The freed Five-Tails continued its escape in a furious rage.
Its severed horse leg regrew bone, muscle, and hoof under the influence of its Tailed Beast Chakra.
Hatake Sakumo instantly appeared in front of the Five-Tails once more.
Another series of White Fang Consecutive Blades, and the Five-Tails' horse leg was severed again.
Kitsuchi frowned as he looked at Konoha's White Fang. The smoother their cooperation felt now, the more troublesome he would be as an opponent later. He slammed his hands on the ground, using the Mountain Earth Technique again.
Two earthen hemispheres, each a hundred meters in diameter, slammed together with a crash, trapping the fallen Five-Tails inside.
Seeing Kitsuchi maintaining the technique with his hands pressed to the ground, Yamashiro-ji gave a meaningful glance to his comrade, Hayama.
Hayama understood immediately. Their mission was to prevent the Five-Tails from destroying the tribes of the Land of Grass, but they couldn't let the Iwa-nin seal the Five-Tails so easily.
Namikaze Minato keenly noticed Yamashiro-ji's subtle shift in stance towards the Iwa-nin and also gripped the Chakra Short Sword on his back. If only I could complete the Wind Release Chakra Crystal Refinement, I wonder what kind of sword techniques would be possible.
Kitsuchi frowned, not because the Five-Tails was struggling, but because Hatake Sakumo was too close – only about fifty meters away. At such a distance, Sakumo's blade could reach his neck in just a second or two.
Hatake Sakumo scanned the Iwa-nin, noting each one's position, calculating the optimal angle for his first strike to eliminate the most enemies.
"Wait!" Sakumo suddenly raised his hand, stopping all the Konoha shinobi.
The others followed his gaze upwards and saw a small figure descending against the sunlight!
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Hatake Sakumo felt extremely relieved that Ōnoki's first target was the Five-Tails, not them.
"Retreat!" Sakumo promptly ordered.
Everyone quickly retreated into the distance.
Using his telescope from afar, Sakumo watched the battlefield. With Ōnoki's Dust Release entering the fray, even the Five-Tails couldn't withstand it. After two Dust Release attacks, the Five-Tails' five tails were obliterated, and it was severely injured.
Sakumo thought to himself, My White Fang blade has reached the peak of Lightning Release's destructive power. A few more strikes from me could also sever the Five-Tails' tails, but not with the same ease as Ōnoki.
Lowering the telescope, Sakumo said, "Let's go. The mission is over. The Five-Tails is sealed. We've completed the Daimyō's commission."
Ōnoki slowly descended.
Kitsuchi asked, "Lord Tsuchikage, why are you here? It's fortunate you came, otherwise sealing it would have been very difficult in front of Konoha's White Fang."
Ōnoki watched as Hatake Sakumo and the others turned into distant specks and disappeared from view. He said to Kitsuchi, "After I signed the mission scroll, I kept feeling something was strange about this mission. The intelligence source was a spy Konoha planted in our Iwagakure Village, a spy who had been lurking for over a decade, personally inserted by Danzō. Would Danzō really be so kind as to sell out Konoha's White Fang? The Konoha shinobi I despise the most is Danzō."
Kitsuchi asked, "Why do you despise him so much?"
"Why? Because I don't have someone like Danzō by my side! If Iwagakure could produce a Danzō, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams." Ōnoki thought for a moment and said, "Konoha's Anbu Commander, Yellow Dog, is a second-generation shinobi with average strength. According to the spy's intelligence, the Anbu Vice-Commander, Fox, is considered the next Danzō, even stronger than Danzō was at the same age. It's infuriating. Someone like Danzō, and Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't just have one, he has two!"
In the heavy rain of the Land of Rain, Yōkō received an intelligence brief delivered by an Anbu ninja hawk.
The brief stated that Hatake Sakumo had completed the Land of Grass mission, preserving Konoha's mission share from that country.
Yōkō closed the finger-sized scroll, thinking to himself that it was finally over.
He could reverse time for Hatake Sakumo once, but he couldn't do it for him every time.
There was no logic in being on guard against a thief for a thousand days.
As he was pondering this, Yōkō suddenly felt a notification from his contract chakra.
After sending the Antelope Squad away, Yōkō quickly responded to the reverse summoning via the contract chakra.
The white smoke cleared, and Yōkō appeared in a palace.
It was Chisa summoning him? Yōkō had thought it was Uzumaki Yuka.
When Chisa saw Fox, the anxiety on her face eased considerably.
Disregarding the rainwater on Fox's cloak, Chisa threw herself into his arms.
Just before Chisa pounced, Yōkō swiftly threw off the cloak and caught her with his dry inner lining, asking, "What's wrong? Chisa?"
Chisa said, "Fox! The Crown Prince is trying to find a way to drive me and our son away! I don't know what to do."
Chisa looked up, peering through the eyeholes of the mask, her expectant gaze meeting Fox's eyes.
Yōkō's eyes flickered slightly, a flash of killing intent quickly appearing and then vanishing.
"Crown Prince? Your brother's son?"
"Yes." Chisa said:
" My brother, the Daimyō, is over ten years older than me. The Crown Prince, Koishi Genro, is five years younger than me.
I control three large hydroelectric power stations in the Land of Rivers, along with the construction technology and craftsmen for them.
Koishi Genro couldn't do much about me controlling these, as my brother trusted me completely.
However, ever since our son Yakata was born, Koishi Genro began investigating our son.
I received news that he wants to offer a heavy reward to find Yakata's father, intending to humiliate me through a public search for the child's father.
I can block it for a day or two, but I can't delay for too long. Koishi Genro's influence is also significant."
Yōkō's killing intent surged again.
This was going too far. Wanting the power stations was understandable. Wealth, influence, who wouldn't want that?
But what did he mean by looking for me?
If he can't find me, does he plan to find a fake father for my son?
Yōkō asked, "What is your brother's opinion on this?"
Koishi Chisa said, "That's the troublesome part. My brother has fallen seriously ill. He's been very weak lately, frequently falling unconscious and no longer handling government affairs.
Koishi Genro has gained the support of the Captain of the Guardian Ninja, Mitokado Koshi, and has been very aggressive within the capital.
Mitokado Koshi is the son of Konoha Elder Mitokado Homura. He's investing in Koishi Genro, supporting him to replace my unconscious brother as the next Daimyō."
Supported by Mitokado Homura, Mitokado Koshi held the lucrative position of Captain of the Land of Rivers' Guardian Ninja.
As for his strength... he had some, but not much.
"Chisa, don't worry, I'll handle it." Yōkō said. "It's just a Daimyō's son and a Guardian Ninja Captain."
Koishi Chisa quickly said, "Fox, if it were only Crown Prince Koishi Genro, I could handle him completely and wouldn't need to ask for your help.
Even adding Guardian Ninja Captain Mitokado Koshi, it's not like I can't delay.
I know you're very busy, and your missions are dangerous.
The problem now is, I've heard that Konoha Elder Mitokado Homura will soon enter the capital.
The Daimyō of the Land of Grass intends to switch allegiance to the Land of Earth and Iwagakure. To protect Konoha's mission share, Mitokado Homura has been sent as an envoy to various vassal states.
His last stop is the Land of Rivers.
If Mitokado Homura enters the Land of Rivers' capital and supports Mitokado Koshi and Koishi Genro, I will be completely powerless to resist."
"Mitokado Homura?"
Seeing Fox fall into thought, Chisa felt uneasy.
Given Fox's strength, he shouldn't be afraid of Mitokado Koshi, but Mitokado Homura was a Konoha Elder. Whether in terms of status or strength, he would be very difficult to deal with.
Yōkō wasn't afraid of Mitokado Homura; rather, a plan suddenly formed in his mind.
He had gone to great lengths to help Hatake Sakumo overcome his crisis.
But in the end, Hatake Sakumo only received an S-rank mission reward and nothing else. It felt a bit anticlimactic.
Hatake Sakumo and the others might be able to accept it, but Yōkō couldn't.
The one who had put in the most effort here was Yōkō!
Yōkō had wasted a month's worth of time reversal. His selflessness was starting to feel unlike himself.
An Elder's position... belongs to those with strong soldiers and sturdy horses...
Yōkō said, "It's fine, Chisa. With me here, these are just minor troubles. Delay them for a bit. Wait until Mitokado Homura arrives in the capital, and I'll solve all their problems at once."
Hearing Fox's reassurance, the panic in Chisa's heart lessened considerably.
Yōkō adjusted Chisa's glasses and said, "I'm on a mission in the Land of Rain and can't be away for too long. When Mitokado Homura is about to reach the capital, notify me immediately. I will permanently resolve the Crown Prince's trouble."
"Okay."
Yōkō put on his cloak, used Reverse Summoning to leave, and returned to the heavy rain of the Land of Rain.
Some time later, the Antelope Squad returned to Yōkō's side.
They had still found nothing, discovered no clues.
Horned Ox shook the mud off his feet and couldn't help but ask, "Sir, when will we actually find Uchiha Madara's rogue ninja organization?"
"You should be glad you haven't found it." Yōkō said:
"Uchiha Madara loves to monologue. While he's spouting nonsense, you might be able to run a few steps.
Sarutobi Kanenosuke's Five Elements Unrivalled Attack requires preparation time like Shadow Clones, so you could live a few seconds longer.
But if you encounter Tobi, it would be terrible. Tobi's Dōjutsu techniques are all instant-cast. Certain death."
Horned Ox and the other three looked at each other.
After scaring them, Yōkō said:
"The reason I have you investigate in pairs is to make our mission investigation scroll longer.
Your attitude must be correct. Even though the mission can't be completed, the mission report must be written in sufficient detail.
Rest for half an hour, then set off again. Look around for any information that can be written in the report."
Yōkō thought to himself, Tobi just obtained the Mangekyō, wouldn't he want to test it in real combat?
For example... killing a Konoha higher-up?
If Mitokado Homura were to die by Tobi's Dōjutsu, presumably the village wouldn't suspect me, right?
After the break, the Antelope Squad set off again in pairs.
In this squad, Antelope and Horned Ox were veterans who had been with Yōkō for a long time, while the other two were newcomers.
The newcomers, both in terms of strength and loyalty, needed long-term testing.
The prerequisite was that the newcomers could survive long enough for Yōkō to deem them qualified.
Once they passed the assessment, he would then engrave the Cross Seal, this trump card, on them to help increase their strength.
During this period, Yōkō would have the Antelope Squad leave frequently to facilitate his trips to the Land of Rivers.
—
The full moon was like a silver platter.
The night of the new full moon had finally arrived.
Yōkō leaned against a wall in the Office of the Chief Treasurer, taking off his rain-soaked hood.
Mitokado Homura would soon arrive in the Land of Rivers' capital. Next, it was time to deal with the troubles surrounding Chisa.
***
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(Chapter End)