Chapter 117: Jiraiya Becomes the Prime Suspect
"I owe you a life..."
The battle within the Four Violet Flames Formationhad reached its end. Hiruzen Sarutobi's corpse lay on the roof, while his Soul had been taken away by the Shinigami summoned by the Reaper Death Seal, along with the Souls of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
"No need to owe me anything. You just need to remember not to play tricks behind my back again!" After receiving Orochimaru's distress signal, Naruto's main body had used the Flying Thunder God to arrive at Orochimaru's side in an instant, saving him from the hands of the nearly exhausted Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was precisely because of this that Naruto had the fortune to witness the power of the Heaven-Defying Sealing Jutsu, the Reaper Death Seal, and to observe the phantom of the Shinigami carrying the death scythe at close range.
"I have already promised Naruto-kun that I will not do any more boring little tricks behind your back."
Orochimaru licked his lips lightly, walking toward the corpse of Hiruzen Sarutobi lying on the roof, kneeling down to pluck a lock of his hair.
"Although this teacher of mine is old, his original intention to protect Konoha to the death has not changed. I suppose this can be considered dying in his place of honor."
"Heh, are you afraid that his misdeeds would be exposed, ruining his image before death and leaving him to be reviled after death?!" Narutolooked as if he had seen through everything. "I didn't expect the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru to be so sentimental. However, I doubt anyone would approve of this way of being'sentimental'."
"It doesn't matter." Orochimaru carefully placed Hiruzen Sarutobi's hair into his Ninja tool pouch. "In all my life, when have I ever explained myself to others, and why would I need to?"
"You certainly live with clarity." Naruto suddenly found himself appreciating Orochimaru a little. "After this incident, the Sound Village will need to be abandoned. How is the progress on extracting information from Rasa's mind?"
"In this regard, you can trust me unconditionally, Naruto-kun. After all, my specialty is scientific research, followed by intelligence gathering." Orochimaru was full of confidence, but his expression immediately turned worried. "However, Rasa's Bloodline Limit is impossible to replicate. If too much time passes, it will easily reveal flaws."
"It won't take too long, because Rasa has a good son." Naruto already had a plan in mind, and after seeing Gaara of the Sand, the plan became even more perfect. "We can do this..."
"Lord Orochimaru! Lord Ten! We have to go!"
While Naruto was explaining the plan to Orochimaru, Tayuya and the others were anxious, as their Chakra was no longer enough to maintain the Four Violet Flames Formation, so Tayuya spoke up to remind them.
"You all go first. My Shadow Clones have given me a great surprise, and I still need to go cause some trouble for Danzo Shimura." Naruto glanced at Tayuya, then activated the Flying Thunder God, disappearing from the spot instantly.
"What a convenient ability." Orochimaru sighed, then nodded at Tayuya and the others. "Never mind him, let's go!"
"Yes! Lord Orochimaru!" The four spoke in unison, withdrawing the Four Violet Flames Formationwhile quickly gathering around Orochimaru. After shielding Orochimaru in the center, the five of them began to retreat simultaneously.
...
"This is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?" Danzo Shimurawas shocked at first, then filled with wild joy. "Has Hiruzen Sarutobi already..."
"Reporting to Lord Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi has been killed by Orochimaru, and this subordinate was fortunate enough to catch the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki while Kakashi Hatake was off guard!"
"Good!" Danzo Shimura did not blame Uzumaki Kenshin, but instead waved his hand. "All Root Ninja, listen up! Follow me to support the inner battlefield of Konoha and clear out all the evildoers!"
Danzo Shimura hung at the back of the group. As he passed by Uzumaki Kenshin, he turned his head and asked, "Your previous codename?"
"Root Thirty-Seven!"
"In view of your meritorious service this time, I permit you to use a codename unique to you!" Danzo Shimura's methods of winning people over were quite impressive. "Tell me now."
"This subordinate excels in swordsmanship and taijutsu, so I humbly request that Lord Danzo grant me the codename 'Kenshin'!"
"Kenshin? A very good title!" Danzo Shimuranodded. "From now on, Kenshin will follow by my side. Once I succeed as Hokage, I will definitely not treat you unfairly in the future!"
"Thank you for your cultivation, Lord Danzo!" Naruto's Shadow Clone, Uzumaki Kenshin, appeared very respectful, but then looked a bit fearful. "However, this subordinate failed to take out Kakashi Hatake. He has likely already tracked us."
"Kakashi Hatake is nothing to fear. Not to mention him, even if his father were reborn, I would not fear him in the slightest!" After Danzo Shimura was high-spirited, he seemed to look down on everyone. "They are all just rabble; I will naturally deal with them one by one in the future."
Danzo Shimura patted Uzumaki Kenshin on the shoulder. "Hand the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki over to Torune to handle, and you come with me to rescue Konoha."
"Yes, my lord!"
...
"Lord Jiraiya has returned to support us!"
"Drive the enemy out of the Village!"
"Lord Jiraiya!"
"Did he deal with the One-Tails all by himself?"
"..."
Gamahiro's figure was comparable to Gamabunta's. Such a huge size was the most eye-catching existence anywhere. Not only did the Konoha Ninja notice Jiraiya standing on top of Gamahiro's head, but the Hidden Sand VillageNinja also noticed the returning Jiraiya immediately.
"Why hasn't the Kazekage arrived yet?!" Baki felt anxious, and an ominous premonition grew stronger. "At such a critical moment... Could the Kazekage have..."
With the Konoha arena as the center, after Jiraiyaand Gamahiro joined the battle, the scales of victory immediately tilted toward Konoha, and the giant white snake Summoned Beast was also completely wiped out at this moment.
In the absence of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, the leading Jonin Baki naturally became the leader of the Hidden Sand Village Ninja. With his ominous premonition growing stronger, Baki had no choice but to issue the order to retreat.
"Retreat!"
After the retreat order was issued, the Hidden Sand Village Ninja began to fight while retreating. Although they left many comrades' corpses behind in Konoha, at least the two children of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa were still alive.
It was just that Gaara had been captured after all, and Baki had no confidence in saving anyone from Jiraiya's hands...
Looking at the Sound Village, because of insufficient strength and the retreat of the Hidden Sand Village Ninja, their casualties were already unstoppable. After being cut off and surrounded by Konoha Ninja, their total annihilation had become a foregone conclusion.
The changes on the battlefield naturally caught Jiraiya's attention immediately. While signaling Gamahiro to pursue the Hidden Sand VillageNinja, he issued orders to the Konoha Ninja.
"Might Guy! Asuma! You clear out the Sound Village Ninja! Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, Inoichi Yamanaka, you three go and intercept the fleeing Hidden Sand Village Ninja. Leave the rest to me!"
"Yes! Lord Jiraiya!"
But just as the Ino–Shika–Chō trio were organizing their men to pursue the fleeing Hidden Sand Village Ninja, Danzo Shimura arrived at the battlefield leading the Root, and immediately prepared to seize command from Jiraiya.
"No need!" Danzo Shimura shouted, "The fleeing Hidden Sand Village Ninja can be handled by the Root Ninja, and I suspect that the reason the subsequent enemy reinforcements were able to break through the Konoha defensive barrier is that there must be a traitor within Konoha!"
Danzo Shimura slammed his cane into the ground, and while pointing at Jiraiya, the two Root Ninjawho had been staying by his side stepped forward and rushed straight at Jiraiya, and Uzumaki Kenshin happened to be one of them.
"The perpetrator is Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, you are one of the Sannin along with Orochimaru, and the two of you have a close relationship. Jiraiya is definitely a prime suspect in this incident!"
"All Root Ninja, listen up! The first squadron will pursue the fleeing Hidden Sand Village Ninja, the second squadron will clear the battlefield, and the third squadron will assist me in controlling Jiraiya!"
"Yes!" The Root Ninja responded in unison.
"But..." The other Konoha Ninja looked hesitant.
Listening to the Root Ninja's response, all the Konoha Ninja present fell into a dilemma. After Hiruzen Sarutobi's death, whose orders they should listen to had undoubtedly become the biggest problem now.
Moreover, Jiraiya had single-handedly lured away the One-Tails Shukaku, preventing Konoha from suffering more serious damage, and had defeated and captured the Hidden Sand Village Jinchuriki!
To twist the truth like this, aside from Danzo Shimura, no one else could probably do it