Chapter 259: The True Treasure of [9527]
"Urgent intelligence from the Konoha front!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, turned his head. He had been waiting at this operations base near the border for almost two days. He finally had the news he wanted.
"Konoha was attacked by an unknown force this morning and suffered catastrophic losses. The Konoha leadership, including the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, were all killed in action..."
The Kumo ANBU reporting the intelligence had a tremor in his voice. This event was so massive, even he had trouble believing it was real. He had spent considerable effort to verify it.
After confirming with spies planted in Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, the intelligence agents from all villages had relayed the same information. By cross-referencing them, a more detailed battle report was obtained.
"This morning, a group used a massive number of giant summoning beasts to assault the Konoha barrier. Simultaneously, a group of extremely powerful mysterious individuals infiltrated Konoha and brazenly attacked the Hokage Tower."
"In the ensuing battle, a mysterious person named [Mercenary Tao], in a head-on fight, defeated both Hiashi Hyuga of the Hyuga clan and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and personally killed Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"A youth from the Uchiha clan named Uchiha Itachi assassinated the Konoha Advisors, Shimura Danzo and Koharu Utatane."
"Furthermore, a mysterious ninja calling himself Pain completely destroyed Konoha's back mountain and barrier. At this moment, Konoha... is in the process of rebuilding..."
He reported all the verified intelligence in one breath, then lowered his head and stood to the side.
A was stunned for a moment. Then, with a bang, he smashed his fist through the table.
"War... is about to begin..."
He knew there might be something fishy about this incident, but Konoha being crippled was an indisputable fact. Therefore, this war was unavoidable.
The Five Great Shinobi Villages were the military arms used by the Five Great Nations to maintain a balance of power. If one of them faltered, the other nations would not miss the opportunity.
Moreover, this was the strongest of them—the Land of Fire and Konohagakure—that was in trouble. Not a single other nation would pass up a chance to claim the fertile lands and rich resources of the Land of Fire.
The war could not be stopped for any reason, not unless all the Daimyo and nobles had collectively lost their minds.
Kumogakure (Cloud Village) had already mobilized for war. They immediately began to move. All they needed was for the Daimyo of Lightning to issue a formal declaration, and they would righteously invade the Land of Fire and march directly on Konoha.
Before that, they could even move their primary operations room right to the Land of Fire's border.
The other nations acted similarly. The Land of Fire, now exposed, had instantly become a juicy piece of meat in everyone's eyes.
News of war always came unexpectedly. The Kumo shinobi had been silent when crossing the Land of Rain, but the moment they entered the Land of Fire, they were spotted.
The Konoha sentries watched in horror as the Kumo ninjas entered their territory as if they owned it. Their faces paled.
"Quick! Send an urgent message! War is coming... No, war has already begun!"
He knew the border defense shinobi had probably been wiped out. Thus, these sentries didn't reveal themselves; their only job was to relay the intel...
"A Tailed Beast... can it really be absorbed by a human?"
Orochimaru watched Mercenary Tao, who had just taken a bite of Tailed Beast flesh, chewed it a few times, and spat it out. His curiosity finally won out. From a research standpoint, he decided to inquire.
[You have consumed uncooked Tailed Beast flesh. Food Grade: Medium. Taste Grade: Extremely Low]
[Biotic Enhancement: Gourmet Cells did not level up]
[Milestone: Heretical Gourmet progress updated. Current: 1/50]
The untreated flesh of the Three-Tails, Isobu, was incredibly gamey and tough. It was like chewing on a piece of foul-smelling leather. Both the taste and the texture were extremely difficult to tolerate.
Thus, Kaito Shirogane had only swallowed a small piece before spitting the rest out.
He didn't feel any Chakra energy from it, though he did feel a strong burning sensation in his stomach. However, with the rapid metabolism of his cells, the feeling quickly vanished.
Kaito Shirogane already possessed an extra resistance to toxins. Even without Gourmet Cells, he wouldn't be poisoned by something of this level.
"An ordinary person, naturally, could not."
Kaito Shirogane sat down, watching Hana Hiranaka stewing a chunk of meat carved from Isobu's claw over the campfire, and casually answered Orochimaru's question.
Orochimaru grew thoughtful. The legends told of the Gold and Silver Brothers from Kumo, who had gained Tailed Beast power by eating its flesh. They were also rumored to possess the blood of the [Sage of Six Paths].
At this moment, Orochimaru was leaning heavily toward the theory that this Mercenary Tao was a special individual who also possessed this so-called [Sage Bloodline]. Only that could explain his abnormal strength and behavior.
Kaito Shirogane turned his head, looking at the "corpse" of Shimura Danzo that had been placed behind the campfire. His lips curled in a sneer, and he spoke deliberately.
"Talent... sometimes the gap is just hopeless. Some people are born strong. Others... even if they implant a Sharingan and waste decades of their life... are still just as weak."
Hearing this, Orochimaru also looked thoughtfully at Danzo.
He had been curious why Mercenary Tao had bothered to bring Danzo's body. Now, he realized...
Danzo isn't dead?!
He had personally confirmed the corpse. And given the skill Uchiha Itachi had displayed, it was impossible for him to not even know if he'd killed his target.
The only explanation was that Danzo possessed an extremely advanced feigned-death jutsu.
Kaito Shirogane flicked a finger. A small pulse of force shot through the air. He wasn't yet at the level of "killing with a thrown flower petal," but he could already project force through the air using his immense physical strength.
After flying a few meters, it had the impact of a rubber bullet.
Thwack!
Danzo's head was struck, knocking a few hairs loose.
Danzo's heart rate spiked slightly, but he still refused to open his eyes, holding onto a final, desperate sliver of hope.
"Tch~"
A clear, mocking sneer rang out. Danzo's heart sank. During the battle, he had not anticipated the strength of those others. Both [Renji] and [Rampage] had a terrifyingly suppressive effect on ordinary ninjas.
And then... that boy. The Uchiha... Itachi...
Danzo found it hard to believe that a mere boy could possess such terrifying skill and talent. And unlike Shisui, his attacks were cold and merciless, every blow aimed to kill.
He could, of course, have used the [Izanagi] with the Sharingan hidden under his bandages to rewrite reality. That would have given him a chance to counter-kill. If Uchiha Itachi had been his only enemy, he could have used it to kill him.
But his opponents were scattered and not even allied with each other. This had made Danzo ultimately choose to feign death, hoping to escape.
"Hey, Itachi. See that? That's the Konoha Elder, the advisor, who holds the fate of your Uchiha clan in his hands."
Kaito Shirogane's tone was light as he mocked Danzo. Danzo's approach to combat was far inferior to Sarutobi Hiruzen's. Kaito Shirogane thoroughly looked down on this kind of person.
He had neither the courage for a fight to the death, nor the cunning to endure and plot a comeback.
In the end, he was just a loud-mouthed, ambitious-but-untalented mediocrity.
Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan focused on Shimura Danzo. The man's subtle movements, and the Chakra that had begun to flow again, confirmed it. He had been fooled. The man wasn't dead, even though he had slit his throat.
Itachi's face turned cold. He stood up, preparing to kill Danzo a second time.
"I would advise you not to, Itachi-kun."
A woman's voice appeared abruptly. Catherine was shocked. She had a barrier and her mental senses active, but she hadn't detected this woman's approach at all.
Rampage also leaped to his feet, blocking Catherine.
The abilities of Reincarnators were bizarre, hundreds of times more complex than a fight between ninjas. You could never be sure what ability from what world your opponent was using.
The woman named [Providence] "grew" out of a giant flower.
She was currently emitting a verdant-green Natural Energy, and in Kaito Shirogane's perception, it was quite strong.
Uchiha Itachi looked at the woman with a cold expression. He had seen the true faces of all these people. They were all driven by "profit." His clansmen were, the Third Hokage was, Shimura Danzo was, and this woman... she was too.
Perhaps only madmen like Mercenary Tao and Pain were acting without such self-interest. No, Mercenary Tao was also chasing his "profit"... it was just that his "profit" was battle and chaos.
Kaito Shirogane waved his hand, signaling everyone to relax.
"This woman is here for me."
At that moment, Hana Hiranaka was still oblivious that this woman had brought news of her missing husband. She continued to focus on stewing the beast meat for Kaito Shirogane.
Shimura Danzo knew he could no longer hide. He snorted and sat up.
"You... you really did betray Konoha. I knew it... If only Hiruzen hadn't been so naive and trusting..."
"Hehehe~"
Providence cut Danzo off with a laugh. She was long past being surprised by his rhetoric. This ninja, who justified his every action by placing himself within the grand narrative of "everything is for Konoha," had lost the ability to have a rational conversation.
He couldn't think from anyone else's perspective. A human who had lost the ability for empathy... was fundamentally just a selfish beast.
Providence walked naturally to Hana Hiranaka's side. She held her hand over the stewing meat, and a strong Natural Energy flowed into it, neutralizing the intense Tailed Beast Chakra.
Only then did she continue speaking.
"Mr. Mercenary Tao, I think you'd best keep Danzo's life until two days from now. I'm guessing... it will make your Trial more convenient."
Kaito Shirogane's eyebrow twitched. This woman knew about his Trial Mission. That wasn't something she could have just guessed. There was no information to support it. The only thing she should have been able to deduce was that Hana Hiranaka's survival was related to his mission.
"You... are quite valuable."
Kaito Shirogane stood up and walked toward Providence. Rampage and Catherine instinctively backed away. They could sense that Mercenary Tao had taken an "interest" in this woman, and that was not a good thing.
When a guy like Mercenary Tao took an "interest" in you, it was highly probable that he had just developed the desire to hunt you.
Providence calmly looked at the purple tint in Mercenary Tao's eyes. It was the Satsui no Hado.
She took two steps back, her expression not in the least bit panicked.
"You are a rational man, Mercenary Tao. You know that trying to kill me here won't get you any more profit."
"On the contrary, with my help, you will definitely gain a much greater reward."
[DD99115435 (Providence) has initiated a trade with you.]
[You have obtained the item: Golden Rune x1]
[Golden Rune]
[Quality: Rare]
[Description: A blessing from the Erdtree, symbolizing life and power.]
[Effect 1: Upon use, the Reincarnator will receive a certain amount of Runes.]
[Effect 2: Runes can be converted into Attribute Points by the Nexus or by individuals with specific power.]
Kaito Shirogane looked at the item, and he suddenly recalled the destruction of [9527]. He remembered how the remnants had split up to lure the hunters... and why the [Card] had been entrusted to the weakest of them, [Heartless].
It turned out... the true treasure [9527] had found wasn't the [Card] at all.
They had found something far, far more precious.
"The Golden Order..."
(End of Chapter)
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