For Yugimoto Kawahiko, Oshima Reina, who grew up with him, was like a family member. However, the girl standing in front of him at this moment, holding his mother hostage, had a cold look in her eyes, like a stranger.
"Yugimoto Kawahiko, you don't have to show that expression. I just put the sword on your mother's neck and haven't even injured her yet," Oshima Reina said coldly. Everything the woman in front of her did was a hundred times more excessive than her.
"Reina, you... Alas." Kato Keika was not panicked because of being held hostage but sighed because she saw the expression of the former at this time and knew she would not listen to her explanation.
There were some things that Yugimoto Kawahiko did not know, but seeing the corpses of the Jashin Cultists in front of him and Sakumo who was staring at Kuriyama Shinzo, some things were not difficult to understand. The person he trusted most betrayed him and held his mother hostage, and now it seemed that Sakumo was also threatening the other party. The two sides confronted here, and from the perspective of strength, their side had an absolute advantage.
"Hatake Sakumo!"
An angry voice broke the confrontation, and a lightning-fast figure rushed towards Sakumo, the speed causing a vibration as it rubbed against the air. Sakumo's eyes turned, and the chakra short sword in his hand suddenly blasted out, also wrapped in blazing lightning.
"Boom!"
The two collided, and the ground they stood on collapsed in an instant. Irregular lightning lines entangled, and the light illuminated everyone so that they couldn't open their eyes. The last time they fought, Sakumo's actions dealt a heavy blow to C's dignity, so he had been ready for this attack. However, C had to admit that his speed, which he was best at, had no advantage in front of Sakumo, and the power of his ninjutsu was also useless for the first time. The chakra short sword in Sakumo's hand was like the sharpest fangs, which could tear everything apart.
The collision between the two men made the people on both sides of the confrontation temporarily stop moving, for fear of being affected by their battle.
"What? Still want to fight? Then I guarantee that you won't be able to leave the Hot Spring Village today!" Sakumo was fighting with C, but his eyes swept towards Kuriyama Shinzo.
Kuriyama Shinzo frowned. Yugimoto Kawahiko was indeed extraordinary as the leader of a village. His eyes were sharp, and he also locked onto him in the crowd. Not only him, but also many Hot Spring Ninjas, and Suzuka, who had fought with him last time, also locked onto him in the crowd. As Sakumo said, with the power in his hands, if it weren't for Oshima Reina, he would have to fail here today. Kato Keika was the only bargaining chip in his hand.
So he ignored Sakumo and turned his gaze to Yugimoto Kawahiko, chuckling and saying, "Leader Yugimoto, nice to meet you."
Yugimoto Kawahiko sneered and said with a bad face, "Kuriyama Shinzo, you are a Konoha rebel, and you dare to hold my mother hostage. Do you really think I will let you go?"
"Your mother is in my hands, but you still dare to threaten me?" Kuriyama Shinzo's eyes flickered.
"Hehe, your life is in our hands now. Will you let my mother go if I show weakness to you?" Yugimoto Kawahiko also saw the situation clearly, so he had no intention of showing weakness. Even if Kuriyama Shinzo held his mother hostage, as the leader of a village, he would never bow to these people of the Jashin Cult. However, he was still observing Kato Keika's expression, and the latter smiled at him faintly. Yugimoto Kawahiko's mother was very relieved that her son was finally no longer a lamb that needed to be protected under her wings. Now he was the leader of the entire Hot Spring Ninja Village.
Behind Yugimoto Kawahiko, Minato was observing the current situation. He asked himself, if he were a leader now, and someone held his parents or relatives hostage, what would he do? To be a Hokage, he lacked more than just strength. However, there was a voice in his heart telling him that he would never let this happen to him.
"You are worthy of being the leader of the Hot Spring Village," Kuriyama Shinzo didn't really take Yugimoto Kawahiko seriously at first. In his opinion, the most troublesome person was only Hatake Sakumo. This was his negligence. As the leader of a village, even if it was just the leader of a small ninja village like Hot Spring Village, he should not be underestimated.
"Then let's get straight to the point. Hand over the things that don't belong to the Hot Spring Village." Kuriyama Shinzo raised his eyelids slightly and then said, "Return the Bloody March Scythe to the Jashin Cult. It is the artifact of my cult." Kuriyama Shinzo incited the Jashin Cultists around him. Under such a disadvantageous situation, the morale of his side would never be low.
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, all these fanatical Jashin believers became even more frenzied. The Bloody March Scythe is a must for completing the Jashin Cult's immortality ritual, and it is also an important part of verifying the existence of the immortal body. The ultimate goal of these people joining the Jashin Cult is naturally to gain the ability to be immortal.
Seeing this, Yugimoto Kawahiko looked at Oshima Reina with a stern look and said, "Oshima Reina, even if you have any conflicts with the village, why do you have to collude with these lunatics?"
The tone of his voice also changed to indifference. In any case, Reina Oshima, who did such a thing, would inevitably become a wanted criminal in the Hot Spring Ninja Village.
"Conflict? Haha, my great leader, you dare say so." Reina Oshima narrowed her eyes, her smile gradually cooling, but she was unwilling to say anything more and directly stated her purpose. "This kind of village that advocates peace and justice on the surface, but is doing shameful and dirty things behind the scenes, so why keep it?"
"It is impossible to destroy it with my own strength, but relying on the madman you mentioned, maybe it can be done!"
The pupils of the Hot Spring Village party and Sakumo shrank when they heard the words. Her purpose is to destroy the entire Hot Spring Village. What a crazy idea! At the same time, Reina Oshima's words were also thought-provoking. What exactly did she mean? What kind of thing would make her destroy her hometown with her own hands?
Sakumo's eyes sank. Under the so-called peace, countless corpses will be buried. Whether it is Hot Spring Village or Konoha, it's the same everywhere. The peace in Konoha today is not just due to the efforts of these people.
In Konoha, there is a department that is unknown to the public. The tasks they are responsible for are all things that cannot be made public. That is the Root. They represent the darkness of Konoha, and in the Hot Spring Village, even if there is no such department, there are definitely people who shoulder the responsibilities of the Root ninja. Where there is light, there must be darkness. Things in this world are always relative.
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