The Jinchuriki battle ended with Yuta's victory, and the battles of Hiruzen Sarutobi and others in the Village had also concluded.
"I finally sealed them away." Hiruzen Sarutobi knelt on the rooftop, covered in blood, with two Otogakure corpses sealed within a barrier in front of him.
"Hiruzen, I estimate you won't be able to Summon me for a while." Enma also lay heavily injured beside him.
"Old friend, you've worked hard this time." Hiruzen Sarutobi managed to raise his head.
"Bang."
Enma turned into white smoke and returned to his original world.
"Boom!"
A sudden burst of fire filled the entire barrier. Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head to look at the two still fighting and murmured, "Jiraiya, everything is up to you."
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon."
Jiraiya's white hair, which was draped over him, stood on end, shooting towards Orochimaru like a torrential rain.
"Hidden Shadow Many Snake Hands."
Orochimaru's right arm transformed into dozens of venomous snakes, biting towards Jiraiya.
"Puff, puff, puff, puff..."
The needle-like white hair easily pierced through the snakes' bodies. Orochimaru, with a cold expression, jumped into the air: "Sage Mode..."
As a contractor of Ryuchi Cave, one of the three great holy lands of inheritance, Orochimaru was no stranger to Sage Chakra. The so-called Heavenly Curse Mark was related to this special Chakra, but the inability to freely enter Sage Mode was a pain in Orochimaru's heart. Frequent body changes made him unable to master this technique.
"Edo Tensei has also been broken, so there's no benefit in staying here." Orochimaru stared at Jiraiya with icy eyes: "I'll let you off this time."
"What?" Jiraiya frowned, looking at Orochimaru. He couldn't believe a single word Orochimaru said.
"As a parting gift, I'll give you a small present." Orochimaru's right hand twitched slightly. The kusanagi sword, which had been knocked away earlier in the battle, flew up out of nowhere, aiming directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already lost his fighting capability!
Jiraiya's pupils dilated. He ran towards the kusanagi sword almost at the speed of a teleportation, but unfortunately, he was slightly too slow.
"Sarutobi-sensei!"
"Puff!"
The unprepared Hiruzen Sarutobi was pierced through the chest by the kusanagi sword. After doing all this, Orochimaru gave Jiraiya a sinister smile and transformed into thousands of small snakes, disappearing from sight.
"Sarutobi-sensei!"
Jiraiya no longer had the thought of pursuing Orochimaru. At this moment, his eyes only saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose life or death was uncertain.
"Medical team!" Jiraiya shouted loudly.
"Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump..."
Amidst the chaotic footsteps, the Konoha Crush plan came to an end.
One day later, Konoha Hospital.
"Cough, cough, cough." Hiruzen Sarutobi, lying on the bed, coughed up two mouthfuls of blood.
"Hokage-sama!" The Anbu next to him quickly ran over.
"I'm fine." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and lay back down.
"Hokage-sama..." The Anbu looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's appearance and clenched his fists tightly. In the battle against Orochimaru a day ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had suffered extremely fatal injuries. Although the Konoha medical team had fully treated him and saved his life, he had lost the qualification to continue as a Ninja.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Jiraiya pushed the door open and entered the ward.
"You can leave first." Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"Yes." The Anbu disappeared.
"Jiraiya, you must have heard about my condition." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a bitter taste in his mouth: "I'm afraid I won't be able to continue leading everyone as Hokage in the future."
"Sarutobi-sensei..." Jiraiya was at a loss for words for a moment. For a Ninja, nothing was more despairing than this.
"Jiraiya, regarding the position of the Fifth Generation..." Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head to look at Jiraiya: "There should be no one in the Village more suitable than you now."
"Sarutobi-sensei, you know I can't agree." Jiraiya turned his head away, unable to bear it. He didn't want to see the disappointment on Hiruzen's face.
"As expected." Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes: "I knew it. You've refused this matter more than once or twice, but this time is different, Jiraiya. After the turmoil, the Village urgently needs someone with enough prestige to become the new Hokage."
"If it's about prestige, what about Tsunade?" Jiraiya voiced his thoughts: "She's much more suitable than me, and if she comes back, she might also be able to try and heal Sensei's injuries."
"Can you find her?" Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes.
Jiraiya said without much confidence: "More or less."
"Good. If you find and persuade Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage, that would be best. But if you fail, you must return and take office as the Fifth Hokage." Hiruzen Sarutobi lay back on the bed: "That's it, within two months."
Jiraiya hesitated and nodded: "Okay."
Leaving the hospital, Jiraiya felt a bit melancholic. If he really couldn't persuade Tsunade to come back and become Hokage, wouldn't he have to take office as the Fifth Hokage as he promised?
"No, no." Jiraiya quickly shook his head. That would be worse than killing him: "Two months is a bit too short. I have to go back."
Thinking of this, Jiraiya turned and returned to Konoha Hospital. At the very least, he needed three months.
Konoha Village training ground outside.
"Summoning Technique!"
"Bang!"
"It's a small toad again." Naruto dispelled the Summoning Technique in discouragement.
"Sigh."
Sighing, Naruto leaned weakly against a tree. The battle a day ago made Naruto doubt himself for the first time. Could such a weak him truly protect the people he cherished?
"Slap, slap." Naruto slapped his cheeks hard: "I can't be so depressed. I'll go find Pervy Sage and ask him to continue guiding me."
"Whoosh."
Naruto, leaving the training ground, didn't notice that Yuta had been quietly standing behind him on a tree for a long time.
Konoha Hyuga Clan.
"Two Palms! Four Palms!! Eight Palms!..." Nao's hands quickly struck the designated pressure points on the dummy.
"Finally, she looks like a Ninja." Nao's father stood by, relieved. Although he didn't know why his daughter, who used to hate training, had changed so much, it was a good thing after all.
"Too weak! Too weak! Too weak!" Nao desperately threw every palm strike. Now, she no longer had the initial joy of becoming Yuta's teammate. Nao didn't want to always stand behind Yuta; she wanted to stand by his side and become someone Yuta could rely on.
Outside Konoha Village.
"Chidori!"
"Boom!"
"It's still not enough." Sasuke panted, looking at the giant rock. This level was far from enough. Yuta's battle with Gaara had shattered Sasuke's arrogance. He was too weak now.
Rock Lee, Sakurai Haruo, Hyuga Neji... everyone was training to the best of their abilities.
"Step."
A man in a black robe with red clouds stood on the Hokage Rock, taking everything in.
"It truly is the Village that Mr. Itachi can't forget. Despite just experiencing war, it's still so prosperous." A man in similar attire spoke.
"...Sasuke." Itachi looked at Sasuke, who was training alone, with complex emotions.
"Let's go." Itachi turned and left.
"Eh? Aren't we going to approach the target?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked, puzzled.
Itachi spoke: "No, the target is currently with Jiraiya. That person is very dangerous."
"Whoosh."
A breeze blew through the straw hats they wore, lifting the cloth and revealing a face that most Konoha Ninja feared.
Uchiha Itachi, an S-rank rogue Ninja from Konoha Village, the main culprit in the Uchiha clan massacre.