LIGHTNOVELONLINE Ch205- Secrets Spilled
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When the flames finally died down, nothing was left of Hidan but a smoldering scorch mark on the ground. Horyu stood over the remains, his expression unyielding. The Nara Jonin watched in stunned silence, their relief palpable.
"Thank you, Horyu-sama," one of them said, his voice shaking. "We couldn't have done it without you."
Horyu nodded, his gaze still fixed on the spot where Hidan had been. "No one is truly immortal," he said quietly. "Not when they face true power."
At this time, an explosion was heard a few kilometers away. The shape in the sky looked quite like Deidara himself. Horyu smirked and returned to the top of the barrier. Tobirama had engaged Deidara, and Horyu knew that even if Tobirama was destroyed in the explosion, his reanimated form would not be killed permanently. Instead, Horyu shifted his attention to the other battlefields.
With Hashirama's arrival, Tsunade's side gained an easy victory. The puppet master, Sasori, stood no chance against the combined might of the First Hokage and Tsunade’s medical expertise. Sasori's puppets lay scattered, destroyed by Hashirama's wood techniques, and Tsunade's powerful punches. Jiraiya, on the other hand, had just finished off Kakuzu. The battle was fierce, but Jiraiya's experience and mastery over three elements gave him the edge needed to defeat Kakuzu’s remaining hearts.
Horyu flickered towards Tsunade's location, finding her staring in disbelief at the figure of her grandfather. Hashirama's presence, commanding and warm, contrasted sharply with the chaos of the battlefield. He turned to Tsunade, a gentle smile breaking through his stern demeanor.
"Tsuna-chan," Hashirama greeted, his voice filled with warmth.
Tsunade's eyes widened, her usual tough exterior softened by the sight of her grandfather. "Grandfather?" she whispered, stepping closer, almost in disbelief. The battle around them seemed to fade as the two shared a moment of reunion.
Hashirama nodded. "It's me. Although not in the way I would have liked." His gaze shifted to Horyu, who stood a few paces away, observing the scene.
"Thank you," Hashirama said to Horyu, his voice filled with genuine gratitude. "You’ve done well to protect the village."
Horyu inclined his head slightly. "I only did what was necessary. We still have other threats to handle."
As the dust settled, Hashirama, Tsunade, and Horyu faced each other amidst the battlefield's ruins. Jiraiya and Tobirama appeared at this moment, with the latter's face a mix of confusion and realization.
"What is going on?" Hashirama asked, his tone both authoritative and curious. "Why is Konoha so scarce with shinobi? I feel bloodshed all around."
Tsunade sighed, stepping forward. "A year ago, four villages declared war on Konoha. The situation has only worsened. Recently, a mysterious figure has been impersonating Uchiha and kidnapping Jinchuriki, igniting the conflict further."
Tobirama snorted, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Horyu. "Uchiha... always at the center of chaos."
Hashirama intervened, placing a hand on Tobirama's shoulder. "Brother, this is not the time for old grudges. We need to understand the current situation and act."
Horyu looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya, his gaze steady and resolute. "Tsunade-sama, I will leave filling in the First and Second Hokage to you. Jiraiya-san, please come with me." His tone brooked no argument.
Tsunade nodded, her face a mask of determination, though beneath it lay a tumult of emotions. She was acutely aware of the gravity of the situation—how the fate of Konoha now hinged on the tenuous balance of power and perception. Her mind raced, considering how to approach her grandfather and granduncle, the legendary First and Second Hokage, now reanimated and standing before her.
Horyu, from Mito, knew Tsunade was in their plans. He also knew that Jiraiya was under Shisui's control, his loyalty subtly but irrevocably altered by the terrifying power of Kotoamatsukami. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, remained oblivious to the shift in his allegiance, unaware that his fierce loyalty to Shisui and the Uchiha clan was not his own. To him, it felt natural, a part of his core beliefs.
As Horyu turned to leave, Jiraiya hesitated, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. He glanced at Tsunade, then back at Horyu. "Tsunade, maybe I should stay here. You might need all the help you can get with the First and Second."
Tsunade shot him a sharp look, her eyes narrowing. "Jiraiya, go with Horyu. I can handle this."
Jiraiya's mind raced. He needed to delay the First and Second Hokage, to keep them occupied and prevent them from becoming another set of enemies Shisui had to face. But he couldn't reveal his true intentions. "I just think it would be better if—"
Horyu cut him off, his voice firm. "Jiraiya-san, we need to ensure the area is secure. This isn't up for debate."
The tension hung thick in the air. Jiraiya's loyalty to Shisui was a silent, invisible force guiding his actions, but he couldn't let on. Reluctantly, he said, "I will deal with Orochimaru." His plan was simple. He wanted to make Orochimaru cancel the Edo Tensei so the Hokages would return to the Pure Land, but what he didn't know was that Horyu had already freed both Hokages from Orochimaru's control and also from his summon. That was why Orochimaru had been helplessly thrown aside.
Horyu smiled, a knowing glint in his eye. "Go ahead," he said simply.
Jiraiya, masking his internal conflict, nodded and set off toward Orochimaru. Each step felt heavy, burdened by the web of deceit and manipulation he was ensnared in. He hoped that by dealing with Orochimaru, he could prevent the reanimated Hokages from becoming a threat to Shisui. But deep down, a part of him struggled with the idea of manipulating the very people he had once revered.
Meanwhile, Tsunade faced the daunting task of addressing her grandfather and granduncle. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Grandfather, Granduncle, Konoha is in a delicate situation. There's much you need to understand about our current reality."
Hashirama Senju looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Tsuna-chan, what has happened to our village?"
Tobirama Senju was more guarded, his sharp eyes scrutinizing her every move. "Explain everything, Tsuna. We need to know what we are dealing with."
Tsunade had no reservations when it came to her grandfather and granduncle, so she started to explain everything from the beginning. "About five years ago, Uzumaki Kushina, the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, was suddenly declared a traitor and was hunted by the Uchiha forces under the orders of the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Shisui. The strange thing was, Shisui was named Hokage by Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina's husband, but Uchiha Clan leader Fugaku Uchiha didn’t question the order. He took an army of Uchiha and attacked their house. In that battle, both the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina were killed, and later Fugaku died too. Before that, I didn’t know if anything was wrong with the village, but later I realized Shisui's rise to power was not as simple as it seemed. In search of answers, I started to study Uzumaki seals, and ended up in the ruins of Uzumaki Village."
At the mention of the Uzumaki ruins, both Hokage's eyes widened. "Uzumaki ruins?" they exclaimed in unison.
Tsunade heaved a heavy sigh, "I forgot you don’t know. At the twilight of Grandma's life, three big villages—Stone, Cloud, and Mist—decided the Uzumaki were too dangerous and attacked to destroy them."
Tobirama clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. "And Konoha didn’t help? Was Saru under that evil Uchiha's control?"
Hashirama’s face contorted with fury, his body trembling with barely contained rage. The Uzumaki were his wife's village, a brother clan to the Senju. "This is outrageous! The Uzumaki were our allies, our family!"
Tsunade shook her head, a sorrowful expression crossing her features. "No, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided with his own free will to watch the Uzumaki die. He believed it was in Konoha’s best interest to stay out of the conflict."
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