Naruto: Five Lives, Five Times the Excitement

Chapter 235 The Hokage's Decision...

If possible, Kyosuke wants to remain hidden in the shadows, using shadow clones to disguise his true form.

However, the shadow clones are ultimately not as powerful as the main body, making it difficult for them to work closely with Fukasaku and Shima.

Therefore, Kyosuke had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

Fortunately, with Fukasaku and Shima there, Kyosuke wasn't in too much danger.

Thick fog hung over the sea, and beneath the surface, toads swam silently, their eyes scanning the water, searching for Mei Terumi.

"careful!"

Within the mist, the acid surged forth like a torrent, swirling around Kyosuke and the others to form a wide, towering ring.

After the ring closed, it began to shrink inward continuously, seemingly trying to wipe out Kyosuke and the others in one fell swoop.

Kyosuke looked at the surrounding fog and then at the acid ring that was taller than Gamaken. He figured the enemy might be trying to break up the defensive formation and then launch a sneak attack, so it was best to hold the line.

"Stop it!"

The surrounding shadow clones immediately formed hand seals and used Water Release.

The seawater coalesced into a closed, arc-shaped wall, which blocked the acid.

The acid continued to corrode the seawater, and the thick seawater wall was about to be breached.

The shadow clones continuously consumed chakra, controlling the seawater to thicken their defenses and replenish the corroded areas, creating a stalemate with the acid.

"In the sky!"

Kyosuke looked up abruptly. In the sky, clumps of acid the size of rocks shot out of the mist with a whooshing sound, crashing down like a meteor shower.

"Ah!"

With a low shout, Gamaken raised his large shield, blocking a large amount of acid and protecting Kyosuke.

However, the shadow clones who were releasing ninjutsu didn't have time to react before they were hit by the acid and disappeared.

Without the chakra support of the shadow clones, the seawater wall collapsed instantly, and the surrounding acid poured towards Kyosuke's position.

"I will try my best!"

Gamaken discarded his shield, which was being continuously corroded by the acid, and swung his iron fork fiercely in front of him.

The immense force smashed a gap in the acid wave, and then, using the power of his legs, he leaped out of the gap.

"found it!"

At the same time, Fukasaku whispered a reminder to Kyosuke, and then he and Shima formed hand seals together.

"Immortal Technique: Frog Croak!"

Kyosuke heard a piercing croaking sound, and the sound waves rushed in one direction.

"So this is where it was!"

Kyosuke vanished from his spot in an instant, and when he reappeared, he had reached the destination of the sound wave and met Mei Terumi standing on the sea.

Mei Terumi clasped her hands together slightly, seemingly forming a hand seal, but it appeared as if the pause button had been pressed, preventing her from continuing.

I can't move my body... What kind of illusion is this...?

Mei Terumi's body trembled uncontrollably, feeling trapped in the dark seabed. The immense pressure emanating from her made her muscles completely immobile.

She could only exert all her strength, unleashing her full chakra in an attempt to break the illusion.

"Spiral pills!"

Kyosuke descended from the sky, unleashing a Rasengan aimed at Mei Terumi.

"Lord Mizukage!"

On the boat, Qing saw this scene through his white eyes, and unconsciously frowned, calling out to Shuiying.

Yagura Karatachi remained calm, extending his right hand towards Kyosuke's direction, his five fingers slightly clenched.

"Lord Mizukage, you've gone too far!"

Seeing the Mizukage make his move, the Third Hokage was about to stop him when Yagura suddenly unleashed a terrifying burst of chakra, forming a colossal creature that crushed the entire ship.

The monster had three tails, one of which swept towards the Third Hokage and Minato Namikaze, forcing them back.

"The Three-Tails Jinchuriki?! Minato, go save Kyosuke!"

"Yes!"

Minato Namikaze disappeared from the spot, and the hidden ANBU members around him appeared one after another, guarding the Third Hokage.

"You all step back!"

The Third Hokage lifted his Hokage robes to reveal a tight-fitting combat suit and summoned the Demon Ape.

"So, this is your trump card. Let's have another match then!"

The Third Hokage understood that the Mizukage had no other choice but to personally demonstrate his power.

Kyosuke defeated Mei Terumi, and the Kirigakure ninja could only slink back to the Land of Water. With so many people dead and no gains, the Mizukage would have a hard time explaining himself to everyone.

Left with no other choice, the Mizukage could only hope that through battle, he could force the Hokage to make some concessions.

"Since that's the case, then let's fight! Let me see just how strong you really are as a Jinchūriki!"

The Mizukage and Hokage began their battle, but Kyosuke's Rasengan missed its target.

Suddenly, a whirlpool appeared beneath Mei Terumi's feet, sucking her into the seawater.

At the same time, the seawater within a radius of nearly a kilometer rose rapidly, transforming into a giant hand that reached out to grab Kyosuke.

"What the hell is that?!"

Kyosuke was shocked and was about to jump into the air when he suddenly saw a giant hand made of seawater appear in the sky and slam it down hard.

There's nowhere to escape, neither in heaven nor on earth!

Seeing that he was about to be slapped to death, Kyosuke gritted his teeth and quickly thought of various defensive ninjutsu.

Just then, I heard the voice of Minato Namikaze.

"Come with me!"

Minato Namikaze grabbed Kyosuke by the shoulder and instantly brought him to the side of the Konoha Anbu.

Then, Kyosuke witnessed the Third Hokage battling the Three-Tails Jinchuriki.

"what happened?"

Kyosuke was a bit confused. Weren't they talking peacefully? How did they start fighting?

If you want to fight, do it sooner rather than later. Why make me and Mei Terumi fight first?

Looks like I wasted my time this time. This is just ridiculous!

Kyosuke inwardly complained, but outwardly asked with concern, "Shouldn't we go help the Hokage? The enemy looks very strong!"

Minato Namikaze shook his head and recounted what had just happened. The Anbu member next to him added, "The Hokage forbade us to get involved, but we need to keep an eye on the other Kirigakure ninja."

On the distant sea, a group of Mist Ninja appeared beside Qing.

Hearing that the Hokage forbade others to interfere, Kyosuke stopped arguing and watched the battle between the two Kage with great interest.

The Hokage truly lives up to his title as the professor of ninjutsu; his various ninjutsu techniques are pleasing to the eye and used with great skill.

The Mizukage is also very strong, able to use the power of the Tailed Beasts at will, and some of his techniques greatly benefited Kyosuke.

As he watched, Kyosuke began to understand something.

This seems like an exhibition match; neither side is going all out, nor do they seem determined to kill the other.

About ten minutes later, the battle stopped, and the Mizukage also withdrew his Tailed Beast chakra.

In an instant, both Konoha ninja and Kirigakure ninja acted swiftly, standing behind their respective leaders.

No one spoke; the scene was extremely quiet.

The Hokage broke the silence first: "Lord Mizukage, we will not station troops in the Land of Waves. Let the Land of Waves become a neutral country."

The Mizukage pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice, "You must return our ninja swords, and you cannot interfere with our attacks on other island nations in the ocean."

The Third Generation didn't answer immediately, and Kyosuke sensed that the atmosphere around him was becoming strange.

What the third generation says next will determine the final outcome for both sides.

War or peace!

So that's how it is. Whether it was my battle with Mei Terumi or the battle between the Hokage and the Mizukage just now, we were both testing each other's strength and then adjusting our conditions accordingly.

It may seem that the Mist Ninja are being aggressive, but in reality, they are the weaker party and can only bluff.

Neutrality of the Land of Waves, return of the ninja swords, and non-interference in the overseas expansion of the Mist Ninja were less demands from the Mist Ninja and more a way for them to save face, and they still needed the Hokage's permission.

As a country near the Land of Fire, the Land of Waves' so-called neutrality is inevitably siding with the Land of Fire, no different from the past.

The island nations overseas are few and barren, and the Land of Fire has never cared about them.

The only items of any value were the ninja swords of the few unlucky guys who were kicked to death by Might Guy, but they were not important to Konoha.

The ninja sword is merely a tool; it is extremely powerful in the hands of the strong, but remains weak in the hands of the weak.

Of course, these are just Kyosuke's thoughts; perhaps the Hokage has a more far-reaching perspective.

Kyosuke could only concentrate on preparing for battle.

In the tense atmosphere, the Third Hokage sighed softly and slowly began to speak: "I've decided..."