Chapter 111: The Strongest Kazekage in History!

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: The Strongest Kazekage in History! [Bonus Chapter]

"This guy actually knows medical ninjutsu..."

"Lady Pakura knows him..."

"Yeah, it's from that mission in the Land of Rivers. This kid is very dangerous, don't let your guard down!"

"Is the Kazekage really coming?"

"Should we launch a sneak attack? Use smoke bombs and genjutsu together. We just need a few seconds."

"Absolutely don't do that! He's too fast!"

The one explaining was Madai, who had also fought Shūichi before. He was also Maki's father.

At that moment, Maki was frozen in place. Someone who was roughly her age was already a dangerous figure, someone her father had warned her about!

"This guy..."

Maki, standing quietly among the Sand ninja, stared at Shūichi, vowing to remember this person—the one who so effortlessly toyed with her comrades. One day, Maki swore, she would surpass this man and pay him back in kind...

She clenched her fists, making a silent oath to himself.

...

Shūichi, however, paid no attention to Maki anymore. Why bother with Maki when Pakura was around?

"Pakura, you've become even more beautiful over the years!"

Shūichi was letting himself loose—after all, this was just a shadow clone.

Pakura was briefly stunned, then her face turned cold.

Was this brat flirting with her?

"You should worry more about how you'll get out of this situation," she said icily.

Shūichi, unconcerned, replied, "Simple. Once I get what I want, it'll all be over."

Pakura frowned. "Aren't you afraid of sparking a war between our villages? Of being punished by Konoha?"

Shūichi scoffed. "A war, just from this?"

"If it happens, then it was inevitable."

"And Pakura, don't keep bringing up war so casually. If you're not careful, you'll lose your respect for it."

"War has always been a terrifying thing..."

One of the Sand ninja couldn't hold back his anger. "Then why are you doing this if you know it's so terrible?"

"Release them immediately, and we'll let you leave unharmed!"

Shūichi shrugged. "Sorry, but I'm just a shadow clone."

"And besides..."

Looking at Pakura, Shūichi smirked. "Rasa must've already gone after my real body, hasn't he?"

The Sand ninja weren't without sensory ninjas, after all.

Pakura snorted. "Since you know that, you should understand that you're in the Land of Wind. You can't escape from here."

Shūichi's gaze sharpened, then he smiled. "We'll see about that... He's here!"

The Third Kazekage had arrived!

"Kazekage-sama!"

...

As the respectful voices echoed, the crowd parted, and the Third Kazekage, renowned as the strongest Kazekage in history, walked forward.

"Shūichi Hoshita... you're the one who wanted to see me?"

The Third Kazekage looked at Shūichi.

Shūichi nodded. "Third Kazekage, you must already know my purpose, right?"

The Third Kazekage paused, then nodded in realization. "So that's what this is about... I see. What's your connection to him?"

Shūichi sighed inwardly and replied, "I'm friends with his son, and he once taught me swordsmanship. He's like a mentor to me."

"I see."

The Third Kazekage nodded slightly, then said directly, "Yes, you've come to the right person."

"Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, was indeed killed by me."

"However, as a shinobi, he should have already understood this would happen."

Shūichi remained expressionless and gave a slight nod. "Of course."

"Then, Third Kazekage, have you made your peace with what's to come?"

The Kazekage's gaze instantly sharpened. "Oh?"

"Are you here to assassinate me?"

"Although I must admit, you're quite exceptional. Most ninja at your age, even me, could not have achieved as much as you have."

"But you're still not enough!"

Shūichi nodded again. "That may be true, but who's to say unless we try?"

"You don't mind my challenge, do you, Kazekage-sama?"

The Third Kazekage replied, "Young boy, I admire your courage, and I'll indulge you."

"But first, release them!"

Shūichi stepped back. "Of course."

Pakura immediately gestured, and several Sand shinobi rushed forward to rescue the hostages.

Madai, after checking on the captives, exclaimed in surprise, "He's skilled in sealing techniques too! Get them back to the village at once and let the sealing squad handle it!"

Ahead, after his subordinates were freed, the Third Kazekage raised his hand, forming a clone without needing to make hand signs. "This is just your shadow clone, right? In that case, I'll use a clone too."

The Third Kazekage carried himself with grace.

But Shūichi couldn't help but think to himself: Isn't this how Sasori of the Red Sand will kill you in the future?

Still, that didn't matter now.

This was an excellent opportunity—even if it was just a clone.

It was time to witness the power of a Kage!

Shūichi's focus sharpened, and he fully concentrated on the battle.

Zing!

The Anbu sword on his back and the Totsuka Blade at his waist were drawn simultaneously.

Sizzle!

Blue lightning crackled over his body.

Boom! Boom!

"I actually fought the Third Kazekage, though it was only a shadow clone..."

Shūichi was surprised, as he hadn't planned on engaging with the Third Kazekage before he left.

However, his shadow clone had done quite well.

"The Kazekage's strength is truly impressive. His abilities are well-rounded, excelling in both offense and defense, and he's equally strong in single combat and crowd control."

"His attack speed isn't slow either, and he can launch attacks in overwhelming volumes."

"For Sasori of the Red Sand to kill him with puppets, it must have involved a surprise attack and poison to have any chance of success."

"After all, iron sand is a natural counter to puppets..."

As Shūichi absorbed the memories from his shadow clone, he frowned. "Sakumo-senpai was indeed killed by the Third Kazekage... The Kazekage shouldn't have any reason to lie, but I doubt that's the whole story."

"That puppeteer... could it be..."

Shūichi's eyes widened in shock. "Sasori of the Red Sand?"

The Third Kazekage working together with Sasori?

Is that even possible?

Shūichi thought carefully. "I remember Chiyo mentioning that Sasori attempted to assassinate the Third Kazekage three times, and all of them failed."

"At this point, he must have already left Sunagakure... Sasori should be about four or five years older than me and Kakashi, around the same age as Shinnosuke. Right now, he should be around fourteen or fifteen years old..."

"Sasori's motive for assassinating the Kazekage—wanting him as a puppet—stems from the death of his parents, who were killed during the Second Shinobi War while the Third was in power. And the person responsible for killing his parents, Konoha's White Fang, died before he had a chance to get his revenge."

Shūichi took a deep breath. "So, by changing White Fang's fate, did I also change Sasori's?"

"Has Sasori already left Sunagakure?"

Thinking about this, Shūichi briefly considered, "Should I infiltrate Sunagakure again to investigate Sasori?"

But then he quickly dismissed the idea. "Forget it..."

Sunagakure would definitely be on high alert now, and it would be far too dangerous, even for a shadow clone.

"I don't need to personally go to Sunagakure to gather intel on Sasori. Konoha likely has spies there as well. Just obtaining information on Sasori shouldn't be a problem."

After resting enough, Shūichi stood up and headed towards the rendezvous point he had previously agreed on with Minato and the others.

...

The next morning, at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, Shūichi, who had rested for two hours atop a small hill, suddenly opened his eyes.

They've finally arrived!

Soon, Minato and the group appeared in Shūichi's sight, and he quickly leaped down the hill.

Seeing Shūichi unharmed, Minato finally let out a sigh of relief.

Obito, unable to contain his curiosity, immediately asked, "Shūichi, how did things go on your side? We couldn't find any useful information at all!"

Shūichi nodded silently, then looked over at Kakashi.

Rin's gaze was filled with concern as she looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi, however, had already composed himself, and when Shūichi looked at him, he calmly said, "This is a shinobi's duty. I'm prepared."

Hearing this, Shūichi said, "Sakumo-senpai has passed away. I confirmed it from the Third Kazekage."

The Third Kazekage!

Everyone was shocked.

Minato said in a serious tone, "The strongest Kazekage in history, with the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, capable of controlling iron sand... He definitely has the strength to defeat Sakumo-senpai."

Yūhi Shiwei sighed. "I didn't expect the Third Kazekage to personally get involved."

It was rare for a village's Kage to personally participate in a mission, except in Kumo, where the Raikage often took action. In most other villages, the Kage rarely left the village.

After all, a Kage represented the pinnacle of a village's strength. If a Kage had to personally take action, how dire must the situation have been?

At this moment, Kakashi was in a daze, silent tears streaming down his face.

Although he had mentally prepared himself for his father's death, now that he had received confirmation, he couldn't help but break down.

"Kakashi..."

Rin's heart was full of worry, but she didn't know how to comfort him.

Even Obito, who often argued with Kakashi, was at a loss for words seeing him like this.

It was the first time he had seen the usually arrogant Kakashi in such a state.

Earlier too, it was the first time he had seen Kakashi, normally so cool and composed, acting so anxious.

For some reason, Obito felt an unfamiliar sense of frustration, an overwhelming feeling of... helplessness.

Looking at Kakashi, then at Minato and the others, Obito couldn't stand the heavy atmosphere any longer. He blurted out, "Since... since we know who the culprit is, can't we avenge him?"

Avenge him?

Yūhi Shiwei and Kaku Inuzuka exchanged glances but remained silent.

Minato patted Obito on the shoulder and said, "It's not that simple. He's the Kazekage of Sunagakure."

"Infiltrating Sunagakure and killing their Kage would be incredibly difficult."

"And even if the Third Kazekage left the village, he'd still have guards with him."

"Taking down someone like him isn't something a single squad can achieve."

Shūichi then turned to Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, there's another piece of information."

Kakashi quickly wiped away his tears and looked at Shūichi.

Shūichi continued, "I infiltrated Sunagakure and spent almost a month gathering intel on the Third Kazekage's movements, especially whether he had been involved in any missions with Chiyo. The information shows that he hasn't."

"He's mostly been operating within the Land of Wind, accompanied only by his personal guards."

Minato pondered for a moment before saying, "So the puppeteer who accompanied the Third Kazekage wasn't Chiyo."

"That makes sense. With the Third Kazekage present, a puppeteer wouldn't be as crucial."

"After all, Chiyo isn't the only high-level puppeteer in Sunagakure."

Shūichi nodded. "You're right, Minato-sensei. But the key point is about Sakumo-senpai's body."

"I suspect the Third Kazekage was hiding something."

Obito immediately asked, "So... can we retrieve Sakumo-senpai's body from Sunagakure?"

Shūichi shook his head. "That's not possible, and I don't believe the body is even in Sunagakure."

Everyone looked puzzled. Obito asked, "Shūichi, what exactly do you mean?"

Minato then asked, "Shūichi, how did you get this information from the Third Kazekage?"

(End of Chapter)

???

Support me on Patreon - Read Up to 40+ Advanced Chapters There!

/RedX43

???