Konoha Notes

Chapter 451 Farewell to the Gods

As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped into the area where everything had been wiped away by Dust Release, Darui's voice came from behind.

"Third Hokage, this is not part of our plan."

"The plans have changed."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't turn around; he just looked at the snow ninja using Dust Release, who was retreating back to the Snow Country's camp.

Then, two more people stepped out from the Snow Ninja's group, also wrapped up tightly, with only their eyes showing.

The three of them stood together.

The coffin rose from the shadow beneath their feet, swallowing the three of them, before the coffin itself sank into the ground.

The whole process was very quiet.

Orochimaru stepped forward at that moment, tearing off the official's robes as he walked.

“That was a wise decision, Sarutobi-sensei.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly looked at him, and after Orochimaru appeared ready, he raised his right hand and pressed a huge shuriken behind his back.

Immediately afterwards, the Third Hokage threw the shuriken.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

One multiplied into seven, simultaneously enveloping the area where Orochimaru was located.

Orochimaru threw the same shuriken in almost the same posture and with the same hand seal.

Metal collides with metal in mid-air, and the sparks burst forth like fleeting fireworks.

Under the cover of chaos, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already completed his second technique.

The moment the white smoke exploded, the burly figure of the Monkey King appeared, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a jet-black Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic staff) and fell into the hands of the Third Hokage.

Almost at the same moment, Orochimaru opened his mouth and spat out the Kusanagi sword.

He gripped the hilt of the sword.

The distance between the two disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The two weapons, both renowned for their hardness, clashed. Orochimaru slid back half a step, his boots carving two shallow grooves into the gravel.

The Ruyi Jingu Bang swept horizontally, aiming for the waist and abdomen. Orochimaru parried with his sword, the blade rubbing against the staff producing a piercing screech and sparks flying.

The third and fourth blows.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed forward relentlessly, while Orochimaru defended with the Kusanagi Sword, occasionally switching from defense to offense, always managing to find the most tricky angle to thrust out with the tip of the sword.

His smile became increasingly pronounced during the exchange.

"That's really surprising, Sarutobi-sensei."

"In the years since you retired, your body has deteriorated at a much slower rate."

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent. Suddenly, he twisted his wrist, and the head of his Vajra Staff extended as if it were alive, transforming into a deadly black light that pierced Orochimaru's throat!

Orochimaru narrowly dodged to the side, feeling the force of the wind as the tip of the staff swept past his hair. He then swiftly slashed upwards along the staff with his Kusanagi sword, the blade aimed directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers gripping the staff.

Just as the blade was about to touch the skin, an eye suddenly opened on the shaft of the Vajra Ruyi Staff.

Immediately afterwards, a large hand emerged from the staff and gripped Orochimaru's neck.

"You won't have another chance, Orochimaru."

The ape demon's voice came from the staff.

He applied force with his hand.

Orochimaru's struggles suddenly stopped. The next second, his body turned into a puddle of dark yellow mud, slipped through the gaps between Enma's fingers, fell to the ground, and quickly seeped into the sand and gravel.

A few meters away, Orochimaru's figure rose from the ground.

Yin - Si - Xu - Chen.

He formed hand seals with fluid, graceful movements.

A coffin rises, and Tobirama Senju emerges.

Although he had expected it, he still couldn't help but be stunned when he actually saw the teacher's face.

"I've been tormented by the position of Hokage for so long..."

Orochimaru's voice drifted over, carrying a cheerful tone at the end.

"Sarutobi-sensei, you've finally regained some of your former self."

Just then, Orochimaru's gaze passed over Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder and landed further back. The ninjas from the Joint Affairs Bureau watched the battlefield nervously, and to their side and slightly in front, Shuji had quietly taken his place next to Darui.

Upon seeing Shuuji appear, Orochimaru's smile deepened.

"Unfortunately, the person who replaced you is also beginning to suffer greatly."

Payne's figure also appeared in front of Akatsuki's camp.

He continued to look at Xiu Si, as if the master-disciple duel before him was merely a stage backdrop.

"In the past, such boring fooling around wouldn't have been approved by Shuji-kun, right?"

"Shuji, who always solves problems in the most decisive way, is now forced to choose this time-consuming, laborious, and compromising method to deal with the enemy."

Orochimaru tilted his head, his dim eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

"Will it be painful? Will I feel myself becoming hesitant, slow...bound by those insignificant things?"

"He's becoming more and more like Sarutobi-sensei from back then."

Shuji did not answer.

Orochimaru, however, continued speaking to himself.

"If you had chosen my side back then, you would have progressed much faster and seen much further. Those things that were holding you back could have..."

“I failed to make you appreciate the true weight and meaning of the word ‘comrade’,” Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him. “It is my dereliction of duty as a teacher.”

As he spoke, he began to form hand seals.

Just then, Tobirama Senju's body moved.

The kunai flew out of his hand, accompanied by the Second Hokage's warning:
"Watch out, monkey! Orochimaru's Edo Tensei technique this time is extremely precise!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand seals didn't stop. He dodged the flying kunai, but his gaze met Tobirama Senju's in that instant.

Orochimaru watched this scene with amusement.

"I feel like I've reached the limit of what I can achieve through hard work and protection, right, Shuji-kun?"

"There is a higher level in this world."

"And when bound by outdated ideas, it is impossible to break through that boundary."

"Xiao has already mastered the power to overturn the existing world order. To control, or rather, to suppress this power, we must steer it in a more interesting direction..."

His gaze was fixed on Xiu Si.

"Only if you join in will it work."

"I imagine even Nagato would welcome this."

Pain spoke coldly, his voice flat and emotionless: "Don't do anything unnecessary, Orochimaru. Your mission this time is to fight and win."

In the midst of the battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi created a shadow clone. The main body and the clone simultaneously formed hand seals, one exhaling a swirling vortex of air, and the other exhaling a roaring fire dragon.

Tobirama Senju quickly formed two hand seals.

"Water Escape·Water Formation Wall!"

Water Release and Fire Release clashed in mid-air, and billowing white mist instantly filled the air.

Tobirama Senju appeared instantly behind the Third Hokage.

The ape demon nimbly blocked the attack.

The Third Hokage and his teacher's reanimated form faced each other at this moment. Tobirama Senju's lips moved very slightly, without making a sound, but the shape of his mouth was clear:

—To interfere with him.

The Enma immediately detached from its staff form, transforming into its giant ape form, its arms embracing Tobirama Senju like iron hoops. Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi charged out of the fog, his hand seals having changed. However, just as he was about to break free of the dense fog, Tobirama Senju's figure reappeared before him once more.

Orochimaru formed the Unknown Hand Seal and stood at the edge of the mist.

He said, "I am very aware of the dangers of forbidden techniques, Sarutobi-sensei."

"After all, you have repeatedly given me this instruction."

"So, I've tested this technique many times."

"I have also carefully considered the potential problems that the high intensity of the offerings might bring."

The fog began to dissipate.

It wasn't that he broke free from the Enma's restraints. Because at the same time, the Enma's roar came—and the "Senju Tobirama" he was holding vanished into white smoke with a bang.

It's a shadow clone.

The giant ape was rushing out from the depths of the mist, but Tobirama Senju had already created a shadow clone to block its path.

Meanwhile, the real Tobirama Senju plunged one hand into his own body, slowly pulling out an explosive tag. Then came the second, the third… the tags stacked in his hand.

Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on Shuji.

"Shall we surrender on behalf of Sarutobi-sensei, Shuji-kun?"

His voice was soft, yet carried a hint of playful provocation.

"But once we leave the competition venue, killing members of the organization won't be so easy."

Shuji finally made a move.

He took a step forward.

The next second, the air around Shuji distorted almost imperceptibly—another Shuji appeared without warning in front of where he had just been standing, as if stepping out of a mirror.

At the same time, Uchiha Shisui appeared beside that Shuji.

Payne's figure moved at the same moment.

"Are you going to break the agreement we just made?"

Shuji did not answer Payne's question.

He looked at Orochimaru.

The moment Orochimaru saw Shisui, his hands were already forming hand seals again. Two coffins rose from the ground, blocking his way.

The coffin lid slipped off.

The second-generation Tsuchikage is gone.

Second Generation Mizukage Hozuki Gengetsu.

Seeing this, Shuji walked towards Nagato.

The ninjas from the Joint Affairs Bureau also moved. Darui placed his hand on the hilt of his sword on his back, and the Jonin from Iwagakure and Sunagakure spread out into formation, their chakra fluctuations beginning to intertwine in the air.

Similarly, Sasori's voice came from Akatsuki's camp. The voice, coming through Hiruko's body, sounded dull and suppressed: "We wasted so much time, and this is still the result."

Hiruko has already assumed a fighting stance.

Just as Uchiha Shisui appeared, the Third Hokage abandoned his original plan to interrupt Tobirama Senju and instead chose to intercept Tobirama's actions.

At the same time, the still water stirred.

His figure disappeared from the spot, and when he reappeared, he was already in front of Tobirama Senju.

When the windmill in his eyes began to turn, time seemed to slow down.

The crashing of waves against the rocks was drawn out into a slow sigh, and the rustling of the wind through the sand and gravel became viscous. For a moment, everyone on the battlefield froze, as if sinking into deep water.

Tobirama Senju's hand, which was about to form a hand seal, froze in mid-air.

The neatly stacked explosive tags slipped from his fingers, drifting and dispersing, turning to ashes and vanishing before even hitting the ground.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had a change in his eyes.

The hollow silence receded like the tide, and the sharp light belonging to the Second Hokage, known for his wisdom and severity, was rekindled in his red pupils.

The light was first confused, then enlightened, and finally settled into a profound calm.

Orochimaru's expression changed as he sensed the control binding Tobirama Senju was crumbling at an alarming rate.

It was not destroyed, nor was it broken free.

Instead, it is covered, rewritten, and redefined by some higher-dimensional force. It's like a painting being painted with new paint; the original lines are still there, but they have lost their meaning.

He immediately began to dispel the Impure World Reincarnation technique. His hands formed hand seals with lightning speed, and chakra surged forth like a tidal wave, attempting to forcibly reclaim control over everyone.

At the same time, fragments began to float from the bodies of the second-generation Kage, including Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, a sign that their Edo Tensei bodies were beginning to disintegrate.

however--

Having regained his senses, Tobirama Senju simultaneously formed hand seals.

His movements were faster and more precise than Orochimaru's.

"Impure World Reincarnation - Release".

There was no light, no loud noise.

The body of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, solidified once more. The scattered debris flowed back as if reversed, and the cracks in his body healed at a visible speed. He stood there, slowly lowering his hand seals, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield before finally settling on Orochimaru.

He gained full autonomy.

Orochimaru's finger paused halfway, then slowly lowered. A helpless smile appeared on his face, a smile mixed with regret and admiration.

"Is this your plan, Shuji-kun?"

He looked at Xiuji in the distance, his voice betraying neither frustration nor admiration.

Shuji stopped in his tracks.

He stood five steps away from Pain, a distance that was too close for a ninja but too far for negotiation.

He calmly replied, "That wasn't originally the case."

Payne had already raised his hand, palm facing Shuuji.

However, Shuji's wooden clone pulled out the scroll from his robes. Without hesitation, he flicked his arm, and the scroll flew in an arc toward Nagato.

Payne caught the scroll. The instant his fingers touched the surface of the scroll, his movements paused almost imperceptibly, as if confirming something.

Shuji's true form watched as Payne caught the scroll.

"If the agreed rules are broken, then let this be the price."

Nagato gripped the scroll, his Rinnegan fixed on Shuji.

"What does it mean?"

"Our breach of contract is now closed," Shuji said. "Now it's your turn."

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Orochimaru before returning to Pain.

"Orochimaru actually participated in two matches, is that correct?"

"If neither side can adhere to the rules in all subsequent matches, then there is no point in continuing."

After a long while, Payne slowly lowered his raised hand.

He said nothing, simply turned and walked towards Xiao's camp. The hem of his black robe with red clouds brushed against the sand and gravel, leaving no footprints.

Orochimaru watched this scene, chuckled softly, and also chose to leave.

Scorpion and Hiruko exchanged a glance and silently turned to leave.

The ninjas from the Land of Snow quickly followed and left.

Tobirama Senju surveyed the entire area, looking at the young man named Shuuji. He immediately recognized him as the one who could make the decisions.

So he asked, "Are we just going to let them leave like this?"

Shuji said, "Unless we can get the Rinnegan faster than the enemy, it's best for Nagato to have the Rinnegan for now."

(End of this chapter)