One had to admit—Danzō knew how to train killers.
Even to Yui Xuanyue's eyes, the Root operatives he had just cut down were no weaker than the elite clans of the Warring States era. In cold-blooded efficiency, they may have even surpassed them.
It was simply their misfortune to face him.
Against anyone below Kage-level, two Root squads would have been a nightmare. But tonight, they had been little more than kindling.
Xuanyue's gaze swept the street, his thoughts sharp as a blade.
"Danzō. That conniving old snake must have given strict orders to capture me—priority above even the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Otherwise, Root would never abandon their surveillance of Naruto just to strike at me."
His expression darkened. "This debt…I'll collect later."
With that, his figure flickered and vanished into the night.
A minute later, Jiraiya arrived.
The chaos of Tanzaku Street had masked the sound of battle from common ears, but not from a Sannin. He followed the disturbance and found the aftermath: eight corpses, masks cracked, weapons scattered.
Jiraiya's heart sank.
He despised Danzō's methods, but Root shinobi were still Konoha's. To see them cut down so brutally within the Land of Fire itself, practically under his nose, was a provocation that couldn't be ignored.
His brow furrowed. "Orochimaru?"
It was the first name that came to mind. Tsunade hadn't said anything, but Jiraiya knew she'd met her old teammate in Tanzaku. It wouldn't surprise him if Orochimaru had lingered.
Yet when Jiraiya examined the wounds, he dismissed the thought. He knew Orochimaru's style intimately, and these deaths bore none of his trademarks.
"No… someone else. Whoever it was, they killed eight Root shinobi in minutes and walked away without a scratch. That's no ordinary opponent."
The Sannin's mood darkened. Convincing Tsunade to return as Fifth Hokage was proving far more dangerous than he had anticipated.
"Tsunade's apprentice must know something. I can't afford to wait—I'll need answers now."
But first, he had to deal with the bodies. For all their shadowed work, Root still wore the Leaf on their backs.
And so, the night passed.
By morning, it was as though nothing had happened. Tsunade continued her cycle of gambling, drinking, and sleeping, while Naruto trained relentlessly to master the Rasengan within their seven-day wager.
Jiraiya, however, remained uneasy. He knew Xuanyue had appeared in Tanzaku. Even without saying it aloud, he and Tsunade felt the weight of that truth. He spent most of his time prowling the outskirts, wary of the threat lurking in the dark.
Orochimaru was already enough of a headache. Adding Yui Xuanyue to the equation made Jiraiya's temples throb.
Meanwhile, Xuanyue himself had slipped away to a nearby city. His Edo Tensei body did not require rest, but even he preferred a moment of comfort.
The Warring States had given him no chance to witness a world like this. Now, wandering through bustling streets and theaters, he absorbed the unfamiliar sights like a traveler in a dream.
Seven days later, he stepped out of a cinema, the credits of a "Princess Fūn Series" film still echoing in his mind.
"Unbelievable. Has the movie craft advanced this far? Compared to the cheap trash from my past life, that was… actually good."
This shinobi world had more than just chakra and jutsu. It had technology, convenience, and life. Against the cold emptiness of the underworld, this vibrant era was irresistible.
Xuanyue tilted his face toward the blazing sun, calculating the day. The appointed time had come. Orochimaru and Tsunade's confrontation was about to unfold.
"I can't miss this."
A breath of wind swept the street—and Xuanyue vanished.
Back in Tanzaku, a narrow alley still bore the scars of a giant serpent crashing through its walls.
There, Tsunade arrived alone. The night before, she had deliberately drugged Jiraiya during their drinking match, leaving him unconscious. Now, she came to face Orochimaru without interference.
Almost simultaneously, two figures entered from opposite ends of the alley. Their gazes met.
Orochimaru's golden slit pupils narrowed. "Xuanyue… isn't here?"
Tsunade's amber eyes flicked around the shadows, her brow knitting slightly. She, too, had expected another presence.
Only Orochimaru.
But Xuanyue had no intention of appearing. The moment he saw Naruto's wager with Tsunade, he knew Orochimaru's deal was doomed. And if her deal failed, so did his.
Why waste energy? Better to set his sights elsewhere—on Shizune.
He had no doubt: once Orochimaru's threat became real, Shizune would rush to aid Tsunade. That was the Konoha way. That was the Will of Fire. And Xuanyue was curious—what choice would they make when forced to the edge?
Sure enough, Shizune had been knocked out by Tsunade the night before, left unconscious for hours. Naruto's reckless training had injured him, but his resilience woke him early. He found Shizune, woke her, and explained what had happened.
Her face drained of color. "No! Tsunade-sama!"
Before she could run, Jiraiya—just rousing from his drugged stupor—stumbled in. Seeing Tsunade gone, his expression hardened. He turned to Shizune.
"Enough hiding. Tell me what Orochimaru offered."
Shizune hesitated, guilt in her eyes. "I wanted to trust her, so I said nothing. But there's no time! Please—follow me, I'll explain on the way!"
And so they ran. Naruto, Jiraiya, and Shizune are sprinting toward the inevitable confrontation.
As Shizune recounted Orochimaru's twisted bargain, Naruto's answer was obvious and immediate: "No way!"
But Jiraiya's heart sank with every word.
"Rope Tree… Nawaki… damn it, Orochimaru. Your schemes never change. If Tsunade accepts this deal—"
He didn't finish the thought.
Because ahead, blocking their path, stood an unexpected figure.
Jiraiya froze, eyes narrowing.
The intruder smiled.
(End of Chapter)