Konoha's Mission Master

"Brother Shinichi, you've come at just the right time..."

Fortunately, Yakumo improved his Palm Healing Technique today, so he can perform the following operation: first break the bone, then heal it, then break it again... and so on... repeating several times...

"Bump!" "Bump!" "Bump!"

The disguise mask fell off, revealing Shinichi's face.

Chenyu... is the stand-in that Shinichi prepared for himself.

Yakumo's attack was even faster.

He kept kicking at Shinichi, who was struggling on the ground, while two shadow clones beside him emitted green light and were using the Palm Healing Technique to treat him.

"Cough cough..." Shinichi coughed up blood, but Yakumo continued to kick Shinichi's abdomen without stopping.

Yakumo didn't know who gave Shinichi the courage to come so unguarded in front of him... but that didn't stop him from venting his anger.

"I have...information concerning Kakashi's...life!"

Shinichi covered his head with his arms. Every moment he could feel the excruciating pain of his muscles being torn apart and re-healed, accompanied by an itch that went deep into his bones, as if thousands of ants were crawling on his bloody wound.

With a hint of reluctance, Yakumo retracted his foot, which had been raised in mid-air, and decided to listen to the information Shinichi had to say before landing.

"The Hidden Cloud Village... has posted Kakashi Hatake's head on the black market, with a bounty of 2500 million ryo." Shinichi adjusted his breathing slightly before reciting the information he had as quickly as possible.

"Bang." Yakumo kicked down, his target still being the abdomen.

"Still hitting... ah!?" Shinichi shouted hoarsely.

"You know... I'm really angry."

"Bump!" "Bump!" "Bump!"

Yakumo bowed and pulled out a palm strike, causing Shinichi to fall backward, his left cheek slightly swollen and red, lying on the ground like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.

"When you hit someone... please don't hit them in the face, okay?"

Shinichi remained calm and did not retaliate... he merely protected his vitals and occasionally let out a suppressed growl.

Ten minutes later, Yakumo, exhausted from fighting, sat down on the steps to rest, while two shadow clones were treating Shinichi, whose face was bruised and swollen.

"You have a good ability to withstand blows."

Yakumo sighed. Just now, he only controlled the force of the blow, but the effect of the Palm Healing Technique multiplied the pain. Yet Shinichi remained calm from beginning to end and did not fall into a coma.

"I've been training since I was a child..."

Shinichi chuckled dryly as he tore off his tattered upper garment, revealing his somewhat thin back, and turned to show Yakumo his back.

His back was covered with whip marks, knife wounds, and blunt force injuries, like the brushstrokes of a rough painter. The whip marks were like huge brushstrokes winding and hanging, the knife wounds were straight lines, and the blunt force injuries formed shadows. It was as if his back was outlining a hideous and bloody hell.

Yakumo could tell... these scars were extremely old...

"Haha, my eldest brother has a cheerful personality and likes to use his fists, while my second brother has a cunning and ruthless personality, so he especially loves long whips. As for blunt weapons, that's my dear Uncle Takahashi. He takes out all the anger he gets from my eldest and second brothers on me..."

"Yakumo's younger brother's fist..."

"...It's even more exciting than my older brother's."

A smile appeared on Shin's eyes, but a trace of sadness spread across his lips. The strange combination of these two elements created a strong visual conflict for Yakumo.

"So... you've been crazy since you were a child..."

Yakumo looked at Shinichi, who was both crying and laughing, and shook his head helplessly. "A lively child is always so much fun."

Do you want to know... how your mother died?

Shinichi suddenly stopped smiling and asked a question in a low voice.

"I don't care... Let's get down to business."

Yakumo interrupted him rather rudely, saying that it was nothing more than dying in a family struggle, and that such a clichéd and melodramatic plot was not worth wasting his time on.

"Cough cough... Okay, okay."

Shinichi showed no dissatisfaction on his face and took out a blue robe from his bag to change into.

"Sakumo Hatake took the blame for Yotsuki Tenshin's grudge for you, which led the Third Raikage to hate him to the bone. He not only increased Sakumo Hatake's bounty on the black market, but also offered 2500 million yen to Kakashi Hatake."

This is already the price for an ordinary Jonin, but the target is just a six-year-old child.

"Isn't what he's doing a violation of the peace treaty?"

"Haha... Yakumo-nii, you're so childish."

After getting dressed, Shinichi calmly sat down on the steps next to Yakumo, his face red and swollen, and he regained the dignity of the daimyo of the Land of Fire.

"Yotsuki Tenshin was the Third Raikage's older brother. The peace treaty was declared null and void the moment he died."

"And...do you know why the Third Raikage would spend so much money to save an old man who can't go to the battlefield...?"

"Why?" Yakumo truly did not know the answer to this question.

"Because that old man once tried to improve the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and it is said that he has achieved some success."

"This information...didn't the Third Hokage know about it?"

Yakumo was somewhat surprised. Lightning Release Chakra Mode was the highest secret technique of Kumogakure and could be considered the strongest ninjutsu in the ninja world.

“Of course he knows…” Shinichi said slowly.

"Why didn't he stop it...?" Yakumo asked, puzzled.

"The Third Hokage's original plan was to accept the benefits from Kumogakure, then leak this information to Iwagakure, and use Iwagakure to make Aoyama Jonin die on the border of the Land of Lightning... That would be the optimal solution."

Yakumo paused for a second, pondering the cruel truth Shinichi had revealed. Konoha had gained enormous benefits and, incidentally, had sown discord between Kumogakure and Iwagakure. This could truly be considered a perfect plan... all it took was sacrificing Aoyama Reiko.

Hiruzen Sarutobi... that's ruthless.

"The main reason I suggested the Third Hokage take you along is that I hope you can protect Jonin Aoki and ensure she can return to Konoha alive," Shinichi continued.

"So you mean well?" Yakumo asked.

"Of course...you didn't expect that, did you?"

"...That's why you're so angry...you want to beat me up?"

Shinichi stared incredulously at Yakumo Kiyoto's face, his voice filled with deep doubt.

“Of course I thought of that…and I believe you have more than one reason for sending me to Kumogakure.”

Yakumo truly hadn't expected that everything he encountered after leaving the Land of Fire was part of the Third Hokage's script... but what could he do... the fight was already over...

You can't just pat Shinichi on the shoulder and say:

"I'm sorry... Shinichi-nii, I dialed the wrong number."

Shinichi sighed softly and continued speaking.

"I do want to use your strength to weaken the military power of Kumogakure as much as possible. This will be more beneficial for negotiating the price of grain exports with the Land of Lightning in the new year."

This might be the art of words... It's clearly a complete exploitation, but once you use the word "help," it actually feels like mutual assistance between friends.

To this, Yakumo only wanted to…

Hehe smiled.

Chapter 92 Unraveling the Jade

Inside the courtyard, on the steps.

Yakumo offered Shinichi some milk tea. He could clearly sense that Shinichi's words, "I hope you can protect Jonin Aoyama," were true. Just based on that, Yakumo's anger subsided somewhat...

Of course, it was mostly because of the more than ten minutes of brutal beatings that were truly exhilarating and swept away all the frustration in my heart.

He is still going to die, but we need a reasonable way to minimize the impact of his death.

"The Hidden Cloud Village lost a Kage-level ninja, several Jonin, and dozens of elite Anbu members... If that's the case, your plan should have succeeded, right?"

“It failed…” Shinichi shook his head in distress.

"The Third Raikage demands that the food be purchased at 70% of its original price, or he will declare war on the Land of Fire..."

"You gave in?" Yakumo asked in surprise.

"How could that be... I ordered people to scatter the ashes of the Land of Lightning delegation who had been arguing with me during the day... but the Third Hokage wants me to agree." Shinichi's face gradually darkened, his tone filled with resentment.

"So what do you plan to do?" Yakumo asked.

Shinichi put down his teacup, stared at Yakumo, and said softly, "I rushed to Konoha overnight hoping to find a new Hokage."

"Pfft..." Yakumo burst into laughter, while Shinichi beside him looked completely bewildered.

"You want to change the Hokage... that has little to do with me. You know... my status in Konoha is even lower than that of a Genin."

Don't you want to hear my plan?

"Appreciate further details."

"I supported Sakumo Hatake as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, forcing the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to step down."

"Uncle Sakumo will not force the Third Hokage to step down."

Yakumo shook his head and replied in an extremely serious tone that, at present, Hatake Sakumo is only disappointed in Sarutobi Hiruzen, and is far from wanting to force him to step down.

Furthermore... given Sakumo Hatake's personality, even if he repaid Hiruzen Sarutobi's past kindness, at most he would resign voluntarily, distance himself from the core of power, and live happily with Kakashi.

"Oh...that's how it is right now..."

He nodded in agreement... but his eyes darted around rapidly.

"But if... Danzo allows black market assassins to enter Konoha and ambush Kakashi Hatake, what will Sakumo Hatake do... He will probably go crazy and want to kill Danzo. At that time, Sakumo Hatake and Hiruzen Sarutobi will inevitably break off their relationship."

Yakumo suddenly raised his head, staring angrily at Shinichi. At the same time, his full head of black hair grew automatically, gathering together like a swarm of black snakes, climbing and coiling around Shinichi's body... tightly locking his limbs and neck.

"Cough cough..." Shinichi had difficulty breathing, and his face turned red.

He tried to struggle and speak, but more black hair continued to spread and envelop his body, like a giant black cocoon, devouring the light in Zhenyi's eyes.

"Stop your pointless probing..."

"...If you dare to cause even the slightest harm to someone I care about, I will make you wish you were dead."

Thirty seconds later, the black cocoon dissipated, and Shinichi knelt down, breathing heavily. When he looked at Yakumo, his pupils contracted slightly deep inside, revealing the lingering fear.

The endless darkness, and the ever-increasing pressure that was suppressing my body, made me feel as if I were in a bottomless abyss.