Choices

This battle, which took place on the southern border of the Land of Lightning, lasted for most of the day before finally coming to an end.

As the sun set, the land within a radius of several kilometers was ravaged and cracked, and among the fallen corpses of the Hidden Cloud Village, almost none were intact.

In addition, Kunai, Shuriken, Ninja Blade and other weapons were scattered in the soil, mixed with pungent blood.

The entire land resembled a man-made hellscape.

Doichi sat wearily atop the Tsuchigumo's head, gazing at the Hidden Cloud Village ninjas fleeing into the distance under the setting sun, and let out a long breath.

Although he suffered minimal damage in the battle against the Hidden Cloud Village, his Chakra were clearly depleted, making it impossible for him to fight a full-force battle.

This was the first time he had ever experienced such a depletion of Chakra since graduating from Military School.

In the past, I only felt this tired and unwilling to move when I was being strictly trained by my parents during my student days.

Beside him lay three unconscious Uzumaki Clan members with red hair, who were Uzumaki clan hostages who had been Hidden Cloud Village and brought here by the Uzumaki Clan ninja.

If the three Uzumaki Clan hostages hadn't been rescued, the battle would likely have continued for some time.

Beneath him, the Tsuchigumo was also covered in mud, as if it had just crawled out of the mud. Its soft gray fur-covered lower abdomen swelled and contracted, and it breathed slightly.

After chasing the Third Raikage for over thirty hours with Doichi, and then engaging in a high-intensity battle that lasted for most of the day, its current condition has also deteriorated significantly.

"That Raikage kid is really something, he's managed to hold out for so long..."

Tsuchigumo Hidden Cloud Village fleeing into the distant sunset and suddenly sighed.

"In terms of physical strength and Chakra, it's truly astonishing... I never expected him to last this long."

Doichi nodded seriously.

In the battle just now, even when he was exhausted to the point of fainting, the Third Raikage did not flinch at all. Instead, he fought to the very end with his indomitable willpower.

This head-on clash brought about a pure and unadulterated battle, giving Doichi an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

After the battle just now, Doichi also figured out the upper limit of his and the Third Raikage's strength.

It's certain that I'm stronger than the Third Raikage, but not to the point of completely overwhelming him.

After all, the Third Raikage A was incredibly resilient, had amazing stamina, and Chakra reserves on par with those of the Tailed Beasts.

If it weren't for his Gentle Fist, which can penetrate strikes, and the fact that his Chakra level is also at the Tailed Beasts level, he would probably have had an even harder time in this battle.

In particular, the Third Raikage Third Raikage had specifically trained his internal organs to defend against Gentle Fist, which made him exceptionally resilient to the pressure of Gentle Fist.

It seems that over the past ten years or so, not only has he been striving forward, but the Third Raikage has also been constantly seeking greater power, never slacking off in his training.

To defend against the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, the Third Raikage Raikage, A, went to great lengths, likely stealing Secret Technique from many countries to train his body to be so resilient.

"Alright, let's go. Staying any longer might be too dangerous..."

Doichi patted the wrinkles on his clothes, stood up from the top of the Tsuchigumo's head, and glanced at the ground not far away with his Byakugan.

"What's wrong?"

Seemingly sensing the intriguing look in Doichi's eyes, Tsuchigumo uttered a question.

"No, it's nothing, let's go back."

Doichi shook his head, offering no further explanation.

In his Byakugan, he saw several bizarre White Humanoid Creatures... These unidentified White-skinned Humans looked almost identical, unlike clones.

Furthermore, while providing support in the battle at Uzushiogakure, these white-skinned creatures remained underground to observe.

'I can't sense the presence of living beings, but they definitely have life... Could the sudden attack on Uzushiogakure be related to these things?'

Doichi was meticulous and, although he knew that this incident might not be as simple as it seemed on the surface, he did not make a fuss about it.

He silently noted all these anomalies in his mind, intending to investigate the cause and effect of the matter when he returned, without making any move to alert the enemy at this time.

◎

The news that Uzushiogakure Uzumaki Clan suffered heavy losses in a joint attack by Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Mist Village was impossible to conceal.

Three days after the attack on the Uzumaki Clan, high-ranking officials in many countries learned the general details and course of events.

Especially the other ninja villages of the Five Great Nations that were unrelated to this matter. They knew more about it and the details were the most comprehensive.

They not only knew about the attacks by Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Mist Village, but also, through their spies, discovered that about half an hour after the Uzumaki Clan was attacked, Oda Doichi, the Second Shogun of the Land of Night, and his brother, Rikuo Oda, the head of the Land of Night's Special Assault Department, arrived in time to provide strong support to Uzushiogakure.

If it weren't for the appearance of these two, the entire Uzumaki Clan would have been wiped out by Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Mist Village; there would have been no other outcome.

Compared to ninja villages, ninja clans, which are organized into groups, are undoubtedly a symbol of backwardness.

Even though the Uzumaki Clan, as a single ninja clan, is already quite strong, it is simply not worth mentioning when compared with the ninja villages of major powers.

If it weren't for the sake of the Land of Night and Konoha, this single family, which hadn't integrated into the major powers' systems, would most likely not have survived until now and would have been wiped off the map.

Therefore, the attack on Uzushiogakure was both unexpected and expected by various countries.

After several days of rest, the Uzumaki Clan Uzumaki Clan is slowly recovering, and all nations are curious about their next move.

They've caught their breath now, but as long as the Uzumaki Clan remains in the Land of Whirlpool, they can't be considered truly safe.

Once an attack happens, it will inevitably happen again.

If the Uzumaki Clan wants to continue its lineage, it now only has two paths to choose from: join the Land of Night or join Konoha.

Of course, you can also choose the third path – rebuilding the Uzushiogakure.

However, this path is somewhat suicidal.

This is a problem that not only the Land of Night and Konoha are aware of, but the Uzumaki Clan, who are at the heart of the incident, must also understand it deeply.

--In a Camp not far from the Uzushiogakure Ruins, the remaining members of the Uzumaki Clan, along with some Ordinary People had suffered but were fortunate enough to survive, were temporarily settling down.

Most people wore expressions of grief, and some, upon seeing the bodies of their loved ones, wept bitterly.

The entire Camp was infected by this atmosphere of grief, and the atmosphere became extremely oppressive.

Not far from the largest tent in the Camp, Doichi, who had returned with the rescued hostages, was resting on a flattened Wooden Stump.

Beside him, Rikuo was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed.

His gaze fell on the group of Konoha Anbu more than twenty meters away. This group of Konoha Anbu had arrived here two days ago, along with the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At this moment, the Hokage was in the Camp, discussing matters with Uzumaki Teruaki, the temporary head of the Uzumaki Clan.

"Big brother, aren't you worried at Doichi?"

Rikuo withdrew his gaze and Doichi in a rather teasing tone.

What are you worried about?

"Although the Uzumaki Clan suffered heavy losses, the remaining clan members, including sixty or seventy ninjas alone... This is a formidable force for any organization, not to mention that most of them are exceptional talents."

Rikuo didn't believe that Doichi was completely unmoved.

The situation within the Uzumaki Clan has gradually stabilized. Therefore, the first issue to consider is the pressing problem facing all members of the Uzumaki Clan: what is the next step for the clan?

Rebuilding the Uzushiogakure would be nothing more than repeating the same mistakes.

Therefore, the Uzumaki Clan only had two choices: either join the Land of Night or join Konoha.

He was certain that the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was currently discussing with the Uzumaki Clan Uzumaki Clan the clan's future development direction.

"Well..." Doichi didn't keep him in suspense and replied directly to Rikuo, "I've already sent Erika over, and people from the Heavenly Dao Palace are also coming... They should be arriving soon."

Erika, his concubine from the Uzumaki Clan, now holds a high-level management position in the Special Support Department of the Land of Night's Military Bureau, responsible for special components such as seals and Barrier.

As for who will come from the Heavenly Dao Palace, it goes without saying.

Hearing Doichi say this, Rikuo finally understood why Doichi wasn't in a hurry.

As outsiders, if we act too eagerly towards the Uzumaki Clan at this time, it would be suspected of taking advantage of their misfortune.

Even the slightest probing could trigger the sensitive nerves of the Uzumaki Clan at this moment.

But when family members from the same clan come to interact, it feels much more personal, more dignified and natural, and it also creates a strong sense of empathy with the people here.

Not to mention, there's also the debt of gratitude for saving my life from before.

In contrast, Konoha's methods seemed much more rigid and dry, giving the impression that they were just forcing their way in.

Of course, Konoha could try to appeal to emotions and get the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to come... but unfortunately, that would be too difficult.

Thinking of this, Rikuo glanced at Doichi again. Dao Yi appeared to be a quiet and honest man, but his mind was actually full of scheming ideas.

This subtle and pervasive way of touching people's hearts is increasingly reminiscent of the retired Old Deng.