Chương 23: Ridiculous

A demon can't fight alone; Jieluo needs subordinates, and powerful subordinates at that.

Kakuzu would be a good fit, but also not quite right, otherwise who would take the blame for the massacre of the Takigakure high-ranking officials, right?

Therefore, Jieluo needed to train Lucy. No matter which ninja village she went to, there would be factional struggles. Being alone would make her easy to be bullied. In addition, she would need an obedient subordinate to do many dirty and tiring jobs.

Even Tsunade needs an assistant, Shizune, to take care of her daily life.

"Little demon~"

"Lucy!" Flying to the side, Lucy turned her head to look at Jieluo and asked, "What?"

"You need to work on your culinary skills more," Jieluo said.

"The bird soup this morning was substandard." It was so bad that you wouldn't want to eat it after just one look.

"Okay, okay!" Lucy muttered, "I hate it... all you do is boss me around..."

When someone is lonely for a long time, they get used to talking to themselves. When someone is around, they subconsciously want to talk. Jieluo turned her head and looked at Lucy, who had an innocent look on her face. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

After being alone for a long time, I've become more accustomed to silence.

"Um, the great monster..." Lucy hesitated.

"Hmm?" Jieluo tilted her head slightly, her scarlet eyes looking at Lucy.

Lucy shook her head and silently lowered her head.

When you've been lonely for too long, you become less talkative. Then you happen to meet someone similar, and you have so much to say, so many feelings to share, yet you don't know where to begin...

"If I could kill someone, you wouldn't have abandoned me, right?"

"Um."

"Next time, I won't hesitate."

"Good luck, little devil!"

The two demons walked further and further away through the forest. Below, by the roadside, lay several fresh corpses, their blood staining the ground. Now, there was only one last thing left to do upon arriving at Takigakure Village.

Kakuzu's prison was not in the village. There were not many guards or prisoners to begin with, and due to the village's tightening of defenses, there were even fewer guards.

When Gira arrived, Kakuzu had just been beaten and was hanging on the cross, covered in wounds.

Leading Lucy out of the shadows, Yura looked up at Kakuzu.

"It's time, Kakuzu-senpai."

Opening his eyes, Kakuzu looked at Yura with his small, beady eyes, then glanced at Lucy behind Yura, his pupils slightly contracting.

He had a very subtle feeling about this girl, vaguely sensing a great sense of danger and fear.

"who is she?"

Kakuzu asked.

"The village's jinchūriki," Jieluo introduced.

"He's now my subordinate."

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's pupils contracted slightly.

A Jinchūriki? No wonder he had a vague sense of danger.

This guy has become even more dangerous.

"At noon two days from now, launch the attack. At that time, the old folks in the village will gather at the chief's building in the center of the village," Jieluo said.

"Understood," Kakuzu said.

"You can decide who you want to kill when the time comes," Jieluo said.

"Hmph, of course, I'm not your subordinate."

"Well then, Kakuzu-senpai, until later." With that, Yura turned and left with Lucy.

"Wait..." Kakuzu looked up, his bare upper body covered in a jet-black color.

Earth escape. Earth spear Without using hand seals, it seems the user has mastered this technique quite skillfully; it's truly a unique skill.

Stopping in his tracks, Yura turned to look at Kakuzu and said with a faint smile, "Senior, what do you mean?"

Lucy gripped the black knife tightly, her bright smile turning sinister.

"Let me see your strength." The moment the words left his mouth, a slash suddenly appeared on Kakuzu's body. Kakuzu looked surprised and slowly looked down at the wound on his chest. The cut was very shallow and just broke through his defenses.

The sharpness of a sword is one thing, and it's not difficult for an earthen spear to block the slashes of a kunai or even a sword. But swordsmanship is another matter entirely.

Even more dangerously, Kakuzu remained silent, completely unaware of the impending attack.

Lucy was taken aback, then a gloating smile appeared on her face. She said, "Even man-eating monsters aren't all that great."

Kakuzu's face twitched. Cannibalism? Me? He looked up and stared straight at Yura.

"Next time, if you still have confidence, I'll cut your heart, Kakuzu... senpai..." Yura said with a light smile.

With his eyes closed, Kakuzu's resentment from waiting vanished, and he said, "I will proceed according to plan."

"That's good."

With Lucy by her side, Gero walked into the shadows.

"Goodbye."

Opening his eyes, Kakuzu stared intently into the dark passage. Perhaps following her might be a way out. If he became a rogue ninja, his future life would be one of constant wandering and homelessness.

"No, it doesn't matter, money is the most important thing..."

Money will never betray me.

As the day passed, the atmosphere in Takigakure Village grew increasingly tense, and the meeting that had just ended during the day had to be held again that night.

"What? All twelve squads we dispatched have disappeared?"

"Have you not been able to contact a single one?"

The atmosphere at the meeting was somber, with everyone wearing a solemn expression. As time ticked by, the ninja squad that had been sent out to investigate returned, their faces etched with fear and cold sweat. They knelt on one knee and said in trembling voices, "Sir, our investigation has revealed that something unseen has surrounded the village, even extending underground. Anyone who crosses it will be torn to pieces by an invisible attack."

As soon as he finished speaking, the venue erupted in chaos.

What does this mean...?

This means that if they cannot break through the blockade, they will be trapped and die in the village. Someone has their eyes on the village!

"Is he a Jinchūriki?!" Amidst the clamor of shock, an old man exclaimed in terror.

"Impossible!" an old man immediately retorted.

"This isn't the work of a Jinchūriki; someone else is watching us!"

"What do we do? Has Konoha attacked?!"

The crowd erupted into a panicked uproar.

"Silence!" the old man at the head of the table roared, his fierce gaze sweeping over the crowd. He said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, then we must accept the challenge!"

"First! Send men to try and break through the blockade! The village must not be trapped! We must find a way out, no matter what!"

"Second! Concentrate manpower! Strengthen village defenses!"

Upon hearing this, the elders of the three clans exchanged glances.

"Wait, Elder Taki," the old woman from the Thousand Demons clanged with a strange laugh, "Let's take responsibility for our clan's defenses ourselves."

The elder's eyelids twitched slightly. He looked at the old woman, remained silent for a long time, and then nodded, saying, "Permission granted!"

"In that case, the Kusanagi clan shall be responsible for their own defense," said the cold, old man from the Kusanagi clan.

"I second that," said the old man from Uji who was using a cane.

The four clans have never trusted each other, especially at this critical moment, they will only care about their own clan and not the village.

Mochizuki Gen raised his eyelids, looked at the four clans, and revealed a mocking smile.

See that, Sarutobi Sasuke? This is what they call a village, what they call peace. History will prove that your clan will either die in the village's internal strife, or climb to the top by stepping on the corpses of other ninja clans. But in a village with the Senju and Uchiha clans, how difficult it is to be swallowed up.

The era when my clan welcomed the ninja village has ended. Then let it all be destroyed for the sake of the ninja village era.

"However..." the elder said in a deep voice, "You three clans must leave some people behind to assist in the defense of the village."

Even under the cover of night, Takigakure Village remains brightly lit, and the sacred tree in the lake at the village's center forever radiates a soft, bright light.

Surrounding the lake, the village streets were bustling with ninjas, who hurried back and forth. As more people were mobilized, most of them gathered outside the most conspicuous building in the center of the village.

"They talked about strengthening the village's defenses, but it turns out they're just afraid of dying. They're desperately gathering manpower to protect a bunch of old guys who are about to die..."

Jie Luo smiled faintly.

"ridiculous..."