Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage was engrossed in his official duties. In terms of diligence, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could be considered a paragon.
Rumble~
Suddenly, a tremendous rumbling sound echoed from afar. Judging by the sound, it originated from the direction of Konoha's outer wall exit.
The Third Hokage abruptly rose to his feet, his expression drastically changing. The scene before him brought back haunting memories of the Nine-Tails' attack.
Whoosh~
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in the office, a member of the ANBU Black Ops directly under the Hokage's command.
"Lord Hokage, the Hyuga clan's heiress has been kidnapped! Hiashi-sama has specifically sent someone to request assistance!" The ANBU member reported urgently, kneeling on one knee.
The Third Hokage's heart sank. Before he could even speak, another ANBU member arrived in the room.
"Lord Hokage, there's fighting at the village gate! It's a conflict between Jonin Tatsuya Akimichi and Root ninja!" This ANBU member also reported with urgency.
Two major incidents occurring simultaneously led the Third Hokage to instinctively believe there was a connection.
"Gather our forces, and head to the village gate!" The Third Hokage instructed the two ANBU ninjas, his figure disappearing from the Hokage's office.
When he reappeared, the Third Hokage was already outside the Hokage Tower, rapidly heading towards the village gate. Behind him, several ANBU squads directly under the Hokage's command were quickly assembling, following closely behind him.
Within the village, the same scene was unfolding at the Hyuga clan compound, the Uchiha clan compound, the Akimichi clan compound, and other locations.
Tatsuya's violent clash with Root had already drawn the attention of Konoha's high-ranking officials and the powerful ninja clans. They all, without prior agreement, began rushing towards the village gate.
En route, Ryota Akimichi, leading Rou Akimichi and several others, encountered members of the Yamanaka and Nara clans. They exchanged glances, their expressions grave, but remained silent.
From afar, they could already see Tatsuya in his Butterfly Mode. In the dim light of the night, the blue butterfly-like wings on Tatsuya's back were particularly conspicuous.
At this moment, they were all unsure of exactly what was happening with Tatsuya. However, the situation seemed unfavorable to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so decisively activated Butterfly Mode to fight within the village.
Death Forest, underground laboratory.
"Hehe, Danzo, that old geezer, has finally pissed off that kid! Now, this is going to be interesting!" Orochimaru, who was conducting human experiments, was also startled by the intense battle. He looked up towards the village gate, murmuring to himself.
As he spoke, he disappeared from the spot.
At the village gate, Tatsuya leaped onto Seiryu's head. Turning his head, Tatsuya looked towards Yamato, who was wearing a mask in the distance.
At this time, Yamato's body had not yet reached its peak state, and his chakra reserves and stamina were clearly insufficient. The binding Wood Style ninjutsu he had just used to restrain Tatsuya in Butterfly Mode had almost completely depleted his chakra.
A fierce glint flashed in Tatsuya's eyes, and he vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
This is bad!
On the outer wall, Danzo saw this scene and was instantly alarmed. He leaped down from the high wall and rushed towards Yamato.
"Kinoe! Get out of there!" Danzo shouted to the young Yamato as he sped forward.
Danzo's purpose in taking the initiative this time to capture Tatsuya was to enhance Yamato's Wood Style combat capabilities. If Yamato were to suffer any losses, it would be a complete failure! This was something Danzo absolutely couldn't accept!
Unfortunately, Danzo's warning was clearly too late.
When Tatsuya's form reappeared, he was less than 20 meters from Yamato.
At Yamato's side, Ryoma Aburame, clad in a black hooded robe, summoned his kikaichu to try and obstruct Tatsuya.
Hmph!
Seeing this, Tatsuya snorted coldly, no longer continuing his advance, and directly summoned a Great Fireball to attack the two.
The enormous fireball hurtled towards them, and Ryoma Aburame quickly grabbed Yamato and dodged.
While still in the air, a large hand suddenly burst out from behind the fireball, seizing Yamato by the neck.
Sensing the powerful pulling force coming from Yamato's body, Ryoma Aburame dared not resist directly, quickly releasing his grip and then gathering his kikaichu to try and intercept.
However, this large hand, having grabbed Yamato, abruptly shrunk and retreated, successfully evading the swarming kikaichu.
"Tatsuya Akimichi!"
From high above, Danzo's cold and somber voice rang out.
Danzo, who had rushed down from the outer wall, watched helplessly as Tatsuya grabbed Yamato.
Tatsuya ignored him.
Knocking Yamato unconscious with a swift blow, Tatsuya lifted him and retreated to Seiryu's back.
In the surrounding area, dozens of Root ninja had already fled in disarray under Seiryu's rampage.
Examining Yamato in his hand, Tatsuya's eyes showed a strange light.
This guy was the only experimental subject who had successfully integrated with Hashirama's cells. Although it was a low-grade version, it was still genuine Wood Style!
If he could collect some tissue samples from him, this trip into the trap wouldn't have been in vain.
Thinking of this, Tatsuya looked up at Danzo and the group of bedraggled Root ninja, his eyes flashing with an icy cold light.
These guys were too much of a hindrance here; they were preventing him from getting things done!
Bringing his hands together, Tatsuya began to actively absorb the natural energy from Seiryu's body.
Whoosh~
Just as Tatsuya was preparing to unleash a powerful technique, a figure flashed out from beside him.
It was Orochimaru!
The Death Forest was closer to this location, so he had arrived before the Third Hokage and the others.
Seiryu showed no resistance to Orochimaru's sudden appearance.
Seeing that it was Orochimaru, Tatsuya stopped absorbing natural energy.
Orochimaru keenly noticed this. He looked at Tatsuya with a knowing smile in his eyes.
In the distance, Danzo's face was utterly grim.
Looking at Orochimaru, Danzo said in a deep voice, "Orochimaru, what is the meaning of this?"
Orochimaru smiled lightly. "I came to see what all the commotion was about. It's quite lively!"
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Tatsuya Akimichi assassinated Toro, the leader of the Cloud Village delegation, and openly resisted arrest. He is now a rogue ninja of Konoha!"
Hearing this, Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged, and he still spoke in a relaxed manner, "Confirming someone as a rogue ninja is something the old man has to decide! Root doesn't have that authority."
Danzo remained silent, his eyes fixed on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru ignored him, turning his head to look at the unconscious Yamato in Tatsuya's hand, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.
By now, Yamato's cat-face mask had fallen off, and Orochimaru instantly recognized him.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Orochimaru's mind. Many things he had previously been uncertain about were now completely clear.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
Amidst this silent standoff, the continuous sound of breaking wind came from the outer wall.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived with a group of ANBU Black Ops under his direct command!
Fugaku Uchiha arrived with a group of elite members of his clan!
Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga arrived!
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio of the three families arrived together!
In a short time, many of Konoha's elite had gathered at the village gate.
Standing on the outer wall, looking at Orochimaru and Tatsuya standing on Seiryu's head, and the devastated landscape outside the village, everyone's gazes were different.
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