Hostility from Kirigakure

Letting someone with a "Kekkei Genkai" escape for nothing did not leave Long Ye with any regrets.

Although he desperately needed Kekkei Genkai to strengthen himself, it also depended on whose power it was.

If this Pakura fought him, she might not even be able to defeat his Explosion Release.

Scorch Release was rare, but the current Pakura did not even possess Near-Kage Level strength.

In a war, Scorch Release was indeed capable of killing hundreds of cannon fodder at once. But when used in a proper battle against an Elite Jonin, its strength was at most upper-tier.

It was not that this Kekkei Genkai was weak. Rather, the current Pakura had yet to develop its power to any deeper level, and had only scratched the surface.

A Kekkei Genkai that was not much stronger than his Explosion Release would be useless to Long Ye even if he obtained it.

More importantly, his current Human Modification ability had one fatal flaw: the power he obtained was transplanted and could not evolve from its original foundation.

In other words, whatever power a Kekkei Genkai possessed in its original owner, that was the power it would have in him as well. Moreover, it would be permanent and unable to evolve.

Thus, Scorch Release held little attraction for him. Even if he obtained it, it would not enhance his strength by much.

What he urgently needed was the Kekkei Genkai of a Near-Kage Level expert. Only power at that level could greatly increase his current strength.

The awkward part was that his current strength was not enough to defeat such an expert, so obtaining his second Kekkei Genkai would depend more on fate and luck.

Long Ye was just about to continue on his way when a long-missed system voice suddenly rang in his ears:

[Using the Op-Op Fruit ability for the first time to save a Kekkei Genkai user, you have received one Demon Point.]

"Saving someone gives rewards too?" Long Ye asked, stunned.

Previously, he had thought that he would only be rewarded with Demon Points after defeating a Kekkei Genkai user. Yet after inadvertently saving someone, he had received a reward as well.

Through the invisible Devil Mark on his forehead beneath his forehead protector, he awakened the system and opened the "Ability Attributes" page, then added the point he had obtained to "Human Modification."

However, this ability required two points to advance to the second stage, so adding the point produced no change.

Long Ye glanced at the thousands of Kunai scattered across the ground. Following the principle that something free was worth taking, he used a "Ninja Tool Sealing" scroll to seal them all inside.

Once this many Kunai were launched, they would themselves constitute considerable force. At certain times, they could even be far more useful than any ninjutsu.

After completing his final sweep, he continued toward Kirigakure...

"Stop! Take one more step forward, and I'll kill you where you stand."

Through the thick fog, Long Ye could vaguely make out Kirigakure hidden within it. As he swaggered forward, a furious shout suddenly came from the side.

Seeing Long Ye act so boldly and fearlessly, unlike someone launching a sneak attack, the other party did not attack immediately and instead decided to question him first.

"Don't misunderstand! I was ordered to come here and deliver a handwritten letter from the Hokage to your Mizukage!" Long Ye shouted.

At the same time.

The Mizukage's office in Kirigakure.

"Has the person sent to assassinate the Sunagakure ninja Pakura still not returned?"

A person with the body of a child but wearing a Water Shadow Hat questioned the four people standing respectfully before him.

If Long Ye had been there, he would have recognized one of them at a glance. It was none other than Mei Terumi, whom he had once fought.

Three people stood in a line beside Mei Terumi, each carrying a strange sword.

"Reporting to the Mizukage, that person still has not returned," Mei Terumi replied.

"With assistance from Sunagakure and our arrangements, this assassination should have been foolproof, unless..."

The Mizukage's tone turned cold. "Unless Sunagakure played us and changed its mind at the last moment."

"That... shouldn't be the case, should it? Judging from the Kazekage's letter, they seemed very sincere. Besides, Your Excellency knows Sunagakure's situation well. They are already struggling to survive, so their request for peace should not be fake."

The Mizukage said nothing, and the room fell deathly silent.

At that moment, a hurried series of footsteps came from outside.

"Your Excellency, someone from Konohagakure has arrived and brought this."

A guard knelt on one knee and raised a scroll above his head with both hands.

The Mizukage raised a hand, and the guard immediately brought it over.

To the Mizukage of a nation, naturally, breaking the sealing technique on the scroll was effortless.

After unrolling the scroll and reading it for a moment, an eerie smile appeared at the corner of the Mizukage's mouth.

"It seems the Land of Fire can't hold out either. To stop the war and seek peace, they're willing to make such a massive concession. Bring the messenger in..."

The guard left for a moment, then returned with Long Ye.

"It's you!"

Mei Terumi recognized Long Ye at a glance.

"Oh? Do you know this messenger?"

The Mizukage looked at Mei Terumi.

Long Ye had not expected to meet this woman the moment he entered Kirigakure. He kept his eyes lowered and his nose straight ahead, putting on a calm appearance as though he had no interest in competing for anything.

Mei Terumi looked at Long Ye and smiled faintly. "Your Excellency, you must have heard this man's name. He is the Konoha Lightning who has become famous throughout the Shinobi World over the past year."

"What!"

The others present were shocked and instantly looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.

Every eye was filled with hatred, as though they wanted nothing more than to tear him limb from limb.

Over the past year, more than ten of Long Ye's missions had involved the Mist Ninja. In truth, he had not killed many of them; most had been killed by Shisui.

But the two of them were a team, so Kirigakure naturally attributed the other man's kills to him as well.

"So you're that Konoha Lightning! You killed dozens of experts from Kirigakure."

The Mizukage's expression remained indifferent, revealing neither anger nor joy.

Long Ye was not without concern. In this situation, with the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, and several other experts present, he had ventured deep into the tiger's den. If they attacked, he would face a genuine crisis of life and death.

Moreover, after what had happened with Pakura, he had also learned that Kirigakure under the rule of the Fourth Mizukage was governed entirely through hatred. Along the way, he had seen the same fierce hostility openly displayed on the faces of everyone in the village.

Yet outwardly, his expression remained perfectly calm. He smiled and said, "Because he recognized the cruelty of war, the Hokage sent me to deliver a letter expressing our desire to negotiate peace."

"Besides, quite a few Konoha shinobi have also died at the hands of your country. The Hokage can cast aside his hatred and negotiate with Your Excellency. I believe Your Excellency possesses the same breadth of spirit."

Before the Mizukage could respond, a voice suddenly roared from the side:

"I'll fight you to the death! I'll use your head to pay tribute to my dead brother!"

A burly man with a barrel-shaped body clenched both fists, his eyes bloodshot. His intense hatred caused his chakra to surge uncontrollably, stirring up wind in the room without any breeze.