Chapter 63

In the Land of Waves

In a secluded small forest, a two-story wooden building stands.

A stream flows in front of the building, and occasionally, the sound of bird calls can be heard among the trees, creating a rather tranquil environment.

On the second floor of the wooden building, due to the trees blocking the light, the room appears somewhat dark. Dappled sunlight occasionally penetrates the windows, making the room feel quite dry.

Zabuza habitually sits in the shadows. In front of him, a gray-clothed ninja kneels on one knee.

He wears a set of brown leather armor, carries a straight sword on his back, and has a bulging waist pouch tied around his waist.

A forehead protector is tied around his forehead, with three wavy lines carved on it.

Zabuza specially equipped his subordinates with this set of gear.

"Is the information accurate?" Zabuza asked indifferently.

He had spent a great deal of effort to build his organization, which had already taken on a preliminary form. Although its combat capability was not as strong as that of top-tier forces, its intelligence-gathering ability was not bad.

However, the wealth plundered from Gato had been almost entirely spent.

"According to the reports from our spies in Konoha, Orochimaru indeed launched an attack on Konoha, but it ended in failure. Konoha lost the Third Hokage," the gray-clothed ninja reported.

Zabuza's expression changed.

The Third Hokage was a great figure who had once dominated the ninja world. His strength was unimaginable, and it was unexpected that he would die at the hands of his own student.

Zabuza sighed deeply.

"Is there any news about Uchiha Shū?" After a long while, Zabuza finally asked.

"The spy used a summoning animal to urgently report that Uchiha Shū has already clashed with Konoha. He killed over thirty ANBU captains and officially defected from Konoha," the gray-clothed ninja replied.

Zabuza's expression changed again.

He had long known that the cold and indifferent youth who had severely injured him was not ordinary, but he did not expect him to defect from Konoha so quickly.

Killing thirty ANBU captains? Are ANBU captains as common as cabbages, to be killed so easily?

Zabuza acknowledged the other's strength, admitting that he could defeat him, and his power was definitely not weak.

But could he face and completely kill thirty ANBU captains? Zabuza asked himself.

Absolutely not!

He was shocked: "Has his strength increased again?!"

The gray-clothed ninja, kneeling on one knee, glanced up at Zabuza, who was lost in thought, without feeling strange.

Even he was shocked when he received this intelligence. One person easily killing over thirty ANBU captains who were skilled in assassination.

What kind of formidable combat power was this?

Although their organization was not small, it consisted mainly of intelligence personnel. Thirty ANBU captains were almost their entire strength!

He was Zabuza's confidant and knew that his leader had been paying attention to this person.

Do they really have to oppose them? The gray-clothed ninja steeled himself and spoke.

"According to the intelligence, Haku is still with him."

Zabuza, lost in thought, finally regained his composure upon hearing the familiar name. His expression gradually turned gloomy.

Haku was raised by him, and their relationship was like that of father and son or brothers, far beyond that of a simple superior-subordinate relationship.

Haku had once left with Su Chong to save his life, which had left Zabuza with a deep grudge. For Su Chong, who had taken Haku away, Zabuza harbored an endless desire to kill.

But the reality of their strength disparity left him powerless to seek revenge.

However, there were bounty hunters in the ninja world.

Zabuza's eyes glinted coldly.

"Increase the bounty at the underground bounty office and triple the bounty on Uchiha Shū," Zabuza said coldly.

The gray-clothed ninja trembled. "Sir, a bounty of nearly fifty million will strain our finances."

"Whatever it takes!" Zabuza glared at the gray-clothed ninja and ordered coldly.

"Yes!"

He disappeared from the room.

Zabuza stared at the swaying branches outside the window, his thoughts drifting back to that evening of wind and snow, and to that helpless child.

"Uchiha Shū, I will definitely take Haku back!"

A faint voice echoed in the wooden building.

...

Outside Konoha

A battle suddenly erupted, with Su Chong and Uchiha Itachi clashing.

While everyone was taken aback, it also seemed somewhat inevitable.

In their view, Uchiha Itachi and Su Chong had an unresolvable blood feud.

Uchiha Itachi had massacred the entire Uchiha clan, which naturally included Su Chong's relatives. The two now appeared as if they were determined to fight to the death, which was a natural outcome of enemies meeting.

Kakashi watched the scene intently.

Both Su Chong and Uchiha Itachi were enormous threats to the current Konoha.

Su Chong channeled his energy into physical strength, and a massive force surged from his entire body.

The sudden appearance of this violent force caused a whirlwind to form around him.

Uchiha Itachi, hovering in mid-air, stared intently at Su Chong on the ground.

Seeing Su Chong's strength suddenly increase, his pupils constricted.

Having faced Su Chong twice, he had a thorough understanding of his strength.

The sudden surge in Su Chong's strength, which even affected the surrounding environment, was enough to make him wary.

Su Chong drew his right fist to his side, and all his strength flowed into his right arm.

His fist turned black at a visible speed, and his flesh and blood body instantly became as strong as steel.

Su Chong's eyes were fixed on Uchiha Itachi, and his repeated provocations had finally enraged him.

Originally, he did not want to get involved in these troubles; he just wanted to find a place to practice in peace. He had left the Uchiha clan's affairs to Sasuke, but now that Uchiha Itachi had come to his doorstep, Su Chong would not let him off.

"Great Dragon Fist!"

Su Chong roared.

This time, he unleashed the Great Dragon Fist with all his might, channeling all his strength into this single strike, causing his power to surge dramatically.

The surrounding air seemed to be drawn towards Su Chong, hissing as it converged around him.

Visible white streams of air gathered around Su Chong, enveloping him in a misty aura.

In the blink of an eye, a massive dragon-shaped shadow appeared, coiling around Su Chong and protecting him at its center.

The entire dragon was composed of flowing air currents, the white mist making it appear incredibly real.

Its size was comparable to the Hokage statues.

The immense power it emitted was truly awe-inspiring.

Kakashi's expression changed dramatically.

"Retreat! Retreat to the village immediately!"

He flashed to Haku's side, picked up the unconscious Sasuke, and led the way back.

Haku stood in place, not stopping Kakashi, knowing that Su Chong had no intention of taking Sasuke.

The others did not dare to hesitate and quickly followed Kakashi away from the battlefield.

The massive dragon shadow gradually took shape and stabilized, and the surroundings suddenly fell into a profound silence.

Roar!

A deafening roar suddenly erupted.

The dragon shadow soared into the sky, its roar audible throughout Konoha.

The majestic sight of the flying dragon was clearly visible!

Uchiha Itachi's expression changed drastically.

" Susanoo!"

He shouted, activating his strongest eye technique without hesitation, despite his severely damaged eyes.

A flaming skeleton appeared out of nowhere, instantly protecting him.

The skeleton had just appeared when the dragon arrived.

Boom!

A massive impact resounded. A powerful shockwave emanated from the collision point, rapidly spreading through the air.

A fierce wind swept past, bending the trees in its path.

Kakashi shielded his eyes with his right arm, the strong gale making it impossible to open his eyes. He could only squint and use his peripheral vision to survey the surroundings.

His left hand suddenly shot out, grabbing a ninja who was being blown past.

Kakashi was deeply shaken.

Fortunately, the collision occurred in mid-air, and the shockwave reaching the ground was just an aftereffect.

If the collision had happened on the ground, not a single tree at the center of the battle would have survived!

Moreover, with the village so close, this shockwave would have been enough to destroy the outskirts of Konoha again!

The massive force sent Uchiha Itachi, who had just landed, flying back into the sky.

Noticing the cracked ribs of his Susanoo, Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened.

A mouthful of blood spurted out; he had been injured by Su Chong's Great Dragon Fist!

Whoosh!

A water shark suddenly appeared near him. Uchiha Itachi quickly dismissed his damaged Susanoo and stomped hard on the shark.

Bang!

The shark exploded into a splash of water. Uchiha Itachi shot away, quickly distancing himself from Konoha.

Su Chong was not about to let him go.

"Want to run? Impossible!"

In an instant,

Su Chong's figure vanished, rushing towards Uchiha Itachi in the distance.

When he reappeared, he was already a hundred meters away.

A massive black shadow descended upon him.

Without hesitation, Su Chong punched it.

Roar!

A small dragon-shaped shadow shot out from Su Chong's hand.

Clang!

A loud metallic impact resounded.

Su Chong's figure was momentarily halted by the attack. Looking up, he saw a shark-faced figure using the force of his punch to quickly distance himself.

When he looked at Uchiha Itachi, he saw that he had already become a black dot in the distance.

"Runs so fast!" Su Chong said angrily, abandoning his plan to continue the pursuit.

"Next time I meet you, I will take your life!"

Uchiha Itachi's determination to kill Su Chong had infuriated him.

The mess with Danzō was still unresolved, and now Uchiha Itachi had come to add to the chaos.

Su Chong felt that leaving Konoha was indeed the right decision. If he had stayed, he would have been overwhelmed by these troubles.

"Better to find a place to hide and research my own martial arts! Once I uncover the secrets of energy, I'll show you what I can do!"

Su Chong was determined to strike back hard at anyone who dared to trouble him in the future.

He had been provoked!

...

"What did you say?!" Danzō slammed his cane into the ground, his teeth grinding.

The ninja kneeling on one knee trembled. "The assassination mission on Uchiha Shū failed, and all thirty-two ninjas were wiped out!"

Danzō felt a darkness cloud his vision, nearly fainting.

Over thirty ANBU captains were a significant force.

In the entire ninja world, genin were cannon fodder, chunin were the backbone, and ANBU captains were the elite, the decisive force.

Losing genin and chunin could be remedied with time and effort, but ANBU captains were not so easily replaced.

The loss of over thirty ANBU captains made his heart bleed!