Chapter 225: Encountering the Fourth Raikage
In the dense forest, over a thousand Kumogakure ninja were moving at an extremely fast pace.
Just then, a thick mist surged from the left, completely engulfing the entire forest.
"It's Hoshikawa! Everyone, be careful!" Dodai's heart jumped, and he quickly warned them.
"Use Wind Release!" Samui shouted right after.
Chakra transformed into violent winds, blowing away the surrounding dense fog. But the moment it cleared, the thick mist surged out again, seemingly endless.
Samui involuntarily bit her lip. Is he wasting chakra like this?
But she thought about it carefully. It wasn't a waste; it simply meant Hoshikawa had too much chakra. His feat of defeating the Four-Tails with Water Release alone showed how terrifying his chakra reserves were.
"He's over there!" A nearby Sensory Jōnin immediately raised a hand, pointing to the right.
Samui drew her ninja blade and disappeared into the dense fog. She looked around; her vision was completely obscured, unable to see clearly beyond a meter. Although she couldn't see, she wasn't overly worried. After all, the Kumogakure forces were right beside her and could provide timely support. Furthermore, she didn't believe Hoshikawa would kill her.
Footsteps sounded. Samui immediately turned and saw a calm-faced Hoshikawa. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't attacked right away, which meant there was still room for discussion.
"To go to such lengths just to see me, it seems I command a lot of respect," Hoshikawa said with a smile, looking at Samui.
"It's not about respect," Samui said coolly.
Hoshikawa might not realize it, but he was now one of the few powerhouses in the ninja world, and his every move carried immense influence. Coupled with the tight security at the Konoha headquarters, this method was the only way they could contact him.
"Has your restriction been lifted?" Samui bit her lip and asked.
"Yes," Hoshikawa admitted. "Not to boast, but I learned a few sealing jutsu."
"..." Samui was speechless.
Did he lift the restriction himself? What kind of monster is he?
However, this also proved that Hoshikawa's spy identity had still not been exposed.
"Do you remember the ninja who sent you to the Konoha orphanage back then?" Samui didn't wait for his answer and continued on her own. "He has been locked up, precisely because Kumogakure missed out on a genius like you."
"You actually can't blame him," Hoshikawa said, blinking.
He really didn't have much talent back then—not until he got his 'cheat'.
"We all hope you will return to Kumogakure." Samui looked at him, hope in her eyes. "With your strength, you will definitely become the next Raikage."
"Returning to Kumogakure now would mean sacrificing all my previous efforts." Hoshikawa shook his head, refusing.
"Are you really going to betray Kumogakure?" Samui asked, her heart tightening.
"I didn't say I was going to betray you." Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow and countered, "Aside from lifting the restriction myself, have I done anything to hurt Kumogakure?"
Samui was momentarily taken aback. Thinking about it carefully, that seemed true. But Hoshikawa's refusal to return to Kumogakure spoke volumes.
"What you said is true." Samui calmed down and said in a level tone, "The purpose of finding you this time is to ask you to provide intelligence on Konoha and Sunagakure."
"I can, but it will take time." Hoshikawa wasn't surprised by her request and agreed after a brief thought.
"Why?" Samui's beautiful eyes fixed on him, as if trying to discern if he was lying.
"My Master and I are currently in a difficult position," Hoshikawa sighed.
"How can that be?" Samui frowned, finding it hard to believe. Tsunade being in a difficult position in Konoha sounded like the biggest joke.
"It concerns the Hokage race," Hoshikawa explained. "Orochimaru wants to be the next Hokage, and my Master is his biggest competitor."
Samui looked thoughtful upon hearing this. Although she was a Kumogakure ninja, she could tell that Konoha's next Hokage would likely be one of the Legendary Sannin. Tsunade was the most likely candidate, as she had gained too much prominence over the past two years. The execution of Hanzō of the Salamander, the complete annihilation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the capture of the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi—all were related to her. Orochimaru couldn't bypass Tsunade if he wanted to become Hokage.
"On the Land of Frost battlefield, Orochimaru is the Commander, and my Master is only the Deputy Commander, putting her at a disadvantage in status," Hoshikawa said truthfully. "We were assigned logistical missions for nearly a week right after we arrived."
"Really?" Samui felt a surge of disbelief.
"If Master hadn't actively requested this mission, you wouldn't have met me," Hoshikawa added after a pause. "If you don't believe me, you can check; many people know about this."
Samui froze, falling into deep contemplation. With thousands of ninja gathered in the Land of Frost, there were naturally Kumogakure spies within Konoha and Sunagakure. While they couldn't uncover highly confidential information, confirming the logistical missions assigned to Tsunade and Hoshikawa was certainly feasible.
"Because of Orochimaru's vigilance, I can't currently access the intelligence you want," Hoshikawa said, mixing truth with lies.
Samui remained silent. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
"Just give me enough time, and I can pass the information to you," Hoshikawa chuckled. "And I'd also like to cooperate with you to eliminate Orochimaru."
Of course, this was a lie. Simply exposing the Wood Release experiments would cripple Orochimaru and Danzō Shimura; there was no need for him to risk cooperating with Kumogakure. He needed to buy time until he synthesized Wood Release.
"How long will it take?" Samui recovered and asked.
"I don't know," Hoshikawa shook his head. "I can't guarantee that."
"I will report back to the Raikage-sama once I return," Samui said after a moment's thought. "He will decide what to do."
"Thank you, Samui," Hoshikawa smiled.
Samui looked at him, feeling a slight sense of disorientation. She wondered if the next time they met, they would be friends or enemies.
"One last warning: my Master has set her sights on you," Hoshikawa said, his expression unchanged.
"I know," Samui nodded.
Just as she was about to continue, Hoshikawa suddenly retreated, his body vanishing.
Samui instantly used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing before Dodai.
"What happened?" Dodai asked immediately upon seeing her.
"I met Hoshikawa and talked to him extensively," Samui said quickly. "But now is not the time to discuss it. Ignore the mist, and we must move forward at full speed!"
"Guard the surroundings, don't stop, keep advancing!" Dodai's heart tightened, and he immediately shouted the order without asking further questions.
The next second, cries of pain erupted.
From the dense fog, numerous Destruction Bugs (Kikaichū) flew out. This was Shibi Aburame's secret technique.
In addition, Hizashi Hyūga was present. Instead of using his close-combat Gentle Fist (Jūken), he used his Byakugan to see through the mist and continuously threw fatal kunai.
Hoshikawa glanced at him, recalling an idea from his past life: that the Byakugan-wielding Hyūga Clan should use long-range ninja tools instead of close-range Gentle Fist.
But really, most ninja tools in the world held no special effect and were less powerful than the Gentle Fist. Furthermore, combining the chakra-point-targeting Gentle Fist with the Byakugan made dealing with ordinary ninja effortless. A single touch could incapacitate an enemy. As for special ninja, if you couldn't beat them, you couldn't beat them, regardless of whether you fought close-range or long-range.
"Kumogakure's Jōnin have arrived!" Hizashi Hyūga immediately warned.
"Let's go!" Hoshikawa clapped his hands, and a several-meter-high earthen wall rose before the group.
Hizashi Hyūga, Shibi Aburame, and the others didn't linger in the fight, turning and running. Their goal was to harass and delay until Tsunade's reinforcements arrived.
"Damn it!" Dodai roared in frustration as he smashed the earthen wall and watched the Konoha ninja escape.
"This is really troublesome," Samui also felt a headache coming on.
"Don't worry too much," Dodai took a deep breath. "I've already sent someone to notify the Raikage-sama. He should arrive to provide support soon."
"I hope it's soon enough," Samui said gravely.
Both Kumogakure and Konoha were racing against time. Whoever arrived first would gain the advantage.
Hoshikawa and the others didn't go far, quickly stopping.
"I wonder how far Master Tsunade's team has gotten," Kurenai Yūhi said worriedly.
"We can ask Katsuyu about that," Hoshikawa thought, summoning a smaller Katsuyu.
All slugs were part of a single entity, so in a sense, Katsuyu could be used as a communications relay. It wasn't as convenient as a phone, as communication had to route through the main Katsuyu body, but it was very useful in critical moments.
Poof!
Katsuyu vanished. Hoshikawa waited a few minutes and then summoned her again.
"Tsunade-sama will arrive soon, estimated to be about one hour away," Katsuyu whispered softly.
Hizashi Hyūga, Shibi Aburame, and the others immediately looked relieved and excited. If they could completely annihilate this thousand-man Kumogakure ninja unit, it would undoubtedly be a major achievement.
"Senior Shibi, please remember to watch out for Kumogakure reinforcements," Hoshikawa reminded him.
"Mm." Shibi Aburame replied. "I've already deployed my Destruction Bugs to guard the surroundings."
"That's good." Hoshikawa nodded slightly.
They continued to follow behind the Kumogakure ninja unit, occasionally seizing opportunities to harass them.
An hour later, the sound of rushing wind filled the air. Hoshikawa looked up and saw Tsunade leading a group of ninja descending from the sky. He scanned the area and noticed most of them were Jōnin.
"Well done." Tsunade nodded at Hoshikawa, then looked at the crowd. "No need for formalities. Let's not waste time!"
"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison.
Without any hesitation, the fierce battle commenced. The Konoha forces were outnumbered, but their strength was overwhelming. They quickly gained the upper hand.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Hoshikawa clapped his hands, chakra erupting from his throat, transforming into a water dragon that slammed into the enemy formation. In an instant, water and blood splattered, and screams were endless.
The air whizzed. Countless shuriken rained down, locking down the area around Hoshikawa.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Hoshikawa glanced at the middle-aged man not far away and quickly formed hand seals. A water wall rose, blocking the shuriken.
The middle-aged man lost sight of Hoshikawa. Just as he was about to form a seal, a pair of hands suddenly shot out of the ground. The middle-aged man paused slightly, then was dragged into the earth. Only his head was left exposed, and he was met with a sword strike from Hoshikawa.
Two nearby Kumogakure ninja rushed toward him.
Chidori Stream!
Hoshikawa put away the Raijinken and formed hand seals. A large amount of chakra transformed into brilliant lightning, spreading out from him in all directions.
"Aaaaah!" The two Kumogakure ninja were instantly covered in lightning, screaming as their skin blackened and their hair stood on end.
Water Release: Heavenly Weeping!
Hoshikawa spat out two water needles, ending their lives.
Dust flew up. Samui suddenly appeared in front of Hoshikawa. She drew her short sword without hesitation and swung it at him. The short sword vibrated, and a bolt of lightning shot out like a chord, forming a lightning blade.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
A water wall rose in front of Hoshikawa. The lightning blade struck the water wall, immediately spreading out in all directions. A significant amount of lightning also conducted through the ground toward Hoshikawa and Samui.
Samui's expression changed slightly, and she leaped up, avoiding the lightning. But just then, the ground swelled, and a dragon head formed. The gigantic rock dragon opened its mouth and spat out a mud pellet.
Samui quickly wielded her short sword, executing a multi-stage slash. The mud pellet immediately shattered.
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she heard a rushing sound behind her. She turned her head and saw Hoshikawa's right fist, now covered in rock.
Samui's heart tightened, and she instinctively raised both arms to block.
Bang!
Hoshikawa struck her elbow. Samui's first sensation was the hardness, followed by pain. An immense force surged through her, causing her body to recoil uncontrollably. She managed to stabilize herself and looked down, seeing redness and swelling on her arm. But Samui knew Hoshikawa had held back.
She looked around and saw that the Kumogakure forces were collapsing like a mountain. Samui felt a sense of panic.
Just then, Shibi Aburame suddenly sensed something and shouted, "The Fourth Raikage is here! He's alone!"
Tsunade and the others' faces changed slightly.
Before they could respond, they heard a clap of thunder. Following it was the arrival of brilliant lightning. The burly Fourth Raikage, Ay, appeared. His muscles bulging, he threw a simple punch.
The violent force ripped through the air, and countless bolts of lightning gathered around his fist. His target was none other than Tsunade.
Tsunade's expression turned solemn. Just as she was about to retaliate, an earthen wall rose in front of her.
The Fourth Raikage sneered and shattered the earthen wall.
Liger Bomb!
He changed his fist to an elbow, attacking Hoshikawa, who was blocking his path.
Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!
Monster Strength!
Hoshikawa's arm turned to rock and slammed boom, boom, boom against the Fourth Raikage's elbow.
Boom!
The ground around them shattered, and countless fragments of rock and dust were swept up into a shockwave that blasted outward.
Hoshikawa took one step back.
But the Fourth Raikage took two steps back.
"You truly are good." The Fourth Raikage looked at Hoshikawa, surprise on his face. He hadn't expected to be at a slight disadvantage in their preliminary clash. Although it was only a small amount, and he hadn't used his full strength or his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
(End of Chapter)
.................
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contribution make a real difference!
As a patron, you unlock:
Exclusive Access: Get advanced +90 chapters ahead of everyone else.
👉 Join now: P-a-treon/Chaos_God
(Just remove the- hyphen to access normally)
Thank You so much For your Support and for Reading!