Chapter 369: Master and Apprentice's Respective Pursuits

Outside Konoha Village.

Finally leaving the densely populated area, Pakura, riding on her ink eagle, instructed Baki, Temari, and the others beside her:

"If we let him continue rampaging, it could cause a lot of casualties."

"You all go intercept the main forces of Sunagakure. I'll handle him."

Temari, seeing her father pursuing them from afar, gritted her teeth and said:

"Can we really stop Sunagakure's main forces?"

Pakura glanced at Gaara and said calmly:

"You have to trust your brother."

Pakura had heard about Gaara's experiences from Shishou, so she didn't harbor any ill feelings towards him. Moreover, Gaara had never been acknowledged by anyone. If Pakura showed him kindness, he would likely be drawn to her. This was a good opportunity for Pakura, who aspired to become the Fifth Kazekage, to win him over.

As Pakura expected, Gaara looked at her in astonishment after hearing her words. Pakura seized the moment, patted Gaara on the shoulder, and smiled:

"Go, Gaara. I believe you can do it."

Gaara opened his mouth, looking dumbfounded. From childhood to now, this was the first time someone had spoken to him like this.

Seeing the scene, Baki frowned deeply. The Fourth Kazekage had just died, and Pakura was already eyeing the Kazekage position, and even taking the opportunity to win over the One-Tail Jinchuriki. Was this really appropriate?

Of course, Baki only dared to think these thoughts; he didn't dare voice them. Given the betrayal Pakura had experienced, whatever she did to the Fourth Kazekage wouldn't be excessive.

Kakashi turned to look at the approaching Fourth Kazekage and asked:

"Miss Pakura, are you sure you can handle him alone?"

After all, he was the Fourth Kazekage, so Kakashi was worried whether Pakura could handle him alone.

Pakura responded calmly:

"If you don't leave now, I might end up in front of you later."

Although Pakura was among the weakest of the women around Shishou, her strength had undergone a significant transformation over the years by his side. If she couldn't even handle a mere Fourth Kazekage, she would be ridiculed by Mikoto and the others.

Seeing Pakura's confidence, Gaara turned to Temari, who was piloting the ink eagle, and said:

"Let's go, Temari."

Hearing this, Temari looked at the approaching Fourth Kazekage, gritted her teeth, and directed the ink eagle to leave.

Baki, Kakashi, and the others also followed, leaving Pakura to face the approaching Fourth Kazekage Rasa alone.

Pakura stayed behind, watching the approaching Fourth Kazekage and sneering.

"Even though you're already dead, killing you again wouldn't be too bad."

With that, Pakura formed a seal with one hand.

"Cursed Seal Mode, Activate!"

...

Inside Konoha Village, at the stadium's VIP section.

Raiko watched the continuous explosions in Konoha Village and the rampaging blood-colored serpents, frowning. The boy named Shishou had already left the stadium and was participating in the rescue efforts with others. However, under Raiko's clone's surveillance, he showed no abnormalities, not resembling the person who had once defeated her. Otherwise, with his demonstrated strength, he could have resolved the current troubles in minutes.

Similarly, fearing that he might indeed be the person she was looking for, Raiko refrained from attacking Tsunade upon learning she was a descendant of the Shikkotsu Forest. She needed to be ready to escape at any moment.

After some time, Raiko began doubting herself: Could this guy really not be the one I'm looking for?

Unaware that Shishou was being held up by Uchiha Obito, Raiko started second-guessing herself. Meanwhile, across from her, Tsunade's eyebrows were furrowed in anger, her face filled with rage. While her subordinates were doing their best to fend off the enemies, she was being stalled here, unable to act. Although Shizune had already moved all the civilians to the shelter, Tsunade's heart was still full of fury. She vowed to crush Raiko and Orochimaru together when she got the chance!

Soon, the Four Violet Flames Formation on the distant rooftop was canceled. At this point, the battle between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage had ended. With the power of Hashirama, Orochimaru was far beyond what the current Third Hokage could handle, making it impossible even to drag Orochimaru into a mutual demise.

"Sensei!"

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi lying in a pool of blood, Tsunade rushed over. The Third Hokage, his body covered in wounds and a large hole in his stomach, weakly said:

"Tsunade, Orochimaru has gained your grandfather's power and learned Wood Release. Be careful."

"From now on, the village is in your hands..."

With these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled to hand over the Adamantine Staff to Tsunade. Then, his cloudy eyes lost their luster, and he passed away.

This elderly man, who had witnessed Konoha's rise and fall for decades, ultimately died defending the village.

Seeing her dead teacher, Tsunade clenched her fists in anger. She then placed her hand on the ground and summoned a small Katsuyu.

"Protect Sensei's body."

"Understood, Tsunade," Katsuyu replied, climbing onto the Third Hokage's body and enveloping it.

After this, Tsunade picked up the Adamantine Staff and coldly looked at Orochimaru, saying:

"Orochimaru, since your target is me, follow me."

She turned and ran outside Konoha Village, where she could fight without restraint.

"Raiko, please," Orochimaru respectfully addressed Raiko.

He needed Raiko's help to quickly subdue Tsunade.

Raiko glanced at the small Katsuyu and frowned. If the Great Katsuyu Sage had not intervened back then, she wouldn't have been defeated so easily. Although she wasn't a match for the Great Katsuyu Sage now, she refrained from any aggressive actions. However, dealing with Tsunade, a descendant of the Shikkotsu Forest Sage, might still provide a clue to finding the person she sought.

Having not seen that person appear until now, Raiko was convinced that the boy named Shishou was not the one she was looking for. With no more reservations, she prepared to act against Tsunade.

The three of them stopped in an empty wilderness outside Konoha Village. Tsunade turned to face Orochimaru from a distance, planted the Adamantine Staff into the ground, and said coldly:

"Orochimaru, your actions are unforgivable. Today, I will clean house for Sensei!"

"Kukuku..."

Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely and said:

"Tsunade, you're as naive as Sensei. Family, friendship, love—these things all decay in the face of time."

"Everything in this world is false. Only eternal life and immense power are real."

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POWER STONE!!!!

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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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