Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 91 The surgery was a success.

Jiraiya rushed back to the village, and after meeting his teacher, the Third Hokage, and handing over everything, he took the initiative to invite Shikano out.

Location: Akimichi family's yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant.

Sitting in his seat, Shiro looked at the plate full of grilled meat in front of him and felt a little sentimental. Apart from Tsunade, who had left the village a long time ago, it seemed that whether it was Jiraiya or Orochimaru treating their juniors to a meal, it was always at a barbecue restaurant.

As for that so-called Ichiraku Ramen shop, it seemed to have been forgotten. They only went there together when they had their own get-togethers.

"I'm starting!" Red Bean clasped her hands together and happily began to eat. Shisui, who was standing next to her, smiled and picked up pieces of his grilled meat and fed them to Red Bean.

Upon seeing this, Jiraiya scratched his head and laughed heartily.

"Thank you." Jiraiya sat down next to Shinobu, and with a wave of his hand, pulled Shinobu tightly to his side.

"I already know about Yahiko and the other two from the teacher."

"Is Senior going to see them?" Shiro asked, noticing the complex emotions on Jiraiya's face. He seemed both happy and troubled about receiving news of Yahiko and the other two.

"Yes, the old man put me in charge of the affairs of the Rain Kingdom. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've been to the Rain Kingdom."

Jiraiya felt a pang of regret. The Land of Rain, the birthplace of the legendary Sannin, had left him with too many profound yet unpleasant impressions. Hanzo had caused them immense suffering and defeat.

Although it ended with Hanzo bestowing upon them the title of the Three Legendary Sannin, neither Jiraiya nor Orochimaru and Tsunade were particularly fond of the title.

For example, Jiraiya liked to introduce himself as the Toad Sage.

Now that he has to return to the Land of Rain, and may have to face Hanzo again, Jiraiya is filled with emotions and doesn't know how to express them.

"Is he worried about Hanzo, the demigod from Amegakure?" Shikagure keenly sensed Jiraiya's emotions.

"Haha, that's only part of it. I just have mixed feelings about seeing my three long-lost disciples." Jiraiya chuckled.

He naturally valued Hanzo highly, but he wasn't afraid of him now, even though he wasn't going to the Land of Rain with Orochimaru and Tsunade by his side.

Having reached the pinnacle of his strength, even if he clashed with Hanzo, the outcome was uncertain. Just be wary of his poison.

"You've taught Yahiko and the other two very well," Shisui said with a smile. He had a very good impression of the incredibly approachable Yahiko. He had only ever seen that kind of affability in Minato Namikaze.

Furthermore, he greatly admired the other person's ideas. The only pity was that the other person's ideas were too naive, just like his own in the past.

"Is that so?" Jiraiya was somewhat pleased. He now knew what Yahiko and the other two were doing, and that pursuing peace was also his ideal.

Therefore, he has been searching for the prophesied child mentioned by the Great Toad Immortal.

He cared about and believed that Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, and Minato Namikaze, who was even more likely to be involved.

"They've grown up too!"

"How long do you think their naivety can last?" Shiro's sudden question made Jiraiya's smiling face freeze instantly, and Shisui and Anko on the other side also secretly exchanged a glance.

"Why do you say that, Shiranui? Do you think their pursuit of peace is naive and childish?" Jiraiya's expression quickly returned to normal. He hadn't intended to argue with Shiranui, but looking at Shiranui, he vaguely thought of his partner Orochimaru.

When Orochimaru first met those three children, he coldly told them that killing them would be the greatest mercy and relief for them.

Jiraiya, who had always had a good impression of Shiranui, thought that Shiranui had been instilled with too many inappropriate ideas by Orochimaru over the years, and now he intended to correct some of them.

"No, pursuing peace is not naive or childish." Lu Nie shook his head, and his answer eased Jiraiya's expression, but Lu Nie's next words made his expression stiffen again.

"But their behavior was too naive. However, it is understandable, as they were only twelve or thirteen years old and had not received systematic education or knowledge. They rushed forward entirely based on enthusiasm and a vague idea of ​​peace."

"Isn't this good?" Jiraiya asked in a hoarse voice.

"Having participated in World War II, and now experiencing World War III, and having carried out numerous missions, can't you really see the hidden dangers here?"

Jiraiya, somewhat taken aback by Lu Nie's strange gaze, rubbed his face and said, "Is it a legitimate question? The teacher put me in charge of the affairs of the Land of Rain, just so he can stand up for them, right?"

"It's because only you have the best chance of protecting those three," Lu Nie said bluntly. "Of course, it's also because you, as their teacher, might be able to make this organization more firmly stand on Konoha's side. From this perspective, the Third Hokage still values ​​you highly; at least, he didn't leave this matter to Elder Danzo."

"You have a problem with that gloomy old man?" Jiraiya perked up instantly.

"I've only heard a lot of advice and stories from Orochimaru-sensei. If this elder were here, he wouldn't care whether Yahiko and the other two are your disciples."

Perhaps he thinks Hanzo is more worth winning over, so he's willing to sacrifice the lives of your three disciples to gain Hanzo's support for Konoha?

After all, what the Akatsuki did was something no Kage could tolerate or accept. In fact, the fact that the Akatsuki had risen to prominence in the Land of Rain without being wiped out by Hanzo's forces was already quite unexpected.

Jiraiya nodded slowly at Lu Nie's words.

Although he wasn't as clever as Orochimaru, having experienced so much and commanded so many wars, he naturally saw many things clearly.

Previously, he had focused his attention on finding and nurturing the Child of Prophecy and was unwilling to get involved in those exhausting matters.

Just look at the Third Hokage now to see how much those things can erode a person's will.

"Since you don't think highly of the Akatsuki organization established by Yahiko and the others, why did you take the initiative to cooperate with them?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Of course they are more worthy of being courted and invested in. That Xiao Nan's paper-throwing technique could become a major economic pillar for the technology development department in the future."

Shinobu openly expressed his true feelings to Jiraiya.

"You and Orochimaru are really pragmatic," Jiraiya muttered, then looked at Shikagure and asked, "So, in your opinion, it's inevitable that Amegakure and Akatsuki will go to war?"

"That depends on whether the Akatsuki organization restrains itself or not," Lu Nie replied.

Despite lacking a stable source of income, they still supply food to the common people of the Rain Kingdom.

During a time of war and smoke, they strive to prevent any bloodshed in battle.

In fact, the fact that the Akatsuki organization has continued to grow and hasn't collapsed yet is already quite unexpected for Lu Nie. But considering this war-torn world, it seems quite normal.

After all, there are countless people whose thinking has gone astray since childhood.

He has a perfect example right next to him who he managed to subtly and gradually change back to his original self.

It's incredibly difficult to steer a deeply ingrained, radical Uchiha who's convinced of something, believes in a single idea, and is practically determined to go down a dead-end path back onto a normal mindset.

"In fact, the solution is very simple."

Seeing the troubled look on Jiraiya's face, Shikane said.

"How do we do it?" Jiraiya glanced at Shikanobu and tightened his grip on Shikanobu's arm.

"Kill Hanzo and make Yahiko or Nagato the leader of Amegakure," Shikagure suggested. "That way, there won't be any issue of legitimacy."

"Your thoughts are dangerous!" Jiraiya had a headache; he felt that Orochimaru had corrupted Shikane.

"That's the best way. If you can persuade Hanzo to step down and hand over the position of leader of Amegakure to Yahiko, that would be even better," said Shikagure.

"You might as well let me become Hokage." Jiraiya loosened his grip on Shikanobu. He didn't think he could "convince" Hanzo.

"There's nothing we can do about it then." Lu Nie shrugged. "Just make sure to protect Konan. Her ninjutsu is very important to the Technology Development Department for now."

"Is there really no other way to get Yahiko and the others to coexist peacefully with Amegakure?" Jiraiya leaned closer to Shikanobu's head. He still felt that the Nara brat must have other methods.

"Then let's make Akatsuki an indispensable part of Amegakure and even the Land of Rain as soon as possible," Shiro replied.

"How do I do it?"

"Protect Konan well, teach her well, and help her produce healing talismans in large quantities as soon as possible, and find ways to sell them to other ninja villages. When she can earn a lot of profits for Amegakure and the Land of Rain, and when she has enough power around her to ensure her safety, at least maintaining a balance should not be a problem."

At the very least, the other ninja villages that need healing talismans, given their mutual suspicion and antagonism, will not allow Amegakure to attack the Akatsuki. "The true nature of the ninja is revealed."

"When you go to Amegakure, remember to send a batch of materials for making healing talismans. After they are made and sold, remember to have them settle accounts according to the contract."

Jiraiya fell into deep thought. He felt that Rokuni was plotting against him and Yahiko, but he had to admit that there was some truth to what he said.

……

In the laboratory of the Technology Development Department, the first surgery that Lu Nie prepared for Kakuzu had just come to an end.

"These are newly cultivated Earth Grudge Tentacles. Because they were taken from your body and cultivated, there will be no rejection reaction."

Seeing the black tentacle, which seemed to have its own life, successfully connect to Kakuzu's body, Shikane breathed a sigh of relief and took two steps back.

"Wait! What are they doing?" Kakuzu, bound to the experimental table by the binding seal, bulged his eyes in anger and cried out in pain as he felt intense pain throughout his body.

"Don't be nervous, they are eliminating the unqualified ones and turning them into nutrients to strengthen them." Lu Nie looked at the lines of data about Kakuzu's body on the instrument, and used medical ninjutsu to adjust Kakuzu's body according to the data.

However, Kakuzu could no longer hear the voice of the deer; all five of his senses had been lost at the same time, leaving only his consciousness remaining clear and active.

But this clarity and activity was also a torment for Jiaodu, because waves of intense pain in his body, like the waves of a tsunami, washed over his mental defenses.

He could feel his chakra being drained and consumed in large quantities, and he could also sense that his body was undergoing some kind of earth-shattering change, but this change was beyond his control.

Now lying on the experimental table, he is powerless to struggle or resist, except to serve as a subject to be slaughtered at will.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as his consciousness was fading and his chakra was almost exhausted, an extra stream of chakra gently flowed into his body through the experimental table.

This kind of evolution is almost like being slowly sliced ​​to death.

Kakuzu's consciousness cycled from clear to blurred, then back to clear, and then back to blurred again, many times over. Finally, when he opened his eyes and felt his body regain control, Kakuzu felt a sense of relief, as if he had been reborn.

"Congratulations, Mr. Kakuzu, the surgery was a success."

A familiar voice rang in Kakuzu's ears. Although he remembered the owner of this voice as extremely annoying, at this moment, the voice sounded like heavenly music to Kakuzu.

"What's this?" Kakuzu awkwardly sat up from the experimental table, the curse seal binding him removed. Having regained control of his body, he felt as if his soul had entered a new body, gradually becoming familiar with and integrating into it.

Several black tentacles pierced out from under the skin of his right hand, swaying flexibly in front of him according to his will.

He carefully examined his body and keenly noticed that he had shrunk by at least one-fifth; he now appeared shorter than the deer in front of him.

Looking at the seemingly unsuspecting deer in front of him, a fierce glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes.

"Don't be impulsive, your body isn't perfect yet." Lu Nie looked up at the restless Kakuzu and waved the documents in his hand: "I have good news and bad news, so I'll tell you both."

The good news is that you can now use bloodline ninjutsu.

The bad news is, you won't be able to easily replace parts anymore.

"What do you mean?" Kakuzu was struck dumb.

"Didn't I explain it clearly?" Lu Nie asked curiously, "Because of the upgrade of Earth Grudge Fear, the hearts of ordinary ninjas can no longer be compatible with it."

If you want a heart transplant in the future, your heart will need to undergo appropriate treatment. Otherwise, no matter how many hearts you transplant, they will only become nourishment for the Earth's resentment.

"You mean, if I want a heart transplant in the future, I'll have to come to you?" Kakuzu was able to accept this result, since, judging from what Shirane said, at least he would still have some freedom in the future.

"Your understanding is correct. I can treat all kinds of heart conditions for you, but in return, you'll have to pay the price. Would you like to work for me, Mr. Kakuzu?"

(End of this chapter)