Chapter 098: Ambush

Faced with Wang Bo's recruitment, Tsunade Senju only said two words.

"No."

Wang Bo raised an eyebrow, but wasn't too disappointed. After all, his relationship with Tsunade Senju wasn't as friendly as one might imagine. Wang Bo hadn't forgotten that Tsunade's teacher, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, had died by his hand.

If Tsunade Senju didn't lack the strength to take revenge, she wouldn't be sitting here talking with him.

She would probably have slapped him long ago.

Her purpose in meeting Wang Bo this time was to probe him, to see what he intended to do with the ninja of Konoha. Though she had left Konoha for many years, she still had feelings for it.

It was the village founded by her grandfather, and the place where she grew up.

If she could truly abandon Konoha entirely, she wouldn't have returned to become the Fifth Hokage in the original story.

After understanding Wang Bo's purpose, or rather his ambition, Tsunade Senju got up and left with Shizune.

Wang Bo felt a bit regretful.

If he could keep Tsunade Senju to work for him, that would undoubtedly be excellent. But since she firmly refused, Wang Bo didn't insist and lowered his head to focus on his work.

He needed to complete the transformation of the Land of Fire as soon as possible.

On the other hand, while Wang Bo was transforming the Land of Fire, undercurrents in the ninja world began to stir.

The Wind-Earth Alliance, in order to counter the two behemoths of the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, hired Itachi Uchiha, attempting to secretly manipulate the second-in-command of the Land of Fire, Haku.

After receiving this mission, Itachi Uchiha, along with his partner, secretly infiltrated the Land of Fire to investigate Haku's whereabouts.

After several days of overt and covert investigations, Itachi Uchiha and his partner Kisame Hoshigaki quickly determined Haku's whereabouts.

They learned that Haku would visit the Land of Lightning to meet the Mizukage in a few days.

On the way, Haku would pass through the Land of Fields.

So the two planned to make their move in the Land of Fields and capture Haku.

To be safe, Itachi Uchiha suggested that their organization send a few more members to assist them. However, this proposal surprised Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Do you think the two of us can't handle a rising star?"

He felt underestimated.

Itachi Uchiha said expressionlessly, "I've seen this rising star fight on the battlefield. He's extremely powerful and proficient in Sage Mode. With just the two of us, it's difficult to capture him. So we need help."

Kisame Hoshigaki knew his partner's strength. Since even he said so, it was enough to prove Haku's power.

"Alright, I agree."

Kisame Hoshigaki wasn't the type to act arbitrarily. He followed good advice and contacted their organization.

After listening to the reports from his two subordinates, the leader of the Akatsuki, Nagato, thought for a moment and said to Konan beside him, "Send the Immortal Duo to help."

Konan nodded and proceeded to contact the Immortal Duo.

Soon, the Immortal Duo received the message and headed to the Land of Fields to rendezvous with Itachi Uchiha.

A few days later, Haku led a group of people to the Land of Fields, preparing to cross it and head to the Land of Lightning.

However, while passing along a main road, Haku's group was ambushed by four elite members of the Akatsuki.

Itachi Uchiha struck first.

And he started with a big move—Susanoo!

Itachi Uchiha had seen Haku fight on the battlefield before, so he knew Haku's strength. Thus, when attacking Haku, he didn't test the waters but went straight for a powerful technique.

The third-stage Susanoo appeared out of nowhere. A hundred-meter-tall red giant blocked Haku's path, and the Sword of Totsuka descended from the sky, smashing toward the carriage Haku was riding in.

The Sword of Totsuka was an ethereal spirit sword, a type of Kusanagi sword. It could seal anything it pierced into a gourd, trapping it in a dream. The sword's length could freely extend and contract, and it was extremely fast.

But Haku's reaction was also quick. Sensing the danger, he left the carriage before the Sword of Totsuka fell, appearing outside.

Boom!

The Sword of Totsuka shattered the carriage, unleashing a violent shockwave that swept in all directions, cracking the ground.

But Haku wasn't harmed at all.

On the contrary, after evading the Sword of Totsuka's attack, he immediately locked onto the Susanoo and understood who was ambushing him—after all, this technique was a trademark of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Ice Release: Diamond Dust Fist!

Terrifying cold air burst forth with Haku's fist. Wherever it passed, the temperature in the air plummeted at an astonishing rate, freezing everything in its path.

The Susanoo was no exception. Hit by the cold air, half of its body froze over.

However, this time, Itachi Uchiha wasn't the only one attacking to capture Haku.

Kisame Hoshigaki instantly appeared behind Haku, swinging Samehada, one of the Seven Ninja Swords, and slashing fiercely at Haku's body.

He was also a battle-hardened ninja, timing his strike perfectly. The horizontal slash was such that even Haku couldn't dodge quickly and had to take the hit.

But just before Samehada struck Haku, Haku's body turned pitch black, like steel.

Tekkai!

Though unable to evade, Haku used one of the no-hand-sign techniques, Tekkai, to enhance his body's defense.

Samehada crashed against Haku's body with a clang, sending Haku flying and smashing a large rock, but it didn't harm Haku's body.

Kisame Hoshigaki couldn't help but click his tongue—such a hard body was unheard of.

After being sent flying, Haku slammed into the ground with a thud. Before he could regroup, Kakuzu appeared beside him and unleashed a jutsu.

Lightning Release: False Darkness!

A bolt of lightning shot from the mask on Kakuzu's body, striking Haku. He intended to severely wound Haku with this move and then capture him.

Though Lightning Release was fearsome, Haku's Tekkai defense was astonishing, allowing him to withstand the lightning attack.

This shocked Kakuzu. He knew his own jutsu well—its power was formidable. Even he couldn't withstand a direct hit from a Lightning Release.

But the other party endured it as if nothing had happened.

"Impressive," Kakuzu couldn't help but exclaim. However, his movements were not slow; he planned to unleash a second jutsu to deal a heavy blow to Haku.

But before he could successfully perform the jutsu, Haku's fist came flying.

With a dull thud, the air was compressed, and the surging airflow let out a sharp whistle. Kakuzu quickly retreated, dodging Haku's fist.

Though caught off guard by the combined attack of several opponents at the start, Haku managed to hold on with his Tekkai and launched an effective counterattack.