Konoha's Mission Master

"Could it be...? Could it be!!?"

"The current Rope Tree... is the real Rope Tree!"

"This tone is more like the younger brother I remember..."

..................

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Chapter 406 The Missing Minato Namikaze

The Hokage's office.

A few minutes earlier, Jiraiya had already returned to the Senju mansion with Senju Nawaki, leaving only Tsunade and Yakumo facing off in the office.

Tsunade's eyes were complex and utterly empty.

She is currently very conflicted.

The floor beneath his feet was covered in cracks, the documents on the table were torn to shreds by the raging chakra, scraps of paper piled up in the corner of the office, and the glass panels of the paintings on the wall were also shattered by the chakra turmoil.

Yakumo sat on the sofa, staring at his fingers in silence. Logically speaking, he already possessed the strongest power in this world, capable of changing the underlying color of this world at will.

But he couldn't feel any happiness.

It was a strange change in his mood, just like now... Although he had killed Orochimaru once again, he didn't feel much joy, especially since he could sense the sadness in Tsunade's heart.

The familial bond that Orochimaru simulated was a real familial bond for Tsunade, even though... the real Senju Nawaki was gone, but she had also lost her strong-willed and perfect younger brother.

Although Yakumo said that it was Orochimaru in disguise as Nawaki, Tsunade was unwilling to believe this explanation, ultimately because the memories of the two years they spent together were still influencing her.

Was Nawaki really Orochimaru back then?

A few more minutes passed before Tsunade finally processed everything that had just happened. Although she had regained her composure, a lingering sadness still emanated from her, filling the entire conference room.

“You should also know that he is not Rope Tree,” Yakumo replied.

"Yes, I know."

Tsunade's face showed pain. Yes... from the moment Yakumo first stated that Orochimaru's soul existed within Nawaki, she knew clearly that the person beside her was not her younger brother.

"But... sigh..."

"But he fits the image of the perfect younger brother in your mind, even more obedient and sensible, especially that sunny smile, which is extremely deceptive."

"And he also helped the Senju clan regain their former glory. His actions... and the natural bond that grew between them over time, made you overlook the truth," Yakumo analyzed.

Tsunade didn't reply. She just looked out of the office, gazing at the distant clouds in the sky, her eyes unfocused and devoid of any expression.

That rather desperate look in his eyes seemed to indicate that he had lost interest in everything.

"That person possesses all of Rope Tree's memories, even recalling our first conflict as children, and all the experiences we shared... How can you say he isn't Rope Tree?"

Tsunade's expression remained unchanged as she blankly asked in return.

"His closeness to you is nothing but a disguise. Orochimaru's goal is always immortality. Those touching moments are just stepping stones on his path to immortality."

“When he is strong enough, he will naturally abandon the ladder,” Yakumo said.

Tsunade suddenly stood up and said through gritted teeth.

"These are all your guesses. Can you provide any evidence?"

"No, but I'll rely on my intuition."

Yakumo could only ascertain Senju Nawaki's situation because he possessed the Soul Eye, a special vision that allowed him to observe souls. This ability could not be shared with Tsunade and therefore could not be used as evidence.

"Your intuition... I..."

Tsunade opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sentence. When her anger subsided and she returned to reality from the false world, her heart was in utter chaos.

She didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.

If the Nawaki that Yakumo awakened was truly Nawaki, she should be in a state of extreme joy. But whenever this happens... fragments of the past two years would surface in her mind.

These memories, like marks left by a knife, always resurface before my eyes, especially those that were once beautiful, which are now quite heartbreaking to recall.

"I don't know what to do."

A few more minutes passed, and Tsunade leaned back wearily on the sofa. She uttered a remark quite unbecoming of her status, revealing a vulnerable side to the once-mighty Valkyrie.

"No matter how convincingly Orochimaru disguises himself, it's still a lie."

"But what I found was the genuine Thousand-Hand Rope Tree."

What is fake can never become real... Tsunade suddenly agreed with what Yakumo said.

However, with the disappearance of the original Senju Rope Tree, the Senju clan, which has climbed back to its peak, is very likely to start to decline again.

This was an ending she was powerless to change.

Yakumo believed that Tsunade would eventually come to her senses. After all, what disappeared was only a fragment of Orochimaru's soul that was parasitizing Nawaki. It did not harm Nawaki himself at all, but instead brought him good fortune.

In the future, the strength of the soul will increase significantly, and the resistance to illusions will also increase.

"Ugh...so annoying, so annoying."

Tsunade is now experiencing both the joy of Nawaki's return and the pain of losing the original Nawaki.

For her, this was a process of repeated torment.

Yakumo took out a water bottle from his storage scroll, took a sip, and quietly waited for Tsunade to regain her senses.

He believed that Tsunade, who had fought for half her life, would not remain silent for long because of this incident. She would surely understand that Orochimaru's seemingly kind resurrection ritual was just part of his plan for immortality.

"call…"

Tsunade took a deep breath, composed herself, and gradually composed herself.

During her conversation with Yakumo, she had already begun to stabilize her turbulent emotions, and now she has finally achieved some success.

She has now largely accepted the fact that the original Senju Nawaki was Orochimaru in disguise, and she also believes many of Yakumo's statements.

"According to you, Orochimaru was designing it from the very beginning."

“That’s right…” Yakumo nodded.

"Then why did he want to obtain the Rope Tree's body?"

Tsunade felt a little confused again. She couldn't understand why Orochimaru would want to take over Nawaki's body. It was absolutely impossible that it was just because of his own perverse sense of humor. There must be a reason that she couldn't understand.

"Because of strength... Nawaki possesses the most concentrated Senju bloodline, and combined with Uchiha Madara's bloodline, the fusion of the two... can cause a change in the bloodline similar to ancestral atonement, greatly enhancing a person's strength."

Yakumo thought for a moment and replied that this analysis was based on his own understanding of the Naruto system and Orochimaru's goals.

"Do the Senju and Uchiha clans share a common ancestor?"

Tsunade's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had heard some incredible news. She never imagined that the two clans, who had a thousand-year-old feud, were actually from the same clan long ago.

At this moment, more questions arose in her mind: if they were of the same race, then why did they split up, and why did they fight a bloody war for thousands of years?

"The ancestors of the Senju and Uchiha were the two children of the Sage of Six Paths. Orochimaru's idea was to recreate the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, which would not only greatly increase his strength, but also... grant him a thousand-year lifespan."

Yakumo continued, saying that when he was weak, this was the biggest secret in the ninja world, a secret he couldn't tell anyone.

But now that he is strong enough, he no longer worries that this matter will have any impact on him. Besides, the Otsutsuki bloodline is not a rare thing. After all, Mori Masako has an even purer Otsutsuki bloodline.

"Did Orochimaru succeed?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, we can only say that it's half successful. The two bloodlines have indeed begun to merge in his body, but this fusion will take a long time to complete."

Orochimaru's fusion was done without any guidance, allowing the two bloodlines to fuse instinctively. The drawback of this method is that it not only takes longer to fuse, but also poses many hidden dangers and risks.

In short, Yakumo was far ahead of Orochimaru in this technology, a gap that Orochimaru might never be able to close in his entire life.

"Once Nawaki becomes familiar with the power of his body and learns the hand seals for Wood Release ninjutsu, the strength he can unleash should only be slightly less than when Orochimaru controls his body."

Although Orochimaru delayed Senju Nawaki's awakening by two years, those two years also allowed him to gain a powerful body approaching the Six Paths level.

This is... a blessing in disguise.

"Can Nawaki also reach the level of Orochimaru?"

Clearly, Tsunade now believes Yakumo's words.

"of course."

"Then I have another question. Why didn't Orochimaru use Grandpa's body to revive him? If we're talking about bloodline concentration, he should be considered the strongest member of the Senju clan in the last hundred years."

Tsunade's words do make some sense, but the answer is simpler.

"Because Orochimaru couldn't defeat the First Hokage."

The repeated soul-splitting and heavy blows had weakened Orochimaru's soul considerably. He could influence Senju Nawaki through some arrangements, but he could not influence Senju Hashirama, who possessed an iron will and a powerful soul.

"I see," Tsunade said, suddenly realizing.

"Now that you're back... and you're confident you can handle this perfectly, why didn't you discuss it with me beforehand?"

This question surprised Yakumo.

"I didn't expect that."

In the past two years, Yakumo has become accustomed to giving orders in the world of One Piece and One-Punch Man. He does everything entirely on his own whim and never consults with anyone.

Even when he was with Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, he was in a dominant position. But now that he's back in the ninja world... he subconsciously forgot that he needed to discuss this matter with Tsunade.

Would you care what the ants at your feet think?

Of course not!

"If they're unhappy, they can crush a life at any time. Who would really listen to their thoughts or will? The revolutionary army's so-called freedom and peace are nothing but cheap slogans."

Yakumo suddenly remembered Im's words. His theory sounded twisted and sinister, yet it seemed to be some kind of cruel truth. He told Yakumo that the strong should dominate everything, and that the thoughts or wills of others should not be taken seriously.

"No, no, no, that kind of road is too lonely."

"A king who rules over everything is destined not to have companions."

With a sharp mind, Yakumo seemed to have figured out many things. He did indeed have many limitations, most of which he had imposed on himself, making him unable to lose himself in his powerful strength.

Make him remember that he is just an ordinary person.

......stable.

This was the goal that Yakumo initially set when he crossed over into the ninja world. Perhaps in the process of gradually becoming stronger, he had already lost his original intention, but Tsunade's question made him reflect on himself.