area51novel Chapter 223 The Split Mist Village!
Chapter 223 The Split Mist Village!
Chapter 223 The Split Mist Village!
Although he was in a hurry to get to the battlefield, he also knew very well that even the Mizukage was no match for him, and that if he went there himself, he would most likely be defeated. That's why he tried to gather more troops to go to the battlefield to provide reinforcements.
While it's certainly terrifying to have a powerful enemy capable of defeating the Fourth Generation, Lin Qinkulin doesn't believe anyone can defeat Yagura without paying any price. Moreover, the enemy is still wreaking havoc in the village and must be exhausted by now. If he can arrive in time with fresh troops, he can become a hero in the village!
"Don't be foolish! That monster! No one can stand against it!" To Kukulin's surprise, those deserters who had been hiding silently in the corner since earlier suddenly stepped forward and blocked their way. "The best we can do now is not to go and die needlessly!"
Those who were released by Uchiha Izumi were all ninjas who had not committed any unforgivable crimes, or at the very least, white-name ninjas. It's not hard to imagine how unusual they were in the "Village of Blood Mist" in the past.
Kukulin, a supporter of the Blood Mist policy, already disliked them. Now that they were blocking his way, and considering their desertion behavior, he didn't hesitate to draw his sword and slash at them.
"Die, you traitor!" Kukulin grinned, revealing his large mouth full of sharp teeth, and slashed at the deserter in front of him. Such behavior would be considered insane in Konoha, but it was perfectly normal in the Village of Blood Mist.
Given the right reason, it's not a big deal for a Jonin like Kukuri to kill a few disobedient Chunin and Genin.
"Clang!"
However, at that moment, a kunai that pierced through the rain deflected Kukurin's blade, and the slash only managed to cut a large gash in the "deserter's" armor.
"Who!" Kukulin ignored the deserter who was paralyzed with fear on the ground and stared intently at the direction from which the kunai was flying.
Although it's understandable that he didn't notice the kunai because it wasn't aimed at him, the fact that the attacker could deflect his blade so easily suggests that the attacker's strength is probably even greater than his own!
"It's me!" Not paying much attention to Kukullin's hostility, Ao emerged from the rain with a heavy heart. Four hundred and eighty-seven people, the total number of Kirigakure ninja present in his Byakugan vision.
Strictly speaking, this number isn't too small, after all, Kirigakure is an elite ninja village, and even during the Fourth Shinobi World War, it rarely mobilized more than a thousand troops. However, if this number represents the total number of ninjas in Kirigakure at present, then it seems somewhat alarming.
Even if you include the Kirigakure ninjas who are on missions abroad and stationed on the outer islands, there are probably less than a thousand Kirigakure ninjas left now!
"Ao? Do you even know that kid is a traitor!" Kukulin was somewhat displeased upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, but he didn't retaliate. The Blood Mist Village, known for its cruelty, values strength above all else. Ao, as an elite Jonin, is stronger than him and is also a famous Byakugan killer, naturally countering a Kirigakure ninja like Kukulin who excels in swordsmanship.
Even someone as ruthless as Kukuri has to restrain himself when facing Ao, otherwise no one will stand up for him if he gets taught a lesson by Ao. Just like when he was about to kill those deserters, none of the other Kirigakure Jonin present tried to stop him.
"What exactly happened in the village, Qing?"
"What enemy defeated the Fourth Hokage?!"
"Is it true that the Fourth Hokage died in battle, as those traitors claim?!"
"I heard a lot of people died in the village?"
Before Ao could answer, more Hidden Mist ninjas surrounded him, asking questions with a mixture of nervousness, anger, and fear.
The efficiency of "Uchiha Ikezumi's cleanup" was too high, and with almost everyone in Kirigakure being a red-named ninja, very few Kirigakure ninja were able to escape the battlefield. This made others not believe the nonsense told by these deserters.
In the eyes of discerning people, Kirigakure had long since declined to the point of being unbearable to look at, but in the minds of these Kirigakure ninjas who were immersed in the "brutal reputation of the Blood Mist Village," Kirigakure was still one of the Five Great Nations at this time, and they even looked down on those "weak" land ninjas.
Who would believe that an outsider could easily defeat the Fourth Mizukage, who was a perfect Jinchuriki, let alone go on a killing spree as if he were in an empty place, and single-handedly destroy the entire Hidden Mist Village!
However, the situation in the village was right in front of them. If this were in Konoha, a large number of ninjas would have already risked their lives to rush to the battlefield to check the situation. But the Kirigakure ninjas were used to being selfish, or rather, Kirigakure ninjas who were not selfish enough would not have survived to this point. They would have been eliminated on the day they graduated from the Ninja Academy. Naturally, no one would take the initiative to risk their lives to spy.
"Everyone, please listen to me—" Qing took a deep breath. Wuyin was already extremely weak and could no longer withstand even the smallest internal strife. He had to persuade everyone present to support Terumi Mei's plan. Even if they were unwilling to support it, they should at least not stand against them.
"It's true that the Fourth Hokage died in battle. The enemy—the attackers were Uchiha Ikezumi from Konoha, but his arrival should have nothing to do with Konoha."
"—At least a thousand people died at the hands of Uchiha Izumi—that guy was the real monster—"
"Our only option is to support Mei Terumi—until the three nations of Lightning, Earth, and Wind are willing to step forward—"
"—Completely eliminate Uchiha Izumi! Make Konoha pay a price even more severely than Kirigakure!"
One piece of bad news after another left the Hidden Mist ninjas present dumbfounded. They never expected that the actual situation would be even more horrifying than what those deserters had said.
No one would believe the nonsense of a few Chunin or even Genin, but these words came from the mouth of Ao, an elite Jonin, and suddenly they were very convincing.
"What a joke! How could the Fourth Hokage—Lord Yagura—die so easily!" Kukulin's ninja sword fell to the ground involuntarily, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Ao's single eye, trying to find any trace of falsehood in that eye without an eyepatch. "You and Mei Terumi not only refuse to avenge the Fourth Hokage, but you also want to be the enemy's lackeys?!"
As soon as Kukurin spoke, many Kirigakure ninjas who supported the Blood Mist policy silently stood behind him, and countless hostile beams of light fell on Ao.
Fortunately, Ao was not alone. Many ninjas who hated the power of the blood mist were also moving towards him. The less than 500 Hidden Mist ninjas quickly split into three factions. Apart from the two groups standing behind Kukuri and supporting Ao, more than half of the Hidden Mist ninjas consciously stood on the other side.