Konoha, reported by the Fourth Hokage at the start.

Chapter 233 The Hidden Mist Ninja - Hozuki Mugetsu

It's a pity we didn't get to see Tobirama's notes on developing the multiplicative explosive tags.

The Book of Seals contains only the complete process of how multiplicative explosive tags are generated and cast.

The detonating tags in the Mutual Detonating Tags Technique are different from ordinary detonating tags; the incantations on them are different.

Li Yao's two shadow clones were currently studying the incantations on the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags and the Impure World Reincarnation Technique, hoping to find a trace of the chakra nature change related to time.

Li Yao guessed that the combination of several special basic incantations discovered by Tobirama with other basic incantations had created a trace of time-related characteristics, and what he needed to do was to find this trace of time-related characteristics.

It's just obvious that it's not that easy to find.

"Just hang in there."

There's no use in rushing. Fortunately, Li Yao is quite satisfied with his current physical body. He has plenty of chakra, so he can just create two more shadow clones to study it.

With his current strength, once he gets his hands on Obito's Kamui Sharingan, even Madara, who possesses the Rinnegan, will not be his match.

Kaguya Otsutsuki wants to be resurrected? She should just give up and go to sleep.

Knowing the plot, Li Yao would never allow her to be resurrected.

……

the next day.

morning.

A small town in the eastern part of the Land of Fire.

Tavern.

Xiao Yezi was lying on the table, with several unopened bottles of wine beside her.

The waiters and the owner of the tavern stood aside, tidying up the tables, ignoring Xiao Yezi, but subconsciously avoiding her while tidying up.

Despite the fact that Xiao Yezi's figure and clothing were incredibly alluring, they still dared not look at her for more than a second.

Bang... The tavern door opened.

"Guests..." The waiter was about to greet them when he froze. Everyone in the tavern, except for Xiao Yezi, was stunned and motionless.

Li Yao walked over to Xiao Yezi, frowned slightly, glanced at the empty wine bottle under the table, and said, "Why did you suddenly drink so much?"

Xiao Yezi had already woken up, but there were some things she didn't want to face, so she wanted to numb herself by staying drunk.

Li Yao sat down next to Xiao Yezi, waiting quietly without saying a word.

He could tell that Xiao Yezi had something on her mind, but he didn't know what it was.

a long time.

Little Yezi finally rolled over from her prone position and continued lying down, but this time she looked at Li Yao and asked in a soft, trembling voice, "Uncle, is there no possibility that my mother will be brought back to life?"

What seemed like a question was actually a statement. Li Yao was stunned when he heard this. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then suddenly thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and he fell silent.

A few breaths later, facing Xiao Yezi's eyes, which held a mixture of despair and a hint of hopeful expectation, Li Yao simply nodded silently, tacitly acknowledging Xiao Yezi's guess.

Hehe... Xiao Yezi laughed, tears sliding down her cheeks and disappearing from her face with her smile.

After Li Yao used the Inner Four Symbols Sealing Technique, he didn't tell Xiao Yezi about her mother's condition, which made Xiao Yezi suspicious.

I was just rushing around and didn't have time to think about these things.

After the two separated and she was alone, Xiao Yezi had time to think and guessed the outcome based on Li Yao's reaction.

Even though she finally received a definite answer from Li Yao, she still felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Li Yao gently embraced Xiao Yezi. After personally using the Inner Four Symbols Sealing Technique, he knew what would happen to those who were sealed by it.

The physical body and soul were compressed into the most primitive energy state by the spatial nodes and dissipated into the world.

Even the Impure World Reincarnation technique was useless; the soul had already vanished without a trace.

That's why Li Yao didn't tell Xiao Yezi the truth right away; he never expected that she would guess it herself.

"Don't worry, I won't let any of those people go. I'll make them suffer a hundred times more."

This was the only way Li Yao could comfort Xiao Yezi.

But what he said was also true.

Li Yao will take revenge on the Five Kage and the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations for causing the death of Xiao Yezi's mother, Gui Mo. He will especially punish the Third Hokage, who will suffer a thousand times more torment.

"I'm alright now, sir."

A few minutes later, Xiao Yezi got up, wiped away her tears, and smiled brightly.

When she first guessed that her mother couldn't be resurrected, she felt as if she had lost the meaning of life. Fortunately, she still had her uncle.

Now that Li Yao has arrived, her life has gained meaning.

"Let's go then."

Li Yao smiled and patted Xiao Yezi's head. The two embraced and walked out of the tavern, then rode on the clay bird and flew towards Wuyin Village.

Li Yao's last water-style clone had to land in Kirigakure.

……

The country of waves.

An island nation bordering the coastline of the Land of Fire.

At this moment, in a dense forest on the island, a six-member Kirigakure ANBU pursuit team surrounded a Kirigakure male ninja wearing a Kirigakure headband.

The male Kirigakure ninja was around twenty years old, with long, light blue hair that reached his shoulders. He was holding two kunai and panting heavily.

It's clear that the two groups had already fought once before.

"Why would someone do something like assassinating the Fourth Hokage?"

"No moon!"

Among the six Hidden Mist ninjas surrounding Mugetsu, the leader asked in a deep voice.

The tone of his voice suggested he was quite familiar with the Hidden Mist ninja named Mugetsu.

But precisely because they were so familiar with each other, his tone was filled with incomprehension and anger.

The Fourth Mizukage, a man who quickly ended the chaos in Kirigakure after the Third Mizukage was killed, and led Kirigakure to rapid stability and ever-growing strength.

He couldn't understand why Mugetsu, a fellow member of the Hidden Mist Anbu, would do something like assassinating the Fourth Mizukage, something only a rogue ninja would do.

Why?

Wuyue chuckled and said coldly, "You only see the village's current prosperity, but you don't know that while our ninjas are laying down their swords, Konoha, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and some other small country villages are sharpening their blades."

The captain ninja retorted, "When did we put down our swords? With money, our ninja tools and ninjutsu research will improve, and our strength will naturally increase. Moreover, this is only temporary. Once the Daimyo of the Land of Rain settles down, everything will move in a better direction, and Kirigakure will only become stronger."

"Heh..." Before the captain ninja could finish speaking, Mugetsu sneered, "You guys are really too naive. You actually think that the other five great nations are waiting for the village to become powerful."

"Stop dreaming!" Mugetsu shouted. "Do you really think that a ninja who has laid down their sword can so easily pick it up again? Do you really think that the other hidden villages won't attack when Kirigakure is at its weakest?"

"Hozuki Mugetsu, you... are beyond saving." Looking at his former comrade's now狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face, the ninja leading the team shook his head: "No matter how great your reasons are, they are not a reason for you to assassinate the Fourth Hokage."

"kill."

At the command of the ninja in charge, the six began their encirclement and attack.

Clang clang...bang.

In an instant, the sounds of swords clashing with kunai and the destruction of ninjutsu echoed throughout the dense forest.

After half an hour.

A clearing had been created in the dense forest, which was now littered with fallen trees and craters.

The rogue ninja from Kirigakure named Mugetsu actually stood to the end, while six Kirigakure ANBU ninjas who were chasing him fell in pools of blood.

Wuyue stood before his former ANBU teammates, looking at their eyes that seemed to be unable to believe that the six of them could not defeat him alone. He sneered, "Look, this is the consequence of you putting down your swords. It's only been a little over a year or two, and your fighting ability has weakened to this extent. You still say that the village will become stronger in the future? Don't make us laugh. If this continues, the village will only get weaker and weaker, and eventually be destroyed by other hidden villages."

Ninjas are synonymous with battle and killing. Once a ninja focuses their attention on things other than battle and stays away from combat, their combat effectiveness will decline rapidly.

The final result is what it is now.

It's ridiculous that he wiped out six elite members of the secret assassination squad all by himself.

With such fighting strength, how can they possibly compete with the ANBU ninjas of Konoha and Kumogakure who are still secretly fighting each other even after the Fourth Shinobi World War ended?

Mugetsu saw that the Fourth Hokage's policies would lead to the decline of the Hidden Mist Ninja's combat abilities and result in a crisis of annihilation, which is why he assassinated him after his attempts to persuade him failed.

Unfortunately, the Fourth Mizukage lived up to his reputation as the man who ended the chaos in Kirigakure; his assassination attempt completely failed, leaving him no choice but to defect.

But he won't give up. Once that ninjutsu is successfully developed, he will go back and kill the Fourth Hokage, bringing Kirigakure back on track.

"You...can't...escape."

"The fourth generation... is... correct."

The ANBU ninja leading the team strained to see his former comrade through the dripping blood, his lips still uttering his stance.

Thinking of the smiles hidden in the village, he believed until his death that the policies of the fourth generation were correct.

(End of this chapter)