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"Heh, why don't you try getting out of the Four Purple Flame Formation first?"
Danzo Shimura quickly wiped the expression off his face and let out a cold laugh.
But despite his words, he wasn't feeling too confident inside.
That was supposed to be the legendary Rinnegan!
How could it be real? Wasn't it just a myth? How could someone actually possess it?
It didn't make sense!
Even though he didn't know exactly what abilities the Rinnegan had, just looking at the way the Nine-Tails reacted was enough to send chills down his spine.
The beast, usually an unstoppable force, had turned into a scared little kitten after just one glance. It didn't even have the courage to resist.
And this was the Nine-Tails— the strongest of all the Tailed Beasts! Not even a seasoned Kage-level shinobi could defeat it alone.
But Ron had simply given it a look and said a few words, and it had retreated in fear.
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so? Well then, I guess I'll just step out now."
In a flash, he vanished from within the Four Purple Flame Formation and reappeared right in front of Danzo.
Without hesitation, he lifted his leg and kicked directly at him.
"Surprise, old dog! Didn't see that coming, huh? You really thought that weak-ass barrier could hold me?"
Danzo staggered but managed to steady himself. Staring at Ron, his expression finally broke.
He turned his head toward the shadows and shouted, "Orochimaru! What the hell are you waiting for? Do you still want those 'experiment materials' or not?!"
Orochimaru clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Danzo, I think we need to reconsider our partnership."
Leaning lazily against a tree at the edge of the forest, Orochimaru's golden eyes glowed with amusement.
Danzo shot him a cold glare before refocusing on Ron. "Everything I do is for Konoha!"
"If Konoha can regain Mokuton, we will return to the era of the First Hokage!"
Ron couldn't help but interrupt. "And who exactly will be controlling it?"
Danzo snorted. "Of course, I will—" He caught himself and scoffed. "Hmph, that has nothing to do with you!"
Mokuton was far too powerful. Obviously, it had to be under his control. He didn't trust anyone else with it!
He had dedicated his entire youth to Konoha, given his whole life to strengthening it.
Who else was more qualified than him to have it all?
After all, everything he did was for Konoha!
Ron shook his head. He had seen shameless people before, but this was on another level.
Actually, maybe not. He had heard Nick Fury was just as shameless. But since he hadn't met the guy in person, it was hard to compare.
Turning to Orochimaru, Ron smirked. "Orochimaru, why don't you ditch Danzo and work with me instead?"
"You want to research immortality, right? I can help you."
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed into slits as he stared at Ron. "What did you just say?"
"I don't care how you found out, but don't mess with me. Lying to me comes with consequences."
"Oh? Consequences?" Ron chuckled. "Forget it. Let's just fight first."
With a loud clap of his hands—Sage Body, activated!
Strange markings emerged across Ron's skin as his power skyrocketed. He felt a tinge of regret.
If he had known the Sage Body could boost his strength this much, he would've used it when he fought Abomination.
Damn, he had too many abilities and didn't even think to use this one.
On the other side, Tsunade, still struggling to stay awake, widened her hazy eyes.
"That... that's Grandpa's Sage Mode?! How does Ron know it?!"
Danzo's eyes also went wide.
First, the Rinnegan. He had heard rumors about its appearance in Amegakure but had been too focused on the Sharingan to care. He had only worked with Hanzo to eliminate one of the Rinnegan's users.
He never expected the Rinnegan to truly be the Sage of Six Paths' eyes.
And now, Sage Mode— and not just any Sage Mode, but the First Hokage's!
Who the hell was Ron Stark?!
How did he possess all these bloodline limits?!
If... if he could transplant them into himself…?
Danzo's burning ambition for Konoha momentarily blinded him to the fact that their power levels were on completely different scales.
His eyes shone with greed as he fixated on Ron.
It was the kind of look that made Ron's skin crawl.
The hell is wrong with this old bastard? Why's he looking at me like that?
Wait… wasn't there a rumor about him and Hiruzen Sarutobi being… a little too close?
Shit! No way!
Ron immediately decided—he had to take this guy out.
Slamming his hands together, he summoned—True Several Thousand Hands!
Orochimaru's face twisted in shock.
"Holy shit! You could do this all along?!" he screeched.
Without hesitation, he summoned a giant snake and immediately tried to burrow underground.
He didn't even want to fight—he just wanted to escape.
Ron grinned. Since they were going to be future partners, he had to establish dominance.
He had poured nearly all his energy into summoning this move, so of course, he had to let Orochimaru experience it firsthand.
One of the giant Buddha's hands descended.
It grabbed the entire section of land where Orochimaru was trying to escape.
Now, there was no ground left for him to burrow into.
No matter how much he struggled, he was trapped in Ron's grasp.
The scene reminded Ron of the story where Buddha trapped Sun Wukong in his palm.
Too bad Orochimaru was nowhere near as strong as Wukong. Otherwise, Ron would've smashed him with a staff already.
From inside the giant snake's body, Orochimaru felt the beast trembling uncontrollably.
Sighing, he finally climbed out of the snake's stomach.
Running was no longer an option.
Fine. He wouldn't run.
After all, he hadn't actually offended Ron.
And Ron had just offered to work with him.
Besides, if Ron really wanted to kill him, there was still Tsunade.
As Tsunade's… 'special someone,' if Ron wanted him dead, he'd at least have to consider her feelings, right?
Just thinking about having to work with someone as powerful as Ron in the future made him realize that his autonomy would likely shrink a lot.
It wouldn't be like working with Danzo, where he had full confidence.
After all, he knew Danzo's strength inside and out. Kill him? Not a chance, not even in his dreams.
But Ron? He couldn't be sure.
Emerging from the snake's belly, he found himself held in the palm of a hand. Orochimaru's bitter smile carried a hint of shock.
"I've always heard of the God of Shinobi's power, but today I finally got to experience it firsthand!"
"Senju Hashirama's strength isn't even on the same level as ordinary ninjas. Is he really just Kage-level?"
Standing atop the colossal True Several Thousand Hands, Ron chuckled. "Him? He should be considered beyond Kage-level."
"Beyond Kage-level?" Orochimaru muttered. "Yeah… that sounds about right."
As he was gently placed in front of Ron by the wooden hands, he didn't hesitate and jumped to his side.
He carefully examined Ron from head to toe, unable to hold back his amazement.
"I bet there aren't many people in history who have stood atop the legendary True Several Thousand Hands. Should I feel honored?"
Ron shook his head with a smile. "Don't underestimate yourself. Who knows? Maybe it won't be long before you can use True Several Thousand Hands too."
"That's a Kekkei Genkai. It's not that simpl—" Orochimaru suddenly froze mid-sentence.
The guy in front of him… wasn't he also capable of Wood Release?
And not just any Wood Release, but the same level as Senju Hashirama's!
Back when he was last in Konoha, Ron hadn't used this technique. If he had, the battle wouldn't have dragged on so long. The moment True Several Thousand Hands appeared, Konoha would have surrendered instantly.
So, everyone just assumed he had Wood Release but wasn't nearly as strong as Hashirama. Just like that failed experiment in Orochimaru's lab—the kid with an unstable Wood Release.
But now…
No wonder he was so shocked.
No wonder Danzo wouldn't dare lay a hand on Ron if he had known.
Staring at Ron in disbelief, Orochimaru asked, "You can really give others the ability to use Wood Release?"
While controlling True Several Thousand Hands and smashing Danzo's entire Root division to death, Ron casually responded.
"It's not me who can do it—it's you. I'll help with the research, but you'll be the main scientist."
"You want immortality, right? I can't make you live forever, but I can extend your lifespan by a thousand years, no problem."
"So? Want to work with me? The benefits are massive!"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at that line. If Tsunade weren't there, he might have suspected Ron had some… ulterior motives.
Still, Ron's words made his blood boil with excitement.
There was no reason for Ron to lie, which meant he truly had the means to give him a thousand-year lifespan!
This… What's there to think about?
He nodded firmly. "Alright! I'm in!"
"Hahaha!" Ron laughed heartily. "Good! Once I'm done with Konoha, we'll discuss the details of our partnership."
If Danzo had the guts to ambush him, there was no way Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know about it.
The Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki was Sarutobi's most treasured asset, and now she had been released. If he still claimed ignorance, he might as well step down as Hokage.
"Damn it! I went too easy on them last time! Now they're forcing me to bring out the big guns and take a stroll through Konoha!"
Ron cursed, then waved his hand. True Several Thousand Hands slammed down, turning Danzo—who was in the middle of casting a jutsu—into a pile of meat paste.
Dismissing the massive wooden construct, Ron walked over, pulled out a sealing scroll, and stored away Danzo's and the Root members' corpses.
Orochimaru watched the scene, furrowing his brows.
He had always thought fighting for the Hokage seat was a pointless waste of time.
Once you're dead, you're dead—nothing matters anymore. So what's the point of all the scheming?
His path was the right one. Even someone as powerful as Ron had come to him for collaboration.
Suddenly, he glanced at Tsunade and Kushina.
His tongue flicked out as he smirked meaningfully.
Then, he turned to Ron. "You guys take your time. I'll head back to Konoha and deal with a few things first. I'll wait for you there."
Before Ron could respond, Orochimaru summoned a massive snake, let it swallow him whole, and burrowed underground, vanishing without a trace.
Ron was momentarily stunned, but then he looked ahead.
Shizune was caught in the middle, with Tsunade and Kushina constantly bumping into her.
Ron's mouth twitched, then he stretched his waist and slowly walked towards them.
"....."