Zixu was immersed in learning the intricacies of Sage Arts from the goddesses, yet his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. His clone had yet to be discovered, which meant its concealment abilities were exceptional. By now, it should have gathered substantial intelligence on Konoha. However, he was uncertain about who currently held the title of Hokage.
"Based on Sarutobi's memories, he actually favored Orochimaru the most as his successor. Unfortunately, they were never on the same page. That old bastard Danzo must have been dying to take the position himself. If nothing unexpected happened, he was probably the one who took over..." Zixu wasn't omniscient—he could only speculate.
"But then again, Jiraiya returned to the village, and he's a strong contender for the position. Haha, among Sarutobi's three disciples, the only one missing is Tsunade."
Lost in thought, Zixu momentarily lost control of his Senpō: Inorganic Reincarnation (Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation). His original target was a stalactite nearby, but somehow, the technique latched onto the hair of Ichikishima-hime, who was sleeping close by.
Ichikishima-hime jolted awake with a sharp scream, her vision momentarily dark. She had been in the middle of a dream where she transformed into a mighty dragon and forced Zixu to his knees, begging for mercy. But upon opening her eyes, she was rudely greeted by her own hair smacking her in the face.
Meanwhile, Zixu was still chatting and laughing, completely unaware of what had happened.
---
On the other side of the village, Sasuke was still reeling from the encounter.
"How is there such a massive gap in strength? This is Uchiha Itachi... the most gifted ninja of the Uchiha Clan..." Sasuke gritted his teeth.
Under Jiraiya's pressure, Itachi and Kisame didn't linger for long. Itachi casually tossed Sasuke to the ground like a discarded piece of trash. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun ominously, and in an instant, black flames erupted from the flesh wall behind Kisame, burning through it like ghostly flames from the underworld.
Within moments, a massive hole was scorched through the thick, fleshy surface. Kisame, the ever-practical man, swiftly retrieved a smoke bomb from his robe and threw it to the ground. As gray smoke billowed, the two vanished seamlessly.
Capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki wasn't an option today, but as long as Naruto remained in Konoha, the Akatsuki would strike again and again—even if it meant reducing the village to rubble.
"We need to send Naruto to Mount Myōboku as soon as possible," Jiraiya murmured, watching the spot where the Akatsuki members had disappeared. "They've already set their sights on him."
Jiraiya had initially hoped to take down Itachi and Kisame together, but the moment Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, he abandoned the idea.
Itachi alone was formidable, but Kisame was another beast altogether. Jiraiya wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could take them both down in the heart of Konoha without causing severe collateral damage. After careful consideration, he chose to stand down.
"Which team is on duty today?" Jiraiya asked.
Before he finished speaking, a masked ANBU operative materialized beside him, donning a cat-faced mask.
"It's the Sarutobi team."
"Got it… you're dismissed." Jiraiya nodded, deep in thought.
---
Meanwhile, Sasuke's frustration boiled over.
"Too weak... I'm too weak... Chidori isn't enough to deal with someone like him..." His clenched fists trembled, and a metallic taste filled his mouth as he bit his lip in frustration.
His hunger for strength had reached a near-obsessive level. He reached up, fingers grazing the Curse Mark on his neck. Relying on borrowed power was foolish. True power could only come from his own training and growth.
"Orochimaru's strength?" He scoffed. "Cheap, cowardly tricks. It doesn't compare to the raw power of a dragon's breath. A strong body—that's real strength. Muscles are strength."
He took a deep breath and steadied himself before turning to Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I'm going to find Tsunade now! Tsunade is renowned for her medical skills, but I've also heard that her taijutsu is no joke. I want to train under her!" He pushed himself up with both hands, struggling to his feet.
Naruto, who had been silent all this time, clenched his fists. He had witnessed the overwhelming gap between Sasuke and Itachi just moments ago, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Sasuke was supposed to be one of the strongest in their generation, but even he had been completely helpless. If Sasuke couldn't do anything against Itachi, then what about Naruto himself?
"My pervy sage... I've made up my mind. Take me to train! Without strength, I can't protect what matters to me. I swear, I'll become strong!" Naruto pointed to his forehead protector with determination.
Jiraiya grinned. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. He turned to Kakashi, intending to have him escort Sasuke to Tsunade, but Kakashi declined. Instead, he recommended someone better suited for the job—someone who could train Sasuke while letting him unwind from the intense stress of recent events.
---
"Alright, we're set to leave the village."
A familiar figure stood in front of Sasuke. He recognized him instantly.
"You... you were the teacher of Zixu's group, right?" Sasuke adjusted the straps on his backpack as he studied the man before him.
Yamato—remained silent.
"Yeah, let's move." Yamato clearly didn't want to linger on the subject. Every single student he had mentored was now either missing or considered a traitor. Though he should have harbored resentment toward them, deep down, he still couldn't bring himself to hate them completely.
As they left the village, Sasuke unfurled a map and pointed at several locations marked in red ink.
"Jiraiya-sensei said that Tsunade frequents a few villages... Most of them have casinos. She's supposedly addicted to gambling but has terrible luck. She's known as the 'Legendary Sucker.' Every gambler's dream opponent."
He then smirked.
"Apparently, to pay off her debts, Tsunade sometimes disguises herself as a ten-year-old girl, claiming to have discovered a gold mine to fool creditors and borrow even more money to gamble."
Sasuke had pieced together everything he could about Tsunade's habits, forming a strategy to approach her.
In his eyes, a ninja's greatest weakness was their fragile body. Even with powerful jutsu, a weak physique left them just as vulnerable as civilians when they weren't actively using chakra.
That was why he sought Tsunade—not just for medical training but to develop a body surpassing most shinobi. With her medical expertise, his endurance in battle would skyrocket.
And once that happened, he could enhance Chidori into something even deadlier. Imagine Chidori Knuckles—smashing his opponents into the ground with rapid, thunderous punches.
---
Meanwhile, Tsunade was growing increasingly frustrated with Rosinante, who was fumbling with a chakra-based technique.
"Honestly, Rosinante... your talent in medical ninjutsu is nonexistent. Can you at least explain why your chakra blade is shaped like a damn stick?" She massaged her forehead, clearly exasperated.
Rosinante, ever the deadpan, coolly retorted, "You must be imagining things. This is a chakra blade, not a chakra stick."
He subtly rotated the cylindrical shape in his hands, but the form remained unchanged.
Tsunade: "..."
She had never felt more exhausted in her life.
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