Part Time Employee in Konoha

Chapter 232: Mist Done! Sand Village we go!

The roots kept spreading.

Like living beings, the roots constantly burrowed through the soil of the Mist Village, sprouting towering trees throughout.

The sprawling branches and vines of these gigantic trees continued to grow, entwining and capturing any Mist ninja they encountered, draining their chakra.

"This is Wood Release Ninjutsu!"

Realizing something was amiss, a Mist ninja tried to rescue his comrades while cautioning others, "Be careful not to get caught by the vines!"

However...

A vine instantly seized his foot! It dragged him up the tree and bound him, quickly draining his chakra, leaving the ninja powerless. "Akihara Kagura has come! Akihara Kagura is here!"

Ninjas who had experienced Akihara Kagura's previous attack on the village with the Wooden Dragon shouted loudly, "Prepare for battle! Cut all the vines!"

The elite ninjas of the Mist had all participated in that battle and never forgot the humiliation and the fear of that day.

The vines and roots were endless.

No matter how many survivors cut the vines, they grew back, relentlessly spreading towards them again!

The most terrifying thing was...

They had no power to counteract it! Even the elite ninjas could only hold on for so long before being bound and drained of their chakra by the vines.

A forest soon emerged within the Mist Village.

After the initial cries of battle, the village quieted down, and all its ninjas were eventually bound to the trees by the vines.

Even those hiding underground or in houses were not safe; the roots penetrated the ground and walls, capturing and binding them to the trees! If anyone were to visit, they would find a village built in a forest, with all its inhabitants bound to trees, ominously silent as if harboring a chilling secret.

Outside the Mist Village.

Akihara Kagura relished the precise control of chakra.

He could finely manipulate all the vines and roots unleashed by his ninjutsu, treating them as extensions of his own body.

Meanwhile...

Akihara Kagura also felt the chakra from the Mist ninjas being absorbed through the Wood Release, bolstering the vessel of the Ten-Tails within him, preparing it for eventual revival.

Unfortunately...

The Three-Tails was still missing, and the Six-Tails Jinchuriki had not appeared.

"Not bad," Akihara Kagura nodded in satisfaction.

"The Mist will never yield!"

Terumi Mei spat out blood, determined to stand.

"I admire your resolve."

Akihara Kagura shrugged, squatting beside Terumi Mei, waving dismissively, "Then I hope you..."

"Wait..."

Ao trembled slightly in fear; his Byakugan saw the plight within the village and felt compelled to warn Terumi Mei, "Lady Terumi, all our ninjas have been captured, none can fight back!"

"Really?"

Akihara Kagura, acting like a mere bystander, curiously asked Ao, "Is it that horrific? Did no one from the Mist manage to escape?"

"..."

Ao and Terumi Mei's foreheads twitched.

You're the one who captured everyone, and you're asking this!

"How could you even ask that!"

"We... accept Konoha's terms!"

Terumi Mei gritted her teeth, glaring at Akihara Kagura, "Please, don't harm any more innocents! We surrender unconditionally to Konoha!"

"Can you decide that?"

Akihara Kagura inquired curiously.

"Yes!"

Ao quickly responded, adding, "Lady Terumi is now the chief of our village, and we will follow her orders!"

"Well, I'll take your word for it," Akihara Kagura nodded, pleased, "Then, I ask that the ninjas of the Mist immediately announce their surrender to Konoha. And as for Lady Terumi, please represent the Mist in your submission to our Fifth Hokage."

"We agree!"

Ao hurriedly consented, looking at the severely injured Terumi Mei, volunteering, "But, Lord Kagura, could you spare Lady Terumi? I could take her place..."

Terumi Mei is the future of the Mist.

Ao knew very well the situation in the village.

During this awkward phase, with no elder suppressing them and no new Mizukage, the village was leaderless, some of its strongest ninjas detained in Konoha.

Terumi Mei, possessing two Kekkei Genkai and formidable strength, had the village's ninjas' allegiance, making her a potential candidate for the Fifth Mizukage...

But...

The timing wasn't right.

If Terumi Mei were to surrender to Konoha, and Konoha decided to execute her and the captured Mist ninjas, the village would be left leaderless...

Ao thought he could sacrifice himself.

But Terumi Mei could not be sacrificed.

"You make a good point, but I'm not interested," Akihara Kagura dismissed Ao's suggestion, slowly speaking, "If it's an unconditional surrender, then you must unconditionally obey our commands..."

"Ao, you're more important!"

Terumi Mei looked at Ao, sternly saying, "If I don't return, if Konoha takes their revenge by killing me, immediately organize everyone in the village to select the Fifth Mizukage..."

"This..."

Ao believed there was no suitable candidate in the village.

"Don't worry."

Akihara Kagura sensed Terumi Mei's resolve to die and tried to reassure this somewhat extreme woman, "Maybe Lady Tsunade will order me to kill all the Mist ninjas for revenge. Then, you won't have to worry about choosing a Fifth Mizukage..."

"..."

Terumi Mei's expression grew even more troubled.

Ao looked at Akihara Kagura, his expression fearful.

In Konoha.

Tsunade was still presiding over a meeting.

The four previous Hokages believed that Akihara Kagura alone was enough to handle the Mist, but Tsunade couldn't afford to think so. She had to be prepared for the possibility of his failure.

"Starting today, the village will immediately prepare for war, summon all ninjas outside the village to assemble, and train the village's ninjas into an army..."

"Place orders for weapons with the Craftsmen Village, ensuring that the equipment arrives as soon as possible..."

"Dispatch scout ninjas towards the Rock and Cloud villages to monitor their movements and prevent them from taking advantage of the war..."

As someone who had participated in two Great Ninja Wars, Tsunade remembered the horrors of war and had once led troops herself, managing not to panic.

"Shikaku."

Tsunade looked to the village's recognized strategist, instructing, "You come up with a strategy for this war as quickly as possible, ensuring a swift conclusion..."

"Yes."

Nara Shikaku nodded, having no choice but to agree, "Fighting on two fronts isn't easy, but I'll formulate a strategy as quickly as possible..."

"Fighting on two fronts..."

"It would be easier if we were only declaring war on one village..."

"Fighting in two directions is indeed disadvantageous for us..."

The meeting room immediately buzzed with activity.

Although they all believed Konoha would emerge victorious in this war, fighting on two fronts was always a challenge, preventing them from focusing their forces.

"I'll resolve this issue."

Shikaku felt the absence of a crucial participant in the room, then asked, "Lady Tsunade, where is Lord Kagura, the Hokage's assistant?"

"Kagura isn't here..."

"Lord Kagura?"

"Why isn't Lord Kagura participating in this meeting?"

Other Jonin immediately echoed this, having seen Akihara Kagura's prowess on the night of the Uchiha Clan's annihilation; the village's top combat strength couldn't be missing!

Especially not Nara Shikaku, the strategist responsible for formulating military tactics!

Konoha had a significant advantage in the war against these two villages, and Shikaku believed that Akihara Kagura's ability to single-handedly change the dynamics of the battlefield was their greatest asset.

"Kagura..."

Tsunade hesitated, unsure how to begin.

"I'm back."

Akihara Kagura's voice suddenly filled the room, his hand gripping a woman, none other than Terumi Mei from the Mist.

"This is..."

Kakashi Hatake looked at the disheveled Terumi Mei, recognizing her with some difficulty, "Is that the double Kekkei Genkai ninja from the Mist, Terumi Mei?"

"Yes."

Akihara Kagura nodded, continuing, "It's said she's now the chief of the Mist Village, and she's here to sign an unconditional surrender agreement, ending our war with the Mist."

"..."

The meeting fell silent.

Everyone at the table was unsure how to respond.

Even Tsunade, who had a hint of what was happening, widened her eyes as if she couldn't believe her ears.

The war was declared this afternoon, wasn't it?

The war mobilization meeting wasn't even over yet!

The war with one of the villages had ended?

And Akihara Kagura had already captured the current chief of the Mist?

"Is this a joke?"

One Jonin stared at Akihara Kagura, struggling to believe the authenticity of the situation, "Lord Kagura, the Mist Village is across the sea. Perhaps the declaration of war hasn't even reached there yet?"

"I personally delivered the declaration of war."

Akihara Kagura glanced at the Jonin, then at Terumi Mei beside him, "And on the way back, I brought news of the Mist's surrender..."

"This must be true, then... I remember the envoy from the Mist mentioned it, sent by someone named Terumi Mei..."

Shikaku hesitated, feeling overwhelmed, always aware of Akihara Kagura's strength, but this was a bit strange...

After all...

The war ended too quickly.

Even before reconnaissance and intelligence gathering began, the war was over.

"It must be true..."

Kakashi believed in Akihara Kagura.

Having seen Terumi Mei before, Kakashi knew her status in the Mist was indeed high, likely representing the village.

"Let's send someone to check it out..."

Tsunade furrowed her brow, treating war as a serious matter.

"The Mist agrees to surrender unconditionally to Konoha!"

Terumi Mei stared intently at Tsunade, looking at this highly esteemed female ninja, "Before coming to Konoha, I ordered the village to declare in the ninja world that the Mist would surrender unconditionally to Konoha, and all the ninjas of the Mist are waiting for the Hokage's decision on whether to spare their lives!"

According to Akihara Kagura...

This Fifth Hokage might order the execution of all Mist ninjas!

"..."

Tsunade's frown deepened, she looked at Terumi Mei's bloodied mouth and pale face, quickly assessing her condition, "She's seriously injured, treat her wounds first, we'll discuss other matters after we receive detailed reports..."

"So, Lady Tsunade..."

Shikaku asked proactively, glancing at Akihara Kagura with a somewhat peculiar expression, "Do we need to continue discussing our military strategy against the Mist?"

"Continue discussing..."

Tsunade massaged her temples, waving her hand, "Take her down for treatment, the Anbu immediately dispatch someone to the Land of Water to verify the news Kagura brought!"

"I don't need treatment!"

Terumi Mei resisted being taken down for treatment, her expression showing no trace of coquetry, only a firm plea, "I just want to ask here for the Fifth Hokage of Konoha to spare the lives of the innocents in the Mist, I can die here in their place..."

Tsunade's frown tightened, somewhat confused by Terumi Mei's intentions, "Konoha is only punishing the Mist for conspiring with Orochimaru to incite a riot..."

"Kagura..."

Kakashi thought of a possibility, his forehead sweating, "You didn't... kill all the people of the Mist, did you?"

"Not yet."

Akihara Kagura shook his head, continuing on his own, "If Lady Tsunade needs me to kill them, I'll make another trip..."

The people of the Mist are a renewable resource.

Before the resurrection of the Ten-Tails within him, Akihara Kagura wouldn't want to harvest the crops and uproot them entirely...

"No need to be so extreme!"

Tsunade was startled by this statement, quickly stopping Akihara Kagura.

"..."

Terumi Mei's mood relaxed slightly.

As long as this Hokage wasn't extreme enough to want to kill all the people of the Mist, whatever conditions Konoha imposed, the Mist could agree.

"Then I'll make a trip to the Sand Village now."

Akihara Kagura glanced at Tsunade, volunteering, "Lady Tsunade, do the people of the Sand Village need to be killed too? If needed..."

"No need to be so extreme."

Tsunade rubbed her temples, proposing, "I'll accompany you to the Sand Village, I also want to see what exactly is happening..."

This way of waging war...

Seemed a bit /Bleam

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