"Bring back Nawaki and Dan?"
When she heard those words, Tsunade looked up at Orochimaru. A flicker of confusion passed through her eyes as memories of Nawaki and Katō Dan began surfacing in her mind.
Nawaki was her younger brother and Orochimaru's first student.
As the grandson of the First Hokage, Nawaki had inherited his grandfather's talent and his warm, sunny personality. If he had been allowed to grow up normally, he would have easily earned the rank of elite jōnin.
But during the Second Great Ninja War…
Nawaki, on his very first mission outside the village, had triggered a trap set with explosive tags. He was engulfed in flames instantly, even Orochimaru didn't have time to save him.
As for Dan Katō, he had been an outstanding jōnin of the village and Tsunade's former lover. On the day he died from severe injuries inflicted by the enemy, Tsunade developed her hemophobia.
If Orochimaru truly had the ability to bring Nawaki and Dan back to life...
Tsunade didn't dare think any further. She was afraid that she might actually agree to Orochimaru's proposal. Forcing the thought from her mind, she steadied herself and said sternly:
"The dead are already gone. I won't allow you to disturb their rest."
Orochimaru blinked in brief surprise, then tilted his head and said with some confusion, "I thought you might agree to work with me. I miss Nawaki too, after all… but it seems his sister isn't willing to let him return."
Tsunade's expression darkened. She clenched her fists, cracking her knuckles, then said coldly, "Don't you dare mention Nawaki or Dan again. I'm not accepting your offer. And if it's a fight you're after, I won't turn you down!"
She hoped to scare Orochimaru off and avoid a direct confrontation. Since developing her hemophobia, her strength had significantly declined. Though she was still stronger than most shinobi, Orochimaru was clearly among the top tier.
Even in her prime, she wouldn't necessarily have beaten him. But Orochimaru wasn't the least bit fazed by the threat. He chuckled and said, "Maybe I would've been cautious in the past… but now that you've got hemophobia, can you still fight like you used to? Why don't you just come with me quietly and help me research the First Hokage's cells?!"
With those words, Orochimaru struck first. Hidden Shadow Snake Hands shot from his sleeve, lashing toward Tsunade's face at high speed.
Tsunade dodged cleanly, vanishing from sight, only to reappear behind him a moment later and smash a punch straight into his back.
Boom!
Orochimaru was hit squarely by a monstrous blow.
The impact was like a freight train at full speed. The instant it connected, Orochimaru's body collapsed into a puddle of boneless flesh, slumping to the ground in a mess of blood and tissue.
Looking down at the gore on the ground, Tsunade felt her stomach churn with revulsion.
The hemophobia she'd been keeping under control began to awaken. Her eyes spun, her vision tilted, and her body wobbled, unable to keep its balance.
Seeing this, Orochimaru emerged from the shadows and released two small snakes toward her.
He could tell something was off with Tsunade as she might be succumbing to her phobia. But who was to say she hadn't been faking all these years?
The snakes bared their fangs and sank them into her, leaving four bloody punctures and injecting their venom.
Orochimaru glowered. He still couldn't be sure whether Tsunade had been faking her condition. The venom on these snakes was potent, but it shouldn't pose a serious threat to her.
Ten seconds passed, then twenty. Tsunade's face visibly darkened.
Orochimaru grew more suspicious.
Could Tsunade really have hemophobia? Could a medical-nin truly be afraid of blood?
Shoving those thoughts aside, Orochimaru slowly stepped toward her. He didn't yet know what to do with her.
He had attacked Tsunade for her medical expertise, he wanted to speed up his research into Hashirama's cells. But in truth, he didn't need her help at all.
This attack on Tsunade was only to fulfill a part of his deal with Danzō.
And that was the real issue; he was already close to subduing Tsunade, yet Danzō still hadn't shown up. Was he really supposed to push her to the brink before Danzō made his move?
To buy more time, Orochimaru said, "Tsunade… it seems the rumors were true. You really are terrified of blood. I'll give you one last chance: Either cooperate with me, or keep resisting and die here. You still have a future ahead of you. Who knows, you might become the Fifth Hokage of the village…"
Tsunade slowly recovered from her hemophobia, and stared at Orochimaru.
"There's nothing to discuss between me and someone like you," she said coldly. "If you want a fight, I'll give you one any time."
---
While Orochimaru was fighting Tsunade, Danzō and his loyal subordinates were on their way to the rendezvous point.
But halfway there, he encountered Jiraiya, who was rushing over to aid Tsunade. Danzō's face twisted, and he immediately ordered Shisui to attack Jiraiya.
If Jiraiya made it to the battlefield, the three Sannin would undoubtedly clash again.
The fight might not lead to any deaths, but it would completely ruin Danzō's scheme to win public favor.
Right now, the top priority was to stop Jiraiya, so Danzō could reach Orochimaru and deal with Tsunade himself.
After splitting the team, Danzō quickened his pace, soon turning into a black blur that vanished into the shadows of the forest.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the masked Shisui intercepted Jiraiya.
Jiraiya noticed the figure blocking his path. The man wore an animal mask and was completely cloaked in black, making it impossible to identify him with the naked eye. Remembering Shizune's earlier distress call, Jiraiya's expression darkened.
Ever since the Third Hokage passed away, the ninja world had become infested with small-time troublemakers. Not only had some begun encroaching upon Konoha's territory, but now they were bold enough to attack one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade.
Tsunade was no longer who she used to be. Since developing hemophobia, her strength had taken a drastic plunge.
If he didn't step in, something might really happen to her. But more than anything, Jiraiya wanted to find out who the attacker was.
With that thought, he formed hand seals and unleashed the Wild Lion's Mane Technique. His soft hair hardened under the influence of chakra, lashing toward Shisui like a spear.
Shisui remained expressionless as he activated his own jutsu, entering a combat stance.
He had always wanted to test himself against one of the famed Sannin, and now he finally had his chance.
When Jiraiya saw his initial attack fail, he frowned.
This mysterious shinobi was strong, strong enough to stand toe to toe with him. But what was his goal?
Gathering chakra in his throat, Jiraiya formed seals and shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Jiraiya was a master of Fire Style, wielding some of its most powerful techniques. Faced with that level of power, even Shisui had no choice but to avoid it temporarily.
After dodging the flames, Shisui drew a short sword from under his cloak and launched a counterattack.
His movements were incredibly fast, leaving afterimages in the air, classic Body Flicker Technique. At that speed, it looked almost like teleportation.
Jiraiya used his iron-hard hair to block Shisui's blade, but he was always half a step behind. He could only defend, unable to land a meaningful strike.
But as the battle dragged on, Jiraiya began to sense something off.
Though the masked ninja said nothing, his fighting style was unmistakably similar to that of the Uchiha clan. That raised suspicions in Jiraiya's mind.
But there was only one Uchiha left in the village now.
Sasuke had stood out during the Chūnin Exams, but he couldn't possibly be the one holding his own in a battle like this. No, this couldn't be Sasuke.
That's when another name popped into Jiraiya's head.
The S-rank rogue ninja who had annihilated the Uchiha clan and left Sasuke an orphan, Itachi Uchiha. If this was Itachi, then it would make sense why the fight was so evenly matched.
His guard rising, Jiraiya quickly summoned Gamabunta, along with the elder toads Fukasaku and Shima.
Gamabunta would help buy time while Fukasaku and Shima gathered nature energy for him to enter Sage Mode.
Shisui glanced between Jiraiya and the incoming Gamabunta, then charged forward to engage the massive toad.
Gamabunta was a formidable fighter, at least at the level of an elite jōnin.
Thanks to his massive body and agile combat skills, he could even go head-to-head with a tailed beast for a short period of time, this was part of Jiraiya's strength as one of the Sannin.
The power of the Sannin wasn't just in their individual abilities, but also in their contracts with the three great summoning realms. On the surface, Konoha seemed to have only the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki capable of changing the tide of war, but in truth, each of the Sannin had that power.
Even so, Gamabunta wasn't quite enough to keep up with Shisui.
Shisui's arsenal included Wood Style, Sharingan genjutsu, and Susanoo, all of which could easily suppress Gamabunta. However, he couldn't risk revealing the Wood Style or Susanoo just yet, so he opted to use genjutsu through his Sharingan.
His eyes glowed with an eerie red light, and the illusion technique hit Gamabunta.
Gamabunta's chakra reserves were immense, so controlling him wasn't easy. Shisui managed to trap him in the illusion, but manipulating him in the short term was another matter entirely.
Jiraiya noticed this and urged Fukasaku and Shima to hurry up and gather the natural energy.
Fukasaku gave him a sideways glance and grumbled, "Quit rushing us, Jiraiya-boy. Gathering nature energy takes time. We'll let you know when it's ready."
"But in the meantime, you wanna explain what the hell is going on?"
Shima also looked over, clearly curious about Jiraiya's motives.
Jiraiya let out a soft sigh. "I suspect Orochimaru has returned, with Itachi Uchiha. If we don't deal with him soon, Tsunade could be in real danger."
As he spoke, Fukasaku and Shima finished gathering enough energy, allowing Jiraiya to enter Sage Mode. Pigment marks spread across his face, and a distinct change took place in his eyes.
Sage Mode- the proper way to wield nature energy.
By blending chakra with nature energy in a one-to-one ratio, the user could unleash destructive sage techniques, overwhelming their opponent with sheer power.
Once in Sage Mode, Jiraiya's speed, strength, and chakra all saw a dramatic increase.
Shisui also noticed the change in Jiraiya and immediately grew more alert. Jiraiya's current state was strange, undeniably powerful.
This had to be the so-called Sage Mode.
Shisui wasn't unfamiliar with Sage Mode. He remembered that the Akatsuki base had long been researching the Cursed Seal technique. When pushed to its limits, the Cursed Seal could produce effects similar to Sage Mode.
The First Hokage, who once ended the Warring States period, had also mastered Sage Mode.
However, Jiraiya clearly couldn't be compared to the First Hokage. Even with Sage Mode, at best he could suppress Shisui temporarily, but defeating him outright would be difficult.
Jiraiya's goal was clear: use Sage Mode to pressure Shisui and find an opening to support Tsunade.
"Sage Art: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
Standing beside Gamabunta, Jiraiya finished weaving hand seals. Coordinating with Gamabunta's toad oil, they completed this devastating technique.
In an instant, flames lit up the sky, turning the surrounding darkness into blazing daylight.
The scorching heat twisted the air and devoured oxygen and life alike, reducing everything around them to scorched earth.
Shisui activated Susanoo to forcibly block the attack. Just as the jutsu ended, he dismissed Susanoo, revealing a clearly weakened state, but still standing in Jiraiya's path.
"I can't let you pass. Something important is happening over there!"
Breathing heavily, Shisui stood in front of Jiraiya. His mask was cracked and looked like it could shatter at any moment.
The next second, the mask indeed broke apart, revealing an exceptionally delicate and handsome face.
Jiraiya found the face familiar, but couldn't place it, until Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique again. That's when the realization hit him.
The ninja blocking his path was none other than Shisui Uchiha, who had been missing for years.
Why had he disappeared all those years ago? And why was he here now, standing in his way? These questions swirled in Jiraiya's mind.
And then he noticed something strange, there was some sort of genjutsu cast over Shisui, one that seemed to be manipulating his actions.
So a new question arose: who cast this illusion on Shisui, and for what purpose?
But thinking alone wouldn't yield the answer. If Jiraiya wanted to find out the truth, he'd have to defeat Shisui first.