Scorpion lost? Black Zetsu, are you sure?

In the Yamanaka, where everything was a dull yellow, a blinding Kakkō illuminated the clouds, turning them crimson, and the glow of the sunset radiated through the clouds, painting the entire sky.

After Kisame used Ape Arm to block Samehada fastest Lava Ball, he suddenly hurled Samehada away, his freed hands becoming a blur of afterimages...

Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!

He silently recited a muttered phrase to himself, his bulging lips like a balloon filled with air, and a drop of water spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Tick-tock...

Suddenly, the sound of dripping water began, followed by a torrent of rushing water that churned the air and filled the ears with a deafening roar...

Water, water filling the entire screen, endless waves crashing into the viewer's field of vision.

Splash!

The surging waves crashed against the weathered Rock, splashing up tiny, pearl-like droplets.

"The Water Release not only completely suppressed the Four-Tails' Lava Release, but also changed the entire terrain of the Desolate Valley?"

Itachi stood on the high ground, coldly gazing at the Battlefield below.

Being hit head-on by such a massive wave was like a boulder weighing a thousand pounds falling from a great height and crashing onto the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.

Roshi suffered severe internal injuries, and the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

"He's weaker than I expected, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki." Or rather, Kisame's strength is stronger than I thought...

Just moments before, it was a Desolate Valley, a barren land where not a blade of grass grew. Now, standing on a high point on the outskirts of the Desolate Valley, the weasel felt a chill creep up its feet.

Looking down, I saw a layer of cool water washing over my toes.

The Desolate Valley was now a bottomless Lake, with only the very top of the Rock pillar in the center visible, like a tiny island floating in the middle of the Lake.

Two people stood on the island. One carried a large sword and stood against the wind, his slightly narrowed eyes revealing a frenzied fighting spirit.

The other person looked listless and pale, clutching his chest and kneeling on the ground, feeling a sharp pain even when breathing.

"Shorter than expected, not bad..." Itachi calmly turned his gaze to the southeast, his thoughts already drifting far away.

In the Land of Rain, the drizzling raindrops form a hazy mist, which veils the towering Tower like a mysterious veil.

Black Zetsu's aura suddenly approached, directly exposed to the rain.

Because of the Rain Tiger At Will Technique, Black Zetsu's body can be detected by the Nagato whenever it comes into contact with rainwater, but this is how he enters the Land of Rain every time.

"Black Zetsu is back. Looks like he has important intelligence." Black Zetsu would never personally deliver ordinary intelligence; whenever Black Zetsu appears, it must be important information.

Deva Path stood by the window with an icy expression, his gaze fixed on the swirling rain, yet not a single raindrop was reflected in his eyes.

His eyes were fixed on the continuous rain, but his mind was elsewhere.

Konan took two steps forward and stood behind Deva Path, looking out at the rain curtain with him.

"Could something have happened to the Three-Tails or the Four-Tails?" If the Three-Tails or the Four-Tails were successfully captured, news would be sent directly from both sides.

The chances of Black Zetsu reappearing at this particular time being good news are very low.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Deva Path suddenly turned around, his indifferent gaze fixed on a shadowy corner of the room.

Konan turned her head expressionlessly, following Deva Path's gaze.

A Pitcher Plant slowly emerged from the shadows, then parted to reveal a half-black, half-white monster.

"Huh? I always become the center of attention whenever I come here, it's a little uncomfortable!" the half-white-faced man said sarcastically.

He was met only with two icy faces and indifferent, cold eyes.

Black Zetsu shrugged indifferently, slowly walking up to a stop five steps in front of Deva Path. "There's something I think would be better if you received advance notice."

"What is it?" Deva Path Dao replied perfunctorily.

Black Zetsu was used to the Deva Path Dao's deadpan expression, but he still didn't like this way of talking. He was too lazy to beat around the bush and went straight to the Gate of Opening.

"Sasori and Deidara's plan to capture the Three-Tails has failed."

"They failed?" Konan was slightly surprised. Sasori and Deidara were very strong, enough to be equivalent to a large ninja battalion.

The Three-Tails was not sealed inside Jinchūriki, but existed in its wild form.

With their combined strength—no, even either of them could easily handle the Three-Tails in its wild state—the reality was that their plan to capture the Three-Tails had failed.

The reason for that failure can only be one thing: Kirigakure!

Konan could think of it, Nagato could naturally think of it too: the Three-Tails inhabits a hidden body of water in the Land of Water.

The only entity with the strength, opportunity, and ability to intervene in this matter, and the capacity to defeat Sasori and Deidara, is Kirigakure.

"What detailed information? Could Sasori and Deidara be dead?" Konan maintained her cold demeanor, but a hint of urgency could be detected in her words.

"Sasori and Deidara aren't dead; they've retreated back into the Land of Fire," Black Zetsu said in a deep voice. "That's all the information we have; I don't know the specifics."

Upon hearing this, both Deva Path and Konan's pupils constricted. They didn't even have detailed information?

The Kirigakure shouldn't be that strong...

At the same time, Tōka, who had just entered the territory of the Land of Waterfalls, also received the same information, but the messenger was only a White Zetsu.

And it also has an additional name, the name of the Kirigakure Ninja who made Sasori and Deidara return empty-handed.

"Mei Terumī." Tōka clenched his five fingers, crumpling the intelligence Scroll in his palm into a ball of Waste Paper. It was impossible not to be surprised.

Among Sasori's Human Puppet, besides the Third Tsuchikage who was retrieved by Tōka, there are also the Third Raikage, the Third Hokage, the Third Kazekage Fourth Mizukage, and the Hanzō the Half-God.

This powerful lineup can't possibly lose to a woman?

Deidara is no pushover either; he is incredibly powerful, his Jutsu Formula are extremely potent, and they are not limited by geographical location.

"Is there nothing else besides these?" Tōka was still somewhat skeptical; the Art Group's strength was not something Mei Terumī could handle.

"The battle area was too vast at the time, and White Zetsu, who was in charge of surveillance, couldn't get close, so this is all the intelligence we have," White Zetsu replied meticulously.

Upon hearing this, Tōka waved his hand, indicating that White Zetsu could leave.

The capture of the Three-Tails failed, meaning that capturing the One-Tail is useless, because if the One-Tail, the Three-Tails, and the Four-Tails are not sealed...

The subsequent Six-Tails could not be sealed, so capturing the Seven-Tails in the Land of Waterfalls was useless.

"Never mind, let's wait until Kimimaro Squad before making any plans."

Tōka looked up at the sun by the river, determined her direction, and then walked upstream along the river, making sure there were no errors on the map.

Further upstream along this river lies Big Valley Town, a small town with over a thousand households.

Town with over a thousand households are common in the Land of Fire, but not so in the Land of Waterfalls. This Town is considered relatively large, and it is also the place where Big Valley Town, Tōka, and the Kimimaro made their promise.

The river flows swiftly, and fish and shrimp frolic in its waters. It is springtime, a time of renewal for all things, and the area around the river is teeming with life.

Walking upstream along the river, my feet tread on fresh, clean soil.

The smell of mud mixed with the fresh fragrance of tender grass wafted in on the breeze, instantly making one feel refreshed and relaxed.

The two-quarters-hour journey seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and the small town nestled in the Mountain Stream came into view.

The river flows through the middle of Big Valley Town, which is built in the mountains and Big Valley Town. There are forests in the Yamanaka, water in the forests, and a town on the water.

"This place is nice." Tōka really hadn't expected that Land of Waterfalls would have such a place.

Upon further reflection, Tōka understood. If they didn't have some strength, how could Takigakure have possibly obtained the Seven-Tails from the First Hokage?

Unlike the Land of Rivers and Land of Grass, which are Small Nation situated between major powers, the Land of Waterfalls should be considered a second-tier power below the Five Great Nations.

Located not far from the Land of Fire, it is considered a border region of the Land of Waterfalls, and also a central region of the Land of Waterfalls, since the Land of Land of Waterfalls is not very large.

Outsiders frequently visit Big Valley Town, and in fact, besides the more than a thousand native residents, many shops are Teuchi merchants from the Land of Fire.

Tōka was dressed casually, the typical attire of a resident of the Land of Fire, and did not attract much attention as she entered the Town.

I randomly picked a restaurant that looked decent and went inside.

Several furtive figures followed, disappearing into the alley around the corner from the restaurant entrance, seemingly waiting in ambush!

When he was young, Tōka, having eaten and drunk his fill, strolled out with his hands in his pockets. He wanted to take a nap after eating, what a lazy life!

As expected, Tōka turned and walked into the alley. Behind the restaurant was a Hot Spring hotel, which used to be connected to the restaurant.

Today, because the store's passageway was under renovation, Tōka was led by Waiter into a small alley.

"Boss, that unfamiliar face really came in. The clothes are nice, looks like a rich guy!" a short, weasel-faced man said with a grin.

Suddenly, several shady-looking thugs surrounded Tōka from the shadows of the alley.

Tōka tilted her head, debating whether to soak in the Hot Spring first and then go to sleep, or to sleep well first and then go to the Hot Spring.

Sudden!

Two dark shadows flashed by in a flash, and the sharp blades that gleamed with a cold light almost grazed Tōka's ear. The cold light entered his ear and "startled" Tōka awake.

He subconsciously looked up...

Ding-dong!

The two Kunai landed precisely an inch in front of the toes of the thug walking at the front.

If he takes just one more step forward, his feet will be pinned to the ground by the Kunai.

Thump!

A group of cowardly thugs were terrified. They sat down on the ground, huddled together, trembling like frightened Rabbit.

"Teacher Tōka." Three dark figures One Flash and appeared directly in front of Tōka.

Kimimaro stood expressionlessly in front of Tōka: "Teacher is still so strong. The Kunai he shot was clearly aimed at the hearts of those two people. Teacher must have made the move secretly."

Yakumo's face flushed slightly. "Teacher is still so young and beautiful..."

Karin clutched her chest, feeling the pounding of her heart... The teacher is so handsome, the more I look at him, the more I like him! Oh no! What should I do?!

"Aren't they supposed to arrive tomorrow?" Tōka asked, looking at each of the three people one by one.

"I came all the way here, and also did some Taijutsu training." Kimimaro glanced secretly at the two guys behind him. Would I say these two just wanted to see you as soon as possible?

Tōka nodded. It's better to arrive a little earlier.

Then, he smiled and patted Kimimaro on the shoulder.

"Her strength has increased considerably, and her figure should be fine now, right? She's grown up and become more beautiful. Hmm... Has she caused Kimimaro any trouble?"

The first sentence was spoken to Kimimaro, the second to the Yakumo, and the third to Karin.

Upon hearing this, all three of them were overjoyed.

Although Tōka, their cheap teacher, had barely taught them any classes, the three of them genuinely respected and liked Tōka.

"I haven't had a relapse." Kimimaro's icy voice softened slightly. As long as Budong his Kekkei Genkai, his physical condition remained healthy.

Looking at Kimimaro, Tōka knew he wasn't lying to him, because when he patted Kimimaro's shoulder just now, Tōka sensed that there was still a lot of Yang Release Chakra left in Kimimaro's body several years ago.

As long as the chakra that Tōka left in Kimimaro's body is still there, his body will be fine.

Even if the power of the Shikotsumyaku is used, the side effects will be offset by Yang Release Chakra.

"I haven't been around to help you guys all these years, I wonder if you've been slacking off." Tōka's lips curled up, but his gaze drifted to behind the three of them.

Kimimaro immediately understood Tōka's meaning. He moved swiftly and flashed in front of the group who were trying to escape.

They didn't even give these useless idiots a chance to react...

A white figure fluttered through the crowd, moving like a stunningly beautiful woman in dance. In a moment, with a thud, everyone was knocked to the ground.

Because Tōka had intervened earlier, Kimimaro didn't kill them this time, but instead knocked them all unconscious.

Tōka had his reasons for not killing them; Tōka believed Kimimaro Tōka's will was his own.

In the few breaths it took for Kimimaro to make his move, a fleeting Ice Blue halo flashed across Tōka's eyes.

This time, it was Tōka's turn to be surprised.

"He's very fast. In a pure Taijutsu duel, I don't think I can beat this kid!" Tōka's Taijutsu is the weakest of all his strengths, but it's still at the Jonin.

After all, he had trained with Kai, but the movements of this handsome young man almost dazzled him.

The fleeting Ice Blue in his eyes was naturally because Tōka's eyesight couldn't keep up with Kimimaro's movements, Eternal Tenseigan to activate automatically.

"Very good, very good." Tōka's voice rang out, his satisfied smile undisguised.

Kimimaro's heart stirred slightly. Wasn't all those years of arduous training all for this moment? To receive a word of praise from his teacher was enough!

Finally, Tōka withdrew his gaze and fixed it on Yakumo.

"Yakumo, it's your turn now."

"Understood." Yakumo nodded slightly, and at the same time extended her slender finger to touch the person's brow.

Tōka's intention was simple: he wanted to gather intelligence from these three thugs. Understanding the major forces in the area was fastest starting with the thugs!

Yakumo's eyelids drooped, and chakra gathered at his fingertips.

Genjutsu: The Heart-Peering Technique!