Shock on the Heels of Victory

In the Central Army Tent, Jiraiya was equally perplexed by Shikaku's question, which was also what he wanted to ask.

He turned his gaze to the Anbu Ninja had come with him, his eyes filled with inquiry. He believed that these people would give him an answer.

Seeing Jiraiya's gaze, Shikaku and the other two advisors also looked over. Although they had the responsibility to monitor Jiraiya, it didn't mean they didn't love Konoha. They were also curious about the reason behind such a ridiculous order.

As expected, the squad Captain of the Anbu did not disappoint everyone and revealed what he knew.

"Actually, if it had been another day, Lord Jiraiya would have received the intelligence from the village," the squad Captain began, "Iwagakure has sent another 500 ninja to the front lines—"

"We know they've sent an additional 500 ninjas. Not only have they increased their troops, but the Cloud Village has too!" An advisor hurriedly offered his opinion before the Anbu could finish speaking, but as he spoke, he realized what was going on.

"You mean Iwagakure added another 500 ninja after the initial 500?"

"Yes." The Anbu squad Captain nodded. "In reality, it's far more than 500 people. Sunagakure and Cloud Village have already increased their numbers in small numbers during this period, but none of them are as many as the one-time increase sent by Iwagakure."

The Hokage-sama and elders believed that Konoha urgently needed a stable Southern Front so that it could focus its efforts on dealing with other ninja villages. Furthermore, the Offensive-Defensive Alliance Treaty proposed by Chiyo led them to agree to release the prisoners.

"An alliance of offense and defense?" Jiraiya smiled helplessly, but his smile was full of disappointment.

Shikaku and his two advisors were also speechless.

They were certainly angry. But were the Village Higher-Ups wrong? They were acting in the best interests of the village. The result was simply unacceptable; they won on the battlefield but lost at the negotiating table!

"Lord Jiraiya, shall we?" Shikaku looked at Jiraiya, awaiting his orders. After all, this was the front line, and it was common for generals in the field to disobey orders.

A tense atmosphere settled over the tent, and everyone looked at Jiraiya, especially the two advisors, who knew about his secret mission.

Jiraiya glanced at the crowd, then suddenly grinned and laughed, "Haha, what are you all thinking? Since the village has given the order, of course we're releasing them. Are we going to keep feeding them? Over a hundred people! What a waste of food!"

The atmosphere inside the tent immediately relaxed.

"Shikaku, take Chiyo up later. Be discreet and don't attract too much attention. Then send someone to escort them away from the Land of Rivers. I won't see her; seeing her makes me anxious!"

"Yes!"

One hour later.

Chiyo her three companions, led by Shikaku, met the more than one hundred Sunagakure prisoners. Overall, they were in fairly good condition; Konoha has always been renowned for its public image.

Regarding the treatment of prisoners, unless we really need to get some valuable information from you, Konoha's treatment of prisoners is arguably the best among the Five Great Nations.

However, when Chiyo saw Shamon lying in bed, her previously pleasant mood vanished completely.

You might as well have just sacrificed yourself on the spot, even committed Suicide, then the village would still consider you a hero.

In this state, all the valuable information in his mind has probably been extracted, including all of Sunagakure's secrets.

"Elder Chiyo, as you know, prisoners are naturally subjected to certain methods. Besides, we were enemies at the time, so I hope you don't mind!"

Seeing Chiyo staring Shikaku at Shamon, Shikaku took a few steps forward and gave a serious explanation.

It would have been better if she hadn't explained it; the explanation only made Chiyo angrier, so angry that her liver ached!

"Nara Advisor, let's hand over the duties quickly. The village is waiting for me to return and report, so we can cooperate with Konoha in defending Iwagakure!"

Chiyo was no pushover either; she shut Shikaku with just one sentence.

The handover proceeded smoothly and quickly, with both sides completing the procedures in no time.

However, such a commotion was eventually discovered by other ninjas, and after some investigation, they were immediately in an uproar.

These were captured at the cost of their comrades' lives, and their hands might even be stained with the blood of their own comrades. How could these Konoha Ninja remain calm?

The surging crowd nearly killed the prisoners who had just been handed over on the spot, but Jiraiya and calmed everyone down.

"Brothers! Calm down!"

I know better than anyone what price we paid for these prisoners, and watching them being sent away like this breaks my heart.

However, Iwagakure and Cloud Village have already deployed troops to the border and are continuing to increase their forces. The village urgently needs a stable Southern Front to prevent us from being attacked from both sides.

Releasing them is not tantamount to admitting defeat; it's to prevent more Konoha comrades from dying due to overwhelming odds.

"By exchanging these hundred-plus prisoners for Sunagakure to turn its blades against Iwagakure, we can ensure that more of our brothers survive this war—"

The once noisy crowd gradually quieted down until only the rustling of the wind through the tents remained.

Everyone watched quietly as the man standing on the high place—their Commander, Jiraiya.

Until the first ninja silently turned and left the scene, followed by the second, the third...

No one uttered a word, seemingly choosing to believe Jiraiya's words.

After much trouble, Chiyo and the others finally left the Konoha Camp safely. Without stopping, accompanied by Konoha Ninja, they headed towards the Land of Wind at top speed.

The exchange of prisoners seemed to have passed peacefully, and everyone seemed to have accepted Jiraiya's explanation.

But no one can guarantee whether this incident has left any mark on everyone's hearts—whether it reflects distrust of the Third Hokage or disappointment with all the higher-ups.

Nobody knows!

A day later, Taiichi circled around the Land of Wind and finally re-entered the Land of Land of Rivers. However, he dared not relax in the slightest and maintained the fastest marching speed as he headed towards the front Camp.

It wasn't that he didn't want to rest more; it was simply that the intelligence he possessed was too important. The sooner Konoha learned the truth, the sooner they could make arrangements and gain more initiative.

By noon, Taiichi, who had been without sleep for more than a day, finally arrived at the Camp.

The ninja Captain guarding the gate, upon seeing a disheveled ninja rushing towards him at high speed, initially mistook it for an enemy attack. Just as he was about to call his comrades to join him, a loud shout rang out.

"I am Taichi Matsushita, and I have urgent business with Lord Jiraiya!"

The Captain of the gatekeeper looked closely and exclaimed, "It is indeed Taiichi! Make way Asuka, you take over the gate. I will accompany Taiichi to the Central Army Tent!"

The group, who had been in a defensive stance, immediately moved aside. Taiichi swept past them, leaving only a "thank you" before rushing into the Camp.

The Captain followed closely behind, accompanying Taiichi he rushed into the Camp.

Such a reckless act naturally attracted everyone's attention, especially when they saw that the person who came was Taiichi, which sparked another round of discussion.

When Taiichi arrived at the Central Army Tent, he thanked the gatekeeper Captain. If the captain hadn't been by his side, he would have been stopped and questioned by the patrolling ninjas for his actions.

Entering the tent, Taiichi found many ninjas inside, seemingly discussing the matter of recalling ninjas to the village. Judging from their relaxed demeanor and smiling faces, Taiichi knew the discussion was going smoothly.

It's just unknown what Jiraiya's expression will be when Jiraiya learns of the message he brought back.

When everyone saw Taiichi enter, they looked surprised, but they all gave him Taiichi looks, and those who were familiar with him even greeted him.

"Hey, Taiichi, where did you come from!"

"Taiichi, your outfit is rather unsightly!"

Jiraiya at the head of the table, naturally saw Taiichi and jokingly said, "Taiichi, why are you back so soon? Wasn't your mission deadline a month? We're not busy at all here right now. You can relax outside after completing your mission!"

As he spoke, he winked at Taiichi, making the ninjas on the field burst into laughter.

Taiichi was speechless. He didn't know whether having such a teacher and superior was a good thing or a bad thing. Fortunately, Tsunade wasn't here, otherwise she would have broken a few more of Jiraiya's ribs.

"Lord Jiraiya, there is extremely important information regarding Sunagakure! Please dismiss everyone!"

Jiraiya was taken aback. They were already allied with Sunagakure, so what urgent intelligence could there be? But then he realized that Taiichi, and he understood.

But since Taiichi has already said such a thing, then according to the procedure, what needs to be done still needs to be done.

"Everyone, since that's the case, those who should withdraw should withdraw. Everyone should go back and prepare for what we just discussed."

"Yes!"

After everyone left the tent, only Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Taiichi remained in the field.

"Speak, Taiichi, what important information do you have?" Jiraiya said nonchalantly.

"The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure —was murdered!" Taiichi said, his face solemn, enunciating each word clearly.

"Ha~ You killed him?" Jiraiya was still out of sorts, his reply tinged with a joke. Shikaku, on the other hand, immediately turned serious.

"It was Sunagakure, the Rogue Ninja from Sasori of the Red Sands, who killed him."

The scene fell silent for a few seconds.

Jiraiya's smile gradually faded as he looked at Taiichi, "You're serious!"

"It's absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes, I brought back even the Kazekage's body!"

"Crack!" Taiichi seemed to hear the sound of his jaw hitting the ground.

Jiraiya stared wide-eyed, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

The same goes for Shikaku; it just sounds so unbelievable.

Kazekage was killed—you witnessed it with your own eyes—and you even brought his body back!

Are you sure you didn't kill Kazekage?

As if afraid that the stimulation he had given was not enough, Taiichi took out the Sealing Scroll contained the Kazekage's corpse and broke the seal by forming Hand Seals.

After a puff of white smoke, a perfectly intact corpse appeared on the ground.

Jiraiya and Shikaku immediately stood up and walked over in a few steps to carefully examine the corpse.

The iconic Kazekage Mizukage Haori, the only thing missing was the Kazekage hat, and the face was unmistakable; they would never mistake it. Therefore, this corpse was indeed the Third Kazekage.

Jiraiya and Shikaku exchanged a glance, both realizing the gravity of the situation. The village's Kage was dead, and they had just signed an alliance treaty with Sunagakure. How were they supposed to settle this?

"By the way, you said the Kazekage was killed by Sasori of the Red Sands, so where is he? Did he escape?" Jiraiya clenched his right fist and pounded his forehead, feeling quite troubled.

"No, the two fought a fierce battle, Sasori of the Red Sands was also seriously injured. I was hiding nearby, so I sneaked over and killed him!"

Taiichi scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed. He had simply gotten lucky, and by a large margin, he had gotten two big ones.

As he spoke, Taiichi took out the scroll that sealed the scorpion and released the scorpion's corpse.

Jiraiya and Shikaku were no longer willing to say anything. The existence of the Kazekage was already shocking enough, and now with Sasori of the Red Sands added to the mix, they were completely numb to it all.

"Taiichi, please tell me the whole story in detail. Stop making such a fuss, it's really taking a toll on my heart!" Jiraiya sighed, looking up at the sky, no longer wanting to say anything.

Taiichi knew he couldn't provoke them any further, so he honestly recounted how Scout the Oasis Camp, how he learned of the Kazekage's existence, how he was alerted by the battle between the Kazekage and the Sasori of the Red Sand, their conversation, the battle itself, and how he finally launched a sneak attack.

He recounted everything to Jiraiya in detail.

Jiraiya and Shikaku were stunned. In the end, they could only say that it was full of coincidences. If even one thing didn't match up, Taiichi wouldn't have been able to become the last mantis stalking the cicada.

"So what should we do now? Should we send ninjas back to Konoha?" Shikaku asked, voicing his doubts. They had just been discussing this very issue.

"What a load of rubbish! The Kazekage just died, Sunagakure is probably going crazy. Notify the entire army to increase alert; who knows what Sunagakure will do next!"

Jiraiya, then said with a look of regret, "It's a pity we agreed to Chiyo's request too quickly. If we had waited another day, that old woman would be begging us."

Shikaku looked helpless. He didn't feel sorry for Sunagakure, but he was worried that after this incident, would Sunagakure still uphold the alliance?

"Taiichi, this information is extremely important. You've done a great service. I need to report to the village immediately." Jiraiya was decisive and acted swiftly. He turned back, then remembered something and continued to Taiichi, "These two corpses are also of immense value, both in terms of intelligence and research. I will hand them over to the village as well. But don't worry, you'll receive your due reward. I think choosing a Ninjutsu as a reward from the Scroll of Sealing is absolutely no problem."

Taiichi. He had known all along that he couldn't keep the two corpses, and he hadn't intended to take them back when he brought them out. However, he had already taken everything he could, including a considerable number of body samples.

The fact that I can now choose Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Sealing is an extra bonus.

Flying Thunder God, Spirit Transformation Technique, Bringer-of-Darkness Technique —these are all Ninjutsu he has always dreamed of.

"Thank you, Jiraiya- sensei!" Taiichi quickly thanked him.

"You little rascal, now you know to call me 'teacher'!" Jiraiya chuckled as he looked at Taiichi, who was grinning foolishly. He casually sealed the two corpses and then said, "Go and rest. You look exhausted!"

Reminded by Jiraiya, Taiichi did indeed feel a wave of fatigue wash over him, so he didn't linger any longer and took his leave of the tent.

After Taiichi left the tent, Shikaku said with a smile, "Lord Jiraiya really has a good disciple; it's truly enviable!"

"Ah~ Haha, it's nothing, nothing at all. Besides, I'm not the only master Taiichi has. I'm at most second in rank." Jiraiya didn't take credit, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Second? Then the first should be Lady Tsunade. It is said that Taiichi's Medical Ninjutsu was passed down from Lady Tsunade. He has such an enviable talent and connections. It's just that he is too young.

Shikaku thought to himself.

On the other side, at the border of the Land of Wind, having just bid farewell to the ninja sent by Konoha to escort them, Chiyo led more than 100 Sunagakure Ninja prisoners who had been released back into the territory of the Land of Wind.

For a moment, everyone was filled with mixed emotions, especially the prisoners; some of the more emotional ones had already shed tears.

Life in Konoha was tough. Although the Konoha didn't mistreat them, they were still frequently beaten and verbally abused, especially in the early days after their capture. They thought they would be killed by Konoha Ninja in revenge. Every day was filled with torment.

"Alright, let's hurry and get going. We'll reach the Border Troops' Camp in another hour!"

Chiyo addressed the crowd, saying that she had exceeded expectations in her mission, using the international situation to force Konoha to release the Sunagakure prisoners. As for the alliance treaty, she considered it worthless; when the time came to break it, it was just a piece of waste paper.

Seeing these guys crying and sobbing when I'm happy, even though I understand, still makes me feel a bit disappointed.

Just as he was about to urge them a few more times, he suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance, where, in the blur, a group of ninjas was rapidly approaching.

Did the frontline Camp know I was coming back today and send someone to greet me?

Chiyo thought to herself, but then realized something was wrong; she hadn't revealed her whereabouts.

While Chiyo was pondering, the group of ninjas had already approached the location.

Such a large, conspicuous group of people naturally attracted their attention. If they hadn't noticed that they were all wearing Sunagakure uniforms, they would have run away long ago!

"It's Chiyo! She brought back all her comrades who were captured by Konoha!"

The Sand Village Ninja at the forefront spotted Elder Chiyo in the group, and then looked at the more than one hundred people behind her. He immediately realized it was Chiyo's mission and loudly notified his three companions behind him.

At this point, Chiyo realized she had misunderstood; this group of ninjas must have had other missions, and their encounter could only be a coincidence.

Just as Chiyo was about to say goodbye to them, she noticed that the squad Captain looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, which piqued her curiosity.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Chiyo looked at the Captain. She was a straightforward person and asked directly if she had any questions.

Seeing that Elder Chiyo had noticed him, the squad Captain breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a few instructions to his team members, then stepped forward alone and said to Chiyo, "Elder, may I speak with you in private?"

Chiyo was suspicious, but she still followed the squad Captain to the side.

"This isn't something I should be saying, but since the elder has shown me kindness in the past, I should inform you beforehand!"

Chiyo then took a closer look at the Captain and indeed found him somewhat familiar. Chiyo gestured for him to continue.

"Lord Kazekage has gone missing!"