Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

The ground beneath Chiyo quickly turned into a swamp.

Earth Escape·Yellow Quan Marsh!

"Damn Hattori Masashige, damn Iwagakure, you all deserve to die!!!"

Chiyo cried out in grief.

The next moment, she used her puppet to pick up the nearby Sha Lan and, along with the other puppets, quickly retreated without looking back.

Her son's request, coupled with the responsibilities she bore, ultimately led her to make a painful and helpless choice.

Chiyo moved with incredible speed; even the soft mud beneath her could not hinder her movement.

This is her using the Human Body Technique on her own body, pulling her body with chakra threads to counteract gravity and rapidly increase her speed.

"Damn it, don't let her get away, quickly use the Earthquake Core to stop her."

Seeing that Chiyo had abandoned Akasuna and fled, and that his own Yomi Swamp technique had failed to stop her, Huang Tu immediately shouted.

Upon hearing this, the other Iwa ninja immediately used Earth Release: Earth Core, creating a maze-like obstacle along Chiyo's escape route by causing the ground to rise and fall.

However, this level of obstacle was not a big deal for a Kage-level puppeteer with excellent taijutsu skills. The labyrinth created by the Iwa ninja using Earth Release: Earth Core could not stop her at all.

Seeing this, Huang Tu and the other rock ninjas were all furious and went after them.

"Hanzo, what are you doing? As expected, guys who aren't on our side are too unpredictable and completely unreliable."

Kirito watched Chiyo leave quickly and said with a stern face.

If Hanzo were to make a move now, given the strength Hattori Masanari is currently displaying under his disguise, he and Hanzo would have a very good chance of capturing Chiyo.

Unfortunately, the leader of the Rain Village did not offer assistance as he had hoped.

However, he understood what the leader of the Rain Village was worried about, so he stopped complaining.

The Skull Squad was completely annihilated, Kakuzu was captured, adding another layer of hatred between Sunagakure and Iwagakure, and half of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppet Masters were destroyed.

Such results are not bad; achieving perfection is ultimately too difficult.

The next moment, Kirito quickly approached, took Akasuna away before he could be hit by the rock giant's fist, knocked him unconscious, and then used Healing Palm Technique to heal him.

Chiyo ran away, so this item that was agreed upon with Iwagakure can't be allowed to run away again.

Chapter 148: Kirito's Vision for Peace

In the end, Iwagakure failed to catch up with a Kage-level ninja who was free of burdens and determined to leave. Huang Tu and the other Iwagakure ninjas all chose to return the way they came with somber faces and feelings of disappointment or resentment.

It wasn't that they didn't want to continue the chase; if they could, they would have chased until they were exhausted before stopping. It was just that Chiyo was too fast. In just half an hour, she was about to reach the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Birds. If they continued the chase, they would be heading into the territory of Sunagakure.

At that time, it won't be Chiyo, the Sand Village ninja, who will be besieged, but rather the Iwa Village ninjas.

For safety's sake, even though Huang Tu was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to order a retreat when he was near the border of the Land of Wind.

"Damn it, this old woman is too strong. It's not enough for me and my fellow countrymen here to keep her here. If my father or one of the other two Jinchūriki were here, with one of them helping us, we could definitely keep her here."

Huang Tu watched Chiyo's figure disappear quickly, and thought with a look of resentment.

However, he knew this was impossible. His father, Onoki, as the Tsuchikage, had to stay at the headquarters because the Kumogakure in the northeast had always coveted the rich mineral resources of the Iwagakure and had been stationing troops on the border. They might launch an attack at any time. If they discovered that his father had left the Land of Earth, those opportunistic barbarians would definitely launch a large-scale attack immediately.

The two Jinchūriki are strategic weapons of Iwagakure and cannot easily leave the village.

Ultimately, the problem stems from the fact that Iwagakure has too few Kage-level shinobi; they can practically mobilize no Kage-level shinobi on a regular basis.

"I'm afraid I'll get a scolding when I get back this time. I hope I can break through to the Kage level."

The thought of losing six Jonin and a considerable number of Chunin made Huang Tu's face grow even uglier. He knew he would be scolded when he got back.

Kage-level is the goal he has always pursued, but he has been stuck at the Elite Jonin level for a long time and has not been able to advance further.

It wasn't that he wasn't working hard enough; it was simply that his talent for other ninjutsu, besides Earth Release, was mediocre. In addition, the Iwa ninja lacked the inheritance of other ninjutsu besides Earth Release, making it too difficult for him to advance further.

Actually, he did find a way to go further, but it was just too difficult.

He had coveted the power of bloodline limits for a long time, but unfortunately he had never been able to successfully fuse earth-style chakra with chakra of other attributes.

If he can master the power of his bloodline limit, he will surely be able to overcome the insurmountable barrier between Jonin and Kage level.

"After I get back this time, I'll work hard to cultivate Fire Release. If all else fails, I'll humbly ask Old Purple, that grumpy guy, how he cultivated Lava Release."

Huang Tu quietly made up his mind.

My father's back is getting more and more hunched. Although he has no talent in management and is not cut out to be the Tsuchikage, he should at least provide enough support to my father and Iwagakure in terms of strength.

As the son of the Earth Shadow, Huang Tu has enjoyed the generous treatment of Iwagakure and has grown up smoothly to this point. He must strive to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Iwagakure.

Not long after Huang Tu made up his mind, the sensory ninja Hei Yan suddenly said, "Lord Huang Tu, someone is approaching us rapidly, and they're heading that way."

As he spoke, he pointed eastward.

Huang Tu and the other Iwa ninjas all became alert, their eyes all turning towards the direction Black Rock was pointing.

Soon, a familiar figure that left a bad impression on them came into view.

It was that cunning Rain Ninja, Hattori Masanari.

This despicable fellow stole one of their spoils not long ago, and now he dares to show up in front of them again. He's incredibly audacious.

Some Iwa ninjas, who were in a bad mood and had short tempers, immediately became restless and wanted to take their anger out on this despicable Amegakure ninja.

They are no longer afraid of the Rain Ninja, because this is no longer the Land of Rain.

Even though Hattori Masanari just displayed some impressive Wind Release ninjutsu, so what? He's still no match for them and can only let them bully him.

"What are you doing? This guy is despicable, but he's not our enemy. Don't make enemies of the village unnecessarily."

Huang Tu realized that his men were about to attack Hattori Masanari, who was being impersonated by Kirito, and immediately reprimanded them.

Huang Tu still remembers the village's plan to use Hattori Masashige to split Amegakure and open up the market in the Land of Rain.

That's why he didn't break ties with Kirito when Kirito took Akasa away.

"But this guy is definitely trying to take advantage of our Iwagakure again. Lord Huangtu, we can't let this Rain Ninja push his luck."

"That's right. This guy ran away during the transaction, leaving us to fight the Sand Village alone. Then he jumped out and stole our spoils. He's really despicable."

"Lord Huangtu, just give the order and let me take back the spoils from this despicable Rain Ninja."

……

Huang Tu's failure to pursue Sunagakure this time has obviously damaged his prestige within the group, and some Iwagakure members are not taking him seriously and are making a fuss.

"Shut up, all of you! Cooperating with Hattori Masanari is the village's decision. Are you not even going to obey the Tsuchikage's orders?"

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Huang Tu decisively brought out his father to suppress these troublemakers.

Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage who single-handedly ushered in the prosperous era of Iwagakure, still holds great prestige among the Iwagakure ninja.

After Huang Tu, the son of the Tsuchikage, brought out his father, Onoki, the discord within the group immediately disappeared.

They might not give face to the other Iwa ninja, but they absolutely had to give face to the Tsuchikage.

Since it's the Tsuchikage's will, they'll have to be patient for now.

"These guys are starting to disobey, this is really troublesome."

Seeing that the discordant voices in the group had disappeared, Huang Tu cursed inwardly and secretly remembered those few guys who had contradicted him.

He is honest and kind, that's true, but that doesn't mean he's stupid. He just doesn't think things through very quickly, but he is capable of understanding things.

Similarly, he also holds grudges.

He had just suffered a defeat, and these guys immediately jumped out at him; they're even more despicable than Hattori Masashige.

Without any other obstacles, Huang Tu had someone bring Kirito over.

"Mr. Huangtu, now that the troublemakers are gone, can our transaction resume?"

Under the chilling gazes of the Iwa ninja, Kirito smiled fearlessly and then spoke to the leader, Yotsuchi.

“Hasn’t our deal already ended, Mr. Hattori?”

Huang Tu sneered.

For the sake of the village, although he didn't intend to fall out with this guy, he couldn't let Kirito continue to take advantage of him. He had to take more initiative and get more in this transaction.

"No, to be precise, our transaction was only halfway through when it was interrupted by the Sand Village. To be honest, I really didn't expect the Sand Village to know our transaction location, let alone that the famous Kage-level ninja Chiyo would come in person. Luckily, I was cautious and only sent a shadow clone to conduct the transaction, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see Mr. Huangtu and all the respected Iwa ninjas by now."

Kirito stated the facts with a helpless expression.

After saying that, he looked scared and touched his heart.

Kirito's words, along with his slightly exaggerated expressions and actions, were incredibly hurtful to the Iwa ninja, including Huang Tu.

How could Huang Tu and the others not understand the implication behind Kirito's words?

Kirito was clearly accusing Iwagakure of failing to keep the deal secret, which allowed Sunagakure to sabotage the transaction.

The responsibility for this failed deal rests entirely with Iwagakure.

Although Huang Tu and the others were extremely unhappy, the facts were undeniable, and any further rebuttal would be futile.

In this matter, Iwagakure should indeed bear the brunt of the blame.

However, Hattori Masanari only sent a shadow clone to trade with Iwagakure, which clearly shows that he does not trust Iwagakure and looks down on them.

And then, after a deal went wrong, they simply ran away without immediately offering help, only to later jump in and reap the benefits.

If this Rain Ninja had been willing to step forward and help when they were in the Land of Rain, their people might have suffered far fewer casualties.

All of this should be blamed on that despicable Rain Ninja.

"Those bastards from Sunagakure came out to cause trouble, so it's only natural that we should fight them off together. But you, all you did was have your shadow clone destroyed, and then you just stood by and watched us fight Sunagakure to the death. Now you have the nerve to criticize Iwagakure."

"Hattori Masanari, if you don't give Iwagakure a satisfactory explanation, don't expect Iwagakure to let you off the hook."

“You despicable bastard, you’d better get your attitude straight. You’re not qualified to have a fair trade with Iwagakure right now.”

……

Before Huang Tu could even begin to criticize Kirito, many Iwa ninjas couldn't help but jump out and hurl insults at him.

"Mr. Huangtu, is this the attitude of Iwagakure? To be honest, I don't understand why you Iwagakure are angry. I am all alone, while you Iwagakure and Sunagakure have a large and powerful force. If I, a Rain Ninja, had joined in and died, no one would have given me a second glance. As for me taking back the Red Sand, it was just returning it to its rightful owner. You Iwagakure failed to capture it, so you think it's yours? Aren't you Iwagakure being too domineering? Speaking of which, you should thank me for creating the opportunity for you to destroy Chiyo's puppet. If I hadn't successfully defeated those two Sunagakure puppeteers again, Chiyo might have safely returned to the Land of Wind with her son and daughter-in-law."

Upon hearing the insults from the Iwa ninja, Kirito's expression immediately shifted from sunny to stormy. He sneered and said, "Let's talk about reason seriously."

Unfortunately, when he tried to reason with them, the Iwa ninja, who were already in a bad mood, were unwilling to listen to reason.