stonecrandall Chapter 180 An Excuse Has Been Gone
Chapter 180 An Excuse Has Been Gone
Chapter 180 An Excuse Has Been Gone
After defeating Uchiha Madara, Shiba Kiyokawa's biggest worry was relieved.
Then, when his gaze turned to Minato Namikaze, he was even able to think with ease: How should I deal with this Konoha commander next?
Once upon a time, Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, was a figure whom the entire Land of Rain had to look up to!
I still remember when we first met two years ago, he could only stand like a lackey in front of Minato Namikaze.
He barely managed to protect himself only by kidnapping Nohara Rin and tearing off Hanzo's tiger skin. Even when he was about to escape, he had to call on Nagato to ensure his safe retreat.
But now, times have changed, and it truly is true that fortunes change every thirty years!
Back then, I stood there like a lackey, but now I can decide Minato's life or death with a single thought!
Looking back on the journey so far, it truly feels like walking on thin ice!
Just as Shiba Kiyokawa was sighing and reflecting on his own changes, Namikaze Minato, who was seriously injured and poisoned, never gave up on saving himself.
Minato was unaware that Shiba Kiyokawa's murderous intent towards him was no longer as strong as it had been initially.
As Shiba Kiyokawa himself had previously confessed: his goal was to bleed out the great ninja villages, to let the quagmire of war equally engulf every major power in the surrounding area, so that the Land of Rain could gain the opportunity and space for development.
Konoha cutting off Iwagakure's supply lines is not an option;
Conversely, Iwagakure broke Konoha's backbone and seized control of the northern part of the ninja world, which Shiba Kiyokawa would not allow!
The best outcome for the Akatsuki would be to let these surrounding major ninja villages remain trapped in the spiral of the Fourth Shinobi World War forever!
So when he saw that the Konoha ninja on the mountain road were almost all dead or wounded, Shiba Kiyokawa was no longer so eager to kill Minato.
He began to think about how to balance the strength of the two major ninja villages.
Just then, Madara Uchiha bravely jumped out, which made his eyes light up slightly, feeling that he had found the perfect scapegoat!
However, Minato Namikaze was completely unaware of Shiba Kiyokawa's inner thoughts at this moment.
Minato was unaware that his opponents had already begun planning their post-battle strategy.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze had only one thing on his mind: survival!
His goal of launching the campaign was no longer achievable; all he could think about now was how to get back alive and how to bring more of his comrades back alive.
At that moment, the severed connection to the holy land was restored.
Then, with a "bang," a toad from Mount Myōboku carrying a scroll appeared in front of Minato Namikaze.
"You are... Gamabunta Kosuke?" Minato asked weakly.
Gama Kosuke was a toad responsible for communications at Mount Myōboku. In the original story, he later died at the hands of Danzo.
"Lord Minato, hold on! We've already relayed your message to Lord Jiraiya, and he's promised to arrive soon!"
Mount Myōboku is still a relatively righteous holy land. Although it had unilaterally severed ties with Minato Namikaze because it didn't want its toad to die in vain, it ultimately did not abandon him.
They proactively passed the message to Jiraiya on the southern front, intending for him to come and rescue his apprentice in person.
In this way, they can be considered as contractors who did not abandon their own clan, and they can also give an explanation to Minato Namikaze.
Upon hearing Kosuke Gamabunta's words, Minato Namikaze's hope was rekindled.
But the next moment, a flash of light appeared!
The tiny toad Kosuke instantly split into two pieces!
Clearly, despite being somewhat distracted, Shiba Kiyokawa never lost sight of the battlefield's movements!
Myoboku Mountain, which cherished the lives of its toads and refused to participate in the battle, ultimately could not escape the price and paid with the loss of one of its members.
Minato Namikaze was startled by what he saw and quickly mustered his remaining strength to throw out a kunai!
Before Shiba Kiyokawa could make another move, he had already activated Flying Thunder God and escaped.
This action, however, undoubtedly exacerbated his injuries.
The toxins were almost spreading to his face.
This made Shiba Kiyokawa worry: Could it be that Minato has already killed himself before he even makes a move?
Fortunately, such concerns did not last long.
The bad news is: another uninvited guest has arrived!
"Spiritual communication!"
After using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato Namikaze quickly formed hand seals.
This time, he summoned two high-ranking elders from Mount Myōboku: Fukasaku and Shima.
Then the two old toads joined forces and used their spirit communication technique once again!
The summoning happened twice: once the man summoned the toad, and the second time, the toad summoned the man!
The white smoke from the psychic spell hadn't even dissipated yet—the spell arrived before the person!
The white hair, sharp as steel needles, pierced through the white smoke first, heading straight for Shiba Kiyokawa!
"Ninja Art: Lion's Mane Technique!"
This ninjutsu that makes his hair grow longer is Jiraiya's signature move!
It goes without saying who has descended upon this place at this moment!
In the end, Mount Myōboku brought Minato Namikaze a crucial ally.
Shiba Kiyokawa wielded his katana, continuously cutting the white hair that was wrapping around him.
Unexpectedly, Jiraiya became so ruthless that he was even willing to sacrifice his own hair.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
At this moment, the wildly growing hair directly transformed into combustible material to guide the flames, causing the fire threads spewed from its mouth to burn towards Shiba Kiyokawa in the center from all directions along the network formed by the hair strands!
It's fortunate that Jiraiya hadn't yet experienced a midlife crisis; otherwise, if he dared to treat his hair like that, his hairline would probably be in serious trouble in no time.
After quickly unleashing two ninjutsu techniques upon entering the scene, Jiraiya, believing he had his opponent under control, swiftly picked up Minato Namikaze, fed him an antidote pill he had prepared beforehand, and then quickly jumped back.
Shiba Kiyokawa watched them leave without trying to stop them.
He was just worried about not finding an excuse to release the people, and he was thinking about how to put on a show to fool the people of Iwagakure after the war.
Jiraiya happened to be summoned by the summoning technique, which saved him a lot of trouble.
Now we have an excuse, don't we?
It's perfectly normal that I, a mere seventeen-year-old, couldn't stop Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, from leaving with his men after being ambushed by him without any martial ethics, right?
Now there's no reason to blame him after the battle with Iwagakure!
As for the possibility that Onoki might see through it, so what?
As long as Minato Namikaze returns alive, Konoha will not completely collapse. In the future, Iwagakure, which has supply lines but whose ninja forces have suffered heavy losses, will have to beg Akatsuki to stand together.
At that time, Akatsuki's status within the alliance will only rise accordingly.
Thinking of this, Shiba Kiyokawa couldn't help but smile faintly. With a burst of cold energy, he easily suppressed Jiraiya's fire release.
The claim of being restrained was just a lie; he was merely putting on an act.
But the next moment, a scene in front of him made him frown!
Jiraiya's plan to save Minato Namikaze wasn't the end of it; he even intended to take the remaining Konoha Jonin on the mountain path back with him.
At that moment, Shiba Kiyokawa's expression immediately turned cold.
You're pushing your luck!
(End of this chapter)