"Shishou, I'll leave Torune to you," Aburame Shibi said as he led the others away from the scene.
Facing Torune's unbeatable Phosphorescent Bugs, they knew that only Shishou, who could neutralize them, could handle the situation. They would only be a hindrance if they stayed.
"Uncle, is Shishou really okay?" Inuzuka Hana asked anxiously as she watched Shibi and the others leave.
Shibi replied, "My nephew never steps forward unless he's absolutely confident. Don't worry."
Seeing Hana looking back repeatedly, Torune teased Shishou, "It seems that Inuzuka girl has feelings for you. Why don't you marry her?"
Shishou chuckled, "Torune, you're still as nosy as ever."
Torune, who couldn't attend school with others or make physical contact, had a keen interest in gossip about relationships. He often asked Shino about Shishou's school romances and even encouraged Shishou to marry the daughters of the Hyuga and Yamanaka clans to make the Aburame clan the dominant force in Konoha, with a shot at the Hokage position.
Torune laughed, "So, how does it feel to be a ninja now that you've graduated from the academy?"
Shishou shrugged, "It's okay. The missions are too simple and tedious, but at least I have a beautiful teacher with me. Otherwise, I'd go crazy."
"Heh heh heh," Torune chuckled. "You really do like mature women. Kurenai Yuhi is a Konoha beauty, strong and gorgeous. Many guys have their eyes on her."
After laughing, Torune suddenly fell silent. Looking at the Konoha ninjas killed by his Phosphorescent Bugs, he said, "I'm sorry, Shishou, for making you see this ugly side of me."
Torune, older than Shishou and Shino, had always seen himself as their elder brother. Now, having become a bad example as an older brother, he felt uncomfortable.
Shishou was silent for a moment before asking the question that troubled him most, "Danzo has already defected from Konoha. Why are you still following his orders?"
Torune was momentarily stunned and replied blankly, "I don't know. But when it comes to Lord Danzo's orders, we just have an overwhelming desire to obey."
An overwhelming desire to obey...
Danzo had indeed used Kotoamatsukami on Torune and his closest subordinates! With Hashirama's cells, Danzo's cooldown for Kotoamatsukami wouldn't be as long as Uchiha Itachi's, which spanned years.
Thinking about this, Shishou clenched his fists tightly. He had hoped that after Danzo's death, Torune and the Root ninjas could return to normal lives, but...
"Alright, Shishou, send me off. Let me test the results of your training," Torune said, charging at Shishou with his hand outstretched.
Having killed so many Konoha ninjas, Torune was ready to die. Facing Torune's attack, Shishou blocked it with his fist and countered with a punch to Torune's face.
Seeing Torune's swollen lip, Shishou laughed, "I've always told you, with your invincible Phosphorescent Bugs in close combat, you should train in taijutsu."
Torune spat out a tooth and replied, "I've been weak since childhood. Training in taijutsu would kill me. It seems you and Shino are no longer afraid of my nano-poison bugs."
Shishou smiled, "To be precise, Shino isn't afraid either."
Over the years, Shino had developed bugs that could counter Torune's Phosphorescent Bugs.
"That's great," Torune said, smiling, as he charged at Shishou again.
After a few rounds of fighting, Shishou had beaten Torune black and blue.
"You bastard, you're just toying with me," Torune said. "I want to see your full strength."
Rubbing his swollen chin, Torune looked at Shishou with a resentful gaze. Being labeled untouchable since childhood, he had never been beaten so badly.
Shishou pursed his lips. The next second, he vanished and reappeared in front of Torune, his right hand piercing Torune's chest.
"Guh..." Torune looked in disbelief at Shishou's retreating hand, then smiled contentedly. "Shishou, you've grown so strong."
Then, he made his final request. "Shishou, can you hug me? I want to know what it's like to embrace someone."
Hearing this, Shishou felt a lump in his throat. He pursed his lips and hugged Torune tightly.
Feeling Shishou's warm embrace, Torune smiled happily. "This feels nice."
With those words, the light faded from Torune's eyes. Shishou held Torune's rapidly cooling body in silence. After a long while, he gently laid Torune down and used Fire Release to burn his body to ashes.
Taking out a small box, Shishou carefully collected Torune's ashes.
In the shadows not far away, Aburame Shino watched in silence. After a few seconds, Shino turned and left. As a Konoha ninja, he had no time to mourn, as many people still needed his help.
After placing Torune's ashes into the box, Shishou left the scene to deal with the Root ninjas causing chaos in the village.
Elsewhere, Pakura also brought Sand ninjas to help suppress the Root rebellion. With the Fourth Kazekage dead, the powerful Pakura had officially become the leader of the Sand Village.
By afternoon, the chaos in Konoha was finally resolved. The River Country ninjas, Orochimaru's subordinates, Danzo's Root, and the Wood Release clones were all eliminated.
Despite the severe damage to buildings caused by Orochimaru's chaos, there were few civilian casualties and minimal ninja deaths. It was Danzo's later rebellion that caused significant ninja casualties.
Danzo's collusion with Orochimaru and his nefarious plans were exposed, marking him with eternal shame. The captured Root members soon bit the poison capsules in their mouths and died.
Although they had been controlled by Danzo's Kotoamatsukami, as Konoha's traitors, they had no honor left. Death was the best fate for these men of the shadows.
The main Sand ninja force left under Baki's lead, as they were not fit to stay in the just-pacified Konoha. However, the Sand Siblings remained with Pakura to negotiate an alliance with Konoha.
Thus, Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha was successfully thwarted.
_____________________
POWER STONE!!!!
__________________
This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek.
_____________________
A few days later in the early morning.
It was already autumn in Konoha, and a light rain had fallen the previous night, bringing a slight chill to the air. The sky above Konoha was overcast with dense clouds, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Shishou got out of bed, put on a solemn black suit, and walked outside.
Today was the day for the funeral of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and all the other ninjas who had sacrificed their lives in the chaos a few days ago.
As he walked outside, Shishou saw many people dressed in black, all silently heading toward the Konoha Memorial Stone.
On the way, Shishou met Ino and Hinata waiting by the roadside. The three of them exchanged glances and continued walking in silence.
When they arrived at the cemetery, Shishou saw one coffin after another being carried toward the burial site, with the one at the forefront being the coffin of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Next to the Third Hokage's coffin were Tsunade and Naruto, both dressed in black, followed by Asuma and other members of the Sarutobi clan.
Naruto followed the Third Hokage's coffin closely, crying uncontrollably.
After all the coffins were buried, Shishou glanced at Tsunade and then turned to leave.
Once everyone had left the cemetery, Tsunade looked at the photo on her teacher's tombstone and sighed deeply.
Taking out a bottle of sake from her pocket, Tsunade took a sip and poured some in front of the Third Hokage's grave, saying softly:
"Teacher, do you regret not killing Orochimaru back then?"
"But don't worry, I'll clean up for you."
"You dedicated your life to Konoha and died protecting it. You did well in this life."
"However, let's agree on this: I'll only spend three hours a day on administrative duties and work five days a week. If Konoha falls apart, you can't blame me."
Although Tsunade was very reluctant to take on the role of the Fifth Hokage, she knew that Konoha, having just experienced chaos, urgently needed someone to step up and take responsibility to calm people's hearts.
With Jiraiya nowhere to be found, Tsunade reluctantly agreed to take on the role.
However, having seen broader horizons, Tsunade, like Shishou, aimed to attain the power of a sage.
She would never give up her daily training in sage techniques, and spending three hours a day on administrative duties was her final compromise.
Of course, she could always ask Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage, for some tips.
After rambling on for a while, Tsunade turned and left.
Konoha had just stabilized, and there were still many things that needed her attention.
Not long after Tsunade left, Jiraiya appeared in front of the tombstone.
Seeing the photo of the Third Hokage on the tombstone, Jiraiya sighed.
"Sorry, old man, I'm late."
...
In the following days, Tsunade officially took over the position of Hokage amid the expectations of everyone in Konoha, becoming the Fifth Hokage.
The unparalleled strength Tsunade displayed a few days ago quickly spread throughout Konoha, significantly boosted by those with vested interests.
For a while, Tsunade's prestige in Konoha reached an unprecedented level.
Tsunade's first act as Hokage was to form an assistant team to help her with administrative duties, a method she learned from Mei Terumi.
As part of the exchange, she took full responsibility for the subsequent treatment of Ringo Ameyuri.
Since Ringo had played a significant role during the chaos in Konoha, Tsunade readily agreed.
Tsunade's method of forming an assistant team was simple: each ninja clan would recommend a candidate, ensuring mutual checks and balances and allowing for quick appointments.
As long as Tsunade maintained her overwhelming power over others in Konoha, there would be no major problems.
This suggestion quickly garnered the support of the major clans, who recommended the most suitable candidates from their ranks.
These ninja clans wouldn't miss any opportunity to secure benefits for themselves.
Subsequently, Tsunade and Pakura, representing the Sand Village, and Ringo Ameyuri, representing the Mist Village, officially signed an alliance.
From now on, the three ninja villages would be allies, bound by a mutual defense pact.
Following this, the postponed Chunin Exams resumed.
Due to Lee and Haku being injured in the recent battles, Shishou's opponent became Gaara of the Sand Village.
"Should I beat Gaara to a pulp, or should I just beat him to a pulp?" Shishou asked jokingly, watching the battle between Shino and Shikamaru from the stands.
Pakura had already returned to Fire Source Castle to pack her things in preparation for returning to the Sand Village.
With nothing better to do, Shishou had returned to his life as a genin.
Since only Shino, Shikamaru, Shishou, and Gaara were left in the finals, Konoha didn't announce it to the public. Even Tsunade didn't attend, with only the contestants and a few insiders present.
As a result, the stands were almost empty, with only Shishou, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, and a few supervising jonin.
Temari glanced at Shishou and scoffed, "I know you're stronger than me, but you're still far behind Gaara."
"You should be thinking about how to surrender."
Temari had always been confident in Gaara's strength.
Shishou shrugged indifferently, "You'll soon learn that there's always someone better."
"Stop bragging," Temari retorted, rolling her eyes.
In response, Shishou took out a colorful caterpillar and played with it in his hand.
Seeing this, Temari quickly backed away. She had suffered enough from that bug last time.
Even the supervising jonin, Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma, couldn't help but feel uneasy.
They never wanted to experience what happened at the central tower again.
Before long, Shino defeated Shikamaru.
Despite Shikamaru's intelligence, he couldn't overcome Shino's overwhelming strength. The fact that he lasted this long was due to Shino holding back.
"It's our turn," Gaara said, forming a hand seal.
In an instant, countless grains of sand swirled around him. When the sand settled, he was already in the arena.
"I can do that too," Shishou said, forming a hand seal.
In the next moment, a swarm of bugs surrounded him. When the bugs dispersed, he was standing opposite Gaara.
_____________________
POWER STONE!!!!
__________________
This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek.
_____________________
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