LRAB Chapter 77 Black Flash, Famous Throughout the Ninja World
Chapter 77 Black Flash, Famous Throughout the Ninja World
Chapter 77 Black Flash, Famous Throughout the Ninja World
"How did it go? Did it work?"
In the forest, the three legendary Konoha ninja caught up with Yoru Gojo, who was using Lightning Release chakra to accelerate his Body Flicker. Orochimaru couldn't wait to speak, his eyes full of anticipation.
"I don't know, it was too dark to see clearly, and I couldn't sense it."
As he said this, Gojo Yoru's lips curled up slightly, a knowing look on his face: "It might have succeeded, or it might not have, but one thing is certain—it will definitely not be safe and sound."
This was also his first time using "this," and he couldn't perfectly control the capacity of space-time chakra. He used the last teleportation to remind the three legendary Sannin of Konoha, which made Gojo Yoru a little panicked, and he only thought about escaping to save his life.
After all, without space-time chakra, Gojo Yoru's true strength was merely that of a seasoned Chunin who could only manage to unleash a single Fire Release: Rasengan even after consuming all his chakra.
Like Obito Uchiha, Yoru Gojo had become dependent on Hollowfication. Suddenly losing this invincible protective shell, he also lost his confidence for a while.
Now that she's calmed down, Gojo first reflected on her actions in her mind, realizing she couldn't pretend like that anymore, otherwise it would be a bit ridiculous if Gojo turned into an Uchiha.
In some ways, Gojo seems to be no different from the Uchiha, and could put on a red nose at any time.
As for why Hanzo the Salamander didn't catch up, Gojo Yoru also came to a conclusion: there are three possibilities.
Firstly, his perception techniques were not at the level of Mito Uzumaki and the three great sages, so he couldn't detect the space-time chakra within Gojo Yoru's body.
The ultimate technique "This" that Gojo Yoru used consumed the most space-time chakra, almost completely draining the chakra stored in his own Yin-Yang seal.
Normal chakra is only used up to less than half.
According to Hanzo the Salamander, Gojo Yoru's chakra could still unleash a technique called "This".
The second possibility is similar to the first.
No one knew that Gojo Yoru's Flying Thunder God Technique did not consume ordinary chakra at all, but rather space-time chakra that they could not see.
In Hanzo's eyes, Gojo Yoru's chakra possessed the ability to perform the Flying Thunder God Technique multiple times, so there was no point in chasing after him.
However, Gojo Yoru leans more towards the last possibility, which is that something happened to either Hanzo the Salamander or the Salamander itself!
Although the energy orb of "this" did not hit the salamander, the latter was unable to break free of the summoning spell and return to the spirit world, indicating that it was affected by the spatial ripples.
And that spatial ripple wasn't just for decoration.
That was the space distortion that made Madara Uchiha exclaim in surprise in the original work!
Within the distorted range of space, even the Six Paths Staff would bend.
The moment the salamander transformed into water, the water and rocks were already swept up by spatial ripples, and then turned into nothingness upon encountering the energy orb.
Unless the salamander's teleportation is also teleportation, there must be a place where it is torn apart by the distorted space.
If a Water Instantaneous Body Technique could have escaped the distorted space, Madara Uchiha wouldn't have almost been kicked out of the final chapter, even if the spatial distortion created by the energy ball wasn't as intense as Night Guy's.
The problem is, is it the salamander that got into trouble, or Hanzo?
After realizing that he had succeeded, Gojo Yoru inevitably felt regret.
Unfortunately, that technique "This" was not yet complete. Neither the capacity of ordinary chakra nor space-time chakra met the requirements, so it could only be compressed into an energy ball the size of a marble, creating a spatial distortion with a not particularly large area.
If the energy conditions are met, it will be a super-fast moving artificial black hole. Not to mention that touching it will result in instant death, even getting slightly close will cause you to be swept into the incredibly strong spatial ripples. You might even be severely bent and crushed into a cloud of blood mist before you even get close to the artificial black hole.
The three legendary Sannin of Konoha were unaware that the meteor was actually just a prototype of a super ultimate technique.
Seeing Gojo Yoru's confidence, Jiraiya sighed slightly: "If you really cause great damage to the Salamander, you will achieve a feat that no one in the entire ninja world can do."
"At that time, your reputation will far surpass ours," Tsunade nodded in agreement.
"?"
A question mark involuntarily appeared on Gojo Yoru's forehead.
Instead of expecting me to take down the salamander with one strike, you think that causing damage is an honor. Isn't that a bit unambitious?
Thinking that the title of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha was for losers, and that all the ninjas considered it an honor, Gojo Yoru suddenly realized that he had underestimated Hanzo of the Salamander in this era because of his preconceived notions from the original work.
Being bestowed with a title by Hanzo of the Salamander during this period was not only a great honor.
Even defeating the elderly Hanzo the Salamander was a great honor.
Pain killed the demigods of the ninja world before daring to call himself a god. From then on, he was arrogant and thought no one could be his match.
Hanzo the Salamander is not only the pinnacle of the ninja world, but also the idol of countless ninjas.
"Lord Orochimaru, Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya, something terrible has happened!"
The four returned to the border base, which resembled a central tower.
Before Gojo could find a quiet place to recover their chakra, a man in a protective suit appeared before them in a flash.
He handed two scrolls with the character "封" (sealed) on them to Orochimaru, one in each hand, and said solemnly, "We have received news from Lord Danzo and Lord Sakumo that the combat forces of the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind are simultaneously attempting to infiltrate our Land of Fire from the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, as well as the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass."
"Lord Danzo and Lord Sakumo have led their troops to intercept them; this is a secret report sent back by my cousins."
The three legendary Sannin of Konoha immediately changed their expressions, and Orochimaru quickly took the scroll and opened it.
Gojo Yoru raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth really knew how to choose their timing.
Although he had not yet become a member of the higher-ups, Gojo Yoru, as an excellent student in academic subjects, knew that the border base was the signal tower.
This place boasts the best technology and protective barriers, and is one of the strongest defensive lines in the Land of Fire.
All instructions and information are sent and received from here.
The troops are dispersed in layers around the border bases, rotating shifts when there is no trouble, and will be dispatched quickly if something happens elsewhere, with support arriving one after another.
Even though the western part of the Land of Fire is very large and has no high walls for defense, it is rare for large numbers of foreign ninjas to be able to infiltrate it.
As for the few rats that successfully infiltrated, they couldn't cause any trouble at all.
Now, due to Hanzo the Salamander, the border base has only a few members left, and instructions and information cannot be transmitted and received as quickly as possible.
This defensive line has been breached, creating the perfect opportunity for invasion.
Neither the Land of Wind nor the Land of Earth wasted the opportunity bestowed upon them by Hanzo the Salamander.
Unexpectedly, Konoha had already taken precautions.
Gojo Yoru didn't know the reason behind Konoha's three-front war in the original story.
This three-front war is clearly a butterfly effect he triggered.
"We've already been fighting on three fronts in just a few months. That's a bit fast! With me as a variable, I wonder how many years this will last?"
"Could it cause an even bigger butterfly effect?" Gojo Yoru thought to himself, though he wasn't really concerned.
There are only a handful of people he cares about.
They either don't need to participate in the war, or they possess great strength, so Gojo Yoru doesn't need to worry about them.
Gojo Yoru, whose identity was still just a genin, did not need to lead a ninja squad.
He only participates in combat as a special operations member when the Flying Thunder God technique is needed.
He could even refuse to carry out extremely dangerous missions using the privileges granted to him by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
How to deploy troops and strategize is a matter for these adults and high-ranking officials.
He doesn't want to, and can't, participate in it for the time being.
So Gojo Yoru didn't stay to listen to the conversation of the three Konoha Sannin. He planned to find a quiet place to recover his chakra and then go to fulfill his promise.
The three legendary Sannin of Konoha didn't care about Gojo Yoru's departure; their eyes were fixed on the two secret report scrolls.
"Just as Orochimaru said, that old man Onoki's target isn't the Land of Rain at all, but our Land of Fire."
"That's normal. You've already experienced Hanzo's strength and intimidation firsthand. Given a choice, no major power would want to offend such a powerful being for such a small gain," Orochimaru said calmly. "Didn't you see that Sunagakure, which was declared war on by Hanzo, also chose to put aside its hatred and attack us?"
Tsunade looked at the secret report sent back by Hatake Sakumo with some worry: "The one leading the team from the Land of Wind is that old woman Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law. We should remind Sakumo-senpai to be careful of those two."
"Being able to develop an antidote formula in just three months, putting aside Chiyo's medical skills, her poison skills are definitely second only to Hanzo in the ninja world."
"Her son and daughter-in-law may have inherited her poison skills and possess unknown deadly poisons."
"Not only should we remind Sakumo-senpai, but also Lord Danzo," Orochimaru sneered. "Once we know their target, things will be much easier. All we need to do is shrink our lines, maintain a triangular formation, and have the reconnaissance teams, support units, and ANBU monitor the front and rear. If they dare to infiltrate, we'll surround and wipe them out."
"After several attempts, their only option is to engage us in direct combat!"
"The terrain of the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind is extremely harsh, making it far more difficult and slower to transport supplies than it is for us. If they want to resupply, they either have to wait for supplies to arrive slowly, or they can only plunder the Land of Rain, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Grass."
"Given the terrain of the Land of Grass and the Land of Rivers, as well as the agreement between our five great ninja villages and the Grass Village, their best option is the Land of Rain."
"Since this is the border region of three great nations, and since you've taken the initiative to provoke war, let the Land of Rain become the main battlefield of this war!"
Realizing that this multi-national conflict, or more accurately, the Second Shinobi World War, was unavoidable, Tsunade decisively stated, "You are better at warfare, so you and Sarutobi-sensei can make the decisions. In the coming days, I will be traveling between Shikkotsu Forest and the laboratory, and even returning to Konoha. If you need my help, remember to let me know in advance."
"Thank you for your hard work, Tsunade."
Orochimaru and Jiraiya knew that Tsunade was under even more pressure.
Once the Land of Rain becomes the main battlefield, Hanzo the Salamander will be someone we must face.
Without the formula and production line for the antidote, they would be in a very passive position.
"Don't worry, it's just a poisonous salamander. I'll take care of it soon!" Tsunade gave a confident and beautiful smile, making Jiraiya's heart race.
The three legendary Konoha ninjas began to busy themselves with their own tasks.
Even though it's nighttime, they have a lot to do.
Tsunade needed to organize the items she had looted from Amegakure and then study the ingredients and formulation of the antidote.
Even with the support of Shadow Clones and the immense energy of the Senju clan, it would still take a considerable amount of time to develop a complete formula.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya briefly reported the events of the night to Hiruzen Sarutobi while simultaneously reorganizing the combat troops stationed in the forest area, ready to be deployed at any time.
Because the "signal tower" had not yet been restarted, they could only communicate using secret message scrolls to keep track of the battle situation and prepare to provide support at any time.
Unlike the epic battles of the One Piece world, the wars in the Naruto world can last for years because they are all about intelligence warfare.
First, gather intelligence, then formulate a battle plan, and only when you have control of the rhythm and absolute certainty can you wipe out the opponent in one fell swoop.
When a large number of ninjas begin to fight face to face, it is either the moment when a stage victory or defeat is decided, or one side has reached its end.
The infiltration of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth was merely a probe.
If the Land of Fire doesn't react in time, this test will become a reality.
Now that the Land of Fire has realized what's happening, they certainly can't be foolish enough to fight on the enemy's home turf without having an intelligence advantage.
After all, not everyone is Hanzo the Salamander.
However, for some time to come, the Land of Fire will need to prepare for battle with great fatigue.
The signal to declare war has been sent, and the situation is no longer just the Kingdom of Rain versus the Kingdom of Wind, but a four-way war.
On the surface, Konoha is fighting on three fronts, facing attacks from the Land of Rain, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth simultaneously.
However, the other three countries are not allies.
The Land of Rain not only needs to be wary of the Land of Fire, but also of the Land of Wind, which has taken the initiative to declare war on them, and even of the Land of Earth, which previously launched a surprise attack on them. In fact, they are fighting on three fronts.
The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth are in a better position; they only need to be wary of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain at the same time.
The first night of the chaos was a celebration for assassins.
Tonight, countless ninjas will be beheaded because they lack intelligence about the enemy.
It is unknown how many powerful ninjas will die because they are just ordinary people and are careless, falling into very simple hidden weapons and traps that cost only a few hundred or a few thousand taels of silver.
This night could very well be called the night of the first encounter and the killing.
That same night, a portrait, a name, a title, and a piece of information quietly spread from Amegakure, quickly reaching the three major surrounding countries, and then, through summoning beasts, swept across the entire ninja world.
The portrait is not a hasty ink drawing, but a color painting that is almost as realistic as a photograph.
The painting depicts a young boy with short white hair, icy blue eyes, a handsome face, and wearing a black coat and trousers.
More importantly, in the painting, he holds a golden laser sword in one hand and a kunai in the other, which is engraved with a special spell.
Although it was the first time I had seen this technique and I found it somewhat unique, everyone knew what it was.
Because next to the portrait, there were words that clearly read: "[Black Flash · Gojo Yoru · Flying Thunder God Technique User]".
This isn't a portrait; it looks more like a movie poster!
Unfortunately, the actress whose stage name is "Fuji Fuyuki" (富士風雪绘) may not have been born yet, and she is still many years away from her debut.
Otherwise, seeing this poster might make me want Gojo Yoru to be her male lead.
This poster-like portrait, along with Amegakure's external promotion, made Gojo Yoru a household name in the ninja world.
The general message of Amegakure's external propaganda is as follows:
Lord Hanzo went to the border of the Land of Fire because a Flying Thunder God Technique user from Konoha had infiltrated Amegakure and stolen valuable items; he was going to retrieve them.
Instead of returning it, the Konoha ninjas ambushed them on the way and eventually crossed the border into the Land of Rain to besiege their great Lord Hanzo.
The Flying Thunder God Technique user used an unprecedented technique that injured Lord Hanzo's salamander. Now Lord Hanzo is unable to summon any more creatures and can only fight alone.
Even so, Amegakure will declare war on the Land of Fire.
Despite being enemies, Lord Hanzo gave Black Flash, this rising star, extremely high praise: "His speed and attacks are as fast as a black flash. Without prior intelligence, even I suffered considerable losses. As Konoha's secretly nurtured ace, I must admit that perhaps the future of the ninja world belongs to him!"
"What a treacherous tactic! Is he trying to flatter the five boys to their death, or is he deliberately luring them into a trap?"
The portrait quickly reached Orochimaru and Jiraiya, the latter of whom immediately recognized Hanzo of the Salamander's methods.
"Assassins love to create smokescreens. Let's see if there are any fearless individuals who dare to test the waters," Orochimaru sneered.
With Hanzo of the Salamander's strength, he would be at the pinnacle of the ninja world even without relying on the Salamander.
Without resorting to overwhelming numbers, in a country with a perpetual rainy season, only the Five Kage could probably rival him in a fight against him.
Jiraiya grinned smugly: "He actually sacrificed his own reputation to promote Gojo-kun. It seems that shooting star might have worked."
"This also shows that he wanted Night to die more than anyone else," Orochimaru said in a deep voice. "He sacrificed his reputation mainly to remind the two surrounding countries that all the information, except for the information about the injured Salamander, is true."
"Perhaps even the information about the salamander being injured is true."
"During the battle on that rainy night, many members of the reconnaissance team and the ANBU must have spotted that meteor. Hanzo didn't want them to waste time on investigation, so he directly pointed out the target."
"He wanted Yoru to help him distract Onoki and the Third Kazekage."
At this point, Orochimaru said with a deep look in his eyes, "If that's the case, the information about the injured salamander becomes even more credible. That ninja with the most potent poison in the ninja world must be seriously injured."
"This is good news for us, as it gives Tsunade more time to develop."
Jiraiya examined the portrait in his hand again, clicking his tongue in amazement. "It's really well drawn! No wonder it has the same white hair as mine; it has some of my style. I really want to ask that artist to draw the cover for my novel!"
"Since you write novels, then the manuscript for the information warfare is yours."
"—No way?!"
Jiraiya was dumbfounded and quickly explained, "I'm just a novelist; I don't know anything about political statements!"
Seeing Orochimaru's smirk, Jiraiya immediately realized what was going on and shouted, "You Orochimaru, you're messing with me again! Want to fight?"
"Do you dare fight here? Tsunade's lab is just two floors above."
"Forehead----"
Jiraiya immediately wilted.
"A Flying Thunder God user, really?"
Chiyo looked at the portrait in her hand, her eyes full of suspicion. "That old man with the breathing tube is so arrogant. Would he really sacrifice his reputation to promote a junior from an enemy country? Could this be fake news?"
"It is indeed Amegakure's external propaganda."
Ebizo's expression was very solemn at this moment.
As Hanzo's archenemy in the world of poison techniques, Chiyo quickly guessed his intentions and gritted her teeth, saying, "He knew all along, even before that Konoha had a new Flying Thunder God Technique user, but he kept it hidden until our attack on the Land of Fire. He predicted the Kazekage's decision long ago. That old man with the ventilator is truly insidious!"
After a long silence, Ebizo chuckled softly, "This might not be a bad thing, at least we're not in the most urgent situation."
Chiyo paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's true. That old man Hanzo was willing to sacrifice his own reputation to praise this junior to death. It seems he really suffered a great loss. I hope the salamander is really injured."
"It might be true, but no one dares to gamble; the price is too high." Ebizo sighed, his eyes filled with regret.
As one of the five great nations, it's impossible for Sunagakure to remain unperturbed when suddenly declared war on by a small country and then relentlessly attacked by a single enemy.
However, the nation's strength does not allow them to act recklessly.
"It's alright, the Land of Rain was never our target anyway." Chiyo's eyes seemed to burn with fire. "This chaotic situation presents an unprecedented opportunity. Now we just need to wait for the right moment, then break through the White Fang of Konoha's defenses, and we can take a big bite out of the Land of Fire, completely occupying the buffer zone of the Land of Rivers. From then on—the roles of offense and defense will be reversed."
Similarly, Ebizo, who is not yet old, is also full of fighting spirit.
"Flying Thunder God Technique, white hair, yet his surname is Gojo?"
Onoki leaned back in his chair, holding a portrait of Gojo Yoru in his hand, and murmured, "Could it be that the Senju of the Forest, who merged into Konoha, happened to be a descendant of the Second Hokage and inherited his talent?"
"Dad, something unexpected has happened. Should we still follow the original plan?" A look of worry finally appeared on the young man's face.
"What are you afraid of?" Onoki said irritably. "Kid, you need to remember one thing: no technique in this world is perfect. Even the Wood Release, which the God of Shinobi used to quell the chaos of the world, has a Mangekyou Sharingan that can rival it."
"If the Flying Thunder God Technique were invincible, the Second Hokage wouldn't have died on the battlefield."
With his gaze fixed on the boy in the portrait, Onoki said meaningfully, "The first encounter we feared most has been wiped away by that demigod of the ninja world who sacrificed his reputation. We cannot let our temporary ally down."
Recalling the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Madara Uchiha when he was young, Onoki's eyes darkened: "Let this old man teach this young man a lesson."
The wave sparked by the black flash not only provoked reactions from all sides, but also caused history to stray further and further from its original course.