Naruto: From Fake to Real, Deceiving the Ninja World.

His tone sounded very calm, but Kakashi Hatake, who was standing a little further back, noticed it keenly.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi uttered these words, his hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force, and trembling slightly.

How could I not resent it?

Kakashi sighed silently in his heart, "Asuma is the Third Hokage's only son now..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife, Biwako Sarutobi, died during the Nine-Tails' attack. Konohamaru's father, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son, has also died.

If Asma dies, he will truly only have one grandson left.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi is still Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He knew better than anyone that the mission had resulted in heavy casualties, and Asma was not the only one who had fallen.

He cannot let personal matters interfere with public duty and vent his personal emotions on others who have also fought bravely and returned wounded.

Jiraiya, in particular, had done his best.

Hiruzen Sarutobi kept telling himself this, forcibly suppressing the resentment that gnawed at him like a venomous snake.

"call……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, turned around, and his face had returned to its usual calm, only the deep weariness in his eyes remained.

"You said before that you brought back a few scrolls from the second level of the underground palace."

His gaze fell on Jiraiya, and he calmly said, "Also, Hayate's chakra blade, like the ninja tools we got from the dungeon, has also changed?"

Chapter 373 Disease

"After we entered the underground palace, we discovered that the Akatsuki organization had already taken the lead."

Jiraiya took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady, his tone heavy, "Not only that, 'Shadow' has also appeared, and he seems to know everything about the underground palace."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply, but did not interrupt, only gesturing for Jiraiya to continue.

“Even more unexpectedly…” Jiraiya’s voice was tinged with complexity, “Obito Uchiha also appeared; he was hiding in the Sunagakure’s forces.”

"Furthermore, we also saw Nohara Rin, who had transformed into a 'Espada' level Hollow.

"Nohara Rin?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's grip on his pipe tightened slightly, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes. "Nohara Rin from Minato's Team 7?"

"Didn't she die ten years ago? Could it be that she faked her death like Obito Uchiha?"

"The specific details are not yet fully clear."

Jiraiya shook his head and said, "I suspect that Nohara Rin's soul may not have dissipated or gone to the Pure Land. The 'Kage' tampered with it and transformed it into a 'Espada'."

"However, her ability is very special. Any behavior or ninjutsu with malice, aggressive intent, or even a competitive spirit will be purified and transformed into something harmless or even beautiful."

"Kunai will turn into paper cranes, and Tailed Beast Balls will turn into cherry blossom rain... All of us, including the Akatsuki, are helpless in front of her."

"However, it was precisely because of her existence that we were temporarily blocked by the Akatsuki organization by a twist of fate, giving us the opportunity to escape their pursuit."

Jiraiya briefly explained the abilities of the 'Healer' and continued, "After entering the second level, the 'Shadow' also displayed an ability that we had never seen before."

"Huh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback. "An ability I've never seen before?"

"It's neither ninjutsu, nor genjutsu, nor taijutsu."

Jiraiya frowned and said, "No hand seals are needed. Just chanting some incomprehensible words can manipulate natural energy and directly trigger the effects of attack, defense, or sealing."

"The reason why Yagura Karatachi died was because of the strange power of the 'Shadow'..."

"One of the scrolls was taken by 'Shadow,' and the Akatsuki organization obtained the other two scrolls..."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned even more deeply, and a hint of gloom appeared in his eyes.

Previously, although the abilities of 'Shadow' were unpredictable, according to their analysis, they were not very lethal.

The ability of 'Shadow' should have the same principle and flaws as the shadow techniques of the Nara clan, both relying on shadows for attack, concealment, and stealth.

If I'm not mistaken, they can use flares to block 'Shadow's' abilities.

but now……

"And sure enough, after we left the underground palace, the Akatsuki organization set up an ambush outside."

Jiraiya continued, "It is worth noting that Nagato did not use that powerful ninjutsu this time, but the Akatsuki members displayed a troublesome ability that was not recorded in the intelligence."

"Explain in detail," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice.

“Yes.” Jiraiya nodded. “Nagato, in addition to the known abilities, also demonstrated the ability to absorb chakra, summon chakra weapons, and directly attack the soul.”

"Moreover, the ninja tool in his hand called 'Reincarnation Karma' is also very strange."

"Kakuzu used a Wind Release clone technique that we didn't know before, Sasori's puppet also appeared in a new model, and Hiruko simultaneously used multiple bloodline limits that had not been revealed before."

"As for Hanzo..." Jiraiya paused, then couldn't help but sigh, "He mastered space-time ninjutsu and also demonstrated the ability to absorb ninjutsu."

"So many unknown abilities..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned extremely grim. "What about casualties?"

Jiraiya's voice lowered: "Because of these unknown abilities, many of the elite troops brought by the five great nations have died in battle."

"We were able to break through thanks to the combined efforts of me, Kakashi, Kouta, Rasa, Yugito, and Kisame Hoshigaki, who had just become a Jinchūriki. We managed to tear open a gap."

"But the key turning point that truly gave us a chance to catch our breath and escaped came from Moonlight Gale."

"At the height of the battle, the ninja tool that Hayate had been using suddenly underwent a change, and it was exactly the same as the ninja tool of the Fourth Raikage mentioned in the intelligence."

He frowned as he recalled, "That knife seemed to have a 'soul' as well. It not only responded to the call of the gale, but also had the ability to infect people with all sorts of morbid diseases."

"The Akatsuki members were caught off guard, which allowed us to break free and fight our way back until we finally entered the Land of Fire."

"Afterwards, with the help of the complex mountainous terrain and the Akatsuki organization's apparent hesitation to venture deep into the Land of Fire, we were finally able to shake off their pursuit completely."

In fact, if Kisame hadn't become a Jinchūriki, if Hayate Gekko's ninja tools hadn't mutated, if the team hadn't had Shizune, a medical ninja trained by Tsunade...

Their casualties are estimated to be even more severe; Sarutobi Asuma will die on the way.

"How is Hayate doing now?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked thoughtfully. "What about the scroll?"

“Forcibly activating that mutated power seems to have greatly exacerbated his original symptoms,” Jiraiya said. “However, we safely brought back seven scrolls.”

"Because the situation was urgent at the time, and we could be attacked again at any moment, there was no time to determine ownership on the spot. So, all seven scrolls are currently in my hands."

"However, the people from the other four ninja villages are currently resting on the outskirts of their villages."

"..."

After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, his voice tinged with weariness: "I understand."

"Thank you for your hard work, Jiraiya, and everyone else." He glanced at the group in front of him. "Go and treat your injuries first, and compile a report with detailed information as soon as possible."

"As for the scroll and the placement of our allies..." He paused, then sighed, "Given the current situation, we need to give them some trust."

Jiraiya nodded and said naturally, "I will go see Yun Chuan now and give him a detailed report on the situation to see if he has any further opinions or instructions."

Upon hearing the name "Hyuga Kumokawa," Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed almost instinctively.

Nowadays, Hinata Kumokawa's behavior has become increasingly unscrupulous, with many policies being too radical, and his ideology differing considerably from his own.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi also knew that since he had already stepped down, the final decision-making power for such an important matter should be handed over to the current Hokage.

Moreover, given Jiraiya's stubborn nature, he couldn't be persuaded otherwise.

So he forcibly suppressed his dissatisfaction, showing no further emotion on his face, and expressed his acquiescence through silence.

However, just as Jiraiya turned around, preparing to go find Hyuga Kumokawa...

boom! !

A muffled explosion suddenly erupted from a certain direction of the village, its loudness instantly shattering the silence of Konoha's night!

Immediately afterwards, a visible shockwave, mixed with smoke and dust, spread out.

Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and everyone in the corridor clearly felt the ground beneath their feet tremble violently, and the hospital windows rattled loudly!

"what happened?!"

"what happened?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya's expressions changed drastically almost simultaneously.

The two turned their heads sharply, their eyes instantly locking onto the direction from which the explosion had come.

That is……

The area in the southwest of the village, near the edge of the village!

Chapter 374 The Distorted Shimura Danzo

Danzo Shimura lay flat on the cold operating table, his whole body restrained by restraint devices, under general anesthesia, unable to move, but his consciousness was unusually clear.

His left eyelid was forcibly pried open and fixed with instruments, and his own eyeball was removed, revealing a hollow, bloody, hideous eye socket.

And right above that empty eye socket, a sophisticated mechanical arm is moving slowly and steadily, holding a white eye, toward the empty eye socket.

At the same time, his right arm, forged from Hashirama cells, was firmly fixed to a special base, and the last sealing shackle on the arm was about to be unlocked.

Another, thicker pipe connects to the container next to it that seals "Void," and dense, ink-like spiritual energy is being continuously injected into the arm.

"report!"

Outside the window, a researcher stared intently at the screen, his voice hoarse with tension: "'The energy injection rate of the 'Void' has reached 92%!"

"The final seal release procedure is starting simultaneously, energy counterattack begins, five seconds countdown!" another person shouted, his fingers flying across the control panel.

'Mink' stood in front of the main control panel, staring intently at the data and images on several screens.

"Attention, all units." Her tone was calm and unwavering. "Ensure that the nerve connection time for the White Eye transplant is synchronized with the seal release and energy injection."

"Yes!"

"The white eye transplant is progressing normally; we're still 3 millimeters away from nerve connection!"

"Countdown to seal release! 3...2..."

"Peak of spiritual energy infusion reached!"

The only sounds in the laboratory were the hum of the instruments and the researchers' hurried reports.

Inside the laboratory, Danzo could not hear any sounds from the outside world. Although his body was unable to move, his consciousness was immersed in near-manic excitement and fantasy.

coming! finally come!

The power of the Byakugan! The power of Hollows! The power of Wood Release! The power of the Sharingan!

Let that senile old man Hiruzen Sarutobi see me ascend to the Hokage position with my powerful presence!

I will make the entire ninja world submit to my absolute power!

Make Hinata Kumokawa tremble before me!

In his fantasy, he was already wearing the God's Robe, standing on the Shadow Rock, with the entire Konoha and even the ninja world at his feet.

Hyuga Kumokawa knelt on the ground, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked regretful, and everyone trembled before his absolute power.

"The seal is lifted!"

"Neural reconnection initiated!"

"Increase the infusion of spiritual energy!"

The three key steps, under the control of precision instruments, simultaneously reached the critical point.

Click!

The last shackle on Danzo's right arm fell off with a thud, and almost simultaneously, the vast and filthy spiritual energy of the imprisoned 'Hollow' surged into his arm!

And that white eye fell into his empty left eye socket, stimulating countless tiny nerve tendrils, which began to connect with his optic nerve!

The life support system emitted a high-powered hum, desperately trying to counteract the energy surge powerful enough to tear a normal person apart.

On the image in front of the 'sable', four completely different energies within Danzo's body engaged in a brutal battle and devouring!

The green color representing Hashirama cells erupted like a wild horse the moment the seal was broken.

Starting from his right arm, it frantically eroded and assimilated Danzo's original body, rapidly spreading to his entire right chest, leaving the flesh and blood with a pale, woody texture wherever it went!

But the next second, the pitch-black color representing 'Hollow' arrived first and began to suppress the rampaging Hashirama cells.

At the same time, sensing the Byakugan's intrusion, Danzo's right Sharingan automatically activated, and the two forces briefly clashed.