CHAPTER 232: 232. HANEKAWA’S SPY IDENTITY EXPOSED

A scream rang out.

At the entrance of the base, two Cloud Village ninjas were engulfed by various ninjutsu, turning into ashes.

The entire Cloud Village base was instantly alerted.

The Fourth Raikage flashed to the entrance.

His vision was filled with chaotic chakra fluctuations.

"Enemy attack!"

The Fourth Raikage shouted, "Use Wind Release to disperse the thick fog!"

The Cloud Village’s Wind Release ninjas immediately created a violent storm.

Most of the dense fog was blown away, revealing the Konoha ninjas inside.

When the Fourth Raikage saw Tsunade and Hanekawa, his eyes narrowed.

It seemed that the intelligence he received last night wasn’t fake.

Sounds of battle erupted.

Ninja tools and jutsu flew through the air, turning the entire base into chaos.

The Fourth Raikage’s body turned into a streak of lightning, appearing in front of Tsunade in an instant.

Superhuman Strength!

Tsunade clenched her fist and struck out.

Heavy Flow Violent Impact!

The Fourth Raikage raised his elbow.

Boom!

The ground cracked at the center of their clash, sending dust flying.

The Fourth Raikage instinctively took a few steps back.

Since he wasn’t using his Lightning Chakra Mode, his strength was slightly inferior.

Hanekawa was about to assist when he heard the sound of something slicing through the air behind her.

He drew his Thunderfire Sword and parried a short blade in reverse grip.

Turning around, he saw a well-endowed yet expressionless Samui.

Samui raised her hand and slightly curled her fingers.

Hanekawa immediately understood her intent.

The Fourth Raikage wasn’t just trying to verify the intelligence from Root; he also wanted to talk.

Hanekawa closed the distance, slashing his Thunderfire Sword at Samui.

Clang!

Samui gripped her short blade with both hands, blocking the Thunderfire Sword.

The immense force made her body tremble uncontrollably, forcing her backward.

Hanekawa instinctively took a glance.

No wonder Samui’s figure would one day rival Tsunade’s—signs of it were already apparent.

"Hanekawa."

Samui kicked off the ground, engaging Hanekawa in close combat again.

"What is it?"

Hanekawa dodged her attack, spun around, and got close to her, asking in a low voice.

A faint fragrance wafted into her nose.

"You’re playing dumb."

Samui held her blade horizontally, clashing with the Thunderfire Sword.

"I have no intelligence to share for now," Hanekawa said softly.

"You’re lying."

Samui gritted her teeth. "Aren’t you afraid we’ll expose your identity as a spy?"

"Exposing me wouldn’t benefit you."

Hanekawa dodged her electrified slash and replied,

"There may be no benefit, but Cloud Village won’t tolerate a spy with ulterior motives!"

Samui lowered her voice. "I hope you think this through."

"I will."

Hanekawa struck with his sword, forcing Samui back.

"You still have time to consider."

Samui didn’t attack again. After saying her final words, she instantly retreated to the Fourth Raikage’s side.

"You win today. Everyone, retreat!"

The Fourth Raikage glanced at Samui, then turned away without hesitation.

"Chase them!"

Tsunade refused to let them escape.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!

Hanekawa formed hand seals, and a roaring water dragon surged forward.

But in the next second, the Fourth Raikage shattered it with a single punch.

He locked eyes with Hanekawa for a moment before retreating while fighting.

In the end, after sacrificing half of their forces, the Fourth Raikage, Samui, and the remaining Cloud ninjas escaped.

"The Fourth Raikage is more cautious than I expected," Tsunade mused. "I bet he’ll keep testing us."

"Mm."

Hanekawa nodded slightly.

One, to probe them. Two, to lower their guard.

As for intelligence, Hanekawa had already decided to ignore Cloud Village.

Even if they exposed his identity, it didn’t matter.

After all, he now had Wood Release as his safeguard.

Two weeks passed, bringing them into September.

Just as Tsunade predicted, the Fourth Raikage launched six more tests—all standard skirmishes at strongholds.

Both sides suffered losses, neither significant nor negligible, leading to a stalemate.

Until the new Jōnin meeting was held.

"This morning, we discovered that Cloud Village has established a new camp here."

Orochimaru pointed at a mountain on the map.

"Why here?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked in confusion.

"Are they trying to set up an ambush?"

Sakumo Hatake pondered.

"Unlikely."

Shikaku Nara shook his head. "This mountain is over a thousand meters from our nearest base—too far for a sneak attack."

"How many ninjas are stationed there?"

Tsunade asked after a moment of thought.

"Around a thousand Cloud ninjas."

Orochimaru spoke calmly, "That’s quite a number of people. There must be some special arrangement."

"Have we investigated?"

As soon as Tsunade entered the main tent, she noticed that several Jōnin from the Hyūga and Aburame clans were missing.

"Hyūga Hizashi and Aburame Shibi will return soon," Orochimaru nodded slightly.

Half an hour later, Hyūga Hizashi and Aburame Shibi entered the main tent, looking travel-worn.

"The new Cloud Village camp is heavily guarded, with a specialized barrier filled with chakra. Even the Byakugan has difficulty seeing through it," Hizashi reported after a brief pause. "But Shibi’s kikaichū insects managed to discover something."

"The kikaichū sensed an extremely dangerous presence within the new camp," Aburame Shibi continued.

"Could it be a Tailed Beast’s chakra?" Nara Shikaku couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s not a Tailed Beast," Shibi shook his head. "The kikaichū couldn’t detect any signs of life."

"Then what is it?"

Everyone looked puzzled.

"Perhaps some kind of ninja tool," Hanekawa suddenly thought of the Cloud Village’s chakra cannon.

In the movie, it was revealed as Cloud Village’s secret weapon—powered by chakra, its destructive power increased the more it was charged.

It was said to be capable of blasting even the moon apart.

But right now, it was still at least ten to twenty years too early, so it might not even exist yet.

"Whatever it is, it must be destroyed," Orochimaru declared immediately. "Tsunade, I’ll leave this to you."

Tsunade nodded seriously, realizing that the Fourth Raikage’s probing had ended. Now, it would be a true battle of life and death.

Besides Cloud Village, she also had to be wary of Orochimaru and Danzo’s actions.

This battle was extremely dangerous.

She instinctively glanced at Hanekawa.

Victory or defeat wouldn’t depend on her—it would depend on her student.

Hanekawa noticed her gaze, turned his head, and smiled at her.

"Let’s go."

Tsunade couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

After the Jōnin meeting ended, the participants left one by one until only Orochimaru and Danzo remained.

"The Fourth Raikage has finally made his move!" Danzo said excitedly.

Orochimaru remained indifferent.

"This is no time for hesitation!" Danzo looked at him, reminding him firmly.

"Of course, I won’t hesitate," Orochimaru said coolly. "I’ll leave the rest to you."

"Rest assured!" Danzo’s face lit up with satisfaction.

Orochimaru glanced at him before turning to leave the tent.

Caught up in his excitement, Danzo failed to notice that Orochimaru had never truly involved himself in this matter.

If anything went wrong, Orochimaru could wash his hands of it.

Even if he couldn’t completely cut ties, his power and status meant he wouldn’t suffer too much.

Danzo, however, was a different story.

Orochimaru had collaborated with him many times but always treated him as a tool.

Previously, he had been forced to work with Danzo due to the leverage of the Wood Release experiments, which he naturally found unpleasant.

And in Orochimaru’s eyes, Danzo had already lost his usefulness.

As for whether Danzo would expose the Wood Release experiments if something happened to him...

He wouldn’t dare. Because as long as he stayed quiet, Orochimaru would save him.

The Konoha main camp had begun mobilizing.

Deploying a thousand ninjas required time.

Hanekawa and Tsunade waited inside their tent.

Of course, they weren’t just waiting.

"Lady Tsunade,"

Hyūga Hizashi entered after receiving permission.

"Any movements?" Tsunade asked directly.

"First, Sand Village ninjas were moved westward. Second, Hatake Sakumo’s team was sent east. Third, we were ordered to guard the main camp," Hizashi reported. "This strategy covers three directions to minimize the risk of a Cloud Village ambush."

"It does sound reasonable," Tsunade chuckled.

"Whose orders?" Hanekawa asked curiously.

"Danzo, under Orochimaru’s name," Hizashi answered truthfully.

"So Orochimaru still has a shred of sentimentality left," Tsunade sighed.

Orochimaru had been her teammate and Nawaki’s teacher—she didn’t want things to reach the point of open conflict.

Hanekawa stroked his chin.

Orochimaru seemed rather unenthusiastic, almost as if he were washing his hands of the matter.

Was it because of Tsunade and Nawaki?

"Thank you, Hizashi," Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "You may go."

"This is simply the duty of the Hyūga Clan," Hizashi replied before turning to leave.

"Good thing you promised to take Hiashi’s child as a disciple. Otherwise, we might not have gotten such strong support from the Hyūga Clan."

Tsunade watched his figure and spoke slowly.

"I’m going to find Uncle Sakumo."

Hanekawa replied casually, "With their abilities, deceiving Orochimaru and Danzo won’t be too difficult."

"You seem very confident in them," Tsunade asked with some doubt. "Sakumo is strong, but his fighting style isn’t suited for dealing with Tailed Beasts."

"Did you forget how their team seriously injured the Two-Tails’ Jinchūriki long ago?" Hanekawa smiled mysteriously. "They won’t let you down."

"Then I’ll wait and see."

Tsunade’s interest was piqued.

Hanekawa went to find Hatake Sakumo’s team. By the time he returned, a thousand Konoha ninja were fully prepared.

"Move out!"

Tsunade took one last glance at Danzo and the others seeing them off, then turned and left.

---

Cloud Village’s New Camp

"Lord Raikage."

Dodai walked swiftly into the main tent. "Tsunade has led a thousand ninja and set out."

"What about Orochimaru and Danzo?"

The Fourth Raikage nodded slightly.

"Look here."

Dodai stretched out his hand, drawing a line on the map. "Their remaining forces have formed a defensive position here."

"It seems attacking their main camp now isn’t an option."

The Fourth Raikage shook his head.

"No matter."

Mabui smiled. "Defeating Tsunade and Hanekawa would be a great victory for Cloud Village."

"Indeed."

The Fourth Raikage sighed. "Cloud Village needs this victory to stabilize morale."

The Third Shinobi World War had lasted four years, and Cloud Village’s performance had been average at best.

Konoha, on the other hand, had wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, captured the Four-Tails, and even killed the Third Mizukage—events that shook the entire ninja world and greatly boosted morale.

Cloud Village had achieved nothing comparable and had even lost the Third Raikage.

"Summon Yugito and Killer Bee."

The Fourth Raikage stood up. "This time, Cloud Village will claim victory!"

To avoid detection by Konoha, he had previously ordered Yugito and Killer Bee to stay away from the battlefield.

Now that Tsunade had mobilized, they could join the battle.

With a three-sided encirclement and two Jinchūriki, Tsunade and Hanekawa would have no escape.

Even if Orochimaru and Danzo betrayed them and sent reinforcements, they wouldn’t make it in time.

The Fourth Raikage had specifically chosen a mountain stronghold that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

With their prior preparations, they could effectively block any rescue attempts.

---

One hour later – Konoha’s forces arrive

Hanekawa looked at the distant mountain—it was taller than he had expected.

And it wasn’t just one mountain; it was an entire mountain range.

"This is going to be a problem."

Tsunade scanned the area and frowned slightly. "Launching an attack won’t be easy."

"If that’s the case, then let’s not attack directly."

Hanekawa thought for a moment, then asked, "How about we summon Katsuyu together?"

"Are you sure?"

Tsunade was slightly startled and hesitated. "That would consume a lot of chakra."

"I’m fine."

Hanekawa didn’t mind. "With the Yin Seal, it won’t be a problem."

"Alright."

After a brief moment of thought, Tsunade agreed.

Though it would consume chakra, it would undoubtedly reduce casualties.

Tsunade and Hanekawa stepped forward and simultaneously formed hand seals.

Summoning Jutsu!

A massive surge of chakra erupted from both of them, heavy as a mountain.

The air distorted, followed by a chaotic burst of smoke.

Boom!

As the smoke cleared, a massive white slug appeared.

"So big!"

Nohara Rin gasped in amazement.

"I think it’s even bigger than the Four-Tails."

Kurenai Yuhi’s eyes widened in shock.

"This is Lady Tsunade’s summoning beast?"

Even Hyūga Hizashi and the others were astonished.

They had seen Katsuyu before, but never at this size.

"Lady Katsuyu!"

Tsunade pointed toward the mountain. "Charge!"

Upon hearing her command, Katsuyu’s massive body wriggled forward.

Boom!

A thunderous crash echoed through the mountains.

The mountain’s surface cracked and shattered, sending countless rocks and dust flying.

Cloud Village’s forces on the mountain lost their footing, many tumbling down, and some perishing instantly.

"Damn it!"

The Fourth Raikage roared, "Everyone, move down the mountain!"

Though the mountain was enormous, it couldn’t withstand multiple impacts.

Leaping from the summit, the Fourth Raikage descended rapidly toward the base.

The other ninjas followed suit.

"Lady Katsuyu, retreat."

Seeing that their objective had been achieved, Tsunade called out.

Katsuyu was a support-type summoning beast, not suited for combat. Even if it were to fight, it would need to take on Cloud Village’s two Tailed Beasts.

"Hanekawa!"

The Fourth Raikage landed on the ground with a dark expression. "If you capture Tsunade right now, I’ll still consider you a ninja of Cloud Village!"

Hanekawa’s summoning of Katsuyu had already enraged him.

It had completely destroyed Cloud Village’s carefully planned strategy.

And judging from Hanekawa’s actions, there was no doubt—he had no intention of returning to Cloud Village.

Since that was the case, the Fourth Raikage no longer felt the need to give him any courtesy and directly exposed his identity.

The Konoha ninjas froze in shock.

What did that mean?

How could Hanekawa be a Cloud Village ninja?

"Are you senile or something?"

Tsunade was momentarily stunned before laughing. "Hanekawa is my student and a Konoha ninja!"

"Hahaha!"

The Fourth Raikage laughed loudly. "Ridiculous! My Cloud Village spy has been playing all of Konoha for fools!"

Tsunade instinctively glanced at Hanekawa.

"Sensei, do you believe him?"

Hanekawa asked with a calm expression.

"Of course not!"

Tsunade stared coldly at the Fourth Raikage. "Trying to sow discord between us at this point? Your plan is absurd!"

"Sow discord?"

The Fourth Raikage sneered. "I’m not that foolish!"

"Enough talk!"

Tsunade frowned in irritation. "If you want to fight, then fight!"

Accusing Hanekawa of being a spy was pure nonsense, and it immediately stoked her anger.

"I can prove it!"

Mabui’s voice suddenly rang out from the left.

A squad of Cloud Village ninjas approached swiftly, forming an encirclement with the Fourth Raikage’s forces.

Tsunade’s expression darkened.

It was the Two-Tails’ Jinchūriki.

Damn it!

Orochimaru and Danzo really didn’t warn her in advance?

If the Two-Tails was here, then the Eight-Tails’ Jinchūriki was likely on the way.

Tsunade felt a deep sense of unease.

Could she, Hanekawa, and Sakumo’s team really handle them?

She had expected the worst-case scenario to be the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee. But Cloud Village had shown even greater resolve.

If Orochimaru and Danzo were to attack Cloud Village’s main camp now, they would undoubtedly win.

But, of course, those two wouldn’t. They might even delay reinforcements.

"Princess Tsunade."

Mabui stepped forward. "This document clearly details Hanekawa’s past before he arrived in Konoha. See for yourself."

She flicked her wrist, and the document flew toward Tsunade.

Hanekawa remained unfazed, making no move to grab it.

Tsunade caught the document effortlessly.

But instead of opening it, she tore it to shreds right in front of Mabui.

"You—!"

Mabui’s expression stiffened.

Hanekawa was a bit surprised as well.

"These tricks mean nothing to me,"

Tsunade said slowly. "You don’t understand Hanekawa at all."

"I think it’s you who doesn’t understand him."

Mabui shook her head. "Believe it or not, Hanekawa is a Cloud Village ninja."

"There’s another way to prove it."

Another group of Cloud Village ninjas arrived, led by Dodai.

Tsunade swept her gaze over them, her heart sinking.

As expected, Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails’ Jinchūriki, was here.

Not only did they now face two Jinchūriki, but Cloud Village’s forces had swelled to 3,000.

Their situation was now dire.

"Hanekawa has learned many of Cloud Village’s exclusive jutsu."

Dodai smirked. "Princess Tsunade, you’ll see soon enough. Then, you’ll have no choice but to believe it."

Tsunade ignored him completely.

To her, this was just another attempt to divide them.

The reason was simple.

If they lost Hanekawa, Konoha’s thousand ninja would be as good as trapped, with no chance of survival.

"Oh, really?"

Hanekawa stepped forward, smiling. "Then how about I show you some of Konoha’s exclusive jutsu?"

___

Patreon.com/rashta