bookbashuk Chapter 280 The Suppression of the Akatsuki (End)
Chapter 280 The Suppression of the Akatsuki (End)
Sensuke sealed the Kazekage's corpse into a scroll and rushed to Yekura's location.
A huge circular magic circle appeared on the ground, and pinkish-white flames shot into the sky, directly engulfing Susanoo.
Just as Yekura was about to continue her attack, Chisuke rushed to her side and said urgently, "Something terrible has happened! Retreat!"
Seeing Chisuke's terrible expression, Yekura vaguely guessed what was going on, and her own expression turned grim.
"go!"
The remaining Sand Ninja followed Sensuke and Pakura away. A moment later, the flames dissipated. Tetsuka glanced in the direction the Sand Ninja had fled, knowing that the Kazekage was likely dead. Too lazy to pursue, he turned to meet up with Yahiko and the others.
Several hours later, Chisuke and the others arrived at the foot of a low hill. Chisuke broke the seal and took out the Kazekage's corpse. The group knelt before the corpse.
Chisuke began his story in a sorrowful tone: "I arrived too late. Lord Kazekage had been stabbed through the heart by Orochimaru. By the time I saved Lord Kazekage, he had already died."
At this point, Chisuke raised his face, revealing misty eyes, and looked at the stern-faced Yekura beside him.
"Teacher, Lord Kazekage entrusted the village to you in the end. We hope you will pull yourself together and lead us to prosperity!"
As soon as Chisuke finished speaking, the somber atmosphere around them froze, and everyone's eyes immediately turned to Yekura.
These Sand Ninja are all the Kazekage's trusted confidants, and are all powerful and experienced ninjas; not one of them is an idiot.
Deep down, they certainly had some doubts about Chisuke's words, but they didn't show it.
Not to mention that Yekura was originally a popular candidate to succeed as Kazekage, there was theoretically no problem with the Third Kazekage appointing Yekura as Kazekage.
The most crucial point is that even if they wanted to refute it, they had absolutely no evidence.
Unless there is concrete evidence proving that Chisuke is lying, they will still believe what Chisuke says.
"Lady Yekura, what should we do?"
Jonin Atsushi Ito, the captain of the Kazekage's guard, expressed his stance on behalf of the other Sand Ninja.
Itō Atsushi bears a great deal of responsibility for the Kazekage's death and may be punished upon his return. For the sake of his future, he first expressed his willingness to serve Yekura.
Yekura glanced at Chisuke silently, then stood up straight and calmly gave the order.
"This matter must not be revealed. We must return to the village immediately!"
"Yes!"
The crowd responded loudly, and without taking a break, they immediately set off towards Sunagakure.
Everyone was quite strong, so they moved very quickly. In just one day and one night, they had covered most of the distance and would soon be back in Sunagakure.
It was already dawn, and the surrounding area was a pitch-black desert. Ye Cang ordered a halt so that everyone could rest.
Back in the village, a fierce battle might ensue, so the cautious Yekura naturally needs to be in top form.
As the Jinchūriki, Chisuke, who possessed the best physical strength, volunteered to take on the guard duty.
After everyone rested on a sand dune, Chisuke sat on it. Soon, a faint light appeared on the eastern horizon, and the surrounding environment changed from pitch black to dim. Everything in sight gradually became clearer. Chisuke looked up and saw several figures in the distance.
"Teacher, something's wrong!"
After giving Yekura a reminder, Chisuke rushed towards the figure.
As he got closer, he saw that these people were all wearing Sand Ninja headbands, but they looked quite disheveled.
At the same time, another group of people appeared behind them, chasing after the people in front.
The people behind them were also wearing Sand Ninja headbands.
It's actually Sand Ninja fighting amongst themselves?!
Unaware of the situation, Chisuke did not rush forward. Instead, he stopped several dozen meters away, manipulating the surrounding sand to rise and fall, preparing for an attack, before letting out a loud roar.
"I am Chisuke Tasaka, who are you people!"
Chisuke's gaze was sharp, fixed on everyone. If anyone showed any ill intent, he would unleash a killing spree.
The four fleeing ninjas were already on edge. When they saw Chisuke, they thought it was an enemy interception and were filled with despair, preparing to fight to the death, when they heard Chisuke's words.
One of them carefully examined Chisuke, then looked at the constantly changing sand around him, and was immediately overjoyed.
"It really is Lord Sensuke! Lord Sensuke, it's me, Katsuhira! I'll be attacking Konoha with you!"
The enemy was rapidly closing in from behind. Katsuhira spoke quickly, introducing himself and then shouting, "Chiyo launched a coup and massacred dissidents. We were lucky enough to escape. Please save us!"
Chiyo actually made her move ahead of schedule?!
Chisuke was both shocked and furious, but he did not lower his guard against Katsuhira and the others, and did not give them a chance to get close. Instead, he manipulated the sand ball under his feet to fly into the air, passing Katsuhira and the others to get closer to the pursuers.
"I am Chisuke Tasaka, stop right now!"
Chisuke revealed his identity again, and the pursuers paused. Upon seeing Chisuke, they immediately turned and fled.
Chisuke wasn't about to let them escape. He slightly raised his hands, and the sand within a kilometer range rose continuously, rushing towards these people and quickly engulfing them. He manipulated the sand to slowly compress them, trying his best to damage their bodies without killing them.
These people struggled in the sand for a moment, but only created ripples. Soon, the sand returned to calm, and all of them became prisoners.
A dozen minutes later, from Shengping and the prisoners, Yecang and the others learned about the changes in the Sand Village, and their expressions changed drastically.
"Damn it! Chiyo, Rasa, I'll cut you into a thousand pieces!!!"
Ye Cang nearly ground his teeth to powder, his eyes turning bloodshot as he roared in fury!
In Yekura's heart, the Sand Ninja were everything. Chiyo and the others' slaughter of the Sand Ninja elites caused her more pain and anger than killing Yekura herself.
Chisuke was also furious and cursed, "The Kazekage just died and they launched a coup. The timing was so precise, they must have been prepared in advance!"
Chisuke clenched his fists, his voice barely containing his anger, which came through his teeth.
"We just arrived in the Land of Rain and were immediately intercepted by the Akatsuki. What a coincidence! This is all a conspiracy! Hanzo must have joined forces with Chiyo to kill the Kazekage! Teacher, as the new Kazekage, you must eliminate these traitors!!!"
Chisuke's guess was reasonable, and the others nodded in agreement. Katsuhira looked at Yokura with red eyes.
"Lord Yecang, many of our comrades have been killed. You must avenge them!"
Seeing that everyone was agitated, Atsushi Ito immediately reminded them, "The information is unclear right now, so we can't act rashly. We need to investigate the situation in the village first."
Chisuke frowned and said, "Chiyo just started a massacre, and the villagers are in disarray. We still have a chance to win them back and launch a counterattack under the Kazekage's banner. If we waste time and Chiyo and the others manage to consolidate their forces, we'll face an attack from the entire village when we return!"
Just as he finished speaking, Chisuke remembered something else, and his expression changed.
"This is bad! Chiyo will definitely try to gain the daimyo's support. Once the daimyo supports them, they will gain a certain degree of legitimacy, and we will be even more passive! We can't give up on either the village or the daimyo!"
Chisuke looked up and saw that Yekura's fair face was filled with determination and fearlessness.
“The situation in the village is complicated. I must go back in person to have a chance to gain the support of neutral forces. None of you have that kind of influence. As for the daimyo, it will depend on you, Chisuke.”
Yekura turned her head, placed her right hand on Chisuke's shoulder, and looked at him with trust in her eyes.
"With your strength and wisdom, you will definitely be able to win over the name."
Chisuke nodded vigorously: "Teacher, leave everything to me."
A few minutes later, the Sand Ninja split into two groups. Pakura led her men to the village, while Sensuke went alone to the capital where the Daimyo was located.