บท 158: Chapter 158: The Konoha Crush Plan
Tsunade's heart sank—Danzo had taken Yamato? She instinctively looked toward Kakashi and the others, realizing Yamato had already vanished from sight.
"How did you discover this?" she asked calmly, showing no outward alarm since Orochimaru was within earshot.
"We didn't find out ourselves," Antelope replied, handing her a note. "Danzo left this message on-site."
Tsunade took the paper and her expression hardened.
Danzo's message was a simple one: if she wanted Yamato back, she had to go to the Hokage Rock alone to meet him.
"We couldn't approach Hokage Rock due to Danzo's strength," Antelope reported, "but the ANBU has the area surrounded. What are your orders, Lady Hokage?"
Tsunade considered her options carefully. Knowing Danzo as well as she did, she suspected this could be a trap.
But leaving Yamato behind wasn't an option either. His Wood Release had invaluable symbolic significance to the village, representing a living connection to the First Hokage.
More than that, he was a Konoha shinobi, and as the Hokage, she couldn't abandon him.
After a pause, she walked up to Hiruzen. "Something's come up, Old Man."
Hiruzen immediately sensed the urgency.
Tsunade handed him the note. "Danzo!" he spat, fuming with rage.
"That old bastard still has the audacity to show up?"
"I'm going to confront him," Tsunade stated, determination firm in her voice. "You'll have to watch over the arena in my place."
"No," Hiruzen shook his head, adamant. "I know Danzo better than anyone—this is definitely a trap. Let me go instead."
"But he knows you too well." Tsunade shook her head. "He'd see through it in an instant."
Hiruzen started to protest, but Tsunade cut him off.
"It's decided," she said resolutely, leaving no room for argument.
"Be careful," he finally conceded after a moment of silence.
"You too," Tsunade said, smiling briefly. "Don't forget that your prized pupil could be lurking anywhere."
"I won't let him escape this time If he dares show himself," Hiruzen replied confidently, " I may be old, but my strength is as sharp as ever."
Tsunade nodded. "Then please explain my absence to the Kazekage," she said before heading out, sparing a glance at Shinho in the arena below.
Orochimaru gave a slight smile. "It seems your village has some urgent matters to attend to."
"Just a minor issue. She'll be back soon," Hiruzen replied amiably.
Years of experience had honed his composure, making it nearly impossible for Orochimaru to see through his calm facade.
The old man still has it, Orochimaru thought with grudging admiration.
Everything was falling into place. The incident with Danzo would create an opportunity for him to meet Tsunade alone and trigger her phobia of blood, incapacitating her.
Once Gaara went berserk in the arena, Orochimaru planned to eliminate Hiruzen, while Danzo would swoop in, playing the hero by defeating Orochimaru and "saving" the village.
Initially, Orochimaru had intended to leave Danzo to his schemes, but after seeing the strength of Team Seven firsthand, he was genuinely inclined to help.
If Danzo became Hokage, Orochimaru could more easily claim Yamato, Shinho, and Sasuke.
"Third Hokage, please take a seat," Orochimaru said with a note of courtesy. "When I was young, the stories of you as the strongest Hokage were my favorite."
"Is that so?" Hiruzen replied, scrutinizing him closely.
Although his face was covered with a veil, Orochimaru's gaze and tone seemed so sincere, but Hiruzen wasn't deceived.
The idea that the Kazekage of an enemy village would admire a Hokage was simply ludicrous.
"Of course," Orochimaru continued smoothly. "I'd love it if we could share a meal once the exams are over."
"If Kazekage is so gracious as to invite me, I'll be happy to join you," Hiruzen replied with a polite smile, although he felt something about the Kazekage was off.
He let the thought go as the crowd below let out a collective gasp.
In the arena, Gaara, injured and now entirely unhinged, had finally snapped. The gourd on his back exploded into streams of sand, surging toward Shinho like tidal waves.
"DIE!" Gaara roared, eyes wild with bloodlust. "DIE NOW!"
Shinho stood in place, seemingly unperturbed by the looming sand wave.
Ghost Cry Gu!
A shrill, piercing sound rang out, cutting through the air.
"Agh!" Gaara clutched his head, his expression twisted in agony as if his very soul were being crushed under an unbearable weight.
The sand around him lost its cohesion, tumbling to the ground in heavy clumps.
"What jutsu is that?" Orochimaru murmured, eyebrows furrowing.
As the founder of Otogakure, he had a keen understanding of sound-based techniques, yet he couldn't identify this one.
His lifelong goal had been to master every jutsu, and though Hiruzen was called the "Professor" of ninjutsu, Orochimaru was confident he had surpassed his teacher—yet here he was, unable to recognize Shinho's technique.
"A sound jutsu, perhaps?" Hiruzen mused aloud.
"Ordinary sound jutsu wouldn't achieve this effect," Orochimaru muttered, as if thinking to himself.
"He's going for a close-quarters combat," Hiruzen said, eyes narrowing with anticipation.
Orochimaru's heart sank.
He had firsthand experience with Shinho's prowess in hand-to-hand combat. It seemed they had to initiate the plan sooner than expected.
Orochimaru glanced subtly at Baki standing nearby. Baki returned a slight nod, understanding the signal.
Shinho closed the distance, approaching Gaara swiftly.
But Gaara's pained expression shifted, a manic grin spreading across his face. "DIE!"
Countless bullets of sand launched upward, converging toward Shinho in a lethal barrage.
"Pain really is best teacher," Shinho observed, clenching his fist calmly.
"Shinho!" Ino called out, unable to keep her anxiety in check.
Hinata instinctively covered her mouth, gasping.
The others looked on in shock as Shinho stood motionless, apparently not intending to dodge.
The sand engulfed him, drawing a maniac laughter from Gaara. He finally had Shinho right where he wanted him.
Sand Waterfall Funeral!
Gaara's twisted smile widened as he watched the sand tighten around Shinho, eager for the crushing impact that would turn him into pulp.
Despite his injuries, nothing would feel as exhilarating as destroying Shinho.
But his grin suddenly froze in disbelief.
Shinho stood firm within the sand, his body resisting the crushing pressure of Gaara's ultimate move. Gaara's mind raced—how was this possible?
"Impossible!" Gaara stammered. Who had the real ultimate defense here?
"Nothing is impossible," Shinho replied, smashing his fist forward.
Gaara's Sand Shield attempted to intercept, but it shattered on impact as a white whirlwind of shockwave rippled outward from Shinho's strike, sending sand scattering like fireworks.
His fist landed squarely on Gaara's cheek, shattering the Sand Armor and revealing flesh beneath. The force of the blow left Gaara's face swollen, blood spurting from his mouth.
The sand around them fell still, revealing Shinho standing firm as ever in the center of the arena.
Gaara now knelt in the arena, blood smearing his lips, completely at Shinho's mercy.
At this moment, it felt as if gaara had no power to resist as Shinho grabbed him by the collar.
"Gaara!" Temari's face went pale with shock.
She never imagined seeing her brother, a Jinchuriki, in such a battered state.
Kankuro swallowed hard, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
It hit him all over again—surrendering to Shinho a month ago had been a wise decision. Seeing Gaara, the unstoppable monster, brought low like a dead dog was surreal, like a nightmare come to life.
"Impossible!" On the platform, Baki scowled, his disbelief echoing in his voice.
"Incredible," Orochimaru murmured, his tone lingering with awe. "With such talent in the new generation, Konoha's future is indeed bright."
"You're too kind, Kazekage-sama," Hiruzen replied with a hint of pride.
Shinho was Tsunade's student, after all, and as Tsunade's mentor, Hiruzen couldn't help but be pleased.
Orochimaru threw a glance at him, silently biding his time until Gaara would inevitably lose control.
In the arena:
"I... I'll kill you!" Gaara's rage flared, spurred on by the pain. Even as his sand armor mended itself around his face, it was swollen and cracked. Unlike Naruto, Gaara had no healing abilities.
"So you won't surrender?" Shinho muttered, and without hesitation, he kicked Gaara hard.
Boom!
Dust exploded as Gaara's body hurtled through the air, colliding with the boundary of the arena barrier.
Blood splattered across the ground, and his chest armor shattered, exposing the bruised skin beneath.
"Arrrgh!" Gaara's scream was guttural, almost beast-like.
"Why are you hesitating?" a voice called out from deep within him.
Gaara knew the voice well—it was Shukaku, the One-Tail that had turned him into a monster feared by all.
"You can't beat him alone," Shukaku sneered. "Let me handle him. Give me control of your body, and I'll kill him for you."
"I will Kill him, I will kill him, I will kill him!" Gaara's sanity unraveled as his mind broke under the stress.
Sand surged around him, covering him entirely within moments, encasing him in a massive sand sphere.
"What's going on...?" Hiruzen stood up abruptly, straining to see the arena below.
Within the growing sand sphere, something enormous seemed to be writhing to break free.
"Kazekage-sama," Hiruzen turned, his face dark. "Is the Sand Village trying to provoke war?"
It was one thing to allow a Jinchuriki to participate; unleashing a Tailed Beast, however, was a declaration of war.
"Stop him. Now," Hiruzen ordered firmly.
Against the Sand Village, Hiruzen knew he couldn't afford to be lenient. Konoha's power was unmatched.
"Don't worry, Lord Hokage," Orochimaru replied, standing up, "I'm just, hah…hehehe"
In a second, he drew a kunai with sly smile and pressed it against Hiruzen's throat.
"It's been a while, sensei."
"Orochimaru?! You!" Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock.
At that moment, feathers began to float down from above.
In the stands, Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a faint smile on his lips as he cast Temple of Nirvana, a genjutsu lulling the entire audience into a deep slumber.
Bang!
Smoke bombs exploded, filling the viewing platform with thick mist and obscuring all visibility.
"Damn it!" Asuma broke the genjutsu, calling out, "Prepare for battle!"
"The Sand Village has betrayed us!" Kakashi announced, his Sharingan activated.
"Be careful!" Kurenai warned.
In the next moment, they were surrounded by an army of Sand and Sound Jounin.
"This is going to get messy," Asuma muttered, glancing at the smoke-obscured stage. "Let's hope the old man can hold his own."
"He will," Kakashi replied confidently, his Sharingan flashing. "The Third Hokage wouldn't fall that easily."
"Kakashi's right," Kurenai added. "Right now, our students are in greater danger."
"Time to fight our way out!" Gai shouted, charging forward and initiating the Jounin skirmish in the stands.
Meanwhile, below, Kiba and several others had succumbed to the genjutsu, collapsing into unconsciousness one by one.
Shikamaru, Hinata, Tenten, and Lee had also fallen asleep. But Ino, Shino, Torune, and Neji remained unaffected.
Shino and Torune's insects, immune to genjutsu, protected them.
Ino, strengthened by Ido's influence, had significantly enhanced mental resilience, breaking free of the illusion almost immediately.
Kurenai's unique bloodline ability also granted her natural resistance to genjutsu.
"Hinata!" Ino rushed over and dispelled the genjutsu on her.
"Shinho!" Hinata gasped upon regaining consciousness.
"Yes, what? It's me ino. He–" Ino was about to explain when she caught sight of the massive figure in the arena.
It was a towering creature, resembling a tanuki but radiating a powerful, oppressive aura.
"A Tailed Beast?" Ino's voice trembled, her face paling with fear.
Stries of the Nine-Tails' attack, which had devastated even powerful Konoha, came rushing into her mind.
Is this going to be a tailed beast attack all over again?
"I'm going to find Shinho!" Hinata' said with a resolve she didn't where she got from, and she tried to dash toward the arena.
"Don't be reckless!" Shikamaru snapped, using his shadow to hold her back. "Running out there will only be a hindrance to Shinho."
Hinata stopped, though her heart screamed in protest.
She couldn't deny his words; she would only be in Shinho's way.
"Shikamaru, what do we do?" Ino asked, her tone urgent.
"Neji, Tenten, and Lee—you three get to the medical wing and bring Naruto and Sasuke," Shikamaru instructed.
"Understood." The three responded and darted off.
"We'll go to the stands to help with the evacuation," Shikamaru said solemnly. "It's the only way we can help right now."
Just then, purple chakra surged upward, forming a barrier around the platform—the Four Violet Flames Formation.
"So, you want to fight me alone?" Hiruzen asked Orochimaru, smirking slightly. "That's quite a lot of confidence."
Orochimaru discarded his disguise, revealing his true face.
He met Hiruzen's question with a sinister smile, licking his lips. "Sensei, you know how much I respect you."
In the next instant, three coffins rose amid a cloud of thick smoke, each marked with the Konoha symbol.
Hiruzen froze, his eyes widening in horror.
"I see you recognize it," Orochimaru sneered.
"This is the Reanimation Jutsu. Be grateful, sensei—without it, you would never again see the First, Second and fourth Hokage again."
"Orochimaru!" Hiruzen's voice trembled with fury. "How dare you desecrate their bodies!"
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