When Mizuki saw that Kakashi was going to take him back to Konoha, he quickly said, "If you promise to let me go, I'll tell you who's behind me."
He absolutely could not be captured and brought back to Konoha, or he would surely die.
If they had been captured along with the Scroll of Seals, there might still have been hope for their survival.
But now that he had been captured and taken back, the Scroll of Seals was gone.
He could guess what would happen to him even with his eyes closed.
"Mizuki, you know this is impossible," Kakashi Hatake said calmly. "I can only promise you that if you explain everything clearly, I will try my best to save your life."
"Alright, Kakashi, that Scroll of Seals was intentional..."
Mizuki nodded firmly, about to reveal that the Scroll of Seals was sentient, when suddenly his body convulsed and he could no longer move.
His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, trying to say everything, but no sound came out.
However, Kakashi, with his excellent eyesight, noticed a black curse mark on Mizuki's tongue.
This curse mark had also been present in the Heavenly Treasury in the past, and in the same location.
Later, the Hokage had negotiated with Danzō Shimura, who had then helped to remove the cursed seal.
Thinking about this, everything gradually became clear, and all the doubts pointed to the same person.
Danzō Shimura!
This had absolutely been his doing.
The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was a method Danzō used to control his subordinates.
Members of the Root organization were marked with this seal, making them unable to divulge any information or news about Danzō.
Otherwise, one became completely paralyzed and unable to move. Only Danzō knew how to release this seal.
"Kuchiyose!"
Kakashi recorded the information he had analyzed on a scroll, and then summoned his ninja dog to take the scroll back to Konoha.
...
The bridge in the Land of Waves was still under construction.
Tazuna wanted to take advantage of the Konoha ninjas' presence to complete the bridge construction as quickly as possible.
By then, the die would have been cast, and even Gato would not have been able to dismantle it anymore, right?
However, just as they started construction, Gato arrived with his men.
Although Zabuza no longer had any powerful ninjas under his command after he resigned, he still had many henchmen.
Moreover, he had also brought a heavyweight figure this time: the daimyo of the Land of Waves.
"Konoha ninjas, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, otherwise, the consequences will be far beyond what you can bear."
Gato stood on the bridge, confronting Tazuna and the others, and at the same time, he uttered some harsh words.
"Mr. Gato, we are hired by Mr. Tazuna, and it is our duty to protect him," Sasuke Uchiha spoke very politely to Gato.
Years of self-cultivation had made Uchiha Sasuke far more adept at interpersonal relationships than he had been in his previous life.
"Alright, I see that although you are young, you are a reasonable person. Today, I will have someone talk to you about this."
As Gato spoke, he clapped his hands, and the crowd behind him automatically parted to make way for the daimyo of the Land of Waves, who took small, unhurried steps to walk between the two sides.
"I am the daimyo of the Land of Waves, Inukai Denkō."
"Mr. Gato is an extremely outstanding entrepreneur in the Land of Waves (Gato is the president of the shipping company). He creates huge wealth for the Land of Waves every year, and I highly recognize his abilities."
"And Tazuna and his gang of 'troublemakers' maliciously built the bridge in an attempt to smuggle the wealth of my Wave Country to other countries, which not only seriously damages the sovereign interests of my Wave Country, but also affects the well-being of the people who can enjoy boating and sightseeing."
"It has created a broad road for enemy countries to attack my Land of Waves. I absolutely cannot tolerate such behavior."
"I urge you not to attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of my Land of Waves by force. Otherwise, I will send a letter of protest to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, condemning your actions, the ninjas of Konoha!"
Inukai Denkō held a fan in his hand, covering half of his face, his small eyes revealing his disgust for the Konoha ninjas.
Gato had promised him that if he could drive away the Konoha ninjas, he would help him build a large palace.
Moreover, they would spend huge sums of money to find beautiful women from other countries and present them to him so that he could enjoy a life of luxury.
"Daimyo, how can you say that?"
"Wasn't it you who secretly instructed us to make sure the bridge was built to break through Gato's economic blockade?"
"Lord Daimyo, if you feel threatened, just blink! The Konoha ninjas will definitely protect you!"
As soon as the daimyo finished speaking, Tazuna's group erupted in chaos.
Who were they working so hard to build the bridge for?
Wasn't it all for this prestigious name?
But now, they were ready to fight Gato to the death, attempting to defeat this evil force that was ravaging the Land of Waves.
And their revered daimyo, the spiritual pillar of the Land of Waves, had surrendered without a fight!
They had even turned around and called them troublemakers, saying they were affecting the well-being of the people of the Land of Waves, who could enjoy boat trips and sightseeing...
"Daimyō-sama, what exactly did Gato give you in return?" Tazuna looked at the daimyō with a face full of anger: "This bridge is not only the culmination of my life's work."
"They are the last hope of all the people of the Land of Waves. Are you really going to just stand by and watch Gato block our only way out?"
Tazuna had thought that by disregarding his reputation, he had left behind Konoha ninjas who could help them deter Gato and thus complete the construction of the bridge.
But all of this made him completely lose hope in the Land of Waves.
"Insolence!" Inukai Denkō's face turned cold: "Who do you think you are? How dare you yell at me like that?"
"Guards, begin dismantling the bridge immediately! Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be killed without mercy!"
"If the Konoha ninjas forcibly interfere in the internal affairs of the Land of Waves, I will definitely express my strong dissatisfaction to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"And in the name of the Land of Waves, they condemned the Hokage of Konoha for allowing his subordinate ninjas to forcibly interfere in the affairs of other countries, leaving us small countries with no way to survive."
Upon hearing this, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno dared not make a move.
Although the Land of Waves was a small country, in times of peace, the voice of its daimyo was absolutely not to be ignored.
If he were to publicly criticize the Hokage of Konoha in the entire ninja world, Hiruzen Sarutobi would surely have his reputation ruined in his later years.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, for the sake of the Land of Fire's reputation, would also have chosen to replace the Hokage, thereby reducing the impact of the matter.
Of course, this was a different story during wartime.
"My lord, wake up! You can't treat your people like this!"
"If my death can awaken you, then I am willing to exchange my death for a glimmer of hope for the Land of Waves."
"Daimyo, you cannot associate with Gato!"
Those responsible for building the bridge cried out in an attempt to awaken their daimyo, and some even committed suicide to demonstrate their unwavering loyalty.
"Mr. Gato, are you satisfied with what I've done?"
However, the Daimyo of the Land of Waves didn't even glance at them, but instead spoke obsequiously to Gato.
...
Smash that Powerstone!
Write a quick review!