The blond-haired Hokage, starting from before Hinata's wedding.

Page 141

Sakura was a major contributor to the Fourth Shinobi World War, so she should be the one in command on missions. Why would she listen to a little boy?

"He is Qiu Xiaoming, Naruto's sworn brother," Sakura introduced.

"Hello, Sister Ying! I've heard so much about you!" Qiu Xiaoming extended his hand with a gentle smile on his face.

Ying was slightly taken aback, withdrew her hand, and gave a faint smile, but her eyes were scrutinizing Qiu Xiaoming with a hint of judgment.

Is it only because he's Naruto's adopted younger brother that he's allowed to be in command?

“Since Sister Ying invited us, we can’t refuse such a kind offer, can we?” Qiu Xiaoming said.

The woman in front of him, Ying, was a stunning beauty. He had to see if he had a chance to win her over.

When Sakura saw Qiu Xiaoming say that, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. She could roughly guess that Qiu Xiaoming was probably planning to make a move against Ying.

"Then come with me, this way." Ying smiled, pointed in a direction, and then took the lead.

"Tsk tsk, that waist twisting is amazing, it must taste pretty good." Qiu Xiaoming looked at Ying's back and clicked his tongue in admiration.

"Hiss~" However, as soon as he said this, Xiaoying pinched his waist hard, glared at him, and said in an annoyed tone, "You better not touch her. Don't think that just because Yu Gao doesn't touch her, he will deal with anyone who dares to have designs on her."

Chapter 280 Yu Gao

"Master, look who's here!" Hotaru shouted into the house after leading Sakura and the others back home.

"Hmm?" Yu Gao, who was busy cooking at home, came out of the kitchen after hearing Hotaru's voice. When he saw Sakura, he was stunned for a moment, then wiped his hands on his scarf and went to greet Sakura.

"Sakura, it's been a long time. What brings you here?" Utaka asked in surprise.

"We were planning to go to the coast, and we happened to pass by your village. We met Hotaru and said we wanted to come and visit," Sakura explained with a smile.

"You've come at the right time. I'm making lunch." Yu Gao nodded, then said to Hotaru, "Hotaru, you take care of Sakura, I'll go cook."

After saying that, Yu Gao walked towards the kitchen.

"Let me tell you, most people don't get to eat Yu Gao's cooking. Usually, he cuts the vegetables and waits for me to come back so I can cook. Today, it's because you're here, Sakura, that I finally have the chance to eat his cooking." Hotaru pulled Sakura to sit down on the sofa, patted her little hand gently, and said with a smile.

Sakura certainly deserves to have Utakata cook something, since Utakata wouldn't have been able to retrieve the tailed beasts and revive them if Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke hadn't teamed up to defeat Kaguya.

Sakura smiled slightly, then asked, "How have you been? How has your village been these past few years?"

"That's good." Hotaru nodded gently and said, "Since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, there has been no more war between the villages, and they live together peacefully."

"We've only recently gotten busy because of the news from Konoha," Hotaru sighed and said helplessly. "We finally got peace, but now there are new enemies."

Hotaru naturally felt helpless. Before, Ban and the others had also targeted Utakata's identity as a Jinchūriki, and they had finally managed to revive him. Now, those new enemies were targeting Utakata's identity as a Jinchūriki as well. How could she not feel helpless?

She couldn't make Utakata give up his identity as a Jinchūriki. If he lost that identity, wouldn't that just send Utakata to his death?

"Don't worry, no matter who they are, I will absolutely not allow them to break our hard-won peace," Sakura said, patting Hotaru's little hand.

"By the way, do you have some kind of mission going to that coast this time? Do you need our help?" Ying asked curiously.

"We discovered a teleportation portal to another world over there. Hinata and the others are guarding it, and we're planning to go help them," Sakura explained.

These things aren't exactly secrets, and besides, Utakata is also a Jinchūriki of a Tailed Beast, so there's no harm in telling them.

"A teleportation portal to another world?" Ying asked in confusion. "Since they know about the teleportation portal and they have malicious intentions towards us, sending people to infiltrate, why don't you send people to fight them back?"

Sakura gently shook her head, sighed, and said, "Xiaoming has been to that world before and has some understanding of it. He found that the people there are all quite strong, with no fewer than ten experts at the Six Paths Realm."

"Six Realms, ten people? So many?" Ying covered her mouth in surprise upon hearing this.

“Hmm!” Sakura nodded gently and said, “So, what we can do now is to guard that passage and prevent them from sending more people into our world.”

"Wouldn't that put a lot of pressure on you? How about I keep watch over there for you too?" Ying thought for a moment and suggested.

"No need, we can still hold that place. Now we just need to be careful of those who have already invaded our world." Sakura shook her head.

"The people who invaded our world are quite powerful. A few days ago, Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure, fought with them but lost," Sakura added.

This matter must be made clear to them, otherwise, if they are careless and don't take those people seriously, they might be ambushed and have their tailed beasts stolen.

"Tsk tsk, even the Kazekage Gaara is no match for this opponent." Hotaru was even more surprised upon hearing this. The other world had only sent some people over, yet they were able to defeat the Kazekage Gaara. How could she not be surprised?

At the same time, this also made Ying put away her underestimation of the other party.

"Hmph! They even helped our people out. Last time, there was this guy named Shennong who kept chasing me." Fu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but snort as she recalled the scene of being chased.

"I remember you're the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, right? How dare they chase after you?" Hotaru looked at Fu and asked.

"Hmm!" Fu nodded gently, as if she had suffered a great injustice, and said, "If I hadn't met Xiaoming and the others, I'm afraid I would have been captured by them already."

"It seems I need to send people to strengthen the defenses of our village." Ying heard Fu say this, and a solemn expression appeared on her face.

Although Konoha had sent them a message, they didn't take it too seriously and only slightly strengthened their defenses.

Now that the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is being hunted down and the One-Tails Jinchuriki, Gaara, the Kazekage, has also been defeated, she dares not treat this matter lightly.

"By the way, how's your relationship with Yugao going? Has he accepted you yet?" Sakura asked, changing the subject as she noticed Hotaru's somewhat somber expression.

They all knew about Yu Gao and Hotaru's feelings for each other; they liked each other, but because they were master and disciple, Yu Gao had always been unwilling to admit his feelings.

Even though Yu Gao was killed by Akatsuki and realized his feelings for Hotaru on his deathbed, he didn't dare to say anything to Hotaru after being resurrected. He always felt that the two of them were master and disciple and shouldn't have any feelings that went beyond that.

It can only be said that Yu Gao values ​​some things more than feelings. If it were Qiu Xiaoming, he would have eaten her long ago, and might even be more excited about this identity.

After all, Qiu Xiaoming had completely devoured Kushina and Hinata.

After hearing Sakura's question, Hotaru sighed softly, glanced resentfully in the direction of the kitchen, and complained, "He's like a block of wood. Even though I made myself clear, he still righteously rejected me."

"However, the good thing is that he doesn't lecture me like he used to, and his tone is much gentler than before," Ying continued.

Ying doesn't ask for much anymore. As long as Yu Gao is still alive and by her side, she is content.

"What are you all talking about?" Yu asked as she came out of the kitchen with the dishes, seeing that the group was chatting happily.

"Hmph!" Ying rolled her eyes at Yu Gao, crossed her arms, turned her head away, and refused to look at Yu Gao.

It would have been better if Sakura hadn't brought it up, but now that it's been brought up, Hotaru naturally doesn't want to give Utaka a friendly look.

Yu Gao was completely baffled, wondering what was wrong with Ying's inexplicable temper.

"Bang!" Just as Yu Gao placed the dishes on the table, an explosion suddenly rang out from outside the village.

Chapter 281 Attack

"What's going on?" Everyone was startled and quickly ran towards the door, looking towards the source of the sound in the distance.

The explosion was deafening.

The houses began to shake.

Thick smoke billowed into the sky, forming a huge mushroom cloud.

"The village's perimeter security forces have been attacked!" A ninja appeared instantly, knelt on one knee, and urgently reported.

Ying's face suddenly turned pale, her lips pressed tightly together, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

She glanced quickly at Yutaka, a complex mix of emotions churning within her—was it another attack on his Jinchuriki status? She couldn't let him get hurt again!

"Yu Gao, wait!" She grabbed his arm, her voice urgent and forceful, saying, "Don't be impulsive!"

Fu bit her lower lip, her small hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white. She muttered under her breath, "Those bastards again... Do they really think we're easy to bully!" Her voice was soft, but it was filled with anger.

Previously, she was being chased all the way, and if Qiu Xiaoming and the others hadn't suddenly appeared and saved her, she probably would have been in grave danger.

Yu Gao frowned, glanced at Ying, patted his hand lightly, and said with an undeniable decisiveness, "I'll go investigate. Ying, you wait here for me to come back."

"No way!" Ying suddenly raised her voice, her eyes slightly red, and glared at him fiercely, saying, "Who do you think you are? Always rushing to the front, aren't you afraid of dying?!"

Last time, Yu Gao left her in the same way, and she didn't want him to never come back this time.

This person is even more powerful than Xiao before, how could she not be afraid?

Yu Gao paused, his eyes flashing slightly, as if stung by her words. He pursed his lips and remained silent, turning his head away with a cold and stubborn air about him.

Seeing this, Sakura quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Don't argue! Let's go together. We don't know the opponent's strength, so don't be impulsive."

Without further hesitation, the group transformed into blurs and sped off toward the village entrance.

The closer they got, the stronger the smell of burning and blood filled the air. The ninjas who were guarding the village were lying on the ground, their fates unknown. The sturdy village gate had been blown open with a huge gap, and rubble and wood chips were scattered everywhere.

Two figures slowly emerged from the thick smoke.

The leader was a tall man with a contemptuous mask on his face, revealing only a pair of indifferent eyes, as if he were looking at a group of ants. His companion behind him was thinner and was observing the tragic scene around him with great interest, a cruel smile on his lips.

"Oh? Two tailed beasts?" The masked man's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying a condescending arrogance as he said, "The jinchūriki of both the Six-Tails and the Seven-Tails are here. It seems we're in luck, saving us a lot of trouble."

His gaze swept over Utakata and Fu, like a butcher selecting livestock for slaughter.

"Bastards! It's you!" Fu could no longer hold back and roared angrily. Her emerald green wings instantly unfurled as she charged forward.

"Fu! Calm down!" Sakura shouted sharply to stop her, tensing her body and gathering chakra in her fists, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

Yu Gao held Ying even tighter, staring at the two people opposite him, and coldly asked, "Who exactly are you people?"

"The ones who will take your lives," the masked man replied casually, as if stating a given fact.

As soon as he finished speaking, his companion behind him let out a strange laugh and disappeared from the spot without warning.

"Watch out!" Sakura's pupils contracted.

The next second, the slender figure appeared like a ghost to Yu Gao's side, and a claw went straight for Ying behind him!

It's so fast!

Utaka could only rely on his fighting instincts, suddenly turning to the side, quickly forming hand seals, and simultaneously throwing out several soap bubbles filled with water-style chakra.

"Pop pop pop!" The soap bubble floated to the side of the skinny ghost and exploded quickly.

The skinny guy snorted disdainfully, his speed not slowing down at all.

"Bang bang bang!" A series of explosions rang out, but the seemingly powerful soap bubbles only caused a few insignificant ripples on the skinny ghost's body, and could not stop his actions at all.

So fast! Such uncanny speed! Such strong defense! Yu Gao's heart sank.

Just at this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared and stood in front of Ying.

It's Sakura!

"Iron!" she roared, gathering all her chakra in her fist and slamming it down on the skinny ghost!

"You're asking for death!" the skinny monster yelled, abandoning his plan to capture Hotaru and instead facing Sakura's fist. His claws shimmered with a ghostly blue light, clearly containing deadly poison.

"Oh!"

Fists and claws collided, producing a dull thud.

Sakura let out a muffled groan, her delicate body trembled, and she staggered backward. Her face instantly turned pale, and a dark mark appeared on her fist, which was rapidly spreading.

The skinny ghost's claw contained a deadly poison. Although Sakura had not lost in terms of strength, the poison invaded her body in an instant. This made her use the Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth: Hundred Healings Technique without hesitation.

"Pfft!" Sakura slapped her chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Sizzle!" The filthy blood splattered on the ground, making a sizzling sound as it corroded, and a pungent odor filled the air.

What a terrifying poison! Sakura was shocked. It was fortunate that it was her; if it were anyone else, they might not have been able to withstand this poison.

"Oh, you actually managed to force me to use my poisonous claws, that's interesting." The skinny ghost licked his claws, a bloodthirsty smile on his face, and said mockingly, "However, this is the end for you."

After saying that, he disappeared again.

"Watch out!" Yu Gao shouted, forming hand seals as more soap bubbles scattered in all directions.

"It's useless. These little tricks have no effect on me!" The skinny guy's voice was erratic, shifting from left to right, making it hard to read.

Suddenly, he appeared behind Fu, his claws reaching out again!

"Damn it!" Fu cursed angrily, flapping her wings to try and create distance. However, the skinny ghost was too fast, and she didn't have time to react.

"puff!"

With a muffled thud, the skinny ghost's claws struck Fu's back solidly. Fu let out a painful groan, and her body flew out like a kite with a broken string.

"Fu!" Sakura exclaimed, wanting to rush over to help, but the skinny ghost followed her like a shadow, blocking her way once again.

"Your opponent is me!" the skinny monster laughed, launching another attack on Sakura.

Sakura gritted her teeth and threw a punch to meet the attack.

"Bang bang bang!" The two instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

The skinny guy was incredibly fast and his attacks were ruthless, targeting Sakura's vital points. Although Sakura was strong, she was slightly slower and could only barely parry.

Chapter 282 Get past us first!

"This can't go on!" Sakura knew that if they couldn't defeat the enemy in front of them quickly, they would all be in danger.