Hearing those words from Seiryū, Tsunade's brow twitched.
She really did not want to dignify that with a response.
The Hokage?
She did not want the position at all.
Her gaze swept over the Root shinobi around them. Then she said to Seiryū, "I'll leave this place to you. Seal them up. Don't let them get in my way."
"And keep an eye on that Wood Release shinobi, Yamato. Don't let Root take him back."
Seiryū had already pieced together the general situation.
Tsunade did not need to explain any further. She had called him over because she needed help.
Once she finished giving instructions, Tsunade vanished in a blur, chasing after Danzō.
"You sure know how to order people around."
Seiryū pouted.
Then he looked at the Root shinobi in the clearing, rolled his neck, and said, "You heard her. Be good and surrender. Don't make me waste too much effort."
Clatter!
The sound of iron chains rang out as golden chains burst from Seiryū's body, twisting through the air like living tentacles.
Fullbring: Heaven's Chain!
Swish, swish, swish!
The Root shinobi had no intention of fighting Seiryū. Their mission was to stop Tsunade.
They used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed after her, ignoring Seiryū completely.
"Hey. Are you looking down on me?"
Seeing that, the corners of Seiryū's mouth lifted.
He waved his right hand, controlling the golden chains as they spread toward the fleeing Root shinobi.
Fullbring: Heaven's Chain was a type of Kekkei Genkai.
It did not require hand signs.
However, directing the chains with his hands was faster than relying on thought alone.
Chi, chi, chi!
The golden chains shot forward like arrows, pinning down the few Root shinobi who had fallen behind.
Ink-black patterns crawled up their bodies, sealing them in place and robbing them of movement.
"You have a death wish."
Root shinobi were cold and ruthless. They had cast aside their emotions and turned themselves into killing machines.
But that did not mean they lacked judgment.
Seeing Seiryū interfere with their mission, a Root shinobi wearing a fox mask let out a cold snort.
"Anyone who obstructs Root's mission dies."
Clang!
He raised a kunai and deflected the incoming golden chain.
After taking a step back, he quickly formed hand signs and released a jutsu.
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Destruction Insects!"
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
A dense swarm of Parasitic Destruction Insects poured from his robes, spreading like a dark tide. Under his control, they surged toward Seiryū, trying to swallow him whole.
This was the secret technique of the Aburame Clan.
"The Aburame Clan, huh?"
Seiryū narrowed his eyes.
Come to think of it, he had rarely dealt with Konoha's secret technique clans or Kekkei Genkai clans.
This was his first time facing a member of the Aburame Clan.
And as for snakes, insects, rats, and ants, Seiryū hated them all.
He had no desire to experience what it felt like to be buried under a swarm of poisonous insects.
"Hadō #67: Raimeisan!"
Seiryū formed seals with one hand. Lightning surged around him, then spread outward in a mist with his body at the center.
Crackle, crackle!
Sharp, dense bursts of electricity rang out nonstop. Every Parasitic Destruction Insect that touched the lightning mist was reduced to ash by the high-voltage current.
Chi, chi, chi!
Everything around him fell within the perception range of Vollständig: Heavenly Eye. Not the slightest detail could escape Seiryū's senses.
Kunai with explosive tags attached shot toward him.
The tags were already lit. They would explode in the next instant.
"Heh. Throwing that much killing intent at me? Don't tell me you don't know who I am."
Seiryū's eyes narrowed as he felt the intense bloodlust coming from the Root shinobi who had thrown the kunai.
With his reputation in Konoha, even if not everyone knew him, it was close enough.
These Root shinobi definitely knew who he was.
Yet they still aimed killing intent at him.
"Bakudō #60: Rikujōkōrō!"
Several golden chains opened behind him and wrapped around his body.
At the same time, a translucent barrier of light appeared, forming a defense that blocked the explosive-tagged kunai.
Boom, boom, boom!
Explosive tags were special ninja tools, and their destructive power was not weak. A chain of explosions shook the area. Black smoke rose, and shockwaves swept outward.
But they failed to break through his defense.
"So you're treating me as an enemy?"
A fierce gust of wind swept away the dust. Seiryū stared at the Root shinobi around him.
A sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Did that old man Danzō order you to capture me, or kill me, if the chance ever came?"
Seiryū knew Danzō's methods very well.
The man had an overwhelming desire for control.
He had even wanted to control Uzumaki Naruto, a Jinchūriki.
And Seiryū was not only the Jinchūriki of the Dragon Vein, but also a member of the Uzumaki Clan. On top of that, his talent was exceptional.
If Danzō did not covet him, Seiryū would never believe it.
The only reason Danzō had not acted against him was probably because Seiryū was Tsunade and Jiraiya's disciple, firmly tied to the Hokage faction. Moving against him was not easy.
"Forget it. No point asking. He's probably going to lose his position soon anyway. Since you aimed killing intent at me, you can die."
Seiryū licked his lips, bloodthirsty killing intent flashing in his eyes.
His logic was simple.
Anyone who showed killing intent toward him was an enemy.
And enemies deserved to die.
If he had the chance to bring down Danzō and Root, Seiryū did not mind making a scene.
Besides, he knew some of Danzō's secrets.
The right eye hidden beneath those bandages was a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Secretly conducting inhumane experiments with the First Hokage's cells, then transplanting the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan. Either crime was enough to bring Danzō down in Konoha.
The title of Elder Advisor would not be enough to protect him.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The tips of the golden chains lit up as they twisted through the air like tentacles.
A Rasengan formed at the end of each one, growing from a small sphere until it swelled to more than ten meters in size.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan descended, crushing everything below.
The ground shook violently. With a series of thunderous roars, one Root shinobi after another was smashed apart, unable to resist.
In just one round of attacks, the dozen or so Root shinobi in the clearing suffered devastating casualties.
Only a handful of Jōnin-level Root shinobi survived, and even they were heavily injured.
The power of Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan was no joke. Anyone below Jōnin level had no chance of withstanding it.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Seiryū struck again.
Golden light appeared without warning, locking three Jōnin-level Root shinobi in place. They could no longer move, and even their Chakra became almost impossible to circulate.
After sealing the last few Root shinobi, Seiryū did not kill them right away.
Instead, he looked toward a certain spot and grinned.
"Come to think of it, they count as your colleagues, don't they? Orochimaru, aren't you going to save them?"
In his perception, another person had arrived.
Orochimaru.
"As sharp as ever."
A hoarse, low voice rang out. Orochimaru stepped out from the shadows of the forest, his presence cold and strangely alluring.
His golden, slit-pupiled eyes settled on Seiryū, and he licked his lips out of habit.
"I am curious. What happened here?"
Originally, he had been conducting experiments in a laboratory somewhere in the Forest of Death.
Then he heard the roar of battle.
Out of curiosity, he left the laboratory and came to investigate.
By the time he arrived, he saw Seiryū killing the Root shinobi.
It seemed something interesting had happened.
"Nothing much, really. That awful woman Tsunade has decided to become the Fourth Hokage, and now she's suppressing her opponents and clearing away every obstacle in her path."
Seiryū gave Orochimaru a bright smile.
Then he lied without blinking.
"Root only answers to Danzō, so they have to be removed. That woman has been getting more and more overbearing lately."
Orochimaru's appearance did surprise Seiryū a little.
But he did not care.
If Orochimaru wanted to do something, Seiryū did not mind showing him that things were different now.
Orochimaru: "..."
Tsunade wanted to become Hokage?
And she was suppressing her political enemies?
Was that something Tsunade would ever do?
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
Orochimaru shook his head.
He simply assumed Seiryū did not want to tell him the truth.
His gaze swept across the area.
It passed over the dead Root shinobi, then the sealed Root shinobi.
Finally, it landed on Yamato, who was bound by tree branches and had already fallen unconscious.
"Hm? This person..."
That vaguely familiar face made Orochimaru think for a moment.
Then his golden pupils narrowed.
"One of the test subjects who supposedly died back then?"
He still remembered the First Hokage cell transplant experiment clearly.
He had not forgotten the faces of those sixty or so infants.
The fact that one of the test subjects was still alive meant the experiment had not been a complete failure.
It was just that the surviving subject had been hidden away by Danzō.
"Hehehe. You really have shown me something interesting."
Orochimaru revealed a cold smile.
He was a very intelligent man.
From the situation before him, along with Seiryū's mention of Tsunade and Danzō, and the experimental subject currently bound by tree branches, he had already made a few guesses.
Tsunade's reason for moving against Danzō.
Seiryū's reason for killing Root shinobi here.
It was all connected to this surviving test subject.
It might also be connected to Wood Release.
Thinking of that, a sharp light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
He looked at Seiryū, pointed at the unconscious Yamato, and chuckled.
"I want that man. You won't refuse me, will you?"
His tone sounded polite, and he wore a smile, but it felt less like a request and more like an order.
He intended to take Yamato away.
"That won't do. That awful woman told me to watch him properly. If a Root shinobi like you takes him away, I won't be able to answer for it. Her punches really hurt."
Seiryū casually finished off the remaining Root Jōnin, then said, "Orochimaru-sama, don't make things difficult for me."
"Is that so? Then I suppose there is no helping it."
Orochimaru looked at Seiryū with calm golden eyes, but the corners of his mouth held a faint, unsettling smile.
His voice was low and hoarse.
"This is the second time you've refused me, isn't it?"
"Do you have some kind of prejudice against me?"
Orochimaru stared directly at Seiryū as he spoke.
Seiryū's lips curled.
"How could I? If I had a problem with you, I would have already told everyone what you did during the Chūnin Exams between the Five Great Ninja Villages."
Compared with the past, Seiryū's strength had grown significantly.
That made him a hidden danger.
"Aren't you curious why I did those things back then?"
Orochimaru chuckled.
Without waiting for Seiryū to answer, he continued speaking on his own.
"In this ninja world, many people are born with special constitutions and unique bloodlines."
"Such people are blessed with advantages ordinary people can never possess. Powerful Chakra. Powerful vitality."
"If one can understand those special traits, one can obtain power beyond imagination."
Power beyond imagination.
And life without end.
As long as one researched it thoroughly, one could obtain both power and longevity.
Seiryū raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"And? Why are you telling me this?"
Was this guy trying to recruit him into researching the First Hokage's cells?
"Do you want power? Do you want to become as strong as the First Hokage?"
Orochimaru licked his lips.
His hoarse voice was like a venomous snake tempting its prey.
"With your talent and my research, perhaps one day, you could stand at the pinnacle of this world, just like the First Hokage and Madara once did."
"Not interested."
Seiryū's tone was indifferent.
"I have plenty of confidence in my own talent. I don't need vague words like perhaps or maybe. Give me enough time, and sooner or later, I'll stand at the top of this world myself."
Hearing that, Orochimaru only shook his head.
"The third time."
Seiryū sneered.
"You people really do love acting superior. What exactly are you posing for?"
"I call you Orochimaru-sama out of respect for Jiraiya-sensei and that bad woman. Otherwise, based on the fact that you attacked me before, and your attitude now, I would have beaten you up already."
"You want to take this Wood Release shinobi away?"
Seiryū looked at Orochimaru, whose expression had already turned cold, and did not care in the slightest.
He grinned.
"Simple. Take him from me."
"Too much confidence will get a shinobi killed."
Orochimaru's expression was cold, but his composure remained intact. He was not angry.
"It seems Tsunade and Jiraiya never taught you that."
"You talk too much."
Boom!
Seiryū had no intention of wasting any more words.
He released the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
The sealed Dragon Vein Chakra flowed violently from his brow and spread through his entire body.
In an instant, a purple Chakra cloak flickered across his skin.
The Chakra fluctuations around him surged to their peak.
Vast, dense Dragon Vein Chakra shot into the sky, making the surrounding air feel as if it had solidified. A heavy pressure filled the area.
Seiryū activated the ethereal state of Dragon Vein Chakra Mode. His aura swelled with terrifying force as he stared straight at Orochimaru.
"If you want to fight, then fight. Why waste so much breath? Did you talk your way into the title of Sannin?"
(To be continued.)