Chapter 163: Kyosuke's Return
"Whew... finally got away," Kyosuke said, who was in a state of rapid flight, looking back from time to time. After running for several kilometers, he finally slowly stopped.
After confirming that Nagato and the others had no intention of pursuing him, he finally had time to think about what had just happened.
From Yahiko's roar, it was clear that he had mistakenly believed that "he" had injured Konan, which was why he had attacked in a fit of rage.
But the key was not him, but Nagato, who was on the side. Even he, with his Rinnegan, believed that he was the culprit. Then this matter became interesting.
"In other words, 'that person' has the same body shape and appearance as me, and even the chakra fluctuation is exactly the same. Otherwise, it would be impossible for Nagato to be mistaken. Then... the real culprit is obvious."
A hint of gravity appeared in Kyosuke's lowered gaze, and at the same time, he coldly recited that person's name in his heart, "White Zetsu."
That's right. Besides White Zetsu, he really couldn't think of anyone else. Not to mention, it also had sufficient motive to "harm" him.
"Has Uchiha Madara already noticed me?" Kyosuke muttered to himself.
"But it's true. To have opened the three-tomoe Sharingan at the age of less than ten, and to have the ability to kill an elite jounin, it's not strange that he would target me."
Having understood this, Kyosuke began to think about Uchiha Madara's motives.
After much thought, there were only two reasons why he would do this.
The first was that Madara had already chosen him as his "successor" and wanted to use Nagato's hand to seriously injure him, and then order White Zetsu to rescue him.
This way, Madara could control him through the identity of a "savior." Of course, during this period, he would definitely find a chance to plant a "curse seal" in his body to prevent him from defecting in the future.
The second was very simple. Madara, through White Zetsu's surveillance, had determined that he did not have the qualifications to become a "successor," so he wanted to find a way to get rid of him to prevent future trouble.
In Kyosuke's opinion, the possibility of the first was slightly lower than the second. Although he himself did not know when White Zetsu had started his surveillance, he asked himself, with his own style of doing things, he did not have the qualities of a "pawn."
Combining the answers he had thought of, Kyosuke could be sure in his heart that the current Uchiha Madara had probably already listed him as a must-kill.
Not to mention, at this time, Madara was already on the verge of death and probably wouldn't survive this war. So, it was not surprising that today's "accident" would happen.
"I need to be more cautious in the future and not give Madara another chance to target me," Kyosuke warned himself in his heart, and then sped up toward the southwestern battlefield.
That night, at the Southwestern Army's camp, Orochimaru and the others were discussing tomorrow's battle.
"Lately, the offensive of Chiyo, Bunjin, and Rasa has become more and more fierce. We urgently need to come up with a countermeasure. Otherwise..." Uchiha Ukyo's remaining words were not spoken, but the few people in the tent all understood his meaning.
The current Sand ninja were clearly determined to fight a war of attrition with Konoha. Since they couldn't win in terms of high-end combat power, then let's see whose lethality was stronger.
At this point, even Orochimaru and Fugaku combined were not as destructive as Rasa alone.
With the sky-covering gold sand, if there was no powerhouse like Orochimaru to resist, the ninja of the First and Second Armies would likely be wiped out in a few exchanges. This was the terror of a large-scale AOE ninjutsu on the battlefield.
So, the successive Kage of the Sand Village were basically composed of these people, because it was too convenient for them to establish merit. As long as they found the right opportunity and used a single ninjutsu, they could just sit back and wait for the merit to roll in.
It was precisely because of this that Orochimaru had been chasing after Rasa all this time. Wherever the gold sand spread, Orochimaru would be the first to appear, in order not to let Rasa wantonly slaughter the ninja of his own army.
But this was ultimately a temporary solution. No matter how fast Orochimaru's reaction was, the number of ninja who had died at Rasa's hands was increasing day by day.
For this, Orochimaru had secretly sworn in his heart that even if he couldn't kill him on the battlefield, he would definitely find a chance to kill him in the future to avenge today's shame.
"Sigh," Fugaku sighed softly on the side. At the same time, his heart was also a bit shaken.
In fact, the reason the battle had developed to this point was also related to Fugaku's "slacking."
It had to be said that although Fugaku had not yet reached the level of a "Kage-level" powerhouse, he was only a hair's breadth away. His comprehensive strength was much stronger than Pakura's.
Not to mention, he had never used his biggest trump card. If he included the ability of the Mangekyo, it would not be impossible for him alone to defeat or even kill Bunjin, this veteran Kage-level powerhouse.
But still, the three words "Mangekyo" were too significant, which made Fugaku's heart a bit hesitant. Should he go all out or not?
If this continued, the Southwestern Army would be facing a defeat. At that time, their Uchiha clan would definitely not have a good end.
But if he used the Mangekyo, he was afraid that Konoha would increase their vigilance against the Uchiha afterward, and even take some more excessive measures to restrain them. That was why he was so conflicted.
"Sigh," Fugaku sighed again at this thought and raised his hand to rub his aching head.
Suddenly, someone on the side asked, "Hasn't Uchiha Kyosuke returned yet? The three-month deadline is almost up."
Hearing this, the few people present all turned to look.
In a corner of the tent, Hyuga Saori was standing there. The question just now was naturally asked by her.
Seeing everyone's gaze, Saori continued with an expressionless face, "If we have Kyosuke's help, with his ability to fly, we can design an ambush to kill Bunjin or Rasa. That way, we can completely turn the tide."
Hearing her words, Orochimaru smiled hoarsely and said, "It's not that simple. You know, Kyosuke's abilities have been exposed, so the Sand ninja will definitely have a countermeasure against his surprise attack."
"I know that," Saori silently nodded, indicating that she understood. She was silent for a moment, then said again, "Then... what if you add me?"
The moment her words fell, a tangible pressure suddenly emanated from her body.
The众人 in the room, feeling her aura, all's eyes lit up.
"You've successfully been promoted to elite jounin?" Orochimaru asked with a smile.
"Mm," Saori replied simply, indicating that she had indeed crossed the threshold of a jounin and had been successfully promoted.
"I see," Orochimaru said, thinking carefully. "The Sand ninja certainly wouldn't expect your strength to suddenly increase. If you add Kyosuke and me, we could indeed catch Bunjin off guard, and it's even possible to kill him on the spot."
With that, Orochimaru looked at Saori with a hint more of admiration.
Ever since Kyosuke had gone to Ryuchi Cave to train, the two clan shinobi had been fighting alongside Uchiha Ukyo, while Hyuga Saori had been directly taken by Orochimaru.
In fact, from the brief conversation when Danzo had arrived, Orochimaru had become interested in Saori's performance. This time, he could take this opportunity to see if she was a talent worth cultivating.
As he had expected, Saori, who could make a name for herself in the genius-filled Root with her own efforts, was naturally not lacking in ability. In addition, her strength had now greatly increased. It could be said that she was indeed a rare talent.
For this, Orochimaru had once wanted to recruit her into his own command, but unfortunately, Saori had not yet made her position clear.
But Orochimaru was not in a hurry. After all, the war was far from over. He had plenty of time to win her over. Not to mention, he had also heard about the dirty laundry of the Hyuga clan.
He was confident that on the day Saori had nowhere else to turn, she would definitely accept his help. At that time, this talent would be his to use.
As for Kyosuke, who was very close to Saori, Orochimaru was not too worried. After all, due to the restrictions of his family background, it was fine for Kyosuke to help her secretly, but on the surface, as a member of the Uchiha clan, Kyosuke could not interfere in the Hyuga clan's internal affairs.
So, if she wanted to escape the Hyuga's vortex, in the end, she could only turn to him for help. Orochimaru was very clear about this.
After some thought, Orochimaru refocused his attention on the matter at hand.
The possibility Hyuga Saori had mentioned did indeed exist, but the key problem now was that Kyosuke had not yet returned from his training. The current situation would have to continue.
Just as Orochimaru was preparing to come up with a plan to temporarily deal with the Sand ninja's strategy, the few people in the tent suddenly turned to look at the entrance.
"Who's there?" Uchiha Ukyo took out a kunai and shouted.
"To be able to sneak up on us without a sound, the newcomer's strength is not to be trifled with," Uchiha Fugaku and Orochimaru exchanged a look and were almost simultaneously preparing to attack.
"Wait a minute," but Saori, who was beside them, unexpectedly stopped them.
She then ignored everyone's puzzled expressions, turned to look at the outside of the tent, and said in a low, slightly excited reprimand, "Is this kind of prank very interesting? Hurry up and come in."
Hearing her words, the众人 thought for a moment, and then their eyes lit up, and they also looked with anticipation at the figure who had walked in.
"Hey, I just wanted to give you a surprise. How is that a prank?" the newcomer said with a wry smile, walking in.
With that, he waved his hand and took off his hood, and at the same time, he slowly took off the mask on his face.
This person was, of course, the hastily returned Kyosuke.
"Hmph," Saori's happy expression only lasted for a moment, and then she forcibly returned to her usual calmness, as if she was not interested in Kyosuke's return.
However, Fugaku and the others, who were on the side, were very happy.
Looking at Kyosuke, who was surrounded by the crowd and wincing from the slaps on his shoulder, Saori couldn't help but laugh to herself.
"Welcome back."
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