Fourth Raikage: "..."
Earlier, the Fourth Raikage had objectively evaluated Senju Tobirama's level of strength.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Senju Tobirama immediately responded with a sarcastic tone.
"What's going on with Hidden Rock Village and Hidden Mist Village?"
The Fourth Raikage originally didn't care about the other two ninja villages.
But now, the Fourth Raikage had to make his next move based on the situation of the other two ninja villages.
"Reporting to Raikage-sama, there hasn't been any movement from Hidden Mist Village."
"No movement?"
"Yes, the Mist army hasn't attacked; it was just Kurosuki Raiga and the resurrected Might Duy who engaged in a battle."
The Fourth Raikage's expression immediately became even worse.
"Why is Hidden Mist Village so selfish?"
"Why are they so short-sighted?"
"They have no sense of the bigger picture at all!"
"Lower-ranking ninja villages are just lower-ranking ninja villages!"
"What use is it for one ninja to come out and fight?"
"Is this a performance for my Hidden Cloud Village?"
"Or did they receive news in advance?"
At first, the Fourth Raikage did not care about Hidden Mist Village.
Hearing that Hidden Mist Village was taking a conservative strategy, the Fourth Raikage scoffed.
But now that the Hidden Cloud army was encountering difficulties, the Fourth Raikage's mindset changed.
From previously disregarding Hidden Mist Village, he had shifted to hoping that Hidden Mist Village could take action to draw Konoha's attention.
However, Hidden Mist Village's strategy was unlikely to change because of the Fourth Raikage.
"What about Hidden Rock Village?"
"Hidden Rock Village is also facing restrictions."
The intelligence ninja quickly reported.
"Led by Shimura Danzo, two resurrected ninjas: one is Kushina Uzumaki, and the other is Sakumo Hatake."
"These two…"
Given the current situation, the Fourth Raikage couldn't help but show a strange expression upon hearing these names.
The former had only recently died.
During childbirth, she was attacked by the Nine-Tails, which led to the Nine-Tails' rampage.
The Fourth Raikage heard that someone had been plotting behind the scenes but did not obtain specific identities.
It was precisely because of Kushina Uzumaki's childbirth that the Nine-Tails' rampage broke out, causing heavy casualties for Konoha.
Even Minato Namikaze died on the spot.
Konoha found itself in a situation where there was no chance to even surrender.
As a result, many people in Konoha were dissatisfied with Kushina Uzumaki, believing that she should not have given birth.
Aside from the mastermind behind the scenes, Kushina Uzumaki also bore some responsibility for the Nine-Tails' rampage.
As for Sakumo Hatake, the incident back then had stirred up a huge uproar.
It even sparked widespread discussion.
What is most important for a ninja?
Mission?
Life?
Comrades?
Village?
Interests?
When Sakumo Hatake was on a mission, he abandoned it to save his comrades.
Because of the mission's failure, Konoha faced enormous losses.
This led to Konoha facing skepticism from its clients.
For a time, the number of mission requests sharply declined.
Sakumo Hatake, overwhelmed with guilt and unable to bear the external criticism, chose to commit suicide.
"Resurrecting these two controversial ninjas, who are doubted by the villagers of Konoha, to continue fighting for Konoha?"
"Why not resurrect Minato Namikaze?"
"Or not resurrect Senju Hashirama?"
The Fourth Raikage's eyes flickered for a moment.
"Because they don't want to?"
"No, it's more likely because they can't."
"Holding onto such a trump card isn't very realistic given Konoha's current situation."
With this thought, the Fourth Raikage let out a slight sigh of relief.
"If that's the case, it proves that Konoha's situation isn't good enough to defeat the three major ninja villages."
"For my Hidden Cloud Village, it boils down to two choices."
"One, go all out and take a gamble."
"It has already reached this point; the hatred with Konoha is basically impossible to resolve."
"A stronger Konoha can still be defeated."
"However, this requires the cooperation of Hidden Mist Village and Hidden Rock Village."
"Two, abandon the plan to crush Konoha and gradually retreat, but…"
"This is just too unsatisfactory."
"Having already pushed Konoha to this extent, if we retreat now, there won't be another opportunity like this in the future."
"Moreover, even if we retreat, it must be a valuable retreat."
"For example, figuring out what conditions are needed to resurrect these ninjas and what price must be paid…"
The intelligence ninja continued, "Shimura Danzo set up an ambush trap; Hidden Rock Village's Roshi fell into the trap, and Kushina Uzumaki intervened to restrain Roshi, preventing him from using the power of his tailed beast."
"When the others in Hidden Rock Village discovered it, it was already too late."
"Konoha threatened to take Roshi's life, halting the Hidden Rock army."
The Fourth Raikage: "…"
When the intelligence ninja spoke, the Fourth Raikage thought it could be much worse.
It turned out that only one jinchuriki had been captured.
Was Hidden Cloud Village the one suffering the biggest loss now?
The Fourth Raikage's eyes flickered.
"Is this Senju Tobirama's revenge against my Hidden Cloud Village?"
"Revenge for Kinkaku and Ginkaku killing him back then?"
"But my Hidden Cloud Village's Second Raikage also died at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku."
"Speaking of which, my father avenged him."
The Fourth Raikage glanced again toward Konoha's army, his eyes revealing a hint of reluctance.
But…
"Listen to my orders, retreat for now!"
The Fourth Raikage knew that, given the current situation, a temporary retreat was the best choice.
Forcing an attack could potentially bring down Konoha's ninja army.
Even with Jiraiya, Senju Tobirama, and Dan Kato on the opposing side, the Hidden Cloud army had a tangible numerical advantage.
If Konoha crumbled in one blow, Hidden Cloud Village could reap the maximum benefit from a fierce assault.
However, if Konoha couldn't be easily defeated, a fierce attack from Hidden Cloud would essentially serve as a wedding dress for Hidden Mist Village and Hidden Rock Village. The Fourth Raikage could not allow himself to do something that would harm his own side while benefiting others.
With a command from the Fourth Raikage, the Hidden Cloud army began to withdraw slowly.
Jiraiya was taken aback.
Konoha's crushing defeat, the Nine-Tails' rampage, and Minato's death—this series of events dealt a significant blow to Jiraiya.
Initially, Jiraiya had not supported the Impure World Reincarnation, but he was too downcast at the time to voice his concerns.
But now, Konoha has indeed used Impure World Reincarnation to fend off the attacks of the three major ninja villages.
"Does this mean that Orochimaru's path is the right one?"
"Sarutobi-sensei, are the paths chosen by me and Minato all wrong?"
Jiraiya felt a growing sense of doubt within himself.
"However, Orochimaru and the fate of the child described by the toad sage are worlds apart."
"Besides, Orochimaru is already Hokage."
The Hokage is the foremost figure in Konoha.
Neither the retired Sarutobi Hiruzen nor the resurrected Senju Tobirama is truly Konoha's Hokage at this moment.
...
Konoha.
Hokage Building.
Orochimaru sat in the Hokage's office.
Three ANBU ninjas gathered before Orochimaru to report.
"Hokage-sama."
"The Hidden Cloud army has retreated."
"The Hidden Rock army has also retreated."
"The Hidden Mist army has not made a move yet."
Orochimaru nodded and revealed a smile.
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, everyone."
After the ANBU ninjas left, Orochimaru glanced at the battlefield direction where Konoha faced the Hidden Mist army.
"Sarutobi-sensei, do you still think that I'm not a suitable candidate for Hokage compared to Minato?"
"I have saved Konoha."
But soon, Orochimaru's smile faded.
"However, this is just the first hurdle we've overcome."
"Next, Hidden Cloud Village and others will surely try everything they can to obtain information about the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and how to counter it."
"It's impossible for them to easily withdraw their troops and end the war."
"Currently, the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu has too many flaws."
"I need to improve it."
After finishing the documents on his desk, Orochimaru immediately entered the laboratory.
Watching the Hidden Cloud army truly retreat, Senju Tobirama returned to Konoha's camp.
"Tobirama-sama."
Senju Tobirama observed Jiraiya, the "young man" with the same hair color as his own.
He had seen Jiraiya's performance earlier.
Then, Senju Tobirama thought about Orochimaru, the successor to the position of Hokage.
"Hiruzen has trained some good disciples!"
Dan Kato jogged over and clearly appeared nervous upon seeing Senju Tobirama.
It was as if he had abducted someone's daughter and was meeting the father-in-law for the first time.
In fact, Dan Kato was indeed Tsunade's rightful and official lover, quite different from Jiraiya, who secretly harbored a crush on Tsunade from the shadows.
Senju Tobirama wasn't Tsunade's father, but he was an elder, a close relative—her second grandfather.
"Dan Kato."
Senju Tobirama looked at Dan Kato.
"Dan Kato, your Spirit Transformation Jutsu was used quite well."
"Tobirama-sama is being overly kind. I only played a small role in distracting them; it was really your presence that instilled greater fear in the Hidden Cloud Village, causing them to halt."
Senju Tobirama slightly nodded.
"The situation here has stabilized a bit. I need to return to the village as soon as possible. You two hold the fort here, and report back to the village if anything happens."
"Yes, Tobirama-sama."
Jiraiya and Dan Kato both nodded in unison.
In the next moment,
"Flying Thunder God Jutsu!"
Senju Tobirama vanished from sight.
The remaining two felt the atmosphere become a bit awkward.
This was mainly because Jiraiya knew that Dan Kato was Tsunade's lover, while Dan Kato was aware that Jiraiya had feelings for Tsunade.
They weren't exactly rivals, but it felt like they were.
Eventually, it was Dan Kato who took the initiative to break the awkward silence.
"Jiraiya, long time no see."
"Long time no see."
"How is Tsunade doing now?"
After his resurrection, Dan Kato had not yet grasped the situation when he received orders to fight for Konoha.
In response, Dan Kato had nothing to say. Even Senju Tobirama, who had been resurrected, did not have any reasons to refuse.
However, compared to the village, Dan Kato was actually more concerned about Tsunade's condition.
Jiraiya was silent for a moment.
"I'm not quite sure."
"After the Second Shinobi World War ended, Tsunade became increasingly depressed and developed hemophobia, making it impossible for her to continue her work as a Ninja, whether as a combat Ninja or a medical Ninja."
"As a result, Tsunade left the village."
"I haven't seen her in a long time either."
Dan Kato was taken aback.
"Hemophobia?"
Suddenly, Dan Kato seemed to realize something.
"Is it because of me?"
Nawaki's death occurred before Dan Kato's.
Therefore, Dan Kato could be certain that Tsunade did not develop hemophobia due to Nawaki's death.
So it was highly likely that it was because of him.
Jiraiya didn't want to admit it.
This matter highlighted just how much Tsunade cared about Dan Kato.
However, he had no choice but to nod.
A hint of guilt appeared on Dan Kato's face.
"I really am useless."
"Not only did I die, but I also implicated Tsunade."
"I'm such a terrible person."
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment but still offered some comfort to Dan Kato.
"If you were such a terrible person, Tsunade wouldn't like you and definitely wouldn't care about you to the point of developing hemophobia. Since you've been resurrected, you should go see Tsunade."
"After the war ends."
"She must really miss you."
Jiraiya felt a sharp pain as he spoke those words, as if his heart was bleeding.
He clearly liked Tsunade so much.
Yet at this moment, he had to comfort her deceased lover.
Jiraiya felt a tightness in his chest, nearly unable to breathe.
"I will, Jiraiya. Thank you; you're a good person."
Jiraiya: "…"
Those words were a compliment, but at that moment, Jiraiya didn't want to hear them at all.
Unknowingly, the atmosphere grew awkward once again.
Neither of them knew what to say.
"I'm going out for some fresh air."
Jiraiya stepped out of the tent.
...
...
Soma looked at the letter in his hand, opened it, and his eyes flickered after reading its contents.
"As expected, with Orochimaru in power, Konoha will inevitably use the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu."
"A village on the brink of collapse wouldn't care about morality or whether the dead should be disturbed."
"To live is the only demand."
"Even if it means using any means necessary, regardless of the cost."
"Might Duy, Sarutobi Sasuke, Senju Tobirama, and the ability to harvest the lives of Hidden Cloud Ninja in an unseen manner… could very likely be Dan Kato's Spirit Transformation Jutsu."
"This is undoubtedly just the beginning."
"Once this door is opened, Konoha will definitely not stop at just reincarnating these few people."
"Perhaps the people of Konoha won't be content with merely preserving their village."
"Instead, they will likely seek revenge."
"To regain the face Konoha deserves."
"They might even go so far as to do something even more extreme."
"A larger, more intense war is about to come!"
Kaguya Izumi jogged over.
"Chief-sama."
"Hmm?"
"Chukichi has arrived."
Soma's eyes brightened slightly.
"Arrived?"
"Just landed on the small island."
Soma nodded.
"Let him wait at the Contract House. I'll go over once I'm done."
"Yes, Chief-sama."
Soma tucked the letter away, tidied up briefly, and then headed toward the Contract House with the Soul Reaping Sword in hand.
A young man, not very old, noticed Soma and quickly approached.
"Uehara-sama?"
"Chukichi?"
"That's me."
"Come in."
---
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