After Pakura went out to sea by boat, she sat on the bow of the boat and looked at the endless blue sea and the clear blue sky. After seeing the wind and sand of Sunagakure for a long time, the blue in front of her makes Pakura fascinated.
But fascinated is fascinated, and the vigilance that should be there will not be left behind.
As a few waves hit the side of the boat, Pakura frowned slightly, and slowly lowered her head to look at the sea.
At this time, the sea has returned to calm, but the seabed is full of undercurrents!
Pakura stood up, and her whole body was on guard.
In the next instant, the big boat under her feet suddenly shook!
"Not good, the bottom deck of the ship is flooded!!"
"Everyone, come and help!"
The sailors' distraught voices came from the cabin.
With the water leakage at the bottom of the boat, the speed of the ship was greatly affected. Pakura knew that staying on the ship would only make her a living target for the enemy, so she immediately abandoned the boat and jumped into the sea, stepping on the sea and ran towards the Land of Tea quickly.
After she ran dozens of nautical miles, the calm sea finally showed its ferociousness. Amidst the turbulent waves, a surging wave giant rose from the depths of the seabed and slapped towards Pakura like a mountain!
Pakura's expression remained unchanged, and she calmly used her Kekkei Genkai: "Shakuton: Kajōsatsu!" (Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder)
Small orange-red fireballs floated up from her side, then fused and expanded, and in a blink of an eye, it turned into a huge fireball, covering Pakura's figure behind it.
Boom!!
The huge wave whizzed towards them, and the momentum is very powerful, but the Scorch Release fireball is like a floating sun. Under the scorching high temperature, all the seawater that approached was evaporated before it exerted force, and turned into water vapor with the ear-piercing sound.
Hum, hum, hum…
The huge wave swept past, and when it was exhausted, it slapped heavily on the sea surface, rolling up thousands of waves.
Pakura stood on the undulating sea and looked around vigilantly. The huge orange red fireball had dispersed into four small fireballs floating beside her.
"As expected of the hero of Sunagakure."
Hyōketsu, who is wearing a straw hat and a black robe, emerged from the bottom of the sea, and the ice crystal mask on his face refracted magnificent colors in the sunlight, like a beautiful illusion.
"Sure enough, it's you!"
Pakura's face darkened, "What exactly do you want to do?"
"I want to hear your answer."
Hyōketsu said with cold voice, "Have you decided to join the Abyss."
"I refuse!" Pakura denied without even thinking about it.
"Refuse? Don't you want to go back to Sunagakure?"
Hyōketsu said with a sneer, "After I go to Sunagakure and kill a few people outside, your Yondaime Kazekage sent you out. What did he send you for?"
Pakura's heart sank upon hearing this.
"Let me guess… Is he asking you to go to Kirigakure to form an alliance?"
Hyōketsu sneered, "Don't crack a joke. Kirigakure has become a village of Bloody Mist under the cruel rule of Yondaime Mizukage. When you arrive at Kirigakure, you will surely be killed as a spy. You... have been betrayed by the village you love!"
"No, impossible!!"
Pakura clenched her teeth, and veins are overflowing on her forehead, "I don't believe it, you are lying to me!!"
"You don't believe it? Why are you so flustered and exasperated then?"
Hyōketsu sneered again and again, "Stupid woman, stop deceiving yourself!"
Pakura was furious in an instant. Although she never admits it, the biggest reason why she failed to become the Yondaime Kazekage was because she is a woman!
Now, this bastard uses this to insult her again!
'Damn it!'
Pakura tipped her toes, and immediatelyslammed into Hyōketsu while carrying a small orange fireball!
'You cheated.'
Hyōketsu complained in his heart, and then put his hands together, and countless ice crystals and snowflake floated up from his side in an instant, then rotated, danced, and kept spinning, turning into a huge ice storm in a blink of an eye!
The ice storm turned bigger and bigger, and gradually spread outward. Wherever it passed, the air condensed, the sea froze, and the white cold current visible to the naked eye flew around, just like the coming of the ice age.
Pakura's face changed slightly when she saw this: "How is it possible?!"
The first time she fought with Hyōketsu on the battlefield, his Ice Release was far less terrifying than it is now!
'What is going on here?'
Pakura's step paused, and she instantly dodged backwards.
"Pakura, if you only have this degree of strength, you can't enter the Abyss."
Hyōketsu's ice-cold voice came out from the ice storm, with a bit of chill and teasing, "Please please me to your heart's content."
Hearing these words, Paku... cough, Tenkū is full of anger!
At this time, he was hiding in the sea behind Hyōketsu, gnashing his teeth, 'This sentence is clearly my line, this shameless bastard!'
"Shakuton: Kajōsatsu!"
Pakura retreated to a hundred meters away, then waved her hand to attack, and four small orange fireballs quickly condensed and expanded, and then blasted towards the center of the ice storm.
The scorching fireballs crashed straight into the ice storm like a rainbow piercing the sun.
Squeak...
With the piercing sound of ice and fire clashing, dozens of white cold currents crazy entangled towards the Scorch Release fireballs, followed by the countless ice crystals and snowflakes whirling and shooting towards it, like ice moths rushing towards a flame.
Zst zst zst...
The ice and fire collided fiercely in the air, Chakra boiled, and the air gradually distorted and blurred, and finally... exploded!
Boom!!
The Scorch Release fireballs were blown into a dazzling orange red ring of fire by the surging air waves, spreading rapidly, and violently chopped off the huge ice storm in half, with countless fragments of ice in the ring of fire flew and falling in all directions.
After a while, and the aftermath of the explosion slowly subsided.
Hyōketsu stood on the ice, and faint trace ice crystals remained on his black robe, exuding a faint chill in the sun.
Pakura is standing a hundred meters away, and the sea under her feet is still undulating, carrying her up and down.
"What do you want!" Pakura stared at Hyōketsu and asked sharply.
"Maybe I forgot to tell you before, knowing that there are only two consequences for knowing the Abyss."
Hyōketsu paused for a moment, and chuckled softly, "Either join or die, there is no third way!"
"Hmph, it's just your wishful thinking!" Pakura was extremely dissatisfied.
"Then there is no way."
Hyōketsu didn't mean it at all. The reason why he said so much nonsense was to disturb Pakura's mind. If she can be allowed to 'abandon the dark and cast the light', it is better, as he can use sneak attack to kill her, which can save a lot of effort.
Pakura looked at Hyōketsu vigilantly, and small orange fireballs floated beside her again.
Hyōketsu also formed hand seals again, and countless ice crystals quickly condenses under the sun, turning into a huge ferocious ice dragon, winding up and roaring towards the sky.
"Then, let's sing a song of fire and ice."
Hyōketsu waved his hand, and the ice dragon on top of his head moved in an S position, and slammed into Pakura.
...
The Land of Fire.
Konoha.
After the selection of Yondaime Hokage's Hokage Guard Platoon, everything is on the right track. Hokage does Hokage's work, advisors do advisors' works, Anbu performs Anbu's mission, and Hokage Guard Platoon also works, helping Minato does some chores.
Today.
A Root's Shinobi came to the financial office of the village to collect the operating expenses for this month.
But the one he got it in the end was less than half of what it was before!
The Root's Shinobi did not say much, and immediately rushed back to Root's Headquarter to inform Danzo of the matter.
Danzo was furious after hearing this!
During this war, his Root has lost a large number of elites in the Land of Rain. At this moment, he urgently needed funds to rebuild his Root, but Minato actually attacked him like this at this time?
Danzo couldn't bear it, so he headed to Hokage Tower arrogantly.
"Yondaime, what do you mean by this?!"
Rushing to the office, Danzo relied on his qualifications as an advisor and senior, pushed the door open and asked in an angry voice.
"Danzo-sama, what are you doing?" Genma immediately stepped forward to stop Danzo.
"How dare a mere guard stop me? Go away!" Danzo didn't give Genma any face.
"I..." Genma's face turned pale, and he didn't know what to do for a while.
"Genma."
Minato said softly, "It's okay, Danzo is the village's advisor, not an outsider."
"Humph!"
Danzo bypassed Genma, and his one eye narrowed in anger, "Yondaime, you need to give me a reasonable explanation!"
"What do you mean?" Minato asked calmly.
"Don't play stupid!"
Danzo became more and more dissatisfied with Minato, "Why would you cut the Root's funding? Or, this is something Sandaime does?!"
Minato frowned slightly, and said: "This is a decision I made after careful consideration, and it has nothing to do with Sandaime."
"Careful consideration? What a joke, you clearly want to limit my power!" Danzo said angrily.
"Danzo-sama, please don't say that! Not only your Root, but even the funding of Hokage-sama's Anbu has also been cut!"
Genma next to him couldn't stand it and explained loudly. "The war is over, Anbu and Root have…"
"Shut up!"
Danzo stopped Genma with a cold look, and said disdainfully, "The war is over? What a joke! Kumogakure's army is still hovering outside the border-line, and there is a possibility of invasion at any time. At this time, cutting Root and Anbu's funding is simply stupid!! In case it is impossible to obtain the news of Kumogakure's invasion immediately due to poor information, who will bear the consequences?!"
"If Kumogakure really invades, I will personally go to the frontline."
Minato said in a deep tone, "I'll end the war in the name of the Yellow Flash!"
"You…" Danzo didn't know what to say.
Although he doesn't want to admit it, for Minato, who has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, he can come and go without a trace. Whether it's a group battle or a one-on-one fight, only he can kill others, and others can't kill him at all.
In this case, if he goes to the front line in person, it is indeed possible to crush Cloud Shinobi.
But war is never a man's business!
Danzo wanted to say something more, but Minato no longer gives him a chance: "Advisor Danzo, the decision to cut the Root's funding has been issued, and there will be no further changes, please go back."
The muscles on Danzo's cheek twitched slightly, and he finally gritted his teeth and turned away.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, I'm obviously your guard, but I can't help you even a little bit." Genma was a little ashamed and didn't dare to look up at Minato.
"He is the advisor of the village after all, so don't mind." Minato said with a smile. There's no abnormality in his expression, and then he continued to work.
At the same time, the news of funding cuts also reached the Anbu.
The Anbu Commander, Eagle had already communicated with Minato in advance, so he didn't panic, and directly called the leaders of the various teams to a meeting, and stated the real purpose of this funding cuts.
The Third Shinobi World War is basically over. As a victorious side, Konoha will have more and more commissions in the next few years, but too many Shinobi in Konoha were crippled and sacrificed in the war, so Minato decided to 'dismiss' half of the Anbu and let them complete the entrusted commission of the village, so as to improve Konoha's economy and credibility, and at the same time, convey a signal to the outside world that Konoha is still strong.
This is also the reason for reducing the Root's funding. It's a pity that Danzo only thinks about his own power, and his eye is blinded about other things. He doesn't see Minato's intention at all. Of course, even if Danzo knew about it, he wouldn't agree with it. After all, the Root is the foundation of his power!