrow shooting out like a life-reaping meteor, straight toward Kinkaku and Naori!