Faced with this situation, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others had no choice but to set aside their disputes and unite against the common enemy.
Tsunade was shocked that Danzo could wield such a powerful Wood Release technique. If she had known, she would have finished him off from the very beginning.
As Danzo formed his hand seals, he spoke. "What you don't know is that back when human experimentation was required to research Wood Release, the one who ordered those cruel experiments, under the circumstances at the time, was Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. His goal was to eliminate all the young men of the Senju clan, thereby weakening our entire family forever."
Hearing this, Tsunade was overcome with rage, smashing an approaching branch to pieces with a single punch. Though new wounds constantly appeared on her body, her healing jutsu was active, and they closed just as quickly. She scanned the battlefield, but there was no sign of Hiruzen Sarutobi. All she could do was continue to furiously attack the endless tide of branches, trying to vent her long-suppressed frustrations.
By now, the plants had almost fully grown, and massive flower buds had bloomed on every branch.
Jiraiya, all too familiar with this scene, could no longer worry about causing further damage to the village. He immediately commanded the two toads at his side. One unleashed a powerful gust of wind while the other spewed fire. At the same time, Jiraiya gathered his own energy, spraying a mist of oil forward.
Their combined attack began: "Sage Art: Goemon!"
A colossal torrent of flames swept across the area, instantly incinerating every tree it touched. Seeing this, Orochimaru reacted just as quickly, completing his hand seals.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
He took a deep breath and exhaled a violent blast of air. Though the technique itself was not high-level, its effectiveness was directly tied to the user's skill. The powerful wind fanned the flames, causing them to spread rapidly.
Once all the vegetation within the flowering tree barrier was set ablaze, the inferno lit up the entire sky, its scorching heat bearing down on Danzo. The latter merely sneered, bit his thumb, and summoned a massive beast.
"Baku!"
Instead of trying to inhale the great fire, it exhaled a powerful jet stream to block its advance. Although the immediate crisis seemed averted, it created an even greater threat: the fire was now being pushed back toward the village buildings. If they caught fire, the consequences would be unimaginable.
At this critical moment, Tsunade was at a loss. Fortunately, her comrades were not idle.
Jiraiya, also a master of water manipulation and truly one of the Sannin, called upon his amphibian partners for aid. Together, they unleashed a powerful Water Release technique: "Water Release: Maelstrom Wave!"
A massive vortex of water gushed from his mouth, forming a churning water dragon in the air. Simultaneously, the two toads combined their efforts to create a deluge that rapidly gathered strength. And Orochimaru, a master of all forms of ninjutsu, certainly wasn't going to stand by. After a quick series of hand signs, another tidal wave of coalesced water surged forward.
The immense wall of water, a product of their three-way collaboration, effectively extinguished the raging inferno. A hissing sound filled the air as thick steam billowed out, obscuring everyone's vision.
Using the steam as cover, the Baku quickly vanished, leaving behind a grim-faced Danzo who was preparing to retreat.
Tobi wasn't in a hurry anymore. Although he hadn't managed to kill the Third Hokage, he had at least sown discord within Konoha. The Third would suffer for this, even if he survived. All that was needed now was for Danzo to withdraw.
After having his mind controlled by Tobi several times, Danzo seemed to sense something was wrong. His only thought now was to escape. He had a premonition that if he stayed any longer, he would die.
Boom!
The ground suddenly cracked open. Wielding the Adamantine Staff, Hiruzen Sarutobi burst up from below and immediately launched a fierce assault on Danzo.
Danzo's heart sank. He had no idea why Hiruzen had returned. Hadn't he just fled?
Danzo was empty-handed and low on chakra, overwhelmed by Hiruzen's relentless attack. If not for his heavily modified and durable body, he likely would have been killed on the spot. Seeing this, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade rushed over to help.
A chill ran down Danzo's spine. It seemed he had no other choice. He would have to use Izanagi one more time.
While dodging Hiruzen's attacks, Danzo began forming hand seals. Once they were complete, a ripple of power flared in his eye. Danzo took a blow to the head as a trade-off, landing a solid punch on Hiruzen's chest. Though Danzo's head was caved in, Hiruzen coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
Through a swift exchange of reality and illusion, Danzo was instantly restored. A group of White Zetsu clones materialized along with him. Izanagi consumed a massive amount of chakra, but that wasn't a problem as long as he had White Zetsu to replenish it.
The White Zetsu behind him immediately swarmed forward, rapidly restoring Danzo's chakra. This was the third time he had been resupplied, causing Jiraiya's and Tsunade's brows to twitch. If they weren't mistaken, Danzo's next move would be another large-scale Wood Release jutsu.
Orochimaru had conserved the most chakra. He hadn't yet used his Reanimation Jutsu or the Eight Branches Technique. After all, the most powerful combatants he could summon with the Reanimation Jutsu were the First and Second Hokage, but with Tsunade present, it was inconvenient to do so. If Danzo used Wood Release again, Orochimaru would have no choice but to unleash the Eight Branches Technique.
The bleeding Hiruzen, still flying backward, used an Earth Release jutsu to burrow into the ground. Danzo, busy replenishing his chakra, paid him no mind. After all, the previous exchange with Hiruzen had drained him of his strength. He had been running on fumes. Now, with a punch to the chest, Hiruzen was surely gravely injured.
But what Danzo didn't know was that Hiruzen hadn't fled far with his Earth Release. He was hiding in a nearby building. Though severely wounded, he had no intention of escaping. He had come here prepared to die.
That's right—his earlier disappearance hadn't been an escape. His home was here. His son and grandson were in the Hidden Leaf Village. The entire Sarutobi clan depended on the village for its survival. Where could he possibly run?
Once the seeds of hatred are sown, they sprout uncontrollably, dragging one into the abyss.
Now that everything was exposed, given Tsunade's hatred for such evil, Danzo's death was certain. But if he didn't do something, the Sarutobi clan would also be implicated. That was why he had vanished earlier—to find his Anbu subordinates and make arrangements for his clan. If he could make one last contribution to the village before his death, he believed Jiraiya would not allow Tsunade to take her anger out on his family.
Hiruzen remained hidden, clutching a shrunken version of the Adamantine Staff.
"Old friend," he whispered, "this is the last time I will ask for your help."
An eye opened on the staff. "Hiruzen, are you sure about this?"
Hiruzen nodded. The way things had developed, he had no other choice.