novelhk Chapter 138 Yagura Arrives, More Money Required!
Chapter 138 Yagura Arrives, More Money Required!
Chapter 138 Yagura Arrives, More Money Required!
He took out a scroll from his pocket, unrolled it, and showed Orochimaru the dense text and illustrations on it.
"The core technology of the Chakra Armor, along with these industrial system design blueprints, are enough for you to build your own research institute."
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes flashed with interest. He took the scroll and quickly glanced at it.
His gaze lingered on the complex diagrams for a moment, and the smile on his lips widened even further.
"make a deal!"
The two handed their scrolls to each other at the same time. Izumikawa put Orochimaru's scroll into his pocket, while Orochimaru tucked Izumikawa's scroll into his sleeve.
Their assistants behind them didn't interfere, but simply watched everything quietly.
The transaction was swift and efficient, without any unnecessary chatter, probing, or delays.
"The Land of Water has been rather turbulent lately." Orochimaru suddenly changed the subject, his tone tinged with a hint of probing. "The Hidden Mist Village has begun a large-scale search of this area. How long do you plan to stay here?"
"I'll leave once I've finished my business." Izumi didn't elaborate, and Orochimaru didn't press for details.
The two remained silent for a moment. Outside the cave, the mist churned, and the sound of waves could be faintly heard, accompanied by the mournful and lingering cry of an unknown seabird.
"I hope we'll have the chance to cooperate again next time we meet." Orochimaru turned around and walked towards the cave entrance, saying quietly, "However, next time you'd better choose a less dangerous place."
The two figures were quickly swallowed up by the mist at the cave entrance, and their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Yekura walked to Izumi's side, gazed in the direction of the cave entrance, remained silent for a moment, and then softly asked, "Can he be trusted?"
"I don't trust him." Izumi shook his head, his tone calm and firm. "But in a transaction, trust is never necessary. As long as each party gets what they need, that's enough."
But the next moment, Orochimaru and Kabuto returned, and Izumikawa and Pakura looked up at them with a hint of doubt.
Soon, he sensed that ninjas were constantly entering his perception range.
There is a very powerful chakra within it. If nothing unexpected happens, it is probably the current Fourth Mizukage, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki—Yagura Karatachi!
Immediately, Izumikawa revealed a playful expression as he looked at Orochimaru, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant.
"It seems our friend hasn't quite cleaned up some loose ends!"
Orochimaru remained silent.
"What's wrong?" Izumi's tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "Even Lord Orochimaru gets surrounded?"
Orochimaru snorted coldly and didn't reply. He raised his hand and pointed outside the cave entrance.
"The Fourth Mizukage has arrived in person, leading at least two squads of Anbu, and has already surrounded the island."
He hadn't expected the reaction from Kirigakure to be so strong, with the Fourth Mizukage leading a large number of Anbu members.
The veins around Izumi's right eye bulged—the Byakugan had been activated.
His gaze pierced through the rock walls and mist, taking in the entire scene outside.
A dozen or so members of the secret service spread out in a fan shape, blocking every exit of the island.
Among them, a short but imposing figure stood on the highest rock, holding a short stick, his eyes like knives, staring at the direction of the cave entrance.
"Yagura Karatachi —" Izumi murmured the name, a hint of amusement in his voice, "The Three-Tails Jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage."
"It seems you've made quite a commotion, enough to alert this person."
"Likewise." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and deep. "Your name is on his list too. Survivor of the Kaguya clan, the rogue ninja who stole the Byakugan. Either crime is enough for him to take action personally."
The two exchanged a glance, and a subtle understanding filled the air.
It's not the tacit understanding between allies, but the unspoken cooperation of hunters when facing a common prey.
"What do we do?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping between Izumigawa and Orochimaru. "Should we force our way in, or—"
"Force your way in?" Orochimaru's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Why force your way in? The Fourth Mizukage has delivered himself to our doorstep. It would be such a waste to miss such a good opportunity."
Izumikawa glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You intend to harm the Mizukage?"
"It's not me, it's us." Orochimaru turned around to face Izumi, his snake-like eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
"The opponent is a Jinchūriki. With our current manpower, we have enough to try and take him down."
Izumikawa did not answer immediately. In his Byakugan, the positions, movements, and chakra flow of the Anbu were clearly visible.
The Fourth Mizukage stood at the forefront, his chakra thick and violent, the power of the Three-Tails surging within him like a sleeping beast that could awaken at any moment.
"But—why should I agree?" Izumikawa looked at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru frowned. The other party was so calm, obviously he had a backup plan and was not afraid of his encirclement at all.
Although he has a backup plan, it will likely result in some damage, making it a losing proposition.
"Aren't you collecting tailed beast chakra? If you defeat him, the Three-Tails' chakra will be yours for the taking."
"not enough!"
Izumi interrupted his seduction and directly demanded the money.
"You need to pay more!"
"This amount of capital is not enough for me to face such a risk."
Orochimaru, seeing that Izumi wouldn't act without seeing the benefit, immediately smiled and slightly moistened his lips with his tongue, which resembled a snake's forked tongue.
"Yes, I like you very much. Only someone like you is qualified to follow in my footsteps toward immortality."
This selfishness is pure and genuine; Orochimaru appreciates it.
What do you want?
"A sealed place —"
Izumi tossed over the scroll he had prepared beforehand. Orochimaru quickly opened it and glanced at it, revealing a hint of surprise.
How did he know about this coded message from the Warring States period?
Oh right, the Bamboo Clan was the one who was driven out of the Fire Continent during the Warring States period, so it's not surprising that there are records from that time.
"no problem!"
For Orochimaru, finding something sealed away by the Sarutobi clan in the Konoha archives was not a difficult task.
"So, how do we fight?"
Orochimaru's implication was clear: the Anbu were not a problem for either side.
The problem lies in who will deal with the Fourth Mizukage; he is the only one who will be difficult to deal with.
Izumi smiled and walked directly towards the cave entrance. "Leave the Mizukage to me, you guys handle the rest."
"Once you're done, come help quickly, okay?"
"Great!" Orochimaru's smile deepened, and he turned to Kabuto. "Kabuto, you're in charge of providing support."
"Yes." Kabuto pushed up his glasses, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
Yekura didn't say anything, but silently followed Izumi's footsteps.
In her palm, the chakra of the Scorching Release had begun to condense, and the orange-red light flickered in and out of the dim cave.
Outside the cave, the fog billowed.
-
Yagura, a man named Kajiki, stood on the reef, his short stick pointing towards the cave entrance, his eyes blazing.
Behind him, more than a dozen secret agents were already in position, completely surrounding the island.
"Come out, I know you're inside." Yagura's voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly heard in the cave thanks to the chakra.
At the cave entrance, the mist was parted by an invisible force, and four figures slowly emerged.
Leading the way was Izumi Kawa, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if he had come not to fight, but to keep a date.
Orochimaru followed behind him, his pace neither hurried nor slow, his snake eyes flashing with a cold light.
Yekura and Kabuto walked on either side, each guarding their own direction.
"The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi." Izumikawa stopped and stood about twenty meters away from Yagura, his tone calm. "I've long admired your name."
Yagura snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the four people. It was indeed Orochimaru, and the other two—
His gaze fell on Izumi, who was wearing sunglasses. Although the other person had grown up, he still recognized him from Izumi and the person next to him, Yekura.
It was none other than Taketori Izumi, that traitorous Kirigakure!
He then directly questioned, "Were you the ones who were constantly killing Kirigakure ninja in the Land of Water all this time?"
"You'll have to ask him about the murder." Izumi turned his head and glanced at Orochimaru, his tone laced with sarcasm. "I'm not taking the blame for this."
Orochimaru snorted coldly, but did not refute, though a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
The number of Mist Ninja he dealt with wasn't that many; it shouldn't have been enough to alarm the Fourth Mizukage.
"No matter who did it, none of you are leaving here today."
Yagura raised his short stick and pointed it at Izumi: "Taketori Izumi, you betrayed Kirigakure, stole the Byakugan, and colluded with Konoha's rogue ninja. Your crimes are unforgivable."
"And then there's Orochimaru, a Konoha ninja who infiltrated Kirigakure and caused trouble."
"Today, as the Fourth Mizukage, I will personally defeat you."
Before he finished speaking, the secret agents behind him moved simultaneously.
The light of kunai, shuriken, and ninjutsu flashed in the mist, overwhelming the four of them.
"Scatter!" Orochimaru shouted, his body slithering to one side like a snake, several venomous snakes emerging from his sleeves and lunging at the nearest ANBU.
[Following closely behind, the scalpel in his hand flashed several times in the mist, precisely severing the kunai-throwing line of an ANBU member.]
Yekura didn't move, but simply raised her hands, and a fireball of Scorching Release condensed in her palms, which she then threw towards the most densely populated area of the Anbu.
The fireball exploded, and orange-red light burst forth in the mist, forcing several members of the Dark Guard to retreat.
Izumikawa didn't move either. He stood there, hands in his pockets, as the light pierced through the chaotic battlefield and landed on Yagura.
His right eye, the Byakugan, was already activated, allowing him to see Yagura's every subtle movement clearly.
"Your opponent is me." Izumi's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Yagura's ears.
Without a word, Yagura flashed and instantly appeared in front of Izumikawa.
The short stick whistled through the air as it slammed down toward Izumi's head.
Izumikawa dodged to the side, the short stick grazing his ear before smashing into the rock behind him, shattering the two-person-high rock into pieces.
Pebbles flew everywhere, and dust filled the air, but Izumi's figure disappeared into the dust.
Yagura's pupils contracted, and he whirled around. Izumikawa had appeared behind him without him noticing, his right fist glowing with a faint red chakra light, slamming towards Yagura's back.
[Strange Power]!
Yagura reacted extremely quickly, holding his short stick behind him to block the punch.
The fists and sticks collided with a dull thud, and Yagura was knocked back several steps, leaving two deep footprints on the rocks beneath his feet.
"What strength." Yagura steadied himself, his gaze becoming even more serious.
The heavy force he had just exerted was causing his arm to tremble slightly.
Izumikawa cracked his fist, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You're not bad either, as expected of the Three-Tails Jinchuriki."
"What exactly do you want?" Yagura gripped the short stick tightly, his eyes fixed on Izumigawa.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask for your cooperation." Izumi took off his sunglasses and put them away, intending to test the power of his Sharingan.
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