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Many things that should have happened, when they happened in front of Haori, he still felt surprised, because he didn't know what "should have" meant beforehand.
For Haori, the only thing he knew was the ambiguous trajectory of the "future." Compared to the Great Toad Sage, he knew just a little bit more.
Therefore, life was still unpredictable.
Therefore, his experiences sometimes brought him joy, sometimes astonishment, sometimes shock, sometimes suspicion.
Therefore, when faced with many things, he would also be at a loss, he would also feel regret, and he would also be terrified.
Yashamaru's situation was like this, and so were the events to come.
After successfully capturing the heavyweight ninja, Yashamaru of Sunagakure, Haori had obtained enough important information. So, compared to continuing to lurk in the Land of Rain, it was more urgent and important for him to bring back the information that Kirigakure was seeking peace with Sunagakure.
Moreover, if he brought Yashamaru, who was half-dead, with him, his mission wouldn't be able to continue at all.
However, now that Yashamaru had "disappeared," whether the peace agreement between the two sides could still be reached was probably an unknown.
After all, "disappearance" was equivalent to an unknown fate. In other words, Kirigakure's conditions had not been met… Although Sunagakure was innocent, they had done what they should have done, but Kirigakure had not received a clear result.
They would only decide to sign a peace agreement after seeing Yashamaru's body. And now, they couldn't even find a single strand of her hair.
Haori, having decided to leave, acted quickly.
Fortunately, no other Kirigakure ninjas came while he was performing medical ninjutsu. So, after the rescue was complete and his clone had briefly cleaned up the battlefield, Haori took Yashamaru and flew away.
However, because Haori's attack methods this time were a bit extreme, the battlefield was quite bloody. So, it was impossible to leave no trace.
Unless he blew up the entire valley.
But considering the commotion that would cause… it was more realistic to just run away.
At this time, Haori was already flying away from the Land of Water, over the sea, with Yashamaru on the summoned Yatagarasu.
......
"What are you going to do with me?" Yashamaru asked. The Yatagarasu's flying speed didn't affect their normal conversation.
Yashamaru's current condition… although she was seriously injured, Haori wasn't soft-hearted. He had completely bound her like a rice dumpling and sealed her with a sticker – he had sealed her chakra.
First, to prevent her from suddenly resisting, and second, to prevent her from committing suicide. Considering her current state, she probably couldn't suddenly attack, so the second point was key.
If she died, wouldn't all of Haori's previous actions, which seemed like corpse abuse, have been in vain?
In any case, it was still necessary to prevent her chakra from functioning normally. It's better to be safe than sorry. Imagine if Yashamaru could use Scorch Release and used it on the bird's back. Whether Haori would fall to his death or not is a different matter. After all, the sea below was all water. But the Yatagarasu he had just gotten would definitely turn into a roast chicken.
However, Haori still had a sliver of kindness in his heart. At least, he didn't find something to stuff into Yashamaru's mouth… There's a rather fantastical saying called biting one's tongue to commit suicide. He didn't know if Yashamaru had heard of it. But even if she had, she probably wouldn't try it. After all, biting one's tongue is a suicide method with a success rate equivalent to zero. It's more efficient to bite one's wrist.
But in reality, Yashamaru didn't have any obvious desire to die, nor did she have any obvious desire to live… She was surprisingly calm. Being captured didn't cause her any fear or anger.
This state was probably what was rumored to be the greatest sorrow, greater than death.
As a ninja who could be called a "hero," dying for the village, even actually dying in battle, wasn't anything. After all, she had that kind of determination. But the feeling of being betrayed by the village she trusted… only Yashamaru could truly understand that taste.
"It's not about what I'm going to do with you. I'm just responsible for bringing you back to Konoha. As for what happens next, I don't know." Haori said. "But I'll warn you, my treatment of your injuries was quite extreme. To maintain your strength, you should talk less."
The treatment Haori had done could only be considered emergency treatment. Not to mention whether there was any remaining poison in her body, at least the problem of her excessive blood loss hadn't been solved.
Even though Haori had stuffed several blood-boosting pills into her mouth, her complexion was still pale.
"Konoha, huh… I've never been to Konoha, actually…" Yashamaru continued. It was clear that she didn't have any intention or obligation to follow Haori's advice.
"Konoha is not bad," Haori said, like a tour guide. "As long as you honestly tell them everything you know, Konoha probably won't do anything to you. So, it's good to go to Konoha. After all, you don't have a place to…"
Haori stopped himself there. You don't hit a person where it hurts. His words were a bit like rubbing salt in the wound.
A day ago, Yashamaru was a Sunagakure hero. But now, she truly had no place to go. Even if she escaped from Haori's side at this moment, she would only be able to live as a rogue ninja for the rest of her life.
She couldn't go back to Sunagakure.
It was a collective decision of the entire Sunagakure upper echelon to use her as a bargaining chip. So, going back to Sunagakure would only be like walking into a trap.
"A place to go… I truly don't have one anymore…"
From Haori's position, he couldn't see Yashamaru's expression. But you could imagine what kind of expression she had when she said that.
It was probably a look of being devoid of love and worthlessness.
This deal between Sunagakure and Kirigakure had completely stripped Yashamaru of all the effort and value she had given as a ninja.
"Speaking of which, we've met before, haven't we? A few years ago, when we were chasing after Sasori…"
Yashamaru's tone was unexpectedly calm. Not to mention that it was different from the last time they met, her interaction with Haori now didn't feel like a prisoner and an enemy.
"I didn't expect you to remember. This is indeed our second… "
Before Haori could finish his sentence, as if something unexpected had happened, he suddenly stood up, quickly ran to the head of the Yatagarasu, and looked in a certain direction.
He sensed chakra.
Although he wasn't a true sensory ninja, he still sensed chakra fluctuations.
Because it was chakra that any ninja could sense… Tailed Beast-level chakra.
"Very strong chakra."
Yashamaru said. As expected, even while lying down, she could sense it.
"It's definitely Tailed Beast-level chakra…"
Haori said. It was both a response to Yashamaru and a mere mumble to himself.
This chakra was enough to make any ninja tense up and their skin prickle.
Haori had fought against jinchūriki and pure Tailed Beasts before, so he could confirm that this chakra was as strong as the previous two.
But in terms of feeling, this wasn't the chakra of a Tailed Beast or a jinchūriki. Haori could basically make that judgment. Because although this chakra was powerful, it didn't have the unpleasantness and corrosiveness of Tailed Beast chakra.
If you were to describe it emotionally, this chakra only contained a burning, bone-chilling fighting spirit.
Haori had also felt this kind of chakra in a pure ninja before, namely the Third Raikage.
But this chakra was even stronger than the Raikage's.
Who was it? Were they fighting?
Judging from the distance, they were nearby!
At this time, the Yatagarasu was already flying past the midpoint between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. In terms of territory, this should belong to Konoha.
Haori thought for a moment, then controlled the Yatagarasu to fly towards the direction he had sensed.
He quickly found a small island. The person was on this island.
Haori controlled the Yatagarasu to circle until he spotted the crimson figure.
Some people are born with lucky lottery tickets. They may be strong enough, but they can't be called powerful.
Some people, who expect to reach their ultimate moment of brilliance after 20 years, can shine so brightly that it's impossible to look directly at them.
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CURRENT PATREON CHAPTER : Chapter 244
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