The Kumo-nin's will to survive was strong. Dodai ordered them to split into five groups to escape, each with over twenty people.
They fled east, northeast, north, northwest, and west. The further they were pursued, the more dispersed they became.
Yōkō did not hurry Hippo or Nara Kyoichi, allowing them to establish an interception line on the border of the Land of Fire and search and pursue separately.
He issued only one command: not a single Kumo-nin was to be spared.
Dodai himself was not important to Yōkō; he wanted to buy time, waiting for the next full moon night to make contact with the Evil God.
—
Kumogakure.
The roof of the Raikage Building suddenly exploded, and the Third Raikage stood wreathed in lightning.
"What did you say! Ryūjin is dead? Omoi is dead too?"
The intelligence ninja was hit by debris from the roof but dared not dodge.
"Y... yes, Lord Raikage! Lord Ryūjin was killed by Fox near the border of the Land of Fire. Lord Omoi was killed by Fox outside the capital city of the Land of Hot Water. Lord Dodai's whereabouts are unknown."
"Of the 500 Kumo-nin sent to the front lines, only just over 100 remain, struggling to survive in the Land of Hot Water."
"Most crucially, the Two-Tails, that calamitous giant beast, was also killed by Konoha's Fox."
"People kilometers away from the battlefield witnessed the fight. Fox mastered something similar to Senju Hashirama's Wood Release Giant, a construct over five hundred meters tall."
"Just like Senju Hashirama, Konoha's Fox is extremely adept at dealing with Tailed Beasts!"
The Third Raikage, unsatisfied with just destroying the roof, punched and sent the building's outer wall flying into pieces.
After the dust settled, the Third Raikage finally calmed down.
He saw Killer B.
On a distant platform, Killer B was holding a concert for the children of the ninja academy.
Though still a student, Killer B already had quite a few fans.
The Third Raikage issued orders: "Under no circumstances is Killer B allowed to leave the village!"
"Yes!"
"Dispatch more spies to Konoha to investigate this 'Fox'!"
"Yes!"
"With Omoi's sacrifice, convene a Jonin Commander meeting immediately to elect a new Foreign Affairs Advisor."
"Yes!"
"Dispatch support immediately to rescue Dodai!"
"Yes!"
—
Iwagakure.
Ōnoki saw the intelligence scroll and hurriedly asked his assistant, "Where are Han and the others now?"
"Lord Tsuchikage, Han and the others should be in the Land of Waterfalls by now."
"Good, good, good. Send messenger ninja immediately, order them to return to Iwagakure without a moment's delay. Especially Han, he must not linger outside," Ōnoki said. "Also, didn't Rōshi just submit a request to leave the village? Bring it to me."
"I will deny his request!"
"Starting today, Rōshi and Han are absolutely forbidden from leaving the village unless absolutely necessary."
"They can only participate in battles that do not involve Konoha, such as fights with Sunagakure or Kumogakure."
The assistant couldn't help but ask, "Lord Tsuchikage, is that Wood Release Giant really that powerful?"
Ōnoki frowned and said, "The Warring States Era ended for one reason only: Senju Hashirama and Madara were too strong."
"If they said one nation, one village, then it could only be one nation, one village."
"If they had said five nations, one village, then it would have been five nations, one village."
"If they said to distribute the Tailed Beasts, and Konoha didn't want too many, even if we lacked suitable sealing techniques at the time, we still had to receive them."
"During the negotiations, the First Tsuchikage argued his case before Senju Hashirama, but after seeing Hashirama come to deliver the Tailed Beasts, the First Lord was left with nothing but fear."
"I remember Hashirama's appearance clearly..."
Swallowing with difficulty, Ōnoki fell into memory.
The assistant, seeing the Tsuchikage seemed unsettled, waited obediently.
After a long while, Ōnoki said:
"At that time... Senju Hashirama stood atop a Wood Human, with one Wood Dragon restraining the Four-Tails and another restraining the Five-Tails."
"Those two Tailed Beasts were like two ninken being led by Hashirama."
"The two Tailed Beasts dared not do anything to Hashirama; they only dared to vent their dissatisfaction outwards."
"The Tailed Beasts' chakra raged, washing away the surrounding yellow earth in waves."
"Just by standing there, the one man and two beasts shaved meters off the surrounding mountain peaks."
"Do you know how shocking that sight was..."
After another moment, Ōnoki continued:
"So, if Konoha's Fox has replicated Senju Hashirama's Wood Release, then the threat of Tailed Beasts to Konoha is greatly reduced."
"Until we ascertain exactly what fraction of Hashirama's power this Fox possesses, we cannot let our Jinchūriki take risks lightly."
About ten minutes later.
Rōshi roughly slammed open the door to the Tsuchikage's office.
"Why won't you let me leave the village? What's wrong now? The Four-Tails wants to visit the northern volcanoes. Can I refuse him?"
Ōnoki glanced at the broken door latch and said:
"I know you can communicate with the Four-Tails now."
"Tell the Four-Tails to behave himself!"
"Konoha has replicated the First Hokage's Wood Release, that heaven-reaching, earth-piercing wooden Buddha hundreds of meters tall. He knows what that is. He knows what it means."
Rōshi was stunned. A voice suddenly arose in his heart.
"Rōshi, don't go, don't go. I'm not going to the volcanoes."
"Why not?"
"Ōnoki may be immoral, stunted, and a petty man, but he wouldn't joke about this."
"What he's talking about is likely Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands."
"That technique is too terrifying. Back then, I refused to submit. The result was that the five volcanoes I lived in were pummeled flat, I was beaten half to death, and then sealed away by Senju Hashirama."
"Pummeled five volcanoes flat?"
Rōshi said nothing more and turned to leave the Tsuchikage's office.
Ōnoki thought to himself, that willful (rèn xìng - willful/headstrong) fool Rōshi, having grown arrogant by flaunting his status as a Jinchūriki... but it seems the Four-Tails still has some sense.
However, thinking about how Kumogakure's Two-Tails was dead and they couldn't deploy their Jinchūriki on the battlefield for the next few years, Ōnoki's mood improved considerably.
Ōnoki pondered how he could get in touch with Uchiha Madara.
This Konoha-nin, Uchiha Madara, his reputation didn't match reality. It was said he dealt a heavy blow to Konoha, but it was as if he hadn't hurt them at all—Konoha was still this strong.
He immediately said to his assistant, "Send Anbu into Amegakure to find Uchiha Madara. Tell him Iwagakure is willing to cooperate with him to strike against Konoha."
—
Konoha Village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat listlessly behind his desk for a full week, his eyes vacant.
When people came for instructions or reports, Hiruzen acted as if nothing was wrong, handling village affairs.
But when alone, Hiruzen would have his assistants leave, remaining by himself in the empty Hokage's Office.
No matter how intense the sunlight streaming through the window behind him was, it couldn't dispel the icy chill from his body.
In the drawer to his left was a report scroll.
It was written by Orochimaru and brought back by him.
The exact words in the scroll were: 'Sarutobi Shinnosuke was too hasty. To ensure negotiations with the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, he sent Fox ahead of time to assassinate the abbot of the Fire Temple; Kumogakure and Iwagakure kicked us while we were down. Taking advantage of Konoha being heavily damaged by Uchiha Madara, they jointly dispatched Omoi, Ryūjin, Dodai, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han, Kitsuchi, and Pakura—six individuals—to ambush and kill Sarutobi Shinnosuke.'
'Orochimaru did his best. He used the First Hokage's ultimate defense secret technique, the Rashōmon, but still couldn't save Shinnosuke from the combined assault of those six.'
Putting himself in that situation, Hiruzen thought that even he himself wouldn't have been able to protect Shinnosuke from an ambush by those six.
The office was empty now. Hiruzen took out the scroll again and read it carefully, word by word.
He had already read this scroll no less than 200 times.
If he could, he would truly rather have died in Shinnosuke's place...
Shinnosuke, why were you so impatient?
If you hadn't sent Fox to assassinate the Fire Temple abbot, perhaps, with the combined protection of Fox and Orochimaru, you might have survived.
Just as Hiruzen was lost in his sorrow, the office door was suddenly thrown open.
His wife, Sarutobi Biwako, appeared.
Seeing Biwako's disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, the guilt in Hiruzen's heart reached its peak.
***
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(End of Chapter)