Momochi Zabuza stopped while he was running at high speed, and his heavy breathing gradually calmed down.
He looked ahead. At the end of the white mountain road, a dark jungle covered the originally bare valley.
"The place the bird mentioned is right around here."
The fellow travelers following him had their feet on the towering rocks, and when they opened their mouths, they spoke in the usual tone of the stereotypical femme fatale woman——
The speech is slow and the tone is soft, but there is a murderous intention hidden in the stress changes in the enunciation of words.
Under the huge and thin crescent moon, bursts of hoarse wind surged out from the forest, blowing the woman's long blue dress that could be used as an evening dress without affecting the battle, and at the same time gently dancing to the opponent's knees.
of red hair.
"But I remember that there wasn't this pine forest before this one. I can't see the edge at a glance."
Terumi Mei raised her hand to straighten her hair, "To change the geographical environment so easily is indeed the product of the combination of water escape and earth escape..."
"Obviously, I synthesized Melting Release and Boiling Release many years ago, and I can be considered an expert in synthesizing blood successors.
"Only this, I have no clue, but now a little girl has learned it. I really have to admit defeat."
It can be heard that she is full of curiosity about the exclusive blood stains of the Ninja God Senju Hashirama.
"If you are so interested, then find a way to kill her and take her back for study. Maybe your confusion will be solved and you can be considered a credit."
Zabuza snorted angrily, then looked at the beautiful woman diagonally above him and lowered his brows: "Also, why are you covering half of your eyes at night? Will it not affect the observation environment?"
"Isn't there such a saying..." Terumi Mei covered the strand of red hair that covered her eyes with her left hand, stretched out her right index finger and placed it in front of her cupid-like plump lips: "Secrets make women more feminine."
"Don't always use lines from third-rate detective novels. A ninja is a ninja, and it doesn't matter whether he's a man or a woman."
Even though he said that, Zabuza was still aroused by Terumi Mei's secret.
"Speaking of which, no one seems to know what your right eye looks like. Could it be..."
"What's wrong?" Terumi Mei smiled jokingly, seeming to enjoy others guessing her complete face.
"Are you like that guy named Qing, who secretly had a white eye hidden behind your hair?"
Zabuza gave a guess based on a pragmatist's thinking.
[In that case, my wedding date will have to be postponed to the next life.]
Terumi Mei thought about how half of her eyes were white, and forced a smile: "I'm sorry. I swore when I was a child that no one would see my complete face until I get married.
"If you really want to know, introduce some reliable men to me. Of course, forget it, you are a weirdo like you who has no eyebrows, speaks poorly and likes to wrap his face in bandages. Secrets will make women more feminine.
But it doesn’t make a man more masculine.”
"There are so many demands."
Zabuza said nothing more and walked straight towards the black shadow.
"Didn't that bird tell us to wait here?" Terumi Mei reminded: "In order to ensure the safety of the child, I came here to be a guest honestly. Don't act on your own initiative and do unnecessary things for the other party.
Misunderstanding."
Hearing Mei Terumi mention "that child", Zabuza paused, and then retorted angrily: "It's your business to be an honest guest, I didn't come here for that useless tool.
The real purpose of my trip is to deal with that Wood Release ninja for the village."
"One mouthful, one tool, it's such an unpleasant thing to say "waste"..."
Terumi Mei teased: "I don't know who has to travel all night these two days, which makes me unable to even get a beauty sleep. After returning to the village, I have a blind date.
"Alas, it is because of this insincere character that there are so few people in the village who support you.
"I saw how confident Bai was in you before. I thought of you as a competitor. I didn't expect that there were only twenty-two people who chose you to be the Mizukage in the end. Thinking about it makes me laugh a little."
As if being touched on something that hurts him, Zabuza suddenly turned around gloomily: "So what, there are so many people supporting you, but as soon as that brat Gui Deng Man Yue came back, didn't those people also change their minds?
"He is now the one taking charge of the Mizukage. But as soon as that guy came on stage, he accused me of using Shiro to collude with the ninjas of Konoha..."
As he spoke, he pointed to the black outline of the jungle: "The man named Butterfly Ninja is now the most wanted criminal in the village.
"If I can kill her and take her back, not only can I get rid of this suspicion, but I can also gain the trust of that old guy from Master Yuan. Now that the other party has exposed his location, isn't this a God-given opportunity?
"What, you don't want to join me and turn around and slap that kid (Gui Deng Man Yue) in the face?
"Think about it. He made such a big mistake just a few days after becoming acting Mizukage. Maybe that position will go directly to you."
Terumi Mei shook her head, not being persuaded by Zabuza's too obvious fanning: "You take it too much for granted. You have also seen the fate of Genshenichi and his group, let's not say whether we can do it..."
"Yuan Zhen died because they didn't understand the principle of using all your strength when a lion fights a rabbit, and they still divided their forces to fight in the woods. They deserved to die."
Zabuza was very persistent and rudely interrupted Terumi Mei's analysis: "Besides, while he was recharging his strength in the village, I was performing extremely dangerous tasks everywhere. Although that guy and I are both jounin,
The abilities are simply not comparable.
"No matter how strong this brat is, he has just awakened Mudun. How can he still be compared with the guy who slashed out a training ground with one sword?
"It's a miracle that such a character comes out once every 100 years."
"But have you ever thought about..."
Terumi meditated very comprehensively, "If you really do this, how will you face that child in the future?
"According to the letter that bird brought, Bai and the little girl named Butterfly Ninja seem to be very good friends."
"Let's not talk about the authenticity of the letter. In the life of a ninja, friends are just tools for mutual use, just like the relationship between you and me."
Zabuza gritted his teeth, and then said the most sincere words tonight: "In short, if you want to get rid of Shiro's reputation as a traitor, killing the owner of the bird is the only way at the moment! Otherwise, he will always face
The threat of pursuing troops.
"Whether you are willing to help me or not, I have to do it!"
It can be seen that in order for Shiro to return to Kirigakure legitimately, Zabuza has put all risks behind him.
After saying that, he no longer waited for Terumi Mei's response and went into the woods without looking back.
"Oh, you're obviously planning to do everything you can for the other party, yet you're still yelling about it."
Terumi Mei sighed regretfully, jumped down from the rock, and followed her leisurely.
After all, she couldn't really let her partner die.
"Zabuza, you have no self-awareness at all, whether it's your interpersonal relationships or your own strength."
Half an hour later.
Deep in the dense forest, in front of a mountain wall near Orochimaru's base, a white-haired boy with sharp teeth was practicing horizontal sword swings.
"Old witch!"
Gui Deng Shui Yue looked aggrieved and annoyed.
"Smelly woman!"
While wielding the weapon, he maintained a special breathing rhythm.
"Evil tree spirit!"
At the same time, he did not forget to vent his dissatisfaction with the butterfly ninja who taught him water breathing.
"When I am as good as the teacher -"
Originally, Yiyong promised to come back and teach him water calling without any other additional conditions.
"I must take off your hair..."
But as soon as Giyuu left, the Butterfly Ninja immediately changed his attitude and asked him to be responsible for distributing meals and cleaning the base.
Only after completing his daily work can he get an hour to practice water breathing together, and for 3/4 of this time, he was beaten.
"Inch by inch..."
It is conceivable that after a day's work, study, and the use of hydration techniques to recover from injuries, there was even less time left for him to train and consolidate himself.
Now he has been in school for three days, but he is still training the first type of water breathing, water slash, and his progress is very limited!
"Shave them all!"
Perhaps the accumulated dissatisfaction in his heart was too strong. This time he swung the sword with more force and his hands were slippery. Gui Deng Shuiyue actually threw the sword in his hand into the dark woods on the opposite side of the mountain wall.
However, the imaginary crisp sound of the knife hitting the ground was not heard. Instead, there was the familiar sound of the knife handle falling into someone's palm.
"Kimimaro? Shiro?"
Apart from these two people and Ran Wan, who was not very strong, Kiden Suigetsu could not think of anyone else who would come specifically to see him.
[Could it be that I ran away secretly and was discovered by the old witch? 】
But as soon as he took a few steps forward, he saw a tall figure.
The cowardly Gui Deng Shui Yue sensed something was wrong and retreated continuously. The uninvited guest followed suit and was soon exposed to the pale moonlight.
The person carrying a broad-edged sword was carrying a broad-bladed sword on his back. He had no eyebrows but fierce and sharp eyes. The bandage covering the lower half of his face added a bit of fierceness and mystery to him.
"You, you, you're not..." Kito Suigetsu stepped back and pointed at the opponent with his finger, "Aren't you the substitute for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? The one named Zabuza..."
"Ghost lamp, water moon."
Because he had suffered a loss from this brat's brother not long ago, Zabuza looked at Suigetsu, who looked very similar to the former, and narrowed his eyes slightly in disgust, "I didn't expect to meet Mizukage-sama's younger brother here, it was really unexpected.
harvest.”
"Mizukage's younger brother?"
Gui Deng Shui Yue had an expression of "Are you not thinking well?", "Although Ziju Shicang looks about the same age as me, he is actually forty or fifty years old..."
[It seems that Gui Deng Man Yue has never contacted him, and may not even know that he is still alive.]
While Zabuza was thinking about the use value of Kito Suigetsu, he slowly approached with the sword in his hand, "The current Daisui Kage of Kirigakure Village is your brother, Kito Mangetsu."
"Wow."
Gui Deng Shui Yue seemed surprised, but in fact he was not very touched.
He knew that Gouji Shicang was killed by Orochimaru, and Orochimaru was killed by his teacher, and his brother Gui Deng Man Yue was not the opponent of Gouji Shicang.
Therefore, in Suiyue's heart: Brother is less than Shicang, less than Orochimaru, less than teacher. In the eyes of Suiyue, who is now wide-eyed, Mizukage sounds very powerful, but it seems...that's just the way it is?
"Since he is the Mizukage, and you are his subordinate, and I am his brother, I should be considered half of your boss... Could you please return my sword to me first?"
Zabuza was silent for two seconds and threw the knife back.
He understood that this kid had no ability to resist, so this would gain his trust.
Besides, he heard very clearly that the two names "Shiro" and "Kimimaro" had been mentioned by Oni Deng Suigetsu before, and they should be together with the kid who could use wood escape.
"So, what's the matter with you coming here? Are you on some mission?"
Gui Deng Shui Yue stuffed the knife back into its sheath, with a well-behaved expression on his face, but in fact he looked around with vigilance, looking for traces of other people.
He didn't completely believe that Ghost Man Yue had become Mizukage. Maybe these people were here to catch him just like he was when he was a Yunin.
"I was invited here by a man named Butterfly Ninja."
"Oh -" Gui Deng Shui Yue suddenly let go of his guard, "I heard that there will be a guest coming tonight, and it turns out it's you."
"it's me."
Zabuza continued to ask: "Do you know Shiro?"
"See you every day."
"Well, he is mine..." When he wanted to describe the relationship between the two, Zabuza suddenly didn't know which word was more appropriate.
"As a tool, I know." Kiden Suigetsu filled in for Zabuza, stretching out his little finger to pick out his ears, "He keeps saying 'I am Zabuza-sama's tool' all day long, 'I will work for Zabuza.
Everyone knows that you gave everything you have, and your ears are filled with cocoons."
Hearing Haku claiming to be his tool from others, Zabuza felt uncomfortable for some reason.
After briefly adjusting his mood, Zabuza asked again: "Do you know how he is doing here?"
Kiden Suigetsu stared at the gloomy upper half of Zabuza's face for a while, then sighed and said, "How could this be good..."
Zabuza's brows knitted together, and two fierce lights shot out from his already brutal eyes.
"Here, we are squeezed hard by that old witch every day.
"For example, I have to work extremely hard for ten hours every day, and I have to be beaten for an hour after get off work in the evening. If it weren't for the secret technique passed down from my family to help me recover, it would be difficult for me to even stand up now."
It was rare to meet an outsider who didn't know how to snitch on Butterfly Ninja, so Kiden Suigetsu took the opportunity to pour a lot of bitter water on him.
"According to my observation, among those of us who are forced to work, the hardest thing is actually working for nothing.
"The old witch squeezed him the hardest, specifically asking Bai to get up to work when others were sleeping, and she was also the most dangerous kind (referring to taking care of the cursed seal experimental subjects).
"I heard from Ranmaru, who worked the night shift with Shiro, that Shiro was almost stabbed in the heart once by accident..."
Ghost Deng Shui Yue Balabala kept talking. In his description, Bai was the worst of all. He was obviously wronged, but he obeyed the old witch. He was suspected of being a victim of the prisoner plot (Stockholm Syndrome).
.
He didn't lie. Because when Gui Deng Shui Yue brought him into the past, he lived such a life in vain.
After all, who would like to give shit and piss to those monster-like guys? They must be forced to do so!
As he rambled on, Momochi Zabuza's expression became more and more gloomy.
Until he heard something like "I worked all night, and was forced to repair the ship during the day. It seems that I was called to the old witch this evening and scolded her." Zabuza's accumulated anger finally reached its peak.
He pulled out the broad-bladed knife behind him, rubbed Gui Deng Shuiyue's ear, and stabbed it into the stone wall behind the latter.
"Yes!" Gui Deng Shui Yue didn't even open his mouth but let out a shrill scream, "What are you doing?"
Zabuza leaned down, grabbed Kito Suigetsu by the collar and pushed her against the stone wall, and asked in a cold voice: "Who is the old witch you are talking about?"
"Aren't you the one who invited you here?" Gui Deng Shui Yue asked.
"You mean, the wood escape ninja called Butterfly Ninja."
"She can use wood escape, but she is not a ninja." Guiteng Shuiyue corrected and suggested in a low voice: "She hates ninjas. We rarely mention this word in front of her. You'd better say it less."
[But I was right with the guy who escaped. 】
[Shiro is also a ninja, there is no reason to be treated differently by the other party.]
Zabuza thought of the towering tree tower he saw near the rest stop that day, as well as the horrific corpses of the Kirigakure ninjas.
It can make the ninjas in the blood mist feel numb. Could he be a kind-hearted person with a gentle temper?
The more he recalled the letter brought by the bird, the more suspicious Zabuza became.
[How could a person who could commit such cruel acts, with Bai’s character, be her friend? 】
[Either the other party forged Bai's letter, or Bai was forced to write that letter and deliberately lured us here.]
[However, there are still some strange things...]
Zabuza glanced at the katana in Kito Suigetsu's hand: "Since this butterfly ninja has been exploiting you, why don't you run away, and why does she allow you to have weapons?"
【Of course it’s to learn sword skills.】
This was a ready answer. Just when Kiden Suigetsu was about to speak, he remembered that the guy in front of him was a substitute member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and he might be able to draw water breathing ideas.
So he immediately changed his words: "Have you seen that forest? As long as she wants, she can change the layout of the trees here, she can't figure it out. As for the weapons..."
Gui Deng Shui Yue shook the knife in his hand and said indifferently: "In front of Mu Dun, what use can this kind of thing have?"
[So it turns out that this is just relying on the blood inheritance limit to make you feel confident. It seems to be too naive.]
Zabuza thought about it, [But the more arrogant a guy is, the less likely he is to expect an accident... If he kills with one hit from a blind corner, the chance should be great. ]
At this moment, Zabuza returned to the time when he thought he could kill Orochimaru with one sword.
"Do you know the way back?"
"I know." Gui Deng Shuiyue nodded: "The layout of the trees in the inner circle will not change."
Then he tilted his head, still a little suspicious in his eyes.
His relationship with the butterfly ninja was already bad enough, but he didn't want to give the woman any more excuses. If he got into trouble again, he might have to go to the bathroom and clean the toilet.
"However, since the old witch invited you here, she should tell you how to leave."
"I came early, and the crow we agreed to lead the way never showed up, so I went straight inside."
This is the truth. Zabuza arrived two or three hours earlier than the agreed midnight time. This was the reason why he had been on his way.
"Do you know where the butterfly ninja is now?"
"Before I came here, she seemed to be cleaning up the square with those brats. I sneaked out while others were not paying attention."
"Outdoors?" Zabuza felt that he had one more chance of success.
"Hmm. There seems to be some kind of banquet tonight." Gui Deng Shui Yue said with disdain, "I'm too lazy to participate in this kind of team building and brainwashing activity."
【Brainwashing activity?】
Zabuza's hostility towards the Butterfly Ninja has become even higher.
"Where you are, is there a high place where you can overlook the whole situation?"
Zabuza was already choosing a hiding place for the assassination operation.
"There is a hillside outside the base with an apple tree planted on it. It is the highest place nearby."
"Then take me to that hillside."
Zabuza said: "Avoid the eyes and ears of others and try to choose a path less traveled by."
"Are you afraid of being seen by people you know and causing the village to misunderstand your relationship with this place? It's not necessary. The people here have almost no connection with Kirigakure..."
"I can't take risks." Zabuza explained with a sullen face, "The new Mizukage needs to establish his authority when he takes office, and he will do whatever it takes to seize the leverage of others..."
"Sounds like something he would do."
Gui Deng Shui Yue no longer had any doubts.
"That's good. I don't want those little brats to stop me on the road and force me to attend the banquet."
But then, Gui Deng Shui Yue's voice changed: "However, I will lead you on behalf of the bird, so you have to do something to repay me, right?"
[Isn’t rescuing you from this dragon’s den considered a reward? 】
Zabuza stared at him expressionlessly.
"Since you are Loquat Juuzang's substitute, your sword skills should be justified."
Gui Deng Shui Yue looked eager to try: "When you are not so busy, how about we compete in sword skills?"
"..."
Thinking of the accusations that Kito Mangetsu had made against him, Zabuza looked at the little brat in front of him who didn't know how high the sky was and nodded.
【Am I the only one who thinks this kid needs repairing?】
[With such a bad character, even if he is caught and used to threaten Ghost Lantern Full Moon, what effect will it have?]
"Then let's go."
So, Kito Suigetsu, whose mind was full of water, led the Kirigakure ghost who planned to assassinate Butterfly Ninja to bypass the correct entrance directly to the square, along the winding mountain road, towards Giyuu, Butterfly Ninja and Anzu a few days ago.
Shouro discusses future plans together on the hillside.
As the slope gradually eased, the bare base in the valley came into view. Although he could not see clearly, he could generally see that many adults and children were preparing for the upcoming banquet, setting up tables, and preparing
The food preparation was very noisy and lively.
To be honest, this was originally a joyful scene.
However, for a person holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Zabuza, who had already concluded that the Butterfly Ninja was not a kind person, wishfully interpreted the noise below to mean that the crowd was boiling over due to dissatisfaction.
At this moment, Zabuza made a move.
He saw Bai!
Bai sat alone on a tree stump, his palms facing each other on his abdomen, his fingers slightly bent, as if he was holding an invisible ball.
You know, of course I understand that Shiro is trying the little psychological experiment that the butterfly ninja said, trying to find out what he really thinks.
But in the eyes of the uninformed, this action looks strange, like a person who has suffered great mental torture and is playing with some invisible toy.
Immediately afterwards, Zabuza noticed that the distance between Shiro's hands was getting smaller and smaller, and the latter seemed to have seen something unacceptable. He suddenly covered his mouth, and his whole person became visibly nervous and tense.
Confused.
【How did it become like this?】
Zabuza regretted his decision to send Haku out of the village before the election.
He knew that it would be useless to contact Shiro, who was mentally ill, so he had no choice but to turn around and urge Gui Deng and Shui Yue to continue leading the way.
When he was still twenty meters away from the top of the mountain, Zabuza suddenly grabbed Suigetsu and hid behind a huge rock.
Because there was a person on the top of the mountain, who seemed to be sitting in front of a low table, concentrating on something.
Although from the back he looked like a child with a wild hairstyle, Zabuza could smell a very distinct smell of... gunpowder.
"Who is that?"
Zabuza lowered the body of Suigetsu, who was confused, "Are you forced to work here like you and Shiro?"
"Ah, that guy..."
Thinking of Qi Yuyong's comment that "Anjuro is much stronger than me", Kiden Suigetsu commented a little unconvincingly: "Apart from the old witch, he is probably the strongest person here, but I have not seen him with my own eyes.
Doing it, I always feel that there is some water in this statement..."
"Is he an accomplice of the Mudun kid? Or a little boss or something like that?"
Since he is considered an enemy and poses a certain degree of danger, Zabuza has no intention of holding back. What's more, the opponent still occupies a key position overlooking the surroundings and must be eliminated.
So, in Kiden Suigetsu's eyes, "Is there something wrong with your brain?", Zabuza silently drew out the broad-edged sword from behind, leaned down to the ground, and stepped towards him like a running black panther.
Infernal Anjuro, who was making fireworks, rushed over.