strictlysupreme Chapter 758 Persuasion
Chapter 758 Persuasion
"He's not someone I can persuade," Mabuyi concluded to herself. Unless Zhang Hai himself was willing, any external temptations or persuasion would be futile. His strength lay not only in his power but also in his unfathomable cunning and shrewdness.
At one point, she even had a ridiculous fantasy: how wonderful it would have been if Zhang Hai had been a ninja from Kumogakure from the very beginning. With his strength and wisdom, Kumogakure would surely have reached even greater heights. But this fantasy was quickly washed away by the cold reality.
Just as Mabui was lost in thought, struggling with her inner turmoil, a sudden tremor shattered the tranquility of Konoha Village. The ground trembled slightly, followed by the faint sounds of voices and the clanging of metal in the distance, suggesting movement near the village's entrance.
"What's going on?" Mabuyi frowned, her unease instantly replaced by vigilance. Without thinking, she moved with lightning speed, leaping out of the room and rushing towards the direction from which the commotion was coming.
At this moment, the atmosphere at the entrance of Konoha Village was tense. A dozen burly men dressed in Iwagakure ninja uniforms were arrogantly surrounding several slender ninjas from the Land of Craftsmen. One of the burly men was Huang Tu, an elite Jonin from Iwagakure, who stood with his arms crossed and a look of deep mockery on his face.
"Hey, you vermin from the Land of Craftsmen, you've gotten quite bold!" Huang Tu's rough voice boomed like a bell, making the surrounding air tremble. "Not only did you dare cancel our order, but you also dared to launch a sneak attack on Iwagakure? What, do you want to be wiped out by Iwagakure?!"
His words were like sharp blades, piercing the trembling ninjas of the Land of Craftsmen lying on the ground. Their eyes were filled with terror, their faces pale, clearly utterly intimidated by the power of Iwagakure. Faced with Huang Tu's mockery and threats, they didn't even have the courage to refute him, only trembling like leaves.
In the midst of this tense standoff, a figure emerged gracefully from the shadows. The man was tall and handsome, with a faint smile playing on his lips. It was Zhang Hai. His emergence from the darkness seemed to suppress the surrounding clamor.
His gaze lingered on Huang Tu for a moment, a slight smirk playing on his lips. “Oh, isn’t this an old acquaintance?” Zhang Hai’s voice was unhurried, carrying a unique clarity and nonchalance. “Years have passed, and you’re still as stubborn as ever, Huang Tu.”
Upon hearing the familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Huang Tu's eyes snapped towards him. He scrutinized the young man before him, feeling as if he had seen the voice and face somewhere before, but couldn't quite place them. He frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
Zhang Hai smiled faintly, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "What, the Earth Shadow's office is fixed? So you don't remember me?"
These words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly shattering the long-buried memories of Huang Tu. His eyes widened abruptly, and a name surfaced in his mind—a name considered taboo among the higher-ups of Iwagakure, a Kumogakure boy who had infiltrated Iwagakure as an S-rank mission and blew up the Tsuchikage's office!
"I remember now!!" Huang Tu roared, his finger pointing at Zhang Hai trembling. "You are Baiyun from Yunyin Village!" The muscles on his face twisted with rage, and the humiliation of the past poured out like a flood at this moment.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hai's smile widened. He clapped his hands lightly, his voice carrying a hint of approval: "You really remember, not bad."
"Damn it!" Huang Tu was furious. He stopped talking and quickly began to form hand seals. Earth Release chakra surged around his body, clearly indicating that he intended to make a move.
However, Zhang Hai was even faster. Huang Tu had only completed half of his hand seals when Zhang Hai flashed like lightning. A cold glint suddenly appeared from his sheath—his Unintentional Blade! The blade flashed and disappeared, so fast the naked eye could barely perceive it.
Just as Huang Tu completed the first hand seal, the dozen or so Iwagakure ninja beside him suddenly burst into sparks and lightning, as if struck by some invisible force. They didn't even have time to scream before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Huang Tu's hands froze in mid-air as he stared in horror at his fallen subordinates, his eyes filled with disbelief. He hadn't even seen how Zhang Hai had attacked, nor had he seen his blade slice through the bodies of these Iwa ninja. The Cloud Village boy who, though powerful, could still barely hold his own back back then, had now grown to such a terrifying level! Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and a chill ran down his spine.
Zhang Hai sheathed his sword with fluid, effortless movements, as if nothing had happened. He glanced at Huang Tu indifferently, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable threat: "I don't want to start a war, Huang Tu. The artisans of the Craftsman Kingdom need to prioritize my orders. Please take your people and leave. Of course, if you don't want to leave, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Huang Tu knew for a moment that even his prized rock armor couldn't withstand Zhang Hai's attack. He even suspected that if the strike had been aimed at him, he wouldn't have had time to react. Despite his immense resentment, Huang Tu knew clearly that Bai Yun's strength far surpassed his own. Fighting him here would not only bring no advantage but could also lead to the deaths of many more Iwagakure ninja. He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger and resentment, and stared at Zhang Hai with a complex expression. Ultimately, he chose to temporarily back down.
Huang Tu's face was ashen; he knew he'd really messed with them. Faced with Zhang Hai's unfathomable strength, any threats he uttered seemed futile. He glared fiercely at Zhang Hai, his voice filled with resentful anger: "Baiyun! You just wait! Iwagakure will settle this score with Kumogakure!" After uttering this blustering but ultimately weak threat, he immediately bent down and carefully helped the fallen Iwagakure ninja to their feet. Although the dozen or so Iwagakure ninja were unconscious, they were at least out of danger, though their bodies were numb and they were temporarily unable to move. Huang Tu led them away, slinking into the night, not daring to linger any longer.
Mabui's figure only became fully visible after Huang Tu left. She had witnessed everything, and her anger erupted like a volcano. She strode up to Zhang Hai and demanded irritably, "Zhang Hai! You're clearly a Konoha ninja, how dare you make Kumogakure take the blame? This will only worsen the relationship between our two villages!" Her tone was filled with anger and incomprehension; this undeserved calamity made her feel incredibly aggrieved.