Chapter 240: Madara Uchiha's Action
Hoshikawa had a dream.
He felt as if he was resting on a huge piece of jade. The jade was perfectly flawless, warm and moist, with skin like condensed fat, and he could vaguely discern vein-like patterns within it.
Hoshikawa vaguely felt that this jade should be hemispherical.
He wasn't sure how long passed, but he suddenly felt suffocated because of the overwhelming, rich aroma everywhere.
The next second, his body rolled twice in place.
Hoshikawa instinctively opened his eyes and saw Tsunade standing not far away.
"Your chakra hasn't recovered; rest well," Tsunade said calmly, her arms crossed. "I'll continue dealing with the Kumogakure situation."
Without waiting for Hoshikawa's reply, she turned and left the tent.
"How did I end up by the edge of the bed?" Hoshikawa instinctively scratched his head.
He carefully thought back, finally realizing what the dream was about.
Hoshikawa couldn't help but show a look of regret.
Damn it!
Why didn't I wake up sooner?
Hoshikawa stretched, took a deep breath, and could still faintly smell that gentle fragrance in his nasal cavity.
He closed his eyes and immediately sensed the empty Yin Seal on his forehead.
The chakra inside his body was easy to restore, but the chakra within the Yin Seal required a certain amount of time.
Of course, Hoshikawa didn't feel any regret.
Trading one Yin Seal for the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage was incredibly worthwhile.
"Hoshikawa, are you awake?" Kurenai Yūhi's voice sounded outside the tent.
"Come in," Hoshikawa sat up and replied.
"Hoshikawa, how are you now? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?" Kurenai hurriedly walked in, squatted in front of him, and asked with concern.
She should have come yesterday, but she was told Hoshikawa was sleeping and resting, so she endured the wait until now.
"Do I look like I'm hurt?" Hoshikawa reached out, pinched her cheek, and asked.
"No, you don't," Kurenai immediately relaxed upon seeing this.
"Sit and talk," Hoshikawa patted the rug.
"Mhm!" Kurenai's face broke into a smile.
After sitting next to him, she scooted closer, wrapped her arms around his arm, and happily leaned her face against his shoulder.
Hoshikawa felt the softness transmitted from his arm.
He glanced downward.
The young woman was already beginning to show her development.
"Why are you alone? Where is Rin?" Hoshikawa reached out and held her right hand.
"As a medical ninja, she's extremely busy right now," Kurenai paused and added, "But today, she's helping treat the Kumogakure ninja."
Hoshikawa recalled yesterday's great battle.
Due to his enormous-range Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, the vast majority of Kumogakure ninja were injured.
Not to mention the Tailed Beast battle that followed, and the eight Tailed Beast Bombs spat out by the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails combined.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Kumogakure ninja who survived could brag about it for the rest of their lives.
"I really don't know why we should save them," Kurenai sniffed lightly.
"We save them to sell them at a higher price," Hoshikawa said with a laugh, looking at her pouting lips.
"Sell for money?" Kurenai was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant.
He was talking about the upcoming peace talks between Kumogakure and Konohagakure.
With the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage in custody, Konoha was set to profit immensely.
"So, after the peace talks, we will let them go?" Kurenai tilted her head and asked.
"Do you know what 'sustainability' means?" Hoshikawa didn't answer her question directly; he asked one in return.
"I don't really understand," Kurenai thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Simply put, it means letting them go back, then capturing them again, repeating the process to maximize profit," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
"Huh?" Kurenai's eyes widened.
Her first reaction was that it was impossible.
But if it was Hoshikawa, it was certainly plausible.
After all, his strength was too overwhelming, and he was progressing rapidly.
Capturing the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage this time was relatively dangerous.
But in a few years, Hoshikawa might be able to defeat them easily.
"That sounds so naughty!" Kurenai said with a delighted smile. "But I like it!"
Hoshikawa laughed and patted her head.
There was another reason he hadn't mentioned.
That was unifying the ninja world, which he planned to do only after he became Hokage.
Destroying Kumogakure now would simply hand over prestige to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The most urgent matter was to get Tsunade into the Hokage position.
After she served for a few years, she could yield the seat to him.
Hoshikawa thought of the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Sage Mode.
Once he mastered those, he could truly achieve invincibility in the ninja world.
No, that's not right.
It was still too early to speak of invincibility.
After all, there was still Madara Uchiha with the Rinnegan and the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki Clan.
"I almost forgot something," Kurenai conjured a bento box as if by magic and said, "It's time for breakfast!"
"You made this?" Hoshikawa opened the bento box and saw that it was still warm.
"Mhm!" Kurenai blinked and said, "But it's definitely not as good as yours."
"This peace talk will likely empty out Kumogakure," Hoshikawa picked up his chopsticks and asked with a smile, "Is there anything you want?"
"Let me think," Kurenai looked at him, falling into contemplation.
"No need to rush; we have plenty of time," Hoshikawa took a bite of chicken and said, "It tastes good; you've improved a lot."
"Of course!" Kurenai's face was completely covered in smiles upon hearing this.
The Land of Grass.
A profound, evil aura suddenly surged from the endless green grassland.
Boom!
A wave of air rolled outwards, and a huge skeletal upper body shot into the sky.
Unlike Shisui Uchiha's skeletal upper body, this skeleton was covered with muscle tissue and blood vessels.
This was the second form of Susanoo.
The ninja protected beneath it was Obito Uchiha.
The reason his Susanoo was one stage ahead of Shisui Uchiha's was because he had implanted Hashirama's cells.
Hashirama's cells provided an enormous boost to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
This applied to both his ocular jutsu and his Susanoo.
"Very good," Madara Uchiha, or rather, Madara Uchiha's shadow clone, nodded with satisfaction.
To master the second form of Susanoo in such a short time since awakening the eyes, he was indeed the ninja Madara had pinned his hopes on.
And this was despite Obito Uchiha being severely injured by Hoshikawa and bedridden for several months during this period.
"Can I go find Hoshikawa now?" Obito Uchiha retracted his Susanoo, his face showing deep-seated hatred as he asked.
"I'm afraid not," Madara Uchiha shook his head.
"Why?" Obito Uchiha asked coldly. "With my current strength, crushing Hoshikawa would be like crushing an ant."
He had been utterly despairing when he lost to Hoshikawa.
But after becoming familiar with the Mangekyō Sharingan and mastering Susanoo, his confidence returned.
Just as Madara Uchiha had said, his former self had simply failed to utilize the Mangekyō Sharingan's true power.
Most importantly, he felt he had grasped the full extent of Hoshikawa's strength.
"I just received intelligence from Zetsu that the war in the Land of Frost is over," Madara Uchiha abruptly changed the subject.
"The war between Konoha and Kumogakure?" Obito Uchiha frowned slightly and asked, "What does that have to do with us?"
"Do you know how it ended?" Madara Uchiha asked unhurriedly.
"Is it related to Hoshikawa again?" Obito Uchiha's face darkened, and he asked with irritation.
"It seems you've become a lot smarter," Madara Uchiha smiled faintly and said, "Hoshikawa defeated the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage consecutively."
"How is that possible?" Obito Uchiha's first reaction was disbelief.
Hoshikawa struggled considerably to defeat just the Four-Tails before, and now, defeating the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage all at once was nothing short of miraculous!
"Zetsu witnessed it personally, so it's undeniable," Madara Uchiha's face showed a nostalgic look. "Furthermore, Hoshikawa has learned Wood Release."
"What?" Obito Uchiha was once again deeply shaken.
That was the legendary Wood Release of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju!
And most importantly, he knew that Madara Uchiha had been defeated by Hashirama Senju.
"If my life weren't nearing its end, I would truly want to have a match with him," Madara Uchiha said with a touch of regret.
Although Obito Uchiha possessed Wood Release, it was derived from Hashirama Senju's cells.
But according to Zetsu, Hoshikawa showed no detectable Hashirama Senju cells on him.
In other words, this was a naturally awakened Wood Release user.
What a pity.
Madara Uchiha couldn't afford to waste his remaining life.
Hoshikawa was Obito Uchiha's mortal enemy.
Madara Uchiha could still restrain him now.
But after Madara's death, Obito would likely lose control.
To prevent the executioner of his plan from dying prematurely, Madara had to do everything possible to strengthen Obito's power in the meantime.
"Damn it!" Obito Uchiha said through gritted teeth. "What is wrong with that guy?!"
He believed he had experienced continuous miraculous encounters and a huge increase in strength recently, yet Hoshikawa's progress was even faster.
"Your ocular jutsu is already known to Hoshikawa," Madara Uchiha said calmly. "Do not seek him out until you have absolute certainty of victory."
"..." Obito Uchiha instinctively clenched his fists.
"Don't forget the Moon's Eye Plan," Madara Uchiha reminded him. "If you acquire the Rinnegan, killing Hoshikawa will be as easy as flipping your hand."
"But I can't wait that long!" Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth. "The thought of Hoshikawa still being alive keeps me awake at night!"
"Then let's begin the Moon's Eye Plan," Madara Uchiha considered for a moment and said.
"Where do we start?" Obito Uchiha was slightly taken aback and asked.
"By joining the Akatsuki organization," Madara Uchiha said in a calm tone.
Konohagakure Main Encampment.
A week had passed since the end of the war, and all the injured had been treated and urgently sent back to the Konoha Hospital.
Today was the day the remaining ninja were to set off for Konohagakure.
However, Sunagakure was leaving first.
At the entrance of the Konohagakure encampment, the Sunagakure ninja stood in orderly formation.
Standing at the front were Pakura and Rasa.
"Once the date for peace talks with Kumogakure is finalized, Konohagakure will send someone to notify you," Tsunade said, looking at them.
The war had just ended, and there was simply too much cleanup work.
Furthermore, the terms of the peace agreement had to be carefully considered, so it wouldn't happen quickly; it would even take much longer than the previous peace talks with Iwagakure and Kirigakure.
After all, Kumogakure was almost completely wiped out this time, and exchanging two Tailed Beasts and the Fourth Raikage would not be an easy negotiation.
"Understood," Pakura bowed slightly and said, "Lady Tsunade, Sunagakure awaits good news."
Her attitude was respectful like never before.
Konoha's current strength was too immense, and Sunagakure dared not provoke them in the slightest.
Offending Konoha over a matter of attitude would not be worth the cost.
"Mhm," Tsunade nodded.
Pakura, Rasa, and the other Sunagakure ninja turned and walked away.
Tsunade withdrew her gaze and looked at Mabui, Samui, and the others.
"Lady Tsunade," Mabui steeled herself and stepped forward.
"You will return to Konoha with us," Tsunade said calmly, her tone brooking no argument.
"Yes," Mabui sighed internally.
This was the expected outcome.
After all, Konoha had already released many Kumogakure ninja.
But they were Kumogakure's high-ranking officials and naturally could not escape.
"Lady Tsunade," Mabui asked hesitantly, "What are Konoha's conditions?"
"Don't rush," Tsunade glanced at her and said with a smile, "You will know in due time."
"Yes," Mabui nodded, filled with confusion and despair.
No matter how high her intelligence, she was now completely at their mercy.
She wondered how Yugito Nii was doing.
The Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage were being held separately, and no one could see them.
They, on the other hand, were relatively free and not locked up.
But Mabui knew their cage was the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage.
No matter how free they were, they dared not cause trouble or attempt to escape.
"Everyone, return to Konoha!" Tsunade shouted.
"Yes!" The Konohagakure ninja answered in unison.
Their voices were filled with excitement.
Only the Kumogakure group surrounding them looked pale and felt that their future was nothing but darkness.
Tsunade glanced at Orochimaru.
Since Danzō Shimura's capture, he had become incredibly quiet.
Not only did he voluntarily yield the commander position, but he also didn't get in the way at all, essentially becoming invisible.
But based on her understanding of him, this was more like the calm before a storm; he wouldn't do nothing.
The large group set off towards Konohagakure in an imposing manner.
Two days later, they arrived at their destination.
Upon entering the village, they were greeted with a warm welcome from both ninja and villagers.
Everyone was cheering Tsunade and Hoshikawa's names.
Hoshikawa was slightly surprised.
He noticed that the cheers for him and Tsunade sounded about equal.
This meant their prestige was now roughly the same.
War was indeed the fastest way to gain prestige.
If it weren't for Tsunade, Hoshikawa could already compete for the Fourth Hokage position.
Just then, the crowd parted, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked out with a wide smile.
Besides him were Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze, among other Jonin.
Seeing Jiraiya, Hoshikawa was a bit surprised.
But a second thought revealed the reason for his presence: the Wood Release experiments.
"Lord Hokage," everyone shouted in unison.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked up to them and spoke a few formal words.
It was mainly phrases like, "You've worked hard."
"Let's go to the Hokage Building," Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tsunade, Hoshikawa, and the others and said.