Orochimaru's lips curled faintly. For once, he was relieved that Tsunade hadn't immediately resorted to her fists to unravel the enemy.
It was almost as if a mischievous child had finally grown up.
The trio rushed through the dense forest. Up ahead, they found goods scattered on the ground, as though hastily abandoned, with no escorts in sight.
"The supplies are here," one of the enemy muttered. "But… where are the men carrying them?"
"Did they realize we were coming?" another speculated. "Could they have dropped everything and fled?"
"Stay alert. This reeks of an ambush."
At the warning, one ninja carrying a large umbrella on his back narrowed his eyes. He leapt forward, tossed the umbrella high into the air, and shouted:
"Ninja Art: Thousand Needles Rain!"
The umbrella spun rapidly, releasing a storm of glittering steel needles that rained down toward Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya's concealed positions.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!"
Jiraiya's silver hair suddenly grew long and bristling, forming a barrier of hardened spikes. The incoming needles struck the wall of hair with sharp ding, ding, ding sounds before falling uselessly to the forest floor.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru tugged sharply on steel wires he had hidden earlier. The traps snapped to life, tightening around the enemy from all sides.
Eight of the fifteen attackers were instantly bound by the wires. The rest barely managed to avoid being caught.
"Th-these… these are exploding tags!"
The trapped shinobi thrashed desperately. Tags attached to the wires began to burn with ominous sparks.
Boom!
Flames engulfed them, screams echoing through the forest.
"Jiraiya, be ready," Tsunade called, quickly forming a hand seal. She poured chakra into another trap laid beforehand.
Boom!
Another explosion rocked the clearing, further reducing the enemy's numbers.
"I'm on it!" Jiraiya shouted, forming his own seals.
The umbrella-wielding ninja staggered out of the smoke, his face twisted with disbelief.
Damn it! This was a trap all along… They lured us here, fed us false information, just to use us as test subjects!
Fury welled in his chest. He gripped his umbrella tightly, hatred burning in his eyes. But before he could retaliate, a rock whistled through the air like a cannonball.
Bang!
The projectile slammed into his stomach. He gasped, blood spraying from his lips as he collapsed.
"Earth Release: Rock Bullet Technique!"
Jiraiya grinned proudly at the downed opponent.
But Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed. "Careful. More are coming. These ones are different—they're trained shinobi."
"Fire Release: Demon Lantern!"
Countless demonic flames burst from the darkness, shaped like grinning oni heads. The fireballs howled through the trees, chasing their targets like malevolent spirits.
The trio scattered, narrowly avoiding being incinerated as the flames scorched the forest.
"Tch… enough of this!"
Tsunade's brow furrowed. She clapped her hands together, weaving signs. Orochimaru and Jiraiya instinctively drew closer.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A spiraling torrent of water erupted around them, forming a swirling barrier. The roaring flames slammed into the wall and hissed into steam.
The ground shook violently.
"Earth Release: Mausoleum Dumpling!"
A massive boulder tore free from the earth and launched toward them.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Orochimaru inhaled deeply and exhaled a concentrated blast of wind. The pressure shattered the boulder into rubble midair, raining stone fragments harmlessly around them.
"There!" Tsunade locked onto the Earth Release user's chakra signature. Electricity crackled faintly around her fists as she sprinted forward.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Stimulation!"
Her speed exploded, her body becoming a streak of lightning.
The enemy earth-user's eyes widened. "H-how?! My Earth Release—"
"Look out!" his comrade shouted, but it was too late.
Bang!
Tsunade's fist connected, sending the man flying like a cannonball. He smashed through tree after tree before collapsing in a heap, unconscious.
"Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu!"
Jiraiya's hair surged outward, wrapping around two fleeing shinobi like living ropes. They struggled, eyes wide with disbelief, as the roots tightened.
"This… impossible…" one of them stammered, staring at the devastation Tsunade had wrought. The thought of fighting her directly sent a chill down his spine.
Desperation took hold. Another ninja hurled a smoke bomb to cover his retreat.
But Tsunade's furious voice rang out from behind him:
"Now it's your turn, bastard!"
Her foot slammed into the ground with seismic force.
Boom!
The earth quaked. The unlucky shinobi was swallowed by a crater, his twisted body lying motionless. Even in death, his eyes were wide with horror.
The Lightning Stimulation had amplified Tsunade's monstrous strength to terrifying levels.
Watching from nearby, Jiraiya shuddered. In the future, no matter what happens… I'm staying away from Tsunade when she's angry.
Still holding two prisoners ensnared by his hair, he turned to Orochimaru. "What do we do with these two?"
"They're useless now."
Orochimaru's voice was flat. He flicked a kunai, and both captives slumped lifelessly as the blades pierced their foreheads.
Jiraiya flinched. "There was no need to kill them, was there?"
Orochimaru's cold eyes locked on him. "Jiraiya, you're naive. These are what we call Non-ninja—scum who once learned techniques at a hidden village, betrayed that village, and now use ninjutsu to oppress ordinary people while denying they are shinobi at all."
"Non-ninja…" Jiraiya repeated softly. It was his first time hearing of such people.
"This isn't their first attempt. If we let them live, do you think they'd reform? We killed their comrades today. They would only come back for revenge."
Orochimaru's hand rested briefly on Jiraiya's shoulder. Then he walked on without another word.
Jiraiya stared at his teammate's back, struggling to reconcile the ruthless logic. He knew Orochimaru was right, but his heart still rebelled.
He released a heavy sigh, then pressed his hands together. The earth rumbled, swallowing the corpses into the ground.
So what is my prophecy supposed to be? he wondered bitterly. The Great Toad Sage had spoken of destinies, but had never revealed Jiraiya's own. How much longer would he have to wait?
Tsunade glanced at him and shook her head. This guy always wastes time thinking about pointless things.
Once the danger had passed, the convoy cautiously emerged. Together, they resumed their journey.
The remainder of the trip proved uneventful. No further ambushes came. When they finally reached the city, the goods were delivered safely to a specialty skincare shop.
With their mission complete, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya returned to Konoha.
---
In the capital, a curious trend spread like wildfire. After purchasing the so-called "medicinal tea" in Konoha, many among the Fire Daimyō's court and lower nobility began drinking it in secret.
At midnight, those same dignitaries seemed to transform into "war gods," unleashing newfound stamina upon their wives and concubines.
The very next morning, complaints—and embarrassed whispers—swept through noble households.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wished with all his heart that he didn't know the true reason for the tea's popularity. But as the saying went, paper cannot cover fire.
Inevitably, Danzo Shimura found out.
Bang!
His foot struck the table, sending scrolls and utensils crashing to the floor.
Danzo's face twisted with fury as he gripped the intelligence report in his hand. For the first time in decades, his features contorted into something almost… indescribably ugly.
The Root operatives standing nearby bowed low, carefully pretending to see nothing.
"Hiruzen… Sarutobi…" Danzo spat each syllable like venom, his teeth grinding.
The crumpled report shook in his hands. According to the intel, the medicinal tea's true purpose was nothing less than scandalous. And worse—Danzo believed the recipe should have belonged to him as a family inheritance.
The thought drove him into a blind rage.
Hiruzen… I will not forgive you for this!
---
Chapter 67: Manipulation
"HIRUZEN! You owe me an explanation!"
Danzo Shimura's roar thundered through the Hokage Building, rattling the windows. Few had ever seen him lose his composure so completely. Not even Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado could recall the last time he had looked so unhinged—it hadn't been since their days in the Academy.
In the Advisors' Office, Homura glanced nervously toward the Hokage's chambers. "Koharu… should we intervene?"
"You go if you want," Koharu replied dryly. She knew more about the "medicinal tea" than she cared to admit. "But it's better not to meddle in Danzo and Hiruzen's quarrels."
Truthfully, she was relieved the tea hadn't circulated within Konoha. Otherwise, she herself might have been dragged into the humiliation.
---
Inside the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat calmly behind his desk, pipe in hand. His wrinkled face flushed slightly red, though whether from anger or barely suppressed laughter was unclear.
"Danzo, calm yourself. Even if you smash my office to pieces, it will not solve anything."
He exhaled smoke slowly, watching his old comrade snarl like a bull.
Danzo's rage only deepened at Hiruzen's infuriatingly placid demeanor.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! You wretched schemer! How could I not see your malice before? You hid something this important from me?!"
Hiruzen's lips twitched upward, fighting the urge to laugh. In all their years together, it was rare—precious, even—to see Danzo in such a state.
And oh, how satisfying it was.
---
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