Chapter 60 – The Search for Tsunade
A Water Release projectile exploded against the massive tree behind Asuma, sending splinters flying everywhere.
Asuma's brow twitched as a sharp pain shot through his arm—blood was now streaming from a gash torn open by the attack.
What looked like a standard Water Release jutsu unleashed by Kakuzu was anything but ordinary. The condensed water bullet had such force that the air pressure alone had sliced through his flesh.
Dodging wasn't an option anymore. He had to fight head-on. Asuma, an experienced jōnin, quickly adapted to the situation. With a swift motion, he pulled out a pair of chakra metal trench knives.
His chakra surged through his arms and into the blades, which instantly extended into foot-long wind chakra edges.
Asuma's primary chakra Affinity was Wind, and he specialized in close-quarters combat, supplemented by mid-to-long-range jutsu for pressure. His fighting style bore a striking resemblance to Danzo's in his younger years—whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had trained him that way on purpose or by accident remained a mystery.
Or maybe, during Asuma's formative years, Hiruzen had been too busy managing Konoha's affairs, leaving Danzo to help raise the boy.
Kakuzu wasn't one for idle chatter, effectively avoiding the common fate of villains who talked too much and died for it. The moment he saw Asuma take a fighting stance, he wasted no time. With swift hand seals, he activated his jutsu—three of the four masked monsters trailing behind him opened their mouths simultaneously.
In an instant, gale-force winds, crackling lightning, and roaring flames surged forward. There was nothing elegant about these attacks—just raw, overwhelming elemental force bearing down on Sarutobi Asuma.
...
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains.
This was the new "Konoha." Thanks to the miracle of chakra, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the remnants of his faction weren't left entirely homeless. Earth Release jutsu solved most of their housing needs—though it was a shame Yamato had gone with Kakashi. Wood Release would've been far more ideal for building homes.
Unaware of the peril his youngest son was facing, Hiruzen spent his days tirelessly racking his brain, trying to figure out how to reverse Konoha's decline.
The current situation among the Five Great Nations was bleak. The Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Earth had all abolished their shinobi villages. There was no way they'd support Hiruzen, and even if they did, it would likely be just to enjoy watching the Land of Fire descend into civil war.
The Land of Lightning was still plagued by the nano-insect outbreak introduced years ago by Aburame Torune. The parasitic creatures kept triggering extermination-level events in villages and cities, with no permanent solution in sight. Hiruzen was sure there were forces manipulating things behind the scenes. If those nano-insects were truly that powerful, Konoha would've conquered the ninja world long ago.
And the Land of Water? Things were even worse. Strange phenomena had been appearing along the coastlines, devastating the nation's fishing industry. The entire country had descended into chaos. The daimyō of the Land of Water issued a brutal order to Kirigakure: purge all "unruly" refugees and eliminate any destabilizing factors.
Hiruzen's headache only grew worse the more he thought about it.
Many of the former Konoha shinobi had pledged loyalty to the daimyo, but Hiruzen knew a large portion of them had only done so out of pressure—whether national loyalty or family obligation. In private, many still leaned toward Konoha. He had used that sentiment to gather a great deal of intel from inside the daimyo's palace.
It had even been renamed the "City of Peace." But Hiruzen knew better—nothing the daimyo was doing had anything to do with peace.
For decades, the dual system of village and nation had coexisted. Now, with that balance suddenly destroyed, chaos was inevitable. And the daimyo's method of resolving that chaos? Simple, brutal mass slaughter.
Anyone who disobeyed was killed on the spot.
The shinobi who had defected from Konoha were now executioners. Under the direct command of Shogun Uchiha Sasuke, they had razed city after city, leaving no survivors. That made it nearly impossible for any word of what was really happening to leak out.
Hiruzen couldn't wrap his head around it. What the hell was the daimyo thinking? Didn't he realize he was tearing out the roots of his own nation? At this rate, the Land of Fire was going to collapse entirely.
That's why Hiruzen was convinced the daimyo was under someone's control. The systematic destruction of villages, followed by the eradication of entire nations—it fit perfectly with his understanding of the Uchiha clan's madness.
Did Hiruzen regret it all?
Yes. Deeply.
He regretted not listening to Danzo and wiping out the Uchiha sooner. Regretted leaving Sasuke alive. Regretted not carving the Curse of Tongue Eradication Seal into the boy when he had the chance...
"Sensei Tobirama was right—Uchiha are born evil!" Hiruzen thought bitterly.
For the sake of Konoha's future, Hiruzen was now willing to do whatever it took—even if it meant turning to unsavory methods. The most urgent task was to find Tsunade. She was powerful in her own right and had the support of Shikkotsu Forest. The daimyo had already managed to rope in Orochimaru. There was no way Hiruzen would allow Tsunade to be tricked into joining him too!
The mission to find Tsunade had fallen to Jiraiya.
But at the moment, Jiraiya wore a troubled expression.
He was standing before a summoning circle etched into the ground—but none of the toads he had a contract with had appeared.
He had checked everything repeatedly. There was nothing wrong with the summoning jutsu, and the technique had executed properly. He had gone through every single summoning contract he had. Still, not a single one of the Great Toad Brothers, or even Fukasaku and Shima, had answered his call.
The last time he left Mount Myōboku, he'd intended to investigate the doomsday threat predicted by the Great Toad Sage. But Hiruzen had stopped him.
"If this really concerns the fate of the world," Hiruzen had said, "there's no reason you should face it alone. First, find Tsunade. I'll do my best to get word to the other nations. This is something everyone should have a hand in."
Jiraiya had known his old teacher too well. The speech sounded noble, but Hiruzen surely had other motives—likely some plan to use this so-called "doomsday prophecy" as a means of regaining control over Konoha.
After all, Jiraiya was probably the only one who truly believed in Mount Myōboku's prophecies. No one else would take a toad's words seriously. But since Hiruzen had made the request, Jiraiya couldn't exactly say no. Tsunade really was vital to Konoha's survival in this era.
Still, the current situation—his summons failing without explanation—left Jiraiya with a deep sense of unease.
"What the hell happened to Mount Myōboku?" he muttered, frowning. As one of the Three Great Sacred Grounds, Myōboku had always been powerful and well-protected. It shouldn't have been vulnerable to any serious disruption. Yet his inability to contact his summons left him deeply unsettled. In times like these, losing any part of one's strength—even summoning jutsu—was enough to make anyone nervous.
Before searching for Tsunade, Jiraiya had tried to return to Mount Myōboku—but was stunned to discover that its entrance had vanished.
"I really have no choice now," he muttered. "Tsunade has a contract with the sages of Shikkotsu Forest. Maybe Lady Katsuyu knows something about what's happened to Mount Myōboku."
Fortunately, finding Tsunade wasn't all that difficult—she was a habitual gambler, after all. All Jiraiya had to do was stake out the busiest gambling halls, keep an eye out for any big spenders who never won, and eventually, he'd find her.
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