Chapter 228: Still Saying the Akatsuki Have Nothing to Do with Your Konoha!?(1533)

Just as Li Ang finished off the cancer that was Obito, the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were discussing what to do next.

"We can't keep going on like this." Tsunade slammed the table and stood up abruptly. "Let's just go to war outright. If we keep dragging this out, we might as well go back to our villages and pretend none of this ever happened."

The reason she was acting this way was that the so-called Shinobi Alliance had been locked in a stalemate with the Rain Hidden Village's ninja forces for several days now.

One had to remember that the Rain Hidden Village was nothing but a small shinobi village!

If this kept up, the Five Great Nations would all become laughingstocks.

Upon hearing her words, Lei Yingai said in a rough voice, "Your Konoha hasn't suffered any losses at all, so you should be the ones to take the lead."

"Raikage, by your logic, Konoha has no reason to participate in this war at all."

Tsunade shot back bluntly. She was a ninja who had made her name long ago—did they really think she had no temper?

Then this Hokage went straight to the heart of what the others present were thinking: "You're all simply afraid that that Payne will unleash again the technique that destroyed Kumogakure. But do you really think someone like him can fire off that kind of technique whenever he pleases?"

Hearing his own village mentioned, Lei Yingai's face darkened at once.

Thanks to that Payne, Kumogakure had sent out the fewest troops of the five this time.

"Easy for you to say, Hokage." At that moment, Tsuchikage Onoki took a puff from his pipe. "What if that Payne ignores his own people and rushes straight into our village to unleash that technique?"

Perhaps such a powerful technique truly demanded an enormous price to use, but who there dared to gamble on it?

And unlike a Tailed Beast, the target was far too small—if he truly meant to launch a suicide-style strike, the village simply wouldn't be able to react in time.

That was also why, even though they could have bypassed the frontline troops to launch a surprise attack on the Rain Hidden Village, they hadn't done so.

After all, an unchained madman was far more terrifying than a chained one.

When that moment came, they would truly have to pray he didn't single out their own village.

Changmen's Super Luo Tianzheng had made the Five Great Shinobi Villages throw the rat while fearing to break the vase—fight, and they worried the madman would drag their own home down to hell with him; don't fight, and they couldn't bear to give up the Tailed Beasts.

Wait.

Onoki's gaze flickered slightly—the Tailed Beast Jinchūriki of Iwagakure hadn't been captured, had they?

Just as the atmosphere fell into a deadlock, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly rang out inside the tent: "Hahahaha!"

"Long time no see, Tsunade."

As he spoke, a white-haired old man wearing a forehead protector emblazoned with the character 【oil】 walked into the tent.

Seeing the newcomer, Tsunade froze for a moment and instinctively called out his name: "Jiraiya."

"What are you doing here?"

Hearing the question, Jiraiya scratched his cheek. "Things have gotten this big—I'd definitely have to come take a look."

"... What about Naruto?"

After a moment of silence, Tsunade asked after the whereabouts of her own Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

"I left him at Mount Myōboku. Don't worry."

Hearing this, Tsunade secretly let out a breath of relief. It seemed her old companion wasn't quite that unreliable.

But the moment that thought rose in her heart, she heard Jiraiya say, "How about this—Konoha will take the lead, and we'll ask that Payne on the battlefield what exactly he's trying to do."

?

Tsunade was first stunned, then her face went dark.

She took back what she'd just thought.

Though a little annoyed, she didn't argue with Jiraiya. Instead, she turned to look at the Kage of the other four villages: "If even this you won't agree to, then Konoha will withdraw its troops tomorrow."

Hearing this, the other four Kage looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.

"Fine."

"Seconded."

Seeing the plan successfully hammered out, Jiraiya burst out laughing—but a deep worry flashed through his eyes.

Yahiko. Changmen. Konan.

What are you doing?

……

Rain Hidden Village ninja forces.

Changmen, looking through Payne at Li Ang who had only just arrived at the front lines, spoke in a calm tone: "Long, once this matter is over, I'll help you find Uchiha Itachi."

Hearing this, Li Ang—who was flipping through a manual on human puppet construction—replied without looking up: "Then thanks in advance, Leader."

Beside the two of them stood Kakuzu, wearing a long face as if his whole family had just died.

You don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are until you run a household. In just this short stretch of time, the Rain Hidden Village had already spent an enormous amount of money.

And that was with Konan having solved the explosive-tag supply problem—otherwise the numbers would have been even more outrageous.

Moreover, because of the war, no shinobi village had been placing ninja-tool orders with the Akatsuki lately.

It's all money!

Besides the three of them, Sasori was also at the front lines. He was currently rushing to make puppets—after all, in his earlier battle with Chiyo, this puppet master had lost quite a few of his Collectibles.

Just as the few of them were each in their own mood, several powerful surges of chakra suddenly came from afar.

Li Ang and Changmen both looked toward the direction the chakra was coming from. Under the influence of the Uzumaki bloodline, their perception far surpassed that of ordinary ninja.

The next instant, the two of them vanished on the spot.

At that moment, on the Shinobi Alliance's side, the massive ninja force was gazing with great reverence at the sight before their formation.

In their line of sight, six figures were standing atop two summons of exaggerated size.

And these two summons were a toad and a slug respectively.

At this moment, Tsunade, who was standing atop the giant slug's head, spoke: "Send someone to notify the Rain Hidden Village—tell that Payne to come out and meet us."

"Yes ma'am."

The Konoha ninja who had received the order had only just started to move when two figures suddenly appeared in the distance.

Li Ang looked at the terrifying momentum of the ninja coalition opposite him and couldn't help but laugh: "Quite the grand spectacle, chief."

He now felt that his earlier decision to contract three Snake Princesses had been an incomparably correct move.

Look at this — isn't this exactly when you need to fill out the scene?

Thinking of this, Li Ang formed hand seals with both hands and immediately used the Summoning Technique to call forth the three Snake Princesses.

Boom—!

A huge plume of white smoke rose up. This time, without him even needing to give the order, the three Snake Princesses had already revealed their true forms.

Li Ang stood atop the head of the central Snake Princess, Tianxin, arms crossed across his chest as he gazed into the distance at the ninja coalition's position.

And upon seeing the three giant serpents, an immediate commotion broke out across the Sand ninja's position.

They recalled unpleasant memories.

At that moment, a voice filled with utter astonishment suddenly rang out across the battlefield.

"Tianxin, Ichiki, Tanitsu?"

The speaker was the giant toad at the front of the ninja coalition's formation — Jiraiya's summoning beast, Gamabunta.

It was Li Ang's first time seeing a shocked expression on a toad's face.

"You actually deign to take orders from a mere human boy."

Saying so, Gamabunta took several fierce puffs from the pipe in his hand, seemingly unable to believe what was before his eyes.

Hearing this, Tianxin Snake Princess — whose voice had become incomparably deep and muffled after revealing her true form — spoke: "Mind your attitude when speaking to Lord Ryū, Gamabunta."

"."

Gamabunta took a few more puffs from his pipe. Today he had truly seen a ghost — those lunatics from Ryūchi Cave were actually showing such an attitude toward a human.

Just as he was about to say something more, an aged voice from above his head cut him off: "Enough, Toad Boss. Now isn't the time for you to catch up on old times."

It was Jiraiya.

He looked at Li Ang first.

At this moment, the famously renowned Sannin, looking at the great serpent beneath Li Ang's feet, felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu for some reason.

It seemed Orochimaru had once looked just like this — except his summoning beast wasn't nearly so obedient.

After a brief silence, he looked again at Pain, who stood atop Ichikishimahime's head.

"That look... You're Yahiko!?" An expression of utter astonishment appeared on Jiraiya's face. "Why does Nagato's Rinnegan have you?! And where's Konan?"

Facing his questions, Nagato replied in an indifferent tone: "Teacher Jiraiya, it's been a long time."

The moment these words fell, the atmosphere on the battlefield immediately turned strange.

Tsunade slightly furrowed her brow, as if recalling something.

The other four Kage, meanwhile, all looked toward Tsunade, their expressions exceedingly odd.

Especially Ai — he was nearly driven to laugh out of sheer rage.

Damn it all, he and Konoha weren't done yet!

Tsunade actually had the nerve to say the Akatsuki organization had nothing to do with Konoha!?

The very culprit who had blown Cloud Village sky-high was a disciple of Sannin Jiraiya — and she calls that unrelated!?

This Raikage even suspected the Land of Fire was backing the Akatsuki organization.

Tsunade naturally realized this point as well. She had just opened her mouth to explain when she heard Jiraiya say: "Yahiko..."

"It seems you haven't developed in the right direction. What exactly happened?"

Well, no need to explain now.

"Teacher Jiraiya, you are nothing but a mere mortal — of course you wouldn't understand me." Nagato's expression was cold. "To put a fermata on this war-torn world — that is my duty as a god."

Jiraiya's expression had grown increasingly Solemn: "I didn't expect you to have become this obsessive."

He took a deep breath, then said in a stern tone: "Then let the catching-up portion end here. Whatever you have to say, we can discuss it after the battle."

"That is, assuming the Akatsuki organization still exists after the war ends."

Hearing these words, an ambiguous laugh escaped Nagato's lips: "Heh..."

At this moment, Li Ang, standing to the side, spoke up: "Those words should be said to you lot instead."

As his voice fell, blue-red energy slowly drifted and dispersed, his crimson left eye watching the ninja coalition with an icy gaze.

"Let me show you."

"My full-power form."

If I can still write one more chapter, I'll post it tonight. My inspiration is nearly burned out.