Chapter 232: The Fourth Raikage's Movements
"That old bastard can finally stop being a hindrance!"
As soon as Tsunade returned to her tent, she dropped her serious demeanor and laughed heartily.
"He definitely won't let this go easily," Hoshikawa walked over, sat across from Tsunade, and said, "It's a shame we couldn't take the Commander position from Orochimaru."
"What are you talking about?" Tsunade raised her leg and gently nudged him with her foot.
Hoshikawa understood her meaning. Stripping Orochimaru of the Commander position would be outright rebellion. Uniting Konoha's Jōnin for a vote was considered within the rules. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi found out, he wouldn't punish Tsunade, because the law cannot punish the multitude; the choice was jointly decided by all the Jōnin of Konoha.
"Master, would you like a massage?" Hoshikawa's gaze fell on her fair, flawless feet.
"Are you trying to take advantage of me again?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow and asked.
"What kind of talk is that?" Hoshikawa spoke with a serious look, spouting nonsense. "I'm merely helping Master relieve fatigue." As he spoke, he moved closer to her. Without waiting for her reply, he reached out, picked up her feet, and placed them on his lap.
Tsunade's body stiffened. She glared at him, then simply lay down.
Excellent! Hoshikawa followed her long legs downward, where he could see a subtly moving landscape. Her clothing, affected by gravity, was tautly stretched to the sides, highlighting its elasticity.
"Don't just stand there, start the massage." Seeing his prolonged inactivity, Tsunade nudged him again.
"Yes, Master." Hoshikawa retracted his gaze and gently stroked the smooth arch of her foot with his hands.
"Danzō Shimura can only mobilize his eight Root ninja now," Tsunade narrowed her eyes and said, "You and Rin must monitor them."
"What about Orochimaru?" Hoshikawa squeezed the soft sole of Tsunade's foot with his thumb. Her rounded toes immediately curled up, and her shapely long legs trembled slightly.
"Don't worry," Tsunade took a few seconds to steady herself, then gave a light snort. "Any move he makes now won't escape my notice." Although she hadn't stripped Orochimaru of his Commander position, more than half of the ninja in the entire headquarters supported her.
"They shouldn't just sit idly by," Hoshikawa said, removing Tsunade's ankle bracelet.
"They can't do anything to us," Tsunade's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Unless they dare leak information to Kumogakure."
"It's hard to say for Orochimaru, but Danzō Shimura might actually do it," Hoshikawa said casually.
"If he dares collude with an outside village, not even the Old Man can save him!" Tsunade said coldly. Konoha had clear rules. The most intolerable offense was colluding with an outside village to harm Konoha's own ninja. It was fine if it wasn't discovered, but once exposed, he would not escape punishment. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to shield him, he would have to consider the reaction of Konoha's ninja and villagers.
Hoshikawa's heart stirred. Could he pin his spy identity on Danzō Shimura? A spy within a spy? Was he sent by Danzō Shimura?
No, this scapegoat plan has too many loopholes.
Hoshikawa pondered while massaging Tsunade's feet.
"We need to prepare for the worst," Tsunade rubbed her forehead and said.
"Their purpose in colluding with Kumogakure isn't to lose," Hoshikawa mused. "I think the high probability is that they want us to fight Kumogakure fiercely so they can reap the benefits later."
"True," Tsunade agreed. If they were defeated badly by Kumogakure, Danzō Shimura and Orochimaru would also lose the chance to become Hokage. They needed to win big to surpass her in prestige.
"I wonder what kind of trap they'll set." Tsunade felt a slight headache.
"They'll show their hand soon enough," Hoshikawa smiled. "It's not easy to set an ambush for us."
"That's also true." Tsunade closed her eyes, completely relaxing. In the darkness, she felt the comfort emanating from her feet even more intensely. A strange feeling surged within her. This brat is clearly up to no good. But why isn't she stopping him? Instead, she feels a sense of enjoyment? Tsunade pursed her lips and stopped thinking about it.
Soon, she drifted off to sleep.
Hoshikawa paused slightly and gently lowered her feet. He hesitated for a few seconds, then lay down beside her. Hoshikawa lay on his side, looking at her. Up close, her face was even more exquisite. And of course, the close-up view maximized the visual experience. Her body was voluptuous yet retained its grace. Hoshikawa closed his eyes, inhaling the faint fragrance emanating from her, his mind peaceful.
He didn't know how much time passed before a noise came from outside the tent. Hoshikawa immediately woke up. The first thing he saw was Tsunade's beautiful face. At the same time, he noticed that their hands were somehow clasped together.
"If you're awake, go open the door." Tsunade withdrew her hand, speaking calmly.
"Yes, Master," Hoshikawa smiled and stood up. He went to the tent door and lifted the curtain.
"Rin." Hoshikawa looked at Rin Nohara, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Has Danzō Shimura made a move?"
"Just now, four Root ninja left the headquarters," Rin Nohara nodded and quickly reported.
"What is that old man up to, leaving late at night?" Tsunade couldn't help but frown. An ominous feeling surfaced in her heart.
"I'll follow them and see," Hoshikawa considered this. If they were indeed going to find Kumogakure, Rin Nohara might be discovered if she used her Spiritualism Jutsu (Reika no Jutsu) to follow them, especially with the remarkable sensory abilities of the Jinchūriki.
"Be careful," Tsunade didn't stop him. The whereabouts of this Root squad needed to be determined, as it concerned her subsequent actions.
After asking for the direction, Hoshikawa left the Konoha headquarters. He used the Body Flicker Technique to speed up and quickly caught up with the four Root members. To his surprise, they didn't head directly to Kumogakure but disguised themselves as a patrol team.
"Danzō Shimura isn't stupid," Hoshikawa saw this and understood his intention. He planned to sacrifice these four Root members, allowing them to be captured by Kumogakure, and then have them reveal the information under interrogation.
"A bit troublesome," Hoshikawa rubbed his chin, pondering. In this scenario, Danzō Shimura could deny any involvement.
No. Hoshikawa realized he was falling into a cognitive trap. Whether Danzō Shimura admitted it or not wasn't important; what mattered was whether Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi believed it. Coupled with the Wood Release experiments, he would definitely not be able to shake off this accusation.
A few dozen minutes later, the Root patrol squad was finally discovered by Kumogakure ninja. After a fierce battle, all four of them were captured and sent to the Kumogakure headquarters.
Hoshikawa turned and returned to the Konoha headquarters. Although his strength was formidable, he wasn't strong enough to infiltrate the Kumogakure headquarters alone. Moreover, he didn't need to listen to know what information the Root ninja would reveal—it was undoubtedly what happened at the Jōnin meeting today.
"That old bastard! He'll stop at nothing for the Hokage position!" Tsunade was furious upon hearing Hoshikawa's account. She had always believed that no matter how low Danzō Shimura's bottom line was, he wouldn't collude with an outside village. But the result proved her wrong—she had overestimated Danzō Shimura.
"No need to get angry over him," Hoshikawa held her hand and said with a smile, "He only has a few more days to jump around." Tsunade instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but failed, so she let him hold it.
"Kumogakure will surely make a big move to try and trap us," Hoshikawa said casually. "We can just play along with their scheme." Given his and Tsunade's strength, Kumogakure wouldn't attempt assassination. Their only options would be to lure them out and set an ambush.
"I hope this matter can be resolved smoothly," Tsunade nodded and sighed softly. Although she already knew about Danzō Shimura's conspiracy, she wasn't happy; instead, she was filled with worry. Because if she failed, she couldn't bear the consequences.
"It will be resolved," Hoshikawa said with certainty. Compared to Tsunade, he knew more. For instance, his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan. These were the trump cards he believed would lead to victory.
"You're certainly confident," Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. But after Hoshikawa's assurances, she did feel a lot more relieved.
Kumogakure Headquarters.
Inside the main tent, an emergency meeting was called.
"The four Konoha ninja were intentionally captured by us," Dodai said solemnly. "They are Danzō Shimura's subordinates, and they want to cooperate with us."
"Cooperate?" The Fourth Raikage asked, surprised. "Are you sure?" Konoha and Kumogakure were locked in a deadly war. Danzō Shimura was a high-ranking official in Konoha. The sudden offer of cooperation made him instinctively disbelieving.
"Here's the situation," Dodai laid out the entire story of Tsunade seizing command.
"Something like that actually happened?" The Fourth Raikage understood.
"This is heaven helping our Kumogakure!" Killer B exclaimed excitedly.
"Is the information credible?" Samui asked calmly.
"Hoshikawa previously mentioned that they were suppressed by Danzō Shimura, and after investigation, that was confirmed to be true," Mabui said slowly. "Given Tsunade's personality, it's possible she would try to seize command."
"Danzō Shimura's intention is for us to lure out Tsunade and trap her in an ambush," Dodai paused. "At that time, both he and Orochimaru will stand by and refuse to send aid."
"Tsk!" Yugito Nii asked with a look of disgust, "Are there really ninja like that?"
"The reputation of the Shinobi of Darkness has always been that way," Dodai chuckled softly.
"First, let's verify the authenticity of the information, to see if Tsunade has indeed seized command," Mabui said after a while of thought. "Lord Raikage, you should lead an attack on Konoha's outpost as usual."
"Understood," the Fourth Raikage agreed.
"If Tsunade comes out to deal with it, the information is true," Mabui paused. "And we can also take the opportunity to contact Hoshikawa and issue a final ultimatum."
"Excellent," Dodai agreed. "It was understandable that he couldn't get information before due to being suppressed, but if he still can't get information now, then there's a problem."
"I bet that guy has already betrayed Kumogakure!" Yugito Nii snorted.
"We'll know soon enough," Mabui said calmly. "If he doesn't comply, he can only blame himself."
Samui sighed inwardly. Her thoughts were similar to Yugito Nii's. Although she didn't want to believe it, Hoshikawa had probably already defected.
"Once the information's authenticity is confirmed, we can proceed with the next step of the plan," Mabui continued.
A new day.
Before they even had breakfast, Tsunade and Hoshikawa were called to the main tent for a meeting.
"Just now, we received a battle report," Orochimaru said bluntly. "The Fourth Raikage has captured one of our outposts in the north."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. She thought about the Root ninja who were captured last night. Was the Fourth Raikage moving so quickly?
"How many people did he bring?" Hoshikawa asked.
"Not many," Orochimaru replied. "About three hundred."
Hoshikawa's mind stirred. Three hundred people didn't seem like an ambush, and Konoha's northern outpost wasn't far. It would take about ten minutes to get there from the Konoha headquarters. Setting a trap there made no sense.
"Tsunade, there's no time to waste. Take people and go reclaim the outpost," Orochimaru ordered.
"Alright," Tsunade agreed. This was, after all, the power she had gained by overriding Orochimaru's command.
"What is the Fourth Raikage doing?" As soon as Tsunade and Hoshikawa left, Danzō Shimura impatiently asked.
"Probably a test," Orochimaru said after pondering for a moment. "Such important information must first be verified." His thinking was similar to Hoshikawa's: this outpost was unsuitable for a trap.
Three hundred people were quickly assembled. Led by Tsunade, they rushed toward the northern outpost.
A dozen minutes later, they arrived near the outpost. A faint smell of blood permeated the air. Undoubtedly, all the Konoha ninja in the outpost had been killed. After occupying the outpost, Kumogakure had used Earth Release to reinforce it, making the outpost look like a fortress.
"Four Kumogakure ninja are hiding nearby, their strength is about Chūnin level," Hizashi Hyūga said, activating his Byakugan. "They'll spot us as soon as we get closer."
"Take them out first," Tsunade commanded. "Try to do it without making any noise." She quickly scanned the area and selected four ninja, including Hoshikawa.
Body Flicker Technique! Hoshikawa vanished from his spot. His method was simple: he directly dashed in front of the nearest Kumogakure ninja. Because of his speed, the Kumogakure ninja didn't even react. Hoshikawa covered his mouth, slashed with his Thunderfire Blade, and instantly took his life. He laid the Kumogakure ninja's body down and returned to Tsunade's side.
A moment later, the other three ninja also returned.
"Find your positions, prepare your jutsu, and launch a sneak attack while they're unprepared," Tsunade waved her hand.
Everyone nodded in unison, but remained silent.
"Master, I'll use the Hiding in Mist Technique first, and then everyone can launch their jutsu together," Hoshikawa paused. "But it's best not to use Wind Release."
"Agreed," Tsunade readily accepted.
Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique! Hoshikawa formed hand seals and breathed out a large amount of dense fog.
"Where is this mist coming from?" The Kumogakure ninja guarding the gate immediately noticed.
But before they could react, massive fireballs, flashing lightning, and roaring water dragons, among other jutsu, all shot out from the dense mist.