Chapter 143: The Enraged Raikage and Tsuchikage
Tsunade raised her head and looked at the largely destroyed Hidden Leaf Village, falling silent for a moment.
In this battle, no one knew how many civilians and shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village had died.
This was the village her grandfather had left behind, and no matter what, she would protect it.
After a long while, Tsunade lifted her head and looked at Jiraiya beside her, who was also somewhat silent, her voice returning to its usual brisk tone.
"What, are you worried about that child now?"
Jiraiya was momentarily stunned and nodded slightly. He naturally knew who Tsunade was referring to.
"That child… just who exactly is he? He surely isn't as simple as merely being a jinchuriki."
A trace of contemplation flashed through Tsunade's eyes as she spoke softly.
Jiraiya's expression was complicated, and his voice carried a hint of guilt.
"He is Minato and Kushina's child."
Shock appeared on Tsunade's face, followed immediately by a cold sneer at the corner of her lips.
"So it was another pointless decision made by those people in the higher-ups."
Tsunade turned her head and looked straight at Jiraiya. "Since the old man entrusted the burden of the Hokage to you before he died, I hope you can truly shoulder this position of Hokage."
After saying this, without waiting for Jiraiya to speak, Tsunade turned and walked toward the Hidden Leaf Village. At the same time, her calm voice reached Jiraiya's ears once more.
"I will stay and help you."
Jiraiya's spirits lifted, and then he revealed a bitter smile, muttering helplessly to himself.
"The position of Hokage… I actually hoped you would take it."
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Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud Village.
Inside the Raikage's office.
Boom!
The Fourth Raikage, A, his face filled with fury, smashed the desk in front of him to pieces with a single punch.
The entire Raikage office building shook from that punch, as if a small earthquake had struck the area.
Standing not far to the side, Mabui looked at the desk reduced to fragments, pain flashing in his eyes, though he dared not speak at this moment.
"Damn the Hidden Mist Village, daring to scheme against me!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, let out another furious roar and raised his fist, unable to resist punching forward again.
Unfortunately, the only remaining desk in the office had already been destroyed, and this punch struck only air, producing a brief, sharp sonic boom.
Only after a long while did the enraged Fourth Raikage gradually calm down.
"How is Darui now?"
The Fourth Raikage turned his head to look at Mabui, concern evident in his voice.
Just as Mabui was about to speak, the door to the Raikage's office was pushed open.
Darui, most of his body wrapped in bandages, walked in.
His face was filled with pain. With a heavy thud, he dropped to one knee, his voice hoarse as he spoke.
"I'm sorry, Lord Raikage… I failed to bring them back."
"This matter is not your fault. If there is blame, it lies with my negligence as Raikage. Whether it is the Hidden Leaf Village or the Hidden Mist Village, I will absolutely repay this grudge."
The Fourth Raikage spoke coldly, killing intent surging from his body.
After saying that, the Fourth Raikage, A, reached out and pulled Darui to his feet.
"Lord Raikage, Lord Killer B has been trapped by the Hidden Leaf Village. No matter what, we must first rescue Lord Killer B."
Darui spoke to the Fourth Raikage.
Setting aside the relationship between Killer B and the Fourth Raikage, the tailed beast alone could absolutely not be allowed to fall into the hands of another village.
The Fourth Raikage's gaze flickered. Compared to his hatred toward the Hidden Mist Village, rescuing Killer B was indeed the most urgent matter at present.
Land of Earth, Hidden Stone Village.
Inside the Tsuchikage's office.
Compared to the furious atmosphere of the Raikage's office, the Tsuchikage's office was unusually calm, so calm that it felt oppressive.
Ōnoki sat quietly in his chair, appearing extremely composed, though his face had taken on a slightly bluish hue.
Standing beside him, Kurotsuchi's expression was equally unpleasant.
After a long while, Ōnoki suddenly let out a few laughs, though the sound was filled with coldness.
"Very good. To think that at my age, I was actually schemed against by a little girl."
"And the Hidden Leaf Village… after all these years, they still had such a trump card hidden away. I truly underestimated the Hidden Leaf Village."
Ōnoki's voice was calm, yet his expression was heavy.
The entire Hidden Stone Village force, aside from Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, and two guards, had been completely wiped out.
If Ōnoki had not weathered countless storms in his life, he would likely have already spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, and those two guards… are they all right?"
Ōnoki turned his head to look at Kurotsuchi, asking calmly.
Kurotsuchi shook her head. "Dad, Uncle Akatsuchi and the others are just severely overexerted. There are no major issues."
After speaking, Kurotsuchi looked at Ōnoki with some worry and asked cautiously.
"Old man, are you all right?"
Hearing her words, Ōnoki was taken aback. He then suddenly flew up from his seat and shouted loudly.
"My body is still extremely strong! I don't need you little girl worrying about me."
Crack! Crack!
Just as he finished speaking, Ōnoki suddenly clutched his waist with both hands and let out a miserable cry.
"Ow, my waist! My waist!"
A helpless expression appeared on Kurotsuchi's face as she hurried forward to support Ōnoki.
Only after a long while did Ōnoki recover. Wiping the dense sweat from his forehead, he spoke in a solemn tone.
"Compared to the Hidden Mist Village, the Hidden Leaf Village actually managed to trap Han. It seems they are preparing to negotiate terms with us."
"However, I do not intend to let the Hidden Leaf Village off easily this time. Hiding such methods, the Hidden Leaf Village is far more dangerous than the current Hidden Mist Village."
"And there is also that powerhouse suspected to be from the Uzumaki Clan. Kurotsuchi, personally send people to investigate. There should be some clues among those who survived from the Uzumaki Clan back then."
Ōnoki spoke calmly, analyzing the situation with composure.
Kurotsuchi nodded and quickly turned to leave the office.
This war in which four major ninja villages jointly attacked the Hidden Leaf Village had come to an end.
The war had begun quickly and ended just as quickly.
Many small countries and minor ninja villages had only just received the news when the war was already over.
In the entire history of the shinobi world, there had never been an instance of four major ninja villages joining forces to jointly crusade against a single village.
Yet under such circumstances, the Hidden Leaf Village had not been completely destroyed.
Instead, using the Wood Release ninjutsu once renowned under the First Hokage, it had crushed all four major ninja villages.
Moreover, among the four allied forces, the Hidden Mist Village troops, which had suffered the least losses, suddenly turned traitor and nearly annihilated the remaining forces of the Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Stone Village, and Hidden Sand Village.
By the end of the battle, the sole beneficiary turned out to be the Hidden Mist Village, the village with the weakest foundation among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
When most forces in the shinobi world received this news, they were all left stunned.
The Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Stone Village not only suffered devastating losses, but even their own jinchuriki were completely left behind in the Hidden Leaf Village.
As for the Hidden Sand Village, its jinchuriki had been seized by the Hidden Mist Village. The Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Stone Village at least still had one jinchuriki remaining.
The Hidden Sand Village had only one to begin with, and it was taken away by the Hidden Mist Village. One could imagine the shock this caused to the entire Hidden Sand Village.
For a ninja village, a tailed beast not only represented overwhelming combat power, but also served as proof of the village's strength.
Facing the severely weakened four major ninja villages, the entire shinobi world was like a once-calm lake into which a massive stone had been thrown, causing undercurrents to surge.
Countless ninja villages, large and small, began to stir into action.
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