Chapter 584 I regret shadowing you
The country of earth.
Near Iwagakure Village.
"Finally home."
A tired Iwagakure ninja looked at the city surrounded by mountains, with a touch of joy on his face.
After experiencing such a crisis, he was content to survive.
“Oh, I’m really humiliated this time, I was defeated so miserably.” The Ariwagakure ninja couldn’t help but lamented.
The 2,000-strong ninja force was reduced to just over 300. Among the wars in recent years, they were probably the most tragic ones.
Facing their hometown within reach, most of the Iwagakure ninja troops have very complicated emotions.
Even the Jinchuriki Lao Murasaki is the same.
“I hope they will send some reliable commanders next time.” Lao Zi sighed in his heart.
Lao Zi was usually very withdrawn and had few friends. He didn't know most of the dead Iwagakure, and the ones he knew basically only knew their names.
However, the more than 1,600 Iwagakure ninjas who passed away were, after all, fellow villagers who were born and raised in the same village as him. It was impossible not to feel this.
The ninja guarding the gate of Iwagakure Village seemed to have been informed a long time ago, and did not show any surprise at the approaching Iwagakure ninja troops. After a brief inspection, they were released.
Generally, after the ninja troops return to the village, they will be reported by the ninja troop commander or other important management, and the remaining ninjas will be disbanded directly.
This time, many jounin who held important positions, including commanders, were almost dead, and the only remaining ones did not have enough positions and little experience.
Lao Zi saw that they were confused and couldn't discuss anything, so he directly supported Han towards the Iwagakure Ninja Hospital.
Although the two of them have the highest combat power in the Iwagakure ninja force, their positions are not high and they are just pure thugs.
Lao Zi thought that since they had nothing to do with him, he might as well take Han to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.
After all, Han was so seriously injured that he had a share of the blame.
His Tailed Beast Jade was indeed meant to help Han, but it was also true that it blew up Han.
Some people noticed Lao Zi leaving the team, and opened their mouths to stop Lao Zi, but thought of the scene of Lao Zi's tailed beast swallowing up Iwagakure and Konoha ninja at the same time, and closed their mouths again.
When Lao Zi was halfway there, suddenly several ANBU dressed as Iwagakure ninjas stopped Lao Zi.
Lao Zi frowned slightly and asked, "What's the matter with you? Han is injured. I have to send him to the hospital."
"You don't need to worry about Han's affairs. Our people will get him the best treatment as soon as possible." The leader ANBU said calmly.
The two ANBU immediately behind him walked towards Han.
Although Lao Zi was a little unhappy, he did not stop him in order not to delay the treatment.
Then Lao Zi turned around and prepared to go home, and Iwagakure Anbu also disappeared on the road.
After walking a certain distance, Siwei's voice sounded in Lao Zi's heart.
“They’re following you.”
Lao Zi frowned a little more, he was a little confused.
shouldn’t Anbu be very busy during the war? They not only have to go to various countries to conduct espionage activities to obtain intelligence, but also have to prevent the intelligence from being stolen by spies from other ninja villages. Why should they waste manpower to track him?
In this way, he can use the fully transformed jinchuriki at will without going berserk for no reason.
Lao Zi returned home to clean and rest for a while, and then went out to buy vegetables and cook at noon.
After finishing the meal, Lao Zi asked Siwei: "Are they still there?"
“Still.” Four Tails replied.
Lao Zi, who was washing the dishes, felt increasingly unhappy.
Although they were defeated, what does this have to do with him.
He has tried his best to fight. If it weren't for him, the two thousand ninja troops might not only have 300 left, but the remaining 100 or dozens might even be wiped out.
At the time when he was about to fall asleep at night, Lao Zi asked again.
"That group of people left, but new ones came." Siwei said truthfully.
Lao Zi couldn't hold himself any longer, so he was monitored 24 hours a day, right?
Lao Zi suppressed the anger in his heart and fell asleep.
Although he was in a bad mood, it was too late now. If he made a fuss, it would seriously affect other people.
The next day.
After washing up, Lao Zi made himself a breakfast. When he learned that someone was still watching, Lao Zi directly asked Siwei for his location.
“It’s underground to the west of your house.” Siwei replied.
If the ANBU didn't use Earth Release Ninjutsu to sneak into the underground, the Four Tails might not know that it is a tailed beast with the power of lava in its chakra, and is extremely sensitive to the energy of the earth.
Lao Zi walked towards the place mentioned by the fourth tail with a straight face and said coldly: "Stop hiding, I know you are here."
At this time, a breeze blew, bringing with it some gravel and dust, but the ground in front of Lao Zi was still empty.
“Molten Escape·The Technique of Burning River Rocks!”
Lao Zi condensed the molten chakra and quickly formed seals, and his aura exploded.
“What do you want to do!” Upon seeing this, two Iwagakure Anbu quickly appeared to stop him.
Lao Zi really killed a lot of Iwagakure ninjas on the battlefield this time, and they didn't dare to bet on whether Lao Zi would really use the melting attack.
"I should ask you why you keep monitoring me!" Lao Zi said unceremoniously.
"Are your ANBU so idle that you can't put more effort into intelligence? If there hadn't been a problem with the intelligence, the frontline troops wouldn't have been beaten so badly."
"This is not something you should worry about. Someone will naturally be responsible for the intelligence, and we are here to protect you." Iwagakure ANBU emphasized.
The mission they received was to conduct surveillance, but this obviously cannot be stated clearly.
"Protect? Protect me, a perfect Jinchūriki, in Iwagakure Village?" Lao Zi laughed angrily.
If his strength still needs to be protected in Iwagakure Village, then Iwagakure is really going to be finished.
The ANBU remained silent and stared at Lao Zi silently.
Looking at the silent ANBU, Lao Zi felt troubled. It was impossible for him to kill the ninja from the same village for no reason.
"Ohnoki, what are you thinking about..." Lao Zi thought for a while, and finally looked at the tallest rock building in Iwagakure Village.
The ANBU were directly commanded by Tsuchikage, so this must be Ohnoki's order.
Lao Zi is a man of action. He ignored the ANBU and walked straight towards the Tsuchikage Building.
He wanted to ask Ohnoki for a clear explanation, why Ohnoki was wasting his strength like this and why he was monitoring him.
The ANBU didn’t know what Lao Zi wanted to do at first, but as they got closer to the Tsuchikage Building, the ANBU gradually guessed what Lao Zi was thinking.
One of them went to report the situation, and the other tried to stop Lao Zi.
“Master Tsuchikage is busy with official duties, so you can’t disturb him casually.” Iwagakure ANBU said.
"He has time to ask you to monitor me, but no time to talk to me in person?" Lao Zi ignored Iwagakure ANBU and continued walking.
Iwagakure ANBU wanted to hold Lao Zi, but Lao Zi pushed him away with huge force.
Immediately afterwards, Lao Zi quickly walked into the Tsuchikage building and went straight to the Tsuchikage office, not stopping no matter what ninja he encountered on the way.
boom!
Lao Zi pushed open the door of Tsuchikage's office and stared closely at Ohnoki who was sitting in the office chair.
“Lord Tsuchikage, I’m sorry.” The ANBU lowered his head and apologized.
In the Tsuchikage Building, they couldn't really fight, they could only fight with strength, but Lao Zi had the blessing of the four tails, and they couldn't stop him at all.
"It's okay, let's go out." Ohnoki said quietly without any emotion on his face.
The ANBU nodded and quickly walked out of the Tsuchikage's office, closing the door behind him.
When the others went out, Onoki's expression changed instantly. He looked at Lao Zi with a serious face.
“Lao Zi, what do you want to do? Attack ANBU and force your way into Tsuchikage’s office. These crimes are enough for you to stay in prison for ten years!” Onoki said in a deep voice, with a terrifying aura erupting from his body.
If it were an ordinary Iwagakure jounin here, he would probably be shaking uncontrollably under the power of Ōnoki.
After all, this is the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure Village, one of the pinnacles of the ninja world, and he is the man who leads Iwagakure to strength.
But the person standing in front of Ohnoki was the Jinchuriki Lao Purple, or the perfect Jinchuriki Lao Purple after communicating with the Four-Tails.
Lao Zi looked at Ohnoki without changing his expression and asked:
"I would also like to ask you what you want to do. As soon as I return to the village, you will ask the ANBU to monitor me and protect me, but the ANBU will be so idle?"
“This is the result of a collective discussion among Iwagakure’s top management. It’s useless if you’re not satisfied.” Ohnoki said bluntly. After all, everyone has been discovered, and Lao Zi is not stupid. How could he not know whether it was for protection or surveillance?
“High-level collective.” Lao Zi clenched his fists and his eyelids twitched.
He worked hard and died on the front line, but he was still mistrusted when he came back.
"This is the best result. What do you think you did on the battlefield? That is one of the most forbidden taboos!" Onoki emphasized.
"Some people even proposed to replace the four-tailed Jinchuuriki. If I hadn't strongly opposed it, you wouldn't have been faced with the surveillance of two Anbu."
Someone did mention the replacement of jinchūriki in the high-level meeting, but it was not as exaggerated as Ohnoki said.
Ōnoki mainly wanted to use this opportunity to give Lao Zi a beating and make him change his character.
Lao Zi was stunned. He didn't expect that the senior management would have such an idea.
For a jinchuriki, changing the jinchuriki means that the previous jinchuriki must die.
After the tailed beast is sealed in the jinchuriki's body, their lives are connected with the tailed beast. When the jinchuriki dies, the tailed beast dies. When the tailed beast is extracted, the jinchuriki will also die.
“Whether it’s turning into a complete tailed beast among the crowd or breaking out with a tailed beast jade, it’s all orders given by Iwaku.” Lao Zi explained.
He is not that crazy. If Yanku hadn't used self-destruction to stimulate Lao Zi, he might not have carried out Yanku's order.
"There is no such content in the information passed back." Ohnoki shook his head and replied.
Lao Zi was stunned again.
He thought of one thing. The battlefield was so chaotic at that time, and there were not many Iwagakure who could hear Iwaku's orders.
Plus there is Mu Yue, the God of Killing, nearby, so the chance of survival is slim.
“At that time, I was injured by Hanyu Mozuki’s water escape. When Commander Iwaku saw it, he asked me to use the full tailed beast transformation to cooperate with him and the Iwagakure blasting force to attack...” Lao Zi explained while trying to recall the details at that time.
Although he admired Yanku for his final self-destruction, Lao Zi did not want to take the blame for Yanku.
As a jinchūriki, he has already suffered from all kinds of strange eyes. If he has a reputation for killing his companions more often, it will be really difficult for him to stay in Iwagakure.
“Can anyone testify for you?” Ohnoki asked after listening.
"How do you prove that this was Iwaku's order and not that you became violent under the influence of the tailed beast's chakra."
Lao Zi opened his mouth and was speechless.
He didn’t even know if anyone with knowledge of the incident survived.
"I will send ninjas to help you investigate. If nothing happens, just leave. I still have to work." Ohnoki started to drive people away.
In fact, Ohnoki already believed what Lao Zi said.
Because Lao Zi is an arrogant and stubborn person, such a person would not bother to lie to evade responsibility.
But if no one testifies for Lao Zi, Ohnoki will still maintain the status quo.
First of all, he cannot overturn the results of high-level meetings just because of his own feelings. This would be too arbitrary.
Secondly, he wanted to use this to make Lao Zi suffer some losses and become more diplomatic.
The Jinchūriki is the strongest weapon in the ninja village, and weapons should have the consciousness of weapons. Onoki, a Jinchūriki like Han who completes the task silently without speaking, is very satisfied.
Lao Zi had nothing to say and walked out of the Tsuchikage office and the Tsuchikage building as Ohnoki said.
While walking on the street of Iwagakure Village, Lao Zi noticed that the surrounding residents and ninjas were looking particularly horrified.
Even if it is a commercial street where people come and go, there will be an open space wherever he passes.
Lao Zi walked towards home with an expressionless face. He could vaguely hear words such as "monster" and "cruel" behind him.
As a jinchuriki, Lao Zi has actually suffered this kind of treatment a long time ago.
He didn't know why he felt so uncomfortable when he encountered this situation again today. Is it because he was treated as a war criminal even though he led the team to break out? Or is it because I didn’t sleep well yesterday that I’m extra sensitive today?
Lao Zi didn't know, but he only knew one thing, he felt very sad.
In the next week, Lao Zi rarely went out and stayed at home.
After he felt that Ohnoki should complete the investigation, he went to the Tsuchikage Building again.
This time it was not as tense as the last one, so Lao Zi applied in advance.
"I sent someone to ask all the ninjas in the Grass Country army except you. Everyone said they had never heard similar orders. Is there anything else you want to say?" Onoki did not waste time and directly told the result.
Lao Zi looked at Ohnoki silently and said nothing.
What else could he say, blame those ninjas who heard the order for why they died? Or should I personally go to the ninjas who broke out and ask them one by one?
“You should be more honest next time, listen to orders and do your tasks in a down-to-earth manner, and learn from Han, and you will be fine.” Onoki comforted him.
During the war, it was impossible for Iwagakure to suddenly change the jinchūriki, which would be equivalent to cutting off an arm.
It is not an easy task for a Jinchūriki to control the power of a tailed beast.
“Remove surveillance on me.” Lao Zi said expressionlessly.
After listening to Ohnoki's words, he finally understood what the senior officials wanted to do. Killing his companions was just an excuse, and the senior officials just wanted to beat him.
If it had been before, Lao Zirenren would have passed away.
After all, this is the village where he was born and raised, and he has to repay the kindness of Iwagakure Village for raising him.
But this time Lao Zi really couldn't stand it anymore. He was already acting according to Iwaku's orders, but the senior officials were still dissatisfied and wanted to make him more obedient.
Lao Zi felt that he had done all he could to Iwagakure. If the Four Tails hadn't helped him this time, he would have died on the battlefield.
He has already returned Iwagakure's life, and his current life was given to him by the Four-Tails.
Ohnoki frowned slightly, why couldn't he understand what people were saying at all.
“Behave well in the future and no one will interfere with your life. I am the Tsuchikage.” Ohnoki reminded.
As a Tsuchikage, he has huge rights. Whether to monitor or not is just a matter of his words.
“If you don’t cancel the surveillance on me, you will definitely regret it in the future.”
After speaking, Lao Zi turned around and walked towards the office door, preparing to leave the Tsuchikage office.
The senior management wanted him to turn into a task machine that only obeyed orders, but Lao Zi didn't get what they wanted.
If Onoki still sends ANBU to monitor him, Lao Zi will not kill the ANBU, but he will leave Iwagakure Village directly.
He couldn't kill the innocent Iwagakure ninja, so he simply went somewhere else out of sight and out of mind.
boom!
The door to Tsuchikage's office was slammed shut.
Ohnoki's face darkened. After being a Tsuchikage for so many years, Lao Zi was the first person to disrespect him like this.
Just a Jinchūriki.
“Remove the ANBU currently responsible for monitoring him and let the squad leader take over in person!” Onoki called the ANBU and ordered.
As the shadow of a village, if Lao Zi is really threatened, where is the majesty of the earth shadow?
So he not only had to continue to monitor Lao Zi, but also sent additional surveillance and let elite ANBU monitor him.
“If Lao Zi makes any changes, please report to me immediately.”
Ohonoki had previously thought that Lao Zi was following Iwaku's orders, but now Lao Zi's behavior made him think that it might also be the influence of the tailed beast's chakra. His temper was too explosive.
On the other side, Lao Zi, who walked out of the Tsuchikage Building, sighed.
Although just now he was thinking about leaving Iwagakure if there were still ANBU monitoring him.
However, Iwagakure is his home after all, and Lao Zi becomes confused when he thinks of leaving Iwagakure.
Where will he go after leaving Iwagakure? What is he going to do after leaving Iwagakure?
Don't worry, Lao Zi found that his life was extremely empty. He couldn't think of what he could do after leaving Iwagakure.
"Since you don't know where to go, why don't you go there all over again?" Lao Zi came up with the idea of traveling around the ninja world.
Usually when he goes abroad, he carries out missions, and he doesn’t have much experience in detail about how life in other countries is different from that in the Land of Earth.
"In this case, the first stop can be to choose the Country of Rain, meet the ninja master Sosuke who has thousands of disciples, and see what a country that has been shrouded in rain for a long time is like." Lao Zi thought to himself.
The major events Soyousuke did are quite famous in the entire ninja world, and Lao Zi has also heard a lot of Soyousuke's legends.
There are very few people who can make Lao Zi admire him, but if Soyousuke is exactly like the one in the legend, then Soyousuke can be counted as one.
“I don’t want to think so much, maybe Onoki will respect me and cancel the ANBU.”
Lao Zi found that he was thinking a little too much, so he shook his head and returned home.
For him, the best choice is of course to stay in Yanyin Village. After all, if he goes out, it will not be so easy to come back.
(End of this chapter)