Chapter 84: Leave and return stronger.

"You want to take the Four-Tails from my body?"

Seeing Zenkichi approaching with the sealing cauldron, Roshi sneered.

Once the Tailed Beast was removed from his body, he would die as a Jinchūriki. But he was already seriously injured and had no strength left to resist.

"In that case…"

A fierce look flashed in Roshi's eyes as he shifted his consciousness into the sealed space within and directly released the beast himself.

Red Tailed Beast Chakra erupted from his body, forming into a giant, red-furred monkey. The Four-Tails, Son Gokū, let out a deafening roar.

"Releasing the Four-Tails?"

"You'd rather die than let me take it easily?"

"How scary~" Zenkichi said lazily, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses as he looked up at the beast.

"Should I split this Tailed Beast up?"

"…Forget it. Let's decide later."

He murmured to himself, then turned his attention to knocking the beast down first.

Son Gokū didn't hesitate. The moment it appeared, it opened its mouth, gathering a massive amount of chakra.

Tailed Beast Bomb.

Knowing Zenkichi's power from within Roshi's body, the Four-Tails wasted no time. It opted for its strongest move to avoid being defeated without using it.

A dense, purple-black sphere began forming between its jaws, pulsating with immense power.

On the sidelines, Tsunade's expression changed dramatically. "We can't let that Tailed Beast Bomb explode here! The entire Konoha will be destroyed!"

Zenkichi smiled. "Don't worry. I won't let it hit Konoha."

He extended both hands toward the Tailed Beast Bomb mid-air. At that moment, Armament Haki surged from his body.

A refined form of force that could impact and deflect—similar to how Silvers Rayleigh once knocked out a giant elephant in the original timeline.

Zenkichi wasn't aiming to harm the Four-Tails with this. His goal was to knock the Tailed Beast Bomb away.

With a powerful blast of Haki, he redirected the sphere into the sky.

Thankfully, the Tailed Beast Bomb wasn't the type to detonate on contact—otherwise, even he might not have dared try that method.

"It's useless!"

"The Tailed Beast Bomb will fall back down eventually. Konoha's still going to get blasted!"

The Four-Tails roared furiously.

"Oh really? How scary~"

Zenkichi raised his hand toward the heavens.

A golden arrow, made of condensed light particles, shot skyward and pierced the sphere—detonating it midair.

The explosion lit up the skies above Konoha with a blinding fireball. A shockwave tore through the village, akin to a level-nine storm, tearing roofs and collapsing walls.

The blazing light, wind, and sound brought the entire battlefield to a standstill.

"So this is the power of a Tailed Beast Bomb… terrifying."

Zenkichi stared into the sky and commented blandly.

Then, turning back to the massive red ape in front of him, he added, "So, do you have anything else up your sleeve?"

The Four-Tails, stunned, began gathering chakra again for another Tailed Beast Bomb.

But Zenkichi didn't give it the chance.

In a flash, he appeared behind the beast.

One-Sword Style — Iai Slash.

In a blink, Son Gokū's fur was cleaved. The beast collapsed from the single sword draw—no longer the Four-Tails… just another fallen monster.

"Now you're just a tailless Super Saiyan monkey. Pretty useless."

Zenkichi turned away from the limp form. Golden light pulsed at the heel of his boot, and he kicked Son Gokū's body aside.

The Sealing Cauldron of Sunagakure activated. Chains formed of golden script shot out, latching onto the beast's body and dragging it into the cauldron.

"These Four-Tails are valuable. Let's store them properly."

He glanced at the now-tailless form and sealed it inside a scroll.

"Now… shall we go finish this war?"

He turned to Tsunade. A softness flashed in his eyes.

"I hope you won't lie to me. Otherwise…"

Tsunade, jaw clenched, looked at him with complicated emotions.

"You better not get your hopes up," she said quietly. "I can't guarantee I can convince Konoha."

"Even if I'm the First Hokage's granddaughter… I'm not the one in charge of Konoha now."

A trace of mockery crept into Zenkichi's expression.

"The ones in charge now?"

"Other than Sarutobi Hiruzen and Akimichi Torifu, who had at least a shred of integrity, the rest were pathetic."

"Mito Kadoe died running away, while Sarutobi and Torifu fell honorably in battle."

"Now only Koharu and Shimura Danzo remain among the elders… and they've already chosen to flee."

---

Underground, beneath Konoha.

Danzo glared at Koharu impatiently.

"I'm seriously injured—I had no choice but to come here for treatment. But you? You're not hurt. Why are you here?"

"The Konoha shinobi out there still need your leadership!"

Koharu remained calm. "My shadow clone is leading them. I came here to protect you."

"We're all that's left of Konoha's leadership. I won't let you die alone."

Danzo stared at her with his one good eye. She met his gaze without fear.

"…Fine. Then stay."

He lifted her onto a makeshift stretcher and carried her toward their next destination.

They found Orochimaru waiting nearby.

Danzo spoke directly: "Zenkichi attacked Konoha, and Kirigakure backed him. Konoha's fall is inevitable."

"But we can't die here."

"We are Konoha. As long as we live, there's still hope. So I've decided—I'm leaving with the Root division. We'll survive. Regroup. Rebuild."

Orochimaru said nothing, but took out a sealing scroll and began packing his experimental tools. His actions were answer enough.

Koharu looked at Danzo in disbelief.

"Danzo… you…"

Danzo's expression didn't change. "If it's for Konoha, I'll endure humiliation. If you disagree, you're free to stay and die here."

Koharu's expression hardened. After a moment, she clenched her fists and spoke:

"For Konoha's sake, I'll endure."

"Let's leave—and return stronger."

---

80+ chapters on patreon, Become a patron.

Patreon.com/Zphyr_