Chapter 360: The Training Journey Ends
Masahiko had actually been faintly aware of it for a while.
When Yahiko met him in the Hidden Stone Village, behind that enthusiastic smile seemed to lie a hidden trace of a peculiar expression. At the time, Masahiko thought it was an illusion, but since Ameyuri Ringo was now saying the same thing, it was most likely true that there was a problem.
"The Land of Rain, an orphan..." Masahiko sighed. He certainly hadn't forgotten the destruction he caused in the Land of Rain when he sealed Black Zetsu. It seemed highly likely that Yahiko became an orphan precisely at that time.
"Old... Senior, it seems you are clear on the reason in your heart. What do you plan to do?" Ameyuri Ringo asked, hiding her teeth.
Masahiko hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm not going to do anything."
Ameyuri Ringo was stunned. "You won't..."
"Do what? Cut the weeds and dig up the roots?" Masahiko smiled and interrupted. "As long as Yahiko is still inclined towards peace, I truly don't care what he thinks of this old man."
Just as he had told Sasori before: 'There are plenty of people who want me dead, get in line.'
Sasori might rank around tenth, but Yahiko probably wouldn't even make the top fifty. What's more, it wouldn't necessarily develop into the worst-case scenario. Masahiko could see that Yahiko was sincerely pursuing peace.
As if remembering something, Masahiko turned his head and said, "You don't need to worry about Yahiko's attitude towards me. However, if you notice any strange people contacting him, remember to inform me promptly."
Ameyuri Ringo gave him a deep look. "I hope you don't regret this."
Masahiko smiled again. "Great Ancestor has never overturned his car in this lifetime."
Ameyuri Ringo didn't understand the slang, frowned slightly, and changed the subject. "Senior, are we at the restroom yet?"
Masahiko was startled. "You actually want to go to the restroom? It's on the other side."
Ameyuri Ringo's hands holding the Lightning Blades trembled slightly. She gritted her teeth, turned around, and walked back.
Masahiko couldn't be bothered to escort her this time. He simply pointed out the direction and returned to the main hall of the General's Residence. Yahiko and Mifune had already stopped their argument.
"Senior, where is Ringo?"
Masahiko carefully observed Yahiko's expression and smiled. "I don't know, she hasn't come out of the restroom for a long time. Maybe... constipation?"
Yahiko was stunned. "Did she bring paper?"
Masahiko was also stunned, realizing that Yahiko's train of thought was a bit peculiar. "It seems she didn't. It's fine, she has the Lightning Blades."
The topic inexplicably turned disgusting...
General Mifune couldn't quite take it and interrupted, "Your Excellency Yahiko, I still cannot agree with your handling of Hanzo's corpse, but I strongly agree with your views on peace. With that undercurrent present, ninjas indeed should not continue internal friction!"
"Undercurrent?" Yahiko frowned.
The news of the Land of That's annihilation had basically spread to countries large and small by now, and many reconnaissance ninjas from various countries were rushing over. However, because Yahiko and Ameyuri Ringo were traveling, they hadn't heard the news yet, so Masahiko 'kindly' explained it to him.
"An entire country completely annihilated?!" Yahiko's face was extremely ugly. "To think someone would commit such a tragedy!"
Masahiko concentrated and released a trace of interfering genjutsu, then smiled and said, "The organization that did this is also called Akatsuki."
Yahiko frowned in surprise. "Also called Akatsuki?"
Masahiko secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Yahiko's strength, he couldn't be immune to Masahiko's genjutsu. The surprised expression just now was entirely genuine; it seemed it wasn't the worst-case scenario after all.
Yahiko's expression was heavy. He remained deep in thought for a long time before his train of thought was interrupted by the sound of Ameyuri Ringo pushing the door open. Upon looking up, his gaze darted towards the Lightning Blades...
"Ahem, ahem..." Masahiko hurriedly coughed dryly twice to draw Yahiko's attention back. "That's right, that organization is also called Akatsuki; you can call them Dark Akatsuki. Their goals are exactly the opposite of yours—they want to trigger wars. The catalyst for the Third Great Ninja War was actually them controlling the Third Mizukage to launch a sneak attack on Konoha."
Yahiko nodded with a solemn expression. "It seems the first thing we must do after the successful establishment of the Akatsuki organization is to find this Dark Akatsuki."
Mifune spoke up from the side, "Although our Land of Iron has historically not interfered in the disputes between ninjas, we will do our part in eradicating this inhuman organization."
Yahiko was overjoyed. "Thank you, General Mifune!"
Masahiko smiled and chimed in, "You guys are responsible for finding them; once found, Great Ancestor is responsible for beating them."
The atmosphere instantly became harmonious, but Ameyuri Ringo, who had just entered, kept feeling like she had missed something. Yahiko and Mifune seemed to constantly steal glances at her Lightning Blades...
The Final Training
The Land of Iron and the Akatsuki organization thus reached a temporary cooperation, but Yahiko wasn't in a hurry to leave. Over the following period, ninjas from various large and small countries who came to investigate the ruins of the Land of That would stop by the Land of Iron. Yahiko took the opportunity to vigorously promote the 'Akatsuki Peace Plan' to them.
Masahiko wasn't idle either. Besides training the three children, he would occasionally go to Yahiko's side and 'unintentionally' leak some intelligence about Dark Akatsuki.
Yahiko's reactions left him very satisfied.
Time flew by in a flash. Two months passed just like that, and it was now mid-December of Konoha Year 54.
Yahiko and Ameyuri Ringo had left the Land of Iron half a month ago, and Kimimaro's training had also reached its final stage.
On the sword training ground in the Land of Iron, Tatewaki held his samurai sword, looking grave as he parried Kimimaro's Three-Strike Bone Extraction Slash.
Masahiko took a few steps forward, casting an inquiring look at Tatewaki.
"It's sufficient, Senior. This child's Iaijutsu... Bone Extraction Slash is already very proficient. The rest is just practicing force and angles."
Masahiko smiled with satisfaction. "Kimimaro, well done."
Receiving Masahiko's praise, Kimimaro's face filled with joy, but then he showed a hesitant expression.
"What's wrong?"
"God, there's one more attack method I want to try," Kimimaro said.
Masahiko frowned, noticing some clues, but he didn't stop him. He signaled Tatewaki to step forward with his eyes.
Tatewaki nodded, gripping his sword as he stepped forward.
Kimimaro's face was solemn. He took two steps back, then charged towards Tatewaki at extreme speed while simultaneously reaching his right hand behind his back.
It was still a sword-drawing slash, but this time, what he drew wasn't an arm bone, but his spinal column. The attack wasn't from bottom to top, but from top to bottom, and the force was entirely different.
Although Tatewaki was used to Kimimaro pulling out a bone at the drop of a hat, this was the first time he knew Kimimaro could even pull out his spinal column. His face twitched violently.
However, he still reacted in time, raising his sword horizontally to defend, but he underestimated the force of the chopping blow. He stumbled backward a few steps, almost sitting on the ground.
Masahiko shook his head and stepped forward, using medical ninjutsu to suppress Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai illness.
"Kimimaro, you're getting anxious again. Increasing your strength requires gradual progress. Right now, your strength is still a bit inferior to Tatewaki's. Next time you meet, you will definitely be able to surpass him."
"This sword-drawing... Earth-Splitting Slash, right? Don't use it lightly." Masahiko gave a name to the move from just now.
"Next time?" Kimimaro was stunned.
Masahiko smiled, turning his head to shout at Karin and Haku, who were still 'playing games': "Stop playing! Go back and pack up, we're getting ready to go home!"
"The training journey has ended!"
☆☆☆
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