Chapter 77

In the Land of Waves,

In a rather spacious room, the Tsuchigumo clan members sat in groups of three or five. Each person wore a worried expression and whispered to one another.

Dontoboe frowned and leaned close to Yakinokoshi, "Sir, what should we do?"

At this moment, Bato's face was ashen. Upon hearing Dontoboe's question, he couldn't help but perk up his ears and raise his head.

He was the guardian of the forbidden jutsu. In the past, he didn't feel it, but this time, the enemy's attack had taken him down with a single move. This was a tremendous blow to him.

Turning his head, he looked at his son, Shiranami, who was surrounded by several young Tsuchigumo clan members, clearly taking the lead.

Seeing his son's outstanding performance, even in such an environment, he still managed to gain the support of his peers.

Bato felt both comforted and proud, yet also guilty.

His son had ultimately instigated a rebellion within the Tsuchigumo clan, though it was unsuccessful.

Now they were all captured, and the fate of the entire clan was at stake. He couldn't help but feel tense, focusing his mind as he waited for his teacher's decision.

Yakinokoshi looked even more aged, tightly hugging his granddaughter, Hotaru.

After glancing at the expressions of the two people beside him, Yakinokoshi sighed deeply.

"Let's see what happens. If we can delay, we will delay. Hopefully, Konoha will honor the alliance and send enough forces." Yakinokoshi paused here.

But both Dontoboe and Bato could sense Yakinokoshi's hesitation.

If they could delay, they would delay. If not, they would have to hand over the forbidden jutsu.

Yakinokoshi felt very helpless. Because of a single forbidden jutsu, his clan had dwindled. Even his own children had died due to this jutsu.

Generation after generation, how could there not be resentment?

This time, although they were all captured, they were not mistreated.

Apart from not being allowed to leave the large house they were in, everything else was unrestricted.

This showed that the other party did not want to use force but hoped to make a deal.

Although the deal was very unfavorable to them under these circumstances, the situation was beyond their control, and Yakinokoshi had no choice.

He glanced at the young people led by Shiranami not far away and sighed in his heart. Perhaps it was really time for a change.

At this moment, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open, and two people walked in.

One was masked in black, carrying a broadsword on his back. The other was dressed in white, a rather handsome young man.

They were Zabuza and Haku.

The two walked straight to Yakinokoshi.

After standing still, Zabuza coldly scanned the crowd and remained silent.

Haku, used to Zabuza's behavior, smiled warmly at the crowd, who were as silent as cicadas in winter.

Seeing the little girl huddled in the old man's arms, Haku's smile became even warmer.

"Little girl, don't be afraid. I just came to talk to your grandfather." Haku tried to make his tone as gentle as possible.

The little girl, Hotaru, secretly glanced at Haku and then hid her head back in Yakinokoshi's arms.

Yakinokoshi snorted.

"Don't be hypocritical. Just say what you want to do."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed, and a killing aura burst forth. He coldly stared at Yakinokoshi.

Everyone present felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, shivering and unable to speak.

Haku gave Zabuza a dissatisfied look.

Zabuza impatiently retracted his killing aura.

"I've said it before, if we throw them into the interrogation room, we can get anything we want. But you insist on making things so complicated."

Haku rolled his eyes. "Lord Aki just wants the item. How we get it is our business. But if there's a better way, why make things so difficult? If we fail, we'll be the ones to suffer."

Thinking of the brutal torture, Zabuza fell silent.

These people, who guarded their ancestral items, might be stubborn. If the interrogation methods were too harsh, they might die without yielding, and the ones who would suffer would be themselves.

As for whether that devil would understand their difficulties, Zabuza never believed he had any mercy.

Haku no longer paid attention to Zabuza and smiled warmly. "Our lord hopes to obtain the Tsuchigumo clan's ancestral forbidden jutsu. Ownership will still be yours; he just wants to borrow it. In return, you can join our organization or live in seclusion in a place we arrange. We will ensure your safety. If your clan members do not want to live in seclusion, we will provide training to make them qualified ninja."

Yakinokoshi didn't speak, his expression complex.

How familiar these conditions were.

Years ago, the Tsuchigumo clan had signed a similar alliance with Konoha. They chose to live in seclusion, and the result was obvious: they became prisoners again.

Haku patiently waited for the other party to think, looking lovingly at the little girl who occasionally glanced at him.

"Is this your granddaughter? If you agree to the terms, I can personally ensure that your granddaughter joins the Sealing Division, which I will directly oversee. The Sealing Division is directly under Lord Aki and does not engage in combat, so the risk is very low."

Hearing this, Yakinokoshi looked down at his granddaughter, hesitating. Then he looked at his clan members, seeing their anxious eyes. Yakinokoshi gradually made up his mind.

"Our Tsuchigumo clan once signed an agreement with the Third Hokage of Konoha, promising not to leak the forbidden jutsu outside of Konoha. How can you guarantee our safety?"

Zabuza, who had been cold-faced, sneered. He found the situation particularly ironic. The Uchiha, who founded Konoha, were now digging into Konoha's foundations?

"The person who wants your clan's item is an Uchiha!"

After saying this, Zabuza fell silent, observing the other party's reaction with interest.

Yakinokoshi's face changed. "Uchiha?! Weren't they wiped out?"

"That's old news. Didn't you know some survived? Besides, the Third Hokage you signed the contract with was already killed by Orochimaru." Zabuza said with a mocking tone.

The Hidden Mist Village was known for its cruelty and coldness, which was understandable. But Konoha, which always boasted of peace, was full of filth and constant internal strife. Zabuza found it ironic and amusing.

Haku glared at Zabuza, stopping his disruptive behavior.

"Lord Aki is one of the survivors. He has left Konoha and established our organization. The other survivor, Sasuke, has also left Konoha and is currently training under Orochimaru."

Yakinokoshi was thrown into confusion by the series of information. It took him a while to calm down. The Tsuchigumo clan lived in seclusion in the mountains, and their information was severely outdated. They had no idea about the major changes in the ninja world.

"The Third Hokage is dead?!" He muttered to himself, still finding it hard to accept.

The Third Hokage, who dominated an era with his wisdom and strength, was killed by his own student?!

His eyes inadvertently fell on the eager Shiranami. He suddenly realized that a new era had arrived, an era for the young. Looking down at his granddaughter with affection, Yakinokoshi gradually fell silent.

All eyes in the room were on Yakinokoshi, waiting for his decision.

Just as Zabuza was about to lose patience and throw them all into the interrogation room, Yakinokoshi lifted his head.

"I agree to the terms. Our Tsuchigumo clan will join your organization!"

Haku's face lit up.

"Your decision is very wise."

...

"This should be the place." Jiraiya surveyed the village below.

Carefully examining the footprints, he was very sure that someone had stood where he was.

"Perverted Hermit, why are we here? Aren't we supposed to be training?" Naruto said impatiently.

They had left Konoha, stopping and moving along the way. Naruto had started training under Jiraiya's guidance.

But today, Jiraiya had changed his usual routine and brought him directly to this hidden small village.

"People from the Tsuchigumo clan live here. They are our allies in Konoha. A few days ago, they suddenly sent a distress signal to the village, and then there was no further news. Yesterday, I received a message from Tsunade, asking me to check what happened on my way."

Naruto didn't press further upon hearing this. Over time, he was no longer the impulsive and ignorant young boy he once was.

"Have you found anything?"

"Nothing yet. Let's go into the village and see."

"There seem to be many people in the village, and it doesn't look like they were attacked." Naruto saw the people in the village from a distance.

Jiraiya's expression became serious.

The more normal it seemed, the more complicated it was.

"What?! You mean the whole village was suddenly enveloped in a thick fog, and then you all fell unconscious. When you woke up, over ten people were missing from the village?" Naruto's face was full of surprise as he stared at the villager in front of him.

After asking several people and getting the same answer, Jiraiya stroked his chin, thinking carefully.

"Thick fog? Could it be the Hidden Mist Village?"

"Probably the Hidden Mist Jutsu?" Naruto asked tentatively.

Jiraiya looked at Naruto in surprise. His jutsu-ignorant disciple actually recognized this jutsu.

"I've seen this jutsu before." Naruto then told him about his first mission outside the village.

"Uchiha Aki?" Jiraiya thought of Uchiha Itachi, whom he had met recently. The genius of the Uchiha clan left him both amazed and regretful. Why did these people betray Konoha?

"Let's follow the trail and see." Jiraiya had no choice but to track and investigate.

However, as time passed, Jiraiya's expression became increasingly strange, and Naruto's face also turned grim.

This sudden rescue mission seemed to be connected to him in some unclear way.

All the clues pointed to the Land of Waves, the country he had always remembered.

...

Su Zhong looked at the scroll in front of him with joy. This was the forbidden jutsu of the Tsuchigumo clan.

He didn't place much importance on its power. In battle, every second counted, and a jutsu that required a long time to prepare, though powerful, was not very useful.

As long as the source was destroyed before it was activated, no matter how powerful it was, it would be useless. No wonder the Tsuchigumo clan had declined.

However, what made Su Zhong happy was that this forbidden jutsu could largely be considered a sealing jutsu. He could absorb and improve it!

Moreover, the unexpectedly obtained word manipulation jutsu also delighted Su Zhong. This was a variant of the sealing jutsu.

Su Zhong seemed to see the direction of development for his Su family's sealing jutsu.

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