Tsunade's eyes widened slightly as she finished reading the letter.
"That bastard kid… he's done something big."
Her expression quickly shifted to one of disdain as she turned to Dodai.
"Hmph, is the Land of Rice Fields making you that anxious?"
She crossed her arms, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Sending the Jinchūriki to investigate… bold of you. No wonder I haven't seen any trace of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
Dodai felt a sudden unease settle in his chest. Tsunade's next words only made it worse.
"Dodai, your plan has completely failed!"
Her voice was sharp, unwavering. "Withdraw from the Land of Hot Water—now!"
Then, without another word, she lunged at him, her fist crackling with raw power.
Dodai barely had time to react. He retreated at high speed, Tsunade's relentless assault forcing him on the defensive. But even as he evaded, his mind raced.
Could something have happened to Killer Bee? No… impossible. That team was full of Jōnin, and Bee is an Eight-Tails Jinchūriki…
Yet, Tsunade's words carried weight, and the pressure she exerted left him no time to think.
Meanwhile, the Black Mamba didn't disperse. Instead, it lunged at Dodai with a fury of its own.
He may have been a snake, but he had a temper. How dare Dodai speak of him like that? Revenge was necessary!
Tsunade fought with increasing aggression. The letter from Kazuyama had mentioned that he intercepted Kumo's squad heading to the Land of Rice Fields before moving on to investigate the Land of Lightning.
It was wartime—Tsunade had no choice but to let him go. A battlefield commander had to make their own decisions.
The reason she taunted Dodai was simple: Konoha's forces were fewer in number. They could afford to clash once or twice, but prolonged battles would only lead to unnecessary losses.
Now that Dodai had this information, he would report back to Kumo, and they would undoubtedly send more scouts to the Land of Rice Fields. But once they uncovered the situation there, withdrawal would be their only option.
At first, Tsunade wondered why Kazuyama had gotten involved, but now it all made sense.
The Third Raikage was locked in an intense battle with Iwa in the Land of Rice Fields. If Kumo's forces in the Land of Hot Water had rushed over to reinforce them, Kumo's losses might have been minimized. At worst, they would have lost a base.
But if both sides fully committed to war, the outcome was far less certain.
Most of Kumo's elite forces were stationed in the Land of Hot Water, leaving the Land of Rice Fields relatively unguarded. Meanwhile, Iwa had dispatched over 10,000 shinobi for this battle.
The result in Land of Rice Fields was all but decided. The only question was how much Kumo would lose.
And as the saying goes—when the front lines are in chaos, the rear is never peaceful.
For Konoha, that truth was unavoidable.
At this moment, in Konohagakure's Root Division, the Third Hokage stood with barely contained fury, glaring at Danzō.
"Danzō! I told you to be careful with the experiments on the First Hokage's cells!"
"For this experiment, I specifically provided you with fifty young ninja, and now they're all dead! Not to mention—" His fists clenched. "How dare you use children for experimentation?!"
"Stop this experiment immediately!"
Danzō had expected this reaction the moment the news reached Hiruzen. He remained calm, his voice steady.
"Hiruzen, you have to understand what we are cultivating," he said.
"We are talking about Lord First's cells. In other words, the Kekkei Genkai of Wood Release."
He stepped forward, unwavering. "The difficulty of such an experiment is obvious. Without sacrifice, how can there be reward? Fifty lives mean nothing if even one Wood Release user can be created. That alone would make this a success."
His expression remained indifferent. "If adults are no good, then children will do. As long as they can—"
But before he could finish, Hiruzen's furious roar shook the room.
"Enough, Danzō!"
"I repeat, this plan is to be canceled immediately! Orochimaru is to return to the front lines at once!"
"Those who died will be given a proper burial, and those who have yet to undergo experimentation will have their memories erased and be allowed to return to the village."
His face was dark with fury. If only he had discovered this sooner, this tragedy could have been prevented. So many lives lost for the sake of an experiment—children used as test subjects. It was unforgivable.
"Hmph. They're all dead now—fifty adults, fifty children," Danzō muttered. "But the experiment has already yielded preliminary data. If we continue, success is within reach."
He wasn't about to let it all be wasted. If this worked, he could attempt to gain Wood Release for himself. And once he did, he would become the perfect candidate for Hokage.
"I said stop! Do you understand, Danzō?"
"Or is it that my words as Hokage no longer hold weight?"
The air grew heavy as a powerful aura surged from the Third Hokage.
Danzō's face twitched slightly.
There was no mistaking it—Hiruzen was still a terrifying force in the ninja world. Known as the Professor of Ninjutsu and the Master of Shinobi, his strength was formidable. And though age had begun to wear on him, he was far from weak.
"I am the Hokage, Danzō!"
"This experiment is over!"
"I will send my people to shut down the laboratories and erase all data."
"You'd do well to remember my limits, Danzō. Do not cross them."
Hiruzen's words were merciless, his presence exuding a terrifying aura.
Unbeknownst to them, a small white snake lurked in the corner, silently observing their conversation. Moments later, it swiftly slithered away.
In a laboratory deep within the Root Division, Orochimaru stood before a massive petri dish, muttering to himself.
"Wonderful..."
"It actually worked... The fusion of Hashirama's cells..."
Suddenly, the small white snake appeared on his shoulder, flicking its tongue as it relayed a message.
A trace of seriousness flickered in Orochimaru's once-shocked eyes.
"The experiment has been called off...?"
"What a pity... It was clearly a success..."
He sighed, then smirked. "Never mind. I've already backed up the experimental data, so its destruction is of no consequence. But this child..."
His gaze fell upon the figure floating in the petri dish, and a slow, triumphant smile spread across his face.
For a long while, Orochimaru simply stared before murmuring,
"Kazuyama, do you know...?"
"The truth stands before us—Kekkei Genkai can be created..."
"They're just not yet controllable. But once I perfect this technique... everything will become possible..."
His eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if he could already see the future unfolding before him.
But then, his expression turned cold.
"Damn Bounty Station... How dare they feed me false information... Hmph!"
"Otherwise, the corpse of a ninja with a Kekkei Genkai would have allowed me to take another significant step forward."
Little did he know, the reason he had been deceived was none other than his most beloved disciple.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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