Akimoto Fuu had never imagined that Oshima Reina's goal was to destroy the Hidden Hot Spring Village with the power of the Evil Cult.
As the leader of the Hot Spring Village, Akimoto naturally knew some of its secrets. But he had no idea how she'd come to be this way.
"If you harbor such dangerous thoughts, then from this moment on, you are an enemy of our village. You will face endless pursuit and elimination by the Hot Spring Ninjas!"
Akimoto Fuu's gaze turned completely cold, the last remnants of old affection for Oshima Reina vanishing entirely.
"Before that, why don't you focus on ensuring Kato Eirei's safety first?"
Knowing full well what decision she had made, Oshima Reina had already prepared herself for the consequences.
Kato Eirei wasn't just Akimoto Fuu's superior—she was also the head elder of the Kato clan, currently the most powerful clan in the Hidden Hot Spring Village. As the daughter of the village's first leader, her status even surpassed Akimoto Fuu himself.
Taking her as a hostage meant Akimoto Fuu would have no choice but to submit.
Therefore, Oshima Reina turned her gaze toward Tachiyama Shinsaburo. The latter narrowed his eyes and spoke, "Let me repeat myself one more time—hand over the Bloodthirsty Sickle of Three Moons!"
As his words fell, Oshima Reina pushed the blade resting against Kato Eirei's neck another inch closer. Just a little more pressure, and its razor-sharp edge would break her skin.
"Fine, I'll give it to you!" Akimoto Fuu's expression darkened. He had no other choice at this point.
Whether for personal or official reasons, clearly the Bloodthirsty Sickle of Three Moons couldn't compare with his own mother's life.
Then he called Kato Miyone over and whispered something into her ear. She immediately dashed away.
While Kato Miyone went to retrieve the Bloodthirsty Sickle, both sides remained locked in a tense standoff.
Ryo Yagura retreated back to the followers of the Evil Deity Cult. Of the thousand cultists Tachiyama Shinsaburo had brought, nearly two hundred had fallen within this short battle.
In contrast, the Hidden Hot Spring ninjas barely lost a dozen fighters.
The losses were actually within Tachiyama Shinsaburo's expectations. In fact, he'd anticipated an even worse outcome—perhaps only three hundred among these thousand believers would survive and leave the Hidden Hot Spring Village.
After all, their opponents were all ninja. The gap in combat strength couldn't easily be filled by numbers alone.
Behind Akimoto Fuu, the other Hot Spring ninjas wore expressions filled with fury. After all, the Evil Cult had destroyed the peace and tranquility of the Hidden Hot Spring Village, leaving it in its current state—and they had even taken Kato Eirei hostage.
They felt fury, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Sakumo, Junko Watanabe, Minato, and Yan Uchiha stood side by side.
Prior to undertaking this mission, none of them had imagined things would escalate to this extent.
Their original target, Tachiyama Shinsaburo, not only had backing from elite Cloud Ninjas but also led an entire army of cultists from the Evil Cult.
Without help from the Hidden Hot Spring Village, completing this mission so far from Konoha, on foreign soil, would've been utterly impossible.
This was already an extremely complex and difficult task, so it was quite impressive that newcomers Minato and Uchiha En had made it this far.
"What should we do now?" Junko Watanabe asked Sakumo. By this point, she had also become genuinely uncertain about what to do next.
Sakumo himself was equally perplexed. Beside Tachiyama Shinsaburo stood Ryo Yagura, whose strength was troubling even for him.
Even if Junko, Minato, and the others combined their strength, they wouldn't stand a real chance against Tachiyama Shinsaburo—they would only end up endangering themselves.
"We'll see how things go. With Tachiyama Shinsaburo making such bold moves, the Hidden Hot Spring Village won't just sit idle while he runs loose."
With Kato Eirei taken as a hostage, rescuing her would allow them to rely on the Hidden Hot Spring forces to contain both the Cloud Ninja and the Followers of the Evil Deity Cult.
This was their only hope of completing the mission.
The other three nodded in agreement. Not long after, Kato Shizune brought over the key object from the incident.
Minato immediately turned his gaze toward it—it was a triple-bladed scythe nearly as tall as he was. The crescent-shaped blades were all blood-red, like fresh blood.
The Bloodthirsty Sickle of Three Moons exuded a sinister, ominous aura.
When Tachiyama Shinsaburo, surrounded by the crowd, first saw the weapon, his eyes lit up with greed.
Once he got his hands on the Bloodthirsty Sickle of Three Moons, he could perform the Immortal Ritual and achieve true immortality—a body immune to death.
At that point, he could complete other jutsu. Even just a drop of Sakumo Hatake's blood would ensure he could take the man's life.
"Hand it over to me," Tachiyama Shinsaburo said eagerly, showing no attempt to hide his greed.
Fuu Akimoto tightened his grip on the Bloodthirsty Sickle of Three Moons before replying, "I can give it to you—but not yet."
Tachiyama Shinsaburo's expression shifted slightly. "What do you mean?"
"It's simple—because you dare not." Fuu Akimoto smiled faintly, then turned toward Oshima Reina. "If I make the exchange here, you won't be leaving the Hidden Hot Spring Village alive."
He openly displayed his killing intent, making no effort to conceal his meaning.
Though eager, Tachiyama Shinsaburo hadn't completely lost his composure. His current forces were nowhere near enough to oppose the entire Hidden Hot Spring Village.
Carrying out the exchange here meant he wouldn't even have the chance to escape with the Bloodthirsty Sickle of Three Moons.
"Then have one of your Hidden Hot Spring Ninja accompany me out, and once we reach a safe location, I'll release the hostage."
Tachiyama Shinsaburo immediately stated his conditions—he held the advantage at this moment.
"That won't work. That guy beside you is extremely dangerous."
Fuu Akimoto shook his head. No matter how many Hidden Hot Spring Ninjas he sent, none could rival Ryo Yagura.
Tachiyama Shinsaburo's gaze hardened. At that moment, Fuu Akimoto turned around, facing Sakumo and the others, earnestly stating, "That's why I hope Mr. Sakumo and these Konoha ninja will assist me in completing this exchange."
Sakumo was momentarily taken aback. Still, Fuu Akimoto's choice truly was the only viable option available.
"As long as you can ensure my mother's safety, I, Fuu Akimoto, swear that as long as I live, if Konoha has any need, the Hidden Hot Spring Village will spare no effort to assist!"
Fuu Akimoto made such a promise before everyone.
Although the Hidden Hot Spring Village was just a minor ninja village, it still had shinobi of Fuu Akimoto's caliber. This vow truly carried great weight.
Sakumo took a deep breath and grew serious. "Then leave it to us," he said. "Konoha's ninja never abandon their allies."
...
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