"Garp-sama, Tsunade, who's trapped in the Land of Earth, isn't just Lord Hashirama's only surviving bloodline. She's also the very last descendant of the entire Senju clan.
If… if anything happens to her, then the Senju will truly be gone forever."
Seeing Garp's expression turn nostalgic, Hiruzen felt a surge of joy.
He knew very well that the older a man grew, the more sentimental he became… and the more he valued bonds.
"Hashirama's granddaughter, huh?
The Senju clan, once glorious beyond measure, boasting more than a thousand members, has somehow fallen so low that they can't even protect their final bloodline?
You two said you founded Konoha to protect the children of the future, yet you can't even safeguard your own flesh and blood. What's the point of this village then?"
Garp, let out a long sigh. The complicated look in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a sharp, chilling light so fierce that even the hardened ninja hero Hiruzen felt his heart tremble.
Fine, consider it a repayment to the Senju brothers.
After all, for decades of his retirement life, he had lived in the Senju clan residence, spent the clan's money, drank their booze, and used their resources.
And those two brothers had never once broken their promise.
Until their dying breaths, they never disturbed his peaceful retirement.
"..."
Hearing Garp openly slander Konoha right in front of them, the three members of the 'council' all lowered their heads, not daring to utter a single word.
What could they say?
What dared they say?
Konoha falling to this point was because they were the ones who tore the village apart.
In front of outsiders, they could still put on a show and make excuses.
But standing before them now was the man whose iron fists had dominated the entire Warring States Period, invincible and unmatched.
A hero who had seen everything there was to see.
As for Dan, ever since Garp casually patted his shoulder, his arm had dislocated. After kneeling on the ground for a while, his legs still felt weak.
"Find someone to guide me."
Having decided, Garp casually picked his nose, wiped his fingers on Koharu clothes, and spoke lazily.
He agreed to Hiruzen's request to come out of retirement, but he wasn't helping the council, nor Konoha.
He was helping the Senju clan.
After all, you can't freeload forever without giving anything back.
After living off the Senju clan for so many years, he should at least put in some effort, consider it exercise for his nearly rusted bones.
"Thank you, Lord Garp."
"Konoha's fate, and our teacher's bloodline, are entrusted to you."
"I'll arrange subordinates immediately."
Hiruzen and the others were overjoyed.
Garp had agreed to go to the battlefield, so Konoha was truly saved.
...
Land of Earth
"The Sannin are inside this mountain, don't let them escape."
"Jiraiya has already been heavily injured by Lord Tsuchikage and the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki. Unless they abandon him, they won't be able to get away."
"They won't. The Sannin are united, they'll never abandon a comrade."
Hundreds of Iwa shinobi surrounded a rocky mountain about fifty to sixty meters tall, sealing it off from all sides.
"First squad, use Earth Style: Rock Gun Jutsu."
"Second squad, stand by. Once the mountain collapses, or if the Sannin try to break out, unleash Earth Dragon Bullets and surround them."
...
As the Tsuchikage's son and commander of the hundreds of Iwa shinobi, Kitsuchi faced the Sannin with utmost caution, showing the steady resolve of solid rock.
Orders flowed smoothly, splitting the forces into multiple squads, each with a specific task, leaving the Sannin no room to slip through.
"Earth Style: Rock Gun Jutsu!"
Following Kitsuchi's command, nearly a hundred Iwa shinobi formed seals and stepped forward, spitting out stone bullets like a hail of gunfire.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The stones were small, but their speed and destructive force were tremendous.
With each volley containing nearly a hundred stone bullets, the rocky mountain trembled violently and began collapsing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
At this rate, the first squad only needed three or four more volleys for the mountain hiding the Sannin to completely fall apart.
"Still not breaking out?"
Kitsuchi stared sharply at the shaking mountain. Seeing no sign of movement, he let out a silent sigh.
Of course, they would never abandon Jiraiya. Tsunade and Orochimaru were not the type to leave a comrade behind.
But that was fine.
Capturing all three here would shatter the undefeated legend Konoha had maintained since the First Hokage's era.
"Continue. Crush it."
Suppressing the surge of excitement in his heart, Kitsuchi grew even more cautious the closer he got to victory.
"Earth Style: Rock Gun Jutsu!"
The first squad exchanged excited glances.
These were the legendary Sannin.
And they were about to kill them.
The thought alone made their blood boil. With feverish excitement, they formed seals again and unleashed another volley of stone bullets.
"Second squad… prepare Earth Dragon Bullets. Once the mountain collapses, kill them on sight."
Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes, closely watching the crumbling mountain and the incoming stone bullets.
But just as the storm of stone bullets was about to shatter the mountain, and Tsunade and the others inside prepared for a desperate final stand, a dark figure blurred through the hundreds of Iwa shinobi like a phantom.
He weaved through them without the slightest obstruction, leapt past the already fired stone bullets, and landed with one foot on the near-collapsing mountain.
"You little brats from Iwagakure, go back to where you came from."
As Garp spoke, he spread the fingers of his right hand wide and swung it casually toward the incoming stone bullets.
Like swatting flies, his simple motion stirred the air into a violent, roaring gale, instantly pulverizing every stone in front of him.