socalfunplaces Chapter 175 followed by shock
Chapter 175 followed by shock
Chapter 175 followed by shock
In the central command tent, Jiraiya was equally perplexed by Shikaku's question, which was also what he wanted to ask.
He turned his gaze to the ANBU ninjas who had come with him, his eyes filled with inquiry. He believed that these people would give him an answer.
Seeing Jiraiya's gaze, Shikaku and the other two staff officers also looked over. Although they had the responsibility to monitor Jiraiya, it didn't mean they didn't love Konoha. They were also curious about the reason for such a ridiculous order.
As expected, the squad leader of the secret service did not disappoint everyone and revealed what he knew.
"Actually, if it had been another day, Lord Jiraiya would have received the intelligence from the village," the squad leader began, setting the stage. "Iwagakure has sent another 500 ninja to the front lines—"
"We know they've sent an additional 500 ninjas. Not only have they increased their troops, but the Hidden Cloud Village has also increased its troops!" An advisor hurriedly offered his opinion before the Anbu could finish speaking, but as he spoke, he realized what was going on.
"You mean Iwagakure added another 500 ninja after the initial 500?"
"Yes." The ANBU squad leader nodded. "In fact, it's far more than 500 people. Sunagakure and Kumogakure have increased their numbers on a small scale during this period, but none of them are as many as the one-time increase sent by Iwagakure."
The Hokage and elders believed that Konoha urgently needed a stable southern front so that it could focus its efforts on dealing with other ninja villages. Furthermore, the alliance agreement proposed by Chiyo led them to agree to release the prisoners.
"An alliance of offense and defense?" Jiraiya smiled helplessly, but his smile was full of disappointment.
Lu Jiu and his two advisors were also speechless.
They were certainly angry. But were the village leaders wrong? They were acting in the best interests of the village. The result was simply unacceptable; they won on the battlefield but lost at the negotiating table!
"Lord Jiraiya, what shall we do?" Shikaku looked at Jiraiya, waiting for his orders. After all, this was the front line, and it was common for generals in the field to disobey orders.
A tense atmosphere settled over the tent, and everyone looked at Jiraiya, especially the two advisors, who knew about his secret mission.
Jiraiya glanced at the crowd, then suddenly grinned and laughed, "Haha, what are you all thinking? Since the village has given the order, of course we're releasing them. Are we going to keep feeding them? There are over a hundred of them; what a waste of food!"
The atmosphere inside the tent immediately became more relaxed.
"Shikaku, take Chiyo to retrieve them later. Be discreet and don't attract too much attention. Then send them away from the River Country. I won't see her; seeing her just annoys me!"
"yes!"
An hour later.
Chiyo and her companions, led by Shikaku, met the hundred-plus Sunagakure prisoners. Overall, they were in fairly good condition; Konoha's public image was always highly regarded.
Regarding the treatment of prisoners, unless we really need to get any valuable information from you, Konoha's treatment of prisoners is arguably the best among the five great nations.
However, when Chiyo saw Shamon lying in bed, her previously pleasant mood vanished completely.
You might as well have just sacrificed yourself on the spot, even committed suicide, then the village would still consider you a hero.
In his current state, he's probably already revealed all the valuable information in his mind, including all of Sunagakure's secrets.
"Elder Chiyo, as you know, prisoners are naturally subjected to certain methods. Besides, we were enemies at the time, so I hope you don't mind!"
Seeing Chiyo staring blankly at Shamon, Shikaku took a few steps forward and gave a serious explanation.
It would have been better if she hadn't explained it; the explanation only made Chiyo angrier, so angry that her liver ached!
"Nara, let's hurry up and hand over the duties. The village is waiting for me to return and report, so we can cooperate with Konoha in defending against Iwagakure!"
Chiyo was no pushover either; she silenced Shikaku with a single sentence.
The handover proceeded smoothly and quickly, with both sides completing the handover procedures in no time.
However, such a commotion was eventually discovered by the other ninjas, and after some investigation, they were immediately in an uproar.
These were captured at the cost of their comrades' lives, and their hands might even be stained with the blood of their own comrades. How could these Konoha ninjas remain calm?
The surging crowd nearly killed the prisoners who had just been handed over on the spot, but Jiraiya intervened and calmed everyone down.
"Brothers! Calm down!"
I know better than anyone what price we paid for these prisoners, and my heart bleeds as I watch them being sent away like this.
However, Iwagakure and Kumogakure have already deployed troops to the border and are continuing to increase their forces. The village urgently needs a stable southern front to prevent us from being attacked from both sides.
Releasing them is not tantamount to admitting defeat; it is to prevent more Konoha comrades from dying due to overwhelming odds.
"By exchanging these hundred-plus prisoners for Sand Village to turn its blades against Iwa Village, we can ensure that more of our brothers survive this war —"
The once noisy crowd gradually quieted down until only the rustling of the wind through the tents remained.
Everyone watched quietly as the man standing on the high place—their commander, Jiraiya.
Until the first ninja silently turned and left the scene, followed by the second, the third—
No one said a word, seemingly choosing to believe Jiraiya's words.
After much trouble, Chiyo and the others finally left the Konoha camp safely. Without stopping, accompanied by Konoha ninjas, they headed towards the Land of Wind at top speed.
The exchange of prisoners seemed to have passed peacefully, and everyone seemed to have accepted Jiraiya's explanation.
But no one can guarantee whether this incident has left any mark on everyone's hearts, whether it reflects distrust of the Third Hokage or disappointment with all the higher-ups.
Nobody knows!
A day later, Taiyi circled around the Land of Wind and finally re-entered the Land of Rivers. However, he dared not relax in the slightest and maintained the fastest marching speed as he headed towards the front camp.
It wasn't that he didn't want to rest more; it was simply that the intelligence he possessed was too important. The sooner Konoha learned the truth, the sooner they could make arrangements and gain more initiative.
Taiyi, who had been without sleep for more than a day, finally arrived at the camp around noon.
The ninja captain guarding the gate saw a disheveled ninja rushing towards him at high speed and thought it was an enemy attack. Just as he was about to call his comrades to go forward together, a loud shout came.
"I am Matsushita Taichi, and I have urgent business with Lord Jiraiya!"
The captain of the gatekeeper took a closer look and exclaimed, "It is indeed Lord Taiichi! Make way! Asuka, you will guard the gate. I will accompany Lord Taiichi to the central command tent!"
The group, who had been in a defensive stance, immediately moved aside. Taiyi swept past them, leaving only a "thank you" before rushing into the camp.
The captain followed closely behind, rushing into the camp with Taiichi.
Such a reckless act naturally attracted everyone's attention, especially when they saw that the person who came was Taiyi, which sparked another round of discussion.
When Taiyi arrived at the central army camp, he thanked the gatekeeper captain. If the captain hadn't been by his side, he would have been stopped and questioned by the patrolling ninjas for his actions.
Entering the tent, there were still many ninjas inside. They seemed to be discussing the matter of recalling ninjas to the village, but judging from their relaxed expressions and smiles, Taiichi knew that the discussion was going very smoothly.
It's just unknown what Jiraiya's expression will be when he learns of the message he brought back.
When everyone saw Taiyi enter, they looked surprised, but they all gave him friendly looks, and those who were familiar with him even greeted him.
"Hey, Taichi, where did you come from?"
"Taiyi, your outfit is rather unsightly!"
Jiraiya, sitting at the head of the table, naturally saw Taiichi and jokingly said, "Taichi, why are you back so soon? Wasn't your mission deadline a month? We're not busy at all right now, so you can relax outside after completing your mission!"
As he spoke, he winked at Taiichi, making the ninjas on the field burst into laughter.
Taiichi was speechless. He didn't know whether having such a teacher and superior was a good thing or a bad thing. Fortunately, Tsunade wasn't here, otherwise she would have broken a few more of Jiraiya's ribs.
"Lord Jiraiya, there is crucial information regarding Sunagakure that is extremely urgent! Please dismiss everyone!"
Jiraiya was taken aback. They had already allied with Sunagakure, so what urgent intelligence could there be? But then he realized that Taichi was unaware of this, and he understood.
But since Taiyi has already said such a thing, then according to the procedure, what needs to be done still needs to be done.
"Everyone, since that's the case, those who should leave should leave. Everyone should go back and make preparations for what we just discussed."
"yes!"
After everyone left the tent, only Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Taichi remained in the field.
"Speak, Taichi, what important information do you have?" Jiraiya said nonchalantly.
"The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure—was killed!" Taiichi said solemnly, enunciating each word clearly.
"Ha~ You killed him?" Jiraiya was still out of sorts, his reply tinged with a joke. Shikaku, on the other hand, immediately turned serious.
"It was Sasori, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, who killed him."
The scene fell silent for a few seconds.
Jiraiya's smile gradually faded as he looked at Taiichi, "Are you serious!"
"It's absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes, I brought back even the Wind Shadow's body!"
"Crack!" Taiichi seemed to hear the sound of his jaw hitting the ground.
Jiraiya stared wide-eyed, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
The same goes for Shikaku; it just sounds so unbelievable.
Kazekage was killed—you saw it with your own eyes—and you even brought his body back!
Are you sure you didn't kill Fengying?
As if afraid that the stimulation he had given was not enough, Taiichi took out the sealing scroll that contained the Kazekage's corpse and broke the seal by performing hand seals.
After a burst of white smoke, a perfectly intact corpse appeared on the ground.
Jiraiya and Shikaku immediately stood up and walked over in a few steps to carefully examine the corpse.
The iconic Kazekage robes, the only thing missing was the Kazekage hat, and the face was identical; they would never mistake it. Therefore, this corpse was indeed the Third Kazekage.
Jiraiya and Shikaku exchanged a glance, both realizing the gravity of the situation. The village's Kage had just died, and they had only recently signed an alliance treaty with Sunagakure. How were they supposed to settle this?
"By the way, you said the Kazekage was killed by Sasori of the Red Sand, so where is he? Did he escape?" Jiraiya clenched his right fist and pounded his forehead, feeling quite a headache.
"No, the two fought a fierce battle, and Sasori of the Red Sand was also seriously injured. I was hiding nearby, so I sneaked over and killed him!"
Taiyi scratched his head, looking quite embarrassed. He had simply gotten lucky, and by a large margin, he had gotten two big ones.
As he spoke, Taiyi took out the scroll that sealed the scorpion and released the scorpion's corpse.
Jiraiya and Shikaku didn't want to say anything more. The existence of the Kazekage was already shocking enough, and now with Sasori of the Red Sand added to the mix, they were numb to it all.
"Taiichi, please tell me the whole story in detail. Stop making such a fuss. My heart can't take it!" Jiraiya sighed, looking up at the sky, no longer wanting to say anything.
Taiyi knew he couldn't provoke them any further, so he honestly recounted how he scouted the oasis camp, how he learned of the Wind Shadow's existence, how he was alerted by the battle between the Wind Shadow and the Red Sand Scorpion, their conversation, the battle itself, and how he finally launched the sneak attack.
He recounted everything to Jiraiya in detail.
Jiraiya and Shikaku were stunned. In the end, they could only say that it was full of coincidences. If even one thing didn't match up, Taiichi wouldn't have been able to become the last mantis stalking the cicada.
"So what should we do now? Should we send ninjas back to Konoha?" Shikaku asked, voicing his doubts. They had just been discussing this very issue.
"What's the point of even trying to remove it? The Kazekage just died; Sunagakure is probably going crazy. Notify the entire army to increase alert; who knows what Sunagakure will do next!"
Jiraiya made a decision immediately, but then said with a regretful expression, "It's a pity we agreed to Chiyo's request too quickly. If we had waited another day, that old woman would have been begging us."
Shikaku looked helpless. He didn't feel sorry for Sunagakure, but he was worried that after this incident, would Sunagakure continue to fulfill its alliance?
"Taiichi, this information is extremely important. You've done a great service. I need to report to the village immediately." Jiraiya was swift and decisive, acting on his words immediately. Just as he turned back, he remembered something and continued to say to Taiichi, "These two corpses are also of immense value, both in terms of intelligence and research. I will hand them over to the village as well. But don't worry, you won't be shortchanged on your reward. I think choosing a ninjutsu as a reward from the Scroll of Sealing is absolutely no problem."
Taiyi was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had known all along that he couldn't keep the two corpses, and he hadn't intended to take them back when he brought them out. However, he had already looted everything he could, and even obtained a lot of body samples.
The fact that I can now choose ninjutsu from the Book of Seals is an extra bonus.
Flying Thunder God Technique, Spirit Transformation Technique, Dark Travel Technique—these are all ninjutsu he has always dreamed of.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei!" Taichi quickly thanked him.
"You little rascal, now you know to call me 'teacher'!" Jiraiya chuckled, looking at Taichi who was grinning foolishly. He casually sealed the two corpses and then said, "Go and rest. You look exhausted!"
Reminded by Jiraiya, Taiichi did feel a wave of fatigue wash over him, so he didn't linger any longer and took his leave of the tent.
After Taiichi left the tent, Shikaku smiled and said, "Lord Jiraiya really has a good disciple; it's truly enviable!"
"Ah~ haha, it's nothing, nothing at all. Besides, I'm not the only master Taiichi has. I'm at most second in rank." Jiraiya didn't take credit, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
Second? Then the first should be Lady Tsunade. It is said that Taichi's medical ninjutsu was passed down from Lady Tsunade. He has such an enviable talent and connections. It's just that he is too young.
Shikaku thought to himself.
On the other side, at the border of the Land of Wind, having just bid farewell to the ninja sent by Konoha to escort them, Chiyo led more than 100 Sand Ninja prisoners who had been released back into the territory of the Land of Wind.
For a moment, everyone was filled with mixed feelings, especially the prisoners, some of whom were quite emotional and had already shed tears.
Life in Konoha was far from easy. Although the village didn't mistreat them, they were still frequently beaten and verbally abused, especially in the early days after their capture. They even thought they would be killed by Konoha ninjas in revenge. Every day was filled with torment.
"Alright, let's hurry up and get going. We'll reach the border troops' camp in another hour!"
Chiyo addressed the crowd, saying that she had exceeded expectations in her mission, using the international situation to force Konoha to release the Sunagakure prisoners. As for the alliance treaty, she considered it worthless and would be nothing more than a piece of waste paper when the time came to break it.
Seeing these guys crying and sobbing when I'm happy, even though I understand, still makes me feel a bit disappointed.
Just as he was about to urge them a few more times, he suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance, where, in the blur, a group of ninjas was rapidly approaching.
Did the frontline camp know I was coming back today and send people to greet me?
Chiyo thought to herself, but then realized something was wrong; she hadn't revealed her whereabouts.
While Chiyo was pondering, the group of ninjas had already approached the location.
Such a large, conspicuous group of people naturally attracted their attention. If they hadn't noticed that they were all wearing Sunagakure uniforms, they would have run away long ago!
"It's Lady Chiyo! She brought back all her comrades who were captured by Konoha!"
The Sand Village ninja at the front saw Elder Chiyo in the group, and then looked at the more than one hundred people behind her. He immediately realized Chiyo's mission and loudly notified his three companions behind him.
At this moment, Chiyo realized she had misunderstood. This group of ninjas must have had other missions, and their encounter could only be a coincidence.
Just as Chiyo was about to say goodbye to them, she noticed that the squad leader looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, which made her curious.
"Is there something you want to say to me?" Chiyo looked at the captain. She was a straightforward person and asked her questions directly.
Seeing that Elder Chiyo had noticed him, the squad leader breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a few instructions to his team members and then stepped forward alone, saying to Chiyo, "Elder, may I speak with you in private?"
Chiyo was suspicious, but she still followed the squad leader to the side.
"This shouldn't be my responsibility to say, but since the elder has shown me kindness in the past, I should inform you in advance!"
Chiyo then took a closer look at the squad leader and indeed found him somewhat familiar. Chiyo gestured for him to continue.
"Lord Kazekage has disappeared!"
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