Chapter 21: Those diehards in the Hidden Grass Village really are due for a change in leadership!
Kusagakure and Amagakure are both small to medium-sized ninja villages. What right does Kusagakure have to become a vassal of Amagakure?
The other senior leaders of Kusagakure shook their heads at this moment as well.
They were willing to come because Uzumaki Shika was powerful and willing to negotiate.
If talks really broke down, Kusagakure might not hesitate to pay a heavy price and execute Uzumaki Shika!
“Kusagakure will never be a vassal to anyone!”
“Kusagakure will not execute its own shinobi!”
“Kusagakure accepts sincere negotiations, but not coercion!”
“We senior leaders of Kusagakure are prepared to go down with our village!”
Seeing this scene, Uzumaki Shika was too lazy to waste words with the senior leaders of Kusagakure.
He directly raised his hand and pointed toward the nearby forest, asking, “Do you see that clearing?”
The many senior leaders of Kusagakure exchanged glances.
That was clearly a forest—why did Uzumaki Shika call it a clearing?
As everyone looked in that direction, a terrifying surge of lightning chakra energy began to swirl around Uzumaki Shika.
“Sixty million volts: Thunder Dragon!”
As his words fell, countless azure bolts of lightning converged before him.
A terrifying dragon’s roar echoed, and the lightning energy coalesced into a colossal Thunder Dragon.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Thunder Dragon charged into the forest ahead with overwhelming might.
Sand and stones flew; countless trees shattered into splinters and charcoal dust.
Like a force of nature, the Thunder Dragon reduced the dense forest to a ravaged wasteland, full of ravines and broken earth.
Witnessing this, the senior leaders of Kusagakure fell utterly silent.
Such power—even the legendary Tailed Beasts might not surpass this.
The previously defiant leaders all changed their tone.
“But on the other hand, Kusagakure did have some faults before.”
“The perpetrators who harmed Karin’s mother must be severely punished to uphold Kusagakure’s justice!”
“Kusagakure’s survival is difficult; we should learn from Amagakure’s path to self-strengthening! Only under Amagakure’s leadership can Kusagakure develop amid the strife among the Five Great Nations!”
“We senior leaders of Kusagakure fully agree with Lord Uzumaki Shika’s demands!”
Faced with a humanoid Tailed Beast like Uzumaki Shika, Kusagakure’s leaders dared not oppose him.
Even the immensely powerful Wuyi said nothing at this moment.
Of course, many senior leaders of Kusagakure were inwardly resentful.
Their current submission was merely a tactical move.
Uzumaki Shika’s power was terrifying; they needed to stabilize the situation first.
Later, they would devise a plan to deal with this formidable shinobi.
Before long, the killers responsible for Karin’s mother’s death were brought before Karin’s family home.
“Kneel!”
Holding a ninja blade, Hatta Shinichi barked sharply.
He had been meek and cautious facing Uzumaki Shika earlier—nearly killed in one glance.
But now, facing these lowly scoundrels, he could strike hard.
Luck was on his side; he had no prior entanglement with Karin’s family.
Aside from this mission, he had suffered no serious injuries before.
Slice! Slice!
Under Hatta Shinichi’s relentless blade, heads fell one by one.
These shinobi had abused the healing abilities of Karin’s mother, causing her to die young, worn out like a spent candle.
Now, with their deaths here, the debt of Karin’s mother was avenged.
Inside the room, Karin felt only a profound sense of catharsis.
Her gaze toward Uzumaki Shika grew ever more grateful.
In her heart, she vowed to become useful in the days ahead.
Had it not been for Uzumaki Shika, she might have met the same fate as her mother.
Now that she possessed her mother’s heirloom, she was resolved to follow Uzumaki Shika.
After avenging Karin, Uzumaki Shika glanced at Kadomaru and then said to Kusagakure’s village chief,
“This is Lord Kadomaru, who once faced the Ninja God Senju Hashirama in battle.”
“For matters regarding Kusagakure becoming a vassal to Amagakure, Kusagakure’s leadership can communicate with Lord Kadomaru.”
Hearing this, Kadomaru’s expression twitched.
This matter was indeed irreversible.
Chino bowed respectfully; this ninja who had been watching silently was evidently a heavyweight.
“Lord Kadomaru, please.”
“Let us proceed to Kusagakure’s conference room to discuss the follow-up.”
Kadomaru did not refuse and accompanied Kusagakure’s leaders to the meeting room.
Wuyi stayed behind voluntarily; Uzumaki Shika had mentioned wanting to discuss business with him.
Curious about the nature of this business, after the others left, Shika approached Wuyi casually.
“Wuyi, you want to capture Tailed Beasts, right?”
Wuyi’s calm expression changed sharply.
Fire chakra flickered between his hands.
He did indeed want to do this, but it was his secret—how did Uzumaki Shika know?
Before Wuyi could react further, Uzumaki Shika continued,
“There are many old stubborn fools in Kusagakure.”
“Most of Kusagakure’s leadership grudgingly accepts me but does not truly agree.”
“I don’t have time to tame them all one by one.”
“I can cooperate with you. I’ll help you capture the Tailed Beasts, charging you only a friend’s price.”
“All you need to do is control all the senior leaders of Kusagakure.”
“You saw my power just now.”
“For you, capturing Tailed Beasts is a challenge; for me, it’s difficult but not impossible.”
With Uzumaki Shika’s current strength, capturing Tailed Beasts would not be hard.
But he couldn’t say this outright.
As the saying goes, lowballing then raising the price is unwise.
If he made it sound too easy, how could he charge a high price?
Moreover, capturing Tailed Beasts should be a long-term commissioned mission!
These are legendary Tailed Beasts—the ‘nuclear weapons’ of the ninja world.
Uzumaki Shika’s words caused Wuyi to fall into deep thought.
His heart was shocked, excited, yet cautious and alert.
He didn’t understand how Uzumaki Shika knew about his need to capture Tailed Beasts.
But there was no doubt about Shika’s capability.
The question was: should he really help Uzumaki Shika control Kusagakure’s leadership?
Wuyi’s gaze fixed seriously on Uzumaki Shika as his mind raced.
“The lightning-style jutsu he just used had damage on the Tailed Beast level.”
“Hiring him to capture Tailed Beasts would definitely be an excellent choice!”
Recalling the stubborn elders who forbade him from accessing the Paradise Box,
“These old fools in Kusagakure really deserve to be removed!”
“Kusagakure in their hands will only fall into chaos with no future!”
With this thought, Wuyi looked at Uzumaki Shika and asked, “What do I need to do?”
A satisfied smile appeared on Uzumaki Shika’s face.
“You only need to do this.”
...
The senior leaders of Kusagakure never imagined tonight would turn into a sleepless night.
Bang!
The door to Kusagakure’s leader Chino’s room was kicked open by Uzumaki Shika.
He went to Chino’s bedside, only to find the figure had vanished.
Chino had already used a Body Flicker Technique to reach outside the window.
He was deeply alarmed; he had thought they had stabilized Uzumaki Shika, but he hadn’t expected Shika to strike again at night.
Only after reaching the rooftop did Chino breathe a slight sigh of relief.
But he didn’t expect Uzumaki Shika and Wuyi to be waiting there.
The figure who had appeared in his room earlier was merely Uzumaki Shika’s wooden clone.
Seeing Shika and Wuyi, Chino was both shocked and enraged.
“What are you doing?”
“Wuyi, are you going to destroy Kusagakure?”
Chino couldn’t finish his sentence.
Uzumaki Shika raised a finger, striking him with a bolt of lightning that immediately paralyzed him.
Without waiting for Shika’s command, Wuyi quickly approached Chino.
“Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!”
A fiery red handprint struck Chino.
Buzz—
Two crossed black sealing marks instantly appeared on his body.
His chakra was completely sealed, unable to be formed.
From now on, his life and death were at Wuyi’s mercy.
Applying the seal to Chino was only the beginning.
Soon, all senior leaders of Kusagakure would receive the same treatment.
Whoosh—
On a rooftop in Kusagakure, a figure moved swiftly.
He wore a reddish-brown cloak and a black-and-yellow horse-shaped Zodiac mask.
He was none other than Elder Onimaru, one of Kusagakure’s senior leaders.
Not long ago, he had received an urgent message from Elder Oniushi.
It said that Wuyi, once the village’s hope, had betrayed Kusagakure.
Now Wuyi was helping the intruder Uzumaki Shika to control the senior leaders.
“Damn it!”
“I must escape the village and seek refuge in Konohagakure!”
Onimaru pushed his speed to the limit.
Even so, he was not confident he could escape.
His suspicion was justified.
Two figures blocked his path using Body Flicker Technique.
Seeing them, Onimaru trembled with rage.
“Uzumaki Shika, we already agreed to become a vassal to Amagakure! Why are you attacking us?”
“And Wuyi, you shameful traitor, helping an outsider control the village’s leadership!”
Uzumaki Shika had no intention of arguing with Onimaru.
He raised his hand and pointed—lightning finger!
Zzzzt!
A dazzling blue arc struck Onimaru.
Electric snakes coursed over his body.
With such a huge power gap, Onimaru could not evade Shika’s attack.
The electric arcs paralyzed him completely, robbing him of all movement.
“Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!”