Chapter 141: The Leaf's Deadly Chemist

"Lian Ye, can you explain why Hashirama had to Fake Death?" Xuanwo Mizuto asked eagerly.

Even now, she still doesn't understand why Hashirama had to Fake Death and leave.

What kind of thing could make him make such a decision?

If it weren't for the Nine-Tails' reminder, she probably would never learn the truth in this lifetime.

Lian Ye fell silent for a moment and explained, "Back then Hashirama was gravely ill; I didn't want him to die that way, so I lied to him that Madara Uchiha hadn't died..."

He recounted that night's events, half true and half false.

Hearing this, Xuanwo Mizuto wore a look of disbelief.

"You're saying... you not only lied to us, but also to Hashirama?!"

"Uh, you could put it that way." Lian Ye awkwardly scratched his head.

Even though the news of Madara Uchiha's Fake Death is unverifiable, it's still better not to mention it.

The more you talk about certain things, the more problems arise.

"I just didn't want to see Hashirama leave like that, so I told a lie." Lian Ye spread his hands, "And the situation turned out like this."

Who could expect such a Fake Death Escape act from an ordinary person?

One can only say it's truly worthy of the Chakra Reincarnation of Indra and Asura.

The two brothers' deeds are very similar...

Xuanwo Mizuto remained silent, seeming to digest the words.

After a moment of silence, she said slowly, "Do you know Hashirama's exact whereabouts?"

"I don't know." Lian Ye shook his head, "I haven't seen Hashirama since that night."

That wasn't a lie.

He originally intended to contact via a Spirit Beast, but before he could speak, Senju Hashirama vanished.

Now Hashirama is in a state of lost contact.

Nobody knows in which nook or cranny he died.

Then, if even Impure Earth Reincarnation can't be used, that would be interesting.

However, given Qianshou Feijian's nature, he probably already collected Hashirama's cells.

The Impure Earth Reincarnation can still be summoned...

Upon learning that Hashirama hadn't died, Xuanwo Mizuto relaxed completely.

As long as Hashirama hasn't died, he'll eventually return someday.

She just needs to wait at home for Hashirama's return.

Xuanwo Mizuto's gloomy mood vanished instantly, and a smile blossomed on her face.

She didn't blame Lian Ye for hiding this; knowing her husband was still alive was enough.

After Hashirama fails to find Madara Uchiha, he'll return to the Village.

And she only needs to wait quietly for her husband to return.

"Let's go, Lian Ye."

Xuanwo Mizuto smiled gently and said softly.

As she spoke, she turned to leave, but found Lian Ye still standing in place.

She couldn't help but ask, "Lian Ye, what's wrong?"

"Mizuto Ayi, please don't tell Uncle about this!" Lian Ye said, his face tense.

This kind of matter must never be known to that old kid Qianshou Feijian.

Otherwise, the next day they'd send someone into the Ninja World to look for his brother's whereabouts.

And the self who hides the truth will certainly get no good fruit!

Lian Ye recalled the murderous intent Qianshou Feijian released toward him years ago,

which remains vivid to this day.

He could never forget that feeling in this lifetime!

Xuanwo Mizuto stared at Lian Ye's nervous demeanor and was slightly startled.

She quickly thought of the reason.

She covered her mouth with a light laugh, "I know, Lian Ye."

Hearing that, Lian Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The two left the Senju Ancestral Tomb together.

"Lian Ye, when do you think Hashirama will return?"

"I don't know, he should be back soon."

"By the way, is Madara Uchiha really not dead?"

"... Who would know."

————————

Senju Hashirama, wearing a conical hat, darted swiftly through the forest.

Some vague intuition told him that Madara had once appeared here.

As he passed through the woods, a tavern came into view.

"Just as my stomach's a bit hungry, let's eat here."

Senju Hashirama lowered the brim of his hat and stepped into the tavern.

The tavern held seven or eight wooden tables; in the innermost corner three people sat, dressed like wandering ninjas.

He didn't mind, found a table and sat down, placing his conical hat on the table.

The tavern owner said warmly, "Customer, what would you like to order?"

Senju Hashirama laughed, "One pot of sake, and a few meat dishes."

"Alright, please wait a moment."

While waiting for the food, the chatter of three wandering ninjas reached Hashirama's ears.

"Did you hear? Kirigakure's Guideng Huanyue just became Mizukage and immediately launched an attack on Iwagakure."

"I know that! The two Kage who just took office already had conflicts, and after becoming Kage they started a war against each other."

"Whether it's them being clueless or those two Kage being clueless, their clash directly reduced Konoha's opponents by two."

Senju Hashirama's mouth twitched upward; indeed, Konoha's pressure had lessened.

I believe that with Feijian's leadership, the war can end soon.

No one needs to step forward themselves anymore.

The wandering ninjas' conversation continued, and he turned his head to listen.

"Who says not? Konoha now only needs to face Cloud Hidden and Sunagakure."

"In fact, Konoha only needs to face Cloud Hidden… Sand Ninja has been completely suppressed on the Southwest Battlefield and can't lift its head."

"Oh? How do you say that?"

Upon hearing that, Senju Hashirama instinctively turned his body aside.

The wandering ninja who spoke earlier explained:

"It is said Konoha produced a Genius Poison Maker who not only easily broke the poison crafted by Sand Ninja, but also created a poison stronger than theirs!"

"Facing Konoha's poison, Sand Ninja has no way to counter it."

Senju Hashirama's expression turned odd, and a boy's face flashed in his mind.

This Poison Maker couldn't possibly be…

At that moment, a wandering ninja's exclamation interrupted his thoughts.

"Is it true? When did Konoha produce such a Poison Master? I've never heard of it."

The wandering ninja couldn't help but doubt the information's authenticity.

The earlier speaking wandering ninja said irritably, "Why would we lie? My relative is a Sand Hidden Jonin from the Southwest Battlefield; he was poisoned to death that way, can it be false?"

"Impressive, even a Jonin can be easily poisoned to death!"

"Indeed, he has a famous title on the Southwest Battlefield."

"What's it called?"

"【Konoha's Deadly Poison Master!】"

…

Senju Hashirama's mouth twitched; no need to think further.

The Konoha Poison Maker they mentioned is definitely that kid Lian Ye!

Who would have thought Lian Ye's poison is so astonishing on the battlefield.

From the wandering ninjas' words, Hashirama heard that Lian Ye's contribution on the Southwest Battlefield was huge.

He smiled with satisfaction, unable to help but remark, "Lian Ye, this kid, can already hold his own."

…

"Customer, your sake and dishes have arrived."

Senju Hashirama cleared his thoughts; after the meal he still had important business to attend to.

During this time in the Ninja World, he truly discovered some clues.

He believes it won't be long before he can locate Ban's hideout.

ps: six chapters left, three more and I'm so tired, Eek eek eek…