"What a terrifying ability. I truly want to kill you."
"But it seems I'm powerless to do so."
The reassembled Minato Namikaze looked at Deidara with a tone of admiration.
In the final moments, Minato had released the Nine-Tails Mode. He couldn't allow the Nine-Tails to suffer such damage, as he was in a state of death, but the Nine-Tails was still alive.
"Farewell then. I hope the next time we meet, we won't be enemies," Deidara said, signaling Orochimaru to release Edo Tensei.
Minato's Edo Tensei body began to crumble. He stood there quietly but couldn't help asking one last question: "How is Naruto doing now?"
"Danzo is the current Hokage. What do you think?"
"This..."
Minato's face showed an expression of shock and concern, but before he could say more, he completely returned to the world of the dead.
"Deidara, may I collect some of your cellular tissue?" Orochimaru asked with interest as he approached.
Deidara bit his finger, producing a drop of blood, and handed it to Orochimaru. "I have no qualms about such things."
"Even if you manage to create a clone of me, it wouldn't matter, because true strength lies in one's intellect."
"If there are parallel worlds, then among all the countless Deidaras, I would surely be the strongest."
"Heh, an interesting perspective."
After bidding farewell to Orochimaru, Deidara returned to Amegakure with Kakuzu and Hidan, expecting a few peaceful days. However, after only a short respite, Deidara suddenly received shocking news.
Konoha had decisively defeated Iwagakure, not only driving them out of the Land of Wind but also gravely injuring the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
If not for Amegakure acting as a buffer zone, forcing Konoha to take a longer route through the Land of Wind and stretching their supply lines too thin for effective warfare, they might have already invaded Iwagakure itself.
"What the hell is going on?"
Deidara rushed to the central tower's office to review the latest intelligence firsthand.
Even with Jiraiya, Konoha shouldn't be this formidable. Could it be that Might Guy had transformed into the "King of Youth"?
"It's because one of Konoha's legendary Sannin, Tsunade, has returned to the village. Additionally, Konoha has gained a powerful Wood Release user," Konan explained.
"Together with Jiraiya, the three of them jointly attacked the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, leading to his severe defeat," she added.
"A powerful Wood Release user? Who?"
Deidara felt perplexed.
Of course, Tsunade returning to Konoha while Danzo was Hokage was odd enough. But Konoha was her homeland, and perhaps she had decided to protect it after all.
"We're not sure," Nagato replied, shaking his head.
"The individual fought with a mask on the entire time, likely someone from the ANBU or ROOT."
Could it be Yamato? But no, Yamato's Wood Release wasn't that strong—strong enough to fight against Kage-level opponents?
Before Deidara could ponder further, Kurotsuchi rushed into the room.
"Brother Deidara, let's go back to check on Grandpa!"
Her tone was filled with urgency and worry. After all, it was her family who had been injured.
"Alright, let's go," Deidara nodded and set off with Kurotsuchi toward Iwagakure.
...
Konoha Village, Hokage's Office
Jiraiya was both furious and helpless. "Tsunade, how can you support such a proposal?"
"Why shouldn't I support it? Naruto, as Konoha's Jinchūriki, should contribute to the village," Tsunade replied firmly.
"Tsunade, why have you become like this? You don't seem like the Tsunade I used to know," Jiraiya said, sensing something strange about her. It felt as though Tsunade wasn't herself.
But if Tsunade wasn't Tsunade, then who could she be?
No one could fake an identity under Jiraiya's Sage Mode sensory abilities. Moreover, during the recent battle against Ōnoki, Tsunade had displayed her monstrous strength and undeniable power—there was no way to falsify such abilities.
In fact, she was so powerful that Jiraiya found it odd. After all, he had acquired a treasure from the Great Toad Sage, yet even in Sage Mode, he didn't feel significantly stronger than Tsunade.
And what about her fear of blood? How had that suddenly been cured?
Standing beside Jiraiya, Tsunade ignored his complex gaze.
"Jiraiya, you're still as naive and foolish as ever."
"The village is facing a great threat, and we must do whatever it takes to protect it. Remember, this is the village my grandfather built, containing the last efforts of the Senju clan."
"I cannot stand by and watch it be destroyed."
Hearing this, Jiraiya nodded in agreement. His love and dedication to the village were no less than Tsunade's. That's why he was willing to endure the humiliation of serving under Danzo, setting aside his lifelong ideals and pursuits to protect the village.
Perhaps I'm overthinking it, Jiraiya thought. Tsunade's aggressive stance in the face of the village's peril might just be normal.
"But even so, this is unacceptable. Naruto is the future savior, and I absolutely won't allow you to harm him!" Jiraiya retorted firmly, opposing Danzo's excessive proposal.
At this moment, Danzo, who had been observing the heated exchange, finally spoke up. After several rounds of debate between Tsunade and Jiraiya, he had roughly gauged Jiraiya's limits.
"Then let's only extract some of the Jinchūriki's chakra to create an elite strike force. Surely that's not a problem?"
"Fine," Jiraiya reluctantly agreed. With Tsunade's support, Danzo's pressure on Jiraiya had grown significantly.
In the past, Jiraiya would never have agreed to such a proposal. Although it wouldn't harm Naruto directly, the reckless use of Tailed Beast chakra was inherently problematic.
Moreover, creating this elite force would undoubtedly result in numerous sacrifices, as not everyone could handle the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Danzo nodded in satisfaction. After processing the documents, he returned to his ROOT headquarters. He preferred to rest in such dark places, perhaps because he had grown accustomed to them.
"Hokage-sama, Hyūga Kanade has arrived," a ROOT member reported shortly after Danzo had closed his eyes to rest.
Danzo's single eye opened, revealing a glint of greed. "Let him in."
Soon, the disguised Hyūga Kanade was led into the room by ROOT ninja.
"Hokage-sama!" Kanade greeted respectfully.
Danzo nodded. "Kanade, have you made up your mind?"
Kanade also nodded. "Yes, I've decided. This is all for the sake of Konoha!"
Danzo slowly stood up, leaning on his cane as he took two steps forward. The greed in his lone eye grew even more intense.
"Indeed, everything is for the sake of Konoha!"
(As you can see, the story has reached its halfway point and is about to enter a new phase. More exciting developments await you!)
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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