Rock Lee doesn’t want to be Hokage

“How come I, the last disciple of Kobayashi-ryu, ended up wearing this perverted tights with a kappa head!” Modern martial arts boy Lin Xiaoye opened his eyes and found that he had become Rock Lee in Naruto who couldn’t do ninjutsu.

When Sasuke showed off his skills with a huge fireball, he counterattacked with a set of Konoha whirlwinds; when Orochimaru attacked him, he said: “Villains, please have some martial ethics! I’ve only practiced the third gate!”

At the Chunin Exam, watching Neji trap Naruto with Kaiten, Lin Xiaoye, who was covered in bandages, suddenly curled his lips and said, “Genius of the Hyuga family, have you ever heard of blasting the laws of physics with a mortal body?” Blood-colored steam exploded, and the boy turned into a red meteor. Amid the screams of “Newton’s coffin is flying!” in the audience, he kicked out a shocking kick that made Six Paths Madara exclaim “This taijutsu is unscientific” – it turns out that shouting “Night Kai” when the eight gates are fully opened is not as exciting as shouting “Kameha”!

From then on, a new legend spread in the ninja world: the god of physical skills who broke the shackles of fate!

Rock Lee doesn’t want to be Hokage
Chapter 71: Traces
“Chakra Water, can you perform a ninjutsu? If you can use the water attribute to assist me, it will be of great help to me.”
Rock Lee planned to use underground moisture to moisten the top soil in order to reduce the physical exertion of digging.
“Of course, there is abundant moisture deep underground, so it’s easy to use water-attribute ninjutsu.” Chiba Shinichi answered excitedly.
“Then let’s get started. See that hole I dug? Use your ninjutsu to soften the soil on the top so I can dig more easily.”
Chiba Shinichi looked up and saw that the hole on the top of the cave was big enough for two people to enter and exit, and the depth was no more than two meters.
“Leave it to me.”
He quickly climbed up to the cave entrance, entered the cave, and quickly formed seals with his hands.
“Water escape technique, water ball!”
Water balls gradually formed, hit the soil, and gradually moistened it.
“It’s my turn, Shinichi. Let’s take turns. You focus on water escape and I’ll be responsible for digging.” Rock Lee arranged.
“Understood.”
Rock Lee took out a bag of beef jerky and handed it to Shinichi, “Try this special beef jerky to replenish your energy.”
“Thank you, Xiao Li. Without you, I might have been dead long ago.” Chiba Shinichi said with gratitude.
“This is just our duty. We are warriors of Konoha. Since fate has allowed us to survive, it is our responsibility to persevere.” Rock Lee expressed his determination firmly.
Seeing Rock Lee sweating profusely but without any complaints, Chiba Shinichi couldn’t help but be moved to tears, which made the usually straightforward Rock Lee at a loss.
Rock Lee’s arms seemed to have turned into solid shovels. He dug hard in the wet soil, and every time he swung the shovel, he would bring up a piece of soil.
His physical strength was astonishing, making Chiba Shinichi pale in comparison. Just by repeatedly using the Water Ball Technique, his chakra was quickly depleted. Condensing water vapor into a water ball required a massive amount of chakra, which was no easy feat.
After all, not everyone has the ability like the Second Hokage or Kisame, who can summon vast waters in a water-scarce environment and use them as weapons on the battlefield.
Chiba Shinichi was trying to recover his chakra, while Rock Lee continued his excavation while the oxygen in the cave was still sufficient. He knew that if he didn’t start now, they would lose the strength to dig when the oxygen in the cave became too thin.
As the sky gradually brightened and the night quietly faded, Neji woke up, opened his Byakugan, and looked towards the village, but there was no trace of Rock Lee. At Rock Lee’s speed, even if there was a delay, he should have arrived by now.
A trace of worry welled up in Neji’s heart. Soon, Tenten and Sasuke woke up one after another.
“Is Xiao Li not back yet?” Tiantian asked with concern.
“Yes, there is no trace at all.” Neji replied, his brow furrowed.
“Xiao Li is not the kind of person who would give up a mission easily. I’m afraid he encountered something unexpected.” Sasuke analyzed.
“I have to ask the reconnaissance team for support and find someone to search with me. Tenten, Sasuke, you stay here to guard and be careful of monster attacks.” Neji arranged.
“Well, go quickly.” Tiantian responded.
Sasuke nodded in agreement.
Neji quickly ran towards the location of Inuzuka Kiba’s team. The two teams were not far apart, and he soon found Kiba.
“Ya, Rock Lee is missing. I hope you can help me find him and let Shino and Hinata stay here.” Neji suggested.
Ya and another member nodded and warned, “Be careful.”
“I guess Rock Lee might be tracking monsters. He wants to explore their lair, otherwise he should have already met up with us.” Neji deduced.
“Then let’s look along the road back to Konoha Village. Akamaru should be able to recognize Rock Lee’s scent.” Kiba suggested.
Akamaru barked a few times, seemingly in agreement.
They moved quickly along the path, Akamaru leading the way. Soon, Akamaru suddenly stopped and signaled to Kiba.
“We’ve found Xiao Li’s scent, Akamaru, follow the scent and it will lead us to him,” Ya instructed excitedly.
Akamaru adjusted the direction in response and continued to lead them in deeper pursuit.
Neji and Kiba followed Akamaru closely, realizing that Lee had followed the mark they had left behind, but had somehow met with an unforeseen disaster. They quickly arrived at the battlefield, only to find traces of Lee’s fierce battle, and spider remains scattered around.
Kiba surveyed the chaos at the scene, while Neji concluded from the spider silk on the ground, “This is Kidomaru’s spider silk, undoubtedly Orochimaru’s subordinates. We fought them in the Whirlpool. I’m afraid Lee has met with their ruthless hands.”
Kiba ordered Akamaru to continue tracking, but Akamaru’s sense of smell failed to detect Xiao Li’s scent. It was obvious that the enemy had cleverly erased the clues.
Neji decisively opened his Byakugan, the finest spider silk visible to him. “It seems Lee left a mark. We should follow these threads and find him.” Following the thread’s lead, they soon discovered a hidden cave. Without the thread’s guidance, this cave might have remained unnoticed.
The two walked into the cave, but not long after, the road ahead was blocked by rocks.
Neji and Kiba squatted down and looked carefully at the collapsed rocks in the cave. “This cave was destroyed by an explosive talisman. Rock Lee might have fallen into Orochimaru’s trap,” Neji said calmly.
“I don’t know where this cave leads to. It’s a bit tricky to find Xiao Li.” Ya said.
“Do you remember where the landslide happened yesterday?” Neji said.
“You mean, Xiao Li might be down there.”
“I still need to go up there and take a look. Let’s go and see if there’s any landslide above this cave.”
Neji and Kiba quickly walked out of the cave and came to the top of the cave. Following the direction of the cave, they soon found the location of the landslide.
“It seems that I’m right. Rock Lee is probably under the ground where the landslide happened yesterday.” Neji said with a frown.
“Yeah, I don’t know how Xiao Li is doing now. It’s best to report to the Hokage and ask him to dispatch an earth-style ninja.” Ya said.
Three things to do when reading: read, collect, and reward!
Automatically subscribe to the latest chapter
APP audiobook (free)
Premium audio, popular voice actors, offline listening
ActivityRegister as a Filo member and receive 200 points![Register Now]Chapter 72 Earth Escape (Old Version)
“Have the Hokage call in the Earth-style ninjas. Otherwise, the longer we delay, the more dangerous Xiao Li will be. He might even be in danger now.” Ya couldn’t continue. After all, he and Xiao Li were good friends, and Xiao Li was the strongest among them.
“It seems we have no choice but to go back to the village for help. I hope Rock Lee can survive.” Neji said calmly.
Rock Lee and Tenten are the most important people in Neji’s heart. Neji is more anxious than anyone else now, but being anxious cannot solve the problem. He needs to calm down before he can come up with a good solution.
Rock Lee’s chakra surged, instantly whipping up a fierce wind in the cramped cave. Chiba Shinichi watched in amazement. The power of the Eight Gates was breathtaking, and Shinichi dared not blink, fearing to miss a single moment. Rock Lee swung his nunchaku with such speed that it unleashed a fierce gust of wind. The friction between the nunchaku and the air gradually ignited sparks, eventually igniting a raging flame.
He stomped his foot forward, charging diagonally upward, through the soft soil left by the collapse, leading to the blocked cavern. The Golden Bell whirled around him, tearing through the earth and rock like a deck of cards. Rock Lee pushed forward, effortlessly creating a 20-meter cavern. “Look, with my strength, breaking through here is a piece of cake,” he said confidently to Shinichi, inwardly chuckling at himself for not unleashing his true power sooner.
He pulled some beef jerky from his pocket and shared it with Shinichi, resolving not to conserve his energy and to give it his all.
After a short rest, Rock Lee felt the power surging in his body. He stepped into the newly formed big hole and resolutely activated the secret of the Eight Gates.
After a month of hard training, his physique became stronger, and continuously performing the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu was no longer as difficult as before, and the burden on his body was significantly reduced.
“Open, the sixth gate of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu – the Jingmen!”
Rock Lee pulled out his nunchaku and as he danced, a rotating golden bell gradually took shape. It was like a giant drill, drilling fiercely towards the upper part of the cave.
The soil and rocks were vulnerable to the power of the Golden Bell and were shattered into powder.
He swung the nunchaku faster and faster, and the Golden Bell Cover turned into a red drill, breaking through the cave. Hot air rose, and the surrounding soil dried under the flames.
Rock Lee continued to push upward, knowing in his heart that the free surface was just around the corner.
With a full-strength blow, the resistance dissipated and the sound of continuous impact echoed in the cave.
Suddenly, Rock Lee felt his body light and his eyes were filled with light. He knew that he had seen the light of day again.
After removing the Golden Bell Cover, he gasped for breath. At this time, Ya’s excited voice came: “Xiao Li, you are finally out. We were worried about how to save you.”
Rock Lee turned around and saw Neji and Kiba waiting not far away.
“Although the trap was dangerous, we were lucky enough to escape.”
He walked to the edge of the big hole that had just been dug and called Chiba Shinichi to come forward.
“Ningji, you won’t believe this, but I’m actually working with Chiba Shinichi, who was thought to be missing. Our goal is to get into the lair of this monster and destroy the transformed monster controlled by Orochimaru in one fell swoop.”
Rock Lee explained, “The plan was to feign capture, but we ended up falling into their trap. We were trapped fifty meters underground, but we managed to bury three monsters.”
He succinctly recounted the entire incident to Neji and Kiba.
“Orochimaru’s conspiracy has gone beyond the scope of Konoha. His hands have reached other villages. This conspiracy is obviously extraordinary.” Neji expressed his opinion in shock.
At this time, Chiba Shinichi had already climbed out of the cave, “Locke Lee, you saved my life this time. I owe you a big favor.”
“Don’t say that. As Konoha’s ninjas, we should support each other.” Rock Lee replied, “Right now, the village doesn’t know your specific situation. They think you are just missing. You should return to the village as soon as possible and report everything to Lady Tsunade.”
With Chiba Shinichi explaining the situation, he didn’t need to go back. He didn’t want to face Tsunade’s preaching.
“Okay, Xiao Li, I will go back to Konoha. You have to be careful. If you don’t die this time, Orochimaru will probably strike again.”
“It doesn’t matter. With my speed, even if I can’t beat him, I can still run away without any problem.”
Chiba Shinichi immediately remembered how powerful Rock Lee was when he opened the Eight Gates, and felt a little relieved. At that time, Rock Lee was no longer like an ordinary person.
Chiba Shinichi walked towards Konoha. He was too tired these days and needed to go back to Konoha to have a good rest.
“Ningji, let’s go back to our garrison. I’ll send a message to Lady Tsunade explaining the situation.”
At this time, Tenten and Sasuke were guarding the stronghold waiting for news, “Sasuke, what danger did you say Xiao Li would encounter? A whole night has passed, and he still hasn’t come.”
“Tiantian, you don’t have to worry about him. Even if he encounters danger, he won’t die so easily.”
“Yeah, Xiao Li is very strong.”
Turn on lazy reading mode
Chapter 73: Orochimaru’s Interests (Old Version)
In the hidden underground facility of the Land of Rice, Kabuto reported to Orochimaru with an uneasy look: “Lord Orochimaru, Rock Lee escaped from his underground confinement. This is my dereliction of duty.”
He stood there, sweat dripping from his forehead. Kabuto had been responsible for monitoring the area, preventing Rock Lee from escaping. When Rock Lee finally emerged from the depths of the underground, Kabuto realized that he had seriously underestimated the taijutsu ninja’s ability to survive.
Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then said calmly, “It seems we have to re-evaluate the ability of this ninja. I am quite interested in his tenacity.”
Kabuto then asked, “Regarding Kidomaru and Sakon and Ukon, they are also buried underground. Do we still need to continue the human-worm experiment?”
“No need,” Orochimaru replied resolutely, “The human-worm experiments are now terminated. Their improvement is limited and not worth our continued investment. Let them fend for themselves.”
To Orochimaru, these human insect army were just an experiment, and he didn’t have high hopes for them, so giving them up felt no burden to him.
Then, Orochimaru changed the subject and asked, “So, what are Sasuke’s recent movements?” His question seemed to imply that a new plan was slowly taking shape in his mind.
“Ever since Haruno Sakura joined Tsunade, Sasuke has been assigned to Rock Lee’s team to perform guard duties on the border. Lord Orochimaru, should we recall Sasuke immediately to prepare for your reincarnation technique?” Kabuto adjusted his glasses lightly and made a suggestion.
“Well, it’s time to see Sasuke’s progress. This body with Uchiha bloodline is destined to be mine. As long as the curse seal in his body remains, he will sooner or later become my ideal vessel.” Orochimaru’s voice echoed in the underground cave, revealing fanaticism and confidence.
“Let’s go and see Sasuke, and inspect the progress of the Sea Country’s plan. If those fools can’t accomplish their goals, then abandon them. It’s simply presumptuous to dream of controlling the maritime transportation of the Ninja World.”
“Indeed, Lord Orochimaru, they relied on one of your experimental subjects to try to control the shipping of the ninja world. Only you, Lord Orochimaru, can realize such a fantasy.” Kabuto said while flattering.
“Don’t overestimate me. Some things haven’t happened yet because the Five Nations haven’t really taken action yet. The power of the Five Nations can’t be shaken by a few test subjects. Kabuto, think twice before you speak.”
“I will follow your instructions, Lord Orochimaru.” Kabuto wiped the sweat from his forehead nervously.
In the Hokage’s office in Konoha, Chiba Shinichi is reporting the current situation to Tsunade.
In rewriting, I tried to maintain the intent and context of the original sentence while adjusting the sentence for flow and clarity.
“You said these monsters are actually the masterpieces of Orochimaru? That guy is really like a shadow. Every time there is turmoil in the ninja world, he must be the mastermind behind it.” Tsunade’s tone was full of anger.
“You go back and rest first. You should adjust yourself after the continuous fatigue.” Tsunade said softly as she sent Shinichi away.
“Shizune, inform Rock Lee that his assessment of Orochimaru was overly optimistic and that he needs to be more cautious. Although he successfully eliminated three monsters this time, freeing up Konoha’s ninja forces so they can resume their missions, it was too risky. Tell the garrisoned ninja to withdraw half of their forces. The monster’s nest has been destroyed. Continue surveillance for two days. If there are no abnormalities, all personnel will retreat.”
“As you command, Tsunade-sama.”
At this time, Rock Lee was paying attention to the competition between Sasuke and Neji. The advantage of the soft fist was very obvious in the initial duel. This competition was intended to test the actual combat effect of Sasuke’s Chidori Senbon.
The two stood facing each other, Sasuke quickly completed the hand seal, and the lightning attribute chakra instantly condensed into the shape of a thousand birds, and shot it towards Neji. The thousand birds were light and fast, and arrived in an instant.
“Then use this move!” Neji responded, chakra bursting out of his whole body, and as he spun rapidly, a chakra shield sphere quickly took shape.
Rock Lee followed Neji closely, and in his eyes, the Kaiten skill had already expanded the boundaries of his defense. It was obvious that Neci had put a lot of effort into his training, and his rapid progress was remarkable.
When talent and hard training combine, the results are truly remarkable. Neji and Sasuke’s battle is intense and tense, with both men displaying incredible speed in split-second encounters.
Faced with Sasuke’s endless ninjutsu, Neji responded to all changes with the same attitude, turning the tide with a single move and easily dissolving all attacks.
Sasuke is well aware of his weaknesses. Close combat is not his strong point, and Neji’s Baguazhang is even more unpredictable. Once a vital point is hit by his soft fist, even the greatest ability will be difficult to display.
In this duel, if Sasuke wants to win, he can only drag it into a war of attrition.
Neji easily deflected Sasuke’s Senbon, his body transformed into a stream of light, and rushed forward, gathering rich blue chakra in his left hand.
He shouted, “Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!”
A giant palm made of chakra came out and hit Sasuke directly. Sasuke quickly retreated and quickly completed the hand seal.
“Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!”
A blazing fireball shot out of Sasuke’s mouth and collided violently with Neji’s Bagua Kong Zhang.
“boom!”
Explosions sounded, dust filled the air, and Sasuke’s Sharingan spun rapidly, trying to capture Neji’s movements.
But Neji rushed into the smoke without hesitation. To him, the smoke was invisible under the vision of his Byakugan.
He quickly approached Sasuke, his hands clenched into fists, ready to use his deadly soft fist technique, aiming at Sasuke’s chakra points to end the fight.
Sasuke’s Sharingan spun rapidly, his dynamic vision was stimulated to the extreme, and he quickly dodged Neci’s soft fists, occasionally counterattacking a few times.
Rock Lee was watching in amazement. Both of them had made great progress, especially Sasuke. Ever since he awakened the three magatama, his strength had been steadily increasing. He could even fight Neji to this level without realizing it.
“Okay, that’s enough. Everyone has made great progress recently. There’s no need to determine the winner.”
Rock Lee stopped the sparring between Neji and Sasuke. Both of them were strong-willed people, and if he didn’t stop them, they might use their trump cards and end up hurting both of them.
“You two take a rest. Tiantian and I will be in charge of the defense to prevent new monsters from jumping out.” Rock Lee said.
A huge snake suddenly jumped out from under Rock Lee’s feet, trying to swallow Rock Lee in one bite.
Rock Lee dodged to the back, and as soon as he landed on the ground, another big snake appeared on the ground and swallowed Rock Lee.
Rock Lee jumped into the sky, raised his palm, and slapped the big snake in the air.
“Bang”
The palm strike was extremely powerful and hit the snake’s head, stunning it. The snake staggered to the ground, swaying back and forth. It tried to attack Rock Lee several times but failed.
Chapter 74: Attack (Old Version)
Rock Lee swung his palm and struck, sending one of the snakes reeling. The other, cunningly slithering its tongue, waited for a fatal surprise attack. He watched the two ferocious creatures warily, knowing full well that this was the work of Orochimaru. Though Kabuto Yakushi’s arm held the power of the great snake, Rock Lee knew he wouldn’t easily summon it to the battlefield to its doom.
“Orochimaru, stop hiding. I have already noticed your arrival. As a senior ninja, why do you have to be so sneaky?” Rock Lee shouted loudly, his voice shaking the whole area.
Upon hearing this, Neji and his teammates immediately became serious. They knew very well how dangerous a confrontation with Orochimaru was, and any slight negligence could lead to irreversible consequences.
Orochimaru slowly emerged, his hoarse voice chilling, as if emanating from the underworld. “Rock Lee, you are truly resilient, having managed to escape such a desperate situation. I underestimated you, but today, your fate will come to an end.”
At the same time, Kabuto Yakushi also walked out from the darkness with an expressionless face.
“Kabuto Yakushi, we meet again.” Rock Lee looked him straight in the eye and continued, “It’s not too late to turn back now. Konoha will not kill you. As long as you can change your ways, the door of the orphanage will always be open to you. If you continue to follow Orochimaru, I’m afraid you will eventually become another Kidomaru and lose yourself.”
Rock Lee’s words struck directly at Kabuto’s heart, intending to shake his resolve in the upcoming battle and find an opportunity to defeat his opponent. After all, Kabuto had reformed himself under Uchiha Itachi’s Izanami and became the director of an orphanage. That pure land held special meaning for him.
There was a calm smile on Kabuto’s face, his heart was as firm as iron, and he was indifferent to Rock Lee’s persuasion.
“Rock Lee, your words are too naive. Do you think that with just a few words, you can make me betray Lord Orochimaru? That’s absolutely impossible.” Kabuto’s eyes revealed a hint of uneasiness and coldness under his glasses. It was obvious that his heart was not as calm as he seemed on the surface.
No one in the world is born evil. Even Orochimaru, after experiencing the death of his parents and the deaths of Tsunade’s brother and lover in battle, felt deeply the fragility of life and embarked on the path of pursuing immortality.
Rock Lee gave Tiantian a meaningful look. Tiantian immediately understood his intention and quickly sent out an emergency signal for help.
There are many Konoha ninjas around, and this place will soon be surrounded.
Rock Lee wasn’t worried about his own safety; his only fear was that Orochimaru was targeting Sasuke. Orochimaru’s schemes were numerous and difficult to guard against. If he attempted to take Sasuke away personally, Rock Lee’s current abilities would make it difficult to stop him.
Rock Lee quickly moved in front of Sasuke and used his body to block Sasuke to prevent a possible surprise attack from Orochimaru.
“It seems that you know me well and understand that I took action personally for Sasuke. Since you dare to stand up, let me see how much you have grown during this period.”
Orochimaru quickly formed hand seals and shouted coldly: “Summoning technique!”
The ground cracked, and two more giant snakes joined the previous two. The four giant snakes launched a fierce attack on Rock Lee and the other three.
The big snake that was frightened by Rock Lee just now has now regained consciousness and regained its fighting spirit.
The situation is urgent. Even if Orochimaru cannot perform the Impure World Reincarnation technique at the moment, if he is given the opportunity, he will be in danger today.
“Open it, Jingmen!”
Rock Lee resolutely activated the sixth gate of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu. There was no need to hold back at this moment.
His chakra surged like a storm, dust flew all around, and the ground gradually cracked under the impact of this force.
This was the third time Rock Lee had activated the power of Jingmen that day. Although the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu severely eroded his body, he still took a step forward regardless of everything and disappeared in an instant.
The next moment, he appeared in front of the charging snake, gathered strength in his right hand, and swung it fiercely towards the snake’s head.
With the burning of flames and the explosion of air, a shocking blow fell.
“Bang!”
With a loud bang, the big snake turned into white smoke and was knocked back to the spiritual world.
When Orochimaru saw this scene, his pupils constricted. He had never thought that Rock Lee’s power had reached such a level. Although the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu was powerful in the past, it also had its limits. Now Rock Lee has surpassed the past.
Rock Lee’s figure flashed again and disappeared without a trace, and reappeared on the path where the giant snake was charging. He swung down the Iron Sand Palm with the force of thunder again.
Once again, Orochi vanished into thin air under Rock Lee’s palm and was driven back to the spirit world.
When performing the “Shadow Snake Hand”, Orochimaru waved his sleeves and several ferocious snake shadows shot out from them, heading straight for Rock Lee’s vital points.
“Orochimaru, don’t embarrass yourself here with this little trick. You are one of the three ninjas.”
Rock Lee waved his hand dismissively, shattering the snake’s shadow. Empowered by the speed of the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates, his body transformed into a bolt of lightning, instantly closing in on Orochimaru. With the force of a violent storm, his Iron Sand Palm lashed out at Orochimaru fiercely.
Orochimaru’s body was as soft as if it had no bones. He avoided the attack by twisting his body in a strange way. His neck stretched out like a snake, trying to cast a curse seal on Rock Lee.
Facing this attack that might have been feared in the past, Rock Lee just sneered. His strength has greatly increased recently and he is no longer a weakling.
He grabbed Orochimaru’s neck tightly and threw him to the ground like a wrestler, then lifted him up again and repeated the violent collision.
Facing Orochimaru’s renewed Shadow Snake Hand, Rock Lee remained calm and threw Orochimaru completely out. With a single stomp, the ground crumbled, and he followed closely behind him, fists clenched, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
Rock Lee activated his “Peacock” move, and his fists rained down on Orochimaru’s chest and abdomen like a torrential rain, sparks flying everywhere, and each punch hit the flesh. Under Rock Lee’s stormy attack, Orochimaru finally turned into a pile of mud, scattering in all directions.
This is Orochimaru’s earth clone, where is his real body?
The first person Rock Lee thought of was Sasuke. He looked in Sasuke’s direction. Fortunately, Orochimaru did not appear beside Sasuke.
“Wind Escape, Big Breakthrough”
Rock Lee heard Orochimaru’s voice from behind, and a strong gust of wind rushed towards Rock Lee. Rock Lee jumped wildly to the left and avoided Orochimaru’s ninjutsu.
Rock Lee looked at a passage created by the Wind Release. The ground had been plowed, forming a one-meter-deep ditch.
Tenten ran to Sasuke’s side and attacked the big snake that attacked Sasuke together with Sasuke.
Kabuto Yakushi rushed directly towards Sasuke, quickly formed seals with his hands, activated the palm magic, and slapped Sasuke on the body.
This is a palm magic technique modified by Kabuto, which has the effect of cutting the nerves and tendons of the body.
Sasuke’s three-magatama Sharingan rotated rapidly, and every move of Kabuto was seen by Sasuke.
Sasuke quickly retreated, formed seals with both hands, and the lightning-attribute chakra in his hands quickly turned into a thousand chakras, which he threw towards Kabuto.
“It seems that Sasuke-kun has made great progress recently and has become a three-magatama magatama, but don’t use such tricks.
Chapter 75: Curse Seal (Old Version)
Sasuke swung the Chidori Senbon in his hand and shot it towards Kabuto, but Kabuto was agile and easily dodged it, and all the attacks missed. Facing Sasuke’s continuous attacks, Kabuto spoke arrogantly, appearing to be at ease.
Unexpectedly, the Chidori Senbon embedded in the ground suddenly turned into running electric currents, spreading in all directions, just in time to cover the dodging Kabuto, causing him to be paralyzed instantly and fall heavily to the ground.
Kabuto was shocked. He had never expected that Sasuke could use the lightning technique so skillfully, transforming thousands of blades into electric currents to launch a surprise attack.
“You really surprised me, Sasuke-kun.” Kabuto admitted that he had underestimated his opponent.
Sasuke didn’t say much. He took advantage of the moment when Kabuto was paralyzed, quickly formed hand seals, and performed the fire escape technique.
“Fire Style – Great Fireball Technique!”
A huge fireball shot out from Sasuke’s mouth and headed straight for Kabuto. Although his body was still paralyzed, Kabuto still endured the pain and managed to jump away, avoiding the huge fireball.
Before Kabuto could stand firm, Sasuke rushed forward with the Chidori taught by Kakashi. Facing this unstoppable attack, Kabuto did not dare to be careless. He stretched out his hands and used the Shadow Snake Hand to transform into several giant snakes, which pounced on Sasuke with fangs and claws.
Sasuke swung his arms and launched a powerful Chidori with his left hand, breaking through the blocking snake all the way and heading straight for Kabuto. Kabuto was shocked by Sasuke’s strength and retreated hastily, while performing his signature moves.
“Look at my ‘Lurking Snake Hand’!”
Kabuto transformed his hands into snakes, and countless snake shadows entwined, trying to restrain Sasuke. But Sasuke nimbly dodged them, and the Chidori in his hand shone with a sharp light, easily cutting off the attacking snake shadows one by one.
The fierce battle caused Sasuke’s chakra to be rapidly consumed. His duel with Neji had already exhausted him physically, and now facing Kabuto, he had very little chakra left.
On the other side, the battle between Orochimaru and Rock Lee was equally fierce.
Orochimaru skillfully formed hand seals and summoned the earth escape technique.
“Feel the power of the Earth Dragon, ‘Earth Dragon Bullet Jutsu’!”
The Earth Dragon he summoned sprayed countless earth bombs at Rock Lee. Undeterred, Rock Lee met the attack head-on with his Iron Sand Palm, and the air echoed with a continuous sound of explosions.
Orochimaru opened his mouth slightly, exhaled lightly, and as the sword slid out from his lips and teeth, he gripped the hilt tightly and rushed forward, facing Rock Lee who was attacking him.
Rock Lee swung his nunchakus, and his figure was as fast as the wind. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of Orochimaru and hit him in the chest with great force.
The sword was unsheathed, and Orochimaru blocked it with his sword. The sound of metal clashing was heard, and sparks flew.
Rock Lee’s nunchaku attack was fierce, like a storm, and he launched attacks on Orochimaru repeatedly.
Orochimaru used his sword to protect himself, and at the same time used his shadow snake hand to transform into a giant snake to bite Rock Lee, but he was repeatedly defeated by the nunchaku.
Facing such a tenacious Orochimaru, Rock Lee realized that even without using summoning techniques and Impure World Reincarnation, his opponent was more than capable of competing with him. He knew that only by opening the seventh gate of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu—the Gate of Shock—could he gain a decisive advantage.
The battles over the past few days have caused Rock Lee to open the Jingmen three times, and his physical strength is gradually running out. He knows that continuing like this will be disadvantageous to him.
So, he gathered all his strength, swung the nunchaku faster, and attacked Orochimaru like a storm.
During the fierce battle, Orochimaru was astonished by Rock Lee’s tenacity. Even with the sixth gate of the Eight Gates activated, he could still hold out for so long, which was beyond his imagination for a young man. Even Might Guy would have felt exhausted at this moment.
During the fierce confrontation, Orochimaru clearly felt that Rock Lee’s offensive was becoming more and more fierce. He followed closely behind, increasing the attack speed and strength of his sword. His body softened like a snake, using unpredictable attack angles to launch sharp thrusts at Rock Lee repeatedly.
The clash of nunchakus and Kusanagi swords echoed incessantly, sparks flying with every contact, and the resounding clashing of metal echoed incessantly. Undaunted, Rock Lee swung his flaming nunchakus, slamming them down on Orochimaru’s head. Orochimaru calmly countered with a deft turn of the Kusanagi sword, swiftly stabbing back.
Facing Orochimaru’s counterattack, Rock Lee chose a strategy of exchanging injury for injury, intent on repelling his opponent first. He knew that each transformation of Orochimaru’s body required a drain on his essence and intense rejection. However, Orochimaru, utterly confident in his research and his immortality techniques, remained unfazed even in the face of severe injury.
At this critical moment, Orochimaru’s Kusanagi sword, though incredibly sharp, only grazed Rock Lee’s skin with ease before being stopped by his tough muscles. At this moment, Orochimaru was shocked by Rock Lee’s physical strength, his eyes filled with disbelief. He hadn’t expected Rock Lee’s sixth level of the Golden Bell to be so indestructible.
Orochimaru increased his strength, thinking of piercing Rock Lee’s heart directly. Rock Lee was not himself, and did not have so many life-saving secret techniques. He would surely die if his heart was pierced.
Rock Lee did not give Orochimaru the chance to pierce his heart. The nunchaku in his hand hit Orochimaru’s chest with great force.
Rock Lee could clearly hear the sound of Orochimaru’s bones breaking. No matter how much Orochimaru softened his body, he was still knocked away by Rock Lee. Blood spurted out of his mouth, and his entire sternum was shattered by Rock Lee’s nunchaku.
If it were a normal ninja, he would be seriously injured even if not killed. Orochimaru stood up staggeringly.
“Rock Lee, I didn’t expect that I underestimated you. But you think that with just this little damage, like hurting me, you are dreaming. I, Orochimaru, am immortal.” Orochimaru made his declaration of immortality, but after a few words, he started coughing violently and spitting blood continuously.
Kabuto gave up on Sasuke and quickly ran to Orochimaru’s side, “Lord Orochimaru, how is it going?”
“This minor injury won’t kill me. How is Sasuke? Is there any improvement?”
Orochimaru is most concerned about Sasuke. The stronger Sasuke grows, the happier Orochimaru is. Sasuke has a curse mark injected by him, and he can control him and take over his body at any time.
Chapter 76 Threat (Old Version)
“I am quite surprised by Sasuke’s rapid growth. It will be extremely difficult to defeat him now.” Kabuto Yakushi was taking care of the seriously injured Orochimaru and reporting to him about Sasuke’s amazing progress.
“The Uchiha clan’s bloodline is truly extraordinary. They don’t need a master’s guidance. They can reach such a realm through their own efforts alone.” Orochimaru’s attention to Sasuke is obviously greater than that to Rock Lee.
“Orochimaru, stop dreaming. If you want to get Sasuke’s power, you have to get past me first.” Rock Lee challenged with a sarcastic tone.
Even the wily Orochimaru couldn’t help but feel his blood boiling after being provoked by a junior.
Immediately afterwards, Orochimaru’s body trembled, and he spit out foreign objects from his mouth. An arm stretched out from his mouth, and then his whole body fell out of his old body as if shedding skin, with mucus all over his body, which made Rock Lee, who was standing next to him, feel nauseous.
This is Orochimaru’s unique ability to heal by shedding his skin. No matter how serious the injury is, he can recover as before after shedding his skin once.
After recovering, Orochimaru stood up, his tone a little playful, “Konoha Village is truly a treasure land. Talents emerge from generation to generation, but the fate of geniuses is always unfortunate. I want to see if you will be one of those who died prematurely.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru quickly formed hand seals, preparing to perform a powerful wind escape technique.
“Wind Style – Big Breakthrough!”
On the battlefield, Rock Lee flexed his body nimbly, drawing an elegant S-shaped trajectory. With the nunchakus clenched in both hands, he smashed down Orochimaru with the force of a thunderbolt. Although his strength was fading, Rock Lee knew that if he retreated, Neji and Tenten would be in danger.
As Orochimaru’s chosen vessel, Sasuke’s life was not in danger. However, to Orochimaru, Neji and Tenten were merely Konoha ninjas who had twice vandalized his laboratory, long-held thorns in his side. Every fierce clash of nunchakus and Kusanagi swords ignited a spark, symbolizing the irreconcilable hatred between them.
The fine iron nunchaku was now scarred, its surface covered in the marks left by the Kusanagi sword. Rock Lee knew that after this battle, this loyal companion might no longer be of use. He desperately gave it his all, hoping to inflict a fatal blow on Orochimaru before his body completely collapsed, confident that Konoha’s reinforcements would arrive soon.
Ignoring the threat of the Kusanagi sword, Rock Lee ignited the nunchaku with a raging flame, and like a fire dragon, he carried a scorching air wave and lashed towards Orochimaru’s head.
A scornful smile flashed across Orochimaru’s face. He hadn’t given his all in their first encounter, and therefore appeared overconfident when attacking Rock Lee. But this time, he gathered all his strength, aimed the Kusanagi sword at Rock Lee’s abdomen, and stabbed it fiercely.
The tip of the sword sank deep into Rock Lee’s stomach, but Rock Lee endured the severe pain, swung his nunchaku and fought back hard, lashing out at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru dodged the attack on his head with a swift movement, but the nunchaku still struck him hard on the shoulder, knocking him into the dirt.
Rock Lee spewed blood mist from his mouth, disabling his Eight Gates Ninjutsu. He stood panting, his heart still stubbornly strong. Neji hurried over and asked about his condition with a worried look on his face.
“I’m fine. I’m not going to die yet.” Rock Lee forced a smile and comforted Neji, “It’s just a small injury. I’ll be fine after some rest.”
At this moment, Sasuke and Tenten also defeated other enemies and rushed over to check on Rock Lee’s injuries.
Orochimaru’s condition wasn’t optimistic either. His shoulder blade had been shattered by the nunchaku, and if he wanted to recover quickly, he had no choice but to shed his skin again. However, each shed shortened his lifespan. If he did it again today, even if this body perfectly matched him, he would be temporarily weakened.
“Lord Orochimaru, you must be seriously injured.” Kabuto hurried forward and carefully helped Orochimaru up, his face full of concern.
“Little Rock Lee, you are not qualified to fight injury with injury. It seems that today is the day you will die. I will let you witness with your own eyes how I attack Hyuga Neji and Tenten one by one, and then send you to the west.”
Orochimaru’s eyes were fixed on Rock Lee, and today was the perfect opportunity to finish him off. Although the Kusanagi sword had left a scar on his abdomen, and he was exhausted by the Eight Gates, this was exactly what Orochimaru had been waiting for.
His body suddenly trembled, and his mouth opened again to an incredible angle, an arm stretched out from it, followed by his entire body.
“Today, you will all die here. First, I will collect some interest from Konoha. As for Sasuke, he will become a part of me sooner or later.” Orochimaru said arrogantly, controlling the curse seal on Sasuke with ease, confident that he could not escape.
He has an extreme desire for the bodies of the Uchiha clan. Since his defeat by Uchiha Itachi in the Akatsuki organization, this desire has turned into a morbid obsession.
“Orochimaru, your plan will fail today. We will bring you to justice today and bring you back to Konoha.” Kakashi’s voice suddenly sounded.
Rock Lee breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look behind him. Kakashi, Shikamaru, and the others were approaching.
With the appearance of Kakashi, many support ninjas quickly gathered from all directions.
“Konoha’s reinforcements arrived very quickly. Kakashi wants to catch me, but you are still far away. Rock Lee will let you live a few more days. The next time you meet me, it will be your death.”
Orochimaru was very unwilling, so he let Rock Lee go. He used the molting technique twice in a row, paying a huge price. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, a group of troublemakers came out.
“Next time we meet, you don’t know who will die. Orochimaru, cherish the rest of your life.” Rock Lee said unwillingly.
Orochimaru just snorted coldly. There are many Konoha ninjas here now. If he quarrels with Rock Lee again, more ninjas will definitely appear. He is only powerful alone. His Impure World Reincarnation is not very perfect, so the strength he can exert is not very strong.
Orochimaru took Kabuto Yakushi and slowly sank into the ground and disappeared. This was Orochimaru’s most commonly used earth escape technique, which allowed him to travel underground.
As soon as Orochimaru left, Rock Lee completely relaxed and sat down on the ground.
“Little Lee, how are you?” Kakashi asked with concern. He also noticed Little Lee’s wound, which seemed to be caused by Orochimaru.
Chapter 77 Treatment (Old Version)
“Rock Lee, let the medical ninja help you treat your injuries first.” Kakashi said seriously.
“Teacher Kakashi, this is just a minor injury. I can recover after a rest.” Rock Lee didn’t seem to care much. After all, his body had undergone special training and had a strong self-repair ability.
“This kind of penetrating injury requires caution and cannot be taken lightly to avoid future complications.”
“I understand, teacher.”
Then, a medical ninja who was proficient in the Palm Fairy Technique came over, his hands glowing with blue chakra, and began to heal Rock Lee.
Rock Lee secretly admired the man. He knew that in the world of Naruto, there were only a few who could master this advanced medical ninjutsu, which required extremely precise chakra control. He felt the wound heal significantly faster and the pain was greatly reduced.
“Thank you so much, I feel much better now. Being able to perform such superb palm magic, you must have a special status in the medical team, right?” Rock Lee asked curiously.
“It’s nothing. Although the Palm Immortal Technique requires a high level of chakra control, in the medical class, everyone can basically master it.”
After listening to this, Rock Lee nodded, and he had a new understanding of the popularization of this technology.
“Ningji, the rest of you will be responsible for accompanying Rock Lee back to the village hospital and reporting the situation to the Hokage. The rest of you will continue with your mission. If you find any clues about Orochimaru, notify backup immediately.”
“Yes, sir!” the team members answered in unison.
After the ninjas quickly evacuated and returned to their respective defense areas, Shikamaru and Choji arrived in time to replace the injured Rock Lee and offer him comfort.
“Xiao Li, just take good care of yourself. We’ll take care of this place.” Shikamaru said as he approached Choji.
“That’s right, you can rest assured with Shikamaru here.” Choji also spoke to comfort her.
At this time, Ningci and Sasuke supported Rock Lee on the left and right, and slowly walked towards the direction of Konoha Village. Although Rock Lee insisted that he could walk, his protest was not accepted.
“You are injured now, how can you walk by yourself? If you accidentally aggravate your injury, it will be troublesome.” Tiantian said in an unquestionable tone.
Xiao Li was speechless, and Tiantian’s persistence made him feel helpless.
“Xiao Li, you must accept my serious criticism this time. You clearly knew that Orochimaru could heal his physical injuries quickly, so why did you fight him until both of you were injured? You could have just delayed time.” Tiantian questioned.
“I’ve reached my physical limit. If I don’t try my best, I won’t even be able to maintain the Eight Gates. Besides, I suspect Orochimaru’s shedding of skin is not unlimited. His body is the body of another person obtained through reincarnation. I guess if he sheds his skin frequently, his body will become weak and may even begin to reject his soul, forcing him to reincarnate again.” Xiao Li explained his guess.
“Indeed, we all know Orochimaru’s style. He usually chooses to retreat only when he is not strong enough. If the Konoha ninjas cannot pose a threat, he will definitely wipe them out without mercy.” Neji analyzed.
“My plan is to use this strategy of both sides being injured to force Orochimaru to reincarnate early.
After all, his reincarnation technique isn’t always available. “If he can force Orochimaru to reincarnate early, Sasuke will be free of the threat.” Rock Lee explained his plan.
In Rock Lee’s eyes, even without such extreme measures, Sasuke was not completely safe. Every time the curse seal was used, Sasuke’s body would be further eroded, making the connection between him and Orochimaru even closer.
Orochimaru naturally didn’t want to occupy Sasuke’s body too soon, lest he need to reincarnate again due to rejection in a short period of time. Only when Sasuke’s body was deeply eroded by the curse seal could he occupy this body for a longer period of time.
Sasuke was stunned after hearing this. He had never thought deeply about this question before.
“Sasuke, you must minimize the use of the curse seal. Although it can give you great power, your body will also be eroded by Orochimaru’s soul. If you rely too much on it, you may gradually lose yourself and become Orochimaru’s shadow.” Rock Lee warned Sasuke, reminding him to be wary of the potential dangers of the curse seal.
Sasuke was deeply moved, having witnessed the thrilling duel between Orochimaru and Rock Lee using the Eight Gates. He knew that if it weren’t for Orochimaru’s extraordinary ninjutsu, he might have been killed by Rock Lee. The power of the Eight Gates was truly awe-inspiring.
At the Konoha Hospital, after Neji finished handling Rock Lee’s hospitalization arrangements, he went to the Hokage’s office with Sasuke and Tenten to report what had happened.
At this moment, Rock Lee lay in bed, contemplating. He had never imagined that he would one day need to be hospitalized, and even in a private room. He began to cultivate the powerful vitality of the Golden Bell, feeling the remarkable healing effect of this energy on his injuries.
Rock Lee channeled his life energy into his abdomen, nourishing the wound there. The cells rapidly divided under the nourishment of the energy, and the wound gradually healed. He discovered that practicing the Golden Bell Cover in an undisturbed environment was far more effective than the Palm Immortal Technique. This was also due to the Trinity Secret Technique he practiced, which further stimulated his body’s potential.
After the report, Neji and the others left the Hokage’s office. Tsunade decided to go to the hospital to visit Rock Lee, who had been through so much danger and was injured again. She thought to herself, “You guys should go and rest first. I’ll go to the hospital to see Rock Lee later. This kid is really worrying. He just escaped from underground and now he’s injured in the battle with Orochimaru.”
In Konoha Hospital, Rock Lee was lying on the hospital bed, practicing the Golden Bell Cover. He didn’t want to waste his time in the hospital, as his strength would deteriorate over time.
“Dongdong”
There was a knock on the door, followed by the ward door being knocked open.
Rock Lee opened his eyes and looked towards the door. It was Tsunade and Shizune who walked in.
“Lady Tsunade, why bother you to come here in person for such a minor injury?” Rock Lee said in surprise.
“Let me see our Konoha’s great hero. This time, thanks to you, we discovered the monster’s lair and detonated the traps in it. Otherwise, Konoha might have suffered heavy losses.” Tsunade said.
“Tsunade-sama, as a member of Konoha, this is what I should do. Any Konoha ninja would do the same. For the sake of the village, even if it means sacrificing themselves.”
Rock Lee is becoming more and more shameless as he talks nice words without asking for money.
Chapter 78 Plan (Old Version)
“Xiao Li, stop using those smooth talk on me. Next time you meet Orochimaru, remember the key is to delay time and wait for rescue.” Tsunade instructed seriously.
“Well, Lady Tsunade, I’ll remember that. I’ll be more careful next time.” Rock Lee answered firmly.
Shizune carefully examined Rock Lee’s wound and nodded in praise: “Your recovery ability is amazing. It seems that you will be able to recover and be discharged from the hospital soon.”
She carefully re-bandaged Rock Lee’s wound. After all, they were in the wild and medical conditions were limited.
After finishing their work, Tsunade and Shizune returned to the busy Hokage’s office. Being able to take the time to visit was a great consideration for Rock Lee.
Peace returned to the ward, and Rock Lee sat down quietly, devoting himself to the practice of the Golden Bell Cover. The principle of practicing the Golden Bell Cover was that there was no creation without destruction. Within the limits of the body’s tolerance, the greater the damage, the faster the improvement.
Rock Lee conceived a method to improve the level of his Golden Bell Cover, which is to directly confront the enemy head-on. With the help of the Golden Bell Cover’s self-repair ability and the trinity of physical strengthening, he can gradually recover as long as the injury is not fatal.
During this period, some friends came to visit him one after another, including the Anbu members who had carried out missions with him, and Chiba Shinichi, whom he had saved, who brought their friends to express their gratitude.
As night fell, when Rock Lee was eating the nutritious meal provided by the hospital, the door of the ward was suddenly pushed open.
“Rock Lee, my dear disciple, I heard that you were injured and hospitalized, so I rushed back to Konoha just to see your condition in person.” Rock Lee’s teacher appeared at the door and said with concern on his face.
Akai was panting at the door, obviously having returned from running at full speed. Rock Lee was deeply moved by his dedication.
Ever since Akai began to guide him, he has spared no effort and selflessly taught him his unique skills, including the Eight Gates Ninjutsu.
“Teacher, I sincerely thank you for teaching me the Eight Gates Ninjutsu. It has made my strength soar. This time, I was able to fight Orochimaru without being defeated, all thanks to this unique skill.”
“Xiao Li
“teacher…
Akai was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes and he said, “Your achievements today are all the result of your hard work.”
“But this is also inseparable from the teacher’s patient teaching, otherwise I might still be standing still.” Rock Lee said sincerely.
“Xiao Li,” Akai was so moved that he burst into tears.
“Get well soon, and let’s run towards the rising sun together soon. Keep working hard on your training.”
“I’ll recover as soon as possible.” Rock Lee promised.
“I have to report the mission to Lady Tsunade. I’ll leave first. You should rest well.” Akai reminded.
“Teacher, please go and get busy.”
After watching Akai leave, Rock Lee began his Trinity training. He sat cross-legged in the quiet room, making a Dharma seal with his hands. Behind him appeared the shadow of a Buddha with a face similar to his, solemn and mysterious.
In the quiet of the hospital, Rock Lee was lost in meditation. The half-lidded eyes of the Buddha figure seemed to see into people’s hearts. Time flew by, and before he knew it, the sky outside the hospital room was already beginning to glow with morning light. Rock Lee slowly opened his eyes. A night of training had refreshed him, and the pain in his body had faded. He looked forward to his upcoming discharge, but he grew tired of the monotony of hospital life. During the boring daytime hours, he began to study new taijutsu techniques.
Suddenly, a knock on the door broke the silence, and Neji, Sasuke and Tenten walked into the ward with fruits.
“Xiao Li, come and see you. How are you recovering?” Tiantian said as he put the fruit beside the bed.
“I’m fine. I should be able to leave tomorrow. This injury is nothing.” Rock Lee replied.
At the same time, in the underground base of River Country, Akatsuki was holding a regular meeting to discuss the dynamics of the ninja world and the progress of the mission.
“Juzei, tell us about the latest situation in the ninja world, especially whether the mastermind behind those monster attacks on the village has been found? Also, is the disappearance of Orochimaru’s men related to Orochimaru himself?” Pain asked seriously as the leader.
Jue, as Akatsuki’s core intelligence specialist, has clones spread throughout every corner of the ninja world, and almost all events cannot escape his eyes.
“Those three defectors were indeed captured by Orochimaru and transformed into monsters by him. They are the culprits behind the attack on the village.
In the Land of Fire, Orochimaru and Rock Lee fought a fierce battle but the winner was not decided, and Orochimaru disappeared without a trace again.
“What Orochimaru did was nothing but adding to the waste.” Scorpion’s disgust for him was evident in his words.
“Although Orochimaru’s actions are not commendable, they undoubtedly divert attention away from us, which is beneficial to the organization’s secret operations.” Itachi analyzed calmly.
“I support Itachi’s opinion. Konoha Village will definitely issue a warning to all countries to be wary of Orochimaru’s whereabouts. We can take this opportunity to confuse the public and find a chance to get rid of Rock Lee. At the same time, we can use this opportunity to alienate the countries.” Kisame proposed insidiously.
He has always held a grudge against Rock Lee for his escape and has been looking for an opportunity to take revenge.
“Pain, when can I get a new partner? I’ve been carrying out missions alone lately.” Kakuzu complained.
Kakuzu has always been controversial within the Akatsuki organization for his unique criteria for selecting partners. He prefers to exchange the bodies of his companions for bounties, which has become a bad habit of his.
Over the years, Kakuzu has killed countless companions. He only became a good person when he was in a group with Hidan, because Hidan is immortal. Now that Hidan has been captured by the people of Konoha, Kakuzu has returned to the days of killing companions and collecting bonuses.
“Find a way to get the ring back from Orochimaru or Hidan, let Fei be the substitute and form a team with you. You also have to change your habit of killing your companions and getting bonuses.” Pain said.
“The main reason is that these guys are too stupid, and each of them has a high bounty but is so weak. They’re already dead before I even have to use any strength,” Kakuzu said.
A burst of laughter suddenly sounded in the empty cave.
“What’s so funny, little brat? Be careful or I’ll sew your mouth shut,” Kakuzu threatened.
“Kakuzu, don’t think that you can take advantage of your age. Otherwise, I will let you taste my art and blow you to pieces.” Deidara shouted.
As a former member of the Iwagakure Village’s blasting team, Deidara also has a hot temper. He explodes at the slightest provocation and refuses to submit to anyone.
“Okay, shut up, and from now on, no quarreling.” Payne stopped the two people from arguing.
All members of the Akatsuki organization are somewhat afraid of Pain’s Rinnegan. Although Pain rarely takes action, they have all heard of the legend of the Six Paths Sage.
“Scorpion, you have a spy around Orochimaru, right? Find a way to contact him and determine Orochimaru’s location so that you can take the ring back.” Pain said to Scorpion.
Feilu novels, Feilu will make you look good!
Chapter 79 Helpless (Old Version)
As the Akatsuki meeting came to a close, the members quickly acted according to plan. Sasori set out to contact Kabuto Yakushi and track down Orochimaru so that he and Deidara could work together to retrieve the lost ring.
Jue is focused on monitoring the developments in the ninja world, and is particularly concerned about Konoha Village.
Kakuzu continued his career as a bounty hunter, and whenever a high reward was posted on the black market, his men would quickly report to him.
Deidara is planning a surprise for Orochimaru. He intends to let Orochimaru witness his artistic work with his own eyes and avenge his previous humiliation.
Itachi and Kisame accepted the organization’s war mission, responsible for eradicating ninjas from hostile countries and wandering ninjas who were causing trouble everywhere.
While tracking a bounty hunter, Kakuzu encounters Obito, the newest member of Akatsuki known as Obito. His true identity, Uchiha Madara, is unknown to the rest of the organization, save for a few like Itachi and Pain.
“Senior Kakuzu, I heard that I will be your partner and finally join the core team of the organization.” A Fei said proudly as he walked up to Kakuzu.
“Senior, it is rumored that you have five hearts and an immortal body. I am curious about how these hearts coexist and how the other organs are arranged?” Ah Fei asked curiously.
Kakuzu was getting restless and yelled at the annoying boy, “Get out of here! If you say another word, I’ll shut you up forever!”
“Senior Kakuzu, you are not going to exchange me for a bounty, are you?” Ah Fei asked tremblingly with sweat on his forehead.
“I’ll kill you!” Kakuzu’s arm suddenly shot out, dragging countless black lines.
“Senior, someone is killing someone!” Ah Fei shouted for help while fleeing into the distance and soon disappeared from Kakuzu’s sight.
“One day, I will make you pay the price.” Kakuzu put his arms away and walked towards the exit of the black market.
Ah Fei suddenly appeared from the side and asked curiously, “Senior, what did those black lines on your fist mean just now? Are your entire body made up of these lines? Wow, this is terrifying!”
Even at his age, Kakuzu was enraged and launched a fierce attack at Fei with both arms.
“Senior, don’t kill me!” Ah Fei screamed and disappeared from Kakuzu’s sight again.
Along the way, Kakuzu fully experienced Ah Fei’s poisonous tongue and wanted to kill him many times, but each time Ah Fei was able to cleverly escape at the critical moment.
White Zetsu and Black Zetsu emerged from underground and witnessed the chase between Kakuzu and Oobi.
“Haha, the game that Afei and Kakuzu are playing looks really interesting. Black Zetsu, how about we find a playmate to play a game with us?” There was a hint of mischief in White Zetsu’s voice.
“Let’s take action. We must pay close attention to the developments in Konoha, especially Rock Lee. He has become the core target of our surveillance this time.” Black Zetsu’s gloomy voice echoed in the air.
“Since Rock Lee’s abilities are so outstanding, then isn’t his master, Might Guy, even more terrifying? I didn’t expect that there is such a master hidden in Konoha.” White Zetsu commented in a half-joking tone.
“Our target is the tailed beasts, not Konoha. Konoha only has one Nine-Tails, so there is no need to pay special attention to Might Guy.” Black Zetsu explained.
“But why target Rock Lee? He has nothing to do with the tailed beasts. The key is Uzumaki Naruto being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.” White Zetsu asked in confusion. Although he was in charge of intelligence in the Akatsuki organization, sometimes his thinking was not so quick and he needed the help of Black Zetsu.
“Rock Lee frequently interferes with our plans. He is really a troublesome guy. Besides, he is still young and relatively easier to deal with.” Black Zetsu once again played the role of commentator.
“Ah, then why…” White Zetsu was about to continue asking questions, but was interrupted by Black Zetsu’s harsh voice.
“Shut up.” Black Zetsu’s command made White Zetsu shut up immediately.
The two of them sank into the ground silently and headed towards the Fire Nation.
On the morning Rock Lee was about to be discharged from the hospital, he was already tired of the four walls of Konoha Hospital and couldn’t wait to regain his vitality.
The moment he stepped out of the ward, he unexpectedly met Shikamaru and his friends who came to visit him specially.
“Xiao Li, we were just planning to come see you. What is this…?”
Shikamaru and the others were holding fruits in their hands and looked at Rock Lee in surprise as he walked out of the ward.
“I’m really sorry, I’m just about to leave the hospital. I’ve almost recovered, and what I want to do most right now is to get out and move around and exercise,” Rock Lee expressed his thoughts.
Just take these fruits, after all, they were bought for you. Shikamaru said as he handed over the fruits.
“Shikamaru, when did you become so polite? This is not like your usual style,” Rock Lee joked.
It’s really troublesome. Choji insisted on buying fruits to see you. I knew you would be fine. Shikamaru said helplessly.
“Thank you, Choji. Has your training been going well lately?” Rock Lee asked with concern.
Xiao Li, you are too biased. Choji has been training very hard recently, and his biggest wish now is to eat more than you. Shikamaru said half-jokingly.
“You guys are really unbearable. Every time you talk, it’s all about food. Can you change the subject?” Ino said with some dissatisfaction.
“Then let’s talk about Sasuke’s outstanding performance in the battle with Orochimaru this time. You might like this topic, Ino,” Rock Lee suggested.
“I’ve heard Sasuke’s progress is amazing, and his newly developed ninjutsu played a key role in the battle,” Ino said excitedly. “It seems that for girls of this age, appearance and strength are the key.”
“Then let’s go to my house. I’ll treat you all to barbecue today. I’m tired of the bland meals in the hospital,” Rock Lee invited enthusiastically.
“That’s great. I haven’t eaten your barbecue for a long time.” Shikamaru said happily.
“Hey, I’m talking to you again. Are you listening to me?” Ino said loudly beside them.
“I really can’t stand women. They’re such a hassle.” Shikamaru said boredly from the side.
“Shikamaru, I’m going to kill you.” Ino’s scream echoed throughout the hospital.
The four of them walked towards Rock Lee’s house. Rock Lee bought some seasonings on the way. He had no ready-made seasonings at home and needed to make them now. He also had a cow that had just been slaughtered at home. They had only eaten two meals from it and there was still a lot of beef left.
“Choji, you guys are responsible for making the fire and cutting the beef. I’ll prepare the seasoning. After having barbecue with you last time, I developed a new unique seasoning that I guarantee will make you enjoy it.” Rock Lee said.
“Okay, leave everything to us. Xiao Li, you go and prepare the seasoning.” Shikamaru said excitedly.
Ino was speechless watching from the side. How could she have such a food-loving teammate?
Chapter 80: Sand Village’s Request for Help (Old Version)
Lip-smacking sounds
Slices of beef strips were placed on the steaming stone slab, and the tempting aroma immediately filled the air.
Choji stared intently, watching the meat slices gradually become golden and crispy, then quickly picked up a piece with chopsticks, dipped it into Rock Lee’s exclusive secret sauce, dipped it lightly, and put it into his mouth.
A satisfied smile immediately spread across his face.
“The taste is simply incomparable, Xiao Li. Since I tried your barbecue, the temptation of other barbecue restaurants no longer exists for me.” Shikamaru said excitedly.
His hands moved quickly, picking up the barbecue like a phantom, dipping it in the sauce, and putting it into his mouth. After a while, his cheeks bulged.
“Chouji, eat slowly. No one is competing with you. If you eat so fast, there won’t be enough for us.” Ino said unhappily.
Hearing Ino’s complaint, Choji slowed down his eating speed, “Sorry Ino, I can’t control myself when I eat. This beef is really delicious.”
“I don’t believe that this barbecue can really make people taste the best food in the world.” Ino picked up a piece with half belief and half doubt, dipped it lightly in the seasoning, put it in her mouth and tasted it slowly.
Ino’s eyes lit up. “It’s really amazing. I didn’t expect you to have this skill. Xiao Li, if you open a barbecue restaurant, the other barbecue restaurants in Konoha will probably face the fate of closing down.”
Rock Lee chuckled and replied, “This is just a little hobby of mine. Maybe one day when I’m old, I’ll choose to open a barbecue restaurant on the streets of Konoha.”
“You guys are really good at looking into the future, Xiao Li. You’ve even planned your retirement life.” Shikamaru said, shaking his head.
“It’s okay to fantasize. Maybe in the future the ninja world will really be able to get rid of war and achieve lasting peace. By then, our skills will always be useful.” Rock Lee said hopefully.
Shikamaru sighed pessimistically: “The bonds and conflicts between humans seem to be endless. I am afraid that true peace is out of reach.”
Despite his young age, Shikamaru has a deep insight into the complex situation in the ninja world, thanks to his IQ of over 200.
Even though the five major ninja nations were maintaining superficial peace, this was based on the bloody battles fought by countless ninjas. Meanwhile, the smaller nations were still struggling in brutal battles.
Rock Lee responded optimistically: “The world is unpredictable. Who could have foreseen the new situation of one country and one village in the Warring States period?”
No one could have predicted that a few years later, a war of unprecedented scale would engulf the entire ninja world, and the five great nations would put aside their past grievances and unite to fight the enemy. In the flames of war, the ninjas put aside their old hatreds and united to fight against the foreign enemy.
It was that decisive battle that cleared away thousands of years of resentment in the ninja world and led the world towards true peace.
“Let the village leaders deal with these complicated issues. We, the new ninjas, shouldn’t worry about such trivial matters.” Shikamaru still looked nonchalant.
“Shikamaru, can you be more active? I really can’t stand your lazy look.” Ino criticized bluntly.
“Women are such a hassle.” Shikamaru curled his lips in disapproval.
Ino immediately became displeased and accused, “What’s with that attitude? Are you already being negative about life right after graduation?”
Rock Lee was secretly worried, thinking that the team left by Senior Asuma was really difficult to manage.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open with a “dong dong” sound, and Neji walked in with the other two.
“Lee, you’re back. We were planning to go to the hospital to see you,” Neji said.
As soon as Ino saw Sasuke, she immediately softened, “Sasuke, you’re here too. Are you used to the class over there?”
Sasuke simply nodded slightly in response. Among Konoha’s current graduating class, he was a particularly withdrawn individual, perhaps due to his childhood experiences. He didn’t have many true friends around him.
For Sasuke, strengthening his own abilities and completing his revenge are his top priorities; nothing else matters.
Shikamaru watched from the sidelines, surprised by the huge contrast between Sasuke and the others.
“Let’s all sit down and eat something together. It’s been a long time since we got together for a good meal.” Rock Lee suggested, handing a bowl of seasoning to Neji and the others.
“So, has this defensive mission been completed?” Rock Lee asked.
“Yes, since the monster’s lair was destroyed, the villages in the Land of Fire have finally become peaceful. But other places, such as the Land of Wind, are still not at peace. Amidst the interference of flying sand and rocks, it is extremely difficult to track the monsters.” Neji reported the situation.
“I guess the Sand Village will send a distress signal to Konoha soon,” Rock Lee predicted.
“Oh? Why do you think so?” Tiantian asked in confusion.
Shikamaru and his companions all looked at Rock Lee.
“The finances of the Sand Village are already tight, which has led to a decrease in the number of ninjas. In addition, they suffered heavy losses in their previous attack on Konoha. Now they are asked to protect the entire Wind Kingdom, which is indeed beyond their ability. They are likely to ask Konoha for support.” Rock Lee explained.
Everyone nodded in understanding. “If Sunagakure really asks for help, given your experience fighting monsters and your status as a Chunin, they will most likely send you to lead the reconnaissance team to provide support,” Shikamaru speculated.
“Maybe. The monster itself is nothing to be afraid of. The real troublesome one is Orochimaru behind it. His endless strange tricks are indeed difficult to guard against.” Rock Lee agreed.
In a remote village in the Kingdom of Wind, broken limbs were scattered everywhere. Some villagers were even half-devoured by monsters, while others had their bodies completely torn apart. The land of the entire village was stained red with blood, and the scene was unbearable to watch.
Many corpses were in the posture of running outside. The corpses were most densely packed at the entrance of the village, scattered densely and randomly. Many people had expressions of fear in their eyes.
It can be seen that the people in the village were preparing to escape from the village, but they were all killed by the monster. However, there was not a single child in the village left, as they all disappeared.
Three figures appeared in the distance and ran towards here quickly. They were Gaara and his two companions. At this time, even the calmest Gaara’s expression became not so good.
The three of them ran towards the village and soon stood outside it, watching the entire village being slaughtered. It was obvious that they were a step too late.
Kankuro was the most excited. “These bastards have slaughtered another village. If we catch these monsters, we must tear them into pieces.”
Kankuro punched the ground in anger and clenched his teeth.
Gaara’s eyes grew increasingly grim, and he suppressed his anger as he said, “Let’s go to the village and see if there are any survivors. Send a signal and call for more people to bury these people. We can’t leave their bodies lying around in the wilderness.”
The three of them walked into the village. The situation inside was not much better, with dead bodies everywhere.
Chapter 81 Haruko (Old Version)
Gaara led his companions through the ruins of the village, searching carefully in the hope of finding signs of life.
In the world of Naruto, peace and disaster often coexist. This once peaceful village is now left with only the dead silence after the innocent massacre.
Peaceful days do not come without cost, on the contrary, they require strong power to defend.
The Sand Ninja reinforcements arrived quickly. Faced with the tragic scene, they were silently angry, and their clenched fists and clenched teeth revealed the rage in their hearts.
Kankuro ordered everyone to move the bodies out and gather them in an open space outside the village, trying to give the deceased the final dignity.
“This is already the fifth village to suffer this disaster. If there is no effective countermeasure, the Kingdom of Wind will fall into greater chaos. Are our reconnaissance ninja teams just decorations that can’t even track down a mere monster?” Kankuro vented his dissatisfaction.
“We really need to find a solution. The power of Sunagakure is limited, and it is no longer able to maintain the security of the entire Wind Country. Perhaps, asking Konoha for help is our last resort.” Temari suggested calmly.
“After returning to Sunagakure, I will report everything to Maki. Considering that this incident has affected the entire ninja world, and Konoha also has the responsibility to protect us, they may be able to send some reconnaissance forces to support us.” Gaara said decisively.
They had not yet learned that the monster that caused the massacre had been eradicated by Konoha’s ninjas.
As they search through villages ravaged by a mysterious force, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari gradually uncover a chilling conspiracy. They notice that children are missing from all the villages ravaged.
“Gaara, haven’t you noticed? This village is just like the others, all the children are gone.” Kankuro said in a heavy tone.
“The masterminds behind these massacres must have noticed something in the children,” Gaara deduced. “They might think that children are easier to manipulate and more suitable for their ulterior motives.”
“Yes, the child’s mind is not yet mature, and there is a high possibility that he has been brainwashed.” Temari added.
“The person behind the scenes is very ambitious.” Kankuro concluded.
As they continued to search for possible survivors, faint sobbing sounds were heard from a dilapidated hut.
Their spirits lifted, and they quickly entered the hut, which was poorly furnished, with broken furniture revealing the hardship of the residents’ lives.
Sobbing could be heard from underground. The three of them looked at each other, seeing a glimmer of hope in each other’s eyes. After the massacre of five villages and countless futile efforts, they finally found a survivor. How could they not be overjoyed?
Kankuro removed the stone slab on the ground, revealing a basement of only two square meters, filled with miscellaneous items, and a little girl was huddled in the corner, trembling and crying.
Kankuro’s actions frightened the little girl, Hase Haruko, so much that she covered her mouth with her hands, her terrified eyes fixed on the person who was prying up the stone slab. Her sobs from before were still echoing in the air.
Gaara used the power of sand to gently rescue the little girl.
“Don’t be afraid, we are ninjas from Sunagakure, and the monster is gone.” Gaara stroked Haruko’s head and comforted her.
Haruko had obviously heard of the Sand Village and knew that it was a powerful village that protected the Wind Country.
After crying for a long time, Haruko finally stopped crying. “Is the monster really gone? Is my mother back? She asked me to hide here and said she would be back soon.” She asked with a choked sob.
“Your mother said she was going to a faraway place to take care of some things and would come back to you when she was done,” Gaara explained gently.
“Did Mom go to look for Dad? She once said that Dad went far away. Will they come back together?”
Gaara held her in his arms.
“Yes.”
“Brother, why are you crying?”
“The wind and sand outside were too strong and it accidentally got into my eyes.”
“Mom often cries because of the wind and sand. Let me help blow away the tears for you.” Haruko puffed up her little mouth and gently blew away the “sand” in Gaara’s eyes.
“By the way, I don’t know your name yet.”
“My name is Haruko Hase, my mother calls me Haruko. What’s your name, brother? Can you tell Haruko?” She looked at Gaara with her innocent eyes.
“I’m Gaara, you can call me brother. This is brother Kankuro, and that is sister Temari.” Gaara introduced his companions to Haruko one by one.
“Haruko, we are about to set off to return to Sand Village,” Temari said gently, “We have agreed with your mother that she will come to Sand Village to meet you later.”
Haruko nodded tiredly. Her eyes could no longer support herself. After the terrifying period of loneliness in the basement, she could finally close her eyes in peace.
Gaara stroked her hair and soothed her, “If you’re tired, just sleep peacefully. It’s safe here.”
Soon, Haruko fell asleep quietly on Gaara’s shoulder.
After searching the entire village, it was confirmed that Haruko was the only survivor, and the rest of the villagers had unfortunately died.
Gaara held Haruko in his arms, stepped on the blood-stained ground, his face returned to calm, and his eyes looked at the corpses outside the village, “Hold a funeral for them.” He ordered.
This village shrouded in death will soon be swallowed up by the sands of the Wind Kingdom, leaving no trace.
“Let’s go back to the Sand Village.”
Gaara led Kankuro and Temari towards the Sand Village, while the other members of the Sand Village returned to their respective posts. They still had responsibilities and could not stay here for long.
“Gaara, what should we do with this child? Should we put him in an orphanage?” asked Kankuro.
“From now on, she is our sister, living in our house, and is our family member.” Gaara said.
Temari smiled and was happy for Gaara’s change. Gaara was no longer the Gaara who was always shouting for war and killing. He was now learning to understand and tolerate others.
“I already have two younger brothers who don’t know how to love others and only make me worry. I also want to have a cute and innocent sister.” Temari said with a smile.
“Who always makes you worry?” Kankuro said unhappily.
The three of them walked until the evening before arriving at the Sand Village. Kankuro and Temari walked towards the Kazekage’s office building, while Gaara took Haruko home to settle down first, and then went to the Kazekage’s office building to discuss with Maki about asking Konoha for help.
The Fourth Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams, and now several high-ranking officials in the village are jointly in charge of the Sand Village.
Chapter 82 Assistance (Old Version)
In the quiet evening of Konoha Village, Rock Lee and his friends finally put down their skewers. The seven of them had devoured most of the cow’s meat, especially Choji and Rock Lee, who were the mainstays of the feast. After several days of healthy eating, Rock Lee’s craving for barbecue was intense, even though he had recently grown weary of frequent barbecue feasts. Now, he began to savor the smoky, smoky flavor.
Choji, on the other hand, was increasingly imitating Rock Lee. After a period of practice, his appetite had increased significantly. “Lee, thanks to your inspiration, I can eat so much. If I hadn’t followed your example, I’d probably just be watching you eat. Now, at least I can eat with you until the end,” he said, continuing to enjoy his meal.
Ino marveled at Sasuke’s handsomeness; even while tucking into a barbecue, he exuded a unique charm. “Sasuke is so cool, even eating barbecue looks so stylish,” Shikamaru muttered inwardly, unimpressed by Ino’s nymphomaniac behavior.
As night fell, Neji suggested ending the dinner. “Rock Lee, it’s getting dark. Shouldn’t we go home? Everyone’s almost finished eating.” Rock Lee looked up at the night sky and nodded in agreement. “Okay, let’s stop here for today. We’ll get together again next time when I mix a new seasoning.”
Tiantian offered a suggestion: “Xiao Li, next time don’t just prepare meat, we should also add some vegetables to balance it out.”
“Indeed, it would be healthier to switch to a vegetable banquet. I think after this barbecue, the number on the scale will definitely jump up by a pound. If this happens a few more times, I’m afraid I’ll be on par with Choji.” Ino complained while rubbing her stomach.
“Didn’t someone just say with all his heart that he would eat to his heart’s content even if he gained weight, and then think about losing weight later?” Rock Lee teased.
Ino was about to explode, but was calmed down by Shikamaru and Choji.
After watching his companions leave, Rock Lee turned to face the messy courtyard and thought to himself: Next time I host a banquet, I must make an appointment in advance to decide who will help clean up the mess.
The messenger for help from Sand Village set out from the village in the twilight, flapping its wings and flying towards Konoha, carrying an urgent request for assistance.
After the courtyard was restored to tidiness, Rock Lee devoted himself to his daily pre-sleep exercise, stretching his muscles, sitting quietly, and concentrating on practicing his three-in-one skills.
Time passed quietly, and at noon the next day, Rock Lee and his companions were sweating profusely on the training ground when they suddenly received a summons from Tsunade, asking them to go to the Hokage’s office.
“It seems that the letter for help from the Sand Village has arrived. Let’s go and accept the mission from the Hokage.” Rock Lee suggested.
When they arrived at the Hokage’s office, they found that Kiba and the others had gone ahead.
“Now that everyone is here, I’ll be frank. Due to the lack of manpower in the Sand Village ninja, five villages have been attacked by Orochimaru’s monsters.”
The Sand Village has urgently requested Konoha’s assistance, hoping we can quickly dispatch an experienced reconnaissance team. Given your village’s successful response to the monster infestation, Rock Lee, as the only ninja with a track record of confronting monsters, will lead your team and accompany the reconnaissance squad to provide mutual support.
“Lady Tsunade, we will set off immediately.” Rock Lee responded firmly.
“Be sure to be careful on the road, especially be wary of Orochimaru’s movements.” Tsunade warned solemnly.
“Yes, sir!”
“Everyone, hurry up and prepare your ninja tools within fifteen minutes, then gather at the village entrance.” Rock Lee ordered.
The team members quickly dispersed to prepare, and Rock Lee returned home, carrying only some beef jerky and a kunai equipped with a detonating tag.
After a simple tidying up, he quickly rushed to the assembly point, and within a few minutes, all seven team members arrived.
“Let’s go, our destination is the Sand Village.”
The group set out from the Konoha gate, crossed the open area, jumped onto the branches, and began to shuttle through the forest.
According to estimates, the journey from Konoha to the Sand Village would take about three days. Rock Lee reminded everyone: “Adjust your breathing and keep moving at a steady pace. This is a long journey.”
“Li, you are the only one among us who has fought monsters. Can you describe their fighting moves and styles?” Ya asked curiously.
“Orochimaru’s monster transformation technique is really weird and changeable. We have seen Kidomaru and Sakon and Ukon. One turned into a form similar to Spider-Man, and the other was a half-human, half-monster creature holding huge pincers.” Rock Lee described briefly.
“In this operation, our mission is to assist the Sand Village in finding the hiding places of those monsters. Once we make any discovery, we must immediately notify the main force. Orochimaru’s methods are insidious, and we must be wary of any traps he may set.” Neji emphasized the importance of the mission.
“These monsters seem to be able to eliminate their own scent, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of Akamaru and me, especially in the desert environment. Therefore, Shino and Hinata, your reconnaissance capabilities will be the key to our actions.” Kiba analyzed.
In the previous mission, Kiba and Neji made a mistake because they were unable to capture the scent of Kidomaru. If Rock Lee had not encountered it by chance, the monster problem in the Fire Country might have been delayed for a longer time.
As night fell, they continued to march for a while, until it was dark, then they stopped and prepared to rest.
The moon was high in the sky, and the sky was filled with stars. One could see everything around them clearly, but the few of them did not light a fire.
Rock Lee took out the beef jerky he had brought with him and said, “This is my special beef jerky. It’s very effective in replenishing your energy. Everyone, have some.”
“Xiao Li, put away your beef jerky. I brought a lot of food here. You can eat it when you come back from the Kingdom of Wind.” Tiantian said.
Tenten pulled the scroll out of his pocket.
“untie”
Many snacks appeared on Tiantian’s scroll, including some meatballs, pancakes and some special snacks of Konoha.
“It’s great to bring Tenten with me. We can also enjoy shopping in Konoha.” Ya said with a smile.
Akamaru also called out twice and echoed.
Rock Lee put away the beef jerky and ate the snacks that Tiantian brought.
The few of them enjoyed the meal very much. They didn’t expect that they could eat so many delicious foods while coming out to carry out the mission.
The next day, the sky was still gray, so everyone got up and started on their journey.
At this time in the Sand Village, a meeting was being held in the Kazekage’s office building.
“Has the Wind Country’s distress signal been sent to every village?” asked the Sunagakure high-ranking official who was supposed to be temporarily presiding over the Wind Country meeting.
“All of them have been sent now. If any monsters attack the village, the ninjas will rush there as quickly as possible. We must destroy these monsters this time.”
Maki, the commander of this operation, said this in a decisive tone.
Chapter 83: Carapace (Old Version)
Rock Lee and his group arrived at the border of River Country, preparing to head to Wind Country. As soon as they entered River Country, they discovered a distress signal from a nearby village.
“That seems to be a call for help from the village in River Country. Should we go and provide support?” Ya suggested.
“Of course, the Kingdom of Rivers is now allied with us, Konoha and Sunagakure, and we should help each other. Let’s go and take a look at the situation. Maybe we can find some clues from these monsters, so that we won’t be at a loss after arriving in the Kingdom of Winds.” Rock Lee answered decisively.
They immediately rushed towards the village where the signal came from – Yuyin Village. This small village nestled in the mountains was so remote that only one ninja was stationed there, responsible for calling for help in an emergency.
When they arrived at Yuyin Village, they found that the ninja was fighting fiercely with two monsters with the upper body of a human and the lower body of an insect. The situation was critical, so he used delaying tactics to wait for reinforcements.
These monsters, armed with giant pincers, resembled the Scorpion King from the film and were clearly adept at underground operations. Rock Lee and his seven companions quickly arrived at the battlefield and saw that the ninja was covered in wounds and struggling to hold on.
Rock Lee pulled out his nunchaku without hesitation, accelerated towards the nearest monster, and launched a fierce attack.
“Let our Konoha ninjas handle this, you can step back and rest.” Rock Lee said firmly.
The monster roared and raised its pincers high, trying to block Rock Lee’s nunchaku attack.
The nunchaku carried Rock Lee’s powerful strength and hit the monster’s sturdy pincers.
With a loud bang, the monster’s pincers were harder than Rock Lee expected. Despite this, the blow from the nunchaku only left two white marks on the pincers.
“Its shell is indestructible. Focus your attacks on the parts without the shell.” Rock Lee shouted to his companions.
Sasuke and Neji quickly turned to attack the other monster.
Sasuke quickly formed hand seals, lightning flashed in his palms, and he instantly condensed a Chidori Senbon and threw it at the monster.
The monster sensed the danger, gave up its other targets, and raised its pincers to protect itself.
Chidori Senbon struck the giant pincers like lightning in an instant. Upon collision, the Senbon turned into electric current, causing severe paralysis in the monster.
The monster’s body instantly stiffened and it couldn’t move.
Then, Neji gathered a large amount of chakra and performed his special technique.
“Eight Trigrams Palm!”
A huge chakra palm formed and slammed towards the monster paralyzed by lightning.
The empty palm hit the monster’s claws and the shell underneath it hard. Although the monster staggered back a few steps, only slight marks were left on the hard shell.
Shino’s swarm of insects quickly spread out like a black cloud, rushing towards the monster that was being suppressed and retreated by Neji. Rock Lee shouted to Shino, “Shino, have the insects remember the characteristics and aura of that monster. We will need them to track it when we reach the Wind Kingdom in the future.”
Shino calmly responded, “I’ve already arranged for the bugs to do this. As a member of the reconnaissance team, this is my responsibility.”
Kiba then joins the battle, transforming into a monster, while Akamaru takes on Kiba’s appearance.
“Beast form ninjutsu, beastman clone!”
The two Ya’s figures overlap and rush towards the monster together, launching a joint attack “Ya Tong Ya”, forming a destructive vortex.
But the monster refused to give in and raised its giant claws to fight back.
With a loud bang, the hard pincers hit Ya and instantly returned to its original form. Akamaru also returned to his puppy form.
At this moment, Tiantian intervened in the battle, unfolding two scrolls. She skillfully formed seals: “Rising Dragon!”
The scrolls were like two dragons ascending to the sky. She took advantage of the momentum and leaped up, launching intensive hidden weapon attacks that covered every corner of the monster.
However, the monster wielded its huge pincers with surprisingly agile movements, blocking Tiantian’s hidden weapons one by one, and a series of metal collision sounds were heard around.
Rock Lee faced the monster, transformed by Orochimaru and now covered in a hard shell. He knew its defense and speed were formidable. He gripped his nunchaku tightly and repeatedly struck the shell, leaving only a few barely visible white spots. “This shell is extraordinary! Orochimaru’s transformations are truly impressive. Everyone, be careful and avoid close combat,” he warned his companions.
With a plan in mind, Rock Lee accelerated his attack, swinging his nunchaku like a gust of wind. The clash of shells and sticks echoed, forcing the monster back. Then, he unleashed his potential, opening the third of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, releasing the restraints on his body and rapidly replenishing his chakra.
Throwing away his nunchaku, Rock Lee’s speed soared, and he instantly closed in on the monster, aiming a kick at its chest. The monster responded with its pincers, trying to clamp down on Rock Lee, but he swiftly changed his moves and kicked the pincers.
“Konoha Tornado!” Rock Lee used the monster’s force to counterattack and delivered a spinning kick that hit the monster’s head, throwing it into chaos.
Without waiting for the monster to react, “Shadow Dance Leaf!” Rock Lee raised his leg high and kicked the monster into the air. Then he launched a series of aerial attacks, not giving the monster any chance to breathe.
Finally, “Li Lianhua!” Rock Lee entered a high-speed state and struck continuously in the air, pouring all his strength into each strike. The monster was unable to fight back and completely lost the ability to counterattack.
With Rock Lee’s continuous attacks, the monster began to spit out blood.
Rock Lee disappeared again and appeared in the monster’s belly, kicking the monster into the air. He attacked continuously again and finally appeared at the back of the monster’s head. He raised his iron sand palm and slapped the back of the monster’s head with all his strength.
The monster’s brain burst and it lost its life completely.
“Shino, Kiba, Hinata, the three of you come here and carefully study this monster, and try to find out its characteristics and some hidden scents.”
Rock Lee called the three-member team of the reconnaissance team. At present, they are still weaker than the enemy. This time the mission is mainly to find the whereabouts of the monsters. They must find out the characteristics of their appearance in order to find their nests.
The Kingdom of Wind is plagued by sandstorms all year round, and the environment is much worse than that of the Kingdom of Rivers. One must be sufficiently familiar with these monsters in order to discover any trace of them in the Kingdom of Wind. Otherwise, even if one goes to support them, it will be in vain when they arrive in the Kingdom of Wind.
Chapter 84: Lair (Old Version)
The other monster witnessed the fall of its companion, and its wails echoed in the air. Its huge pincers smashed into the ground angrily, and then it quickly escaped underground.
“That guy escaped, Shino, let’s chase him! We have to find out where they are hiding and get rid of them all at once. Maybe we can find the culprit who attacked the village in the Wind Country.” Rock Lee said resolutely.
He was not in a hurry to end the monster’s life, but was more concerned with finding their root cause.
“It can’t escape. I have the help of insects. They have locked onto the monster’s unique scent and will lead us directly to its lair.” Shino responded confidently.
Soon, ninjas from Yuyin Village arrived one after another.
“I sincerely thank our fellow Konoha members for extending a helping hand and helping us in River Country to destroy this monster.” An injured ninja expressed his gratitude to Rock Lee and others.
“You’re welcome. Allies should support each other. This time the monsters attacked the village because of Konoha’s traitorous ninja Orochimaru. He controlled these monsters to launch the attack. You should go and take care of your injuries first.” Rock Lee said to the ninja with concern.
Tsunade was already preparing to issue a wanted notice for Orochimaru to various countries, detailing the truth of the incident, so Rock Lee felt there was no need to keep the secret any longer.
“At this moment, all the ninjas from the Kingdom of Rivers are gathered here. We might as well send some more manpower and work together to track down the hiding places of those monsters.” Ya made a suggestion.
“I, Suzuki, the commanding jonin of River Country, am deeply grateful for Konoha’s support. I will personally lead the River Country team and explore the monster’s lair with you.” Suzuki responded.
“Shino, it’s your turn now.” Ya instructed.
Shino nodded and gently released a few insects, which slowly flew in a certain direction.
“From the intuition I sense among the bugs, these monsters aren’t moving very fast. The slowdown in the bugs means that the bugs approaching the monsters are also slowing down.” Shino explained calmly, an unspeakable depth in his voice.
“Captain Suzuki, how badly has the village in River Country been damaged?” Rock Lee asked with concern.
“Three villages have been looted by those monsters. If you hadn’t arrived in time, I’m afraid the fourth village would have suffered as well.” Suzuki said with relief in his tone.
Crossing the mountains and caves of the River Kingdom brought a lot of difficulties to the team’s progress, but fortunately, the monsters fled in the direction of the Wind Kingdom, which did not cause too much delay to the mission.
Following Shino’s guidance, the group continued to go deeper. After crossing two mountains, Shino’s insects finally stopped and the parasitic insects circled around her.
“According to the instructions of my bug, the monster’s lair should be hidden under this ground.” Shino confirmed the location of the lair.
Kiba suddenly interrupted, cutting off Shino’s speech, “Let’s start looking for the cave, since the bugs are stuck here.”
Shino calmly pointed out, “It’s really rude to interrupt without considering others.”
But Ya didn’t take it seriously and responded with a smile, “Shino, don’t worry about these details.”
Rock Lee continued his analysis, “According to my estimation, the monsters’ hiding place is about fifty meters deep. We must accurately locate the cave entrance, otherwise if we cause a commotion, they might move to another location.”
Neji suggested, “Shino, let your parasite guide us from below.”
Shino replied, “They are flying rapidly in this direction and will be here soon.”
Hinata softly offered her suggestion, “Perhaps I can use my Byakugan ability to explore the surroundings, maybe I can find something.”
Rock Lee encouraged, “Then I’ll trouble you, Hinata.”
Along the way, although Hinata was taciturn, she always wanted to contribute her strength to everyone, and now she decided to seize the opportunity.
Neji agreed, “Hinata-san and I will search together. The chances of finding the cave entrance will naturally be higher if we work together.”
Then, Neji and Hinata opened their Byakugan at the same time. Their eyes were as sharp as torches and had great penetrating power. Any hidden cave would be exposed under their Byakugan.
In this clip, two ninjas with Byakugan act like high-end detectors, carefully exploring the surrounding environment.
“Look there, the entrance to the cave is cleverly concealed by rocks and weeds.” Hinata pointed to the seemingly ordinary hill, revealing its secret.
Surrounded by scattered rocks and dense weeds, the hill appears solid and harmless, but it actually hides a hidden world.
A group of people gradually approached.
“Ningji, use your Byakugan to check if there are any traces of Detonating Tags on the cave wall.” Rock Lee requested.
“Are you worried that Orochimaru has set a trap here?”
Neji carefully examined the walls of the cave to make sure he didn’t miss any possible detonating tags, which would prevent the team from suffering any accidents after entering.
“The walls are clean and no detonating tags were found. You should be able to enter safely,” Neji confirmed.
Obviously, Orochimaru did not attach much importance to the River Country and did not set any complicated traps there. The lack of powerful ninjas in the River Country, coupled with the former traitor Hidan, caused considerable damage to the local ninjas.
“Shino, can you detect the traces of the parasite?” Ya asked curiously.
Shino easily released a parasite, which hovered in his palm before flapping its wings and flying into the depths.
“By following it, we can find the monster’s lair. These parasitic insects have a unique way of communicating,” Shino explained.
The novel is rewritten as follows:
The two Byakugan ninjas were like precise detection equipment, thoroughly scanning the surrounding environment.
“Look over there, the entrance to the cave is cleverly hidden by rocks and grass.” Hinata pointed to the unremarkable hill.
The hill, covered with pebbles and weeds, looked like a natural landscape, but in reality, it held a hidden secret. They slowly approached.
“Ningji, use your Byakugan to check if there are any detonating tags on the cave wall,” Rock Lee ordered.
“Are you wondering if Orochimaru has set a trap here?”
Neji used his Byakugan to carefully inspect the walls of the cave to ensure the team’s safety.
“There are no detonating talismans on the wall, so it looks safe,” he reported.
Orochimaru didn’t seem to take the River Country seriously and didn’t set too many traps there. After all, apart from the former traitor Hidan, the River Country didn’t have many powerful ninjas.
“Shino, can you detect the scent of the parasite?” asked Ya.
Shino released a parasitic bug, which immediately took off and led everyone forward.
“Through it, we can find the monster’s lair. These parasitic insects have a special way of communication.” Shino said.
“Rock Lee, thank you, the Konoha ninjas, for helping us find the monster’s lair. Now we should be in the front. You have already helped us a lot. We can’t let you take risks anymore. Just follow behind us.” Suzuki said.
“Okay, but you must be careful. Orochimaru is very cunning and there might be some traps.” Rock Lee said.
The ninjas from Yugakure Village walked in the front, followed by Rock Lee and others. Neji and Hinata took turns using their Byakugan to check for any traps.
The path in the cave is very complicated with many twists and turns, and there are many caves whose leading directions are unknown. Fortunately, Shino’s parasitic insects lead the way, otherwise, we can only dig holes directly from the ground.
When it comes to digging hole ability, the strongest in the ninja world is Ohnoki’s Dust Release. When dealing with monsters hiding underground, one Dust Release can solve all the problems.
Everyone slowed down their pace. They were almost at the monster’s lair and could hear the monster chewing its food.
After they walked for a while, a huge cave appeared before them.
In addition to the fleeing monster that looked like the Scorpion King, there was also a half-human, half-spider monster in the cave. The ground was covered with dense white spider webs, and there were people inside.
Chapter 85: Meeting Gaara Again (Old Version)
“We must remember that the lives of the missing villagers may depend on these spider webs, and rescue operations are urgent.” Rock Lee reminded everyone.
Suzuki quickly formed hand seals and cast a spell.
“Wind Jutsu, Kazekiri!”
A huge wind blade slashed towards the monster holding the giant pincers. The monster blocked it with its hard shell. Although the wind blade was powerful, it only left a shallow scratch on the shell.
“These guys have very hard shells, so when attacking, aim for their soft parts,” Rock Lee instructed.
The monster roared and then sprayed out spider webs.
Neji quickly stepped forward, his soft fist just enough to restrain the spider webs. “Leave this to me, you guys go and move those trapped.”
“Baguazhang, sixty-four forms!”
Neji used his chakra and his hands moved as fast as lightning. The spider webs broke under his soft fists with extreme ease.
Every blow from Neji left an afterimage, and the spider web shattered like a fragile veil under his attack.
Witnessing this scene, Hinata secretly vowed to follow Neci’s example and work harder to train herself.
Suzuki and Neji each fought back the monster’s attacks, while the other members rushed to rescue the trapped people in the cave. Rock Lee, agile and agile, rescued four children at a time, moving them safely outside the passage. Soon, all the children in the cave were free, and Rock Lee tore through the layers of spider webs, revealing the children’s terrified faces.
He then rescued more children while reminding everyone: “Be careful, these children are the ones who disappeared before. We must pay attention to safety when rescuing them.” His voice was firm and concerned.
“Such an evil creature must never be forgiven.” A ninja from Yuyin Village said indignantly.
“Tenten, Sasuke, you guys hold those two monsters back from a distance. I’m going to help Neji fight the spider monster. Friends from Yugakure, please go support Suzuki in fighting the scorpion-like monster.” Rock Lee quickly assigned the tasks.
As soon as he finished speaking, he launched a fierce attack on the spider monster, his body as fast as lightning. At the same time, Sasuke quickly formed hand seals and performed a fire escape technique.
“Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!” As he shouted, a huge fireball flew towards the spider monster.
The spider monster dodged the fireball with a powerful leap, leaving deep marks on the stone wall with its eight legs. Rock Lee, however, followed closely, instantly arriving at the spider monster’s feet, grabbed one of its legs, and hurled it to the ground.
“Bang!” With a loud bang, the spider monster was thrown to the ground by Rock Lee, and the ground in the cave also shook.
Rock Lee approached the spider-like creature again, raised his leg, and mercilessly slammed it into the ground. A heavy crash echoed through the cave. The spider-like creature continuously vomited blood, its head quickly disappearing under Rock Lee’s violence, leaving no signs of life.
The surrounding Yuyin Village ninjas were shocked by Rock Lee’s cruel behavior. They thought he was a gentle person, but they didn’t expect him to have such a violent side. It is really difficult to judge a person’s heart by his appearance.
Meanwhile, the ninjas of Yuyin Village were still fighting a tough battle against another scorpion monster with a hard shell. Their attacks had little effect on the scorpion, and they could only rely on teamwork to contain it.
“Sasuke, control that monster!” Rock Lee ordered.
“Chidori Senbon!”
Sasuke unleashed his lightning technique, sending countless senbon spears hurtling towards the scorpion monster. Upon impact with its shell, they transformed into streaks of electricity, paralyzing its body and rendering it unable to move. The ninjas of Yugakure seized the opportunity, unleashing a variety of ninjutsu, instantly tearing through the scorpion monster’s flesh with massive wounds. The massive creature eventually collapsed to the ground, struggling to rise several times, but each attempt was crushed by the combined force, ultimately suffocating it with blood and foam, and finally dying.
“This crisis was resolved thanks to Konoha’s timely support, otherwise it would have taken us more time to resolve. I will definitely report this matter to the village leader, and the thank-you letter from Yugakure Village will be sent to Konoha soon.” Suzuki expressed his gratitude and promise.
“We still have a mission to complete for the Wind Country. No need to thank me, this is our duty. These children seem to be lost people from the River Country, so please take care of them.” Rock Lee said politely.
Suzuki looked at the Konoha ninjas who were gradually moving away, and couldn’t help but wonder in his heart when the Yuyin Village would produce such an outstanding genius.
They walked out of the cave and headed quickly towards the Wind Kingdom, hoping to make up for the time lost in the monster cave by speeding up.
In the Kingdom of Wind, Gaara judged that reinforcements from Konoha would arrive soon, so he requested to stay at the border and wait for Rock Lee and his team to arrive. According to Tsunade’s letter, Rock Lee’s team would come to support along with the reconnaissance squad.
Gaara had a vivid memory of Rock Lee. Not only had they faced each other in the Chunin Exams, but they had also formed an alliance in the Land of Whirlpools.
Yellow sand obscured the sky, and several figures swiftly approached through the curtain of sand. Kankuro hoped that Konoha’s reconnaissance squad would be strong enough to locate the monster’s lair and avenge the dead, otherwise their funding would be cut again.
The Daimyo of the Wind Country had long been dissatisfied with the Sand Village and had been cutting funding for years. There was even a time when many of the Wind Country’s missions were carried out in Konoha. Otherwise, there would not have been the subsequent Sand Village invasion of Konoha.
The Daimyo of the Wind Country was furious about the monsters slaughtering the village this time. If these monsters are not eliminated quickly, the Sand Village will be in even greater trouble.
Kankuro had long been dissatisfied with the Daimyo of the Wind Country, but he was powerless and could do nothing about many things. The Sand Village could only try every possible way to eliminate these monsters, including asking Konoha for help. However, the Sand Village’s reconnaissance ninjas were not strong enough.
Rock Lee and his group of seven soon arrived at Gaara’s garrison and met Gaara’s two siblings.
“Gaara, I didn’t expect you to come to greet us in person. We will act together again this time.” Rock Lee said.
“The situation this time is very urgent. The Wind Country has massacred five villages in a row and has to ask you for help. The Sand Village is under great pressure now. Please, take care of this matter.” Gaara said.
“Don’t worry. On the way back, we happened to encounter a monster slaughtering a village in the Land of Rivers. We have already destroyed a monster’s lair. Let our reconnaissance team find out about the monster’s whereabouts.” Rock Lee said.
Chapter 86 Gaara’s Strength (Old Version)
“Shino, let’s go.” Rock Lee ordered.
Shino was delighted, feeling that he had finally received the attention he deserved and that this was his chance to show his talents.
“Let’s go to the village that just suffered misfortune first. The smell should not have dissipated yet. My parasite has captured the unique scent of those monsters.” Shino analyzed calmly.
“Okay, lead the way.”
After Gaara and his group briefly said goodbye to the other stationed ninjas, they led Rock Lee and the others towards the village where Haruko was.
In the vast desert of the Kingdom of Wind, a sandstorm raged. They quickly crossed the sea of sand, and the footprints they left behind were quickly buried by the wind and sand, leaving no trace.
“Xiao Li, how strong are the monsters you encountered in River Country?” Kankuro asked curiously.
“Those monsters are not very powerful, but they can eliminate their own scent. We captured one and after careful study, we discovered a special scent on them. Shino’s parasitic insects can track this scent. Don’t worry, Kankuro, we will definitely be able to wipe them out this time.” Rock Lee said confidently.
Hearing this, Kankuro’s tense expression relaxed a little. Their team had been under a lot of pressure recently.
Shino’s face lit up with an unfathomable smile when he heard Rock Lee’s praise.
“I’ve already witnessed the Aburame clan’s insect-controlling technique during the Chunin selection tournament. It’s truly well-deserved.” Kankuro praised sincerely.
Shino’s expression grew more serious.
“We are about to reach the village that was unfortunately massacred recently. Shino, everything depends on you.” Kankuro solemnly instructed.
“Leave it to me. The specially cultivated parasites in my body have an extremely sharp sense of smell and will definitely be able to track down the monster’s hiding place.” Shino responded calmly.
Temari couldn’t help but step back, disgusted by the bugs on Shino’s body, but Hinata was already used to it.
Temari carefully kept her distance from Shino, fearing that the bugs would accidentally crawl onto her.
Soon, they arrived at the deserted village. It was dead silent everywhere, the streets were buried by sand, and the bloodstains on the buildings silently told of the tragedy that had happened here.
Shino stepped forward and released a large number of parasitic insects, which flew in all directions, searching for any clues that the monster might have left behind.
Soon, a few parasitic insects returned first and circled around Shino, and then more and more insects gathered.
“Shino, what did you find?” Rock Lee asked anxiously.
“I’ve locked onto the scent of the monsters. They haven’t left the village and may have gone underground,” Shino analyzed.
“Then we will follow you and find where the monster is hiding.” Rock Lee made a request.
Shino nodded and agreed: “No problem.”
Shino’s swarm guided the group to an open area behind the village, pointing out the exact spot where the monster disappeared.
“It was here that the monsters disappeared without a trace,” Shino pointed out.
“Ningji, it’s your turn.” Rock Lee ordered.
“Baiyan, activate!”
Neji activated his Byakugan and carefully scanned the sand, searching for the burrows dug by the massive creatures. Although time was short, the traces left by the giant monsters would not disappear easily.
“The cave is right here, but it’s covered by sand. We need to clear the sand before we can find their trace.” Neji analyzed.
“Leave it to me.” Gaara responded confidently.
He raised his hands, and as chakra surged, the sand began to tremble until it was thrown into the air. As Gaara operated, more and more sand was moved away, and a huge cave gradually appeared.
Gaara waved his hand lightly, and the sand in the air piled up to the side obediently.
Shino’s parasite went deep into the cave to explore and brought back the news: “Yes, this is it. The monsters escaped along this route.”
“Finally found them! This time we must completely eliminate them.” Kankuro jumped into the cave impatiently and moved forward quickly.
Just as Neji was about to stop him, Gaara jumped down right after him.
“Don’t worry about Kankuro, he’s actually on the back of the puppet crow,” Temari explained.
“The puppetry of Sunagakure is truly amazing. Every time I witness it, I can’t help but marvel at its exquisiteness. It’s hard to tell the real from the fake.” Rock Lee admired sincerely.
They followed closely behind, tracking Gaara and Kankuro deeper into the cave, with Shino’s parasite leading the way.
“Ningji, pay attention to the detonating tags on the cave wall. Orochimaru has endless tricks up his sleeve, and we must be careful.” Rock Lee reminded.
“Brother Neji, let me be responsible for the investigation. When I am exhausted, I will take over.” Hinata volunteered.
Hinata and Shino always remain silent in the team and are often ignored, but when facing danger, Hinata always stands up and her courage is admirable; and Shino’s accurate judgment always plays a role at critical moments.
“Open your Byakugan!”
Hinata activated her Byakugan and carefully scanned her surroundings to prevent any accidents.
At this moment, a scorpion-like monster suddenly rushed out from the sand and attacked Hinata who was at the end of the team.
The group heard the movement and quickly turned around, Gaara reacted quickly, “Sand Shield!”
The gourd behind him spewed out a large amount of sand, forming a defensive sand wall in front of Hinata, successfully resisting the scorpion monster’s attack.
With the help of the sand shield, Gaara immediately controlled the sand to completely trap the monster, and then squeezed it hard, and the “Sand Funeral” was launched.
The sand wrapped around the monster tightened in an instant, and a few red spots appeared on the sand. Gaara withdrew his control over the sand.
The sand that had enveloped the monster slowly fell away, leaving tiny cracks all over its shell. The scorpion monster was the worst injured. Without much defense, it was crushed to dust by Gaara’s sandfall. It was as dead as it could be.
“Gaara, it seems that your sand can easily deal with these monsters. Then I feel relieved. I originally thought that these monsters were very strong.” Kankuro said.
“Kankuro, don’t relax. The shells of these monsters are very hard. My Sand Fall Funeral only made small cracks on them.” Gaara said.
The group moved forward quickly and continued to run towards the monster’s lair.
After destroying a monster, everyone became more alert. Neji also opened his Byakugan and, together with Hinata, conducted 360-degree monitoring to prevent another monster from suddenly rushing out.
Chapter 87: Battle (Old Version)
The team members cautiously slowed their pace, wary of any monsters that might suddenly charge out. Shino’s parasitic worms acted like a pathfinder, and the group soon arrived at a wide cavern. Inside, four monsters of varying forms feasted on a feast. Among them were two scorpion monsters armed with enormous pincers, an eight-legged spider-like creature, and a strange scorpion monster with a human-like head and a body covered in armor. These monsters all hinted at the strangeness and power of Orochimaru’s genetic fusion technology.
Rock Lee was quite interested in the shell monster, knowing that ordinary attacks were ineffective against it, and he was also curious about its speed and strength. Neji’s voice echoed among the team, reminding everyone to pay attention to the threat of the shell monster.
“Pay attention, let me take care of that shell monster,” Rock Lee volunteered. “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
He also harbored another ambition: to personally experience the power of Orochimaru’s genetic technology. If Orochimaru and Obito joined forces, the potential conflict would be even more brutal than the Fourth Shinobi World War. After all, Orochimaru’s power far surpassed Kabuto Yakushi’s. Not only was he proficient in the Impure World Reincarnation technique, he was also deeply involved in research on genetic warfare.
At this moment, Gaara waved his hand, and a sandstorm of sand swept towards the monsters, intending to bury them. However, the monsters, with amazing agility, leaped onto the rock wall of the cave, easily avoiding the impact of the sand.
The spider monster took off into the air, and strands of spider silk sprayed out from its tail, trying to catch everyone in one net.
Neji moved forward quickly and bravely faced the spider monster. His soft fist was like a sharp weapon that could break the web, easily cutting the spider silk.
Rock Lee stood firmly on the ground, and in a flash he appeared beside the monster covered in hard armor. His iron sand palm struck the monster’s shell with shocking force.
With a loud bang, the iron sand palm collided with the pitch-black shell. The monster staggered back, roared, and raised its huge pincers, trying to cut Rock Lee in half.
But Rock Lee sped up, dodged to the side, and then delivered a powerful kick right into the monster’s abdomen, sending it flying.
Rock Lee chased after it relentlessly, launching continuous attacks, but the Crustacean used its pincers to protect its abdomen, effectively blocking the attacks.
Rock Lee gathered his energy and kicked hard on the monster’s large claws. Although it only caused minor damage, it made the monster fly into the air again.
After continuous aerial attacks, Rock Lee realized the trickiness of this monster, as its shell greatly weakened the attack power, causing minimal damage, despite its strong shell.
“Open the door to life!” Rock Lee muttered to himself, preparing to launch a new tactic.
Rock Lee’s body surged with chakra. He sneered, “Let’s compare. Is your shell harder, or is my attack more powerful?”
Before he finished speaking, Rock Lee suddenly stepped forward, his figure was like a phantom, and he was behind the monster in a flash. He raised his explosive right leg and chopped it hard on the monster’s back.
The monster fell to the ground under the heavy blow, and Rock Lee flashed again and was waiting below it. He used both feet at the same time and rushed straight into the monster’s chest with the force of a rabbit kicking an eagle, knocking it into the sky again.
In the air, Rock Lee’s attacks were continuous, and only his afterimage and the monster that was beaten and flew everywhere could be seen.
On the ground, Neji and the spider monster were fighting fiercely. Neji kept getting closer, and the spider monster frantically shot out spider webs to try to stop him from getting closer.
These spiders were originally used by Orochimaru to trap enemies, and their combat power is not very strong.
Ningji’s back suddenly shone with light, and the chakra quickly condensed to form four wings. This was exactly Ningji’s four-winged state.
Hinata, who was watching the battle from the side, witnessed Neci’s powerful performance and secretly made up her mind to work hard to catch up with her brother Neci’s strength as soon as possible.
However, Hinata has only mastered the basics of Gentle Fist at present, and has not yet learned advanced techniques such as Eight Diagrams Sixty-four Palms and Kaiten, not to mention the Chakra Wings created by Neji, which is far more difficult than Kaiten.
Neji activated the power of his four wings, and the chakra wings behind him fluttered, stirring up circles of energy fluctuations.
His speed makes it difficult for the spider monster to catch him. With four wings, Neji’s speed is comparable to Rock Lee’s Eight Gates. In time, when he further strengthens the number of wings, he will surely stand at the top of the speed in the ninja world.
Neji easily bypassed the spider monster’s web, appeared in front of it, and instantly assumed a Baguazhang stance.
“Baguazhang, one hundred and twenty consecutive strikes!”
His palms turned into phantoms and hit the spider monster’s weak points repeatedly.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
The spider monster tried to fight back, but Neji’s gentle fist had already severed its meridians, and the offensive chakra rushed straight to its internal organs.
The giant creature vomited blood, and its internal organs were ruptured and fatally damaged by the fierce blow of Neji’s soft fist.
Meanwhile, Temari and Kankuro team up to fight a scorpion monster, while Gaara cleverly captures another with sand.
Neji’s figure flashed and instantly transferred to Gaara’s battlefield, gathering strong chakra in his hands.
“Baguazhang, Chapter 64!”
He aimed at the scorpion monster’s vital points and attacked, while the scorpion monster raised its hard claws to try to block Neji’s attack.
With every blow, although the shell was hard and the chakra was difficult to penetrate, Neji was indomitable and demonstrated his powerful fighting ability.
Gaara’s sand kept spinning around the monster, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any time.
Ningji’s palm, carrying a large amount of chakra, slapped the scorpion monster’s defensive pincers. A large amount of chakra passed through the scorpion monster’s shell and directly cut off the chakra flow inside.
Gaara’s sand rushed towards the monster in an instant. The scorpion monster’s movements slowed down significantly and it was surrounded by Gaara’s sand.
“Sand Falls Funeral”
The sand wrapped around the monster tightened instantly, squeezing the monster inside to death.
Ningci canceled the four-wing transformation. This kind of chakra-powered wings consumed too much chakra. Otherwise, even Ningci would not be able to bear it.
Chapter 88 Large-Scale Monsters (Old Version)
“Open the wound gate!” Rock Lee shouted suddenly, his chakra surged like a tide, his speed soared, making the shelled monster overwhelmed and could only bear the attack helplessly.
“Dumen and Jingmen, open them together!”
As he roared, his mighty aura burst out, and the entire cave felt the strong oppression and the air flow was turbulent.
Rock Lee’s speed broke through the limit, and each blow contained the power of thunder.
“Lotus in the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu!”
He once again unleashed his potential, and the power of the sixth gate made his speed and strength reach an astonishing level.
The shelled monster was already dizzy from Rock Lee’s violent attack, and it was difficult for the mortal eye to catch his figure.
“Roller Lee’s growth is amazing. He is completely different compared to the Chunin Exam. I didn’t expect him to make such great progress in such a short period of time.” Kankuro admired sincerely.
The three members of Sunagakure still remember the progress of Rock Lee’s team. They didn’t expect that these ninjas would make such a leap in such a short period of time.
“After the mission is over, we must also intensify our training to avoid being left behind by them.” Temari said firmly.
Ever since she lost to Tenten in the Chunin Exam, she has always wanted to surpass him. This obsession in her heart prompted her to train harder.
Every time Rock Lee’s fist collided with the shell monster, it echoed in the cave like thunder, shocking everyone present.
During the battle, Rock Lee unleashed a furious onslaught on the hard-shelled monster. Cracks gradually multiplied, and the crackling grew more rapid. Finally, the monster’s body was riven with cracks, and Rock Lee dispatched it with a single, fiery blow. As the shelled monster’s life faded, Rock Lee withdrew his Eight Gates Ninjutsu and took a moment to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, Gaara and his three siblings successfully eliminated another threat, and the cave fell silent for a moment. Kankuro smiled, a rare smile on his face, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart, believing that the Wind Kingdom could finally withdraw its garrisons and be free from the troubles of the desert sandstorms.
Just as everyone was preparing to evacuate, Gaara suggested using his sand to carry the children away by air, but Neji suddenly interrupted the relaxed atmosphere with a serious tone: “I’m afraid we can’t leave right away. New troubles have arisen.”
Rock Lee’s heart tightened, because he rarely saw Neci so serious. Obviously, Neci’s words indicated that a new crisis was about to come.
In the dim cave, the sound of footsteps surged like a tide. From the passages in all directions, strange monsters appeared one after another, with all kinds of shapes and forms.
Orochimaru had apparently experimented with various insects, carefully selecting those that would blend perfectly with the human body, in order to create these terrifying creatures.
“These passages may be the paths leading to other monster lairs. The sounds of our battle may have attracted them all here.” Neji analyzed.
Soon, many monsters gathered together and let out earth-shaking roars. Rock Lee noticed several monsters covered with heavy shells among them.
Some of them were similar to the scorpion monsters he had defeated before, while others had no giant pincers and instead had blade-like claws covering their abdomens.
“We seem to have found the lair of these monsters. It feels like all the monsters in the world have gathered here.” Ya’s voice trembled.
“It’s too disadvantageous for us to fight here. We should go to the ground to fight to avoid the cave collapsing and trapping us.” Temari suggested.
“You guys evacuate first, I’ll create some chaos for them.” Gaara ordered calmly.
His expression turned serious and his hands quickly formed complex seals.
Rock Lee witnessed this scene in surprise. This was the first time he saw Gaara need to make hand seals when using ninjutsu. With Gaara’s powerful strength, he usually didn’t need to do so even when performing Sand Fall Funeral.
Gaara skillfully formed hand seals, and the surrounding rocks and soil gradually transformed into fine sand, gathering into waves of sand that swiftly pounced on the ugly monsters. He softly uttered the spell of quicksand waterfalls, and waves of sand poured down like a waterfall, filling the entire cave and shocking everyone who saw them.
The team watched Gaara perform a jutsu of this magnitude, all in awe. Then, his hands once again stirred the sand within the cave. “Sand Burial” activated, and the sand compacted, pressing down with unstoppable force, attempting to completely destroy the monsters. The sand surface was quickly stained red with the monsters’ blood, leaving it speckled with it.
Acting swiftly, Gaara gave the order, leading everyone to retreat towards the cave’s exit. But as they emerged, they heard the sound of sand being rapidly dug. A shell-covered monster burst forth, followed by more shell-like monsters, charging frantically at them. Though battered and scarred, their shells riddled with cracks, these monsters remained undiminished in their ferocity.
Rock Lee then volunteered to take on the fight. Neji warned him to proceed with caution. With a surging momentum, Rock Lee activated his “Kagemon” technique, sending the surrounding sand dancing as if merging with him. He pulled his nunchaku from his ninja tool bag and, in a flash, appeared beside a monster. Giving it no breathing space, he smashed the nunchaku into the creature’s head with a powerful gust of wind.
The nunchakus rubbed against the air violently, and flames ignited on them.
With a loud bang, Rock Lee smashed the monster’s head into the sand. The hard shell cracked layer by layer, and the monster struggled to stand up.
Rock Lee’s nunchaku, carrying great force again, hit the monster’s head.
The monster sank to the ground again, and the layers of soil on the ground shattered, revealing the monster buried underground that had been squeezed to death by Gaara’s sand.
Each monster died in a very tragic way, with their human body parts squeezed into a bloody mess, and some were left with only a huge brainless insect body.
Rock Lee’s body kept flashing and appeared next to the monsters. His nunchakus smashed the monsters’ heads with great force.
The huge cave was constantly filled with earth-shaking noises, and huge clods of earth fell from the top of the cave.
Rock Lee stood outside the cave, watching these monsters. As long as one of them moved, Rock Lee would instantly appear next to the monster and smash it directly with his nunchaku with great force.
After a long time, no monster moved anymore. All of them were killed by the nunchakus, their brains bursting.
Chapter 89: Orochimaru and Kabuto (Old Version)
In a secret underground facility in the Kingdom of Wind.
“Lord Orochimaru, our experimental product has been almost completely destroyed,” Kabuto reported.
There was a hint of surprise in Orochimaru’s eyes. He had some confidence in those monsters that had undergone genetic fusion, believing that they could withstand conventional attacks, but he never expected them to be defeated so quickly.
“Who did it? I have abandoned these monsters, but some of them are very powerful and they were dealt with so easily.” Orochimaru asked.
“It was Rock Lee’s team from Konoha and Gaara and his team from Sunagakure. They discovered the monsters’ hiding places through Konoha’s reconnaissance and joined forces to wipe them out.” Kabuto adjusted his glasses and answered.
“Gaara, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki of Sunagakure…it looks like Sunagakure and Konoha have joined forces again.” There was an unsettling chill in Orochimaru’s voice.
Kabuto felt the sweat trickling down his cheeks, Orochimaru’s aura was that of a venomous snake ready to strike.
“Lord Orochimaru, the research on human-insect gene fusion has reached a bottleneck. Should we release another batch of monsters to obtain more experimental samples?” Kabuto suggested.
“No need. All countries are already on high alert. They all know that I am the mastermind behind this incident. If I act again, it will probably trigger a joint counterattack from the entire ninja world. In that case, the losses will far outweigh the gains.” Orochimaru exuded a cold aura. He was eager to stir up the situation in the ninja world, but he knew that now was not the best time.
Orochimaru has a thorough understanding of the power and bottom lines of major countries.
Kabuto asked, “Lord Orochimaru, how should we arrange for these new children?”
“Pick out some with potential and send them to Sound Village for training. The rest will be used as experimental materials.” Orochimaru answered calmly.
To him, these children are just pawns in scientific research. He never cares how many people will be sacrificed in the experiment.
What he seeks is immortal life, the secrets of ninjutsu and supreme power.
Killing and destruction pose no psychological pressure to him.
Kabuto reported, “Lord Orochimaru, it is no longer possible to unite with other countries to attack Konoha. The Akatsuki organization is also tracking you.”
“Has Scorpion contacted you? Keep in touch with him and collect intelligence on Akatsuki for me. I can use them to divert the attention of the ninja world when necessary.” Orochimaru licked his lips and ordered.
Kabuto continued, “Since the Whirlpool Country incident, Akatsuki has almost ceased its public activities. Only Kakuzu occasionally appears in the black market, and the other members have completely disappeared.”
Even for Orochimaru, finding the completely hidden Akatsuki organization was a very difficult task.
Orochimaru suddenly burst into laughter. His plan was to incite some small nations into conflict. “Let the Akatsuki intervene in these wars I’ve started. No matter how secretive they are, they can’t keep a low profile in the face of war. The Hidden Rock Village and the Hidden Leaf Village are closely watching Akatsuki’s every move. If we can eliminate one or two of their members this time, we’ll be able to learn more about the legendary Rinnegan. After all, it’s the mysterious power that originated from the Sage of Six Paths.”
Of the many masters of Akatsuki, only Pain and Itachi intimidated Orochimaru. He was confident that, with the exception of these two, he would one day defeat the rest of Akatsuki. The power of the Rinnegan was now legendary, and information on it was scarce. Orochimaru knew almost nothing about Pain’s abilities, which was the main reason for his fear.
“I once fought with Pain before I joined Akatsuki,” Orochimaru recalled. “Just one move made me realize how unfathomable he was.”
In the Akatsuki organization, Pain rarely takes action personally, and his whereabouts are even more mysterious.
“Lord Orochimaru, if we want to find an opportunity to test Pain, I’m afraid we have to wait patiently,” Kabuto reminded.
Orochimaru snorted coldly, planning to wait until the remnants of the Akatsuki organization were eliminated one by one, so that he could take action himself. He revealed that Konoha had successfully captured Hidan and planned to give Konoha information on other Akatsuki members so that they could join forces to fight against this evil organization.
“As you command, Lord Orochimaru.” Yakushi Kabuto responded with a flattering smile.
In the Sand Village of the Wind Country, Rock Lee and his six companions are preparing to end their mission and return to Konoha.
“Rock Lee, thank you for your great help on behalf of Konoha this time. If you come to the Wind Kingdom again next time, we will definitely give you a warm welcome. There are still many things to be dealt with in the village, I hope you can understand.” Kankuro expressed his gratitude.
“Mr. Kankuro, you’re welcome. Sunagakure and Konoha are allies. Facing the current turmoil in the ninja world, it is time for us to support each other. If needed in the future, we will do our best.” Rock Lee responded firmly.
Since Konoha’s crisis, the relationship between Sunagakure and Konoha has grown closer, forming a powerful offensive and defensive alliance that has intimidated neighboring nations. Even the ambitious Iwagakure Village, when making minor provocations against Konoha, has to consider Sunagakure’s stance, fearing a combined attack from both villages.
Rock Lee turned to Gaara and said with emotion: “Gaara, I am amazed by the transformation you have undergone. Only when a person has his own bonds will his life become more meaningful.”
Gaara raised the corner of his mouth into a meaningful smile, “It was Uzumaki Naruto who taught me that pain, sadness, and happiness can be shared with others. Before, I only had killing and hatred.
I will strive to become someone everyone in the village recognizes, a bond that binds the village together, and help people forget the horrors of the past.”
When Temari and Kankuro heard what Gaara said, they all smiled. After all, he was their biological brother and they were related by blood. No matter what, they hoped that Gaara could live a good life.
“It’s getting late, we have to leave. Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, I hope we will have the chance to work together again next time.” Rock Lee said.
“goodbye.”
Rock Lee and the other seven turned around and walked towards Konoha. As they walked further and further away, the wind and sand of the Wind Country covered up their traces.
Gaara looked at the few people until he could no longer see any of them, then he slowly turned around and walked towards home with Kankuro and Temari.
At home, there is a younger sister waiting for them to come home for dinner.
Chapter 90: Dust (Old Version)
In the heart of the Kingdom of Wind, strong winds blew up dust and sand, covering the sky and the sun, mercilessly ravaging this boundless desert.
The special sandstorms encountered here are so severe that even well-trained ninjas will inevitably get lost or even suffer accidents due to dehydration.
Rock Lee and his companions were currently taking refuge under the protection of a hill. They had only been away from the Sand Village for half a day when they unexpectedly encountered this severe sandstorm.
“Tiantian, do you have any food left in that scroll?” Ya stroked his empty stomach and mentioned, “Those delicious foods you bought in Sand Village, share them with me. I haven’t had the chance to taste the delicacies there yet. I was in a hurry on this mission and didn’t have a good time exploring.”
It was already late when they escaped from the underground cave, and they did not have the chance to stay in the Sand Village. Tenten took the time to buy many local snacks when leaving the village early in the morning, and used sealing techniques to preserve them for consumption on the road.
Rock Lee pulled some beef jerky from his ninja tool bag and suggested, “Let’s eat some beef jerky to get by. We don’t know when this sandstorm will end, so we need to conserve food. Tenten, do you have enough water?”
Tiantian calmly unfolded a sealed scroll and whispered a spell: “Unlock!” With her gesture, a huge bucket appeared, with a diameter of half a meter and a height of one meter, like a small water tank, bringing precious water to everyone.
“Don’t worry, I brought several buckets of water, and there are still several sealed scrolls in them. We can’t use them up even if we take a shower continuously in the wild. Ever since Lady Tsunade ordered us to support the Sand Village, I started making preparations.” Tenten said as he tidied up the buckets on the ground, took out a sealed scroll, unsealed it, and revealed a rich lineup of special snacks from the Land of Wind.
“Xiao Li, put away those beef jerky. We’ve been eating this for several days in a row. It’s time to change the taste.” Tiantian suggested.
Rock Lee felt helpless and thought: You all said beef jerky was delicious not long ago, but you are tired of it so quickly.
“Okay.” Rock Lee responded.
“Xiao Li, why does everyone have beef jerky along the way, but I don’t? It seems that no matter where I am, I am ignored.” Shino asked somewhat unhappily.
Kiba glanced at Shino, knowing that this teammate was usually taciturn, but sometimes he could be extremely talkative and easily lose his temper, which was obviously the case now.
Rock Lee explained with a smile, “I’m not ignoring you. I heard you prefer light food. I gave you beef jerky because I was worried you’d be reluctant to accept it to save my reputation, even if you don’t like it. I have two packs left. I’ll give you one first. If you like it, you’re welcome to come to my house anytime to get more.”
Rock Lee took out beef jerky from his ninja tool bag and handed it to Shino. Shino took it, took out a piece and put it in his mouth to taste it.
“The taste of this food is indeed a bit strong and not quite to my taste, but I don’t mind. Thank you for considering my preferences and knowing that I prefer light food.” Shino said seriously.
Rock Lee secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that once Shino started to act awkward, he would always do something unexpected that would be both annoying and funny.
“Although the snacks from Sunagakure are not as exquisite as those from Konoha, they are also unique.” Rock Lee commented after taking a bite of the meatball.
They savored the food slowly. Outside the cave, the wind was howling, and the sound of the wind was intertwined with the echo of the cave. Occasionally, gravel was blown into the cave by the wind. In such an environment, tasting the delicacies of the Kingdom of Wind had a unique flavor.
The sandstorm lasted all day and gradually subsided until night fell. The boundless desert once again regained its tranquility and emptiness. The moon was bright and the stars were twinkling in the night sky.
“Hopefully tomorrow will be a pleasant day so we can travel safely,” Neji said expectantly.
“Don’t worry, sandstorms in the Wind Kingdom this season are not as frequent as in spring, and the wind tomorrow shouldn’t be so strong.” Rock Lee comforted.
In the Kingdom of Wind, spring is when sandstorms are most severe, but now that it is summer, strong winds are no longer as common.
The morning light bathed the desert of the Kingdom of Wind, the sky clear. Rock Lee led a team of seven people at a brisk pace, striving to cross the desert as soon as possible and step into the territory of the Kingdom of Rivers. The sand here posed a heavy challenge to their progress.
Behind them, a pitcher plant silently rose from the sand. Its canopy slowly unfurled, revealing a figure in black and white: none other than Akatsuki’s intelligence agent, Zetsu. He stared intently at Rock Lee and the other Konoha ninjas, debating whether to share this information with Kakuzu, who was eyeing the 30 million bounty.
White Zetsu jokingly said to Black Zetsu, “Should we record this battle between Kakuzu and Rock Lee so we can savor it later?”
Black Zetsu calmly analyzed, “You’re only thinking about impressing Itachi and Kisame, right? Do you think Kakuzu and Tobi alone can really handle these seven Konoha ninjas? Don’t forget, Rock Lee and his men escaped from Itachi and Kisame before, their strength shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Bai Jue disagreed and responded, “Don’t forget Kakuzu’s four clones and his powerful Earth Grudge Technique. I have full confidence in their power.”
“Afei is just a supporting role now. He will not reveal his strength now. The capture of the tailed beasts has not started yet. Exposing it now will only increase Konoha’s vigilance and make Konoha pay more attention to Akatsuki. You must remember that our ultimate goal is the tailed beasts.” Black Zetsu said.
In Black Zetsu’s view, his ultimate goal is to rescue his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki. As for Rock Lee, he doesn’t care about him at all. Once his mother breaks free from the seal, no one in this world will be her opponent.
Now, before they even start capturing the tailed beasts, they have already lost Hidan, and the strength of many people in the Akatsuki organization has been exposed. This will be very unfavorable for the tailed beast capturing operation in a few years.
If Akatsuki continues like this, it will probably be wiped out by the major countries within a few years. Black Zetsu has been planning for thousands of years, and this time is the most promising one. He doesn’t want his plans to be ruined because of a few people.
“Ah, A Fei won’t be exposed. Do you want to find someone else to come over?” Bai Jue asked.
“Scorpion and Deidara are looking for Orochimaru, Itachi and Kisame have their own things to do. Do you want Pain to take action, you idiot.” Black Zetsu cursed.
White Zetsu’s funny behavior sometimes makes Black Zetsu speechless and want to kill him.
Chapter 91 White Zetsu (Old Version)
Amidst the vast sands of the Wind Country, White Zetsu and Black Zetsu argued over whether to ambush the ninjas from Konoha. Ultimately, Black Zetsu was defeated by White Zetsu’s absurd logic. Furious, Black Zetsu vowed to seek revenge against White Zetsu in the future. However, facing White Zetsu’s countless clones, even destroying a few would be meaningless.
“Let’s go and inform Kakuzu and Afei to take action,” White Zetsu suggested, secretly looking forward to watching Kakuzu chasing Afei. He enjoyed this kind of ‘game’, while Black Zetsu had little interest in it.
The two eventually sank into the desert and headed towards the Land of Rivers, where they planned to set up an ambush.
Meanwhile, Rock Lee and his companions finally arrived in the Land of Rivers after a long journey. Compared to the dry desert of the Land of Winds, the mountains, rivers, and fresh air here made them feel refreshed.
“We’ve finally left the Kingdom of Wind,” Tiantian suggested finding a place to rest. “Xiao Li, it’s getting late. Isn’t it time to take a break?”
Rock Lee observed the condition of Hinata and the others. Although they had just graduated from the academy a few months ago, they were clearly not yet fully accustomed to such a difficult march. “Okay, we’ll stay here for the night. Neji and I will be on guard, and you guys should get some rest.”
Of the seven-member team, Rock Lee and Neji still looked energetic, while Tenten, exhausted and slightly tired, looked exhausted. As night fell and silence fell, the two of them meditated under a large tree, while Sasuke and the others had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Rock Lee silently activates the Trinity technique, his surroundings clearly reflected in his perception. This ability is similar to Neji’s Byakugan, but Rock Lee perceives through the Trinity technique. This technique aims to connect with nature, stimulate the body’s potential, and strengthen the body.
Every blade of grass and tree in the surroundings could be sensed by Rock Lee. To their southeast, he detected a creature with chakra fluctuations, quietly observing them. This was undoubtedly a clone of White Zetsu, observing their every move.
Rock Lee feigned exhaustion and slowly stood up, secretly gathering chakra. “Kagemon, open!” He suddenly activated the sixth of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, his momentum soaring, the ground collapsing, a force all the more striking in the quiet night. Neji immediately opened his eyes and looked at Rock Lee, wondering if he had encountered a formidable foe.
Rock Lee fixed his gaze on the southeast, where the lush vegetation made it impossible to find White Zetsu. He moved swiftly, his Iron Sand Palm piercing the air as it fiercely struck the location of the perceived observer.
With a heart-shaking sound, Rock Lee slapped his palm, dust flew up, the ground collapsed, and a huge pit with a diameter of more than ten meters appeared in front of everyone.
Accompanied by a sharp scream, White Zetsu’s clone had no way to escape under the power of the Eight Gates and was knocked to the ground by a punch.
Rock Lee stared sharply at White Zetsu lying on the ground, then released his moves, picked him up, and returned to the resting place.
He once again threw White Zetsu to the ground, demanding in a cold tone, “Explain your purpose in spying on us. If you cannot satisfy me, today will be your death.”
The fluctuations of the battle had already awakened everyone who was sleeping, especially Sasuke, who woke up as soon as Rock Lee moved.
“Xiao Li, is this strange guy our monitor? Not only does he look strange, but he is also naked.” Ya exclaimed in surprise as he observed, full of curiosity about the unusual creature in front of him.
White Zetsu still lay there, like a soulless shell. Rock Lee tried to kick him, but there was no reaction.
Is this guy a flawed creature that only has the ability to monitor but no independent will?
“Xiao Li, why don’t we take this thing back to Konoha and let the intelligence department examine it carefully. Maybe we can dig out some useful information from it.” Neji suggested.
“We have to get out of here quickly. The people chasing us definitely have bad intentions and might have some sinister plot. If we wait until daybreak, we might fall into their trap.”
Rock Lee speculated that the Akatsuki might be about to launch an attack, but he wasn’t sure what kind of opponents they would face this time. After all, if they, freshmen who had only graduated a few months ago, faced a powerful member of the Akatsuki, the consequences could be disastrous.
He took out a rope from the ninja tool bag he carried with him, tied up White Zetsu, and led the other six people, moving quickly towards Konoha Village under the cover of night.
Shortly after they left, a pitcher plant slowly emerged from the ground. Zetsu emerged from the pitcher plant, observing the signs of chaos around him, and sensed that his clone was being quickly taken to Konoha by Rock Lee and others.
“My clone has fallen into the hands of Rock Lee, and they seem to be planning to return to Konoha. Should we notify Kakuzu immediately and intercept them ahead?” White Zetsu suggested.
Black Zetsu snorted coldly and ignored White Zetsu’s proposal. He had long been annoyed by White Zetsu’s stupidity and nagging. If it weren’t for rescuing his mother, he would have gotten rid of this guy long ago.
“Well, it seems that you agree with my judgment. It would be great if A Fei could lend a helping hand.” Bai Zetsu whispered to himself.
“Shut up, you idiot. Go report to A Fei quickly, otherwise Rock Lee and the others would have already fled to the Land of Fire.” Black Zetsu said.
The pitcher plants on Zetsu’s body gradually closed and sank into the ground. The information about Rock Lee had already passed through the developed plant root system underground and was quickly transmitted. Soon, the White Zetsu clone near A Fei would receive the message and pass it on.
The sky is bright with a bright moon and sparse stars. The mountains in the distance are hidden in the darkness, like a huge monster, which makes people feel timid when looking at it.
Several people quickly crossed the woods. Rock Lee held White Zetsu in one hand and already knew who from Akatsuki would be dispatched.
The bounty on his head on the black market is as high as 30 million, which is higher than Asuma’s. Kakuzu will definitely take action personally. As for the other one, Rock Lee can’t guess who it is. Hidan is still in Konoha’s intelligence department.
Given Kakuzu’s personality, if he were to have an ordinary partner, he might be killed by Kakuzu and taken to the money exchange to exchange for money. If the partner was too strong, Rock Lee wouldn’t be able to think of him, so who would join Akatsuki? After all, the Ninja World is not big or small, and there are only so many strong people.
Chapter 92: Kakuzu: Thinking Back to My Past (Old Version)
Rock Lee never expected that Obito would fight together with Kakuzu. Imagining Obito’s casual and humorous personality, Kakuzu probably had the idea of getting rid of him countless times.
On the edge of the black market in River Country, White Zetsu’s clone easily found the sleeping Afei and Kakuzu who was sitting quietly and resting.
White Zetsu’s clone emerged silently from the ground.
Jiao Du raised his eyelids and asked coldly: “Jue, what’s the important matter that brings you here at this time?”
“We discovered that Rock Lee and his group of seven were heading towards the Fire Nation. If we wait until dawn to take action, they might have already entered the Fire Nation.” White Zetsu reported.
“Don’t these young men from Konoha know the dangers of traveling at night? Rock Lee’s head is worth 30 million taels, and Uchiha Sasuke’s Sharingan will surely fetch a fortune. This mission is truly a lucrative one.”
In Kakuzu’s eyes, nothing in the world is as valuable as gold, silver, and treasures. He has long been coveting Rock Lee’s priceless head.
Kakuzu stood up, walked to the side of Ah Fei who was sleeping, and kicked him awake. “Ah Fei, wake up, there is a mission to be carried out.” Kakuzu shouted rudely.
Since becoming a partner with Ah Fei, Ah Fei’s various funny behaviors have made Kakuzu want to kill him many times, but this guy always manages to escape cleverly, making Kakuzu repeatedly frustrated.
“It’s the dead of night, senior, do you have a hobby of snooping into other people’s privacy?” Ah Fei rubbed his eyes and teased jokingly.
The corners of Kakuzu’s lips twitched slightly. If it weren’t for the resentment suppressed in his body, he would have been so angry that his blood vessels would have burst.
“Fire Style: Head Hardship!”
With an angry roar, a huge tongue of fire gushed out of Kakuzu’s mouth and rushed straight towards Ah Fei who was lazily lying on the stone.
Ah Fei jumped up instantly and shouted in panic: “Senior, you are going to take my life!”
Before he could finish his words, Ah Fei’s figure had disappeared into the night, leaving Jiaodu alone, gritting his teeth in anger.
“Let’s go ahead and intercept Rock Lee. This time, I’m determined to get the 30 million bonus.”
Kakuzu brought his White Zetsu clone and quietly sneaked to the place where Rock Lee and others had to pass, intending to ambush them.
In his heart, he scoffed at the abilities of Uchiha Itachi and Kisame. They had allowed Rock Lee to escape from him many times. This time, he wanted to take action himself and let those two conceited guys see their true strength.
As an older generation ninja who had fought against the first Hokage in the ninja world, Kakuzu was quite dismissive of modern ninjas and firmly believed that as long as he took action himself, capturing Rock Lee would be a piece of cake.
“Senior, wait for me! Even if you want to peek at others sleeping, take me with you. I can keep watch for you and make sure no one notices.” Ah Fei came from behind, panting.
“I’m about to ambush the Konoha ninjas. Don’t become a stumbling block to me, otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Kakuzu’s tone was full of threats.
“Wow, senior, you are so terrifying. I will watch the battle from the side. If you are in danger, I will definitely help you.” Ah Fei responded tremblingly, with fear in his eyes.
Kakuzu swung his fist suddenly and headed straight for Afei at a breathtaking speed.
“Senior, please calm down. What I mean is that you can definitely defeat the ninjas of Konoha.” A Fei explained while dodging.
As the morning light gradually dispelled the darkness, Rock Lee and his group of seven had already traveled all night, heading towards the Land of Fire. Kiba and the others were exhausted, and Sasuke was in no better condition.
“Let’s take a short break here. No one got enough rest last night. If we continue to move forward, it may be difficult to deal with emergencies.” Rock Lee suggested.
They captured Zetsu’s clone last night, and Rock Lee speculated that their whereabouts had been exposed and they were likely to be ambushed by the Akatsuki organization. Therefore, he suggested that everyone take the time to rest and prepare for any eventuality.
Rock Lee and the others sat down on the ground, closed their eyes, and began to regulate their breathing. At this time, someone took out some dry food to replenish their energy.
“Xiao Li, share some of your beef jerky with everyone. Ordinary dry food replenishes physical strength too slowly, and your beef jerky is more effective.” Ya said to Li Luoke with a hint of expectation.
Akamaru gave Rock Lee two barks of approval.
Rock Lee slowly opened his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth: “You finally remembered how delicious beef jerky is. When we were in the Wind Kingdom, you all looked down on it.” He said humorously.
He took out the last bag of beef jerky from the ninja tool bag he carried with him and distributed it to everyone present.
“Everyone, hurry up and replenish your energy. There may be another battle soon,” he reminded everyone.
Neji frowned and looked at the restrained White Zetsu: “Little Lee, do you think the people behind them might ambush us?”
“That’s possible. Since they know our whereabouts very well, they might naturally choose to attack us on the way.” Rock Lee replied.
Ah Fei’s voice sounded in the distance, revealing their position without hesitation: “Senior, those people from Konoha are here, hurry up!”
Kakuzu was so angry that he gritted his teeth. The ambush he had originally planned was revealed by this stupid teammate. He thought that when he returned, he would definitely ask Pain to replace this guy. He was even more deadly than the enemy.
Rock Lee and his group of seven heard Ah Fei’s cry.
They were surprised to find Obito already joining the action in a relaxed and funny manner. Rock Lee wondered, shouldn’t Obito have waited until the very last moment to show his strength? How could he have joined in so soon?
This was also thanks to the fact that they had dealt with Hidan in advance, forcing Kakuzu to let Fei replace him. This series of coincidences made Kakuzu decide to no longer hide and to show up directly.
When they saw Kakuzu, they were a little surprised. They didn’t expect that he was another member of Akatsuki. Everyone was a little afraid of Akatsuki because there were S-level rebel ninjas from various countries in the organization.
Kakuzu’s tall body is indeed very oppressive and gives people a sense of power.
“This guy looks very strong. We in Konoha have no information about him, so you all should be careful.” Ya said.
“Rock Lee, your head is worth 30 million. You are dead today. But you are right. I am indeed very powerful. Your combat experience is far less than mine. Every time I see your Konoha forehead protectors, it reminds me of the Konoha ninja who fought against me, Hashirama Senju.” Kakuzu said slowly, putting great pressure on the Konoha ninjas.
“This guy actually fought with the first generation. How old must he be and he is still alive?” Ya said in surprise.
Rock Lee laughed heartily, “Don’t brag. With your strength, you can only survive if you throw a shuriken at the First-Daimyo from eight hundred miles away during the war and run away.”
Chapter 93: Ah Fei (Old Version)
In Konoha Village, everyone burst into laughter when they heard Rock Lee’s joking remarks. Even the usually calm Neji couldn’t help but smile.
“Brother, are those words true? I didn’t expect you to be such a ninja. You can throw shuriken from eight hundred miles away and then get away with it. I asked you about the details of the battle before, but you always avoided the topic.” Ah Fei said jokingly.
Kakuzu, who was over 80 years old, was shaking with anger. “Idiot, are you a member of our Akatsuki organization or an undercover agent of Konoha? Don’t just believe everything others say.”
Kakuzu was furious, thinking that throwing shurikens was pure nonsense since he couldn’t even see a shadow from eight hundred miles away.
“Everyone must be careful with this guy. He has lived from the first generation to the present. He is definitely a cunning person. We must be more vigilant.” Ya reminded seriously.
Akamaru growled nervously as well, ready to attack at any moment.
“He doesn’t look like someone who has lived that long. Could it be that he, like Orochimaru, has mastered some secret of immortality?” Shino asked curiously.
“Haha, young man, I’ll let you see the power of my Earthly Grudge Secret Technique later.”
Kakuzu twisted his arms rapidly, and in an instant, numerous black threads emerged from his stitches, dancing in the air.
“This is my unique secret technique – Earth Grudge. It gives me the ability to remove the hearts of others. When my life comes to an end, I can simply replace the heart with a new one to continue my life. You can call me immortal, but my methods are completely different from those of Orochimaru.”
Kakuzu finally seized the opportunity to show off in front of these younger generations. After all, they didn’t have much time left.
“Boys of Konoha, prepare to go to hell. There are two pairs of precious Hyuga Byakugan here. I hope at least one pair will not be sealed after death. That will be a big deal.”
There was a greedy symbol of money in Kakuzu’s eyes. No matter what he did, he always considered profit first.
As soon as he finished speaking, Kakuzu’s fist with a black line of earth resentment quickly attacked, targeting Kiba and Hinata. He thought these two people were the easiest to deal with among the seven.
But Rock Lee quickly pulled out his nunchaku and met the flying fist, while Neji stepped forward and stood in front of Hinata.
As a member of the Hyuga branch family, Neji is well aware of his mission to protect the main family’s Byakugan and must never let it fall into the hands of outsiders.
“Return to Heaven!”
Neji burst out his chakra, spun his body rapidly, and successfully bounced back Kakuzu’s attack.
Rock Lee wielded his powerful nunchaku and struck Angle’s rock-hard fist, the roar of metal clashing echoing across the battlefield.
Kakuzu’s fist, strengthened by the secret technique of Earth Grudge, is indestructible and cannot be shaken by ordinary weapons.
“Lord Kakuzu, you have to work harder and don’t let these Konoha brats look down on you. Where did the ruthlessness you had when you wanted to kill me go?” Ah Fei urged sarcastically, making Kakuzu even angrier.
“Shut up! Ah Fei, if you keep talking nonsense, I will remove you from the elite team and send you back to the periphery!” Kakuzu’s tone was full of threats.
He had had enough of Ah Fei’s chatter and issued a direct warning.
“No, sir, I worked so hard to replace Hidan. I will lend you a hand now and tie them up so that you can concentrate on dealing with Rock Lee.” Fei responded hurriedly, preparing for action in a panic.
Rock Lee was amused and confused by Obito’s antics, wondering whether it was his nature or intentional.
Kakuzu’s fist launched another swift attack. At the same time, Diyuan Yu’s black line quickly spread to other people on the battlefield like a spider web.
Kakuzu’s “Earth Grudge” threads are as resilient as a python, making escape nearly impossible once bound. These vicious nematodes, preying on the human heart, have provided Kakuzu with a reserve of countless strong hearts.
Rock Lee watched his companions on the brink of life and death, and he knew: they had only graduated a few months ago, and the gap between their strength and Kakuzu’s was enormous. If he didn’t take action, casualties were inevitable.
“Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, now open the sixth gate – Jingmen!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Rock Lee’s aura erupted like a volcano, the chakra fluctuations shook the whole area, and the oppressive feeling was suffocating.
Kakuzu’s eyes showed vigilance. This was the legendary Eight Gates of Ninjutsu that could increase physical fitness and increase a person’s strength and speed.
Rock Lee stomped forward, the ground beneath his feet cracking and scattering debris. His figure streaked across the night sky like a meteor, instantly crossing the battlefield and appearing before Kakuzu. His iron sand palm pierced the air, stirring up a gust of wind and carrying with it a scorching energy.
Flames leaped from the swing of his Iron Sand Palm like an enraged beast. Kakuzu retreated swiftly, his fists shooting out like cannonballs, counterattacking Rock Lee’s onslaught.
At the same time, Neji and Sasuke were eager to help Rock Lee, but Afei followed them like a shadow and blocked their way.
“Senior Kakuzu is fighting with Rock Lee, so you guys just play with me. How about we play a ninja game, you play the evil devil, and I play the righteous ninja.” A Fei said jokingly.
Ya and the other two also rushed over.
“Oh, the ninjas of Konoha are starting to bully the weak with their numbers. How shameless.” A Fei teased.
A large amount of chakra gushed out from behind Neji, quickly condensing into two pairs of wings that flapped gently.
“You actually grew wings. Are you a butterfly spirit? Senior Kakuzu, there is a butterfly monster here.” Ah Fei shouted.
Neji flapped the four wings behind him gently, and his body left a trail of afterimages as he rushed towards A Fei. He made a soft fist with his left hand and slapped A Fei’s body.
Ah Fei dodged in a panic, and Ningji increased the speed of his attack, aiming at Ah Fei’s whole body.
Ah Fei dodged randomly while saying, “Very fast, oh yeah, I dodged it again, the Hyuga family’s butterfly spirit is no longer effective.”
The remaining five people also rushed towards Ah Fei at the same time, and Sasuke formed seals with his hands.
A Chidori Senbon appeared in his hand and flew towards A Fei.
Chapter 93: Void (Old Version)
Sasuke’s Chidori Senbon shot towards Afei like a rainstorm. Afei dodged flexibly and mocked, “Uchiha boy, you actually tried to sneak attack, it’s really shameful.” Facing Afei’s ridicule, Sasuke said nothing, but stared back with a more fierce look. At the same time, he condensed several Senbon in his hands again and continued to attack Afei.
Ah Fei was in danger under Senbon’s attack, but he still insisted: “Oh, it was really thrilling. Thanks to my extraordinary skills, Lord Ah Fei, I was able to avoid them one by one.” Ya ordered from the side: “Shino, it’s your turn. Let this guy experience the insect-controlling skills of the Aburame clan and show your strength.” Shino responded calmly, silently repeating his determination to protect his friends.
Shino then unleashed countless insects, which quickly surrounded Afei like a dark cloud covering the sun. Afei let out a scream, its true or false. However, Shino’s parasitic insects could absorb chakra, and he soon realized that no one was left among the insect swarm.
Ah Fei pretended to be frightened and appeared from the side with a hint of teasing in his tone: “The insects of the Aburame clan are really scary. Fortunately, I am agile and almost got caught by you.” At this moment, Neji followed like a shadow and moved quickly in front of Ah Fei, ready to perform the sixty-four palms of Baguazhang.
“Baguazhang, sixty-four palms!” Ningci shouted softly, and the situation became tense again.
Neji swung his fingers precisely, aiming at Afei’s vital points, intending to seal his chakra with the Hyuga family’s soft fist, leaving him unable to resist.
“It seems that I have to take the Hyuga family’s unique skills seriously. I can’t be hit by you so easily.” Ah Fei said half-jokingly while showing his amazing body flexibility.
Neji attacked continuously, but became increasingly confused. A Fei didn’t seem to dodge deliberately, but his Baguazhang was always just a hair’s breadth away.
Ningji retreated decisively and kept a distance from Afei.
“Sasuke, it’s your turn. Use your ninjutsu to attack. I want to see through the mystery of his movements.” Neji ordered.
This was the first time that Neji faced such an opponent, and even though he tried to dodge the Baguazhang, he still failed to hit the target.
Sasuke nodded, realizing that this underestimated opponent might not be simple. He saw Neji’s continuous attacks clearly, but the opponent was unharmed.
Sasuke exhaled a huge fireball, which shot towards Ah Fei at a rapid speed. The grass along the way was scorched by the high temperature of the fireball, turned yellow and curled up, and instantly turned into a sea of fire.
“It’s so hot! I’m going to die! Kakuzu-senpai, help!” Ah Fei shouted and ran away.
But the fireball was faster and caught up with Ah Fei in an instant, exploding violently behind him.
“ah–!”
A Fei once again let out a heartbreaking scream. Neji widened his eyes and locked onto A Fei’s figure. With the explosion of the fireball, A Fei mysteriously disappeared from Neji’s sight.
“Fortunately, I reacted quickly, Kakuzu-senpai. You actually watched me fall into danger. I have to publicize your feat of throwing shuriken from eight hundred miles away in the organization.” Ah Fei teased.
At the same time, Kakuzu, who was fighting with Rock Lee, was so angry that his hands were shaking, and Rock Lee took the opportunity to hit him hard.
“Could it be that he is performing space-time ninjutsu? If so, then his ability is amazing.” Neji thought to himself.
“He may have mastered space ninjutsu. At the moment when the fireball hit him, he avoided my Byakugan. And my gentle fist attack before clearly passed through his body.” Neji analyzed Afei’s situation.
Everyone was shocked after hearing that he could use space-time ninjutsu so skillfully. They no longer dared to underestimate this opponent. After all, the members of Akatsuki were no ordinary people.
Originally they thought Ah Fei was just a clown, but they didn’t expect that he was actually a hidden master.
“Let’s attack together. He can’t use space-time ninjutsu indefinitely. We should launch continuous attacks to test how long he can stay in the different space.” Neji suggested.
As soon as he finished speaking, Neji took the lead and rushed towards Afei. The four chakra wings behind him waved lightly, and his figure quickly flashed in front of Afei.
“This big butterfly from the Hyuga family moves as fast as the wind. It seems I have to give it my all.” Ah Fei said as he stretched his limbs and did a series of warm-up exercises.
Neji appeared in Afei’s sight in an instant.
“The secret of Baguazhang, Chapter 128.”
This time, Neji deliberately slowed down the speed of his attack, hoping to prioritize coherent punches and put other concerns aside for the time being.
His palms hit Ah Fei’s vital points repeatedly like a rainstorm.
“Haha, you want to use this kind of continuous attack to detect my space-time ability? But it doesn’t work on me.” Ah Fei seemed quite proud.
He easily avoided attacks by simply twisting his body, and for those punches and palms that were unavoidable, he chose to partially dematerialize them, making Neji’s efforts come to nothing.
At the same time, Afei successfully held back the six ninjas of Konoha, and the battle between Rock Lee and Kakuzu was extremely fierce.
Rock Lee had now opened the sixth gate of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, and he used his Iron Sand Palm to strike Kakuzu repeatedly, but his counterattacks were deaf to him.
Kakuzu also felt helpless in fighting against Rock Lee. His opponent was extremely strong and he adopted a fighting style of exchanging injuries for injuries and destroying both sides.
Faced with Rock Lee’s determination, Kakuzu decided to show his true strength, “Today, I will let you experience why I have been able to survive in this world so far, and why I am so at ease.”
Kakuzu clenched his teeth and his back suddenly bulged, as if something was gathering momentum inside him, causing the sutures on his back to break open.
Four black monsters, wearing four strange masks, came out from behind Kakuzu, stood beside Kakuzu, and looked at Rock Lee together.
“Rock Lee, these are all my clones. Each has different chakra attributes and can cast ninjutsu of various attributes. Today I will let you know how powerful I am.” Kakuzu said.
“Fire escape, hard work”
“Wind Escape, Suppress Harm”
The fire was fueled by the wind, and the wind fueled the fire. Soon, a huge sea of fire rushed towards Rock Lee. The scorching temperature made him feel suffocated before it reached Rock Lee.
Rock Lee took out a pair of nunchakus from his ninja tool bag, waved his hands quickly, and spun his body quickly. Soon, a huge golden bell appeared in front of the sea of fire.
This is a move Rock Lee came up with on his own based on the movie Dragon Tiger Gate in his previous life. It is a nunchaku version of the Golden Bell Cover, which has certain unique features in both defense and offense.
The Golden Bell spun rapidly, and a slight breeze gradually began to blow. Soon, the breeze turned into a violent tornado.
Chapter 94: Battle of Jiaodu (Old Version)
Kakuzu’s mysterious masked clone at his side unleashed a powerful, coordinated jutsu. The force of the attack was so intense that a sea of fire surged forward, charging directly at the tornado Rock Lee had summoned. The blazing flames obscured the sky, scorching the surroundings. Rock Lee accelerated his spin, drawing the blazing fireball into the tornado, creating a spectacular fire tornado. However, lacking fuel to sustain the flames, the fire gradually weakened and eventually died out. Rock Lee sheathed his nunchaku, and as he ceased his spin, the powerful tornado gradually dissipated.
He fixed his gaze firmly on Kakuzu and his four alien clones, then carefully placed his nunchaku back into his ninja tool bag. Then, his chakra surged again, and with a flicker of his body, he vanished in an instant, striking directly at the monster controlling the lightning-attribute heart. Rock Lee possessed a profound resistance to lightning, having trained himself to the sixth level of his Golden Bell Guard through electric shocks. Even voltages below 100,000 volts could not seriously inflict any damage upon him.
Kakuzu’s four heart clones synchronized their movements as Rock Lee moved, surrounding him. The four masked clones unleashed energy attacks of their own attributes, joined by Kakuzu himself. The multi-attribute attacks surged towards Rock Lee like a raging wave. The five elemental elements of earth, fire, wind, thunder, and water converged into a massive siege.
Rock Lee’s eyes were determined and his steps were as fast as lightning. He crossed the battlefield in an instant and faced the Thunder Heart Clone.
“Fake Darkness, Thunder Escape!”
Kakuzu uttered the name of the ninjutsu in a cold voice, and the chakra intertwined with lightning and thunder gathered like an angry dragon, carrying a force that shook the sky, and swooped down towards Rock Lee.
All around him, chakra attacks from the other three types surged like a tide, surrounding him.
But Rock Lee was unfazed. He charged into the lightning attack’s range, enduring the intense paralyzing pain. His iron palm, shaped like an eagle’s claw, pierced the lightning clone’s shell, forcibly pulling it out and using it as a shield to block further attacks. Kakuzu’s fist deftly bypassed the clone and struck Rock Lee’s back.
Rock Lee quickly pulled out his right hand, gathering strength in his palms and taking a firm horse stance, to meet the incoming fists. At this moment, the mask of his Lightning Clone shattered with a crackling sound.
Rock Lee’s iron sand palm power penetrated the wind of his fist and collided head-on with Kakuzu’s fatal blow.
Rock Lee delivered a full-strength blow, incorporating the essence of Iron Sand Palm, aided by the Golden Bell and Eight Gates. The force of this single blow was enough to pulverize even the finest steel. As fists collided, the sound resembling thunder. Kakuzu’s iron fist, fortified by Earth Grudge and Earth Release, was like a fragile, withered branch before Rock Lee’s. The crack of his finger bones was audible. Kakuzu’s fist was mercilessly sent flying, leaving the bloodied and bruised area where it met his mark, a horrific sight.
Kakuzu’s expression darkened. He had expected to easily subdue Rock Lee, but he hadn’t anticipated not only the loss of a heart but also the loss of a direct hand-to-hand combat. The battle-hardened veteran ninja quickly adjusted his tactics, deciding to engage Rock Lee with ranged ninjutsu. His three clones moved swiftly, closing the gap between them and Rock Lee, ready to launch a ranged attack.
The Fire and Wind clones stood side by side, clearly intent on performing a combined ninjutsu, while the Water clone coordinated with the original to create a counterforce. Kakuzu declared coldly, “Rock Lee, you will witness my true power. The profound meaning of ninjutsu should not be underestimated.” He quickly formed hand seals, and the chakra waves from the fire-attributed masked monster surged violently, with extraordinary momentum.
“Now, let me show you the ultimate Fire Style—Head Hard!”
The flames raged, the heat surging, transforming the entire forest into a sea of ​​inferno. Facing this searing onslaught, Rock Lee bravely charged into the line of fire. His sixth level of the Golden Bell Defense was impenetrable, and despite the scorching flames, it was not fatal.
Rock Lee knew very well that if he didn’t try his best, it would take at least five years of hard training to break through the Golden Bell Cover from the sixth level to the seventh level, and the opportunity was fleeting.
He silently chanted a secret technique, gathering all his strength, and stomped the ground fiercely, charging straight at the fire-masked clone. The soles of his shoes crumbled to ash from the intense friction with the earth, and Rock Lee ran barefoot, so fast that the surrounding flames and heat waves could not get close to him.
Every time his feet touched the ground, he moved closer to his goal. The fire grew more intense, but Rock Lee’s Golden Bell Protection operated within him, repairing every inch of his burns from the inside out.
At the same time, Kakuzu kept moving, quickly forming seals with his hands, and the chakra fluctuations on the wind-attribute monster next to him surged, followed by a powerful wind-attribute ninjutsu – “Wind Style, Suppression”!
The power of the ultra-high-density compressed tornado increased exponentially as it came into contact with the blazing flames that covered the sky. The strong wind generated by Rock Lee’s body’s extremely fast movement was instantly suppressed by the overwhelming force of the wind.
The huge sea of fire also began to shrink from its original state of burning everywhere. The temperature of the flames rose rapidly and the color became darker.
Neji, Sasuke and others looked at the sea of fire that covered the sky in the distance, and their hearts were filled with worry. They all knew that Rock Lee was a physical ninja, and it would be very difficult to defeat such a powerful ninjutsu ninja.
“It seems that Senior Kakuzu has started to use all his strength. You’d better just play the game with me honestly. If you go over to this powerful ninjutsu, you’ll be courting death.” A Fei took a look at the huge noise made by Kakuzu in the distance, which once again hit the confidence of the Konoha people.
“Stop talking nonsense and just take care of yourself.” Sasuke threw out more than a dozen Chidori Senbon and flew towards Afei.
Chidori Senbon turned into electricity in front of Afei and began to wreak havoc
Chapter 95 Ah Fei: I’m scared (old version)
Lightning danced around Ah Fei like an angry snake. Although it caused him to lose balance for a moment, the electric shock only paralyzed his body temporarily and did not cause any serious damage.
“Oh, I’m going to be electrocuted!” Ah Fei shouted exaggeratedly, and fell straight to the ground, his performance was too exaggerated.
Sasuke and the others couldn’t help but laugh and cry when they saw this, thinking that his acting was really poor.
Ah Fei jumped up again, his face full of pride, “Well, you were fooled by me, right? I acted so convincingly!”
“Let me show you how powerful Yatongya is!”
Kiba and Akamaru transformed into a whirlwind and launched a fierce attack on Afei. However, just as the attack was about to succeed, Afei dodged it with a light leap, causing the force of Kiba’s attack to crash into the giant tree behind them.
There was a loud “boom” and Kiba and Akamaru were dizzy from the impact.
Facing an almost invulnerable opponent like Ah Fei, everyone felt a great headache. His body could always transform from virtual to real in time, rendering any attack ineffective.
At this moment, a powerful wave of wind-attribute chakra surged from the distance, a far superior wind-style ninjutsu. Facing the powerful attack of Kakuzu’s combined fire and wind ninjutsu from the Akatsuki organization, although Xiao Li was brave, everyone else was anxious and wanted to rush to support him.
Rock Lee fearlessly charged towards Kakuzu’s fire clone, and Kakuzu’s wind jutsu took advantage of the fire, sending the blazing flames towards Rock Lee with astonishing momentum.
Rock Lee roared, his inner Golden Bell Shield swiftly energizing, healing his wounds. He exerted force beneath his feet, causing the scorching ground to crack and scatter fragments. Like a cannonball, he pierced the blazing flames and soared into the sky, deftly dodging Kakuzu’s fatal blow and the siege of his water monsters.
In mid-air, Rock Lee gathered strength in his fists, and the chakra in his body surged out like a raging tide. He swung his fists, attacking the fire and wind monsters in front of him with astonishing force.
“Attack the Peacock!” Rock Lee roared again, waving his fists like phantoms, accompanied by deafening sonic booms and sparks produced by violent friction in the air, and attacked the two monsters fiercely.
The wind monster, with its nimble, thin wings, dodged the fatal blow. However, the fire monster, outpaced by its speed, was struck by a volley of sparks as it attempted to escape. Explosions echoed, and flames shot skyward. The fire monster was annihilated in the fiery blast.
The originally lush forest turned into a desolate wasteland under Kakuzu’s fierce ninjutsu. The land within a mile around was cut by the wind ninjutsu and burned to a char by the fire ninjutsu.
When Rock Lee landed, he suddenly exerted force and rushed into the sky like an arrow, heading straight for the wind-attribute monster floating in the air.
His speed was so fast, like a falling meteorite, accompanied by a deafening roar, arriving in an instant, with no intention of slowing down.
In the air, Rock Lee spun rapidly, his legs turned into drills that broke through the air, and even green smoke began to emerge from the tips. This kick hit the monster’s body hard.
With a loud “bang”, this kick contained a powerful rotational force, which directly shattered Kakuzu’s wind-attribute monster mask, sending his body flying in all directions and piercing through his chest, a fatal blow.
After the battle, Rock Lee fell to the ground, gasping for breath, his body at the edge of its limit.
At this moment, Kakuzu’s heart was filled with an indescribable chill. His three hearts had been destroyed, leaving only his main body and water-attribute heart. If these two were also destroyed, even if he claimed to be immortal, he would die.
Rock Lee forced himself to cheer up and re-stimulated the little chakra he had left. He challenged the limits of his body, squeezed the last bit of energy from deep within his cells, and bravely launched a desperate charge towards Kakuzu’s body.
Amidst the intense battle, Rock Lee’s ferocious presence drew smiles from Neji and the others in the distance, silently praising his prowess. Tenten, jokingly addressing the masked Hitoshi, launched a barrage of hidden weapons at him. “Hey, ‘Masked Man,’ your friends are probably going to get beaten up by Rock Lee,” she said. Hitoshi, claiming to be a distinguished member of the Akatsuki organization, took offense at the “Masked Man” designation and threatened to demonstrate his true strength.
“Kakuzu-senpai, can you still hold on? Do you need me to call for reinforcements?” Fei shouted at Kakuzu, looking ready for a fight. He quickly formed seals with his hands, declaring that he was about to use his most powerful skills.
Neji and the others became nervous, curious about the power of the Akatsuki member’s ninjutsu.
“Ninja technique, the Gale Escape Technique!” Before he finished speaking, Ah Fei unexpectedly turned around and fled like the wind, raising a cloud of dust that blocked everyone’s sight, and soon disappeared without a trace.
Everyone was stunned. They had never expected such a shameless person in the Akatsuki organization to choose to flee the battle. They rushed towards Rock Lee, worried about his safety. Although they could sense the violent aura, his specific situation was still unknown.
Neji’s four-wing state was the fastest, and he soon reached Rock Lee’s side. Looking at the earth-shaking changes on the battlefield, he could imagine how brutal the battle was.
Rock Lee’s iron sand palm collided with Kakuzu’s fist again, knocking Kakuzu’s fist away.
“Ningji, have the enemies been eliminated?” Rock Lee asked in confusion.
“That guy didn’t even make a proper move, and now that he sees you have the upper hand, he immediately ran away,” Neji said.
This bastard Afei, he asked him to stop the Konoha ninjas, but he ran away without fighting. I will kill him at the next meeting, Kakuzu gritted his teeth in his heart.
Looking at the Konoha ninjas rushing over from a distance, although they were all children, Rock Lee alone was already very powerful, and when combined with the other Konoha ninjas, they were no match for them.
“Ningji, let’s kill this guy together and let them know that Konoha is not so easy to mess with. Neji, that black monster is this guy’s water-attribute clone, be careful.”
Chapter 96 Kakuzu: I’m scared too (old version)
Neji glanced around and noticed the black monsters everywhere, concluding that they were clones of the enemy Kakuzu.
Rock Lee bravely rushed towards Kakuzu, the four chakra wings behind him vibrating rapidly, launching a fierce attack on the water monster clone in front of him.
Kakuzu swung his fists, and dense threads of earth resentment followed him like shadows, sinking into the ground one after another.
Rock Lee, who activated the sixth gate, looked like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Every step he took was accompanied by huge pits on the ground and flying gravel.
His eyes were fixed on Kakuzu’s real body not far away, knowing that if he were to defeat him again, it would undoubtedly pose a major obstacle to Akatsuki’s plan to collect the tailed beasts and delay the outbreak of war.
Kakuzu’s eyes flashed, and the tentacles of the Earth Wrath broke out of the ground and quickly wrapped around Rock Lee’s legs, trying to slow down his momentum.
As Kakuzu’s unique secret technique, the Earth Grudge gives him the powerful force of five lives, which shows the toughness of the silk thread.
These threads were like countless tentacles extending from the ground, tightly binding Rock Lee’s legs. Although this slowed down his speed, Kakuzu’s iron fist still attacked him mercilessly.
“Kakuzu, all these tricks of yours are nothing but child’s play to me. More than eighty years have passed, yet you still haven’t been able to face the reality. Now, you’d better surrender obediently. You may be able to save your life in Konoha. Otherwise, I will defeat you without mercy.” Rock Lee warned with a contemptuous tone.
“Arrogant boy, even the legendary first Hokage has never been as arrogant as you.” Kakuzu’s tone was full of gloom.
“Don’t forget, the First Hokage is a legend known as the God of Ninja, who single-handedly suppressed the nine tailed beasts. Your so-called fight with the First Hokage is simply overestimating your own abilities. With your current strength, even I can hardly deal with it, let alone compete with the First Hokage.” Rock Lee mocked mercilessly.
Kakuzu’s fist rushed towards Rock Lee with anger. At the same time, the tentacles of the Earth Wrath swarmed out from the ground, trying to wrap around and bind Rock Lee.
Countless threads of Earth Resentment tightly wrapped around Rock Lee, making him seem indestructible, but Kakuzu’s giant fist still tried to pierce his chest.
The bound Rock Lee felt the pressure, and the chakra in his body burst out instantly, like a wild horse breaking free from its reins, unstoppable.
With a deafening roar, Rock Lee broke the Earth Wrath threads on his body one by one, clenched his fists, and faced Kakuzu’s hammer-like attack.
The two forces collided violently, and a deafening explosion followed.
The strong shock wave spread in all directions, and wherever it passed, the ground was turned upside down, dust flew, and the scene was in a mess.
Kakuzu’s fist cracked with an even more terrifying sound. His once rock-hard fist now drooped like a kite with its string cut. Despite Rock Lee’s scathing taunts, suggesting he was no longer suited to the modern age, Kakuzu remained unfazed. As a ninja who had been active since the village’s founding, his indifference to life and death made him oblivious to the verbal attacks.
He quickly retracted his fist, skillfully formed seals with his hands, and performed his unique secret technique.
“Earth Escape, Earth Dragon Spear!”
Rock Lee smiled contemptuously, and with the wind under his feet, he kicked the flying rock spikes into powder in an instant.
“Are you really showing off such a little trick?” Rock Lee said with disdain.
His “Konoha Whirlwind” leg technique was immediately activated, turning all attacks into nothing.
Kakuzu unleashed another ninjutsu, “Earth Style,” erecting a wall of earth before him, seemingly intent on stalling for time. Rock Lee then concentrated the power of his iron sand palm and launched a fierce strike forward. The deafening impact shook the entire battlefield.
Rock Lee delivered a powerful blow, and the earthen wall crumbled, sending rubble raining down on Kakuzu. Kakuzu retreated rapidly, his situation dire. Three of his four clones had perished, leaving only one, bound tightly by Neji. With only his original form, Kakuzu could no longer withstand Rock Lee’s activation of the Eight Gates.
Kakuzu thought quickly and took out two smoke bombs from the ninja tools he was carrying and threw them to the ground. In an instant, thick smoke covered the sky and obscured everyone’s vision.
“Ningji, make sure you keep an eye on him. Don’t let him get away!” Rock Lee shouted to Neji, who was battling a water monster. “This guy can use the hearts of others to prolong his life. He’s extremely troublesome.”
Neji’s heart trembled, and he immediately forced the water monster in front of him back, looking through the smoke to find Kakuzu’s trace. But the water monster suddenly rushed in front of Rock Lee, as if to block his way.
Kakuzu’s intention is obvious. He wants to use the monster to restrain the two men in order to protect himself.
The monster opened its mouth and gushed out chakra, which turned into a sharp water sword and pierced Rock Lee in the air. Lee twisted his body in the air and looked around, but there was no sign of Kakuzu.
When the smoke cleared, Kakuzu had vanished without a trace. Rock Lee deactivated the Eight Gates, feeling a pity, realizing that Kakuzu had successfully escaped from underground.
“Xiao Li, Kakuzu ran away into the ground.” Neji’s voice sounded with regret.
“It’s okay. Next time we meet, kill his Earth Escape Heart first. After all, this guy has lived for too long and it’s not that easy to kill him.” Rock Lee said.
After fighting with Kakuzu today, Rock Lee had a new understanding of his own strength. A month of seclusion had greatly improved his strength. The sixth level of the Golden Bell Cover had also made his defense even stronger. Attacks that might normally cause him injury now had no effect at all.
Sasuke and the others soon ran over and asked about Rock Lee’s condition. Everyone knew that the Eight Gates Ninjutsu was a forbidden technique and it was very harmful to the body. Rock Lee had been fighting with six gates open for such a long time, and his physical fatigue was probably at its limit.
“Let’s find a place to rest first. With my current physical strength, I can’t continue on my journey.” Li Luoke felt that his body was getting more and more tired and he might fall asleep at any time.
In the battle with Kakuzu just now, he only squeezed the potential of his body, forcibly enhanced his body’s spirit, and released chakra. Now that his mind relaxed, fatigue surged in his heart, and he was almost unable to hold on.
Neji came over and supported him, “Let’s find a clean place, eat something, rest for a day, and continue our journey tomorrow.”
Everyone also saw Rock Lee’s current weakness and agreed with Neji’s opinion.
Chapter 97: Mysterious A Fei (Old Version)
At Akatsuki’s secret base in River Country, Kakuzu slowly emerged from the ground, gravely wounded, and stumbled back. He had lost three hearts in the fierce battle with Rock Lee, and now his only remaining heart was still beating weakly. Kakuzu planned to rest briefly in the base to recuperate before heading out again on his ninja-hunting mission.
At this moment, Ah Fei suddenly appeared, his words full of sarcasm: “Kakuzu-senpai, it’s great to see you back alive. I thought you would fall into a deep sleep forever under Rock Lee’s hands. It made me sad for a while.”
Kakuzu’s response was filled with murderous intent: “Shut up, Afei, you’re looking for death!”
Obi had deliberately disrupted Kakuzu’s fight with Rock Lee, distracting Kakuzu and leading to his defeat. Now, enraged, Kakuzu launched a fierce attack at Obi, but Obi deftly dodged his fatal blow and fled into the distance.
“Senior, if you have something to say, just say it nicely. Why do you have to take someone’s life? It’s not my fault that you lost to Rock Lee. It’s your own problem.” While escaping, Ah Fei did not forget to continue to provoke Kakuzu, deliberately mentioning his age and hitting his sore spot.
There is an old saying in the ninja world: “Don’t hit people in the face, and don’t expose people’s weaknesses when scolding them.” Ah Fei’s words were like adding fuel to the fire, making Kakuzu’s anger reach its peak. His fist flew out like a cannonball, vowing to vent his anger and shame on Ah Fei.
“Senior Kakuzu, please show mercy!” Ah Fei shouted as he galloped into the distance and disappeared from sight in an instant.
They had been partners for some time, and Kakuzu had attempted to attack Oobi several times, but each attempt was cleverly avoided. As a ninja who had lived in the world for over eighty years, Kakuzu realized that Oobi had hidden strength that should not be underestimated.
Although he didn’t know how powerful Ah Fei really was, he was able to escape from him several times, which clearly showed that he was no ordinary person.
Kakuzu returned to the base and thought carefully about how to replenish his heart, because he only had two lives left and had to be careful with every step.
The fierce battle with Rock Lee allowed Kakuzu to understand the opponent’s fighting style. He was tough and fearless, and had absolute confidence in his body’s endurance, as if he was immortal.
Even Kakuzu, who has five lives, would not dare to risk his life in battle like Rock Lee. He would only bet part of his heart unless he was sure that he could kill the enemy with one blow.
Deep in the forest of River Country, Rock Lee was exhausted from the battle. He found a big tree and sat down, and soon fell asleep.
Since starting to practice Trinity, Rock Lee has given up sleep for a long time and turned to practice to fill the gaps in time.
Shino from the reconnaissance squad is responsible for the surrounding security. He has already planted parasitic insects all around. These insects are like living radars, and any abnormal movement will immediately alert him.
They had just repelled Kakuzu, and if another wave of attack from Akatsuki came, they would surely be wiped out if Rock Lee failed to recover his strength.
This battle made the Konoha ninjas deeply aware of their own shortcomings. Some of them began their own training while Rock Lee was resting, without even expending any physical strength.
Kiba instructs Akamaru in target locking training. Akamaru keeps jumping up and spraying urine at the selected trees, appearing to be extremely focused.
The other ninjas in training couldn’t help but laugh when they saw this scene, thinking that even a dog could be so serious about peeing.
On the other side, Neji was helping Hinata practice. Although as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga family, she had a good talent for soft fist, the family’s expectations and the fact that Neji came from a branch family put tremendous pressure on her.
Sasuke focused on improving his Chidori skills, trying to transform them into the Chidori Sharp Spear. He has already gained some understanding of the Chidori’s morphological changes, and is now exploring the rules through continuous practice in order to eventually master the Chidori Sharp Spear.
As night fell, Rock Lee woke up, feeling refreshed. All the fatigue in his body had gone away, and only the hunger in his stomach reminded him that he needed to eat.
Rock Lee stretched and looked at the dark sky, surprised to find that it was already late at night.
“Xiao Li, are you awake? How is your recovery?” Tiantian asked with concern.
“I’ve been revived with full health. Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Rock Lee answered firmly.
Not long after, Neji walked out of the forest with Hinata, carrying a wild boar on his shoulder.
“Xiao Li, wake up. This wild boar is the result of Miss Hinata’s soft fist training. It will be our delicious meal tonight.”
Neji put the prey on the ground. There was no visible wound on the surface. It was obvious that the internal energy of the gentle fist had destroyed its internal organs.
“Thank you, Hinata, for hunting such good game for us.” Rock Lee needed to replenish his strength at the moment, and the appearance of this wild boar was just in time.
If there was no wild boar, Rock Lee would go hunting on his own to meet his physical needs.
Rock Lee is very skilled at barbecue. In less than half an hour, the tempting aroma of barbecue filled the forest.
Everyone felt hungry and ate heartily without hesitation.
“Xiao Li, do you think the guy you fought today can be compared with Itachi? Has he reached the level to defeat Itachi?” Sasuke asked while eating.
Sasuke was always like this, whenever he saw a member of Akatsuki, he would compare them to Itachi to see who was stronger.
“The comparison between Itachi and Kakuzu is not simple, but Itachi has a greater chance of winning. The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan is extraordinary. Whether it is Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi, they are not something that ordinary ninjas can resist, not to mention the powerful Susanoo.” Rock Lee analyzed.
Sasuke fell silent. He no longer had any hope of defeating Itachi in a short time, but after hearing what Rock Lee said, he was still a little depressed.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was like a huge ravine in front of him, making it impossible for him to cross.
Rock Lee looked at the silent Sasuke and said, “Sasuke, even if you can’t open the Mangekyō, as long as you can make great breakthroughs in other aspects, defeating Itachi is only a matter of time. We will help you develop new ninjutsu, help you improve, and narrow the gap between you and Itachi.
There are many strong people in the ninja world. There are many ninjas without Sharingan, but they are not necessarily weaker than Itachi. If they can reach the extreme in any aspect of Ninja Taigen, they are enough to compete with Itachi. “
“Thank you for your guidance, Xiao Li. Since I was assigned to your team, I have seen many powerful ninjas.” Sasuke said.
They started chatting again, discussing various interesting things in the ninja world, and did not rest until the moon was at its zenith.
Rock Lee was in charge of the night watch. After all, he had slept all day and was not sleepy at all.
Chapter 98: Bugs (Old Version)
Everyone got up early in the morning and set off. After half a day’s trek, they finally set foot on the land of the Fire Nation and felt a little relieved.
In this area, since the monster incidents subsided, Konoha’s ninjas have been on constant alert and patrol to prevent any accidents. The news of the recent monster outbreak in the Wind Country has been reported to Konoha via urgent mail.
As Rock Lee and his seven companions advanced deeper into the Land of Fire, they encountered a patrol led by Shikamaru. Shikamaru, concerned, inquired about the progress of their mission. He had learned from Tsunade about Rock Lee and his companions’ thrilling adventures in the Land of Wind and was shocked by the density of monsters there.
Rock Lee responded to Shikamaru’s greeting and eagerly inquired about the Fire Nation’s current situation. “We’re all well, but what about the Fire Nation? Are there any new monsters appearing there?” For Rock Lee, the safety of the Fire Nation was his primary concern. With the proliferation of monsters in the Wind Nation, he worried that the Fire Nation might face a similar threat.
“The Land of Fire has been peaceful recently, with no monsters attacking any villages. Perhaps they have all moved to the Land of Wind,” Shikamaru speculated, a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
Rock Lee nodded in agreement, although they couldn’t come up with a more convincing explanation.
After saying goodbye to Shikamaru, they returned to Konoha and reported the results of the mission to Tsunade.
“Tsunade-sama, we were ambushed by Akatsuki on our way back. One of their members was wearing a spiral mask that possessed the ability to hollow their body, rendering their attacks ineffective. Neji speculated that this might be the application of space-time ninjutsu.
Furthermore, according to Hidan, his former partner, Kakuzu, who fought the First Hokage, survived by stealing the hearts of others. Each heart gave him the ability to create clones of different attributes. Rock Lee outlined Hidan and Kakuzu’s special abilities.
Tsunade was shocked after hearing this. “To have fought against the First Hokage, he must have been at least seventy or eighty years old. I never thought there was such a monster with such rich experience hidden in the Akatsuki organization.”
Feidan’s knowledge of the Akatsuki organization is limited. He is more of a religious fanatic and is not interested in intelligence gathering. He only has a general understanding of the strength of the members in the organization.
“This information is of vital importance to Konoha. Rock Lee, when you return to the village, you must immediately record all the details of your encounter with the two members of Akatsuki and submit them to the intelligence department for integration.” Tsunade instructed seriously.
“I understand, Hokage-sama,” Rock Lee replied firmly.
“Your mission is arduous. Rest well upon returning to the village. However, the reconnaissance squad must continue their efforts and cooperate with the patrol ninjas to conduct a thorough investigation of any monster strongholds that may be lurking within the Land of Fire.”
We can’t rely on chance alone. If the tragedy of the village being wiped out happens again, the daimyo will undoubtedly put unbearable pressure on the village. Only by taking the initiative can the threat be eliminated before it becomes apparent.
“Later, you will meet with Shikamaru’s team. Shikamaru will take the lead in planning a comprehensive investigation plan. The goal is to thoroughly investigate the Fire Nation and curb the danger in the cradle.” Tsunade said in a commanding tone.
“Yes, Lord Tsunade!” everyone responded in unison.
“Okay, everyone, leave.”
The three members of the reconnaissance team bid farewell to Rock Lee and the others and set off to reunite with Shikamaru. Rock Lee and the others, on the other hand, filled their daily lives with training and exploring new ninjutsu. Although busy, they also felt fulfilled and satisfied.
Outside the village, a crackdown was underway. Members of the Aburame clan were controlling countless insects, swarming across every corner of the Land of Fire. The Inuzuka and Hyuga clans also dispatched numerous elites, working together to eliminate the hidden monsters in the Land of Fire as quickly as possible.
Under the clear blue sky of Konoha Village, Rock Lee finished his morning exercise and went for a swim in the stream on the south side of the village. According to his habit, an early morning swim was the best way to relieve fatigue after exercise.
The river water is so clear that you can see the bottom. Occasionally, a few small fish swim around, adding a bit of vitality to the quiet stream and allowing Rock Lee to relax here.
“Rock Lee, it’s time to swim again.” Kiba led Shino and Hinata over. The latter couldn’t help but shyly turned her eyes away when she saw Rock Lee wearing only shorts.
“Ki, how’s the mission going? Are there any enemies we’ve missed?” Rock Lee asked. Since Tsunade ordered the joint reconnaissance mission, they had already completed their investigation of the Land of Fire in just four days.
“Of course, the three of us alone are not enough. Fortunately, our family also provided a lot of manpower to help us check most of the Fire Nation area.” Ya replied.
“Where are you going?” Rock Lee asked curiously.
“We go to help Shino catch insects in order to understand them more deeply and cultivate more powerful parasites.” Shino explained calmly.
“Good idea! This time the mission in Wind Country was successfully completed thanks to Shino’s parasitic bug. Shino, I will never refuse if you need help.” Rock Lee expressed his willingness to help without hesitation.
Although cultivation is important, sometimes helping your companions do something is even more important.
“Thank you, Xiao Li.” Shino said seriously.
“Where are you going to catch bugs?”
“Just come with us. There is a depression in the Land of Fire near the Land of Iron. The environment there is completely different from other places in the Land of Fire. There are many precious plants living there, and many rare insects are bred there.” Shino said.
As the heir of the Aburame clan, Shino knows the distribution of various insects in the ninja world like the back of his hand. He remembers clearly which insects are suitable for living in what kind of environment.
“You guys wait for me at the gate of Konoha. I’m going to change my clothes and will be there soon.” Rock Lee said.
Rock Lee said goodbye to the three of them, put on his still wet clothes, and walked towards home.
After changing his clothes, he took out a bug trap and walked towards the gate of Konoha.
Shino and the other two have arrived at the gate of Konoha, waiting for Rock Lee’s arrival.
Chapter 99: What Shino Wants (Old Version)
“Let’s go, everyone.” Rock Lee stood at the entrance of Konoha Village with a bug net on his shoulder, and said in high spirits.
“Let’s go, Shino, stop being so petty and saying that we don’t take you seriously. Look, even Rock Lee has joined in helping you catch bugs this time. Shouldn’t you be satisfied?” Kiba said as he patted Shino’s shoulder affectionately.
“Thank you.” Shino remained calm.
“Shino, what is our main goal in catching insects this time?” Rock Lee asked curiously.
“Catch one of each species. I want to explore whether I can breed new species and perhaps find a new evolutionary path for the parasites.” Shino replied, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“Then let’s get going quickly, otherwise we won’t still be on the road at noon,” Ya urged.
The four of them said nothing more, and hurriedly headed towards their destination in the Iron Kingdom. Along the way, Shino explained the ecology and uses of different insects, and time flew by as they shared their knowledge.
They continued their pace through the forest, finally arriving at the hollow around 3:00 PM. The lush vegetation here, with its vibrant flowers and plants, formed a stark contrast to the landscape outside. Inside the hollow, the chirping of insects was a constant cacophony. With just a glance, Rock Lee spotted several species they had never seen before.
Rock Lee and his companions arrived at this vast depression, a crater formed by a meteorite impact. Over time, vegetation had covered its true form. The plants and insects here had mutated due to the strange energy brought by the meteorite.
“We’d better start exploring a small area first, and leave the rest until tomorrow.” Shino suggested, his tone serious.
“Shino, you are always so reserved.” Kiba responded with a hint of dissatisfaction.
“Let’s go. We need to catch more bugs before dark,” Rock Lee urged.
They nodded and dispersed into small groups. Hinata partnered with Rock Lee, while Kiba and Shino were paired together. Using Hinata’s unique Byakugan ability, which allowed her to easily see through dense vegetation and spot hidden insects, the pair worked seamlessly together.
The insects are extremely alert and will hide as soon as they sense someone approaching.
“Enable Byakugan!”
As Hinata opened her Byakugan, all the insects hiding in branches, grass, and even soil were exposed to her vision.
“Xiao Li, there is a bug under the branch two meters in front of you.” Hinata pointed to the branch in front of Rock Lee, accurately guiding the target.
Rock Lee cautiously crept forward, his gaze piercing the gaps between the branches and leaves until he finally locked onto a strange beetle with red spots all over its back. The insect had cleverly hidden itself behind a branch, avoiding their direct gaze. These insects clearly possessed a highly developed survival instinct. Rock Lee swung his net sharply, capturing the insect with a clean, precise stroke. The insect struggled frantically within the net, searching in vain for a way out. He deftly reached into the net and placed the struggling insect into the transparent plastic box Hinata had brought.
Hinata pointed to a spot about a meter in front of Rock Lee, where two red insects resembling longhorn beetles lay hidden underground. “Ten centimeters down,” she declared. These insects were quite skilled at hiding, choosing to remain underground. Rock Lee dug as instructed, sinking his arm deep into the earth, and completely removed the clump of dirt containing the insects. Together, they collected the two red longhorn beetle-like insects into the box.
Observing these insects, Rock Lee was amazed at how they were similar to the insects seen in the outside world yet had unique variations: “These insects are really unique. Each one has a familiar shadow, but shows completely different characteristics, like the product of genetic mutation.” He was full of praise for the wonderful changes of these red-spotted beetles and longhorn beetles.
Hinata nodded slightly and murmured in admiration, “The insects in this forest are truly unique.”
As night fell, they caught a few more unusual bugs.
“Let’s go back, Hinata. We’ll explore deeper into the forest tomorrow. Let’s leave it at that for today. We can also go and see what Kiba and Shino have gained.” Rock Lee suggested.
“Yeah.” Hinata replied softly.
They crossed the depression and returned to the pre-arranged meeting point, where Kiba and Shino arrived shortly afterwards.
“Xiao Li, how were your results this afternoon?” Ya asked curiously.
“Not bad, we found a lot of strange bugs, Shino, look, these are completely different from the bugs in the outside world.” Rock Lee said as he took out the box containing the bugs.
The insects in the box are of various shapes and colors. In addition to the two mentioned above, there are other brightly colored insects: a white mantis with pincers, a cicada with a blue body, and a beetle with blue spots, etc. There are more than ten in total, which are beautiful.
Shino took the box, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Thank you for finding so many unique insects. My collection has become richer and I’m one step closer to my goal.”
Rock Lee curiously asked, “Shino, is your goal related to collecting bugs?”
“My short-term goal is to collect a thousand uncommon insect specimens, familiarize myself with their eating habits, living patterns, and various abilities, diversify the evolutionary direction of parasitic insects, and create several evolutionary paths.” Shino said ambitiously.
In the past, the Aburame clan’s insect attack methods were indeed a bit monotonous. As time went on, people would find a way to target them sooner or later. Shino wanted to diversify the Aburame clan’s insect-controlling techniques so that they would be harder to defend against.
Shino at this moment is completely different from the taciturn Shino before, and is full of passion.
“Come on, Shino, we believe you can do it.” Hinata looked at Shino happily and said in a low voice.
“Let’s eat something quickly. Akamaru and I are starving after not eating for a day.” Kiba said.
Akamaru cooperated very well and called out twice from the side.
A few of them found a relatively hidden big tree, took out the food they brought with them, and started eating.
Chapter 100 Big Hornet (Old Version)
As the morning sun began to shine, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, Rock Lee, and Hinata ate a quick breakfast and decided to explore deeper into the depression. Kiba, holding Akamaru in his arms, curiously asked Shino about his plan.
“Shino, how are we going to get deeper into this depression today?” Ya’s voice was filled with anticipation.
“We’ll continue along yesterday’s route,” Shino replied calmly. “As we near the heart of the depression, I sense my insects are unusually active. Perhaps there lies the secret to their mutation.”
“Isn’t this a journey to find treasure? There might be a treasure in the center of the depression that can cause insects to mutate!” Ya’s eyes flashed with excitement.
Ya, who had been a bit lazy, immediately perked up at the mention of “treasure.” It seemed the lure of treasure hunting was far greater than catching bugs.
“Let’s go, maybe we can encounter an unexpected surprise.” Rock Lee encouraged.
Afterwards, Xiao Li and Hinata began their insect-catching mission, heading towards the center of the depression, while Kiba and Shino chose another path, also aiming for the core area of the depression.
As they continued to advance, the vegetation grew more lush, and the number and speed of the mutated bugs increased. Hinata activated her Byakugan and observed her surroundings carefully. From time to time, Rock Lee would catch a few bugs that hadn’t been able to hide in time, using his insect net. Their number in the collection box grew rapidly.
“Hinata, have you noticed? The further we go in, the stronger these bugs become and the faster they are. Some of them are almost as fast as me.” Rock Lee discovered the changes in the bugs while observing.
Rock Lee held the insect net tightly, and a beetle with white spots just slipped from his fingertips. The speed of its escape was so fast that even this ninja who had not yet exerted his full strength was secretly surprised.
Realizing they might encounter more aggressive bugs, the two men became more vigilant.
“Hinata, you just need to pay attention to your own safety and don’t need to chase insects anymore. Leave the rest to me.” Rock Lee reminded.
He was confident that his Golden Bell Cover was enough to defend against insect attacks, but Hinata had to be on guard.
“Got it, Xiao Li, I’ll keep an eye on it.” Hinata responded softly.
They continued to go deeper. Rock Lee’s insect catching skills were extremely proficient. Each time he swung the net, it was quick and accurate, capturing these small creatures one by one.
At this moment, a huge buzzing sound, the swaying of plants in the distance, and Ya’s cry for help broke the silence.
“Kaya and Shino may be in trouble, let’s go and check them out.” Rock Lee said, and he and Hinata hurriedly ran towards the source of the sound.
In the distance, the insect army controlled by Shino surged forward like a black torrent, fiercely defending Kiba and Shino as they engaged in a fierce battle with the poisonous wasps, whose tails flashed with a deadly blue light. The battlefield was littered with the corpses of the parasitic insects, resulting in heavy casualties, while the wasps suffered relatively minor losses.
“Hinata, stay away!” Rock Lee warned, and at the same time volunteered to rescue his trapped companions, “I will proceed with caution.”
“Be sure to be careful, Xiao Li.” Hinata’s concern was evident in her words.
Rock Lee pondered as he made preparations: “If there were a Fire Style Ninja, these hornets would be nothing to be afraid of. It’s a pity that Sasuke is not here, his Fire Style can easily wipe out these threats.” Among the Twelve Ninjas of Konoha, Sasuke is one of the few ninjas who are good at traditional Style Style, while the others are mostly known for their secret techniques or physical techniques.
He shouted to Kiba and Shino who were surrounded by hornets, “Hold on, I’m coming!” Kiba reminded him to be careful of the toxicity of the hornets, but Rock Lee seemed confident, “I will pay attention, don’t worry!”
Rock Lee decisively unsheathed his nunchakus, his movements swift and powerful, his strength and speed far surpassing previous strength. A solid, golden shield slowly formed around him. He charged at the swarming hornets, their ferocious forms rendered vulnerable to his nunchakus, crumbling and dying at the first blow. The field was soon littered with the remains of hornets.
Sensing Rock Lee’s threat, the hornet swarm quickly split up, with a large number of hornets gathering and trying to besiege him. However, Rock Lee’s nunchakus danced even faster, and his golden bell was indestructible. No matter how the hornets attacked, it was in vain.
With Rock Lee’s help, Shino’s parasites were given a respite, evolving rapidly in their battle with the wasps, gradually establishing a three to one advantage. The parasites hatched at an astonishing rate, and as long as there was enough chakra, they could be produced endlessly, while the wasps could not effectively replenish their chakra.
As time went on, Shino’s parasitic insects gradually took control of the battle, forcing back the hornet colony, and the situation gradually tilted until the hornets completely lost the ability to resist.
The hornets also realized that they could not gain the upper hand after struggling for a long time, and it was just a waste of time. They left their bodies on the ground and flew away.
As the swarm of hornets fled, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Hinata also walked over from a distance.
“You are not hurt, are you?”
Hinata looked at Kiba and Shino worriedly. They didn’t have Rock Lee’s nunchaku to protect them, and with so many wasps and parasites, it was impossible for them to defend every corner.
“When I was running just now, I was stung by these wasps on my back. Now I have no feeling at all. Can you help me see how I am?” Ya said.
Ya lifted up his shirt, revealing a red and swollen patch on his back. Rock Lee reached out and pressed it gently.
“hiss”
Ya gasped.
“It hurts when I touch it, a stinging pain. Am I poisoned?” asked Ya.
Shino observed for a while and said, “It’s okay. It’s stronger than ordinary wasps, but not fatal. I have some medicine with me. I’ll apply some medicine and it will be fine tomorrow.”
Shino took out an ointment specifically for treating mosquito bites from the ninja tool bag. This was a secret ointment of the Aburame clan, which had miraculous effects and could also effectively inhibit the toxin of this mutated wasp.
Chapter 101: Not Afraid of Poison (Old Version)
“Ya, how come you encountered so many mutated hornets?” Rock Lee asked curiously.
“That hive is so huge beyond imagination. The whole tree has been transformed into a huge hornet’s nest.” Ya described it in an incredible tone.
“These hornets are unusual. Some are even blue all over. The ones chasing us are only those with blue tails,” Shino explained.
“Hinata, you accompany Kiba to the outside of the depression to heal his wounds, and Shino and I will go to the front to find out what’s going on. This depression may be hiding a big secret. We start investigating from these hornets, and maybe we can find something.” Rock Lee suggested.
“Well, you have to be careful and not be reckless.” Kiba warned, and then left with Hinata.
Shino and Rock Lee set out on the road to the giant beehive.
“The insects here are obviously unusual. Shino, how did you know that there are mutated insects here?” Rock Lee asked.
“My ancestor was the first person to discover the mutated insects here. He recorded the information in detail in the family’s secret scroll so that future generations of the clan could study and capture these mutated insects.” Shino replied.
Perhaps Shino’s ancestors had already discovered the secret of this place, but out of respect and protection for the natural environment, they chose to keep it secret. After all, it would probably take countless years to recreate such a natural wonder.
In the Land of Fire, the skill of controlling insects to fight is mastered only by the Aburame clan, and this area has almost become their family’s private territory.
“Xiao Li, pay attention.” Shino pointed in the direction of the giant tree, “That’s the huge hornet’s nest.”
Rock Lee walked around the big tree and looked up. He saw that the beehive was huge, as high as three stories, and firmly embedded in the tree trunk.
Above the hive, swarms of blue hornets are flying busily. Among them, you can also see several unusually large blue hornets, which shuttle between the hives at an astonishing speed.
Such a dense swarm of hornets made Rock Lee dizzy, not out of fear, but because the number was too large and the constant buzzing sound was dazzling.
Considering that this honeycomb may have extremely high medicinal value, Rock Lee decided to bring it back to Konoha in case of emergency, and perhaps to help others.
“Shino, please step back. I plan to take this beehive down and bring it back to the village.” Rock Lee said resolutely.
Shino showed a look of surprise, “Xiao Li, why are you picking honeycombs?”
“This is a treasure. Such a huge honeycomb will definitely be of great benefit. If you accidentally get poisoned, it can come in handy.” Rock Lee explained.
Shino was surprised to hear this; he had never imagined a hornet’s nest could be edible. He retreated cautiously, aware of the hornets’ ferocious power. He warned Xiao Li, who was about to remove the nest, to be extremely careful. “Be careful, Xiao Li! A dense swarm of stings from these wasps could be life-threatening.” Despite his confidence in Xiao Li’s abilities, Shino couldn’t help but warn him.
Xiao Li responded confidently: Don’t worry, these little guys can’t hurt me.
As Shino gradually moved away, Xiao Li’s mind was not limited to picking honeycombs. He planned to use these hornets to temper his Golden Bell Cover, hoping that the stingers of these mutant hornets could help him reach the sixth level of the Golden Bell Cover.
Xiao Li steadily approached the massive hornet’s nest. As he approached, a swarm of wasps descended upon him like a swarm of bombers, attacking him fiercely. He quickened his pace until he reached the nest, calmly sat down, and silently began to recite the Golden Bell Cover technique. Swarms of wasps descended upon him, piercing his body with their stingers and injecting venom. From a distance, Xiao Li was covered in wasps, with many more circling around him, waiting for their chance to strike. This life-or-death training process unfolded with a thrilling intensity.
Rock Lee felt stinging pain all over his body. The pain intensified like a tide, accompanied by an indescribable numbness. It was obvious that the bee venom was wreaking havoc in his body.
At this critical moment, the Golden Bell Cover stimulates vigorous life energy, quickly heals damaged cells, and dissolves toxins into nothingness.
As the toxins in their bodies were depleted, the hornets dispersed and returned to their nests, and Rock Lee’s Golden Bell Defense slowly improved during this ordeal.
When he opened his eyes again, he found that most of the hornets had left, and the remaining ones seemed to have forgotten the previous conflict and no longer attacked, proving the short-lived nature of their memory.
Rock Lee slowly stood up, but accidentally caused the hive to become agitated, and the hornets attacked him again.
He sat down calmly and continued to practice the Golden Bell Cover. Wasps densely covered his body. Among them were several blue mutant wasps, whose stingers were particularly toxic, and they stung Rock Lee mercilessly.
The Golden Bell in Rock Lee’s body started to work rapidly, and the life energy was used to repair the damaged cells once again. At the same time, the anti-toxin effect in his body gradually became stronger. He believed that after a few more times, the toxins of these hornets would be ineffective against him.
I just felt a burning pain in my body, and the numbness subsided a lot.
Every once in a while, Rock Lee would stand up and provoke the hornets to attack him.
Now most of the hornets’ stingers are stuck in Rock Lee’s body. Many hornets can no longer cause him any harm. Others have already used up all the toxins in their bodies and are just stabbing their stingers in vain, repeating their instinctive work.
Rock Lee felt that the paralyzing effect on his body was getting smaller and smaller. In the end, these toxins had no effect on him at all.
It seems like it’s time to remove the entire beehive.
Rock Lee looked and saw the dense tail needles on his body.
“Injury gate, open.”
The Injury Gate is the fourth gate of the Eight Gates. The chakra in the body suddenly explodes from the inside out, and all the stingers on the surface of the body are expelled from the body surface and fly out.
The chakra in his body rushed upwards, dispersing all the hornets above his head. Many weaker hornets were killed by the chakra gushing from Rock Lee.
Chapter 102 It’s So Big (Old Version)
This swarm of wasps was no longer of any real benefit to him, and the hive itself was merely a vestige of his greed. His initial appetite had waned in the face of such a vast hive; no matter how delicious it was, it couldn’t compare to the nourishing qualities of beef. However, leaving such a natural hive lying idle seemed a waste. Rock Lee hatched a new plan—a psychic contract with the wasps. In the event of battle, he could summon these living weapons to the battlefield, bringing unexpected distress to his enemies.
He decided to consult Teacher Kai on the details of spiritualism upon his return and learn how to craft spiritual scrolls. For now, he would allow these little creatures to thrive here in peace. Once the contract was fulfilled, their leisurely life would come to an end.
Rock Lee continued along the circuit until he was sure the wasps were not following him, then he lifted the restrictions of the Eight Gates. Soon, he found Shino, who was concentrating on observing the mutant insects laying eggs.
“You’re back, Xiao Li. Have you picked the beehive?” Shino asked without raising his head.
“I changed my mind and don’t plan to pick the honeycombs. I plan to train them into my summoning beasts. When I encounter strong enemies during missions, these hornets can help me.” Rock Lee answered firmly.
Shino felt a bit overwhelmed by Rock Lee’s endless stream of bizarre ideas. First he wanted to try the giant honeycomb, saying it was a great tonic, then he suddenly proposed turning it into a summoned beast, a surprising turn of events.
“Rock Lee, I plan to delve into the depression and explore its secrets to find out why there are so many mutated insects,” Shino suggested. “Perhaps we can breed more powerful parasitic insects, or even induce mutations at any time to deal with various emergencies.”
“Okay, today I will accompany you to the center of the depression to see if there are any more powerful insects waiting for us.” Rock Lee agreed.
They returned to the edge of the depression and found Kiba and Hinata resting. Kiba was curious about the center of the depression and had long wanted to explore it.
“You’re back. That beehive is so spectacular. It’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen.” Ya said excitedly.
“It’s really spectacular. Ya, how’s your back injury?” Rock Lee asked with concern.
“Thanks to Shino’s ointment, I’ve almost recovered. Since you want to go to the center of the depression, I have no problem joining you!” Ya suggested.
“I also want to join your adventure.” Hinata said immediately.
So, the four of them decided to go to the center of the depression together. They chose a path different from the honeycomb, which was the same path that Rock Lee and Hinata had taken at the beginning, and embarked on a journey of adventure.
During the expedition, they discovered some uncaught mutant insects, all of which were collected into small boxes without exception.
Even Shino, who is usually serious, couldn’t help but smile when faced with these novel insects.
“Shino, just smile openly, don’t hold it back. It makes me feel bad for you seeing you like this.” Ya joked.
As Shino’s teammate, Ya knew his character very well and knew that he must be very happy inside.
After hearing what Kiba said, Shino returned to his usual serious demeanor.
Rock Lee watched from the side and couldn’t help feeling helpless, thinking that among the Twelve Warriors of Konoha, Shino’s temper was really a mystery.
As they moved towards the center of the depression, they captured strong and huge insects, some of which were even comparable to giant blue bees.
Although giant insects are not uncommon, there are even centipedes several people tall in Konoha’s Death Forest, but the insects here are not only huge in size, but they have all mutated.
The widespread mutation of insects in this area may be caused by environmental changes or turbulence in the food chain. The secret of the mutation may be hidden in the center of the depression.
As they quickened their pace, the plants around them became increasingly unusual, completely different from those in the outside world. It was obvious that no one had set foot on this land for a long time.
The footsteps of the four people caused a subtle commotion in the area. A large number of insects buzzed and fled far away. Only a few seemed to have lost their way and were easily captured by them without any precautions and placed in the boxes they carried.
Perhaps because the commotion they caused was too intense, swarms of insects continued to emerge from the grass around them and flew hurriedly to a safe place.
Rock Lee and his group of four witnessed this unexpected “migration”.
“We have to speed up, otherwise they will all escape.” Ya urged anxiously.
“There’s no need to rush, we already have enough samples,” Shino retorted.
He did not intend to catch too many insects at one time, for he was afraid that his lack of knowledge of their habits would lead to their death soon.
As they continued to move forward, they felt more and more that they were approaching the core area of the mutation, and the changes in the surrounding vegetation became more and more obvious.
The trees here are no longer ordinary. The green is mixed with sea blue, the leaves are light in color, and the trunks are unusually smooth, forming a sharp contrast with the rough bark outside.
The ordinary little grass grew into a tall and thick shape. “When we go back, let’s bring some plant samples from here and let the intelligence department analyze them to explore the root cause of these plant mutations.” Li Luoke suggested.
Although Konoha’s scientific research institutions cannot be compared with Orochimaru’s, they are much stronger than ordinary ninja villages. Perhaps we can learn something from them.
Suddenly Akamaru’s hair stood on end and he shouted towards the front.
“Something’s happening,” Ya said.
“White eyes, open”
Hinata opened her Byakugan and looked forward. Under the Byakugan’s ability to see through things, all the flowers, plants, and trees around her disappeared. Only a giant beetle remained, flying towards her.
The beetle was very fast and appeared in front of everyone when Hinata opened her Byakugan.
It was a beetle with white markings, more than three meters tall, like a giant, swooping down towards the crowd. When they got close, they could clearly hear the buzzing sound made by the rapid friction of its wings.
Rock Lee took a quick step forward, standing in front of everyone. He raised his Iron Sand Palm and began to accumulate strength, ready to strike at any moment.
There is such a big Beetle. It would be so cool if I could ride it, and my friends would pay more attention to me. This is Shino’s dream.
When he was a child, Shino often dreamed of riding a giant beetle and flying in the sky. However, this kind of giant beetle is very rare. Unexpectedly, he found one here.
Chapter 103: Mantis (Old Version)
“Let me teach it a lesson first, so that it will surrender willingly.” Rock Lee suggested.
Shino agreed, knowing that these large insects would only submit if they were completely defeated.
The huge beetle roared and rushed towards them. Rock Lee waited for the opportunity, jumped lightly, swung his right palm, and hit its back.
With a loud bang, the once invincible beetle came into close contact with the ground. It struggled to stand up, but could not withstand the power of Rock Lee’s Iron Sand Palm.
“Shino, it’s up to you from now on. Just slowly make it submit.” Rock Lee said.
As the descendant of the Aburame clan, Shino has unique skills in taming insects.
Rock Lee prepared to move on and explore the central area of the depression.
Hinata and Kiba followed closely behind, while Shino stayed behind to communicate with the bug alone.
The three of them moved quickly, and Hinata kept her Byakugan on the perimeter to prevent any sudden attacks from other insects.
In this area, the bugs have become quite aggressive, and a tall white praying mantis suddenly appears.
Its sickle is huge, with sharp barbs, flashing a cold light in the sunlight.
“Watch out for those dangerous sickles. I’ll deal with this big guy, you two stand back,” Rock Lee warned.
“Let me deal with this weak opponent,” Kiba said confidently, “Akamaru and I are enough to handle it.”
Akamaru let out a few soft barks, seemingly in agreement.
Ya followed closely behind, heading straight for the white mantis.
“Beast Ninjutsu, Beastman Clone!” he ordered.
Almost at the same moment, Akamaru transformed into a clone of Kiba and charged towards Mantis together.
“Ya Tong Ya!” they shouted in unison.
The two of them spun quickly, forming two small tornadoes that swept towards the agile mantis.
But the white mantis showed amazing agility and easily avoided this wave of attacks.
Although Yatongya’s power was unmatched, it was a little difficult to control. The two whirlwinds only stirred up dust where the mantis had originally stood, leaving a huge crater.
The mantis circled in the air, and the sickle on its chest unfolded, like the sharp blade of the god of death, slashing towards the tooth.
A cruel smile appeared on Ya’s lips. “Just in time, this actually makes it easier for me to catch you. Yatongya, attack again!”
Kiba and Akamaru leaped into the air once more, transforming into a swirling storm as they charged towards the swooping Mantis.
The two whirlwinds collided violently with the mantis’s sickle, one whirlwind hit the sickle and the other hit the mantis’s neck.
After a loud bang, the tall mantis was knocked away with great force, its huge sickle was torn apart, its neck was broken, and it finally fell to the ground and died.
“Let’s get going and keep moving forward.” Rock Lee urged.
“Xiao Li, let me lead the way today and let you open your eyes and see the latest tooth-passing device that Akamaru and I have developed.” Ya said confidently.
Li Luoke became curious. He had never heard of such a big change in Yatongya even in his previous life.
“Then be careful.” Rock Lee warned with a hint of caution.
The three of them had been walking for a while when they suddenly heard the sound of insects chirping behind them.
“Don’t panic, it’s Shino. He’s catching up on a beetle.” Hinata saw through everything with her Byakugan and said without even turning her head.
Rock Lee and Kiba looked back and saw, as expected, Shino was sitting on the back of the Beetle. Although he tried his best to remain serious, he couldn’t hide the joy on his face.
This guy must be so happy in his heart, yet he pretends to be so serious.
“Congratulations, Shino, for taming this beetle. You have become Konoha’s unique aerial force.” Rock Lee praised.
In the ninja world, there are only a few ninjas who can soar into the sky with the help of mounts, and such an advantage often leaves their opponents helpless.
“It was thanks to your help that I was able to capture Xiaojia this time. I just gave it the name Xiaojia, and it looks like a beetle,” Shino introduced.
“You’re welcome. Even without us, you will be able to tame it sooner or later.” Rock Lee said encouragingly.
“In fact, if you and Kiba hadn’t planned to go deep into the heart of the depression, we wouldn’t have run into Xiaojia. Maybe I would have returned to Konoha by now.” Shino analyzed calmly.
“You two should stop pretending. Let’s move on and explore the real secret of these insect mutations. At the same time, I’ll let you open your eyes and see the results of my recent practice.” Ya seemed a little anxious.
From Ya’s expression, Rock Lee read his true thoughts – finding out the truth about the insect mutation was secondary, his real purpose was just to show off the results of his training in front of everyone.
The four of them continued their journey, and this time it was unexpectedly smooth. No giant insects appeared to challenge them, which made Ya feel a little disappointed.
He originally wanted to show off in front of Xiao Li, but he didn’t expect Chongzi not to give him this opportunity.
“From what Xiaojia said, we can infer that the bugs here are actually very timid. Like Xiaojia and the mantis before, they saw humans for the first time and mistook us for large food, so they attacked. The other bugs hid as soon as they heard the noise.” Shino spoke at length this time, which was rare. He did not use his signature catchphrase, which made Rock Lee feel quite uncomfortable, as if there was a thorn in his heart.
“Forget it, Ya, the bugs are all hiding. There’s no need for us to find them and kill them all,” Rock Lee suggested.
“Okay, let’s spare them this time.” Ya agreed reluctantly.
In the heart of the depression, a huge pit came into view. After observing it for a moment, Rock Lee was convinced that this was the trace left by a falling meteorite.
He wondered what the difference was between this meteorite and the one found in the renowned Star Ninja Village of the Bear Country. The Star Ninja Village meteorite could help one cultivate the Peacock Second Technique, but this meteorite had such a wide reach, so its properties must be quite different.
The four of them leaped into the pit. The changes in the vegetation were particularly noticeable around them. In the center of the pit, the outline of a stone loomed. Rock Lee squatted down and personally lifted the meteorite from the dirt. The stone, barely the size of a human head, felt heavy, revealing its immense density.
The surface of the stone is black and covered with patterns, which are evidence of the intense friction with the air as it passes through the atmosphere.
Rock Lee used his keen senses gained from practicing Trinity to carefully investigate, but he did not detect any energy fluctuations on the stone. Apparently, its energy had been exhausted.
The hardness of the meteorite satisfied him. He thought to himself: his nunchaku has been scarred since the collision with Orochimaru’s Kusanagi sword. He has always wanted to replace it. Now this meteorite is just right to be mixed with fine iron to forge a brand new nunchaku.
“Look at this meteorite. Its energy has been completely exhausted. No one knows how many years it has been lying here.” Rock Lee said as he handed the meteorite to others.
Kiba, Shino and the others took it and examined it for a long time, but could not see any clues. Kiba muttered to himself in disappointment: “We spent so much time and energy, and the result is just an ordinary stone. I thought we would find some precious treasure.”
“I’m afraid this unique depression will disappear from our sight soon.” Shino said with a hint of nostalgia.
This is the place where the Aburame family has used to catch special insects for generations, but unexpectedly its fate is about to come to an end.
“Don’t be too pessimistic. The genes of these animals and plants have undergone profound changes. It will take a long time for them to return to their original state, perhaps decades or even hundreds of years. This change is slow and long-lasting. Let future generations worry about it.” Li Luoke comforted.
“Yeah, there’s no point in worrying about this now. We’ve been delayed here for too long. It’s time to go back to Konoha.” Ya reminded.
The sun had already passed its zenith. If they didn’t set off soon, they would probably have to spend the night in the wild. They quickly left the depression and set out on the road to Konoha Village.
“Xiao Li, why are you still carrying that energyless meteorite?” Ya asked curiously.
Rock Lee pulled out a pair of scratched nunchakus from his ninja tool bag and handed them to Kiba.
“I may need to reforge these two nunchakus. They are no longer strong enough to withstand harder impacts. Otherwise, they may break when we encounter a tough battle next time.” Rock Lee stroked his weapons, his tone revealing worry.
“I wish Akamaru could grow up quickly, so that I can travel on a beetle as easily as Shino.” Kiba looked at Shino’s beetle with envy in his eyes.
Four people were moving through the woods, three of them were jumping nimbly on the treetops, while the other was riding majestically on the giant beetle.
“This feeling is really wonderful. I have always dreamed of owning flying insects. I didn’t expect this dream to come true. It even feels a little unreal. When I return to Konoha, I will sign a summoning contract with Xiaojia. This way, future tasks will be much easier.” Shino’s face was filled with the joy of realizing his dream.
“Shino, congratulations on making your dream come true.” Hinata congratulated softly.
“You must be so happy. We have helped you accomplish such a big thing. When we return to Konoha, you have to treat us to a good meal.” Ya said half jokingly and half seriously.
Shino smiled and nodded. He didn’t want to be entangled by Ya over such a trivial matter.
As night fell, the outline of Konoha became clear and the village was bustling with people who had finished their day’s work and ninjas who had completed their training were enjoying their leisure time.
“Shino, where are we going to celebrate later?” Ya was very excited about the upcoming banquet. After all, it was rare for Shino to treat others, and his eating habits were very different from everyone else’s.
“Let’s go to the barbecue restaurant, Xiao Li, Hinata, don’t forget to gather at the barbecue restaurant later.” Shino said.
Rock Lee said goodbye to everyone and headed home.
Chapter 104: Orochimaru’s Worries (Old Version)
In the quiet Rock Lee’s house, he quickly showered and changed his clothes before embarking on his journey to the Konoha barbecue restaurant.
The main street of the village was bustling with people, but Rock Lee did not stop and went straight to the barbecue restaurant.
Inside the store, Shino and two other companions had been waiting for a long time, and Rock Lee was the last one to arrive.
“Xiao Li, you are finally here. Let’s start ordering food. Today is the day to celebrate Shino’s successful finding of the summoning beast Xiaojia, so we can’t be stingy.” Ya said excitedly.
“We should notify Mr. Kurenai,” Rock Lee suggested.
He felt that celebrating Shino’s achievement without the captain being present seemed incomplete.
“Teacher Hong is out on a mission and won’t be back in the short term. We’ve asked her, and she said she won’t be back in the village until two days later. When she comes back, we’ll ask Shino to treat her to another meal.” Ya answered with a hint of cunning.
Rock Lee realized that Kiba seemed to have some plans for Shino.
“He’s looking for a chance to ‘take revenge’ because I always tease him with spicy food. This time he’s definitely going to make good use of this opportunity.” Shino explained calmly, seeming to disdain Kiba’s little action.
Rock Lee laughed in silence, thinking that even Teacher Hong would be troubled by these two people’s pranks.
“Xiao Li, I didn’t expect you guys to have dinner here.”
Asuma, led by Shikamaru and two other team members, was surprised to see Rock Lee having dinner with Team 8.
“Teacher Asuma, are you planning to spend money again this time?” Rock Lee asked curiously.
Asma instantly became nervous, secretly wondering whether he should invite Xiao Li and the other four to join the dinner.
“Oh, since you are here too, why don’t we go together? I’ll treat you today.” Asma replied with a hint of helplessness.
“No, teacher, we accepted Shino’s invitation and don’t want to let him down.” Ya hurriedly explained, fearing that Asuma would misunderstand that he needed to take the responsibility as well.
Hearing this, Asuma visibly relaxed, “Shino’s treat? What’s the good news that’s got everyone so happy?”
“Yes, today I found a giant bug that helped me realize my dream of flying freely, so I wanted to invite everyone to celebrate,” Shino shared excitedly.
“Congratulations, Shino.” Shikamaru and his other companions congratulated in unison.
“You’re welcome, Mr. Asuma, how about joining us? I’ll treat everyone today.” Shino invited again.
“No need. Today is the day to celebrate the improvement of Choji’s strength. It’s not appropriate for you to spend money. We’ll get together another day.” Asuma declined politely, but in his heart he was worried that Choji and Xiao Li’s appetites would bring him financial pressure, and he also took his own face into consideration.
If word gets out that Asuma and the students are costing Shino too much money, Hong will definitely not let me off easily when she returns from her mission. We’ve been inseparable lately.
“Xiao Li, today I want to challenge you to see how big the gap between us is.” Shikamaru declared enthusiastically.
Rock Lee was too embarrassed to eat freely. After all, this was Shino’s first time hosting the party, and he had to leave a good impression on him.
“Then let’s compete again tomorrow night. I’m not very hungry now. I’ve already eaten a lot of beef jerky on the way.” Rock Lee replied.
“What a pity! I trained really hard today. This is the time when I have the best chance of surpassing you.” Shikamaru responded unwillingly.
Everyone started ordering food. Rock Lee didn’t order much. He just ordered ten servings of ox brain and ten servings of hind leg meat, plus some vegetables.
Shino wasn’t too interested in the barbecue and only ordered a few vegetables.
After trying the restaurant’s barbecue again, Rock Lee felt that the taste was clearly inferior to his own improved barbecue. After taking a bite, he found that the improved seasoning made his barbecue even better.
Choji and Kiba looked at Rock Lee and said in unison, “Lee, the barbecue you make has completely surpassed this barbecue restaurant.”
Akamaru also barked twice, seemingly agreeing with Kiba’s opinion.
At this time, the setting sun slowly sank into the horizon. In a secret underground base in the Land of Rice, Kabuto was reporting the latest situation to Orochimaru.
“Lord Orochimaru, Sasori seems to be still trying to track your movements.” Kabuto reported.
A cold light flashed in Orochimaru’s eyes. His persistence in Akatsuki was somewhat beyond his expectations. “Reveal our hiding place in the Land of Tea to them. It is indeed time to teach those self-righteous guys a lesson and let them know that I, Orochimaru, am not so easily bullied.” His words revealed a strong murderous intent, which echoed in every corner of the base.
“I understand, Lord Orochimaru. They probably want to take back the ring from you. Since Hidan has been captured by Konoha Village, there are only eight rings left in the hands of Akatsuki.” Kabuto explained.
Orochimaru’s eyes fell on the severed hand with the ring on the table. It was his shame and a symbol of his irreconcilable hatred with Uchiha Itachi.
“Want to get the ring back? It’s not that easy. Wait until Pain takes action himself, and then I’ll see the true power of the Rinnegan.” Orochimaru said coldly.
“Then when are we going to set off for the Tea Country and wait for the Akatsuki to come to us?” Kabuto asked.
“We’ll leave in two days. Tell Scorpion about the transfer. I’m going to make him suffer this time. He keeps provoking me like this. He must have forgotten how powerful I am.”
Deep down, Orochimaru’s patience with Sasori has run out. If there weren’t a few difficult characters in the Akatsuki organization, he would have killed Sasori long ago.
“Lord Orochimaru, I’m going down to contact Sasori. These two days, Kakuzu went to River Country to rob and kill Rock Lee. Rock Lee killed three of his clones, and he escaped by using earth escape.” Kabuto said.
“Well, find out more about the latest information about Akatsuki.” Orochimaru ordered casually.
“Yes, Lord Orochimaru.”
Kabuto slowly exited Orochimaru’s room.
Orochimaru didn’t expect that Rock Lee had grown so much in such a short time. Orochimaru had experienced Kakuzu’s power firsthand when he was in Akatsuki, but he didn’t expect that he almost fell into Rock Lee’s hands.
In the past, he wanted to use the black market bounty to lure Kakuzu into helping him kill Rock Lee. Unexpectedly, Kakuzu is no match for him now. If Konoha goes against the Akatsuki organization, it will make things easier for him and he won’t have to hide all day.
Orochimaru wants to add fuel to the fire between Konoha and Akatsuki so that the two can have a direct conflict, but he has no specific plan yet. Both sides are not fools and it is not so easy to provoke them.
Chapter 105: Fire Attributes (Old Version)
In a deep cave in the Land of Rivers, members of the Akatsuki organization gathered together to hold a meeting in response to Kakuzu’s call.
Illusory figures emerged in the cave one by one, and in a moment everyone was present.
“Kakuzu, why did you call us together urgently?” Pain broke the silence first.
“Oh, isn’t this Lord Kakuzu? I heard that you were once forced into a desperate situation by Rock Lee.” Deidara said sarcastically.
“How dare you, little brat!” Kakuzu shouted angrily.
“I’ve long been impatient with you, old man. It’s time for you to appreciate my masterpiece.” Deidara responded without fear.
“Enough, now is the time to discuss business, not the place for you to quarrel.” Payne immediately calmed the dispute between the two.
“Kakuzu, tell me, is there something important?” Pain asked again.
“I suggest that Afei be removed from the elite team. He is nothing but a burden. If he hadn’t deserted, Rock Lee would have been killed by me long ago.” Kakuzu was still dissatisfied with this matter.
“Please give me another chance. Next time, I will never criticize you behind your back, nor will I mention your failure to others, and I will not flee from the battlefield.” Ah Fei begged with exaggerated movements and tone.
“Hahaha!” Deidara laughed out loud, causing the anger in Kakuzu’s chest to rise even more violently.
“The power of Akatsuki is indeed tight at the moment. Once I find the right person, I will let Afei and Zetsu fight side by side. Scorpion, is the news about Orochimaru confirmed?” Pain could never get over Orochimaru’s betrayal, and he also stole the organization’s ring. If he hadn’t been good at hiding, he would have died countless times.
“I have already contacted the spy lurking around Orochimaru, and I will have news soon.” Scorpion replied calmly, “This time, I will definitely eradicate this traitor, Orochimaru.”
That joint operation with Deidara, which was defeated by Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation, became a stain that Scorpion could never wash away. Only Orochimaru’s blood could wash away his shame.
“My art longs to be released, and I will not give Orochimaru any chance to escape.” Deidara said in a firm tone.
“We can’t let Orochimaru escape again. We must find the ring to relieve the pressure of sealing the tailed beasts. At the same time, we must try to retrieve Hidan’s ring from Konoha so that Orochimaru can attend the organization’s meetings at any time and quickly find a new partner for Kakuzu.” Pain laid out the plan.
After the meeting, the members left one after another, leaving only Kakuzu and Afei in the empty cave.
“That’s great, senior. I will be able to have my own ring soon. Senior, how about you lend me your ring first, and return it immediately after I get my own ring.” Ah Fei said expectantly.
“Stay away from me. I need to find a new heart. If you dare to follow me, be careful or I will take your heart as a replacement.” Kakuzu’s tone was full of threats.
“I would never dare to follow you, please calm down, senior.” Ah Fei answered tremblingly, his fear evident in his words.
Kakuzu glanced at him and thought that this guy was probably unwilling to accept the result, but he didn’t have the energy to argue with him, so he turned around and left the base and began to wander freely between the River Kingdom and the Rain Kingdom.
All the ninjas he met along the way were not worth mentioning. Their chakra levels could not meet Kakuzu’s requirements for heart quality.
Just when Kakuzu was feeling a little bored, the sound of an explosion in the distance suddenly caught his attention, and the subsequent fire-attribute chakra fluctuations perked him up.
I happened to find a master with fire attribute. Judging from the power of the explosion, it is obvious that he is not an ordinary person.
He quickly ran towards the explosion site, intending to get the heart he loved.
As he approached, Kakuzu spotted a ninja healing himself, his opponent unrecognizable beneath his flames.
He stretched out his right hand and grabbed the ninja’s throat like lightning, leaving the other party unable to resist.
As Kakuzu approached, dense threads of Earth Resentment emerged from his body and penetrated directly into the ninja’s chest.
Then, accompanied by a slight sound, Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Thread pierced through the opponent’s chest, bringing out a beating fire-attribute heart.
Kakuzu examined the Iwagakure forehead protector the man wore, thinking to himself that this Fire Style ninja was a rare sight in this village dominated by Earth Style. But then, a heaven-sent opportunity presented itself: a wounded prey presented itself, allowing him to easily snatch another heart.
“With two more, the thunder and the wind, I can bring you, Rock Lee, a peaceful life. Once I gather what I need and find the right partner, it will be time for you to die.”
Kakuzu picked up the dead ninja and walked towards the nearest bounty exchange office.
In the five great nations of the ninja world, any ninja of some note could find their bounty on the black market. Kakuzu, with a single glance, confirmed the bounty on this ninja to be 12 million, a considerable sum for a typical jonin.
The bounties on these ordinary jonin naturally couldn’t compare to those offered to those with deep connections like Asuma, but even so, they shouldn’t be wasted. That companion named Afei might still be sitting around in the Akatsuki base, doing nothing. While the recent meeting didn’t result in his replacement, that day is surely not far off. Let Zetsu worry about how to deal with him.
Kakuzu decided to redeem the bounty first, then continue his search for the Lightning and Wind Hearts. Wind Hearts were not difficult to find in the Land of Wind and Konoha Village, but Lightning Hearts were rare and precious. If his search proved fruitless, he would likely have to travel to the Land of Lightning himself.
In Konoha Village, the sun was shining brightly. Rock Lee finished his hard training early in the morning and strolled leisurely in the village.
After Orochimaru’s destruction of Konoha Village, peace and tranquility gradually returned. The village’s artisans finished their work and returned home, while the ninjas finally enjoyed a rare moment of leisure. The alert at the Fire Nation’s border had been lifted, but the remaining ninjas maintained the necessary vigilance to prevent any sudden action from the Earth Nation.
On such a day, Mr. Kai finished his mission and returned to the village. One day, he ran into his disciple Rock Lee in the village.
“Hey, Xiao Li, how about exercising with the teacher?” Teacher Akai’s voice was full of energy.
“Teacher, you’re back just in time. I was just looking for you.” Rock Lee turned around and looked at the teacher.
“Really? As my disciple, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you can come to the teacher for help.” Akai encouraged.
“Teacher, I want to learn summoning. Yesterday I encountered a huge hornet’s nest in the wild, and I want to make it my summoning beast if possible. But I don’t know how to sign a contract with it.” Rock Lee shared his idea excitedly.
Teacher Akai was speechless for a moment. He didn’t expect Xiao Li to have such a unique idea, but soon he showed a satisfied smile.
“Very good, let’s find a quiet place and I will teach you the spiritual arts in detail. I am really happy that you have this intention. In the future, when you combine physical skills with spiritual arts, your strength will definitely be on par with my teacher.” Teacher Akai said with anticipation.
Akai’s summoned beast is rarely used. Sometimes, he only summons it when he needs to gain leverage in the air. The rest of the time, it basically just plays a supporting role.
There are not many situations where Rock Lee wants to sign a hornet’s nest. It can help him block the enemy at critical moments, but it is rarely used at other times.
Chapter 106: Instinct (Old Version)
“This is the essence of the art of summoning. You need to sign a blood contract with the hornet’s nest. When you summon, they will bring hornets to fight for you. Work hard, Rock Lee, I believe you will become a student I am proud of.” Akai’s words were full of passion.
“I will definitely not let you down, teacher. I will work tirelessly to master the art of summoning as soon as possible.” Rock Lee answered firmly.
Although his psychic skills were of limited use to him, it was still a significant growth for him. If he could skillfully use the wasps, he would surely cause considerable trouble to his enemies in battle.
Rock Lee’s control over chakra and proficiency in hand seals still need to be improved. Only through unremitting practice can he truly master the art of summoning.
“Locke Lee, if there’s nothing else to do, come and do some extreme running training with me. Youth is a passionate run. It’s the joy of challenging your limits, the pleasure of going all out, and the ecstasy of breaking through the boundaries of your body.” Teacher Kai suggested excitedly.
Rock Lee still vividly remembered the unfinished ultrarun, interrupted after only one day due to an urgent mission. Now that there were no urgent matters in the village, it was the perfect time to fully commit to completing this ultrarun challenge from Konoha to the River Country with Teacher Gai.
“Teacher, is our starting point still Konoha and the end point River Country?” Rock Lee asked expectantly.
“This time we will adjust the training route. We will start from Konoha, run all the way to the seaside, feel the vastness of the ocean, and then run along the coastline to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice, completing a circuit training. This will not only exercise our bodies, but also allow us to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Land of Fire along the way.” Teacher Kai suggested happily.
“I’m fully prepared. I’ll go home and make some simple preparations. We’ll meet at the village entrance later.” Rock Lee responded excitedly.
“Then let’s work hard together!” Teacher Kai encouraged, showing his shining white teeth.
Afterwards, Rock Lee came to the second training ground and saw Tenten practicing short weapons attentively, while Neji and Sasuke had not appeared yet.
“Tiantian, you’re training here alone,” Rock Lee greeted in a friendly manner.
Tenten sighed softly, “Yeah, Neji went to teach Hinata the Gentle Fist, and Sasuke is nowhere to be found, probably studying his Chidori again. Luckily you’re here, it’s so boring to train alone, and we haven’t sparred in ages, why not now?”
Rock Lee hesitated. He had just promised Teacher Kai that he couldn’t go back on his word. “Tiantian, I just promised Teacher Kai that we’d go on a running training run. How about you join us?” he suggested.
Tiantian seemed a little helpless, “I won’t go, you two go enjoy your run. I suddenly remembered that I have some ninja tools to sort out, I’ll be going back first.”
Tenten instantly disappeared from Rock Lee’s sight, leaving Rock Lee with a confused look on his face.
Rock Lee wondered if running required such a drastic reaction. He returned to his residence and packed beef jerky and water into his ninja bag, preparing for the upcoming four or five-day extreme run.
After finishing his preparations, he walked towards the main gate of Konoha Village, where Teacher Gai was already waiting.
“Teacher, I’m ready, let’s go.” Rock Lee reported.
“Then let’s head towards the southern seaport of the Land of Fire!” Teacher Kai responded enthusiastically.
Rock Lee began to understand the secret of Tiantian’s rapid departure. Only by maintaining that passion and perseverance can he continue to improve himself.
Akai and Rock Lee began to challenge this endurance-testing run, during which they had to solve the problems of eating, drinking water and resting while running, and even maintained running during sleep to reduce fatigue. This was undoubtedly a huge challenge to the body and mind.
This long-distance run is not about speed, but about endurance and willpower training, a kind of willpower refinement. They need to adjust their breathing rhythm while running, which is crucial to how long they can persist.
The two maintained a steady pace and embarked on this extreme running journey that could last for several days.
This extreme running training was a familiar experience for Mr. Kai; his body had long since adapted to this level of intensity. For Rock Lee, though he had challenged himself to long-distance running several times, this was his first experience sleeping while running. It was a courageous experiment.
As the afternoon progressed, the two reached the edge of the coast of the Land of Fire, paused briefly to let their souls bathe in the magnificent seascape, and then set out again on their journey towards the border of the Land of Fields.
As night falls, the moon is bright in the sky and the stars are shining brightly, running in the darkness is undoubtedly an excellent exercise for improving body coordination.
“Li, maintain your breathing rhythm, clear your mind, and focus on running. Let your body remember this rhythm,” Teacher Kai instructed. “Close your eyes and let your instinct guide you to avoid risks and bypass obstacles.”
“Yes, Master.”
Rock Lee slowly closed his eyes, his mind clear, his thoughts focused solely on running. This was his first attempt at blindfolded running.
Because he hadn’t yet formed a conditioned reflex, a small pit in front of him became an unexpected challenge. He stepped into it, and his balance was instantly shaken.
An ordinary person in this situation would have twisted their ankle or fallen to the ground. However, Rock Lee possessed extraordinary physical fitness and precise control of his body. With just a slight shake of his shoulders, he immediately regained his balance and quickly recovered his breathing from the chaos.
This is not the body’s instinct, but deliberate control. It seems that it will take time to form an instinct.
“It’s the first time, and this is a normal phenomenon. Only when you are extremely tired will your brain enter a resting state and your body’s instincts will be easily revealed. Believe in yourself, this is youth.” Teacher Kai said passionately.
After listening to Teacher Kai’s excited speech, Rock Lee instantly became energized, and the fatigue from a whole day of running disappeared without a trace.
I could only open my eyes helplessly and let fatigue activate my body’s instincts.
By midnight, Teacher Kai had already started running with his eyes closed. Rock Lee observed quietly. Whenever an obstacle appeared in front of him, Teacher Kai’s body would automatically react when it touched the obstacle.
The body automatically jumped up or dodged to the side, and the breathing frequency did not change from beginning to end. Rock Lee was amazed. It seemed that he still had a long way to go before he could reach the level of Teacher Akai.
Rock Lee closed his eyes again, clearing his mind, and waves of fatigue hit his brain one after another.
Chapter 107 What a coincidence (old version)
Under the cover of darkness, Rock Lee and Might Guy kept their eyes closed, still running resolutely down the road. Their bodies seemed to possess a consciousness of their own, instinctively avoiding every obstacle, maintaining a steady pace. As they ran, Rock Lee entered a state of half-sleep, half-wakefulness, his breathing steady, as if he were traveling through a hazy dream.
As the morning light quietly descended, the two slowly opened their eyes. Rock Lee felt clear-headed, but his body still felt heavy, his limbs aching from not eating for so long. He pulled some beef jerky from his backpack and shared this simple supply with Might Guy. “Teacher, eat some of this to regain your strength.”
Rock Lee devoured the beef jerky, utilizing the enhanced digestive abilities gained through his Golden Bell Guard training to rapidly convert the food into the energy his body needed. This energy, like a spring of fresh water, nourished his weary limbs, easing the aches and pains and providing him with the strength to continue. As he consumed the beef jerky, Rock Lee gradually regained his strength, ready to face new challenges.
At the edge of the Land of Rice, two ninjas had already completed more than half a lap of their extreme running training. They nodded to the ninja guarding the border and continued their long run. Since the changes in Konoha Village, the vigilance here has never been relaxed, and they are always on guard against the movements of the Sound Village.
They had started from Konoha, crossed the coast, and were now speeding towards the border of the Land of Rice. Once they returned to Konoha, their first extreme running training circuit would be completed.
At the same time, Sasori and Deidara were heading to Kabuto Yakushi’s secret intelligence point. In a withered forest in the Land of Fields, they followed the instructions to find a specific tree that contained the message and took out the information from it.
Scorpion unfolded the note and learned of Orochimaru’s latest movements—he had gone to the Land of Tea. “We must leave immediately,” Scorpion said decisively, “otherwise he might move again, and it will be difficult for us to track him.”
Deidara expressed dissatisfaction with this, believing that Orochimaru’s actions were too secretive: “This guy is like a snake, wandering around the ninja world, making it difficult to predict.”
They set out on a journey to the Land of Tea. The land route would have required passing through the Land of Fire, while the sea route was too circuitous. Sasori calmly instructed, “Deidara, use your clay bird to quickly take us to the Land of Tea. We must arrive before Orochimaru makes his move.” He usually disliked riding Deidara’s clay bird, as it would cause Deidara to become complacent and talk about his artistic masterpieces, which annoyed Sasori greatly.
Deidara reached into his ninja tool bag, and the clay quickly formed into a small bird in his palm. With a delicate hand seal, the bird expanded rapidly. Together, they leaped onto the clay bird’s back, and the miraculous creation took flight, swiftly crossing the border of the Land of Fire.
Soon, they spotted Rock Lee and Might Guy running across the Land of Fire. “Scorpion-senpai, those two are Rock Lee and Might Guy. Why don’t we take them down while we can? Itachi and Kisame failed to capture Rock Lee, and Kakuzu suffered a loss. If we can defeat them, let’s see if they dare to act so arrogantly in our presence again,” Deidara said arrogantly, as if Might Guy and Rock Lee were insignificant.
“Let’s focus on dealing with Orochimaru first. Once we get into a battle with the Konoha ninjas, subsequent reinforcements will continue to pour in, and things will become extremely difficult. After we get rid of Orochimaru, we will settle the grudges with these two people.” Scorpion suggested coldly.
“Okay, senior, but since we have met, I have to show some appreciation.” Deidara responded.
As soon as he finished speaking, he reached into his ninja tool bag and stuffed explosive clay into the small mouths. He chewed it continuously, quickly shaping explosive insects in his palms. Deidara controlled the clay bird under his feet to accelerate its flight until it was above Rock Lee and Might Guy, and then threw the explosive insects in his hand.
Rock Lee and Teacher Gai looked up and saw Scorpion and Deidara on the clay bird, and they understood.
“Teacher Gai, they are members of the Akatsuki organization. It is really unexpected that they dared to launch a surprise attack in the Land of Fire.” Rock Lee analyzed.
“These guys usually hide themselves, but now they dare to show up openly. We have to teach them a lesson.” Teacher Kai said resolutely.
“Rock Lee, let me show you with your own eyes what Master Deidara is capable of!” Before he finished speaking, Deidara threw down many white insects.
“Teacher Kai, be careful! Those are detonating clays and are about to explode.” Rock Lee warned in time.
The two immediately leaped backwards to avoid the explosion attack launched by Deidara.
The insects did not explode when they fell to the ground. Instead, they quickly jumped towards the people, trying to jump onto them and explode.
The bird in the sky quickly flew away, and Deidara on it made a seal with one hand, “Art is explosion, haha”
The insects on the ground exploded one after another. Rock Lee and Might Guy retreated quickly. The ground was blown away and splashed in all directions. Smoke and dust covered a large area of forest. The surrounding trees were smashed into pieces by the shock wave.
When the smoke and dust cleared, a big hole formed on the ground. Rock Lee looked up at the sky again, but there was no trace of Scorpion and Deidara.
“The Akatsuki organization is truly despicable. They actually launched a surprise attack like this. They’re lucky they ran away so quickly.”
Rock Lee was disgusted by Deidara. The two were doing running training when Deidara suddenly flew over, threw a few bombs, and ran away.
“I guess they’re not targeting us. They might be passing by here and just dropped the bomb to greet our big brother. It would be best if they can injure us, but it doesn’t matter if they can’t.” Teacher Kai analyzed calmly.
Chapter 108 Turtle (Old Version)
Rock Lee rarely witnessed Teacher Kai calmly analyzing the enemy, but he had already developed a deep resentment towards Deidara in his heart.
He secretly made up his mind that when he met this guy in the future, he would make him suffer.
Considering Deidara’s domineering nature, in addition to using lightning techniques, perhaps carrying a powerful power source is also the only option to fight against his explosive clay.
“Teacher Gai, we have to return to Konoha immediately. We must inform the Hokage about this matter, and they are very likely to launch a surprise attack on Konoha.” Rock Lee suggested.
Judging from Deidara’s flight trajectory, there is indeed a risk of passing by Konoha. Given his arrogance, he might really drop a few bombs by the way.
“We must get back as soon as possible.” Teacher Kai ordered.
The two then ran towards Konoha at full speed. Teacher Kai also summoned a small ninja turtle and handed it a note with a message.
Teacher Kai gently threw the Ninja Turtle to the ground, “Go, find the Hokage!”
After landing, the Ninja Turtle bounced up quickly, jumping at an astonishing speed, and soon disappeared from their sight.
“I believe that Lord Hokage will make all preparations. If Akatsuki dares to attack, they will not be able to escape easily.” Teacher Kai said confidently.
“Teacher, this Ninja Turtle is also your summoning beast, right?”
Rock Lee was shocked by the power of the summoned beast displayed by Teacher Gai. He originally thought that Teacher Gai only had an ordinary giant turtle, but he did not expect that there was such a fast elastic turtle.
“Haha, that’s the bouncy turtle from the Ninja Turtles clan. Its speed is perfect for delivering urgent messages.” Teacher Kai explained.
Rock Lee understood the message and realized that any psychic group should not be underestimated. Even seemingly useless summoning beasts can be very effective at critical moments.
“Senior Scorpion, we are about to arrive at the Konoha Ninja Village. Why not launch a surprise attack?” Deidara suggested excitedly.
“Are you trying to expose our whereabouts and ruin Orochimaru’s plan?” Scorpion retorted coldly.
In Scorpion’s eyes, many of Deidara’s actions seemed reckless, and he had to remind the young man from time to time not to be too impulsive and take risks.
“Don’t be angry, Brother Scorpion, I will change direction and avoid Konoha.” Deidara adjusted the course of the clay bird, bypassed Konoha, and continued to head towards the Land of Tea.
He secretly swore in his heart that he would let Scorpion see his artistic power and prove his worth in front of Orochimaru later. Then he would see if Scorpion could still be so arrogant. Deidara made up his mind.
In the Hokage’s office, Tsunade was concentrating on reviewing a mountain of documents, the seal in her hand falling mechanically and skillfully. These documents had already been strictly screened by her subordinates and there were few errors.
However, at this moment, Tsunade suddenly stopped what she was doing and dodged a fast-moving green shadow. The shadow was like an arrow shot from a bow, darting between the transparent glass windows and bouncing non-stop.
“What is that?” Jingyin asked in surprise. She was quite amazed by the bouncing ball-like creature in front of her.
Tsunade’s eyes were sharp, and she accurately struck at the moment the shadow paused, capturing it in her palm. She opened her palm and saw a miniature turtle with a piece of paper tightly clenched in its mouth.
“An urgent message?” Tsunade muttered to herself, deftly taking the note from the turtle’s mouth.
The handwriting on the note was conspicuous: “The Akatsuki organization may launch an air raid on Konoha. Please be on high alert, Hokage.”
She handed the note to Shizune and asked, “Do you know who is sending this message?” Tsunade looked at the little turtle, but could not find any related memories in her mind. Such turtle communicators were rare in Konoha.
“Immediately call all the jonin to a meeting, issue an air raid alert, notify all relevant personnel, and activate the public evacuation plan.” Tsunade gave the order quickly.
“Yes, Hokage-sama, but what if this is just a prank, or false information?” Shizune questioned.
Tsunade responded firmly: “Whether it is true or not, we must ensure the safety of Konoha and cannot slack off in the slightest.”
“Ensure the safety of the villagers and act immediately. If the enemy does not appear, just treat this as a combat drill.” Tsunade instructed seriously.
For her, protecting every villager in Konoha is the mission passed down by successive Hokage, and she will never allow any threat to undermine this peace.
Shizune acted quickly, heading to the intelligence department and issuing an order for the jonin to assemble via the communication hawk, while also sounding an air raid siren to alert all ninjas.
Kakashi was explaining the Chidori technique to Sasuke when he suddenly noticed the messenger hawk in the sky and the emergency signal it brought.
“Sasuke, be alert for air raids. I have to attend the emergency meeting of the Jonin right away.” As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi’s figure was already moving rapidly towards the Hokage Building.
Sasuke realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly returned to the village. Standing on a tall building, he looked around. He saw that many ninjas were already in position, ready to fight, and those crossbows with detonating tags were clearly pointing to the sky.
Faced with the impending threat, Neji and Tenten quickly joined in preparations for battle.
“It wasn’t long since Orochimaru’s attack, and now someone wants to challenge us again. This time, we have to make them suffer.” Tenten clenched her fists while taking out two carefully prepared scrolls from her tool kit.
“This is filled with kunai with explosive tags, which will definitely inflict heavy damage on the enemy.”
Sasuke and Neji looked at Tenten. They didn’t expect that Tenten was so tough. He was completely different from his usual gentle and cute self.
“What are you two looking at me like that?” Tenten was irritated by the looks of Sasuke and Neji.
“It’s nothing, I just didn’t expect you to be so well prepared, even thinking of the enemies in the air.” Neji said.
“Of course,” Tiantian said proudly.
In the Hokage’s office, most of Konoha’s Jonin had arrived, and Tsunade took out the little turtle.
“Does anyone know this little turtle? Whose summoning beast is it?” Tsunade asked.
“Lady Tsunade, this is Akagi’s communication turtle. He won’t use it unless there is an emergency. Could it be that Akagi was the one who tipped off us about this enemy?” Kakashi asked.
As Kaga’s eternal rival and friend, Kakashi can be said to be the one who knows Kaga best in the entire Konoha. Being able to allow him to use the emergency communication turtle is definitely not a trivial matter.
Tsunade handed the note brought by Turtle to Kakashi, “Akagi said that Akatsuki might attack Konoha from the air. So it seems that he was attacked by Akatsuki. I guess they might be coming towards Konoha.” Tsunade said.
Chapter 109 Clay, Snake, and Puppet (Old Version)
“Immediately pass instructions to all garrisons in Konoha, closely monitor the movements of Akatsuki, cancel the original organization, and immediately deploy a defense line on the high ground of the entire village. If Akatsuki dares to attack, they must see that they are in a desperate situation from which they cannot escape.” Tsunade ordered firmly.
On weekdays, Tsunade may seem casual and addicted to drinking and gambling, but when faced with major events, her wisdom and decision-making ability are immediately revealed. Looking across the five major countries, few can match her.
The senior ninjas in the Hokage’s office acted quickly and rushed to various strategic heights in Konoha to deploy defenses. At the same time, the liaison team also contacted the ninjas responsible for daily patrols.
At noon, although there was no air raid from Akatsuki, the patrol team brought news that two Akatsuki members were flying towards the Tea Kingdom on a white bird.
Tsunade took a deep breath, her tension easing. Although Konoha wasn’t afraid of an attack from the Akatsuki organization, they had just recovered from Orochimaru’s conspiracy and the village had only recently been rebuilt. If they were hit again, all their efforts would be in vain.
It is said that Deidara is the only one who can create this white bird. Although the information obtained from Hidan is limited, the general ability of each member of the organization is already known.
As a former member of the Iwagakure Village’s demolition team, Deidara is famous for his clay bombs. Once a battle is triggered in the village, the damage to the village will undoubtedly be catastrophic.
“Convey the order immediately and lift the current alert, but strengthen the village’s air defense deployment to prevent possible future attacks by flying ninjas.” Tsunade gave the order to Shizune.
“Understood. I will notify all ninjas immediately and ensure safety measures at their respective posts.” Shizune quickly left the Hokage’s office to carry out Tsunade’s instructions.
“Brother Scorpion, after we deal with Orochimaru, we will launch another more fierce attack on Konoha and let the entire ninja world see the true strength of Akatsuki.” Deidara suggested.
“Shut up! Do you want your organization to become the public enemy of the entire ninja world so quickly? Orochimaru is already the target of everyone’s condemnation.” Scorpion scolded.
“Hmph, one day, I will let everyone witness the brilliance of my Deidara art.” Deidara insisted.
The Tea Country is a peninsula country that does not have its own ninja village and has long relied on the Fire Country, especially Konoha, for various tasks.
According to the coordinates provided by Kabuto, Sasori and Deidara headed towards Orochimaru’s hiding place.
“Let’s land here. Flying in the sky will attract too much attention. The patrolling ninjas of Konoha may easily spot us, which will alert Orochimaru. We must be on guard.” Scorpion suggested.
This was just Scorpion’s perfunctory words to Deidara. In fact, he was just tired of Deidara’s nagging. It was not convenient to teach him a lesson in the air. Once they landed, if he continued to talk nonsense, Scorpion would make him understand that only eternal art is supreme.
Deidara controlled his white bird and slowly landed in the open area of the Tea Country Forest. He and his partner Sasori jumped off the ground together. They headed towards the desolate and barren hills. The hills seemed seamless, like a solid barrier cast by nature.
“Could this mountain be hiding Orochimaru’s secret lair? Since there’s no door to get in, I’ll use the art of explosion to clear the way.” Deidara’s tone revealed confidence.
He always seizes any opportunity to show his explosive talent, which sometimes makes Scorpion feel quite a headache.
A small white snake peeked out from the distance, glanced at the two of them, and then dived underground, apparently to inform Orochimaru.
Immediately afterwards, countless small snakes emerged from all directions and attacked Scorpion and Deidara like a tide. They were so fast that their tails bounced off the ground, making them unstoppable.
“With so many snakes, what should we do, Scorpion-senpai?” Deidara asked as he quickly took action and threw several explosive insects made of clay at the snake group.
As Deidara shouted, the insects caused a series of violent explosions among the snakes, dust flew, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the little snakes were blown to pieces.
“Our whereabouts have been exposed. These snakes are Orochimaru’s eyes and spies, responsible for monitoring this area. Now, we have no choice but to break through by force.” Scorpion analyzed calmly.
Under the puppet shell of Scorpion, the metal tail swept across the group of snakes in front of him like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. The few unfortunate snakes that escaped were firmly nailed by the poisonous needles shot from his mouth and could not move.
During this massacre, Sasori fought alongside Deidara, who continuously threw clay-made exploding insects. The explosions were repeated one after another, and a cloud of dust filled the air.
A white snake quietly moved across the ground and arrived at Orochimaru’s secret hiding place. It climbed lightly onto his shoulder and hissed softly, conveying the message.
Orochimaru had a sly smile on his face, “Looks like this troublemaker pair has finally arrived, it’s time to teach them a lesson.
“Kabuto, send out our yet-to-be-revealed, genetically perfectly compatible human-insect army to teach them a lesson and wear down their strength. Keeping these in stock at the base is a waste of space.”
“Understood, Lord Orochimaru,” Kabuto replied, a cunning look flashing across his face. “I hope this time I can keep Sasori and Deidara in the Land of Tea forever, inflicting a heavy blow on the Akatsuki organization so that they will never dare to have any improper thoughts about you, Lord.”
Kabuto’s inner fear and hatred for Scorpion are intertwined, but Orochimaru has lifted the curse Scorpion had cast on him, and now he is free from Scorpion’s control. Orochimaru can finally unfold his conspiracy against the Akatsuki, using Scorpion to spread false information and use Akatsuki to complete tasks that he is not suitable to personally perform.
He went down and released the human-insect army. These monsters were all wearing heavy armor. Although their attacks were not very powerful, their defense was extremely strong. Moreover, Lord Orochimaru had integrated a small amount of cloned cells of Hashirama Senju into them.
Although the clones do not have as strong vitality as the originals and their lifespan is extremely short, this is their fate.
Even if it consumes a little more enemy chakra, it is worth dying. These monsters are now cannon fodder, and they are used to consume the enemy at critical moments.
Dou walked in the dark underground base. From the depths of the base, he could hear the constant roars of monsters.
“It seems these guys are getting a little impatient. It’s better for you to go and serve Lord Orochimaru than to starve to death here.” Kabuto said to the monsters in the dark as he walked.
Ever since Orochimaru abandoned the human-insect army, these monsters have not been fed and have been trapped in this small base waiting to die. Now, hearing Kabuto’s footsteps, they all started roaring.
Kabuto turned on the light in the corridor and looked ahead through the steel fence. A huge cave appeared in front of him, and six huge insects covered in heavy black armor appeared.
Chapter 110: Akatsuki and the Snake (Old Version)
The six trapped monsters roared furiously before Kabuto Yakushi, eager to break free and pursue the long-awaited food. They were starving, and if they were left without food, they would likely resort to cannibalism. These creatures were locked tightly within Orochimaru’s spell, unable to escape the confines of this cave.
“Go and eliminate these foreign invaders and prove your worth to Lord Orochimaru. If you perform well, perhaps Lord Orochimaru will consider using your power again.” Kabuto ordered ruthlessly with a sneer on his face.
His eyes were like ice, devoid of any emotion, as he stared coldly at the monsters. After forming a seal, Kabuto untied their bonds, and the monsters burst out from the hole in the wall.
These creatures had lost their humanity, their only instinct remaining to kill and devour. Their mouths gaped, saliva dripping from their mouths, and a foul stench filled the air. Freed, the monsters swiftly climbed to the cavern’s ceiling, their sharp claws easily carving tunnels through the solid rock. In a flash, they vanished from Kabuto’s sight, carrying out their mission.
“Everyone, offer your last loyalty to Lord Orochimaru. You are no longer of any value. I hope you can teach those two arrogant people from Akatsuki an unforgettable lesson.” Kabuto sneered, turned and walked towards Orochimaru’s laboratory, ready to report the situation.
Orochimaru patted the white snake on his shoulder and ordered gloomily: “Continue to follow the two members of the Akatsuki organization. After they have dealt with the six bugs, come back and report to me.”
The white snake slowly inhaled and exhaled its tongue, sliding down Orochimaru’s shoulder and sinking into the wall, disappearing without a trace. “I hope these abandoned children can cause some trouble for those two,” Orochimaru thought to himself, knowing that the members of the organization were all difficult to deal with, and those six mindless insects probably wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer.
Outside, the slaughter between Scorpion and Deidara continued unabated, with explosions ringing out one after another. “Hmph, I’ve already used up a lot of my explosive clay before even meeting Orochimaru. Today I’ll make him see my true strength,” Deidara said, sounding a bit impatient.
Deidara felt his art was being insulted by the constant battles with the snakes, and anger rose within him. He began infusing the clay insects with higher-quality chakra, increasing the destructive power of their explosions. The snakes were quickly annihilated. Meanwhile, Scorpion increased the speed of his metal tail’s swings, engaging in an even more intense battle.
The two men’s original target on this trip was Orochimaru, but they never expected to be slowed down by these troublesome little snakes, and they felt anxious.
Those little snakes that were once fearless of death suddenly gave up their attack, hurriedly retreated back underground, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
“See, you ran away as fast as Orochimaru, and my work of art didn’t even have time to shine its brightest.” Deidara said sarcastically.
“Stop talking nonsense, the situation has changed.” Scorpion was extremely annoyed by Deidara’s chattering. He even wanted to transform this long-winded artist into his own human puppet and make him silent forever.
Before he could finish his words, the ground began to shake, accompanied by a low rumbling sound, and a huge creature was approaching rapidly from underground.
With a loud “boom”, six huge insects three meters tall broke out of the ground and pounced towards Scorpion and Deidara.
These giant beasts are covered in thick shells that shine with an eye-catching luster.
A giant beast waved its huge claws, with smelly saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth, and every opening and closing of the claws was accompanied by a horrifying “click” sound.
It aimed at Deidara, intending to split him in two.
Another spider-like monster spewed out a metallic spider web, trying to trap the two of them. It was obvious at a glance that the spider silk was extremely tough.
The six huge monsters showed their fighting stances one after another and launched a fierce attack on Scorpion and Deidara.
“Scorpion-senpai, aren’t these disgusting bugs the same monsters Orochimaru used to attack the various ninja villages? I never thought we’d one day have to help the Five Nations clean up these remaining pests,” Deidara said sarcastically. As a member of Akatsuki, a group designated a terrorist organization by many nations, he found this move quite ironic.
“Our goal is to make Orochimaru show up and take back the ring. These are just tools he created. If we want to force him to reveal his true identity, we must show our true strength. Get rid of these guys quickly.” Scorpion responded in a low voice.
Scorpion took out a scroll and unfolded it, revealing the character “three” painted on it.
“now!”
As the smoke dissipated, the human puppet of the Third Kazekage appeared next to Scorpion.
“Since Brother Scorpion has shown off the Third Kazekage’s killer move, I will let these clowns see Uncle Deidara’s art!” Deidara said arrogantly, looking down on the monsters in front of him.
Deidara reached into the bag of ninja tools at his side, and the clay in his hand disappeared as if swallowed. After some kneading, he put his hands together and a small model of a two-winged flying dragon took shape. He threw the model to the ground, and with a puff of white smoke rising, a huge flying dragon appeared before the two of them.
Scorpion controlled the Third Kazekage and sent out a large amount of iron sand floating in the air. The iron sand combined with each other in the air and soon formed a bunch of irregular sharp iron sand.
“Sand, Iron and Stone Rain”
Iron sand flew towards the six monsters at a very fast speed.
“Bang, bang, bang”
The outer shell of the six-headed monster flashed with cold light, and the iron sand hitting it made a sound of metal colliding. Some of the iron sand was bounced off by the hard shell, while some was embedded in the thick shell, which did not cause much damage to the six-headed monster.
“These guys seem to have thick shells, but they are useless in front of the Third Kazekage.” Scorpion said calmly.
The Third Kazekage is known as the strongest Kazekage in history, how could he be stopped by a few bugs?
“Sand Iron Knot Attack”
The iron sand floating in the air quickly gathered towards the center, gathering more and more, and gradually a huge rectangular block made of iron sand took shape.
The huge rectangle shines with a black luster, giving people the feeling that it is indestructible.
“Hey, Brother Scorpion, you can’t kill them all. You must leave two for me so that my C2 Flying Dragon can warm up.” Deidara said quickly.
Chapter 111 Departure (Old Version)
Under the control of the puppet of the third generation Kazekage, the huge rectangular object poured down from the sky, carrying the force of thunder and lightning, and violently hit the behemoth on the surface.
The monster sensed the fatal threat, and with its huge claws under its belly, it quickly dragged its body backwards, trying to avoid the fatal blow from the sky.
However, its speed was ultimately unable to surpass the agile ninjutsu performed by the three Kazekages. The heavy rectangle accelerated its fall and hit the monster like a meteorite.
With a deafening crash, the huge black insect was driven deep into the ground by the rectangular block made of iron sand. The surface of the ground was torn like thin paper, leaving behind a rectangular abyss.
At the bottom of the pit, the insect roared in pain. Its sturdy shell was full of cracks and green slime kept oozing out.
Despite this, the insect had not yet died. It struggled to stand up and slowly recovered with the power of the fake Hashirama Senju cells in its body.
But this recovery process consumes the insects’ own vitality. Once it is exhausted, only exhaustion and death await them. This is their fate, burning their lives to the last moment in battle.
“It seems that Orochimaru has done something to these insects.” Scorpion watched the insects’ revival coldly and commented indifferently.
Immediately afterwards, the rectangle in the air fell rapidly again, launching a new round of attacks on the insects.
The ground shook more and more violently, and the insect’s solid shell shattered in an instant. The exposed flesh was ruthlessly flattened by the terrifying power of the rectangle, and it completely lost its breath of life.
The C2 flying dragon bomb that Deidara carefully prepared was ready. Its tail trembled slightly, releasing a mini flying dragon, which followed the trajectory of the large flying dragon and rushed straight towards the spider-shaped monster.
Faced with the continuously ejected sticky spider webs and the spider’s rapidly changing position, the mini dragon demonstrated amazing tracking ability, easily passing through numerous obstacles until it reached the spider’s abdomen, causing a violent explosion.
With a loud bang and blazing flames, the huge spider was blown high into the air. Obvious cracks appeared on the hard shell of its abdomen, and several spider legs broke off and disappeared in the explosion.
The c2 flying dragon continuously spewed out small flying dragon bombs, pouring down on the fallen spider like a rainstorm. The explosions came one after another, echoing throughout the battlefield. Deidara laughed loudly in the smoke.
He released all the anger he had previously felt towards the little snake through this violent explosion and felt extremely refreshed.
“It’s not so easy to escape from my bomb. Orochimaru can only hide underground and send these trash to die.” Deidara said sarcastically.
The spider’s body was covered with more and more cracks, and finally its hard shell completely collapsed. It was blown into a bloody mess by Deidara’s bomb, leaving no trace of its body.
Then, the huge rectangle in the air slowly dissipated, and the iron sand gathered again like clouds, quickly forming a huge cone.
“Our previous tactics weren’t ideal against these armored monsters. Switching to cones might help us speed things up.”
After a long run, Rock Lee and Might Guy finally arrived at Konoha Village. Seeing that there was nothing unusual in the village, their nervousness was relieved.
They headed towards the Hokage’s office and ran into Neji and his group on the way.
“Teacher Gai, Rock Lee, you are back safely. We have just canceled the air raid alert and the enemy has not launched an attack.” Neji reported the situation to them.
“You guys continue with your patrol duties. Xiao Li and I have important matters to attend to in the Hokage’s office,” Mr. Gai instructed.
Afterwards, Mr. Gai and Rock Lee said goodbye to Neji and the others and continued on their way to their destination.
In the Hokage’s office, Rock Lee recounted their encounter with Deidara to Tsunade in detail.
Tsunade revealed: “According to reports from ninjas in various places, two members of Akatsuki are heading to the Land of Tea. What do you think is their purpose?” There was confusion in her voice.
“The Tea Country is poor in resources and doesn’t even have a ninja village. The Akatsuki organization is willing to take the risk of traveling through the Fire Country. They must have some major plans,” Rock Lee analyzed.
The Tea Country has never been affected by the war, and Akatsuki is known for accepting wartime commissions from smaller nations. If this isn’t an internal matter, perhaps they’ve learned Orochimaru is hiding there and are hunting him down,” Rock Lee speculated.
Considering that Akatsuki usually avoids going deep into big countries, this time they crossed the Land of Fire and headed straight for the Land of Tea. Their target was obviously Orochimaru, after all, he was once a member who escaped from Akatsuki.
“This inference is reasonable. Immediately notify Kakashi to lead the Gai Squad, the Asuma Squad and the Yuhi Kurenai Squad to quickly go to the Tea Country for investigation.” Tsunade gave the order decisively.
Rock Lee and Might Guy hurried back home to prepare. Rock Lee changed into casual clothes and brought beef jerky with him to replenish his energy on the road. At the same time, he did not forget to pack several kunai with detonating tags into his ninja tool bag and hurried to the village entrance.
About twenty minutes later, Konoha’s elite troops were assembled. Except for Naruto who was training with Jiraiya, the other twelve members were all present. Even Sakura, a medical ninja, was assigned by Tsunade to join the team.
Kiba confidently declared, “I never thought we could work together again. This time, we’ll make sure the Akatsuki members have nowhere to escape.”
“Now that everyone is here, let’s set off. We may encounter Akatsuki or Orochimaru in this operation. If a battle breaks out, you must be sure to protect yourself.” Kakashi said seriously.
The group quickly left the main gate of Konoha and headed towards the Land of Tea at high speed.
Rock Lee took out a bag of beef jerky, threw it to Teacher Kai, opened a bag himself and started eating.
The entire team maintained a high-speed marching posture, and Kakashi began to explain to everyone the fighting methods of the two members of the Akatsuki organization.
“The two Akatsuki members we are pursuing this time are Scorpion, a renegade ninja from the Sand Village. He is famous in the ninja world for his puppets and is a genius puppeteer from the Sand Village. He is also very likely skilled in using poison, which is also a habit of most puppeteers in the Sand Village.
There is also a former member of the Iwagakure Village’s demolition team, Deidara, who is arrogant and good at making various types of bombs. He is very difficult to deal with. However, since he is from Iwagakure, the bombs he uses are most likely detonating clay. We can use Lightning Release to deal with him when the time comes.
Specific tactics will be formulated based on the situation on the scene after the enemy is discovered. It is too early to formulate tactics now.”
Kakashi briefly explained the information about Sasori and Deidara so that everyone would have an idea.
Chapter 112: Art is Explosion (Old Version)
“We are about to enter the border of the Tea Country. Everyone should be vigilant and the reconnaissance team should concentrate on finding any possible clues.” Kakashi reminded everyone seriously.
Akatsuki was known for its high-profile activities, and they would never deliberately conceal their whereabouts. Shino released a swarm of parasites, which took off to capture any traces of Akatsuki. In the ninja world, the ability to fly was rare, and parasites were already familiar with the scent of common birds, able to automatically select them.
There is a little bit of show-off hidden in Shino’s introverted character. He skillfully summons the spirit beast Xiaojia, flies on it, and commands the parasitic insects to search in the air.
Ya scoffed at this, “This guy is showing off again.”
Kurenai Yuhi smiled. “Shino’s summoning beast is truly impressive. I’ve only been away for a few days, and you’ve already made such progress. I remember Shino always dreaming of having a large bug that could take him flying, and I never thought it would become a reality so soon.”
Yuhi Kurenai had just hurried back this morning and had not yet reunited with her disciples when she heard the news of the emergency gathering of the senior ninjas.
Ya added without missing an opportunity, “That was caught with the help of Xiao Li, Hinata and me. Shino even treated us to barbecue to celebrate. Teacher, Shino said he would treat us again when you come back.” A hint of anticipation flashed in his eyes, and he obviously wanted to take the opportunity to make Shino spend some money.
“Shino has accomplished his dream. As a teacher, I am extremely pleased. After the mission is over, I will treat everyone to a feast.”
Yuhi Hong saw through Ya’s heart, but chose to remain silent. She believed that small frictions between companions could sometimes deepen their friendship.
Soon, a parasitic insect flew to Shino and delivered important information.
“Follow my bug,” Shino instructed, letting Xiaojia land on the ground. “It will take us to our destination.”
As Shino’s parasitic insect flew towards the interior of the Tea Country, the group followed closely behind.
On a small hill in the Land of Tea, Scorpion, Deidara and the insects created by Orochimaru fought a fierce battle, but the battle was a one-sided massacre.
Of the six insects covered in shells, only two are still alive. Scorpion’s powerful iron sand cone ninjutsu is too sharp. Every time the sharp cone falls, it can easily penetrate a bug.
“Senior Scorpion, leave the remaining two to me. You have already dealt with three.” Deidara requested somewhat unhappily.
He was so intent on showcasing his artistry that the bugs were blasted to pieces. By the time he came to his senses, Scorpion had already silently dispatched two more. Even the bugs with formidable defenses were powerless against the massive cone of sand and iron attack created by the Third Kazekage’s ninjutsu.
“How can a moment of splendor be compared with an eternal masterpiece?” Scorpion glanced at Deidara with contempt and said disdainfully.
Deidara’s anger erupted like a volcano, instantly surging in his heart, “You will regret questioning my ultimate creation. I will let you witness the true power of art.”
Unable to suppress the anger in his heart, Deidara grabbed the clay from the tool kit, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to chew it feverishly.
“Scorpion, you’d better back off to avoid being hurt by the ultimate level of my art,” he warned in a arrogant tone.
This guy actually didn’t hesitate to use self-destruction to show his art. Scorpion thought in his heart that although he could distinguish between the clones and the real body scattered around, the expansion in front of him undoubtedly foreshadowed the impending destruction.
He retreated quickly. Even though his puppet’s shell was extremely hard, it would inevitably be damaged by such an explosion.
Deidara’s clone began to expand rapidly and soon turned into a huge puppet image.
The loud noise shook the entire Tea Kingdom. A huge fireball rose from the center of the explosion, expanding rapidly and sweeping away everything.
The towering trees around were instantly vaporized by the high temperature, and billowing smoke and dust rose straight into the sky. Scorpion witnessed this thrilling scene. The flying stones hit his puppet, making a series of crisp sounds.
The wind howled, branches and leaves danced wildly in the wind. Orochimaru was anxiously waiting for information from the White Snake in the laboratory. Suddenly, a deafening roar sounded, and debris began to fall from the top of the underground base.
Stones fell like raindrops, and the top of the stronghold was quickly covered with cracks.
“Lord Orochimaru, we must evacuate, our stronghold is about to collapse.” Kabuto gave an urgent reminder.
“Ha, it seems they have finally revealed their cards. That’s just what I want. I should go and give them my regards.” Orochimaru sneered.
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure merged with the earth and sneaked towards the battlefield on the ground.
At the edge of the Tea Kingdom, Rock Lee and his companions also witnessed the smoke and dust rising into the sky from the explosion.
“It looks like the battle broke out right there, and both sides are fighting fiercely,” Asuma observed.
“The head-on clash between Akatsuki and Orochimaru really makes us look forward to how intense their showdown will be,” Rock Lee said excitedly.
They sped up their advance, and the two powerful enemies of Konoha unexpectedly confronted each other. It was curious to see who would be the winner.
“Let’s not act rashly for now, just keep observing.” Kakashi instructed calmly.
Neji opened his Byakugan and scanned his surroundings vigilantly to prevent any accidents.
“Xiao Li, pay attention to the left front fifteen meters away. There is a white snake quietly observing us. It is very likely Orochimaru’s spy.” Neji pointed out.
Rock Lee and his companions have fought against Orochimaru the most and are very familiar with some of Orochimaru’s methods. These white snakes are most likely the means used by Orochimaru for reconnaissance.
Rock Lee stepped on the ground and jumped up instantly, appearing at the place where Neji said. A white snake was trying to escape underground, but Rock Lee grabbed it and tied a buckle around the snake’s body.
He didn’t kill the white snake because he was afraid that Orochimaru would get the news and run away early.
“It seems that Orochimaru is very cautious. He started to deploy spies from such a distance. It must be difficult to hide.” Kakashi said.
“We can only attack head-on, but remember to slow down and don’t alert either side and let them get away,” said Asma.
“This is a good idea. Let both sides consume their strength first, and we will reap the benefits. We also need to clarify some goals. Is it to deal with Orochimaru or the Akatsuki organization?” said Yuhi Kurenai.
It is somewhat unrealistic to deal with three S-rank rebel ninjas at the same time with the strength of four classes. The Twelve Ninjas of Konoha have just graduated from the Ninja Academy a few months ago.
Although his strength has improved greatly, it is basically useless against a ninja of Orochimaru’s strength and can only play a supporting role.
Chapter 113: Orochimaru, Show Your True Skills (Old Version)
“Our first priority is to defeat the Akatsuki organization,” Kakashi said seriously. “We know Orochimaru very well, and vice versa. With his abilities, escaping would be easy. The Akatsuki organization has many members, all of whom are S-rank renegade ninjas. Their actions clearly indicate their intention to disrupt peace in the ninja world and ignite war. If we have the opportunity, we should eliminate two of their members first.”
Yuhi Kurenai then ordered, “Shino, send the parasites to monitor their battle. If there is any unusual movement, report immediately and we will quickly provide support.”
“Yes, teacher.” Shino controlled the insect and flew quickly towards the direction where the explosion came from, closely monitoring the actions of the Akatsuki organization.
The explosions of the battle finally died down, the wind blew away the dust, revealing a huge pit, and Scorpion stood in front of the pit.
“Brother Scorpion, what do you think of my ultimate art? Isn’t it shocking? It’s not inferior to your eternal art, right?” Deidara walked over with a proud look on his face.
“Stupid, your so-called ultimate art only destroyed two bugs. What a waste! You’d better use your brain next time.” Scorpion responded coldly.
Scorpion was speechless when faced with the act of using only huge moves to deal with two weak bugs.
Deidara’s pride instantly turned to a dark cloud. “Scorpion-senpai, your criticism is just out of jealousy. Don’t use bugs as an excuse,” he retorted.
“It seems that the timing of my appearance is not very appropriate, and I have disturbed your interest.” Orochimaru rose slowly from the ground, with a playful smile on his lips, and teased Sasori and Deidara.
He looked around and saw that the original forest had been razed to the ground by the explosion, and only a huge crater remained above his base.
“It’s really surprising that they used such powerful ninjutsu just for a few bugs. Has Akatsuki’s ability regressed?” Orochimaru said sarcastically.
“Orochimaru, if you hand over the organization ring in your hand, you may be able to spare your life. Otherwise, today will be the day you die.” Scorpion threatened coldly.
Deidara felt his pride hurt, his face darkened, and he decided to show his strength, “I’ll let you see the true strength of Master Deidara!”
He quickly unleashed his C2 Earth Dragon, and countless small Earth Dragons gushed out of the giant dragon’s mouth. Even the giant Earth Dragon itself joined the attack, aiming to completely destroy Orochimaru.
Scorpion glared at Deidara in dissatisfaction. He knew very well that the primary goal of this mission was to retrieve the ring, and killing Orochimaru was only secondary. This guy’s actions clearly lacked thought.
Orochimaru leaped back lightly, dodging the attacks of the earth dragons with his body as agile as if he had no bones, but the number of earth dragons increased, and soon he was surrounded. A huge earth dragon even circled above his head.
“Orochimaru, it is your honor to disappear in my Deidara’s art!” Deidara shouted, and in an instant, all the earth dragons surrounding Orochimaru exploded. The scene was extremely shocking.
In a deafening explosion, Orochimaru appears to be destroyed.
There was a loud bang, like thunder, the ground trembled, dust flew up, and Orochimaru, who was at the center of the explosion, seemed to disappear into thin air.
“Wind Escape, Breakthrough!”
The wind blew violently, carrying mud and dirt with it, and rushed towards Scorpion and Deidara. They nimbly dodged it, and a bottomless ravine was formed.
Orochimaru calmly walked out from behind them and sneered, “After I left, the Akatsuki organization recruited a bunch of brainless people who couldn’t even distinguish between their earth clones and their true selves.”
“Orochimaru, do you think you can use provocation against us? Deidara, you step back first, assist from the side, and wait for the opportunity.” Scorpion commanded confidently, and Deidara stepped aside and calmed down.
Scorpion’s puppet shell opened its mouth wide, and countless poisonous hidden weapons shot out. This was his usual way of attack, aimed at observing Orochimaru’s movement patterns and habits.
Though they had clashed before, neither had given their all. This was a perfect opportunity to observe the other’s true strength. In the ninja world’s rules of survival, those who stood out were always meticulous. Despite the heated rhetoric, when the time came to clash, both were extremely cautious.
“Scorpion, this level of attack is like child’s play. For me, it’s not even a warm-up.” Orochimaru moved as nimbly as a snake, easily avoiding every attack from the hidden weapon.
Deidara quickly operated in the ninja tool bag, and the clay in his hand quickly took shape in the mouth-like device. In the blink of an eye, several insect bombs for detonation were completed.
Just as Orochimaru dodged Scorpion’s hidden weapon attack lightly, Deidara lost no time and threw the bomb in his hand at his opponent.
“Here!”
The bombs exploded one after another the moment they got close to Orochimaru.
“Earth Escape·Earth Flow Wall!”
Orochimaru waved his hand and built a thick earth wall, successfully blocking Deidara’s bomb.
However, after withstanding the explosion, the earth flow wall was already covered with cracks, and was then hit by Scorpion’s hidden weapon and collapsed.
There was no sign of Orochimaru behind the wall. The place where Scorpion and Deidara were standing suddenly bulged out, and two giant pythons broke out of the ground and pounced on the two of them fiercely.
The scorpion reacted extremely quickly. Its metal tail stabbed downwards fiercely. As it retreated, it left a deep poisonous wound on the python that was visible to the bone.
After struggling for a while, the giant python fell to the ground powerlessly, then dissipated and returned to the other side of the spiritual world.
As the ground beneath his feet began to shift, Deidara pulled out a handful of bombs, accurately threw them into the giant python’s open mouth, and then leaped back.
The big snake that just rushed out of the ground had continuous explosions inside its body. The snake’s head kept shaking, and finally disappeared and returned to the spiritual world.
Orochimaru instantly appeared behind the two of them, forming hand seals with his hands. “Wind Style, Great Breakthrough.”
A violent gale burst out from Orochimaru’s mouth, blowing towards the two of them with the power to destroy everything.
A large number of explosive insects instantly appeared in Deidara’s hands and were thrown in the direction of the wind escape.
“Art is explosion, drink”
A large number of explosive insects were detonated, and the strong wind generated by the violent explosion and the rushing breakthrough collided with each other in an instant and were completely offset.
“Orochimaru, stop playing such childish tricks and show your real abilities. Otherwise, today will be the day you die.” Scorpion said gloomily.
Deidara threw a small white bird from his hand, which quickly transformed into a giant flying bird that flew around Deidara.
This bird can attack or retreat. As long as this bird is there, if Deidara wants to leave, he can just jump lightly and soar into the sky.
Chapter 114: Impure World Reincarnation vs. Human Puppet (Old Version)
Scorpion grasped the scroll and waved it gently, breaking the seal and awakening the puppet, the incarnation of the Third Kazekage. The puppet hovered in the air, and countless iron sand poured out of its mouth like a tide, covering the sky and the sun.
“Scorpion, that’s all you’ve shown me, right? With just a puppet of the Third Kazekage,” Orochimaru said sarcastically, “Don’t forget, I can summon the real Third Kazekage.”
The previous summoning of the Third Kazekage was unstable, and his soul almost broke free from the shackles of the Impure World Reincarnation. For this reason, Orochimaru recently strengthened his control over the talisman, making it difficult for the Third Kazekage to escape again.
In the forest at the edge of the battlefield, Shino’s parasitic insects landed silently on the branches, performing surveillance tasks and ready to report the battle situation at any time.
At the same time, the Konoha team was approaching quietly, intending to let Orochimaru and the Akatsuki organization consume them first, and then they would reap the benefits.
“Orochimaru, your Impure World Reincarnation is just a decoration, unable to exert its true power,” Scorpion said coldly, and launched the “Sand Iron Rain” attack, “Today, I will let you see what true death is.”
Orochimaru laughed out loud, “Then let me show you how these so-called ‘decorations’ can defeat you.”
The Third Kazekage used his superb ninjutsu to make iron sand pour down like a rainstorm, overwhelming the sky and rushing towards where Orochimaru was. These iron sands were as hard as rock, and once hit, the consequences would be disastrous.
Orochimaru, however, displayed a sly smile in this crisis. He quickly bit his thumb and formed a seal. “One Rashomon!” his voice was deep and powerful. A triple Rashomon would clearly consume too much chakra for this iron sand; a single one would be sufficient. This gate connected to Hell and possessed an impenetrable defense.
Following Orochimaru’s command, the massive Rashomon Gate rose from the ground, its depictions of hungry ghosts and Asuras imbued with an evil aura. Iron sand rained down upon the gate, but its impact was ineffective in the silence.
Deidara controlled the bird and charged at the seemingly indestructible defense. “Brother Scorpion, watch me!” he shouted. The bird’s impact with the Rashomon caused a deafening explosion. With a resounding bang, the indestructible Rashomon deformed and eventually dissipated into nothingness.
Orochimaru took the opportunity to move, forming seals with his hands once again, and unleashed the forbidden technique – “Immortal Reincarnation”! The ground cracked open, and two coffins slowly rose. As the lids opened, the figures of the Third and Fourth Kazekage reappeared in the world.
This time, Orochimaru did not cast the curse seal after summoning the Third and Fourth Kazekage, but had already engraved the control symbols in their minds in advance, so that he could control the overall situation once summoned.
As the two Kazekage’s eyes slowly opened, they tried to stretch their muscles.
“My two Kazekages, how are you? It is my honor to fight alongside you again.” Orochimaru said with a sly smile.
The Third and Fourth Kazekages regained consciousness but were unable to escape the shackles of the Impure World Reincarnation. “Orochimaru, do you think you can control us so easily like this?” The Third Kazekage struggled, but to no avail.
“This is not an ordinary Impure World Reincarnation. I have mixed the cells of the First Hokage into it. It will not be easy for him to escape.” Orochimaru laughed triumphantly.
“You shameless bastard!” The Fourth Kazekage was furious at what Orochimaru had done.
“Luo Sha, I didn’t expect that you and I would become guests of the underworld. Who is in charge of the Sand Village now?” asked the Third Kazekage.
“There is no new Kazekage in Sunagakure yet, and it is currently governed jointly by the elders.” Scorpion answered expressionlessly.
“Scorpion of the Red Sand, it’s actually you, having to fight against your former body. This is truly the greatest irony of fate.” The Third Kazekage felt endless irony and emotion towards his own puppet body. Being forced to fight against his own remains, what could be more helpless than this?
“Now is not the time to dwell on nostalgia. You two should first help me out of this predicament. We can discuss other matters later.”
“Hehe, these two bodies of yours are masterpieces that I have carefully crafted. Not only can they unleash your ultimate strength, but they will also make it impossible for you to escape my control. Let me witness the heroic figures of the two Kazekage.”
Orochimaru is full of anticipation for the upcoming battle. He puts the reincarnated Third Kazekage together with the puppet Third Kazekage controlled by Sasori, aiming to see who is better.
Powerful force surged in the Third Kazekage’s body, iron sand flew in the air, quickly condensing into a huge cone, smashing towards Scorpion and Deidara.
“Then let us see whose Wind Shadow Technique is more superior, Iron Sand Attack!”
At the same time, the third generation of puppets also controlled the iron sand, weaving it into a huge cone in the air.
The two behemoths collided violently in the air, and iron sand fragments scattered like a rainstorm, each piece carrying destructive power as it hit the ground.
“Magnetic escape technique, gold sand!”
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa clasped his arms, golden sand rose from under his feet, and a golden mountain gradually formed under his feet.
The Fourth Kazekage stood high above, looking down at Deidara.
“Magnetic Style, Golden Sand Shuriken!”
The golden sand turned into sharp shurikens, like a golden rainstorm, enveloping Deidara.
Deidara quickly leaped into the sky, and a big white bird flew to Deidara’s feet, carrying him into the sky.
The gold sand on the ground accumulated more and more, and Luo Sha just stood on the top of the raised gold sand pile, rising with the rise of the sand pile.
The dense gold sand shurikens in the pile of gold sand kept shooting towards Deidara in the sky. Deidara controlled the flying birds in the sky and kept dodging the attacking gold sand shurikens.
Deidara did not stop making bombs in his hands, and threw dense clay bombs at Rasa.
“drink”
Deidara shouted loudly, and most of the insects he threw down exploded. A stream of golden sand immediately flew over Rasa’s head, blocking the aftermath of the explosion.
Several small insects drilled into the gold sand, trying to penetrate the Fourth Kazekage’s defense and jump onto his body before exploding.
The Fourth Kazekage stretched out a hand towards the golden sand above, and immediately clenched his open palm into a fist. The clay insects that had drilled into the golden sand were all crushed into pieces by the tightening gold sand.
With the hardness of gold sand, even a steel insect can be crushed into iron slag, let alone one made of clay.
Chapter 115 Art (Old Edition)
Luo Sha stretched out his hand and pointed, and the gold sand seemed to come into life, rising from the ground and tightly surrounding Deidara in the air.
These gold dusts are as hard as rock. Even indestructible steel will turn into powder under their crushing, not to mention Deidara’s body.
Deidara didn’t surrender, and quickly threw the insect bombs he had grasped, letting them sink into the gold dust. Before Rasa could destroy them, he controlled the bombs to detonate in a chain reaction within the gold dust.
With a roar, Deidara caused an explosion inside the gold sand, effectively slowing down the momentum of the attack.
Rasa then launched an offensive, commanding a new torrent of gold sand to merge with the old gold sand that had been blown to pieces, and once again launched an attack on Deidara.
On another battlefield, the Third Kazekage’s puppet and the reincarnated Third Kazekage were fighting fiercely, and the iron sand cone in the air had been shattered by the collision.
Orochimaru spoke at this time, trying to weaken Scorpion’s confidence with words: “Scorpion, if you are wise, you should retreat. My Impure World Reincarnation has an endless supply of chakra. If you and Deidara continue to resist, you will only die.”
Although the Third Kazekage means a lot to Scorpion, even after losing this trump card, Scorpion’s combat effectiveness does not seem to be affected too much.
“Alright, then let me see your limits,” Scorpion said coldly. Before he even finished speaking, he launched a fierce attack on Orochimaru. His body was instantly covered with intricate mechanisms, and countless poisonous needles poured out like a torrential rain, sweeping towards Orochimaru like a net of death.
“Is this the full extent of your power, Scorpion?” Orochimaru took a deep breath and unleashed Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. His chest swelled, and with it, a devastating storm, blowing away Scorpion’s hidden weapons and surrounding obstacles, even uprooting the dry grass and dead trees on the ground.
The fierce wind rushed straight towards Scorpion, threatening to tear his puppet shell into pieces. But Scorpion’s alloy tail moved swiftly, piercing a distant tree trunk and carrying him nimbly away, avoiding a direct blow from Orochimaru’s wind escape, which might have completely destroyed his shell.
Orochimaru pursued him relentlessly, his Kusanagi sword darting out at Scorpion, who had just regained his balance. The sword extended rapidly, reaching Scorpion in an instant. However, at this critical moment, Scorpion’s alloy tail suddenly ripped free from the tree trunk and struck the Kusanagi sword fiercely.
A crisp clash of metal echoed as the alloy tail deflected Kusanagi’s sword. Scorpion seized the opportunity to launch a continuous stream of poisonous needles, combined with his retractable puppet tail, to launch a fierce attack on Orochimaru. The seemingly vast distance was shattered in an instant by the puppet tail’s flexible expansion and contraction.
Faced with this sudden attack, Orochimaru reacted quickly, quickly forming seals with his hands, preparing to deal with Scorpion’s fatal blow.
“Earth escape, earth flow wall!” The earth wall stood firm, temporarily blocking the scorpion’s attack. Although it did not last long, it bought precious time for subsequent tactics.
Orochimaru’s figure disappeared behind the earth wall, and he used the earth escape technique to cleverly circle behind Scorpion.
“Hidden Shadows and Snake Hands!” Countless snake shadows emerged from all sides of Scorpion, tightly binding his puppet body. The Kusanagi sword flashed with cold light and stabbed out repeatedly.
“It’s so insignificant.” Scorpion sneered, and with a flick of his alloy tail, he cut the snake in two. The collision of the sword and the tail resounded throughout the battlefield.
Orochimaru did not retreat but advanced, the Kusanagi sword in his hand dancing like the wind, turning into lightning, and attacked Scorpion repeatedly. Each sword was extremely sharp, threatening Scorpion’s body.
Even though his true form has been transformed into a puppet, as an artist, Scorpion cannot tolerate any flaws. In close combat, Orochimaru is as agile as a snake, attacking from all angles, while Scorpion swiftly defends with his alloy tail, preventing any harm from approaching his work of art.
In the fierce clash, Scorpion’s alloy tail pincers demonstrated their unparalleled offensive and defensive capabilities, repeatedly pushing Orochimaru to the brink. But even the indestructible alloy tail pincers were inevitably scarred by the sharp edge of Kusanagi’s sword. Orochimaru challenged Scorpion, saying, “Your tail seems to have reached its limit. Allow me to peel back your shell and reveal your true form. We have not clashed since I joined the Akatsuki organization. Now, I, the reincarnated Third Kazekage, will challenge you once again to see who truly prevails.”
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the dry forest, stirring up a series of bright sparks.
Although the scorpion’s alloy tail pincers were extremely hard, they were still powerless against the Kusanagi sword, and its huge tail was covered with sword marks.
Orochimaru deftly avoided Scorpion’s attack and leaped back, a hint of a sneer on his face: “Scorpion, it looks like your shell is about to be lost. Let me end this game.”
“Orochimaru, let’s have a showdown and see who is truly undefeated.” Scorpion responded calmly.
Despite the fierce battle, both sides still maintained the calmness and composure that a ninja should have. For Orochimaru, such battles were just the norm in his ninja career.
As for Scorpion, as a puppet, he has long surpassed the limitations of ordinary people. No matter what kind of battle he fights, his mechanical precision and determination cannot be shaken.
Orochimaru rushed forward again, and the Kusanagi sword in his hand slashed at Scorpion with great power.
Scorpion’s alloy tail once again met Orochimaru’s Kusanagi sword, and its mouth continuously sprayed poison needles to interfere with Orochimaru’s actions.
Suddenly, with a clang, Scorpion’s alloy tail was cut off by Orochimaru’s Kusanagi sword, and Scorpion retreated quickly.
The third-generation Wind Shadow puppet in the sky flew down and stood in front of Scorpion. “Since you want to see my real body, I’ll let you see it.” Scorpion said.
A burst of white mist flashed by, and Scorpion’s true form emerged from the puppet.
Orochimaru looked at Scorpion’s handsome appearance, “So many years have passed, and you haven’t changed at all since I first joined Akatsuki. It seems that you made your body into a human puppet, and you will always remain like this.”
“Only eternal art is true art. Aren’t you constantly reincarnating for the so-called eternal life, Orochimaru, making yourself neither male nor female?” Scorpion said sarcastically.
Chapter 116: Immortality (Old Version)
Orochimaru, controlling the true Third Kazekage, bravely confronted Sasori and his transformed puppet. This scene brought back memories of his clash with Sasori when he joined the Akatsuki. At that time, he had just escaped from Konoha and was still in the early stages of his Impure World Reincarnation technique when he encountered Pain and Sasori, ultimately falling victim to this duo. That battle haunted Orochimaru to this day.
Now, with the real Third Kazekage as his support, he will prove his strength in this battle.
“Do you think you can gain the upper hand just by relying on the true Third Kazekage?” Scorpion’s face was expressionless, his tone cold. “I’ve made countless modifications to this puppet, adding many powerful features. Today, I’ll let you experience them.”
As Scorpion finished speaking, various weapons quickly unfolded from the human puppet’s body. A sharp blade popped out from the outside of one arm, and the other hand turned into a huge gear, flashing with cold light and filled with murderous aura.
Orochimaru snorted coldly, full of sarcasm: “To change the dignified Third Kazekage into this state, the puppet masters are indeed a bunch of brainless people. Adding any weapons cannot match the strength of the iron sand itself.”
“Then let you experience the horror of the puppeteer firsthand!” Before he finished speaking, the puppet of the Third Kazekage rushed towards Orochimaru like an arrow from a bow. The weapon in his hand flashed cold light in the air and slashed at him fiercely.
In the Impure World of Warcraft, the Third Kazekage resolutely stepped forward to confront Orochimaru, but as expected, he was ruthlessly severed by the puppet controlled by Scorpion. At that moment, the dust and debris seemed to obey a certain call and quickly gathered into his complete body.
Orochimaru was very proud, and his laughter was full of arrogance: “My Impure World Reincarnation Technique is an immortal technique. These dead, no matter how many times you destroy them, will be reborn.”
In his eyes, only Scorpio can understand his great achievements and make him feel truly satisfied.
Scorpion remained unmoved, coldly manipulating the Third Kazekage and activating the pre-set mechanism. Suddenly, countless arms extended from the Kazekage’s body, surging towards Orochimaru like a tide. This was a trap meticulously laid by Scorpion, designed to achieve a surprise victory.
Facing the palm that obscured the sky and the sun, Orochimaru sneered, wielding the Kusanagi sword and dispelling the attack. “You dare to show off such tricks in front of me?” he taunted.
But those arms severed by Kusanagi’s sword began to emit deadly purple poisonous smoke. This was Scorpion’s secret poison. Once contaminated, it meant three days and three nights of extreme pain and death. Scorpion’s voice was cold: “Don’t be so self-righteous, Orochimaru.”
“Scorpion, is this your level? Look at my wind escape technique, a big breakthrough!” Orochimaru sneered, and a violent storm instantly erupted from his mouth. The purple smoke dissipated instantly under his power.
Orochimaru, who made a contract with the snake clan since childhood, has been carefully selected and trained. His body has long been immune to all poisons. The scorpion’s poison is nothing but harmless dust to him.
In the air, the battle between Deidara and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa was at a stalemate. Although Deidara’s C2 Earth Dragon attack was powerful, it was helpless against Rasa’s Gold Dust defense, and Rasa’s Gold Dust was unable to reach the flying Deidara.
“Rosa, it’s time for you to see the true art of Master Deidara!” Deidara said, reaching his hands into the ninja tool bag, and the clay was quickly shaped in his palms.
Deidara quickly formed hand seals, and five small C2 earth dragons instantly condensed into shape.
At the command, these small dragons expanded rapidly and transformed into huge flying dragons, circling around Deidara. Although creating five C2 earth dragons at once was a huge drain on Deidara, he still persisted.
Five huge flying dragons swung their tails together, spewing out smaller flying dragons, and launched a fierce attack on the Fourth Kazekage. The sound of explosions was endless, and the golden sand was blown everywhere in the explosion.
The battle situation took a turn for the worse, and the gold sand surrounding Rasa was completely consumed by Deidara’s continuous explosions. Before he could replenish it, countless small flying dragons crashed into him like a rainstorm.
“Boom boom boom—”
A series of explosions sounded, and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa was blown into pieces. The sand pile was also blown up in the explosion, and golden sand particles fell like raindrops.
“Haha, this is what happens when you underestimate Uncle Deidara!” Deidara laughed triumphantly.
However, the dust and debris in the air began to gather and form, and in an instant, an unharmed Fourth Kazekage once again stood before Deidara. The latter’s arrogant laughter suddenly stopped. He seemed to have learned the truth about Impure World Reincarnation from Itachi – it was a reincarnation technique that could not be killed.
“Deidara, it’s too early for you to be happy. The reincarnated ninja is immortal.” Orochimaru laughed mockingly during the battle in the distance.
Luosha stretched out his arms, and the surrounding gold dust quickly gathered into a huge wave of sand like a giant beast awakened. In comparison, Deidara’s C2 dragon seemed insignificant.
“Magnetic Escape Technique – Gold Sand Burial!”
As Luo Sha shouted, the sand waves formed by the gold sand pressed down on Deidara. The tall trees on the ground were like fragile seedlings in front of this force and were easily swallowed up and destroyed.
The five earth dragons circling around Deidara spewed out small flying dragons and crashed into the huge sand waves.
The violent explosion seemed insignificant in the face of the sand waves. The sand waves that covered the sky and the sun soon covered Deidara who was fleeing into the distance.
The thick layer of gold sand can crush Deidara into a pulp with just one squeeze.
Looking around, the dry forest had completely disappeared, and the ground was covered with layers of golden sand. Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded.
A large amount of golden sand was blown into the sky, and a white shadow shot up into the sky. It was Deidara’s bird, with Deidara standing on it.
Deidara was gasping for breath and almost lost his life. This was the first time that Deidara was so close to death.
He controlled the bird and slowly turned the corner to fly to the side of the scorpion.
“Brother Scorpion, what should we do? These reincarnated ninjas cannot be killed no matter how hard we try, and we don’t have any sealing equipment.” Deidara said.
“Then kill Orochimaru first,” Scorpion said gloomily.
Chapter 117 Planning (Old Version)
Rasa stepped steadily into Orochimaru’s battle formation, facing the combined might of Deidara, Sasori, and their human puppets. Sasori felt a sense of dread at Orochimaru’s strength. The opponent he had once easily defeated had now become so formidable that even with Deidara’s support, he couldn’t gain an advantage. Orochimaru secretly smiled slyly. He had sensed the Konoha ninja’s stealthy approach and saw the opportunity to exploit this conflict, igniting a conflict between the two sides and causing them to wear each other down. This would weaken the Akatsuki and distract the Konoha ninja—killing two birds with one stone. His ultimate goal was to complete his Impure World Reincarnation, a point at which no major ninja power would be a threat.
Rock Lee and his team approached the battlefield cautiously, following a strategy of allowing the two sides to continue the confrontation, rather than rushing into it. Even from a distance, they could feel the tremors of battle, and the interplay of explosions and waves of sand made them sigh in awe. They knew that Konoha’s new generation of ninja was still immature, and as jonin, they had a responsibility to protect these young men and not expose them to unnecessary risks.
“The situation seems to have reached a stalemate. The huge sand wave must be caused by Orochimaru’s summoning of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, through the Impure World Reincarnation. His signature gold dust weapon is truly unique.”
Rock Lee’s eyes were sharp, and the fluctuations of the golden sand waves made him immediately realize the signature skill of the Fourth Kazekage. He had never expected that Orochimaru’s control of the Impure World Reincarnation had reached perfection.
Memories went back to the battle in the Forest of Death. The Third Kazekage summoned by Orochimaru had limited strength, but now, he could summon a powerful ninja who was close to his prime. This made everyone realize that the upcoming battle would be extremely difficult.
A solemn look appeared on their faces as they recalled the First and Second Hokage summoned by Orochimaru during the Konoha Rebellion. If history repeated itself, it would be a devastating blow to their power.
“If Orochimaru becomes an enemy of Konoha again and summons those two legendary Hokage, Kai, we must join forces to contain them and protect the other ninjas.” Kakashi’s plan revealed his determination. “The immortal body of the Impure World Reincarnation cannot be defeated. Our goal is to find an opportunity to seal it.”
“Leave it to me!” Kai’s eyes flashed with fighting spirit, “Let me, the blue beast of Konoha, meet those legendary Hokage.”
“Don’t worry too much,” Rock Lee added, “Orochimaru won’t risk summoning an overly powerful being. He will definitely act within the limits of his control to avoid being harmed.”
Kakashi nodded slightly, agreeing with this analysis.
Shino’s voice rang out at this moment, a hint of barely perceptible nervousness lingering in it. “The parasite I sent out has met with an unforeseen fate. Apparently, it was destroyed by the aftermath of the battle. This demonstrates the enemy’s unfathomable strength.”
Shino’s face was usually calm, except for the moment when she harvested Xiaojia, when her joy became apparent. Yuhi Kurenai gave the order, “Shino, continue to monitor the battle with your parasite. Once both sides are exhausted, report back immediately.”
“I understand, Teacher Hong.” Shino replied softly, and then released several parasitic insects, which quickly flew towards the battlefield.
Kakashi pulled out a seemingly ordinary miniature sealing scroll from his ninja tool bag and whispered, “Release!” As the smoke dissipated, two huge sealing scrolls appeared before everyone. He handed the two scrolls to Tenten and Kai respectively.
“These two scrolls were specifically given by the Third Hokage. If we encounter Orochimaru’s reincarnated ninja, we must use them to seal them,” Kakashi explained.
A confident glint flashed in Kai’s eyes. “As expected of my old rival Kakashi, he even considered my ability to use sealing techniques. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of those Impure World Reincarnation guys.”
Kakashi nodded, his expression serious: “Then I’ll leave it to you, Kai.” He knew Kai’s strength very well. He was proficient in the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu and could open the seventh gate when facing a strong enemy without worrying about the subsequent impact.
Tsunade knew that a warrior who hadn’t experienced hardship could not become a truly powerful warrior. Therefore, she dispatched these recently graduated young ninjas only after ensuring the necessary safety measures. After receiving the mission, Kakashi pondered for a long time and finally realized the true meaning of growth.
At the same time, Orochimaru was plotting how to lure Sasori and Deidara to the Konoha ninjas to trigger a deadly internal conflict.
“Wind escape technique, a major breakthrough!”
Orochimaru roared softly, and a strong airflow blew out of his mouth, heading straight for Scorpion and Deidara, blurring their vision and plunging the surroundings into darkness.
Scorpion controlled the puppet of the Third Kazekage and instantly summoned iron sand, building an indestructible sand and iron shield wall in front of him, successfully resisting Orochimaru’s attack.
Immediately afterwards, the resurrected Third Kazekage acted quickly, and the iron sand gathered like flowing water, forming a sharp cone, which violently impacted the iron sand shield wall.
With a deafening crash and the shattering of the shield wall, Rasa swung his arms, and gold dust rained down on Sasori and Deidara like a torrential rain. The three coordinated perfectly, making it impossible for Sasori’s puppet to effectively resist Rasa’s gold dust attack. Facing the approaching cones of gold and iron sand, the situation was precarious.
Deidara seized the opportunity, controlled the bird, and launched a decisive attack on the enemy.
“drink!”
Deidara roared suddenly, causing an explosion that shook the earth. The air waves were like raging waves, scattering Rasa’s gold sand. Despite this, the Third Kazekage’s sharp conical attack only paused for a moment, and then fiercely approached the two of them again.
The human puppet controlled by Scorpion quickly retreated, and at the same time, a large amount of iron sand gushed out of the puppet’s mouth, once again forming a confrontation formation.
Beneath his tattered Akatsuki uniform, four mysterious scrolls emerged, drawing Orochimaru’s gaze with astonishment. He had initially assumed Sasori’s trump card was merely a human puppet of the Third Kazekage, but he hadn’t anticipated such a secret weapon. These four scrolls were clearly no ordinary artifacts, and Orochimaru’s inner alarm bells rang, realizing he could no longer underestimate his opponent.
“Scorpion, are those four scrolls behind you your last trump card? If you don’t use them now, you will miss the opportunity.” Orochimaru said in a tentative tone, and at the same time, his evaluation of Scorpion in his heart has been upgraded.
Seeing this, Deidara’s tense nerves relaxed a little. He believed that Scorpion had not yet used his full strength and was obviously confident of defeating Orochimaru.
Scorpion sneered with disdain, “Orochimaru, you think too highly of yourself. I don’t even need to use these scrolls to deal with you.”
Iron sand was like clouds, densely covering the sky under Scorpion’s control, and quickly condensed into three huge geometric weapons – one each of a triangle, rectangle, and cylinder, hovering in the air, ready to be launched.
“Orochimaru, today I will let you experience the true power of a puppeteer!” Scorpion flicked his fingers, and three cubes attacked Orochimaru and his two reincarnated companions with the force of thunder.
Luo Sha responded immediately, raised his palms to the sky, and gathered the gold sand into a shield, trying to intercept the three huge structures that fell like meteorites.
“Let me show you Deidara’s art!” Deidara announced proudly, and a group of clay birds instantly appeared around him and flew straight towards Rasa.
“Art is explosion!” As soon as he finished speaking, the bird exploded, instantly disintegrating the gold dust’s defense. At this moment, the Third Kazekage stepped forward, hands raised high. Iron sand quickly gathered, forming a giant rectangular block that violently slammed into the attack.
With a deafening roar, the three cubes were knocked away, but under Scorpion’s indomitable operation, they returned again and launched a second round of attacks from different directions.
A sly smile appeared on the corner of Orochimaru’s mouth, and his figure quickly disappeared. His lower body turned into a python, shuttling across the ground, and the two Kazekage were cleverly bound in place by him.
“Boom!”
With a loud bang, the two Kazekages shattered under the violent impact of the cube, and the scattered dust seemed to announce their end. Scorpion quickly approached and unfolded the sealing scroll, preparing to seal the two Kazekage forever.
Deidara bravely stood in front of Orochimaru and threw a large number of clay insects to buy time for Orochimaru.
Orochimaru sneered and quickly formed hand seals, ending the Impure World Reincarnation technique. The two Kazekage gradually faded away, and the summoned coffins took them back to another world.
Scorpion stopped carving and said coldly, “Orochimaru, you have lost the protection of the Impure World Reincarnation. Today is the day you die.”
“That depends on whether you have the ability.” Before Orochimaru finished speaking, he swung his snake tail and quickly fled the scene.
The direction he chose to flee was exactly where the Konoha ninjas were active. He intended to provoke a fight between Konoha and Akatsuki, using this conflict to weaken both sides, preferably making both sides pay a heavy price.
“Orochimaru runs very fast. Brother Scorpion, use my clay bird and we will catch up with Orochimaru soon.” Deidara said.
Chapter 118 Encounter (Old Version)
“It seems that Orochimaru has noticed our movements. There are obvious signs of white snake activities underground.” Neji analyzed.
“Given Orochimaru’s deep hatred for the Akatsuki organization, he will definitely not reveal this information to the Akatsuki organization. Instead, he may use this situation to provoke a conflict between us and the Akatsuki organization, attempting to kill with a borrowed knife.”
With his experience of fighting Orochimaru many times, Rock Lee is well aware of Orochimaru’s cunning intentions. He speculates that Orochimaru has already begun to make plans, trying to draw the attention of the Akatsuki organization to Konoha, so as to clear obstacles for himself.
As Rock Lee expected, Orochimaru originally wanted to teach Akatsuki a lesson himself, but the appearance of Konoha ninjas made him adopt a strategy of shifting the crisis.
Orochimaru was also wary of the powerful Akatsuki organization, and using Konoha’s power to weaken them was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone.
Orochimaru swung his long snake-like tail wildly and fled in a hurry, fleeing in the direction of the Konoha ninja.
“Orochimaru, you can’t escape this disaster today. I will get the ring.” Scorpion looked at Orochimaru’s fleeing back with a firm gaze, put away the severed alloy tail, and prepared to seal it.
During this encounter, Scorpion’s puppet shell didn’t perform as expected, but the alloy tail still showed its strengths. After the battle, he planned to completely transform and upgrade the puppet shell.
Deidara’s deft hands instantly shaped a white feathered bird. As he formed hand seals, white smoke rose, and the bird rapidly expanded into a gigantic flying beast. Scorpion and Deidara leaped onto the bird’s broad back, chasing after the fleeing Orochimaru.
“This guy, Orochimaru, whenever he encounters adversity, he simply runs away. His escaping skills are probably unmatched in the ninja world,” Scorpion commented sarcastically. He then took out the Sealing Scroll and sealed the Third Kazekage within it once again.
“Once Brother Scorpion shows his skills, Orochimaru will be panicked. One day, he will be defeated by Brother Scorpion.” Deidara’s words were full of awe for Scorpion. This confrontation made him deeply feel Scorpion’s power.
As Orochimaru fled, his Kusanagi sword instantly extended and slashed backward. Deidara deftly maneuvered the giant bird to avoid the attack, cursing, “This cunning Orochimaru, even while fleeing like a stray dog, never forgot to strike back.”
Orochimaru sneered at the corner of his mouth and looked down upon the Akatsuki members chasing after him, as if mocking their futility.
The parasites Shino had sent, originally tasked with monitoring both sides, had returned to relay information as Orochimaru sped away. However, even the incredibly fast parasites couldn’t keep up with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki members, and were ultimately left behind.
“We are facing a new situation. I sense that the parasites are approaching us rapidly.” Shino said as he quickly conveyed this information to the team members.
“We have to speed up, there is no time to lose.” Although Kakashi didn’t know what exactly went wrong, he knew that he had to rush to the scene immediately.
Considering that Orochimaru might have gotten wind of the situation and had retreated, or even attracted the Akatsuki organization, they dared not slack off.
“Teacher Kakashi, I’ll go ahead and do some reconnaissance to avoid falling into Orochimaru’s trap.” Rock Lee volunteered.
“I understand, Kai, take Rock Lee and Neji with you and be sure to be careful.” Kakashi ordered.
“Leave it to us!” After Akagi responded, his speed increased instantly. Rock Lee and Neji followed closely behind, moving at full speed towards the possible battlefield.
Neji’s Byakugan was always open, and he was always alert to his surroundings, preventing any possible attacks.
At the same time, Orochimaru noticed the movements of the Konoha ninja and a smile appeared on his face.
When no one was paying attention, he performed the ninjutsu of “earth clone”, and his real body quietly escaped into the ground, leaving only the earth clone, and fled in another direction with two members of the Akatsuki organization.
Neji stared into the distance, his Byakugan possessing astonishing insight. “Orochimaru is fleeing in our direction, but that’s probably not his true form. It’s very different from the Orochimaru I’ve seen before. Behind him is a giant white bird, and above him are two members dressed in Akatsuki uniforms.”
“Prepare for battle!” Kai gave the order.
“Brother Scorpion, the ones in front of us are Rock Lee and Might Guy from Konoha. Should we destroy them?” Deidara suggested.
“These guys are really persistent. They even tracked us here. The current priority is to deal with Orochimaru first.” Scorpion made a decisive statement.
The moment Orochimaru saw Rock Lee and the others, he stopped swinging his tail.
“Oh, isn’t this Might Guy and Rock Lee from Konoha? What an unexpected encounter.” Orochimaru said sarcastically, but seemed to ignore Neji.
“Isn’t this the situation you expected? Don’t pretend to be clueless. You deliberately lured us here, didn’t you want to use the Akatsuki organization to get rid of the trouble in your heart? However, sending only one clone is underestimating us.” Rock Lee revealed Orochimaru’s plan in one sentence.
“Rock Lee, your insight seems to have improved. You can even see through my earth clone, which even the Third Hokage found difficult to identify.” Orochimaru was slightly surprised.
“The Byakugan of the Hyuga family has extraordinary powers,” Neji responded proudly.
“I see. Since you’ve discovered me, goodbye. I hope you can destroy these two arrogant guys.” Orochimaru looked at Neji deeply and instantly turned into a ball of mud.
“You guy, whoever you called arrogant, don’t run if you have the guts.” Deidara shouted.
Deidara’s threats had no effect, and Orochimaru had already run away to who knows where.
“I’ve already let you go once in the Land of Fire. I didn’t expect you to rush to the Land of Tea to die.” Scorpion jumped down from the white bird and took out the scroll that had just sealed the Third Kazekage.
It was the first time Rock Lee had truly seen Scorpion’s true face. “Working with Deidara, it seems you are Scorpion of the Red Sand, the genius puppeteer of the Sand Village. It’s uncertain who will live and who will die today.”
“Let’s try Master Deidara’s art first.” Deidara threw down a handful of clay insects.
“This is a clay bomb, be careful to dodge it.” Rock Lee reminded Teacher Gai and Neji, stepped on the ground and jumped backwards.
When several clay insects approached the three people, they exploded instantly, and a large amount of smoke and dust rose into the sky, blocking everyone’s vision.
Chapter 119 Collision (Old Version)
In the thick smoke, three figures quickly broke through the fog and appeared in the outside world. They were Rock Lee and his companions. Although the shock wave of the explosion failed to cause any harm to them, the smoke still made them temporarily lose their sight.
Scorpion of the Red Sand slowly unfolded the scroll in his hand. The clearly visible “three” logo on it made Rock Lee instantly understand that this was Scorpion’s secret weapon – a puppet made by the Third Kazekage.
“Teacher Gai, Neji, you must be careful,” Rock Lee warned solemnly, “This puppet possesses the full power of the Third Kazekage.”
Teacher Kai was shocked by Scorpion’s betrayal and couldn’t believe that he would turn the village leader into a puppet.
As Scorpion controlled the scroll, the puppet figure of the Third Kazekage slowly rose up, with scars left on his body from the battle with Orochimaru.
The puppet of the Third Kazekage opened its mouth, and black iron sand escaped from its mouth like silk thread.
“Witness the Third Kazekage’s unique skill—Sand Iron Rain!”
As soon as the words fell, iron sand transformed into sharp raindrops, swiftly attacking the three people. These iron sands were not only extremely hard, but also extremely poisonous. If they were to hit, Teacher Gai and Neji would be in great danger.
Rock Lee considered testing the iron sand’s strength, but reason told him the time was not yet ripe. He and Might Guy quickly retreated, but Neji bravely stood before them, unleashing a surge of chakra and spinning rapidly, unleashing a special defensive move.
The “Kaiten” move was launched, and the chakra condensed into a rotating sphere, which bounced off all the sand and iron attacks of the Third Kazekage.
“The Hyuga clan’s gentle fist is truly amazing,” Scorpion praised sincerely. At the same time, the iron sand gathered into a huge rectangle under Deidara’s control. “Let’s see if you can take this move.”
“Taste my bomb!” Deidara shouted and threw two clay bombs at Neji, but they exploded when they got close to Neji.
At the critical moment, Neji released a large amount of chakra again, using the Kaiten technique to resist the explosion, dissipating the flames and smoke into nothingness.
Deidara frowned and continued to create new bombs, “Your chakra will eventually run out, and that will be the end of you.”
He threw another bomb, but Neji remained calm. He gathered chakra in his right hand and unleashed the Eight Trigrams Palm. A massive chakra-filled palm formed and smacked Deidara in the sky. Deidara hurriedly maneuvered the bomb bird to dodge, while Neji cleverly retreated, deftly avoiding the attack.
Rock Lee and Might Guy fearlessly charged towards Scorpion, facing the massive rectangular shape that had already condensed into form. It, with a fierce wind, slammed down on the brave warriors. While Scorpion’s moves were immensely powerful, covering a wide area, they proved insufficient in this one-on-one confrontation.
Teacher Kai leaped up, his leg muscles tensing, unleashing a powerful force, kicking the cuboid far away. However, Scorpion deftly manipulated the chakra threads, instantly retrieving the cuboid and launching another fierce attack.
At that moment, Rock Lee leaped forward, gathering strength in his right palm at his waist. When the cuboid came crashing down again, he swung his Iron Sand Palm, a move forged through years of intensive practice and the blessing of the Golden Bell, and struck the cuboid fiercely. With a deafening roar, a portion of the cuboid shattered under the destructive force of Rock Lee’s Iron Sand Palm.
This scene shocked Scorpion. He had always been confident in the strength of his Sand Iron Strike, a terrifying jutsu renowned in the ninja world for its ability to crumble city walls. Yet, now, Rock Lee shattered it with a single palm strike. Scorpion realized he had greatly underestimated Rock Lee’s strength. With such skill, he could surely have killed Kakuzu’s three clones, and it’s no wonder he had escaped Itachi and Kisame so many times.
Scorpion’s attitude shifted to caution. He recondensed the iron sand, forming cylinders and cubes to launch his attack. Rock Lee responded to the challenge, activating the “Injury Gate” of the Eight Gates, and his strength rapidly regenerated. Though exhausted after days of extreme training with Sensei Gai, his strength now surged back like a spring. He leaped, the ground crumbling, and with a powerful strike of iron sand, he shattered the massive cylinder. Seizing the opportunity, Rock Lee charged at Scorpion. However, Scorpion, controlling the Third Kazekage, instantly forged an iron sand shield, intercepting Rock Lee’s attack. The suspended iron sand was extremely toxic, and Rock Lee knew that if he were to be poisoned, even with the Golden Bell, he would be unable to fully engage in battle. He now faced a difficult decision.
Rock Lee took a sudden step forward, and shot towards Deidara behind him like an arrow. He quickly took out two kunai with detonating tags and threw one with his arm.
The kunai cut through the sky and flew towards Deidara at lightning speed. The white bird he controlled dodged in a hurry, but the explosion caused by the detonating tag followed closely.
With a loud bang, a small fireball bloomed in the sky, and the air wave pushed the white bird to sway.
Immediately afterwards, the second kunai in Rock Lee’s hand also flew out, chasing the first one. When it got close to the bird, it exploded again. This time, Deidara’s white bird was not spared. One of its wings was engulfed by the flames of the explosion, and its body tilted and fell rapidly downward.
Deidara was forced to jump off the bird, his hands flying, and he quickly formed a C2 Earth Dragon Bomb. The two earth dragons bared their fangs and claws, continuously releasing small flying dragons to track them, keeping close to Rock Lee’s trail.
Rock Lee gathered his strength with his feet, and with a loud bang, he soared into the air. Chakra surged in his body, and he swung out his iron sand palm, carrying a tremendous force, straight towards Deidara.
Rock Lee didn’t care about the small flying dragon that was chasing him closely. He was confident that the explosions were not enough to shake his golden bell defense.
He was determined to defeat Deidara with absolute strength, not only for victory, but also to make the Akatsuki organization realize the strength and determination of the Konoha Ninja Village again.
Deidara had already felt the power of Rock Lee’s palm, and a look of horror appeared on his face. He controlled the C2 Earth Dragon beside him to block in front of himself.
boom
Rock Lee’s palm was too powerful. The C2 Earth Dragon wrapped around Deidara behind him and flew away.
Chapter 120 Anger (Old Version)
Deidara’s clay bomb failed to inflict a fatal blow on Rock Lee’s earth dragon, made of the same material. Fueled by Rock Lee’s disdain, Deidara detonated the smaller flying dragon that had been pursuing him. “Hah!” With a roar, the explosion boomed, dust and fire intertwining in a violent spectacle. Though Rock Lee’s blood splattered across the battlefield, those few drops of blood were merely the surface of the damage.
Beneath Rock Lee’s tough skin, his golden shield and life energy quietly repaired his wounds. His heart beat powerfully, pumping blood to every corner of his body. Chakra energy surged within him with each heartbeat, his momentum astonishing. His speed was so fast that a flicker of fear flashed across Deidara’s eyes.
Faced with Rock Lee’s amazing recovery and speed, Deidara leaped onto another earth dragon and rushed into the sky. In the air, he took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down, then nervously looked down at Rock Lee on the ground, preparing for the next round of fierce battle.
In the brutal clash, the wounded Earth Dragon stood up resolutely, blocking Rock Lee’s path. Though its massive body was dented and deformed, it still exuded an unyielding aura of pressure.
“Die, Rock Lee! Art is explosion!” Deidara shouted fanatically.
With a deafening roar, the C2 Earth Dragon exploded the moment it touched Rock Lee. Rock Lee quickly crossed his arms and retreated quickly.
The raging flames of the explosion expanded violently, attempting to engulf Rock Lee. The heat was intense enough to strain even the sixth-layer Golden Bell. But Rock Lee suddenly unleashed the might of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, crushing the incoming wave of fire and dissolving it into nothingness.
Deidara rode the C2 Earth Dragon high into the sky, confident that he was invincible. He thought that no matter how strong Rock Lee was, he would be exhausted by his continuous explosions.
“Just enjoy it slowly, Rock Lee, and feel the art of Master Deidara!” He shouted arrogantly in the sky.
“You rats from the Akatsuki organization can only hide your whereabouts. Your art is just for show and can’t hurt me at all.” Rock Lee pointed at his recovered back and sneered disdainfully.
“Hmph, then let me show you the true power of art!” A hint of madness flashed in Deidara’s eyes, and the tools in his hands were busy shaping a new explosive doll.
“Rock Lee, the destructive power of this C3 doll bomb is my masterpiece, and it contains my ultimate chakra.” Deidara looked down proudly, and threw the bomb doll in his hand into the sky. It quickly expanded and fell to the ground like a meteorite.
“Ningji, Teacher Gai, get out of the way quickly!” Rock Lee was well aware of the terrifying power of C3. Although the Golden Bell Cover allowed him to survive, he was inevitably seriously injured.
He leaped back, bracing himself for the incoming impact.
“This loser is really incapable of doing anything and only makes things worse.” Scorpion cursed and was about to use the Third Kazekage’s special skills, but was interrupted by Deidara’s actions.
A hint of anger flashed in Scorpion’s eyes, and his dissatisfaction with Deidara grew.
He secretly made up his mind that it would be time to consider replacing Deidara at the next meeting.
After receiving Rock Lee’s warning, Kai and Neji quickly evacuated to a safe area to avoid being affected by Deidara’s explosion.
The bomb doll exploded the moment it touched the ground, and a huge fireball turned the surrounding vegetation into ashes.
The ferocious shock wave knocked Rock Lee and the others flying. Even Scorpion had to retreat temporarily and escape with the Third Kazekage.
“Hahaha, who dares to despise my work of art? Rock Lee, just continue to run for your life!” Deidara laughed wildly, grabbed another doll injected with C3 advanced chakra in his hand, and threw it into the air.
Rock Lee gazed up at Deidara in the air, aware of the strain these puppets, imbued with Deidara’s pure chakra, would place on his stamina. With this reckless fighting style, Deidara’s chakra would inevitably be depleted quickly.
He retreated again, waiting for Kakashi and Sasuke to rescue him. Their lightning-attribute skills would surely make Deidara’s bomb lose its threat and turn it into useless waste that could not explode.
“Boom!” “Boom!”
The puppet bombs exploded one after another, shaking the ground, as if the world was coming to an end, and they were closely following Rock Lee’s footsteps.
Deidara, standing on the bird, became frantic and breathed heavily due to the huge consumption of chakra. From the battle with Orochimaru to the continuous self-explosion now, his chakra reserves were almost dry.
In the distance, Kakashi and his team witnessed the series of explosions and frowned. A parasite flew in front of Shino, delivering news from the front line.
“Shino, what’s the current battle situation?” Yuhi Kurenai asked with concern.
“Teacher Gai and the others have fought against the Akatsuki people, and there is no trace of Orochimaru.” Shino said.
“It seems that this is Deidara’s clay bomb. Sasuke, come with me. Lightning Release can restrain Deidara’s detonating clay. We have to leave him here today. Asuma, pay attention to the safety of the little ones.” Kakashi said.
Kakashi was still very relieved that Shikamaru and his companions were on the journey led by Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma. As long as a very difficult character like Orochimaru didn’t appear, their safety could be guaranteed.
“Let’s go.”
Kakashi and Sasuke quickened their pace and quickly broke away from the main group, running towards the direction of Deidara’s bombing.
Rock Lee took Deidara and circled around Scorpion, occasionally harassing him so that he couldn’t concentrate on dealing with Teacher Gai and Neji.
Deidara stopped bombing the puppets. His chakra was almost exhausted. He changed from an incredibly powerful C3 puppet to a powerless clay insect.
“Deidara, it seems that your endurance is not good enough. You are exhausted after just a few bombardments. You have fallen down before I was injured.” Rock Lee mocked Deidara.
“Deidara, you idiot, stay calm and recover your chakra as soon as possible.” Sasori shouted at Deidara.
Chapter 121 Iron Sand (Old Version)
Facing Scorpion’s concerned reminder, Deidara chuckled and responded nonchalantly: “Brother Scorpion, don’t worry, today will definitely be the end of these people.”
He further increased the altitude of the white bird to ensure that he was out of the enemy’s attack range.
Rock Lee raised his head and said mockingly, “Deidara, you only dare to hover in the sky. The speed of these little gadgets you throw is ridiculously slow, and the power is not worth mentioning.”
Deidara calmly retorted, “Uchiha Itachi once mentioned that the forbidden technique of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu places a heavy strain on the body. I want to see how long you can hold out. When you are exhausted, that will be your death.”
Then, Deidara scattered clay insects around Rock Lee. These little creatures did not explode immediately after landing, but jumped towards Rock Lee.
Rock Lee sneered and unloaded the Eight Gates. Just as he was about to jump out of the encirclement of insects, the insects on the ground jumped up together, although they were still far away.
In an instant, the clay insects exploded, and a huge fireball erupted under Rock Lee’s feet.
Deidara dropped clay insects from the sky again, planning to attack from both sides, trapping Rock Lee in the double attack of fire and insects, intending to give him a fatal blow.
Faced with Rock Lee’s amazing defense, Deidara was convinced that even if his bombs could only cause damage, the continued accumulation would eventually prove its effectiveness.
Rock Lee moved quickly, pulling out kunai with detonating tags from his ninja tool bag and throwing them one by one at the clay monsters in the air.
Explosions rang out one after another, and the clay insects turned into ashes under the detonation of the kunai.
As his chakra was exhausted, Deidara had to temporarily interrupt his offensive. He took the special food pills made by Akatsuki in order to quickly restore his combat power. He sat on his white bird, waiting for his strength to return.
Sasori felt helpless about Deidara’s decision. He was already busy dealing with the dual challenges of Might Guy and Neji Hyuga, and now he had to face the threat of Rock Lee.
At the critical moment of the battle, Scorpion controlled the Third Kazekage, paused the attack, revealed the chakra control core on his chest, and released the powerful Sand Iron Realm, allowing everyone to witness the secret of why the Third Kazekage was revered as the strongest in history.
The iron sand net quickly unfolded in the air, like the prelude to doomsday, and the thick iron sand spikes turned into a deadly rainstorm, pouring down from the sky.
“Be careful, Teacher Gai and Neji, these spikes are highly poisonous and you must not be hurt by them!” Rock Lee warned anxiously.
The iron sand net that covered the sky and the sun, with countless spikes extending out, tried to turn this area into an inescapable death trap.
“Any ninja who dares to challenge the Akatsuki organization will only face death.” Scorpion’s voice was cold and indifferent, as if announcing the final chapter of fate.
“Li, it’s time to show the fangs of our Konoha!” Teacher Kai encouraged.
“Yes, teacher!” Rock Lee responded, his voice full of determination.
“Injury Gate, open!”
“Dumen, open!”
“Jingmen, open!”
Despite their physical strength being at its limit, Gai and Rock Lee persevered and opened the sixth gate of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu: the Jing Gate. By opening the Hurt Gate first, they injected a ray of life into their exhausted bodies, thereby unlocking the subsequent power.
They jumped up and rushed towards the sand iron area, their fists like thunder, unstoppable.
When the “Towards Peacock” attack was launched, they transformed into two agile green peacocks, drawing red tracks in the air, like brilliant sparks exploding in a sea of iron sand.
Boom, boom, boom—the sounds of explosions came one after another, shaking the entire battlefield.
Explosions rang out one after another, and the Sand Iron Realm Technique turned into dust under the attack of Peacock, falling down one after another. Kakashi and Sasuke suddenly appeared in the corner of the battlefield.
“It seems that Konoha is still hiding reinforcements, so let’s eliminate them all at once.” Scorpion said in surprise.
As the chakra waves on the Third Kazekage’s chest rippled out, the scattered iron sand began to slowly reorganize and return to its original state. Iron sand once again gushed out of the Third Kazekage’s mouth, quickly filling the entire sky.
Deidara, who was on the bird, paused in refining his chakra, looked down, and a mocking smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
“Oh, isn’t this Konoha’s copy ninja Kakashi and that loser Uchiha Sasuke? They came just in time, so I don’t have to do it myself.” He knew a lot about Sasuke, and knew that Itachi had spared Sasuke’s life for some purpose and planned to dig out his eyes one day.
Deidara felt a surge of pleasure when he imagined that he could ruin Itachi’s plan. He had been defeated by Itachi before and held a grudge against him. Although he was not sure of winning against Itachi, getting rid of Sasuke first would be a kind of pleasure of revenge.
Deidara lowered his flight trajectory, quickly formed two clay insects in his hands, and threw them towards Sasuke. Sasuke was ignited by Deidara’s insulting name, and the anger almost overwhelmed him. He was determined to teach Deidara a lesson.
“Your angry eyes are really fascinating, Sasuke. You want to tear me into pieces, but you are powerless and can only wait for the fate of being ended by me, hahaha!” Deidara was full of contempt for Sasuke’s Sharingan, and even wanted to dig it out as a provocation to Itachi.
Kakashi’s voice rang out in Sasuke’s ears, calm but firm: “Sasuke, don’t let him succeed. He’s deliberately provoking you to make you lose your mind.”
Sasuke suppressed his anger and nodded, even though his heart was still turbulent, with an urge to die with his enemy. He gathered the energy of Chidori and was about to launch it, but was stopped by Kakashi in time.
“It’s not the right time yet. Hide your strength first and wait until he lowers his altitude before taking action. Now focus on dodging,” Kakashi instructed.
Facing the soaring Deidara, Sasuke knew that only by letting him drop his guard and return to the ground would he have a chance to counterattack. He looked up at the sky, knowing that even if Lightning Release could restrain Deidara’s clay, it would be difficult for him to attack from high altitude now.
Thinking of this, Sasuke quickly formed seals with his hands, preparing to perform Fire Release Ninjutsu.
“Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique.”
A huge fireball spurted out of Sasuke’s mouth, which contained his full anger. It was much bigger than the previous fireballs. The huge fireball burned towards the insects falling from the sky.
Deidara detonated the clay insect in advance, and a huge fireball appeared in the sky, colliding with Sasuke’s fireball. Sparks flew everywhere and soon disappeared into the sky.
Chapter 122: The Door of Surprise, Open (Old Version)
“Look, Uchiha Sasuke, compare your chakra and my clay, which one is more sufficient. When you run out of strength, that will be the end of you. When I deal with you, it will be funny to imagine Itachi’s expression, hahaha.” Deidara said proudly.
Sasuke was undeterred and retorted, “It’s still unclear who will win. You’re just a coward playing tricks in the sky.”
He tried to provoke Deidara to come down so that he and Kakashi could attack in coordination.
“What a bad way to provoke me. Then I will let you see my true power.” The C2 Earth Dragon in Deidara’s hand suddenly expanded and turned into a giant beast, circling around him.
The earth dragon swung its tail, releasing a small flying dragon that flew straight towards Sasuke and Kakashi.
“Let me do it, Sasuke.” Kakashi quickly formed a seal and shouted loudly: “Fire Style – Great Fireball Technique!”
A huge fireball shot up into the sky and headed straight for the flying dragon.
“Kakashi, you are too naive. Do you think my C2 Earth Dragon can be defeated so easily?” Deidara sneered.
The flying dragon nimbly avoided the fireball and continued to pounce towards the two men.
“This flying dragon has the power to track you. Even if you flee to the end of the world, you will be blown to pieces.” Deidara declared proudly.
Deidara’s C2 Earth Dragons had suffered repeated setbacks in today’s battles. First, they were dismissed with disdain by the Fourth Kazekage and Rock Lee, but now, he had finally faced a seemingly vulnerable opponent. He was extremely confident in his own flying dragons, believing that they could even deal with Rock Lee, let alone the enemy before him.
The two of them dodged nimbly, and the flying dragon crashed into where Kakashi had just stood, causing a violent explosion. The C2 Earth Dragon in the sky swung its tail and released another larger flying dragon.
“Sasuke, use your Lightning Release!” Kakashi ordered, realizing that if he didn’t reveal his trump card, he would only become increasingly vulnerable against the Detonating Clay. Against such a massive foe, the weak current provided by the Chidori Senbon might not be enough to defeat the enemy.
Sasuke and Kakashi simultaneously prepared Chidori Senbon and quickly threw them at the flying earth dragon. The flying dragon was unable to dodge and was instantly hit by Chidori Senbon.
“See the true power of C2! What just happened was just the beginning. Art is explosion!” Deidara declared loudly, but his flying dragon did not explode as expected. Instead, it was cut in half by Kakashi’s kunai.
“Lightning Release? It seems that you want to lure me down and then use Lightning Release on me. Let’s see who can last until the end.” Deidara was not discouraged. He continued to quickly create clay insects and launched a new round of attacks downwards.
Rewritten novel sentence:
After a string of defeats, including being scorned by the Fourth Kazekage and Rock Lee, Deidara’s C2 Earth Dragon now faced a seemingly easy opponent, a feeling of elation welling up in his heart. His Flying Dragon had failed to take out Rock Lee, but the foe before him seemed no match for him.
The two figures dodged the explosion deftly, and the flying dragon crashed into Kakashi’s previous position, causing a deafening explosion. The earth dragon in the sky swung its tail again, releasing an even larger flying dragon.
“Sasuke, reveal your Lightning Release in advance.” Kakashi commanded calmly, knowing that he had to show his trump card at this moment, otherwise he would fall into a more passive situation.
The two quickly synchronized their Chidori Senbon attacks, aiming at the dragon and throwing them. The dragon was unable to dodge and was hit accurately.
“Let you witness the true power of C2! What happened before was just a prelude, the real art is the explosion!” Deidara announced loudly, but his flying dragon was split in two by Kakashi’s kunai.
“So it’s Lightning Release. You want to lure me down and then use Lightning Release against me. Then let’s see who can last until the end.” Deidara did not retreat, continued to shape the clay insects, and launched a new round of offensive downwards.
In a fierce battle that consumed a huge amount of chakra, Locke and Teacher Li used Lightning Release to engage in a tug-of-war with the enemy. They cleverly avoided Deidara’s clay insects and used Senbon to fix the ground, engaging in a contest of endurance and will.
After a fierce fight, the two finally fell from the sky, ending the gorgeous Peacock Dance. The endless Sand Iron Realm Technique was exhausting to deal with. As long as the Red Sand Scorpion’s chakra remained, the battle would not end.
The two panting men released the Eight Gates Ninjutsu, their physical strength reaching its limit.
Neji came to their aid in time, took out the Hyuga family’s secret medicine – the Bingliang Pill, and handed it to them, “This medicine can quickly restore physical strength and chakra, take it quickly.”
Locke and Teacher Li took the Bingliang pills, swallowed them, quickly pulled out nunchakus from their ninja tool bags, and joined the battle again.
Locke dodged left and right under the attack of the iron sand spikes, and sometimes had to bite the bullet and use his nunchaku to block it.
The sound of metal clashing continued, and Neji was also cleverly avoiding the attacks of the iron sand. Faced with the intensive offensive, he used the Kaiten skill. Although it consumed a lot of chakra, it was able to effectively repel the invasion of the iron sand.
“The key to stopping this ninjutsu is to destroy Scorpion’s Wind Shadow puppet. After I destroy it, Rock Lee and Neji, you must be careful to protect yourselves.” Teacher Kai calmly deployed plans during the battle.
“Teacher Kai, you can’t open the seventh gate! Your physical strength has reached its limit. If you activate the Jingmen again, you will lose the ability to protect yourself.” Rock Lee dissuaded anxiously.
“We must make the enemy understand that Konoha cannot be easily challenged. Our prestige not only represents the honor of the village, but also directly affects the acquisition of future missions and the support of various countries for us.” Teacher Kai explained in a firm tone.
The prestige of every ninja village is built through the blood and sacrifice of countless ninjas. Once damaged, it is not easy to recover.
The rise and fall of the prestige of a ninja village is directly related to the number of tasks the village can accept, as well as the financial assistance and policy support from major countries to the ninja village.
Back then, the Sand Village lost the support and financial assistance of the daimyo, which almost led to it being expelled from the five major ninja villages, and then launched an attack on Konoha.
Teacher Kai looked at his two disciples in danger, and his heart was firm in his belief, especially for Rock Lee, the student who inherited his will and skills. He had infinite expectations and care for him.
He secretly made up his mind that Xiao Li still had a long way to go in the future and it couldn’t end here, so he decided to use his own strength to fight for a glimmer of hope for the students, but he did not express these thoughts explicitly.
“Let me, the blue beast of Konoha, fight for hope again!” Teacher Kai shouted passionately.
“Shock Gate, open!”
A terrifying aura spread from Kai’s body, and blue steam came out of his body, which was the sweat in his body evaporating rapidly.
The sand iron spikes that were stabbed towards Teacher Kai were completely destroyed by the aura of Teacher Kai before they even touched him.
Scorpion looked at Might Guy, who was in such a powerful aura at the moment, and his heart was filled with shock. He didn’t expect that a ninja from Konoha, who was usually not very impressive, could actually emit such a powerful aura.
Teacher Kakashi felt it when Gai just opened the seventh gate and was very worried about Gai’s safety.
“Scorpion of the Red Sand, don’t underestimate Konoha Village. There are many ninjas in the village like me who can burst out with powerful strength in the critical moment to protect their companions. This is the Will of Fire of Konoha.”
Daytime Tiger
Teacher Kai shouted loudly, and the fist in his hand compressed the air at a high speed and hit the direction of Scorpion.
A shocking tiger roar resounded between heaven and earth. In front of Teacher Kai’s fist, a white air tiger rushed towards the Red Sand Scorpion.
The iron spikes along the way were all shattered into pieces in front of the day tiger, just like paper.
Chapter 123: Hundred Machines Exercise (Old Version)
Scorpion of the Red Sand calmly watched the tiger formed by the white air wave rushing towards him. He danced his fingers skillfully and quickly pulled the Third Kazekage in front of him, instantly building a huge iron sand shield in front of the Kazekage.
But the Day Tiger’s power was terrifying. It slammed into the Iron Sand Shield, shredding the Third Kazekage behind it into countless fragments. The moment the Iron Sand Shield dissipated, the Red Sand Scorpion’s figure had transformed into several dark shadows, leaving only an empty shell in its place.
Under the fury of the Day Tiger, the Red Sand Scorpion’s true form emerged from its shell and hid not far away. The Day Tiger’s might remained undiminished, completely destroying the scorpion’s shell. Wherever it passed, the ground was torn and ravines were carved into it.
After the intense battle, Gai was nearing death, his body shaky and unable to stand. Unable to stand on his own, he would need at least a week of rest in the hospital. Just then, Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga arrived, steadily supporting the exhausted Gai and preventing him from collapsing and injuring himself.
“Ningji, take Teacher Gai to a safe area immediately. Teacher Asuma and the others should be arriving soon. Let Sakura treat the teacher’s injuries first.” Rock Lee ordered.
“I understand, Lee. I can guarantee that no one can hurt Sensei Gai unless they step over my dead body.” Neji answered resolutely.
As soon as he finished speaking, a large amount of chakra surged out of Neji’s body and gradually condensed into four wings. With a slight flap, he and Teacher Gai disappeared from Rock Lee’s sight.
Watching Neji and the others leave, Rock Lee felt relieved. To him, Teacher Gai was not only a mentor of ninjutsu, but also a guiding light on his life path.
“The will of fire?” Scorpion whispered to himself, as if recalling the past, the days in the Kingdom of Wind.
“Rock Lee, do you think the Third Kazekage is the only trump card I have?” Scorpion asked provocatively, with a hint of seriousness in his voice.
“The four scrolls you carry on your back clearly indicate that you possess other undisclosed skills. Today, let me witness the true hidden strength of the legendary Scorpion of the Red Sand.”
Rock Lee already had some knowledge of Scorpion’s four scrolls, but the last one, the one that Scorpion never used until his death, was always shrouded in mystery. Perhaps today he would have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of its true appearance.
Might Guy has earned my respect with his strength, and I hope you can prove yourself as well. Today, I will demonstrate my newly created Red Secret Technique—Hundred Machine Maneuvers. It will be an honor for you to fall before it.
As the words fell, a strand of chakra shot out from Scorpion’s hand, tightly stuck to a scroll, and unfolded it lightly.
“I’ll let you experience the true power of this Red Secret Technique.” As soon as the words left his mouth, the scroll opened, and a crimson shadow shot up into the sky, quickly filling the air. The cover on Scorpion’s chest popped open, and countless chakra threads shot out, connecting with the red puppets in the air.
“Feel this shock. Maybe you should be afraid, but don’t worry. You will soon become a companion of these puppets.” Scorpion’s voice revealed confidence, as if he had foreseen Rock Lee’s defeat.
However, Rock Lee simply glanced at the puppets and said firmly, “Shock is there, but fear? Konoha’s ninjas don’t know what fear is. Here, Konoha’s wild beasts will show their style.”
With each low roar, Rock Lee’s chakra surged through his body, his aura rising like a rainbow. He was ready to let Scorpion of the Red Sand witness that even if he was alone, he would never retreat. He wanted to demonstrate the fearlessness and heroism of a Konoha ninja.
“It seems that the ninjas of Konoha do possess strength that cannot be underestimated. Let us compete and see who is more powerful.”
As Scorpion finished speaking, countless fully armed red puppets with poisonous blades poured down from the sky like a rainstorm.
Rock Lee’s eyes were determined, and he swung his fists quickly, unleashing a gust of wind-like punching skills.
“Towards the peacock!”
The fist wind swept through the air violently, causing a series of sparks to rush straight into the red army in the sky.
Seeing Rock Lee using Peacock again, Scorpion Eyes sneered, “Same move, you think I’ll fall for it twice?”
The red puppets immediately scattered and easily avoided the spark attack from Rock Lee’s fist.
Although the accuracy of the Hundred Machines’ maneuvers was insufficient, simple dodging was still possible with ease.
Rock Lee immediately withdrew his attack, and only a few slow-moving puppets were hit by the fireball and turned into pieces.
Realizing that this would be a fierce battle, Rock Lee immediately gathered his inner strength, protected his body with the Golden Bell Cover, and imagined his own majestic image like a Buddha.
At Scorpion’s command, several red puppets wielding blades launched a fierce attack on Rock Lee.
Rock Lee dodged nimbly and hit the leading puppet hard with his iron sand palm. The red figure was like a fragile dead tree, shattered under Rock Lee’s fierce attack.
Five red puppets slashed towards Rock Lee from all directions, their sharp blades flashing with cold light.
“Konoha Great Cyclone”
Rock Lee kicked out quickly with his legs, with great force, kicking the five puppets that surrounded him.
All five red puppets turned into broken wood.
This time, dozens of puppets rushed over together and submerged Rock Lee.
Rock Lee swung his Iron Sand Palm quickly. Although these puppets were made very delicately, their defense was completely insignificant. They shattered into pieces when touched by Rock Lee’s Iron Sand Palm and scattered when touched by it.
The weapon in the puppet’s hand only left a white mark when it hit Rock Lee’s body. The sixth level of the Golden Bell Cover played a crucial role.
Scorpion looked at the white marks on Rock Lee’s body, extremely surprised. Could it be the hardening technique of earth escape? Scorpion was confused and uncertain.
“I didn’t expect your defense to be so strong. Let’s see which is stronger, your defense or my attack.”
Chakra threads popped out from Scorpion’s fingers, connecting several puppets in the sky that were taller than the other puppets. Sharp swords popped out from his arms and rushed towards Rock Lee.
Chapter 124: War (Old Version)
Under Scorpion’s control, five massive red puppets displayed agility and strength surpassing their smaller counterparts. Rock Lee unleashed “Konoha Gourami Whirlwind,” his feet whirling with wind and flashing with fire, shattering the surrounding puppets. He then drew his nunchaku and, using the sixth gate of the Eight Gates, charged into the puppet formation, reducing them to dust with each blow. Despite their numerous numbers, the puppets were of questionable quality, and Rock Lee’s attacks were like scratching an itch.
Realizing these puppets were no threat, Rock Lee chose to deactivate the Eight Gates to conserve his strength. Seeing this, Scorpion taunted him, “It seems you’ve reached your limit. I thought you’d be a formidable opponent.” Rock Lee responded, “It would be a waste to activate the Eight Gates against these weaklings.” Scorpion then adjusted his strategy, commanding his puppets to retreat and replacing them with five stronger ones, who continued their assault on Rock Lee.
In this fierce battle, Scorpion skillfully manipulated his puppet with breathtaking agility, instantly weaving a net to surround Rock Lee and launching an all-round attack. Rock Lee was not to be outdone, his nunchaku flying in his hands like a whirlwind, each swing accompanied by a strong air current, forming a solid line of defense.
Facing the puppets surrounding him, Rock Lee showed no fear. His nunchakus flew in his hands, forming an impenetrable defensive network. Each swing stirred up gusts of wind, rendering the surrounding puppets’ attacks powerless. Scorpion’s fingers danced nimbly, commanding five towering puppets to attack from all angles. However, Rock Lee’s nunchakus, like a golden bell, made the puppets’ offensive ineffective.
Each blow from the nunchaku caused the puppets’ internal structures to crack under the strain, signaling their imminent collapse. Scorpion, however, skillfully used chakra threads to guide five smaller puppets into battle, forming a deadly complement to the larger puppet as he continued his offensive against Rock Lee.
Scorpion’s fingers were nimble in control, and his ten finger puppets were ever-changing and followed him like a shadow, launching deadly attacks on Rock Lee from all angles. The weapons made of alloy were intertwined into one, trying to trap Rock Lee in it.
“Activate the injury gate!”
Rock Lee activated the chakra in his body, and the energy surged like a flood, strengthening every inch of his muscles and bringing his speed and strength to new heights.
He swung his nunchakus like a violent storm, and the phantom of the golden bell beside him became more and more solid, fending off attacks from all directions.
Those seemingly sturdy puppet weapons were fragile in front of Rock Lee’s powerful strength, and broke and became scrapped after several confrontations.
The puppet’s wooden body was covered with cracks under the heavy blows, and its mechanical parts could not bear the weight and seemed to be crumbling.
Rock Lee kept moving, sweeping through the enemy with his nunchaku, causing a gust of wind, and then with a tornado-like spin, he destroyed all ten puppets surrounding him.
Faced with such a result, Scorpion’s face was gloomy. His originally confident Red Secret Plan did not win as easily as he wished, and could not even break through Rock Lee’s defense.
“You’d better show off your abilities and stop showing off these toy-like puppets.” Rock Lee said sarcastically.
“Don’t be too complacent. First, you need to pass this Hundred Machines Exercise before you can talk about other things. I have soaked these puppets with deadly poison. Even a small wound can be fatal.” Scorpion challenged calmly.
He once again manipulated countless puppets, attacking Rock Lee like a torrential rain. Although numerous, they were no more threatening than the ten puppets from before.
Rock Lee was protected by his Golden Bell, and ignored the attacks. He swung the nunchaku in his hand quickly, breaking the puppets one by one.
As the battle continued, Scorpion became more and more proficient in controlling the puppet, and his movements became more and more flexible. He cleverly avoided Rock Lee’s counterattacks while targeting his vital parts.
Under the continuous attack, Rock Lee’s skin began to be damaged and blood slowly seeped out.
“Haha, Rock Lee, once you are cut by the puppet, there is no possibility of survival. You will die from the poison soon.” Scorpion sneered.
“Let’s wait and see.” Rock Lee increased the speed of his nunchakus, and the shadows of the sticks were heavy around him, smashing the approaching puppets into pieces.
The toxins entered his body along with the attack of the weapons and began to corrode his cells, but his Golden Bell Cover continued to release life energy, trying to repair the damaged cells.
Rock Lee’s cells showed extraordinary toughness. Every time the toxin destroyed a cell, it had to pay a greater price than that of an ordinary person, and the Golden Bell Cover was also trying its best to resist and repair the cells damaged by the toxin.
Rock Lee already felt a shortness of breath and pain all over his body, but it was not strong. Moreover, under the repair of the life energy of the Golden Bell Cover, the symptoms were also sometimes stronger and sometimes weaker. It seemed that the life energy of the Golden Bell Cover and the toxins of the puppet had entered a stalemate.
“Scorpion, it seems your poison has no effect on me, Konoha Whirlwind”
Rock Lee instantly cleared the puppets around him, stepped on the ground, and rushed towards Scorpion. As long as Scorpion of the Red Sand was dealt with, everything else would not be a problem.
“It’s not that easy to kill me.” A large group of red puppets rushed towards Rock Lee, trying to stop him. Two tubes popped out from the palms of Scorpion’s hands.
A huge flame gushed out from between Scorpion’s hands. The temperature of the flame was so high that even the rocks under his feet showed signs of melting.
Rock Lee put the nunchaku back into the ninja tool bag, grabbed two puppets from behind, and threw them into the flames in front.
Chapter 125 Plan (Old Version)
The flames were so hot that they instantly melted the two puppets into nothingness. Using his powerful leg strength, Rock Lee kicked up the dirt from the ground, forming a protective wall.
The puppets behind him were smashed into pieces by this force, and Rock Lee cleverly kept a distance from Scorpion, avoiding the scorching flame attack.
“Scorpion, your tricks are just this. I thought that as Scorpion of the Red Sand, you would have more amazing means. Is the Third Kazekage your limit?” Rock Lee sneered as he retreated.
Meanwhile, Neji and Teacher Gai successfully reunited with the other members.
“Ningji, how is Kai? Is he injured?” Asuma asked anxiously.
As Konoha’s top jonin, Kai is proficient in the Eight Gates, so it is not easy to hurt him.
“Teacher Gai opened the seventh gate of the Eight Gates, which caused excessive physical exhaustion. Sakura, please check on Teacher Gai to see if he has any other injuries.” Neji explained.
“I understand. Please lay Mr. Kai flat on the ground and I will check him immediately.” Sakura responded quickly.
“Judging from Gai’s actions, these two Akatsuki members are quite powerful. Neji, briefly describe the enemy’s combat capabilities.”
Asma knew very well that before entering the battlefield, he needed to formulate the best combat strategy based on this intelligence to avoid unnecessary losses.
“First, let’s talk about Deidara. His specialty is clay bombs, but the real problem is that he controls a flying bird and continuously drops bombs in the air. Currently, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are facing off against him, and the situation is at a stalemate. Once their chakra is exhausted, their lives will be seriously threatened.
As for Scorpion of the Red Sand, he had already been defeated by Gai’s Hirudo. His puppet, fashioned from the Third Kazekage, possessed all his abilities, but was now vulnerable. “Ningji briefly described the battle.
“Since Deidara is hovering high in the sky, Shino’s parasitic insects may be the key to our victory.” Shikamaru said thoughtfully.
“Shikamaru, what do you think?” Asuma asked anxiously.
“I have a plan. It’s not perfect, but it’s worth a try. Shino, can your armor carry people?” Shikamaru asked.
“Of course, I can communicate well with Xiaojia.” Shino replied.
“Well, Shino, when you arrive at the battlefield, approach stealthily and then release a large number of insects in a scattered pattern to avoid attracting Deidara’s attention. Then, launch a surprise attack from higher altitudes and try to pin Deidara down for a short period of time.”
Shikamaru suggested, “Let’s have Kakashi-sensei use Kokai’s mobility and find an opportunity to perform Lightning Release to destroy the bird Deidara is riding, forcing him to land. This is a crucial step, and its success depends on Deidara’s strength.”
Asman nodded in agreement, “Then we’ll follow Shikamaru’s plan first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll consider other strategies.”
Yuhi Kurenai asked Ino: “Ino, what is the effective range of your Heart Transmigration Technique?”
Ino replied, “I haven’t tested my limits yet, Kurenai-sensei. But I will give it my all on the battlefield.”
Kurenai Yuhi arranged: “When Shino’s parasitic bugs are holding Deidara back, you will use the Heart Transformation Technique to create an opportunity for Kakashi-sensei.”
Kiba proposed a backup plan: “If all our efforts fail, we can ask for help from the Sand Village. Gaara’s ability should be able to work in the air. After all, we just helped them a lot recently.”
Kurenai Yuhi gave her final instructions: “Observe the battlefield situation first. If the plan doesn’t work, we’ll consider asking for help. Sakura, you stay here and take care of Kai.”
Although Sakura didn’t possess any super powers, she was proficient in medical ninjutsu. She knew that in this situation, caring for Kai was her best position, so she replied, “Okay, Kurenai-sensei.”
The team quickly advanced forward, and Asuma assigned the task: “Shino, you release the parasite here and summon Kokoro. Once the parasite locks onto Deidara, immediately send Kokoro to support Kakashi.”
“I will proceed with caution,” Shino responded, as swarms of parasites scattered from him.
These parasitic insects were almost invisible in the air and gradually approached the sky above the battlefield. Deidara’s figure was clearly visible.
Shino commanded the parasite to hover above Deidara, waiting for instructions.
Asuma and others have arrived at the battlefield.
“Are the Konoha trash here to die again? They look like young shoots,” Deidara said arrogantly on the back of a flying bird, throwing out two clay insect devices at the same time.
“Be careful, those are clay bombs!” Kakashi warned Asuma and others who were approaching.
They witnessed the white objects falling from the sky, and Asuma quickly formed seals.
“Fire Style – Ash Burning!”
With the thick smoke and flashes of sparks blowing out of Asuma’s mouth, the fire quickly spread into the air, instantly engulfing Deidara’s clay bomb.
Shikamaru and the others quickly gathered with Kakashi and Sasuke, ready for battle.
“Teacher Kakashi, Shino’s parasitic worm will give you time. Then you can ride on Kabuto and destroy Deidara’s clay bird.” Shikamaru repeated the plan to Kakashi.
“Once we take action, I can also ride on the small armor with Kakashi. My four wings have the ability to stay in the air for a short time, which may be able to help Teacher Kakashi.” Neji said.
“Okay, Ino, estimate whether we can attack Deidara from this height.” Shikamaru asked.
Deidara’s current height is much lower than when he first fought Rock Lee. After all, Kakashi and Sasuke did not pose much threat to him.
Although both of them possess Lightning Release, which can restrain his detonating clay, it also depends on the quality of the clay and the amount of Lightning Release. Deidara firmly believes that if they continue to waste their chakra like this, the chakra of both of them will soon run out.
“Pay attention, deal with him first and wait for Shino’s parasite to take action.” Asuma said.
“A few new people are here to die, Brother Scorpion, aren’t you happy?” Deidara shouted at Scorpion in the distance.
Scorpion frowned in his heart. He was not as relaxed as Deidara. Rock Lee and Might Guy had made him use many of his trump cards one after another. If a puppeteer revealed all his puppets, he would be close to death.