Nara Shikaku seriously considered Takeshi's suggestion.
However, in the end, his inner Will of Fire triumphed over the hawkish ideology. He immediately rejected Takeshi's proposal and tossed the corpse of the Kusagakure ninja back into the pile.
Even though his suggestion was rejected, Takeshi wasn't upset.
After all, Shikaku was the team captain. Still, this guy really was a decisive killer—seeing that they couldn't get any useful intel, he just ordered him to silence that Kusagakure ninja.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover.
The group continued forward and soon encountered a large Kusagakure force cleaning up the battlefield.
"Why are Konoha shinobi appearing here?!"
Upon seeing Takeshi and the others, a man who seemed to be a senior Kusagakure official stepped forward, mustering his courage to shout.
Shikaku didn't bother humoring him. Though they weren't in a formal meeting room, he still sternly rebuked the man for Kusagakure's disgraceful attempt to attack Konoha and incite conflict.
Seeing the other party unwilling to admit anything, Shikaku directly stated that one of the attackers was currently being hosted in Konoha's Interrogation Department, and they were welcome to go verify it for themselves.
The moment he heard someone had been captured alive, the Kusagakure official's arrogance faltered, but he still stubbornly insisted the incident was the result of a few rogue ninjas acting independently and didn't represent the will of Kusagakure.
But that excuse clearly didn't hold up in the face of overwhelming strength.
At this point, Kusagakure's leadership still hadn't realized that the current era was under the rule of the Fourth Hokage. They were still trying to apply the old tactics from Sarutobi Hiruzen's time—playing dumb and stalling.
Playing that game, are you?
Takeshi picked his ear, staring at the Kusagakure official who continued to babble on about how Kusagakure was still Konoha's most loyal ally, insisting he knew nothing.
How noisy.
Shikaku felt the same.
Looking at these shameless Kusagakure shinobi who wouldn't shed tears until they saw their own coffins, Shikaku decisively decided to play the "Takeshi card" and use the reputation of the "White Reaper" to scare them.
After giving Takeshi a signal with his eyes, Shikaku even mouthed the words to make sure his meaning wasn't misunderstood like last time.
Got it.
Catching both the eye signal and the lip movement, Takeshi responded with his own glance.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Takeshi clapped his hands together and used the lightweight version of the Wind Spirit Technique he had recently developed.
"Ice Release: Ice Giant Technique!"
With a rumble, the ice giant erupted from the ground in front of the Kusagakure shinobi. The previously defiant Kusagakure deputy village chief instantly fell silent.
"Ice Release? That means... that guy is Konoha's White Reaper!"
"No way! Konoha actually dispatched such a powerful shinobi—are they really declaring war on us?!"
"Damn it! That giant is enormous! Just how much chakra would it take to create something like that?"
Amidst the buzz of anxious discussion, the Kusagakure deputy village chief stared blankly at the towering giant—and at Takeshi, who stood atop its head.
"This old geezer is brave, I'll give him that. Fine, let's go along with Captain Shikaku's plan for now."
Though Takeshi admired the man's courage, he was already preparing to have the giant wipe out all the Kusagakure shinobi in front of him.
"Wait, is the giant raising its fist?"
"Shit! No good—Konoha's ninja is really going to kill us!"
"Run! Quick! Get to Iwagakure and ask for reinforcements!"
In the midst of the chaos, only the deputy village chief remained calm and composed.
His fearless posture quickly caught the attention of the other Kusagakure shinobi.
"The village chief... he's not going to run?"
Moved by their leader's resolve, the scattered Kusagakure ninjas stopped retreating, determined to etch this heroic image into their memories and pass it on for generations.
"Yeah! The White Reaper is strong, but he's still just one man. He can't kill us all!"
"Right! Fight with the Konoha shinobi!"
"Fight!"
As the ice giant's massive fist closed in on the deputy village chief, even Shikaku—who had just been satisfied that Takeshi had understood him—began to feel a little uneasy.
The more he watched, the more he realized... this brat Takeshi didn't seem to be bluffing at all. Was he really going to kill all of them?
Realizing that their communication had gone completely off the rails, Shikaku quickly tried to come up with a way to de-escalate. But just then, the Kusagakure deputy village chief finally spoke up.
"If Konoha has conditions, state them. Oh, and someone help me up—my leg is acting up again."
So, he wasn't a heroic martyr after all—just an old man whose body gave out before his mouth could beg for mercy.
If only he'd done this sooner. Shikaku had almost witnessed the destruction of Kusagakure with his own eyes.
Pleased with the man's decision to yield to reality, Shikaku immediately stated Konoha's demands.
Upon hearing that Konoha wanted to take a woman from the Uzumaki clan, the deputy village chief visibly relaxed.
Regretfully, he explained that the woman had already been taken away by the attackers. If Konoha still wanted her, they'd have to track those two down themselves.
If they didn't believe him, they were welcome to search the village.
At that, Shikaku's expression changed. He hadn't expected someone would go to such lengths to attack Kusagakure just for a member of the Uzumaki clan.
Could the earlier attack on Konoha also have been an attempt to get Kushina?
The strategist in him began to ponder deeply, while Takeshi asked curiously from the side:
"The adult was taken away... but what about her child?"
At that moment, the previously relieved Kusagakure shinobi all stiffened.
Even Shikaku was shaken by Takeshi's sudden question.
A child? What child? That wasn't in the intel.
But judging from the Kusagakure shinobi's expressions, it didn't seem like this was a baseless guess.
Apparently, even after Root's reorganization, Danzō still had access to secret intel sources.
"W-What child..."
The Kusagakure higher-ups tried to deny it again, but Shikaku wasn't about to let them get away with it. He was about to signal Takeshi once more.
Please, stop with the signals—we give up, alright?!
Seeing Takeshi about to clap again, the Kusagakure officials instantly dropped to their knees and ordered someone to bring over a baby wrapped in a blanket.
Takeshi accepted the baby from their hands.
Hmm. Red hair, that checks out—but the eye color looks a bit off...
He unwrapped the blanket, and upon seeing the pendant on the child's body, he handed the baby back.
"Nope. That one's a girl."
He even knew the gender? The baby was just born not long ago!
Seeing Takeshi getting ready to act again, Kusagakure finally gave up on tricks and brought out the real Karin.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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