Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 261 Emergency Alert!
At this moment, the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building was still brightly lit, filled with a stuffy atmosphere that seemed out of place with the silence outside the window.

The files were piled up like a mountain, messily occupying most of the large desk, and some had even fallen to the floor.

The scrolls and papers—some already reviewed, some pending processing, some urgently encrypted—were all mixed together, a sight that was truly daunting.

Jiraiya, who is temporarily acting as the Hokage, is sitting at his desk.

He was practically buried in a pile of documents, his eyes were heavily puffed up, and his once bright eyes were now bloodshot and dark-circled, as if he had been punched twice.

His hair was pulled into a mess, and stubble had sprouted on his chin. He looked completely exhausted and worn out.

"Aha!"

He yawned weakly, tears welling up in his eyes.

The pen in his hand poked at a scroll in front of him, requesting supplies for a border outpost. The words on it began to dance in his blurry vision.

Finally, my patience reached its limit.

"Ahhhhh!!"

He abruptly threw down his pen, frantically scratching his white hair with both hands, letting out a desperate howl: "When will the old man finally come back?"

"When will this endless, dreary existence finally end?!"

"Sure enough, I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and agreed to his request. I should have continued my field research trip and dedicated myself to the great cause of literature, instead of staying here dealing with these damned..."

Snapped!
A crisp sound interrupted his wailing.

A not-too-thick scroll of documents flew over precisely and landed squarely on his face.

Jiraiya's complaints came to an abrupt halt. He reluctantly removed the documents from his face and turned to look at the other side of the office.

On the large sofa, Tsunade sat up lazily, her long golden hair draped loosely over her shoulders, her eyes still sleepy, and her face showing annoyance at being woken up.

Clearly, that document was the one she used to cover her face while taking a nap.

"What's all the noise about?" she said irritably, then stretched, her loose top outlining a breathtaking silhouette with the movement.

This incredibly impactful scene instantly dispelled most of Jiraiya's drowsiness. His eyes widened suddenly, and he subconsciously swallowed.

But the next second, Tsunade's murderous gaze swept over them, and she said, "If you look again, I'll gouge your eyes out."

"Ahem! Um..."

Jiraiya immediately looked away as if he'd been electrocuted, coughed awkwardly twice, and forcibly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, the Daimyo Prefecture is urging us again."

"They're asking us to send more people, and it seems they even want you or me to go there in person. How should we respond?"

The Daimyo had no idea that Tsunade was suffering from hemophobia, otherwise he wouldn't have pinned his hopes on her.

"Didn't we already send Asuma over there, along with Uzuki Yugao and several Anbu ninjas?"

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's delicate brows furrowed immediately, and she said with displeasure, "This setup is sufficient to handle most emergencies. Does the Daimyo lack guards? Why are you urging me on and on?"

“He said ‘not enough.’” Jiraiya said helplessly, spreading his hands. “The increasing number of ‘Hollows’ is making the Daimyo and the others even more nervous.”

Upon hearing this, Tsunade instinctively clenched her fists, but she still took a deep breath and kept telling herself that it was a Daimyo, forcibly suppressing her displeasure.

"Troublesome..." She rubbed her temples in frustration and frowned. "Don't rush to reply. Be tactful and stall for time until the old man comes back and handles this mess himself!"

"Oh, right."

As if she had thought of something, she looked at Jiraiya and asked, "What were you trying to do by having me secretly ask you to access all the files of registered village ninjas with blue eyes a few days ago, without those two old guys knowing?"

"..."

Jiraiya's expression instantly became somewhat unnatural. His eyes darted around for a moment, and he waved his hand vaguely, "Nothing, just... checking casually."

Tsunade initially thought he had discovered some spy, but seeing his obviously guilty look, she instantly realized what was going on.

Her expression darkened slightly, and she asked, "Could it be that Mount Myōboku has given you some kind of mystical prophecy again?"

Jiraiya's lips moved, but he ultimately remained silent, instinctively avoiding Tsunade's gaze. This silence was tantamount to acquiescence.

He was searching for the prophesied child mentioned by the Great Toad Immortal, but he found nothing.

The only thing that bothered him was Minato's child, the child named Naruto Uzumaki.

"You!" Tsunade was immediately furious, as if she wanted to scold him for being led by the nose by those vague prophecies again, wasting his own energy and the village's manpower and resources.

However, just as she was about to speak...

Swish!
A figure appeared in the center of the office, kneeling on one knee like a ghost!

The newcomer was dressed in standard Konoha ANBU attire, wearing an animal mask, but his breathing was slightly rapid, revealing an undisguised panic.

The sudden intruder made Tsunade swallow back the words she was about to say, and she and Jiraiya focused their attention on the ANBU ninja.

"Lord Jiraiya! Lady Tsunade!"

The ANBU ninja took a deep breath and reported urgently, "Just now, an emergency occurred at the Forbidden Techniques Library. One of the Seven Deadly Sins, 'Wrath,' which was tightly sealed away!"

"It broke through the barrier seal on its own and flew away from the forbidden magic library!"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's eyes widened, and he abruptly stood up from his chair.

"What did you say?!"

His tired face, worn from staying up all night, was instantly replaced by shock and disbelief. His drowsiness vanished, and he even wondered if he was hallucinating from exhaustion.

The sealed ninja tools broke through the barrier and flew away?!
"Absolutely true!" the ANBU ninja said rapidly, "We saw it break through the seal and fly away, heading towards..."

hum! !

Before he could finish speaking, a burning sensation, seemingly originating from the depths of his soul, surged forth from afar.

Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions changed drastically almost simultaneously, and they both abruptly turned their heads to look out the window.

In the southeast direction of Konoha Village, at the location of the Hyuga clan's settlement.

A pillar of light, composed entirely of golden flames, fiercely tore through the last vestiges of darkness before dawn. So dazzling, so sacred, it illuminated half of Konoha as if it were daytime!

Even the statues on the distant Hokage Rock were bathed in a flowing golden glow!

"What is that?" Tsunade's pupils contracted.

"Is that the direction the Hyuga clan is heading?"

Jiraiya stared intently at the golden pillar of light, speculating, "Is this the power of 'Wrath'? Could it be that someone has gained the approval of 'Wrath'?"

Why, why would someone suddenly gain recognition for 'anger'?

What happened to the Hyuga clan?
Considering the unusually quiet behavior of "Root" and Shimura Danzo recently, a chilling thought crept into their minds, and a strong sense of unease and even fear welled up in their hearts.

"Quickly!" Tsunade said in a deep voice, "Immediately send someone to the Hyuga clan to inquire..."

boom! !

Her words were interrupted again.

A faint humming sound came from the windowpane, and the water in the teacup on the table began to shake violently!
Looking into the distance, one could see several thick, black columns of smoke, mixed with flames, shooting into the sky and quickly staining the sky that had just begun to lighten.

A dark, dense flock of birds appeared in the sky above Konoha.

"An enemy attack?!" Jiraiya and the other man's expressions changed, and they exclaimed in unison.

That direction is...

Barrier Class!
"Emergency alert!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiraiya ordered, "Third stage!"

(End of this chapter)