Hokage Office Building
In the Hokage's Advisory Office, Tsunade leaned over the desk, her arms firmly planted as she stared intensely at Sougen, seated across from her.
"Hey, kid, Sougen, what's going on here?" Tsunade demanded. "Is it really Hiruko?"
She had hurried over to the Hokage building from her inn, Shizune at her side.
"He claims to be Hiruko," Sougen replied, his expression steady, eyes fixed ahead.
Unwavering resolve—cough, cough—unfazed by even the deepest of gorges!
"While he doesn't look like the picture on the wanted poster, I've researched the Chimera Technique recently. It allows one to alter their appearance completely, not like a temporary transformation but an actual change at the genetic level. It's probably Hiruko."
Although he couldn't rule out the possibility of someone using Hiruko's identity, the Chimera Technique wasn't widely accessible—it wasn't like Konoha's forbidden jutsus were just handed out to anyone!
"Damn it!" Tsunade growled, slapping the desk. "What is it with these idiots?! Can't they just live peacefully without making everyone miserable?"
After a few moments of simmering anger, she shot Sougen another fierce look.
"Why are you still sitting here, kid?"
"...This is my office."
"That's not what I meant," she retorted, slamming the desk again. "Do I look that old to you? I know what the sign on the door says. I'm asking why you're not out fighting! It's understandable for old man Danzo, but you, the Hokage's assistant, should be on the front lines. Don't tell me you're too young to handle the heat?"
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune gasped in shock. Speaking like that to the Hokage's advisor was not appropriate!
"Tsunade-senpai, Konoha has many enemies," Sougen replied calmly. "Some are out in the open, while others hide in the shadows. Hiruko was one of those hidden threats, but now he's come out… honestly, he's not as much of a threat as those still lurking in the dark."
He glanced out the window, watching the smoke rising in the distance.
The situation in the village was under control, with constant updates being sent to the Hokage building. Information about Naruto and Fujika's fight against a flock of strange birds had already reached his desk.
As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto was always secretly protected by ANBU members within the village. However, since ANBU reported directly to the Hokage, it was the one department Sougen couldn't tap into for intel on Naruto's whereabouts. So he'd assigned Shisui to keep an eye on things, just in case Uchiha Obito used the chaos to target them.
"Are you saying Hiruko has an accomplice?" Tsunade frowned, immediately thinking of that cold-hearted snake, "Is it Orochimaru?"
Sougen laughed softly. People always brought up Orochimaru's name whenever something bad happened. In some ways, he could understand—it was logical to question if he was involved in any dark plot, given his shady connections. And even if Orochimaru wasn't involved, you could never rule him out entirely.
"No, it's someone claiming to be Uchiha Madara. Kabuto, explain to her."
Information about 'Uchiha Madara' was still classified within Konoha and Kirigakure, known only to high-level officials and certain departments. Technically, Tsunade was eligible to know, but her long years of wandering outside the village had kept her in the dark.
After Kabuto gave a brief but thorough explanation, Tsunade quickly understood the danger posed by this so-called 'Madara.'
"Sharingan, Wood Style, space-time techniques… Sougen, are you serious?" she asked, her tone notably more respectful.
"I wish this were just a bad joke." Sougen shrugged. "But unfortunately, it's real. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. Who knows? Maybe we're all descendants of aliens."
"Ha!" Tsunade rolled her eyes. Descendants of aliens? Only the imagination of youth would run that wild. Descendants of aliens, the Uchiha and Senju… bold thoughts!
But—there was truth to his words. Reality often surpassed fiction.
Sougen had no reason to deceive her, and there'd be no benefit to it. Besides, during the Nine-Tails attack… she hadn't been there, but she couldn't imagine a man like the Fourth Hokage falling so easily. The Tailed Beasts were like natural disasters, nearly impossible for an ordinary ninja to withstand.
But for someone like the Yellow Flash, it shouldn't have ended like that.
Unless… there was something else going on.
"So, what's your plan?" Tsunade asked, calming down.
In the original history, Jiraiya recommended Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage not solely because he didn't want the troublesome role himself, nor simply due to Tsunade's status as the First Hokage's granddaughter, but because among the three of them, she was the most suitable for the role of Hokage.
Tsunade might appear short-tempered, often resorting to fists and kicks when provoked.
Well… that's actually true.
However, this doesn't overshadow her excellent leadership and strategic vision. The medical ninja system she built was what helped Konoha endure the Third Shinobi World War. Without the medical ninjas lowering the casualty rate significantly, honestly, the other four great ninja villages could have exhausted Konoha through attrition alone.
"This is called waiting and watching,"
Sougen said.
At that moment,
A tapping sound came from the window.
A shiny black feathered crow, clearly domesticated, perched on the window ledge, pecking at the glass with its beak.
Shisui?
Sougen opened the window.
The crow flapped its wings, circled once outside, spread its wings again, clawed the air, and emitted a series of sharp cries toward the southeast.
"Is Shisui still in the Barrier Corps? Is he fighting a strong opponent over there?"
Sougen couldn't understand bird language.
The crow couldn't speak human language either.
However, the crow Shisui raised was highly intelligent. Under Shisui's training, it could convey meaning through gestures and cries. Sougen, familiar with Shisui's training methods, could interpret that Shisui was currently entangled with a strong enemy near the Barrier Corps.
"Tsunade-senpai, you see… there's the unexpected development! An opponent that can keep Shisui from winning quickly is no ordinary Jonin. Shisui has already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, so to match him, the enemy must have some impressive abilities," Sougen said, extending his arm as the crow obediently perched on it.
"Shisui the Teleporter?"
Tsunade knew the name.
He was a young expert from the Uchiha Clan, renowned alongside the Hokage's advisor. If such a formidable shinobi faced trouble… it seemed Sougen's concerns were indeed warranted. Hiruko really might have accomplices!
After all,
Those strange creatures alone couldn't pose a challenge to an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and learned the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Kabuto, go find Haichi and have him check who Shisui is fighting," Sougen said, though he had a hunch. An enemy capable of holding Shisui, who mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, without leaving him time to write a small note wasn't common across the ninja world.
Only an opponent skilled in space-time techniques
Could make it hard for Shisui to claim a quick victory.
Still,
This was just his speculation. He needed to confirm with Yamanaka Haichi.
————
"Finally cleared them out! Whew! I'm exhausted! Hotaru, let me borrow your shoulder," Fujika panted, leaning on Hotaru to avoid collapsing on the rooftop. Their sweat and effort had paid off, as the strange birds nearby were completely wiped out.
The view toward the sky was now unobstructed.
"Fujika, don't lean so much! I'm barely standing,"
Hotaru said, pushing the exhausted Fujika off, though she was too tired to support herself. Their chakra reserves hadn't fully developed, and only a few of them managed not to collapse from the exertion.
A pair of thin, pale hands reached over,
Supporting Fujika and Hotaru.
"Alright, you two, calm down. If you're tired, catch your breath and stop wasting energy bickering," Yakumo chided her two friends. She was one of the exceptions—being a rare prodigy of the Kurama Clan who had awakened a bloodline limit, she naturally possessed immense spiritual energy, enough to weigh on her own body.
Even after fighting all this time,
She felt no exhaustion.
"Alright~~"
"Yes~~"
The two were truly worn out.
The fatigue from excessive chakra use had drained their energy, leaving them without much to say. Yakumo helped them down from the rooftop to sit on a bench nearby. Sasuke sat on the other end, head hanging low, looking as worn out as a wet, bedraggled dog.
To conserve chakra, he had fought in close combat, which kept his chakra usage minimal but left his body too fatigued to lift a finger. He was soaked in sweat, so calling him a soaked dog wasn't far off.
"Little ones, you've done well."
It was one of the two Chunin who had earlier urged Naruto and the others to retreat. His expression was complicated, as a group of students yet to graduate from the Ninja Academy had completely outperformed him—a notion he'd never have believed before.
But in the face of what he'd seen,
He had to admit the ninja world is indeed an unfair place; this world's principle is all about bloodlines.
"Heh! It's nothing; we were just doing our part."
Naruto replied cheerfully, as vibrant as ever. Like Yakumo, he was another exception. Despite dividing into numerous shadow clones, using the Super Beast Imitating Drawing technique—a chakra-intensive technique that would exhaust Sasuke dry—Naruto was still bouncing around as if nothing happened.
The two Chunin grew even more perplexed. Watching Naruto's sunny, radiant smile, they remembered their past fear and discrimination toward the "Demon Fox," and a feeling called "shame" began to take root.
They looked at each other, hesitating whether to apologize…
"Watch out!"
Naruto shouted suddenly.
He yanked the two Chunin, pulling them into a crouch to avoid a massive wind blade sweeping past the bench. The blade slashed through the air, cutting across the bench and toward the towering cherry tree behind it.
This ancient cherry tree's life came to an end at that moment.
The tree was cleaved in two, And its lush crown and upper trunk fell backward.
"Who are you?"
Yakumo glared ahead. Where several Konoha ninjas had been standing, there was now a man holding a tin staff and wearing a straw hat, resembling a wandering monk. Around him lay the fallen Chunin and a few ANBU in animal masks.
No, wait—there were ANBU among them!
Her mind's alarms went off.
If ANBU were so easily subdued, the man before them was no ordinary foe.
"You, you… Homura!!"
Hotaru, still leaning against the bench, gritted her teeth and roared.
Her eyes widened.
She glared furiously at Homura.
If she weren't so exhausted, she'd charge up and avenge her grandfather without hesitation!
"Ah! Isn't this the granddaughter of Traveler Iku? You've grown quite a lot since we last met! I imagine Iku would feel proud seeing how you've grown," Homura said with a pleasant smile, as if he were an old friend of her grandfather.
This only fueled Hotaru's anger.
Homura's repeated mention of her grandfather enraged her beyond words, and her spike in spiritual power allowed her to gather enough strength to take a chakra pill from her pocket and chew it up.
"Hotaru!"
Fujika called out.
Taking a chakra pill wasn't out of line; shinobi don't shy away from the physical toll of these pills. But thinking it would let her fight such a dangerous enemy—that was reckless!
"Sit down."
Yakumo pushed Hotaru back onto the bench, And in that instant,
Homura made his move.