A few minutes later, ten miles outside Konoha.
Shimoku, who had withdrawn from battle, reunited with Lady Serpent.
"Did you win?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.
"I lost."
Shimoku replied calmly.
Failing to completely destroy Konoha meant he had indeed lost.
Still, he wasn't the type to deny defeat.
Not to mention, his opponent was none other than Hashirama Senju, the Ninja God himself—one of the shinobi world's greatest legends.
Across the entire Ninja World, very few had ever managed to escape from him alive...
All things considered, though,
this great battle hadn't been a total loss for Shimoku at all.
Firstly: He used Konoha's hands to nearly wipe out the entire Akatsuki organization.
Secondly: He destroyed half of Konoha, forced Hiruzen Sarutobi into death, and eliminated many elite ninjas, leaving Konoha severely weakened—nearly destroyed.
Finally: He even obtained a 'Sasori'.
So yes, definitely not a bad outcome.
Of course, the return of Hashirama and Tobirama Senju had come as a surprise to Shimoku,
and caused him quite some trouble.
But still—it was just a little trouble.
From the beginning, Shimoku knew that the path toward dominating the ninja world would never be easy.
If there weren't any obstacles along the way, something would've been off!
Right now,
it had barely been half a year since he defected from Konoha.
And already, he had gained the power to go head-to-head with Hashirama.
Soon enough, he would definitely surpass him entirely.
"Speaking of which," Shimoku glanced sideways at Orochimaru with a slightly annoyed sarcasm, "in this war, you're actually the real winner!"
This guy didn't even fight seriously the whole time,
yet still ended up obtaining a pair of Byakugan eyes, watching both Konoha and Akatsuki suffer losses.
In the end, he even forced his former teacher Hiruzen into using the forbidden Impure World Reincarnation Technique—an art he once loathed as dark magic.
Looking at it any way, Orochimaru was clearly the biggest winner here.
He basically won big.
"Hahaha, Lord Shimoku flatters me..."
"It's just a bit of luck, thanks mostly to your divine illumination, Lord Shimoku!"
Orochimaru chuckled, praising joyfully.
If earlier he had addressed Shimoku as 'Lord' merely as playful mockery,
now, calling him 'Lord' truly carried genuine admiration.
After all, anyone who could go toe-to-toe with Hashirama Senju—the Ninja God—
deserved that respect, no matter their age.
Plus, this brat really was shockingly young.
Who knows how far this kid would eventually reach in the future?
Thinking about how he might witness boundless potential through this boy—
witnessing the ultimate peak of Ninjutsu itself…
Orochimaru couldn't help but feel thrilled and filled with anticipation.
"Alright, enough flattery.
Let's head back first."
Shimoku waved his hand, interrupting Orochimaru, then continued:
"After this battle, the stagnant waters of the entire Ninja World are finally about to stir…"
"We should start preparing ourselves well too."
Besides, the 'Sasori' waiting quietly inside his pocket
was still looking forward to being tricked upon his return.
This time around, there's no doubt that Sasori must be compelled to "abandon the shadows and embrace the light."
He should properly start manufacturing "Gundam (giant mechanical puppets)" for our very own Homuragakure.
Moreover, our [Pseudo-Jinchuriki Plan], [Tsukuyomi Plan using Card Bug Activation], [Five-Year Plan], [Entertainment Empire Plan for Homura], and so on...
All these initiatives should accelerate their progress.
In short, there's no shortage of things needing attention.
Additionally, if Konoha dares to summon back from the [Impure World] the First and Second Hokages,
Then naturally, we can also seek an opportunity to summon back Uchiha Madara—ancestor of the Uchiha clan—from the [Impure World]. That seems entirely justified, doesn't it?
I'd love to see how Hashirama and Lord Madara keep up their sarcastic rivalry in this era!
However, Madara might have been thoroughly misled by that ancestral stone tablet handed down through his clan.
We'll first need to find a way to awaken him from his illusions.
Otherwise, once summoned back through the [Impure World],
Madara would likely turn against me immediately...
...
"Rumble——"
The ground rumbled, waves of sound rolling like thunder.
Hashirama retracted his [Senju Daibutsu], pulling most of the wooden vines underground throughout the village.
Then, under everyone's astonished gazes,
He used enormous wooden vines to repair the severely damaged outer walls of the village.
Creating a solid barrier of sturdy Wood Release walls encircling the village.
Furthermore, empowered by Hashirama's chakra, those wooden vines were much harder than ordinary fortress walls.
Standard ninjutsu couldn't even slightly shake them at all!
Yet only Hashirama himself truly understood.
Repairing the walls was essentially just a mere gesture—to give the villagers a little more peace of mind.
Before true experts—like that recent enemy Shimoku Uchiha—
These vine-walls were practically useless, not much stronger than paper...
"Grandfather!"
"First Hokage!"
At the same time, shortly afterward, Tsunade arrived along with a group of Konoha ninja, rushing to Hashirama's side.
And excitedly cheered out loud.
Of course, they didn't know that their First and Second Hokage had barely driven off the enemy using a desperate threat of mutual destruction.
In their eyes, they simply believed the First Hokage had defeated a powerful opponent and secured victory.
Thus naturally bursting into cheerful excitement.
But having experienced the recent fierce battle—and learning about his clan's annihilation—
Hashirama's current mood wasn't particularly good.
He wasn't cheerful and delighted like he'd been at first either.
Plus, right after such a massive fight, Konoha lay in ruins. Too many matters required immediate handling.
So, he had no choice but to step back into leadership and oversee the whole village.
"Tobirama, I entrust you with all rescue operations. You'll lead coordination efforts!"
"As for the rest of you, assist with rescues. Get every survivor and injured person here as soon as possible—I'll handle healing them."
"Brother..."
"Tobirama, focus first on rescuing the injured and dealing with aftermath matters. We'll discuss other things later."
"I understand, Brother!"
Tobirama nodded once,
Immediately beginning to organize personnel, searching for casualties, and managing post-war affairs.
After all, when it came to administrative tasks,
he was far more skilled compared to his older brother Hashirama...
"Little Tsunade."
"Grandfather, I'm here!"
Tsunade quickly stepped forward, acting as obedient as a demure lady, which left Jiraiya somewhat stunned.
"Be honest with me, how many of our Senju Clan members are still alive?"
Startled, he replied, "Huh?"
"Just say it boldly."
Feeling a pang in her heart, Tsunade could only answer like this:
"O-only... only me..."
Upon hearing this, Hashirama took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.
Even though he had already mentally prepared himself,
knowing for certain that his once-prosperous Senju Clan—whose glory stretched back just over a few decades—now only had one surviving descendant, his granddaughter, filled him with bitterness and anger!
"Little Tsunade, do you have any younger brothers or sisters?"
"I have one little brother. He's twelve years younger than me. He was born many years after you, Grandpa."
"His name is Nawaki. Even Uncle Tobirama held him before!"
"Grandson?! I have another grandson?!"
Hashirama was overjoyed.
"But… but Nawaki also died during the Second Great Ninja War..." Tsunade's eyes reddened as she continued to sob.
Upon hearing this, Hashirama felt another shock pierce his heart.
His face paled—he nearly spat out another mouthful of blood.
His own beloved grandson, whom he'd never even met, had died in the war as well?!
Damn it!
What the hell were Tobirama and Sarutobi doing?
Could they not even protect a child?!
Hashirama clenched his teeth, struggling to find an outlet for his fury.
Seeing Hashirama's expression darken, Tsunade grew anxious.
After a long silence, she finally called out softly:
"Grandpa?"
"Little Tsunade, go summon all the current high-ranking officials in the village who are still in power."
"I need to speak with them in person!"
After a lengthy pause, Hashirama finally gave his order.
Tsunade hesitated, sensing what might be coming.
But at this moment, she felt deeply reassured.
After all, Grandpa was back now; there was nothing for her to worry about.
As long as Grandpa was here, everything would turn out alright!
It was time for the village to finally repay its debts to the Senju Clan!
"Okay!"
With that, Tsunade turned and left, preparing to bring over the remaining high-ranking officials of Konoha!
After issuing his instructions,
Hashirama immediately set about healing the many wounded patients.
Possessing yang-nature chakra and an enormous amount of it, his mastery of Healing Ninjutsu even surpassed Tsunade's.
Within just a few seconds, he could heal an ordinary wounded person.
That was unbelievable!
Soon, Hashirama successively stabilized more than thirty seriously injured ninja, saving their lives.
Witnessing this, Jiraiya shuffled toward Hashirama on wobbly feet, with both of his severed hands hanging uselessly at his sides.
"First Hokage, sir?"
"Jiraiya? Sit down first. Let me heal your hands."
Seeing Jiraiya approach, Hashirama's expression softened slightly.
For one thing, he genuinely admired this upright and talented young ninja.
And secondly, he wasn't blind—he had already seen the intimate relationship between this kid and his dear little Tsunade.
Soon, Jiraiya's severed arms were healed as good as new by Hashirama.
"What incredible Healing Ninjutsu! It's even more powerful than Tsunade's!"
"That's the First Hokage, alright!"
Jiraiya sincerely remarked.
Then he stammered nervously, trying to fish around delicately about the relationship between the First Hokage and Tsunade.
"First Ho—"
"Jiraiya, do you like Tsunade-chan?"
Hashirama's sudden blunt question immediately stunned Jiraiya.
He was so blunt!
He wasn't ready for this at all!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>