On the other side.
Hearing Shikamaru and the others' conversation, Asuma and Kurenai's faces also showed expressions of shock.
They didn't expect that the one called Zhang Jiao was just a puppet; the water here was truly deep.
As for Guy, he was doing handstand push-ups nearby.
To him, schemes and intrigues didn't matter at all; they were a waste of brain cells, and he'd rather spend the time training his body.
"Captain Aoki, what do you think?"
Aoki Yoru, huddled on the sofa, said with an indifferent face, "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Just be careful when the time comes."
"However, don't intervene unless it's a life-or-death situation. They've hardly experienced war, so this is a great training opportunity. Let them handle it themselves."
"Exactly, I believe in my students. They can definitely do it, and besides, I will protect them."
Guy did a 180-degree flip to stand back up, gave a thumbs-up, and revealed a confident smile. Even at night, those big white teeth were still gleaming.
Asuma and Kurenai exchanged looks upon hearing this and nodded.
At this time, not far from them, the Hidden Mist Village group was also discussing the situation.
"What?"
Chōjūrō shouted as he jumped off his chair, looking at Ao and saying, "Is it true, Senior Ao? Was that Zhang Jiao really controlled by Genjutsu?"
Ao nodded with a serious face, "Yes, just like the Fourth Mizukage, he was also controlled by Genjutsu."
"Is it the same person who controlled the Mizukage-sama?"
Ao shook his head: "The Chakra feels different, but this method is exactly the same as the one used to control the Mizukage. It might be the same organization."
Chōjūrō said through gritted teeth, "We must find that bastard. He caused the Hidden Mist Village to suffer heavy losses, and we still haven't recovered."
Originally, by relying on its geographical advantage, the Hidden Mist Village could have leisurely watched the four nations on the mainland exhaust each other, eventually accumulating strength to reap the rewards.
Although the Third Mizukage implemented the Village of the Bloody Mist policy, it wasn't that extreme yet. When the Fourth took office, he originally intended to abolish it, but unexpectedly, he was controlled by Genjutsu.
Afterward, the Village of the Bloody Mist policy was implemented even more thoroughly, even making classmates kill each other, causing the Hidden Mist Village to be severely weakened, and it still hasn't recovered.
Think about it, as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Hidden Mist Village only has Mei Terumī as a Kage-level powerhouse, and the rest are just Elite Jonin like Ao and Chōjūrō. It's simply absurd.
They are in a similar state to Sunagakure.
Ao nodded, "I will pass this information on to Mizukage-sama."
"Also, Chōjūrō, you must remember to protect yourself. Do not fight head-on if you encounter a strong enemy; retreat immediately. The Hidden Mist Village cannot afford more losses."
"Yes, Senior Ao."
In the mountainous area ten kilometers northeast of the Capital of Birds.
At this moment, people were lying all over the ground; judging from their headbands, they were from Iwagakure.
Iwato, the Jonin leader from Iwagakure, was currently panting heavily, looking at the five monsters before him with a face full of wariness.
Three hours ago, he led twenty Iwagakure squads toward the Capital of Birds, but they were intercepted by this monster.
The opponent's strength was too great; he could even separate his body into four black monsters wearing masks. The other members of Iwagakure had all been killed by them.
"Santai was right, this is indeed a good opportunity to hunt you Ninjas from the great nations. Iwato of Iwagakure, bounty 450,000, I'll be taking your head."
Iwato looked at the five monsters surrounding him; he knew he likely wouldn't escape this time, and a look of determination appeared on his face.
He was an Elite Jonin of Iwagakure and a confidant of the Third Tsuchikage-sama. He absolutely could not die so pathetically; even if he died, he had to drag the enemy down with him.
Then, he mobilized all his Chakra. The Chakra around him surged violently, and even his skin began to glow with a searing red light.
"Earth Release: Rock Blast Technique!"
He suddenly detonated all the Chakra in his body. Crimson fire instantly exploded from every inch of his skin, and his entire person was like an ignited rocky core.
"BOOM—"
With a loud roar, crimson fire erupted from his body, and a heatwave surged through the mountain forest, lighting up the entire valley in red.
After a long time, the fire and smoke gradually dissipated.
Only a bottomless, charred crater remained at the scene. The surrounding vegetation had all turned to charcoal, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and rock dust.
The surrounding corpses had been blown to powder by the explosion, leaving no remains behind.
"Crack—"
A mound of earth suddenly popped up from the ground, and Kakuzu crawled out from inside.
At this moment, there was no joy on his face, only a gloomy expression, and his eyes were filled with anger.
Without the slightest hint of relief, only a deep-seated rage, he cursed: "Bastard, even in death you had to blow your body to ash, not leaving me a single bit of bounty."
Not to mention the Iwagakure Ninja's self-destruction, he also burned all the surrounding Ninja corpses into fly ash. That was all cold, hard cash!
Kakuzu took a huge loss this time; he didn't get a single penny and even lost a Wind-attribute heart for nothing.
At the moment of the explosion, he could only use that heart to take the impact head-on to barely survive the damage. But now, that heart had completely shattered into fragments.
It was truly a case of 'going for wool and coming back shorn'.
Then Kakuzu looked toward the Capital of Birds. There were Ninjas from the Four Great Ninja Villages there; there were bound to be many people with high bounties.
Moreover, he had to find a way to replace the Wind-attribute heart he lost. Otherwise, having one less life made him feel very insecure.
Then, Kakuzu walked toward the Capital of Birds. Although he knew Yagami Light's words at the organization meeting were meant to lure him into action—a bit of a free-ride attempt—
Who could help it? He was a man who put money above all else and simply couldn't resist the temptation of the scent of banknotes.
"If it's Wind-attribute, Sunagakure should have the most. That's the one."
At this moment, Shikamaru and the others, who were discussing their battle plan, were momentarily stunned when they heard the violent explosion.
They all rushed to high ground and looked in the direction the sound came from.
Since it was too far, they could only see a faint glow of fire.
Although they didn't know what happened, it was clearly the commotion of a battle, and both sides were not weak. After all, a battle between ten Chunin wouldn't create such a stir.
"Shino, I'll leave it to you."
At this distance, Neji's Byakugan couldn't see anything, so they could only have Shino's Parasitic Insects go over.
Furthermore, the enemy's identity and strength were unknown, so going there now was too dangerous.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
Then, Shino extended both arms, and Parasitic Insects flew out of his pockets, heading toward the place with the firelight.
Other Ninja villages also used various methods to investigate.
"I didn't expect that fellow Kakuzu to actually come." Yagami Light, standing on the mountain peak, had a look of wonder.
That guy Kakuzu really loves money; even knowing he was being used, he rushed in regardless.
At that time, Sasori in the organization was also very tempted. Of course, what tempted him were the corpses of powerful experts, but he suppressed his own desires because he didn't want to be used as a tool by Yagami Light.
"Tomorrow, everything will come to an end."
The night wind swept across the mountain peak, carrying his whisper into the distance.