I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

"As expected of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, I was too arrogant before."

Despite Zabuza's arrogant words, he had actually been planning to run away before.

Fortunately, the two seemed to have encountered some emergency, which prevented the battle from continuing.

"It's a pity about that Executioner's Blade. I wonder when that guy, Juzo Biwa, will finally die."

Zabuza shook his head regretfully and soon left.

One hour later.

A dozen or so Kirigakure pursuit ninja, wearing masks of Kirigakure Anbu and renowned throughout the ninja world, had chased the enemy all the way here. Upon seeing the aftershocks of the battle around them, they immediately dispersed and began their familiar investigation.

......

Rain-Hidden Village.

Just as Pipa Juzo and Oni received the message about the ring, Hiruko, who was busy conducting research in a laboratory filled with all sorts of bizarre organs and tissues, also received the message at the same time, with his hands covered in blood.

"Uchiha Madara? Didn't he die in the battle at the Valley of the End?" Hiruko, who was from Konoha and knew more about the situation, asked in surprise.

However, upon further reflection, since the Rinnegan, which can communicate with the ring, has appeared in this person who calls himself "Uchiha Madara," it is obvious that Pain has already been killed.

Regardless of whether that "Uchiha Madara" was real or not, from this moment on, the Akatsuki organization's fate was undoubtedly changed.

Now that Payne is dead, what about Konan, who was clearly closely associated with him?

I wonder if this woman, who is actually the controller of Amegakure, has been eliminated.

Hiruko suddenly thought of this problem.

If not, he would be in a bad situation if he switched sides while he was currently in the enemy's stronghold.

"Never mind, let's leave here first, then observe the situation outside and make a decision later."

Adhering to the principles of righteousness, Beiliuhu immediately packed his bags, preparing to get away from this vortex first.

Anyway, his Ghost Sprout Technique is nearing its end.

If all else fails, I can find a place to hide for a while and wait until I have mastered the Demon Sprout Technique and have the power to conquer the entire ninja world before coming out again.

At that time, Konan, Madara Uchiha, and Konoha will all submit to him.

At this moment, the thought of conquering the entire ninja world in the future filled Hiruko's eyes with fervor, and he even quickened the pace of packing his things.

Finally, after packing the necessary bags and packages into the sealing scroll, Hiruko was about to leave when he glanced at the Akatsuki uniform hanging on the coat rack. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to put it on and left directly.

Thump... thump... thump...

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed continuously within the secret base that Xiao Nan had specially assigned.

Looking at the empty and desolate surroundings, although he was already very familiar with them, he still felt a sense of dread, as if some eerie eye was watching him from the shadows. His steps quickened.

Just as he was about to reach the exit, suddenly!

A familiar figure appeared in front of him, and Hiruko's expression froze instantly.

It came from Xiao Nan.

The place where Yun Ting and Ban fought was very close to the Land of Rain.

After a rapid flight, Konan quickly returned to Amegakure and even had time to properly lay down Nagato and Yahiko's bodies. After changing into the Akatsuki's trench coat from the beginning, she finally arrived at Hiruko's place.

She had not forgotten what Yun Ting had told her before.

"Xiao Nan, what are you doing here?"

Seeing the blue-haired woman who suddenly appeared in front of him with a very cold expression, and noticing that the woman was wearing the same uniform as Akatsuki, but without the red cloud trench coat, Hiruko felt a sense of foreboding and forced a smile as he asked.

"I'll take your life."

Having no interest in talking to Hiruko any longer, Konan simply reached out, and a large number of paper scraps flew out from her clothes, instantly turning into countless paper shurikens that engulfed Hiruko.

"Wait! Isn't there some misunderstanding?" Upon seeing this, Hiruko panicked and hurriedly dodged, shouting repeatedly, "I didn't betray the leader! That guy named Uchiha Madara summoned me, but I didn't agree! I was just about to report this to you, Konan! We're on the same side!"

Hiruko still believed that Konan had tried to kill him because he had turned to Madara Uchiha, so he kept explaining.

"Uchiha Madara? A summons?" Although she hadn't received any information from her ring, Konan quickly guessed everything from Hiruko's words.

Having anticipated this, she paid no attention, and the attacks only intensified.

Damn it!

Seeing that Konan's murderous intent remained undiminished, Hiruko had no choice but to take a desperate gamble.

"Spiritual communication!"

Instantly, large plumes of white smoke rose from around him.

Although most of the contract beasts she had trained over the years had been taken away by Pain, Hiruko still had some left.

Instantly, fierce roars of beasts echoed throughout the hidden base.

Under Hiruko's command, one after another, chimeras far more powerful than before charged toward Konan.

Of course, he also knew that Xiao Nan, who had easily dealt with the Scorpion Puppet Legion back then, would be no match for these synthetic beasts.

So, taking advantage of the temporary free time, Hiruko took out a White Zetsu with a strong Wood Release aura from the sealing scroll.

To be honest, this was because Pain had specifically asked Zetsu to choose a White Zetsu for him to absorb in order to obtain Wood Release when he heard that Zetsu's Oni-Garuru Technique could absorb various bloodline limits.

Although the Demon Sprout Technique is still a little short of completion, absorbing a bloodline limit shouldn't be a problem for now.

"I originally planned to absorb all five bloodline limits at once after making thorough preparations and achieve immortality. Now, this is the only way."

As Hiruko spoke, he placed his palm on White Zetsu's head, activating the Oni-Garra Technique.

Instantly, a violent surge of energy erupted from his body.

A few breaths later, a new aura, brimming with vitality, emanated from Bei Liu Hu.

Looking at the chimeras lying in pools of blood before him.

Hiruko gave a cold, indifferent laugh, clapped his hands, and looked at Konan with the gaze one would give a dead man, saying confidently:

"You asked for it. Now I'll show you the strongest bloodline limit that once swept across the entire ninja world."

"Unleash the power of Wood Release!"

Chapter 217 Art is an Explosion

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, with Hiruko's hands clasped together, amidst a cracking and shaking of the ground, a large number of trees rose from the ground and grew rapidly.

"See that? This is the Wood Release technique that allowed the First Hokage to sweep across the ninja world!"

As a native of Konoha, although she is now a rogue ninja, Hiruko still vividly remembers the story of the First Hokage, who was revered as the God of Shinobi, sweeping across the ninja world with his Wood Release. Like other people from Konoha, she yearns for Wood Release.

At this moment, having finally obtained the Wood Release bloodline limit he had longed for, thanks to the Oni-Garuru technique he had developed over many years, he was naturally overjoyed and proud.

"Originally, I didn't want to get involved in this mess, nor did I intend to be your enemy, Konan. But since you've chosen to die, don't blame me for being impolite. Become the first sacrifice of my Wood Release!"

The moment Hiruko finished speaking, a large number of trees shot out from around him, raining down like arrows towards Konan.

That's it?

Konan curled her lip in a cold smile, showing no sign of panic in the face of the renowned Wood Release technique.

Having just witnessed the power of Cloud Court's Wood Release, when she looked at Hiruko's Wood Release again, it was as if she had seen a vast ocean and was no longer interested in a river.

The same Wood Release technique can have completely different effects in the hands of different people.

In Konan's opinion, if Yun Ting's Wood Release brought her despair, then Hiruko's Wood Release was just causing her some trouble.

Swish~~ Swish~~

More pieces of paper peeled off her body, gathering into large paper shurikens, which then slashed at the oncoming trees one by one amidst a series of sharp whistling sounds.

With Konan's chakra infusion, the paper shuriken became much sharper than a normal shuriken.

In a very short time, a large number of trees were shredded, and wood chips were piled up all over the ground.

Seeing this, Hiruko frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed, saying nonchalantly, "Even if you can cut off this batch, what about the next batch, and the batch after that? You should know that Wood Release has no shortage of continuity."

As if in response to what Hiruko had said, the trees that had been mostly destroyed by Konan suddenly sprouted and grew again.

In the blink of an eye, just like the first time, the same number of trees surged toward Xiaonan once again.

Konan, who was watching this, slightly moved her eyes and caused all the paper pieces that made up the paper shuriken to separate and form a thick paper wall to block the Wood Release attack. At the same time, a pair of white wings unfolded from her back.

"What? You want to run away now?" Noticing that Konan had taken to the air and looked like she was about to fly away, Hiruko increased his Wood Release attack while laughing triumphantly.

Konan, with a cold expression, paid no attention to Hiruko's arrogant words.

When she reached the base exit and was about to leave, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Hiruko, who was striding after her with an imposing sea of ​​trees, with the gaze one would give a dead man. She calmly said:

"This is your grave, Biljuhu."

"What kind of joke are you telling? I..."

Before Hiruko could even sneer, feeling confident of victory, a series of sizzling sounds suddenly echoed in his ears.

He subconsciously looked around, and his expression changed drastically in an instant.

Just then, the base walls, which were originally just cold stone walls, seemed to have undergone a magical transformation. In an instant, countless explosive tags appeared on the stone walls.

Accompanied by ear-piercing flames and a cacophony of swirling fire, they rushed toward him from all directions like waves.

"How is this possible?"

Hiruko stared blankly at all of this.

Having stayed in the base for so long, he couldn't believe that so many explosive tags were hidden around him without him noticing at all.

Nothing is impossible.

Looking at the countless explosive tags, densely packed and heading towards the center of the collapse, Konan said calmly.

The art of the God of Paper.

As a powerful technique capable of turning 600 billion explosive tags into seawater, which even the Mangekyou Sharingan cannot detect, it is naturally normal that Hiruko could not detect it.

Prior to this, not only here, but also in the places of other Akatsuki members, and even in various important locations within Amegakure, Konan had used the God Paper Technique to disguise a large number of explosive tags in order to deal with possible unforeseen events.

Although they were once members of the same organization, she and Nagato had to be wary of this S-rank rogue ninja who was prone to betrayal and had no loyalty whatsoever.