manynovel Chapter 182 Konoha's Reaper
Chapter 182 Konoha's Reaper
The smoke of battle is gradually dissipating on the battlefield of the Land of Grass.
With Onoki's unwilling roar and the massive barrier created by Earth Release: Earthquake Core, the main force of Iwagakure retreated in disarray to the border of the Land of Earth.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Cloud Village troops had long since lost the will to continue fighting.
"Lord Ai... Iwagakure has retreated."
Killer Bee helped the heavily injured A, whose sunglasses were half shattered and whose body was covered in wounds left by the Rasengan.
Ai clutched his broken ribs, his wild eyes fixed on the golden figure on the Konoha battlefield.
"Damn Iwagakure! Damn Konoha!"
Ai gritted his teeth, but reason told him that Yunyin no longer had the resources to turn the tide.
He and Bitu were seriously injured, and the main force also suffered heavy losses under the firepower suppression of the electromagnetic gun.
If they continue to fight head-on, they will only lose all of Cloud Village's elite troops here.
"retreat!"
Ai let out a low growl of resentment and turned to give the order.
"Minato Namikaze...we'll settle this score another time!"
The Cloud Village's forces vanished into the night like the receding tide, leaving behind only a scene of devastation and lingering lightning.
……
"We held on again!"
A deafening cheer erupted from the Konoha battlefield.
Although it was only a temporary setback, for these ninjas who had gone through a bloody battle, it was the greatest victory.
Minato leaned wearily against the rock, a relieved smile on his face.
He glanced at his three disciples beside him. Although they had all suffered minor injuries, their eyes were still bright, and none of them had fallen behind.
"Everyone is alright, that's great."
Nishikawa Tetsu slowly descended from the sky.
"Thanks to you for holding off those two Cloud Village ninjas, otherwise our position would have been breached long ago."
"Same to you."
Minato pointed to the deep craters in the distance, blasted out by heavy electromagnetic cannons.
"If it weren't for your firepower support, we wouldn't have been able to hold out until the end."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
……
It was late at night, in the command post tent.
Jiraiya held an urgent battle report that had just arrived from Konoha in his hand. His expression was complicated, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.
"Teacher, how's it going in the village?" Minato asked.
"Great news! Fantastic news!"
Jiraiya spread the battle report out on the table and pointed to the dense text on it.
"On the battlefield in the Land of Wind, Sakumo and Tsunade achieved a great victory. They not only crippled the main force of Sunagakure, but also captured a big fish—Sasori."
"scorpion?"
Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes narrowed.
"That's right, he's said to be Chiyo's grandson," Jiraiya exclaimed. "He confessed to killing the Third Kazekage and even turning him into a puppet. Now we have both witnesses and physical evidence."
"So, the war in the Land of Wind should be under control?" Minato breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's basically over." Jiraiya nodded. "Sunagakure is still locked in a fierce battle with Iwagakure, and I estimate they'll request an alliance with Konoha later on."
"but……"
Jiraiya abruptly changed the subject, looking towards the direction of the Land of Rice Fields.
"Fugaku is making quite a name for himself in the Land of Rice Fields. It's said that he single-handedly used Susanoo to fight off the Eight-Tails and even suppressed it. Now the whole ninja world is saying that Konoha has produced another 'Uchiha Shura'."
"Although Orochimaru and Fugaku joined forces to force the Third Raikage to retreat, the main force of Kumogakure was relatively intact, and the casualties were not significant. That Raikage has a fiery temper; he'll probably go back and reorganize, and soon he'll be back with a vengeance."
"It seems the pressure in the Land of Fields is still quite high." Nishikawa Tetsu stroked his chin.
"Besides these, there are the two of you."
Jiraiya watched Minato and Nishikawa Tetsu with a smile.
"Minato, your nickname 'Yellow Flash' is really well-known now."
Minato scratched his head somewhat sheepishly: "That's way too much..."
"That's not an exaggeration at all."
Jiraiya then looked at Nishikawa Tetsu, his expression becoming somewhat strange.
"As for you... Che, your name is a bit intimidating."
"What?"
"Konoha's Grim Reaper".
Jiraiya pointed to the description of the electromagnetic railgun's results in the battle report.
"No hand seals needed, no sound required, yet you can turn people into sieves from several kilometers away. The Iwa ninja all say you're a grim reaper who controls lightning; a flash of blue light means death."
"grim Reaper?"
Nishikawa Tetsuya paused for a moment, then shrugged.
"In that case, we have far too many Grim Reapers in Konoha."
"alright."
Jiraiya stopped smiling and pulled a red envelope from under the battle report.
"This is the final ultimatum from Iwagakure's Ōnoki to Konoha."
"An ultimatum?"
"Hmm." Jiraiya said in a deep voice, "Onoki demands that we return the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi, otherwise... even if he gathers the entire power of Iwagakure, he will fight us to the death."
The atmosphere inside the tent froze instantly.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki is currently sealed within Konoha's barrier. This is Konoha's biggest bargaining chip, but also its biggest hot potato.
"We can't give it to them," Minato said firmly. "If we do, we'll lose our bargaining power."
"But if we don't give it to them, and Iwagakure really fights desperately, we can't handle it."
Nishikawa Tetsu analyzed, "Although we won these two battles and suffered relatively few casualties, we consumed a lot of resources. If we were to fight another full-scale war, Konoha's foundation would be completely depleted."
"Therefore, this is where the art of negotiation comes in."
Jiraiya looked at Nishikawa Tetsu, his disciple was also a master negotiator.
"Che, this matter still depends on you. How do we use this Jinchūriki to squeeze the most out of Iwagakure while forcing them to stop the war?"
"Don't worry, teacher."
Nishikawa Tetsu nodded.
"Since Onoki wants people, let's have a proper talk with him about the 'ransom' issue."
……
After finishing their business, Jiraiya glanced at Might Guy, who was sitting in the corner and had remained silent.
"Kai".
Jiraiya's voice softened a bit.
"News about your father..."
Kai suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with tension and anticipation.
"He was ambushed by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in the eastern forest."
Jiraiya paused, noticing Guy's instantly pale face, and quickly added:
"But he survived! The news from the village is that he activated a taijutsu technique called the Eight Gates, but thanks to timely emergency treatment, he is now receiving the best care at Konoha Hospital. The old man sent Tsunade back; with her there, his life is definitely not in danger."
"R-Really?!"
Kai burst into tears of joy, his face instantly covered in tears and snot.
"My dad is a hero! He's the best!"
"Yes, he is a hero."
Nishikawa Tetsu took the lead and walked over.
"A supply team is heading back to the village, so why don't you go back with them? Go take care of your father, and while you're at it, give us a message that you're safe and sound."
It was mainly written by Minato to Kushina. As for himself, it was just to let Mizuki, Kana, and Shizune know that he was safe and sound. He wrote about some interesting things that happened in the team. It is said that Kana and Shizune were so worried when they heard that Kakashi had gone to the battlefield that they couldn't even eat.
"But Captain..."
"That's an order."
Nishikawa Tetsu smiled and patted Kai on the shoulder.
"The battle here is over for now, you should go back and rest. When we return, we hope to see a lively and energetic Might Guy."
"Yes, Captain!"
Kai forcefully wiped away his tears, bowed deeply to everyone, and then turned and rushed out of the tent.
Watching Kai's departing figure, Nishikawa Tetsu and Minato exchanged a glance.
Although war is cruel, there are always some warm things that are worth protecting.
"Alright, next..."
Nishikawa Tetsu looked at the map on the table.
"It's time to go and settle accounts with that old man, Onoki."