Starting with Wood Release, he survives in Konoha Hospital and becomes a big shot.

Yao Xingji opened his eyes again. The Sharingan in his eyes had disappeared, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Killing Uchiha Madara was just a side reward for Sikong Zhen; the real prize was the Sharingan.

After glancing at the dead Uchiha Madara, Yao Xingji slightly moved his fingers, and with a surge of chakra, soil churned up and slowly buried Uchiha Madara.

Then, Yao Xingji turned his gaze to Bai Jue, who was pretending to be dead not far away.

“If you keep pretending, you might actually die,” Yao Xingji said.

Bai Jue quickly sat up and respectfully smiled at Yao Xingji, saying, "What are your orders, my master?"

Madara Uchiha was already dead, utterly powerless to resist, so naturally he had no intention of remaining loyal to Madara Uchiha and defected without hesitation.

"Where is Hei Jue?" Yao Xingji asked.

Bai Jue's expression immediately changed.

He was unaware of the things Yao Xingji had shown Madara Uchiha, which is why White Zetsu was so shocked when Yao Xingji mentioned Black Zetsu.

"He stirred up so many troubles in the ninja world, and you must have contributed a lot to it, right?" Yao Xingji said with a light laugh.

Bai Jue's lips twitched slightly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Master, I don't know his whereabouts, and I'm not clear about many of the things he does. Most of the time, I'm just carrying out his orders."

"Then the time has come to show your worth," Yao Xingji said. "Find Black Zetsu!"

Bai Jue hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

He had no right to refuse Yao Xingji.

Even Madara Uchiha was easily killed by this six-year-old child. How could someone who only gathers intelligence possibly resist Yakusei Kishi?

just forget it.

After leaving a starlight mark on Bai Jue's body, Yao Xingji turned and left.

Black Zetsu was just something he did incidentally. He was a guy with little strength and couldn't cause much trouble. Yao Xingji just wanted peace of mind.

Just after Yao Xingji returned to the ground, a series of prayers came from all directions.

"Kisame Hoshigaki?"

Upon hearing the voice, Yao Xingji quickly recognized it as Kisame Hoshigaki's voice.

"Lord Star, I have found enough clues about the village you asked me to investigate, including its exact location and what happened there."

As Kisame Hoshigaki's voice rang out, Yao Xingji obtained the information about the sacrifice Kisame Hoshigaki had made.

Hanging upside down in the sky, Yao Xingji looked at the intelligence in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

"It seems I still have to make a trip to the Land of Water," Yao Xingji thought to himself.

After thinking it over, since the Five Kage Summit was still some time away, a trip to the Land of Water before then wouldn't cause any major delays, and this concerned a previous guess by Yao Xingji.

With this thought in mind, Yao Xingji didn't linger and directly unleashed his chakra, condensing a clone of Sikong Zhen in the Land of Water.

This clone has never appeared in the ninja world before, so it's perfect for use in the Land of Water.

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Chapter 276 The Storm Follows Like a Shadow

In a forest in the land of water.

Kisame Hoshigaki, who had just finished praying, waited quietly, his expression very devout.

"I wonder what the Star Lord's purpose is in investigating this village. Could there be something here that interests the Star Lord?" Kisame Hoshigaki wondered to himself.

His gaze fell upon the village not far away, which had been completely abandoned. As far as the eye could see, there were only broken walls and ruins, and many places were entangled by dense trees and vines. If it weren't for the fact that some buildings had not yet completely collapsed, it would be almost impossible to see any trace of human life.

boom……

Suddenly, a thunderclap descended from the sky, startling Kisame Hoshigaki so much that his expression changed instantly. He formed hand seals, ready to unleash a ninjutsu.

Accompanied by azure lightning, a tall man appeared amidst the thunder, with short white hair, exuding the domineering and arrogant aura of a superior.

"Who are you?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked with a serious expression.

"The King of Thunder—Sikong Zhen! Codenamed Greedy Wolf, the fourth divine messenger of the Star Lord!" Sikong Zhen slowly spoke.

"Sikong Zhen? Tanlang?"

Kisame Hoshigaki's expression hardened, and he slowly lowered his hands.

Although he was suspicious of the middle-aged man in front of him, he knew that the man was probably not lying.

He had just finished praying when lightning struck from the sky, transforming into a man who clearly understood the codenames and rules of the Yao Tian organization. In particular, the way he introduced himself—his title plus his name—was exactly the same as Ming Shiyin and his group.

"Lord Sikong Zhen, hello." Kisame Hoshigaki greeted him politely, using honorifics.

Over the past few years, he has gradually come to understand some of the rules of the Yaotian organization.

He, along with Orochimaru, Kakuzu, Sasori, and others, were powerful, but within the Yao Tian organization, they were merely ordinary members.

In the realm of Yao, the only people who truly held the reins, besides the high and mighty Star Lord, were his divine messengers.

These people possessed bizarre and formidable strength, and the ninjutsu and secret techniques they wielded were extremely powerful, far surpassing the strength of ordinary members like themselves. He had no choice but to be respectful.

"Is this the village?" Sikong Zhen asked, looking at the ruins behind him.

“That’s right, this is the village that Lord Star investigated. According to intelligence, this village was destroyed by a group of rogue ninja from the Land of Water about six years ago.”

"The specific reason is not very clear, but based on the intelligence I have, I speculate that the group of rogue ninjas had contact with the villagers when they passed through this area. In order to prevent these villagers from revealing their whereabouts, they killed everyone in the village when they left," Kisame Hoshigaki explained.

Sikong Zhen didn't speak, his gaze sweeping across the entire village.

Swish!

A thunderous roar erupted, and Sikong Zhen's figure vanished from Kisame Hoshigaki's sight. When he reappeared, he was standing in front of a collapsed house.

Kisame Hoshigaki's pupils suddenly contracted upon seeing this scene.

"As expected, all the divine messengers of Yaotian are abnormal, and this Sikong Zhen, codenamed Tianlang, is no exception. He is most likely a terrifying ninja who wields lightning," Kisame Hoshigaki secretly guessed.

"Was that movement achieved through the extreme speed of lightning? Or did it utilize the power of lightning to manipulate the power of space itself?"

"I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to become a divine messenger?"

……

While Kisame Hoshigaki was lost in thought, Sikong Zhen had already traversed the entire village using his first skill, Thunder Strike.

The village wasn't large, probably only twenty or thirty households. After walking around for a while, Sikong Zhen didn't find anything strange.

Indeed, it was six years ago, and this place is deep in the forest. Even if there were any traces, they would have long been lost to the annals of history.

"Do you have any other clues about this village?" Sikong Zhen asked.

"Not for now..." Kisame Hoshigaki hesitated for a moment before saying.

"You can say whatever it is, even if it's just a guess," Sikong Zhen said directly.

"Well... alright, Lord Sikong Zhen, here's what happened. Six years ago, I was still quite young and hadn't experienced much. But what I remember clearly is that the Land of Water was in turmoil at that time, and many villagers left their villages and went to Kirigakure because they couldn't make a living."

“At that time, I met many villagers who were fleeing from other villages, most of whom were with their families.”

Sikong Zhen remained silent, looking at Kisame Hoshigaki with an indifferent expression.

“So I think if anyone from that village survived back then, they might have fled to Kirigakure. We could go to Kirigakure and check the records from that time; maybe we’ll find some clues,” Kisame Hoshigaki said.

"Why didn't you investigate before?" Sikong Zhen asked.

Since Kisame Hoshigaki was able to think of this, the time that Yakusei had left behind was quite long, more than enough for him to investigate. However, Kisame Hoshigaki did not investigate, and there are probably other reasons for this.

"Some of the information is quite sensitive, and I can't access it right now," Kisame Hoshigaki said with a hint of helplessness.

He wasn't a high-ranking official in the Land of Water. He could access some information about the secret service, but not about those at higher levels.

Moreover, since he received the Star Lord's order, he has not paid much attention to the affairs of the Water Kingdom's Dark Division, which has reduced his presence considerably.

"Who has these documents? Yagura?" Sikong Zhen asked.

“It’s possible that it’s in Yagura’s hands, but Yagura is currently on the front lines, and the Third Mizukage is in charge of things in the Land of Water, so the intelligence is very likely in his possession. I’ve searched everywhere else, but I haven’t found any relevant information,” Kisame Hoshigaki said.

"The Third Mizukage?" Sikong Zhen murmured to himself.

“Yes, that’s the tricky part. If the Star Lord wants this information, we might be able to steal it…” Before Kisame Hoshigaki could finish speaking, Sikong Zhen interrupted him with a raised hand.

"No need," Sikong Zhen said.

"Huh? You don't need it anymore?" Kisame Hoshigaki was taken aback. Wasn't the Star Lord in a hurry to investigate this information? Why is it suddenly not needed?

"If you want the information, just go and get it!"

Sikong Zhen said domineeringly, and after he finished speaking, he put his hands behind his back and slowly walked towards the Water Kingdom.

"The journey is endless and the storms are ever-present."

Blue lightning crackled around Sikong Zhen's towering figure, and immense pressure emanated in all directions.

"If the Third Mizukage dares to stop me, then kill him!"

Kisame Hoshigaki stared dumbfounded at Sikong Zhen as he walked away into the distance.

------------

Chapter 277 Where Thunder Strikes, Nothing Is Left Undefeated

"Is this new divine messenger so irritable? No wonder he's the King of Thunder!!!"

Kisame Hoshigaki followed behind Sikong Zhen, secretly marveling at the terrifying pressure emanating from him.

At the same time, Sikong Zhen, who was walking ahead, narrowed his eyes slightly.

When he arrived, he discovered that Kisame Hoshigaki wasn't the only one nearby; there was another person hiding in the vicinity. However, this person was extremely skilled, had a great ability to hide, and was located quite far away.

If Sikong Zhen hadn't been so perceptive, he wouldn't have noticed at all.

"Blind eyes!"

Without hesitation, Sikong Zhen immediately activated his chakra and unleashed the Byakugan.

In an instant, all the surrounding scenery blurred and disappeared, and everything was brought into Sikong Zhen's view.

"She is……"