At the port of the Land of Water.
Shinji never expected that Mei would cause him such big trouble right before his departure.
Remember, Konoha, for the sake of its reputation, or rather, to avoid any criticism, had sent a few people to Mist Hidden to just go through the motions.
It was one thing that these people were slacking off the entire time, but when the curse spirits attacked, they never showed up. This was simply too much.
Mei and the Mist Hidden Elder Council were extremely displeased and could no longer tolerate it.
Furthermore, it seemed they knew they were unwelcome or had lost face to stay any longer, so they proactively requested to leave from Mei.
Mei went along with it, but she couldn't let this slight go unaddressed.
Moreover, she had very little trust in these people, suspecting they would fabricate stories and twist the truth upon their return.
Therefore, she decided to send a few people to accompany them back to Konoha to inform the Hokage about the major event of the curse spirit attack on Mist Hidden, and also to lodge a complaint and vent their anger.
However, after searching, there was no suitable candidate. In the end, she decided to send Mangetsu Hōzuki as their representative.
Mangetsu Hōzuki was now considered the strongest person in the entire Mist Hidden Village besides the Mizukage, and the only one who could somewhat represent them.
But here came the problem: Mangetsu Hōzuki could not afford to have any more mishaps.
It wasn't that Mei distrusted Konoha, but Orochimaru appearing in the Land of Water and kidnapping Mangetsu Hōzuki's younger brother had happened not long ago.
Who could guarantee that Orochimaru wouldn't target Mangetsu Hōzuki upon hearing the news this time?
And who could guarantee that Konoha wouldn't find an excuse to detain Mangetsu Hōzuki?
While she was agonizing over this, Shinji happened to stumble upon her, saying he wanted to leave.
Mei's persuasion was fruitless, so she simply entrusted this matter to him.
Mangetsu Hōzuki alone would be very dangerous, but if Akagi and his group were added, even Konoha might not be able to keep all of them.
This time, Mei was relieved.
But when Shinji arrived at the port today and saw who the Konoha personnel to be 'escorted' were, he almost drew his sword on the spot!
"Lord Danzō, after the ship sets sail, do we need to…"
As they boarded the ship, Fū Yamanaka, with his orange-yellow side-parted hair, quietly asked for the opinion of the person in front of him.
"Don't cause trouble. Our objective for this trip has been achieved. All we need to do now is return to Konoha smoothly and report the mission situation."
The old man with bandages wrapped around his head, walking at the front, spoke slowly.
Aburame Torune and Fū Yamanaka immediately lowered their heads, obeying the order.
"Let's go too."
Just as Mangetsu Hōzuki was about to board the ship, Shinji grabbed him.
"Are these the only people from Konoha?"
"Yes. We originally heard that Konoha sent the Hokage's right-hand men, so we thought Konoha took this matter very seriously. But as you know, these guys seemed to be here just to sightsee. Not only did they not contribute, but they also wandered around the village all the time. They didn't show up during the last critical situation; they must have been hiding somewhere."
Perhaps due to the accumulated resentment in his heart, even a battle-maniac like Mangetsu Hōzuki was so dissatisfied, which showed how much others in Mist Hidden must have detested these people.
However, Shinji didn't find anything wrong with it after hearing it.
If it was the infamous Danzō, then everything made sense.
Putting aside what the Hokage sent him here for, Danzō himself would never genuinely help Mist Hidden overcome difficulties.
It would be good enough if he didn't add insult to injury!
During the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha back then, Danzō played the disappearing act perfectly. Now, so many years later, his skill in slacking off and playing tourist without showing up had become even more refined.
So the question arises, Hiruzen Sarutobi, knowing Danzō's personality, still sent Danzō on this trip…
Think about it, really think about it!
If there were no hidden motives, Shinji would fry Hidan's head in oil and eat it!
He finally understood why Mei insisted that he accompany Mangetsu Hōzuki on this journey.
If it were just Mangetsu Hōzuki alone, it was hard to say what Danzō, with his lawless nature, might do.
Without further conversation, Shinji and the others immediately boarded the ship and set off.
At the same time, Shinji made up his mind: it would be fine if Danzō didn't provoke them, but if they became enemies, he would absolutely not let this old schemer return to Konoha alive.
"Tobi, do you think the old man with bandages on his head from Konoha is a good person or a bad person?"
While bored on the deck, Shinji suddenly called Tobi over and asked a question.
Because he suddenly remembered an interesting question he had seen online in his previous life: who was worse, Obito or Danzō, in the entire Naruto series?
One of the most classic answers was: Danzō is worse because Danzō isn't as cool as Obito!
Shinji didn't know what others thought after reading it, but he had completely recognized this looks-matter world at that moment.
Tobi was somewhat confused, but he had actually seen Danzō before. "I know, he's dead!"
"Huh?"
"I'll have Hidan-senpai go chop that old man right now. That way, whether he's a good person or a bad person, he'll just be dead."
Holy crap, that's some logic!
Shinji was speechless, completely unable to refute it.
...
Several days later, as Shinji and his group approached Konoha, nothing unusual happened along the way.
Shinji speculated that Danzō likely had no intentions towards Mangetsu Hōzuki.
Just like how Danzō remained indifferent even when he learned that his former good partner Orochimaru was in the Land of Water.
This was for the best; Shinji was able to have some leisure time.
His entire attention was now focused on the [Thirsty One's Stomach] in his hand.
Because today was the seventh day!
He had just filled it with his blood for the seventh consecutive day. Success or failure hinged on this moment!
Gulp, gulp…
After being filled, the [Thirsty One's Stomach] seemed alive, with sounds of drinking water coming from within, and then it truly deflated.
Until it let out a satisfied burp, Shinji heard a sound like someone vomiting…
His expression changed slightly, but under his gaze, the originally deflated waterskin suddenly became plump again.
Shinji's heart stirred. He opened the bag and poured out some of the liquid inside.
The color and smell were right.
The most crucial step was here!
Shinji directly injected curse energy into it and then attempted to use Blood Manipulation Technique.
The blood poured out immediately condensed into blood needles under his control!
It worked!
Shinji was overjoyed.
From now on, he not only had blood to freely use, but this blood was also naturally poisonous, saving him a lot of trouble.
He took out the rope he had prepared long ago, tied it, and fastened it to his waist.
He eagerly awaited the appearance of the next unlucky person!
Shinji's eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled.
____________________
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