The True Treasure of 9527 (35K)

"Urgent intelligence from Konoha!"

Fourth Raikage A turned around. He had been stationed at this combat base near the border for nearly two days, and at last, he had received the news he wanted.

"Konoha was attacked by an unknown force this morning and suffered devastating losses. The Konoha leadership, including Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, has been completely wiped out…"

The Kumogakure Anbu reporting this intelligence had a slight tremor in his voice. Even he found such a major event difficult to believe, so he had gone to great lengths to verify it.

After confirmation through spies planted in Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, the intelligence agents of several villages had all transmitted the same report. With their information corroborating one another, a more detailed battle report emerged.

"This morning, a group used numerous giant Summoning Beasts to directly assault Konoha’s barrier. At the same time, a group of powerful mysterious individuals broke into Konoha and brazenly attacked the Hokage Office."

"In the battle that followed, a mysterious man named Mercenary Tao defeated Hyuga Hiashi of the Hyuga Clan and Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen in direct combat, then killed Sarutobi Hiruzen head-on."

"A youth from the Uchiha Clan named Uchiha Itachi assassinated Hokage advisors Shimura Danzō and Utatane Koharu."

"Meanwhile, a mysterious ninja calling himself Pain completely destroyed Konoha’s rear mountain and barrier. Konoha is currently undergoing reconstruction…"

He delivered all the corroborated intelligence in one breath, then lowered his head and stepped aside.

A was stunned for a moment before smashing the table apart with a punch.

"War is about to begin…"

He knew there might be something suspicious behind this incident, but since Konoha’s severe losses were an indisputable fact, war was unavoidable.

The Five Great Ninja Villages were violent institutions that kept the Five Great Nations in check. If any one of them encountered trouble, the other great nations would never let the opportunity pass.

What was more, the Land of Fire and Konoha Hidden Village, the strongest of them all, had suffered such a blow. No nation would give up the Land of Fire’s fertile land and abundant resources.

No reason could stop a war from breaking out unless the daimyō and nobles had all lost their minds…

Kumogakure had long completed its war mobilization. They immediately began taking action. All they needed was for the daimyō of the Land of Lightning to issue a declaration of war, and they could openly invade the Land of Fire and march directly on Konoha Hidden Village.

Before that, they could simply move the war conference room to the border of the Land of Fire.

The other nations acted in much the same way. The Land of Fire, having exposed a weakness, almost immediately became a slab of meat in everyone’s eyes.

News of war always came without warning. Kumogakure’s forces crossed the Land of Rain silently, but once they entered the Land of Fire, they began to draw attention.

The Konoha sentries watching Kumogakure ninjas stroll into the Land of Fire as though no one else existed all changed expression.

"Send an emergency report immediately. War is about to begin… No, war has already begun!"

He knew that the ninjas stationed along the border had likely already been wiped out, so these sentries did not reveal themselves. They were only responsible for passing along intelligence…

"Can humans really absorb something like a Tailed Beast?"

Orochimaru watched Mercenary Tao take a bite of raw Tailed Beast meat, chew it a few times, and spit it back out. His curiosity finally got the better of him, and with a researcher’s mindset, he prepared to investigate.

You consumed uncooked Tailed Beast meat.

Ingredient Grade: Medium
Deliciousness Grade: Extremely Low

Biological Enhancement · Gourmet Cell did not improve.

Milestone · Heretical Gourmet progress updated. Current: 1/50

The untreated flesh of Isobu was unbearably raw and astringent, while its texture was extraordinarily tough. It was like chewing a piece of leather reeking of fish. Both its flavor and texture were nearly intolerable.

Thus, Bai Cangshu swallowed less than half a piece before spitting out the rest.

He did not sense any Chakra energy from it. Instead, a fierce burning pain arose in his stomach and intestines, though it quickly vanished as his digestive organs and cells rapidly metabolized it.

Bai Cangshu already possessed additional poison resistance. Even without Gourmet Cells, something at this level could not poison him to death.

"For ordinary people, of course not."

Bai Cangshu sat down and casually answered Orochimaru’s question as he watched Hiranaka Hana simmering chunks of meat shaved from Isobu’s claw beside the campfire.

Orochimaru fell into thought. The legendary ninjas who had gained Tailed Beast power by devouring Tailed Beast flesh were Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure. Those two were also said to possess the Sage of Six Paths’ bloodline.

At this moment, Orochimaru was more inclined to believe that Mercenary Tao was likewise someone with the so-called Sage Bloodline. Only that could explain his abnormal strength and behavior.

Bai Cangshu turned around, looked at Shimura Danzō’s corpse lying behind the campfire, curled his lips, and deliberately said,

"Talent can sometimes be such a hopeless gap. Some people are born powerful, while others remain so weak even after implanting a Sharingan into themselves and wasting decades of their lives."

Hearing this, Orochimaru thoughtfully looked toward Danzō as well.

He had been curious why Mercenary Tao had brought Danzō’s corpse along. Now, he realized something…

Danzō wasn’t dead?!

He had clearly checked the body himself, and given the ability Uchiha Itachi had displayed, it was impossible for him not to know whether he had killed his target.

The only explanation was that Danzō possessed an exceptionally brilliant technique for faking death.

Bai Cangshu flicked a finger, sending force tearing through the air. He could not yet kill someone by plucking flowers and leaves, but with his immense physical strength, he could already project force through the air.

After flying several meters, it carried destructive power roughly equivalent to a rubber bullet.

Bang!

Danzō was struck in the back of the head, knocking loose a small patch of hair.

Danzō’s heartbeat quickened slightly, but he still refused to open his eyes, clinging to a final shred of hope.

"Heh~"

A mocking laugh rang out without restraint. Danzō’s heart sank further and further. During the battle that day, he had not expected those people to be so powerful. Whether it was Leren or Ran, both of them possessed terrifying suppressive power against ordinary ninjas.

Then there was that youth, that Uchiha… Itachi…

Danzō found it hard to believe that a mere youth possessed such terrifying skill and talent. And compared with Shisui, the boy was cold and merciless, every move aimed to kill.

He could have used the Sharingan beneath his bandages to activate Izanagi and rewrite reality. That would have given him the chance to kill his opponent in return. If Uchiha Itachi had been his only enemy, he could have relied on that ability to counterattack.

But the enemy was scattered among several people and did not belong to the same faction. In the end, Danzō chose to fake his death and seek an escape.

"Hey, Itachi, see that? This is one of Konoha’s higher-ups, the Hokage advisor who could decide whether your Uchiha Clan lived or died."

Bai Cangshu taunted Danzō in a frivolous tone. Danzō was far inferior to Sarutobi Hiruzen in battle, and Bai Cangshu held such a person in utter contempt.

He lacked both the courage to fight to the death and the cunning to endure humiliation before turning the tables.

In the end, he was merely a mediocre fool full of grand words and greater ambitions than ability.

Uchiha Itachi’s Sharingan stared at Shimura Danzō. The slight movements of the man’s body and the Chakra beginning to flow again confirmed that he had indeed misjudged him. This man was not dead, even though… he had slit his throat.

Uchiha Itachi rose with a cold expression, preparing to kill him once more.

"I advise you not to do that, Itachi-kun."

A woman’s voice rang out abruptly. Catherine was startled. She had already deployed a barrier and spiritual perception, yet she had not sensed the woman’s approach at all.

Ran immediately stood up as well, positioning himself in front of Catherine.

Reincarnators’ abilities were bizarre, hundreds of times more complex than battles between ninjas. You could never tell exactly what ability from what world your opponent was using.

The woman named Heaven’s Will "grew" out of a huge flower.

At that moment, the woman radiated emerald-green natural energy. Even by Bai Cangshu’s senses, it was quite powerful.

Uchiha Itachi looked coldly at her. He had already seen these people for what they were. Everyone acted for profit—his clansmen, the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, and this woman… all of them.

Perhaps only lunatics like Mercenary Tao and Pain did things without much concern for profit. No, Mercenary Tao pursued profit as well. It was simply that his "profit" was battle and chaos.

Bai Cangshu waved a hand, signaling everyone not to be nervous.

"This woman came to find me."

At this moment, Hiranaka Hana still had no idea that the woman had brought news of her missing husband. She remained focused on cooking the beast meat for Bai Cangshu.

Knowing he could no longer hide, Shimura Danzō snorted and sat up.

"You really did betray Konoha. I knew it all along… If not for Hiruzen trusting you so blindly…"

"Hehehe~"

Heaven’s Will interrupted Danzō with laughter. She was no longer surprised by this sort of statement from him. This ninja had placed himself beneath the grand banner of "everything is for Konoha," thereby justifying every action he took. He had lost the ability to hold a reasonable conversation with anyone else.

He would never think from another person’s perspective. A human who had lost the ability to empathize could not be reasoned with, because such a person was nothing more than a completely selfish beast.

Heaven’s Will naturally walked over to Hiranaka Hana. She extended her hand toward the Tailed Beast meat being cooked, and intense natural energy flowed into it, beginning to neutralize the powerful Tailed Beast Chakra.

Only then did she continue.

"Mr. Mercenary Tao, I think it would be best if you kept Danzō alive for another two days. I suspect that would make your trial more convenient."

Bai Cangshu raised an eyebrow. This woman actually knew about his trial mission. That was not something she could have guessed, because there was no information to support such a deduction. The only thing she should have known was that Hiranaka Hana’s survival was related to his mission.

"You’re quite valuable."

Bai Cangshu stood and walked toward Heaven’s Will. On the other side, Ran and Catherine instinctively backed away. They could sense that Mercenary Tao had developed a certain "interest" in this woman, but that was definitely not a good thing.

When someone like Mercenary Tao took an interest in you, there was a high chance he wanted to hunt you down.

Heaven’s Will calmly looked at the trace of purple in Mercenary Tao’s eyes. That was Satsui no Hado.

She took two steps back, but her expression remained composed.

"You are a rational man, Mercenary Tao. You know that trying to kill me here will not bring you greater profit."

"On the contrary, with my help, you will certainly gain even more."

DD99115435 (Heaven's Will) has initiated a trade with you.

You received an item: Golden Rune ×1

Golden Rune

Quality: Rare

Description: A blessing of the Erdtree, symbolizing life and strength.

Effect 1: After use, the Reincarnator will obtain a certain amount of Runes.

Effect 2: Runes can be converted into attribute points in the Space or by someone possessing specific powers.

When Bai Cangshu saw the item, he suddenly recalled 9527’s destruction, as well as why the card had been in the hands of Wuxin, the weakest among them, when those remnants had split up to lure the Hunters into pursuit.

So the treasure 9527 had obtained was never the card. They had acquired something even more precious than the card.

"Golden Order…"