Kumano An sensed a rush of wind.
And it was quite noisy!
"Not good!"
He quickly tried to perform the Substitution Jutsu, but his chakra was blocked, causing him to fall to the ground. A sharp pain struck his waist as he was kicked onto a rooftop!
"Look quickly, someone is attacking Lord Kumano An!"
On the street, pedestrians immediately noticed the commotion.
Earlier, when the once-mighty Kumano An fled in panic, they had already taken notice.
Now they could naturally see Ye Liang attacking him.
"Who is that guy?! How dare he lay a hand on Lord Kumano An!"
"Haha, whoever he is, this feels so satisfying! That little bastard deserved it long ago!"
"Yeah, I must find out this hero's name! I'll give him a commendation banner for his bravery!"
At this moment, Qianhu Men, who was serving as Lord Rivershadow of the River Village, rushed over.
"Lord Ye Liang, we can't kill this man yet!" He immediately tried to stop him.
"Why not? Isn't he an enemy of your village?" Ye Liang withdrew his descending hand. Just now, after using the Flying Thunder God technique, he'd directly sealed Kumano An's acupoints using the Eight Trigrams Palm.
[Eight Trigrams Palm!]
Thus rendering the latter immobile.
"There's no reason! Because this man is the son of Yagura Karatachi!"
"Yagura Karatachi's son? So what?" Ye Liang replied indifferently.
"Then he cannot be killed!"
Qianhu Men became anxious!
Yagura Karatachi was the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure. Moreover, his power was formidable—not only did he possess extraordinary water-style techniques, but he also had Isobu supplying his body.
A Three-Tails jinchuriki!
Who would dare harm him?!
"So what if I kill him?"
"That would bring down Yagura's wrath!"
Before Qianhu Men could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped...
Ye Liang's hand had already pierced into Kumano An's body like a sharp blade!
After recently fighting Fake Ye Liang, Ye Liang deeply realized how weak he was. To protect what must be protected, he needed to strengthen himself endlessly!
Physical strength was the foundation for transformation.
He had to kill Yagura Karatachi—not just because of what happened today, but primarily because of the Three-Tails Isobu inside him.
As previously mentioned, Ye Liang's time-space turtle required powerful tailed beasts as its energy source, and Isobu within Yagura was clearly one of his targets.
With his current target right in front of him, he ignored all consequences.
"But I still killed him!"
Ye Liang said coldly.
Qianhu Men's expression instantly changed. He actually killed Kumano An!
How could he have killed Kumano An?
He shouldn't have killed Kumano An...
Three short phrases—one of shock, one of disbelief, and finally one of regret. It revealed Qianhu Men's tangled emotions at that moment.
By killing Kumano An, Ye Liang had effectively caused their River Shinobi Village to completely sever ties with Kirigakure.
Originally, according to Qianhu Men's plan, after surrendering the secret treasure of the River Country, he intended to persuade Yagura Karatachi to spare Princess Naizi, considering he himself was a Kage-level master. If he defected to Kirigakure, the other party might grant him some favor.
But now, there was truly no turning back.
"Cut the crap. Tell me about the Land of Rivers, and don't hide anything from me this time!" Ye Liang said calmly.
A man could be foolish, could act overly dramatic, but when it's time to get serious, he must be serious.
You can appear irresponsible on the surface, but your heart must remain as clear as a mirror!
After hastily handling Kumano An's corpse, Qianhu Men brought Ye Liang back to the Hokage's office.
Naizi Fujiwara was still there.
"Grandpa Qianhu, how is Kumano An now?"
She was just an ordinary person, unaware of what had happened outside.
"Kumano An is dead."
Qianhu Men replied bitterly.
He hadn't expected things to turn out this way either, but since Naizi asked, he could only answer honestly.
Naizi's pupils briefly constricted, then quickly returned to calmness.
"No wonder you're the Heir of the General. That earlier cowardice was all an act," Ye Liang glanced at Naizi and judged.
At this moment, Naizi Fujiwara showed none of that pitiful demeanor from before when she cried for help. Instead, she appeared completely calm—even more composed and steady than Qianhu Men.
This further confirmed Ye Liang's previous suspicions.
The two of them had clearly been messing with him earlier—the story they told was completely fabricated!
"Nice to finally meet you, Princess Naizi."
"The honor is mine, Lord Ye Liang!"
They exchanged greetings face-to-face, while the previously vocal Qianhu Men quietly took position behind Naizi Fujiwara.
"Well then, allow me to explain the truth."
Naizi Fujiwara nodded toward Ye Liang and spoke first.
"The situation is exactly as we described earlier—the Kiri attacked us. But there's one small twist."
"Firstly, their target wasn't the secret treasure of the River Country, but actually the nation's control itself! They want to expand their influence, but the powerful Land of Water is definitely not a suitable target."
"So they set their sights on your Land of Rivers," Ye Liang continued.
"Precisely. Our Land of Rivers lies near them, making it easier to attack. Furthermore, our ninja forces are also extremely powerful. Taking over our River Village would be quite a significant gain."
"Ninja forces are strong?"
Upon hearing Naizi Fujiwara's words, Ye Liang couldn't help but chuckle.
So the pitiful River Village dares to boast strength? Just because of someone like Qianhu Men?
Hmph, just a bunch of weaklings.
Naizi Fujiwara's expression shifted slightly.
She knew exactly what Ye Liang's laugh meant.
But she couldn't refute it, because Ye Liang truly had the authority—after all, someone who even looked down upon the Hidden Mist Village made the River Village seem almost insignificant.
She continued, "My father and brothers weren't under control — because they had already been killed. That's also why Grandpa Qianhu called my father a traitorous scoundrel today."
"You mean people from the Kiri [Transformed] into your father's appearance and have been ruling your Land of Rivers."
"Exactly. I'm the only surviving heir from the Blood of the General. I carry the responsibility of..."
"Hold on!" Ye Liang suddenly interrupted Naizi Fujiwara's speech.
"I don't care what burdens you carry. I just want to find out whether that treasure—the one you spoke of—actually exists. If it doesn't, I won't waste my time meddling in your messy affairs anymore."
After Ye Liang finished speaking, he shrugged at the princess.
He had come here solely for the treasure; without it, there was no reason to provoke the Mist Village any longer.
Of course, even if the Mist Village got involved because of Kumano An's matter,
he feared nothing!
Naizi Fujiwara's face darkened instantly.
Previously, since Ye Liang hadn't killed Kumano An, she still had room to maneuver. But now they'd already formed deadly hatred. If Ye Liang chose to walk away, they would soon face the wrath of the Mist Village!
The chance to rely on the River Shadow Village and bide their time quietly had already vanished!
"There *is* a treasure!" Naizi blurted out in a rush, betraying her anxiety.
She spoke too quickly, revealing her agitation.
After all, she was just a young girl. No matter how composed she appeared, she could never outmaneuver a crafty veteran like Ye Liang.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>