Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"Impossible! Wangchuan watched the Rope Tree grow up, how could she be wrong? If it's not there, keep looking for it! That brat.....(▼へ▼メ)"

Tsunade's eyes were already glistening with tears. Although her younger brother was rather dim-witted and often made her angry, he was still her own brother. Having experienced the deaths of so many loved ones, she didn't want to see her brother suffer again.

But even if someone is dead, at least you should see their body, right? The fact that she can't find either person alive or dead terrifies her even more...

"Actually... not finding Nawaki might not be such a bad thing. At least it proves Nawaki isn't dead. I think we should send the message back to the village to ask. If Nawaki is in the village, that's great, and it proves Wangchuan was wrong. If Nawaki isn't in the village, then there's only one possibility: someone knows Nawaki's identity and took him away. Either way, it proves Nawaki is alright. If they really took him, they must have some purpose, and they'll contact Konoha next. Instead of wasting our time here, we should go back and wait for news. After all, there are still many wounded to treat, and Tsunade... could we treat Danzo first? If we delay any longer, he really won't be able to hold on..."

Nara Shika glanced at Danzo at the Shimura clan's side and saw that Tsunade's ultimate zone mode was still intact. Even Sakumo would avoid Tsunade in this state, so it was obviously impossible for her to treat Danzo. But Danzo really couldn't die. After all, he was the Hokage's good friend. The fact that the Hokage mobilized the Uchiha clan and more than 10,000 people to protect him when defending the Land of Rain showed how high this "half-baked" guy's status was in the Hokage's heart. If the Hokage suffered a heartbreak, it would be very disadvantageous for Konoha, especially now that it was wartime.

Moreover, after hearing the Senju clan's report, he had another idea. To put it bluntly, the saying goes, "when someone dies, you should see their body." Since they couldn't find the body, if Nawaki really did sneak out, then he must have been taken away by someone. As for how the other party knew Nawaki's identity, he didn't know. However, since the other party didn't kill Nawaki but took him away, they must have something to ask for. It was only a matter of time before they contacted Konoha to make a deal.

So, we can put the matter of Nawaki aside for now. Danzo's injuries are the real problem. I just checked on him. The Sand Village ninja are truly beasts. Putting aside the injuries on Danzo's face, once they heal, he'll still be handsome except for the "S" on his forehead. What's most alarming is the damage to his body. Right now, Danzo is like a lump of rotten flesh, limp all over. The bloodstains on his anus are enough to spark endless speculation. I wonder what he went through to survive until now. Anyway, if he were to encounter something like that, he'd be better off dead...

"Danzo suffered multiple fractures throughout his body. We can only keep him alive for now. We won't have the equipment to treat him until we return to Konoha. I don't know what those bastards in the Sand Village did to him; they managed to torture him like this and he still isn't dead..."

After hearing Nara's reasoned analysis, Tsunade gradually withdrew from her ultimate zone mode. Thinking about it, it made sense. Konoha had also suffered heavy losses in this battle. Those with broken arms and legs were fine; they could retire with honor and be supported by the village for the rest of their lives. But there were a lot of people who had been poisoned. If they weren't treated in time, they would really die. Even a glorious retirement would be a luxury. That's how troublesome Sand Ninja puppeteers are. They couldn't let a group of their own people die for their brother, could they?

As for Danzo... one can only say he was destined to survive. Even her grandfather, with injuries of that severity, probably wouldn't have lasted more than half an hour, yet Danzo somehow created a medical miracle...

231. If I lose, I'll really get spat on.

The ICU ward of Konoha's Grand Hospital was filled with a hazy, enchanting smoke, like a fairyland. Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored the "No Smoking" sign on the wall, puffing away on his long pipe. He needed to rest and shouldn't be smoking, but ever since his best friend tricked him in the Land of Rain, he had been on edge every day. After all, several factions were joining forces against Konoha. Although he had been the leader for over twenty years, this was the first time he had experienced such a large-scale war with one against several factions. With Konoha's strength, even if his grandmother led the team, they could win without lifting a finger. So, winning this war was expected; if they lost, they would be the target of everyone's spitting.

As the Hokage who has served the longest since the Third Hokage and made the greatest contribution to Konoha, he will consider his historical status after Orochimaru matures a bit in a couple of years and hands over the position to him. If a war breaks out at this time, and something unexpected happens, even if the casualties are too great, his historical status will be greatly reduced even if he wins in the end!

Furthermore, his friend's betrayal has already begun to tarnish his historical standing. If the casualties in this Rain Country war are too high, surpassing the first generation to become the greatest of all time is out of the question; even avoiding being surpassed by future generations is a pipe dream...

While his own leader in the Land of Rain is formidable, the other side still has the Golden Lion. The key issue is that his best buddy refuses to return, and his right eyelid has been twitching incessantly these past few days, causing him considerable distress.

"Lord Hokage, cough cough... Lord Shikai has sent some information..."

At that moment, the door opened, and the underling from the secret service kicked him into the ward. He almost choked to death. He originally wanted to verbally relay the information, but in order to live a few more decades, he didn't say anything and just handed over the information in his hand.

"...Has Nawaki been doing missions with Orochimaru lately?"

After reading the intelligence, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked on in bewilderment and asked his ANBU subordinate, wondering why their Konoha leader wasn't concerned about his own health and wouldn't report on the war situation. His first question was whether Nawaki was in the village.

What are they trying to do?

Could it be that neither he nor Sakumo could protect him, and he wanted to see if Nawaki had awakened Wood Release and then go and take over the whole place?

That's too unrealistic!

Nawaki, the grandson of the First Hokage, knew Nawaki even better than his own sister Tsunade. From the moment Nawaki was born, he would look at Nawaki with his special crystal ball every night before going to sleep, only then could he sleep peacefully. This was the future of his Senju clan, and also the future of Konoha. If Nawaki awakened Wood Release, wow, he could lead Konoha to new heights for decades to come. Even if he couldn't awaken the First Hokage's Wood Release, how could the bloodline of the First Hokage and Lady Mito be anything less?

Look at Tsunade, she's been invincible among her peers since childhood, her iron fists have made her unbeatable throughout Konoha, even Sakumo has to show her respect... and now she's definitely a double-flower red stick.

So he also had high expectations for Rope Tree. It was like a scratch-off lottery ticket with a guaranteed double red stick. No matter what you scratched, you could only make a profit. It was addictive!

However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. I wonder if Brother Koma gave all his essence to Tsunade. Nawaki's talent is a bit... a hybrid. Tsunade could wield the Super Strength Fist with great power at the age of three, and her chakra control was perfect. But when it came to Nawaki, after a year of learning, he couldn't even break a brick.

However, it's also possible that this Nawaki is simply not suited for fist fighting. Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't disappointed, after all, the Senju clan has plenty of ninjutsu and sealing techniques. If he can't fight, he can be a great mage. The combination of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, even though there's a generation gap, still provides enough chakra and vitality to make him a good tank mage. He'll teach him Earth Release, and the Water Release techniques from the Second Hokage's sealing scrolls are enough for him to master.

As a result, Nawaki's talent in ninjutsu was not satisfactory. Although he was considered a genius for a commoner child, he was not as good as geniuses like Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Sakumo, or even Jiraiya after he had awakened his full potential. This frustrated Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he did not give up on the child. After all, there was still one last path to heaven!

Sealing Technique!

Grandma Mito is a Grandmaster. She can't play with fists, and she can't be a mage, but surely she can be a sealing master, right?

But unfortunately, this kid didn't inherit the First Hokage's talent, but he inherited his personality completely—brainless and hot-blooded. Asking him to calmly study those sealing techniques that even this ninja expert finds difficult is truly a challenge. He can spend two years showing you a single sealing technique, and after two years, it's still completely new...

From the time Nawaki was seven years old, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already given up hope. He only wanted to preserve the Senju clan's legitimate bloodline so that he could continue to grow and contribute to Konoha. At worst, he could raise him for a few decades and let him live a peaceful life as a super second-generation heir. This would be a way of repaying his two teachers for their nurturing of him and for their contributions to Konoha.

Didn't he want to become Hokage?

Let him be it!

So after graduation, he was handed over to his beloved disciple Orochimaru, who would help him gain experience and seniority. After all, with Minato as his perfect grand-disciple to clean up his messes, and with Konoha's strong foundation, it wouldn't be a problem for him to live a carefree life for another 10 or 20 years.

He's been busy with hospitalization lately, and the outbreak of war has kept him so busy that he's actually forgotten to keep an eye on Nawaki's healthy growth. Anyway, with his beloved disciple Orochimaru taking care of him, everything's fine!

However, he still felt that Shika's idea was unrealistic. Even Tsunade, with such explosive talent, couldn't awaken Wood Release. How could someone like Nawaki, with such trash talent, who didn't even know what Water Release or Earth Release nature transformation was, awaken Wood Release?

You must be kidding!

"Speaking of which... it seems like it's been a long time since I've seen Nawaki-sama. Could he be with Orochimaru-sama?"

The ANBU underling was taken aback by Hiruzen Sarutobi's question. Thinking back, it had indeed been a long time since he'd seen this young master. He hadn't even seen him at the bookstore's new poster launch event for Golden Lion. This young master was a huge fan of Golden Lion; he always lined up before dawn...

"...Go check on Orochimaru! Inform the two advisors to go to the Senju clan! Hurry! (?｀?Д?′)!!"

Hearing his ANBU subordinate's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a sudden tremor in his heart for some reason. Shika asked Nawaki about it, as the ANBU hadn't seen Nawaki recently...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted. Damn it, is this going to happen?!

After reading the intelligence in his hand, the words "suspicion," "fate unknown," and "kidnapped" struck his soul like a blow.

Sure enough, something terrible happened!

After yelling at his underlings, he instantly changed clothes, donned the Hokage's robes, jumped out of the window, and ran towards the Senju clan, much to the astonishment of his ANBU subordinates.

Please, please don't let anything happen to this child!

He didn't want to be double-teamed by the two adults after he died...

232. The Thousand Hands Clan: It's that bastard again!

"Hiruzen, what's wrong? What happened? You're still not fully recovered..."

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the Senju clan's gate, Homura Mitokado, whose glasses were already broken, and Koharu Utatane rushed over in a hurry. It seemed that something serious had happened to their ANBU underling. Homura Mitokado hadn't been looking where he was going and had slipped on a banana peel that he had thrown away that morning, causing him to fall and break one of his glasses without even caring. They didn't know what had happened to make their friend so upset.

"Shika asked Rope Tree in a letter if he was in the village. The ANBU said they hadn't seen him in the village for a long time. Shika suspected that Rope Tree had secretly gone to the battlefield and his fate was unknown, and that he might have been kidnapped..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples, looking troubled, as he walked toward the Senju clan.

"Hiss...! Quick! Go check if Rope Tree is there...!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also gasped. If something happened to Nawaki, they would be getting double-teamed by the first and second generation when they went down there!

It's one thing if we can't save our son (nephew), at least we'll have a child left. But if something happens to Rope Tree, how old is Rope Tree now? He hasn't even had any descendants yet!

"Lord Mito! Something terrible has happened! Nawaki has secretly run off to the battlefield with his clansmen!"

Meanwhile, the Senju clan was in chaos! Even before Hiruzen Sarutobi could relay the message, several members of the Senju clan in the Anbu, having received the Hokage's order to find Nawaki, already guessed what was happening and hurriedly relayed it back to the clan. They had been wondering why Nawaki, such a mischievous brat, had suddenly become such a well-behaved shut-in...

After receiving the message from their clansmen, the elders of the Senju clan thoroughly searched the entire clan, even the latrines, and finally came to a frustrating conclusion: their crown prince had indeed secretly gone to the battlefield with this clansman, just as the Dark Guard clansmen had suspected.

In times of war, it would be normal for a ten-year-old to go to the battlefield; at ten, he'd already be a seasoned veteran!

However, since the end of the war years, the youngest ones to go to the battlefield were only nine years old, like Shiki and Sakumo Hatake. But how can that be the same?

The reason why Shiki went to the battlefield at the age of nine was because Sunagakure lacked talent. A super genius at the age of nine had to go before he was fully developed. As for Sakumo Hatake, it was purely because the Second Hokage sent him to face off against Shiki. Plus, he had so many people protecting him, so nothing bad happened to him.

Their crown prince secretly slipped away to the battlefield, and nobody knew. If something really happened, the lineage of their Thousand Hands clan would be finished!

Thinking of this, the group of men, all over sixty years old, seemed to have become decades younger. Their backs no longer ached, their legs no longer hurt, and they ran with the wind towards the residence of Mito Uzumaki, the anchor of their Senju clan, deep within the forest.

"...I know about this. Let him go. He was just doing what elders should do."

Already old and nearing the end of her life, Mito Uzumaki sat calmly in her chair. She knew it when her beloved grandson secretly slipped into the crowd and left with her. The Nine-Tails not only has the ability to discern good from evil, but its perception is also no joke.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried; after all, he was her grandson. However, she didn't stop him. Since Hashirama and Tobirama, the Senju clan had always considered protecting the village their mission. How many Senju members had died on this path over the years? Other clansmen could do the same, including her granddaughter who had already gone to the battlefield. Why couldn't her grandson? This was the Senju clan's fate. If he could survive, perhaps he could soar to great heights. She had already given up hope on her grandson's talent; she could only hope that he would be enlightened in the war...

"But... Rope Tree is too young..."

The group of old men were speechless; they could never have learned from Mito-sama's level of thinking.

“He’s not young anymore. Hashirama, Tobirama, and I were already on the battlefield when we were three. Sakumo was already fighting for the village when he was nine. We should be happy for Nawaki that he has such ideals. If he dies on the battlefield, we can only say that it is his destiny…”

Having experienced too much life and death, Mito was very philosophical about it. Her grandson, at such a young age, possessed such noble sentiments as protecting the village; what reason did she, as his grandmother, have to stop a man's dream...?

"Lord Mito, we are indeed pleased that Nawaki has such ideals, but Nawaki is different from Sakumo. He has a great responsibility to bear. This is a letter from Shika. Shika suspects that the enemy somehow discovered Nawaki's identity and kidnapped him."

The three leaders who walked in, Hiruzen Sarutobi, felt even more pained after hearing Mito Uzumaki's words. No wonder she could suppress the Nine-Tails for decades. They had practiced for decades but could not reach that level of mind. However, even though Mito Uzumaki was calm, Hiruzen Sarutobi still handed over Shika's letter and casually explained the situation.

"Phew... It's good that they've been kidnapped, it's good that they've been kidnapped..."

When the group of Senju elders heard Hiruzen Sarutobi say that their prince had only been kidnapped, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he had been kidnapped; it meant that the prince was safe. The fact that the other party kidnapped Nawaki instead of killing him meant that they must have other plans. At least Nawaki was still safe.

"...Why does this outfit seem so familiar...?"

Mito stared at the contents of the report, seemingly lost in thought, without saying a word. An old man from the Senju clan breathed a sigh of relief, then looked puzzled.

Perhaps it was due to his age, but he had a vague sense of déjà vu about Rope Tree's abduction, yet he couldn't recall when something similar had happened before...

"Yes! Now that you mention it, it seems familiar, but I can't quite place it..."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, his old friends echoed his words, then frowned, unable to recall when anything similar had happened before. There weren't many people in the entire ninja world who would dare to kidnap the crown prince of their Senju clan.

Aren't they afraid of being targeted by Konoha? Even a rogue ninja who claims to have assassinated their First Hokage and survived to this day wouldn't dare to do that, would he?

(⊙_⊙)?...

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two looked at each other, as if they had a vague recollection of it, but it seemed to have been too long ago for them to remember.

"Golden Lion!"

Mito Uzumaki, who had been staring at the intelligence report in her hand for a long time without speaking, uttered three words in a low voice. She had just felt that the method of kidnapping was unusually familiar. Back then, that brat Shiki had tricked Tsunade into pretending to kidnap someone to make a deal with them. More than 20 years had passed in the blink of an eye, so it was normal for these people not to remember.

"Holy crap! It's that bastard again! (▼he▼メ)"

After Mito Uzumaki's reminder, the several old men of the Senju clan immediately launched into a furious barrage of insults!

233. Who will be the target of the Hidden Mist this time?

No wonder they felt it was familiar!

Didn't that bastard Shiki use the same method to trick them into giving him the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique and the First Hokage's Summoning Beast Scroll?

Back then, that bastard shamelessly tricked Tsunade, who was only three years old, into going to the woods... and then lied that he had kidnapped Tsunade.

Now, Rope Tree has also disappeared. The investigation methods are exactly the same as back then. Shika suspects Rope Tree was kidnapped. Who knows if this heartless bastard tricked Rope Tree somewhere and then came to their Senju clan to reap benefits...

"Wait a minute! This bastard's been trying to seduce Tsunade, could he be planning to use this method to make her give in? ミ?Д?彡"

Thinking of the benefits of the Senju clan, a flash of inspiration immediately struck someone, and they exclaimed in shock.

The idea of ​​their Senju clan princess marrying into Sunagakure is out of the question. If such a thing were to happen, what would become of the Senju clan's reputation?

"Given that bastard's usual behavior and despicable character, it's actually quite possible. Hokage, hurry and send a message to Tsunade, tell her not to let that bastard Shiki get away with this!! (?Д?)ノ"

The other elders of the Senju clan, realizing this was indeed a possibility, and fearing Tsunade might do something foolish, immediately spoke to Hiruzen Sarutobi.