Chapter 144: Pluck Out the Eyes!

After a moment of shock, Hanzo was moved.

Hire Konoha ninja to restore peace to the Land of Rain, and even reclaim the Land of Rivers, lost since the Second Shinobi World War.

Though Konoha might seize control of both countries in the process.

But the likelihood is minimal.

First, the other ninja villages won’t stand by.

Unless Konoha wants to restart the war.

Second—reputation.

Hiring.

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, aside from state funding, the most vital economic source is missions.

The major ninja villages compete not for traditional territory, but for mission sources.

If the Rain Village hires Konoha ninja and Konoha turns on its own employer, its reputation will be ruined.

But.

Hanzo couldn’t help but suspect Konoha had ulterior motives.

Though he stayed within the village, he knew the chaos in the Land of Rain had Konoha’s hand in it.

Or rather, the hand of this seemingly amiable young man before him.

Fujinaka Genma watched Hanzo think, then smiled: “Leader Hanzo, compared to war and plunder, Konoha prefers the steady, long-term mission model.”

“If the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers restore peace, economic exchange among all parties will flourish, greatly increasing mission volume.”

“This benefits not only the Rain Village, but Konoha as well.”

“Of course, the most important factor is the Akatsuki.”

“Regardless of who was right or wrong initially, that power lurking in the shadows—no one can sleep soundly with it there.”

The final words completely swayed Hanzo.

If Fujinaka Genma hadn’t come, he might still sleep—but from now on…

“Agreed!”

Hanzo finally accepted.

Next came the detailed negotiations.

But it certainly couldn’t be just Fujinaka Genma and Hanzo shouting at each other.

This was merely an agreement in principle; specific cooperation would be discussed separately.

Under Hanzo’s hospitality, Fujinaka Genma and his team stayed overnight in the Rain Village and departed for Konoha the next day.

Overall, the matter went smoothly.

Fujinaka Genma had originally considered whether he’d need to beat Hanzo up—now he’d saved the trouble; everyone got along peacefully, which was excellent.

Rain still fell from the sky.

Crossing the bridge and leaving the Rain Village, Fujinaka Genma suddenly stopped and turned to gaze back at the mist-shrouded village.

What would become of this village’s fate from now on?

“Lord Fujinaka?”

Shisui Uchiha spoke, puzzled.

“Nothing. Let’s go!”

Fujinaka Genma turned and continued onward.

Over an hour later.

Inside a dense forest, Fujinaka Genma halted: “Come out!”

“Ha! No wonder Itachi’re called the Konoha Death God—easily spotted, indeed!”

A flippant voice rang out.

“There!”

“Li!” growled, pointing at nine o’clock—a figure in a black robe, wearing a spiral mask, stood atop a tree.

Shisui Uchiha’s hand was already on his chakra blade, his Sharingan quietly activated, as he barked: “Who are Itachi?”

“What?”

“That’s quite a profound question!”

The spiral-masked man pinched his chin, as if genuinely pondering a deep mystery.

Fujinaka Genma watched the man’s performance with indifference.

Shisui Uchiha frowned and whispered: “Eight o’clock, three o’clock, six o’clock.”

“Understood!”

Li, Yi, and Ren nodded, then vanished from their spots.

“Wow, the Uchiha genius—Instant Transmission Shisui—how did Itachi spot them all?”

The spiral-masked man grinned at Shisui: “By the way, my mission was to lure Itachi all away. Now only one remains—what should I do?”

Shisui Uchiha stared coldly, not moving an inch.

Fujinaka Genma patted his shoulder: “Go. If Itachi don’t leave, the others won’t show.”

“Itachi know my strength. Even if I can’t win, they can’t stop me.”

“But watch out for this guy—standard genjutsu probably won’t work on him.”

“Best to cut him in half and bring him back.”

Shisui Uchiha paused, then nodded seriously: “Understood!”

“Wah-wah-wah! The Konoha Death God is truly cruel!”

The spiral-masked man cried out dramatically, his exaggerated gestures almost comical.

Shisui Uchiha used Instant Transmission to appear beside him and drew his blade to strike.

But he missed!

Shisui’s pupils shrank instantly.

He turned— the spiral-masked man now stood atop another tree.

“Not an ordinary Instant Transmission…”

So far, only two people had escaped Shisui’s Sharingan perception with their movement techniques.

His boss—and his boss’s boss.

And both used the same technique: Flying Thunder God.

Shisui dashed after him, fully alert.

The spiral-masked man kept retreating, appearing and vanishing among the trees.

Shisui quickly deduced: “Is he using connections between trees?”

Chase and escape—soon, both vanished from Fujinaka Genma’s sight.

Fujinaka Genma suddenly kicked backward, his foot passing through a black-robed man wearing a tiger-mask.

The black-robed man had been reaching for Fujinaka Genma’s nape.

His body had turned intangible—his hand passed through Fujinaka Genma’s body.

Fujinaka Genma smiled: “Finally decided to show yourself!”

The next instant, both vanished from their spots, swapped positions, and stood ten meters apart, facing each other.

“No wonder Itachi’re the Konoha Death God—so quick to react!”

A low, gravelly voice spoke. Chains clinked on the tiger-masked man’s body, then one appeared before Fujinaka Genma’s eyes.

Seeing this, he nearly believed the man before him was Obito Uchiha.

“I’m curious— which Uchiha are Itachi?”

Fujinaka Genma asked.

“Does it matter?”

“Besides, how are Itachi certain I’m even from the Uchiha clan?”

The tiger-masked man countered.

Fujinaka Genma stared at him: “So Itachi took Obito Uchiha’s eyes—and killed him, too?”

“I’ll consider telling Itachi when I capture Itachi.”

As the tiger-masked man spoke, his heart lurched.

He hadn’t fooled him after all.

“But it doesn’t matter. Even if Itachi know, what can Itachi do?”

“With these eyes…”

Thinking this, the tiger-masked man charged Fujinaka Genma.

Fujinaka Genma charged forward too, casually tossing a Flying Thunder God kunai—unsurprisingly, it passed straight through the tiger-masked man’s head.

“Just one moment’s opening—that’s all I need to grab him.”

The tiger-masked man knew Fujinaka Genma possessed the Flying Thunder God, an extremely fast movement technique.

Though he had two Mangekyo techniques, his left eye’s ability could lock on from afar—but it was slower. With Fujinaka Genma’s speed, he’d never reach him in time.

So he had to close the distance—just one touch, and he’d capture him in an instant!

He believed that, with Fujinaka Genma unaware of his abilities, even the Flying Thunder God wouldn’t be fast enough.

The two charged toward each other, closing rapidly—and in the instant the kunai passed through his body, the tiger-masked man reached for Fujinaka Genma.

However, just as the tiger-masked man was about to touch Fujinaka Genma, Fujinaka Genma vanished.

Clatter! The tiger-masked man yanked his chain, trying to ensnare Fujinaka Genma, who had appeared behind him via Flying Thunder God.

Clearly, he had analyzed the Flying Thunder God technique.

But he misjudged it!

Fujinaka Genma had not teleported using a Flying Thunder God kunai—he had simply appeared directly beneath the tiger-masked man, like a charging beast slamming into his chest.

Boom!

The tiger-masked man took Fujinaka Genma’s punch full force, spitting blood and losing consciousness.

Immediately, Fujinaka Genma seized the tiger-masked man’s throat; in the next instant, the mask shattered, and Fujinaka Genma tore out the man’s left eye.

Only then did the tiger-masked man react—he instantly phased his body, retreating swiftly without pause, vanishing from Fujinaka Genma’s sight in an instant.