vstars Chapter 557 Elder, I have a question I've always wanted to ask you.
Chapter 557 Elder, I have a question I've always wanted to ask you.
Finally, Xuanweng took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, his eyes no longer held despair and exhaustion, but rather a long-buried hatred and a trace of unbelievable madness.
"Alright!" Xuanweng's voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally firm. "I agree to your plan! As long as Takigakure Village pays the price, I, Xuanweng, am willing to risk my old life!"
Upon seeing Xuan Weng's decision, Zhang Hai finally revealed a barely perceptible smile of satisfaction. With the help of Xuan Weng, a native elder of Yangyan Village, his understanding of Takigakure Village would deepen, and his actions would proceed more smoothly.
On the eve of deciding to infiltrate Takigakure Village, Zhang Hai found Xuan Weng.
"Elder, I have a question I've been wanting to ask you," Zhang Hai asked. "When I offered to help you rebuild the village, why were you so desperate, even choosing to live in seclusion?"
Upon hearing this, an indescribable sorrow appeared on Xuanweng's weathered face. He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice trembling with pain.
“My son… he also perished in this war.” Xuanweng’s voice was soft, yet filled with endless sorrow. “He was the most outstanding ninja in Yangyan Village, and my most proud successor. He should have inherited my mantle and led Yangyan Village to a more glorious future… but he died, died at the hands of those bastards.”
His eyes were bloodshot, his hands were clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh. “The village can be rebuilt, but the life that is lost can never be brought back. He was my only flesh and blood. With his death, all my hopes and all my motivation have collapsed.”
Xuanweng's voice was filled with endless despair, which made him lose confidence in rebuilding the village.
Zhang Hai listened quietly without interrupting. After Xuan Weng finished speaking, he walked up to him and looked him directly in the eye.
“Elder Xuanweng, I understand your grief,” Zhang Hai’s voice carried a seductive power, “but it is precisely because of your son’s sacrifice that you cannot give up! Your grief and your hatred should be transformed into strength!”
He reached out and gently patted Xuan Weng's shoulder, his tone becoming more forceful, as if striking Xuan Weng's soul: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Make those who caused your son and your people to lose their lives pay tenfold, a hundredfold price! Use their blood to commemorate your son's soul! Use their destruction to forge a new glory for Yangyan Village!"
Zhang Hai's words, like molten lava, instantly ignited the flames of revenge deep within Xuan Weng's heart, flames that had been smothered by despair. Xuan Weng abruptly raised his head; his aged eyes no longer held grief and despair, but instead burned with a fierce fire of revenge!
"Yes! Blood for blood! Teeth for teeth!" Xuanweng's body trembled slightly, but the deathly aura in his eyes vanished, replaced by an unprecedented determination and ruthlessness. He wanted revenge; he wanted Takigakure to pay the most terrible price for his dead son and the destroyed village!
Guided by Xuan Weng, Zhang Hai and his companion quickly arrived at the edge of the forest near Takigakure Village. Takigakure Village's unique geographical location, surrounded by towering waterfalls and rugged mountains, made it easy to defend and difficult to attack, which was the reason they had been able to maintain their peace and security for so long. However, it was precisely this unique geographical environment that facilitated Zhang Hai's infiltration.
Xuanweng took out several bamboo flying devices, which were unique mechanical tools of Yangyan Village—bamboo dragonflies. These bamboo dragonflies could be activated by chakra and could stay airborne for a short time.
“The defenses of Takigakure are mainly concentrated on the ground passages and under the waterfall,” Genou explained. “The air is their weakest point. We can use the bamboo dragonfly to sneak in from above.”
Zhang Hai nodded; this was exactly what he wanted. He looked at the towering waterfall and the village hidden within it, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The two activated their bamboo dragonfly, channeling chakra into it. The dragonfly spun in the air, silently lifting them high into the sky. Under the cover of night, they bypassed the waterfall's main defenses and stealthily infiltrated the village from above.
Takigakure has long enjoyed a period of peace with little conflict with the outside world. Coupled with its unique geographical advantages, this has led to a general lack of vigilance among the village's ninjas. They are immersed in their comfortable lives and are completely unaware of potential threats.
After successfully infiltrating, Zhang Hai and Xuan Weng quickly found a secluded corner to hide in. They didn't rush into action but waited patiently. The night grew deeper, and the village lights gradually went out.
"When it's completely dark, that's when we'll make our move," Zhang Hai said in a low voice to Xuan Weng, a cold glint in his eyes.
As night deepened, Takigakure Village appeared exceptionally tranquil under the moonlight. Zhang Hai and Xuan Weng concealed themselves behind an abandoned house, patiently awaiting the opportune moment to act. The surroundings were pitch black, with only a few flickering lights serving as reminders that life still lingered in the village.
"Zhang Hai, what do you think of these?" Xuan Weng suddenly pulled out several small objects from his robes and showed them to Zhang Hai by the moonlight. They were miniature mechanisms of various shapes, some resembling birds with outstretched wings, others like agile insects. Their surfaces were engraved with intricate runes and emitted faint fluctuations of chakra.
"This is a mechanism I've improved. It can remotely control the bolt without touching any traps or mechanisms, and it can even mimic the shape of a key to silently open the most complex ninja tool locks." Xuanweng's voice carried a hint of pride. Although his village was destroyed, he remained confident in his mechanical skills.
Zhang Hai picked up a beetle-shaped mechanism and examined it closely. He could sense the intricate chakra circuits and clever mechanical structure contained within. These mechanisms did not rely entirely on chakra; rather, they depended on a precise physical structure combined with a small amount of chakra for operation, achieving the ultimate in both unlocking and obstacle avoidance.
"He's simply a master of mechanical engineering!" Zhang Hai exclaimed sincerely. Even the Konoha's Technological Ninja Tool Team couldn't match this skill. He even thought that if he could combine Xuan Weng's mechanical arts with his own ninjutsu, he might be able to create even more unexpected effects.
Upon hearing Zhang Hai's praise, a rare, gentle smile appeared on Xuan Weng's aged face. However, the smile was quickly replaced by a trace of sadness.
"These... I started researching them all to make my son happy." Xuanweng's voice was low and tinged with the vicissitudes of memory. "When he was little, he loved watching me tinker with these little gadgets. Every time I made a new and interesting mechanism, he would clap his hands and cheer, then beg me to teach him. He said that one day he would work with me to make Yangyan Village the most powerful mechanical ninja village..."