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Chapter 860: Holy Land Suspicions!
"How could this be..."
Inside the Hokage's Office in Konohagakure.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened with a solemn Expression to Nara Shikaku's Report.
As for Yamanaka Inoichi, his Spirit had suffered a severe blow. Not long after returning, he couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a Coma. He was currently receiving treatment in the Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Fortunately, Nara Shikaku was in decent condition. Aside from his Expression being somewhat pale due to excessive Chakra consumption, he was mostly unharmed. However, as the Captain of this Operation, nearly the entire Whole Army of a hundred Elite Ninja was wiped out. Among them were nine Clan Ninja, so one can imagine how much Suffering he was currently experiencing.
Also present in the Office were Shimura Danzō, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who had rushed over after hearing the News.
Orochimaru was there because he found that he couldn't understand the Imperial Arms: Everything Cutter and Ministerial Arms: Prometheus at all. He didn't understand why they possessed extraordinary Mass and Function despite clearly not being Chakra Metal. One could say they were in no way inferior to the seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure, or their Konohagakure's Raijin Sword. Therefore, Orochimaru was now full of interest in anyone from Rōran. Naturally, this included Araki, who was currently approaching Konohagakure. Honestly, he had even thought about going to Rōran himself to investigate...
These six people present could be said to be the Higher-Ups of Konohagakure at the moment. As for Tsunade, she had not yet returned to the Village.
As Nara Shikaku's Report continued, aside from Orochimaru, who remained Expressionless, the other five people's Expressions gradually turned grim. The Air Pressure in the room had dropped to a point where it was almost suffocating.
Twenty Jonin, thirty Special Jonin, fifty Chunin, all without exception were Ninja from the Great Ninja Clans. Adding Minato Namikaze, Choza Akimichi, Hizashi Hyuga, and Gaku Inuzuka, that makes twenty-four Jonin! And they were Konoha's Jonin! Such a luxurious lineup, even with preparation, was actually Slaughtered by that guy impersonating the First Hokage? The losses were heavy!
The key was that Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the current Hokage, didn't think he could defeat such a lineup in an Encirclement and Suppression. Not to mention that among them was Minato Namikaze, who had skillfully mastered and further improved the Flying Thunder God Technique...
"So, we Paid with nearly a hundred Elite Ninja, and the Intelligence we gained is that the opponent is named Aramaki, his Mental Power is so Strong that he can immune to Genjutsu, including Mind Transfer Technique and Sharingan..."
"...He can break free from the Control of Shadow Imitation Technique and Binding Formation through some Ability, he has no Chakra in his Body, Chakra Point Strike from Gentle Fist Style is ineffective, and he doesn't even budge."
"...His Physical Skill is so Strong that he could shatter the Hyuga Clan Leader's Rotation with a single palm strike, sending the person flying out of sight, their fate unknown; knock out the Akimichi Clan Leader using Super Expansion Technique with a single punch; and even Wood Release was ineffective..."
Orochimaru used his somewhat hoarse but highly charismatic Voice to softly summarize the key Content from the Intelligence. This also made Araki's image more concrete and vivid in everyone's minds.
However, every sentence he spoke made this image seem even more terrifying. Even the faint Smile that was originally on his face vanished without a trace after he finished the last word, and he subconsciously extended his scarlet Informant to lick his thin lips.
"Even the First Hokage Lord wouldn't be much more than this when he was alive..."
Jiraiya muttered to himself with a stiff Expression. He couldn't even think of how to deal with this kind of enemy now.
"The opponent should still be approaching us now. The urgent Matter at hand is to find a Method to block him and repel him!"
At this moment, Shimura Danzō said heavily with a cold Expression.
"If a hundred Ninja aren't enough, then a thousand! If a thousand aren't enough, then five thousand, or even tens of thousands of Ninja!"
He didn't believe there was anyone in this World who could fight against ten thousand. Not even the First Hokage, who was called the 'God of Shinobi'.
This wasn't strange. Because although Shimura Danzō and these people had seen Hashirama Senju when they were Young Men, their Age was too young, and they had no chance to witness the latter's Combat Scene.
Therefore, their Understanding of Hashirama Senju's Strength was still limited to the Scope they could Understand.
For example, Speculation might be that he was slightly Stronger than the Third Raikage, Hanzo, or their Teacher Senju Tobirama?
In this Ninja World Era. Perhaps only Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Stone Village, had a relatively clear Understanding of the higher Realm.
Because when he was young, he was beaten up by Madara Uchiha together with Second Tsuchikage Mu, so he naturally had a deep appreciation.
Unfortunately. The six people in this Hokage's Office did not have this Understanding. They also couldn't imagine the Realm that Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were in.
Naturally, they felt terrified and unbelievable about the Strength Aramaki displayed.
"Jiraiya, you will serve as the Commander next. Organize the Defense Line as quickly as possible. Absolutely do not let the opponent step half a step into the Konoha Main Gate!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't think of a better Method for a while.
"If necessary, This Old Man will personally take the field. Orochimaru, Danzō, you must also be prepared. Konoha has reached a critical juncture!"
"Hmph, I naturally Understand."
Danzō seemed to hear the deeper meaning in these words and glared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with displeasure.
"Do you think This Old Man is the kind of person who would stand by idly and watch Konoha be harmed for personal gain?"
"You've misunderstood me, Hiruzen!"
"When it comes to love for Konoha, my 'Root' is deeper than anyone's, including yours..."
Therefore, Danzō always felt he was more suitable to be Hokage than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Because he wouldn't be indecisive and weak towards outsiders like the other party.
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't offer any comment on this, only dealing with Danzō with silence. This also caused Anger to appear in the latter's eyes.
Danzō felt that Hiruzen didn't Understand him at all!
[Bang!]
Just then, the Office Door was suddenly pushed open. The Gaze of the six people swept over in unison, and at the same time, their Body Muscles instantly tensed.
One must know that even Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two Advisors from the Administrative Department, were Jonin. They were also Disciples of Senju Tobirama, and their Strength was considerably Stronger than that of ordinary Leaf Jonin.
"Minato?!"
However, after seeing the person who arrived, the Aura that the six people had just raised instantly returned to normal. But their eyes all held obvious surprise and doubt.
Because Minato Namikaze's current appearance was very disheveled. Not only were his feet wrapped in thick Bandages, but he was also sitting in a wheelchair pushed by his wife, Kushina. Even his usual bright and gentle Smile, like the Sun, had disappeared, replaced only by deep worry and Suffering on his face.
"What happened to you?"
Jiraiya, as his Teacher, hurried over to ask. When he had previously heard Nara Shikaku say that Minato Namikaze had gone alone to hold back Araki, he actually hadn't been very worried.
Because Jiraiya knew better than anyone what Realm Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique had reached. Even if the First Hokage were alive, he wouldn't be able to stop Minato Namikaze!
"Teacher, I have more Intelligence about that Araki, but there's something I need you to confirm first. During the Combat, I found that Summoning Jutsu was ineffective. Mount Myōboku didn't have any Toads responding to my Summoning..."
"What?!"
Jiraiya was very surprised to hear this. He really wanted to say how could this be possible? But seeing the serious Gaze of his Disciple, he immediately held it back.
"Then let me try."
Immediately, under the gaze of everyone in the room, Jiraiya skillfully used the Summoning Jutsu, then slapped his palm onto the cold Ground.
[Roar!]
White Smoke surged out, and Jiraiya's Expression suddenly changed drastically. Because as the Smoke slowly dissipated, truly nothing appeared.
"How is this possible!"
Now Jiraiya realized the Matter was troublesome. Because if he couldn't Summon Toads, then it would be impossible for the Toads to use the Reverse Summoning Technique to Summon him to Mount Myōboku. But why...
"Summoning Technique!"
Suddenly, Orochimaru, who had been silent all this time, also used it once. After the White Smoke dissipated, similarly, not a single Serpent appeared.
This made him lick his lips and sneer, "Interesting, it seems these Holy Lands know some Matters that we don't~"
(End of this chapter)
"How could this be..."
Inside the Hokage's Office in Konohagakure.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened with a solemn Expression to Nara Shikaku's Report.
As for Yamanaka Inoichi, his Spirit had suffered a severe blow. Not long after returning, he couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a Coma. He was currently receiving treatment in the Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Fortunately, Nara Shikaku was in decent condition. Aside from his Expression being somewhat pale due to excessive Chakra consumption, he was mostly unharmed. However, as the Captain of this Operation, nearly the entire Whole Army of a hundred Elite Ninja was wiped out. Among them were nine Clan Ninja, so one can imagine how much Suffering he was currently experiencing.
Also present in the Office were Shimura Danzō, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who had rushed over after hearing the News.
Orochimaru was there because he found that he couldn't understand the Imperial Arms: Everything Cutter and Ministerial Arms: Prometheus at all. He didn't understand why they possessed extraordinary Mass and Function despite clearly not being Chakra Metal. One could say they were in no way inferior to the seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure, or their Konohagakure's Raijin Sword. Therefore, Orochimaru was now full of interest in anyone from Rōran. Naturally, this included Araki, who was currently approaching Konohagakure. Honestly, he had even thought about going to Rōran himself to investigate...
These six people present could be said to be the Higher-Ups of Konohagakure at the moment. As for Tsunade, she had not yet returned to the Village.
As Nara Shikaku's Report continued, aside from Orochimaru, who remained Expressionless, the other five people's Expressions gradually turned grim. The Air Pressure in the room had dropped to a point where it was almost suffocating.
Twenty Jonin, thirty Special Jonin, fifty Chunin, all without exception were Ninja from the Great Ninja Clans. Adding Minato Namikaze, Choza Akimichi, Hizashi Hyuga, and Gaku Inuzuka, that makes twenty-four Jonin! And they were Konoha's Jonin! Such a luxurious lineup, even with preparation, was actually Slaughtered by that guy impersonating the First Hokage? The losses were heavy!
The key was that Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the current Hokage, didn't think he could defeat such a lineup in an Encirclement and Suppression. Not to mention that among them was Minato Namikaze, who had skillfully mastered and further improved the Flying Thunder God Technique...
"So, we Paid with nearly a hundred Elite Ninja, and the Intelligence we gained is that the opponent is named Aramaki, his Mental Power is so Strong that he can immune to Genjutsu, including Mind Transfer Technique and Sharingan..."
"...He can break free from the Control of Shadow Imitation Technique and Binding Formation through some Ability, he has no Chakra in his Body, Chakra Point Strike from Gentle Fist Style is ineffective, and he doesn't even budge."
"...His Physical Skill is so Strong that he could shatter the Hyuga Clan Leader's Rotation with a single palm strike, sending the person flying out of sight, their fate unknown; knock out the Akimichi Clan Leader using Super Expansion Technique with a single punch; and even Wood Release was ineffective..."
Orochimaru used his somewhat hoarse but highly charismatic Voice to softly summarize the key Content from the Intelligence. This also made Araki's image more concrete and vivid in everyone's minds.
However, every sentence he spoke made this image seem even more terrifying. Even the faint Smile that was originally on his face vanished without a trace after he finished the last word, and he subconsciously extended his scarlet Informant to lick his thin lips.
"Even the First Hokage Lord wouldn't be much more than this when he was alive..."
Jiraiya muttered to himself with a stiff Expression. He couldn't even think of how to deal with this kind of enemy now.
"The opponent should still be approaching us now. The urgent Matter at hand is to find a Method to block him and repel him!"
At this moment, Shimura Danzō said heavily with a cold Expression.
"If a hundred Ninja aren't enough, then a thousand! If a thousand aren't enough, then five thousand, or even tens of thousands of Ninja!"
He didn't believe there was anyone in this World who could fight against ten thousand. Not even the First Hokage, who was called the 'God of Shinobi'.
This wasn't strange. Because although Shimura Danzō and these people had seen Hashirama Senju when they were Young Men, their Age was too young, and they had no chance to witness the latter's Combat Scene.
Therefore, their Understanding of Hashirama Senju's Strength was still limited to the Scope they could Understand.
For example, Speculation might be that he was slightly Stronger than the Third Raikage, Hanzo, or their Teacher Senju Tobirama?
In this Ninja World Era. Perhaps only Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Stone Village, had a relatively clear Understanding of the higher Realm.
Because when he was young, he was beaten up by Madara Uchiha together with Second Tsuchikage Mu, so he naturally had a deep appreciation.
Unfortunately. The six people in this Hokage's Office did not have this Understanding. They also couldn't imagine the Realm that Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were in.
Naturally, they felt terrified and unbelievable about the Strength Aramaki displayed.
"Jiraiya, you will serve as the Commander next. Organize the Defense Line as quickly as possible. Absolutely do not let the opponent step half a step into the Konoha Main Gate!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't think of a better Method for a while.
"If necessary, This Old Man will personally take the field. Orochimaru, Danzō, you must also be prepared. Konoha has reached a critical juncture!"
"Hmph, I naturally Understand."
Danzō seemed to hear the deeper meaning in these words and glared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with displeasure.
"Do you think This Old Man is the kind of person who would stand by idly and watch Konoha be harmed for personal gain?"
"You've misunderstood me, Hiruzen!"
"When it comes to love for Konoha, my 'Root' is deeper than anyone's, including yours..."
Therefore, Danzō always felt he was more suitable to be Hokage than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Because he wouldn't be indecisive and weak towards outsiders like the other party.
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't offer any comment on this, only dealing with Danzō with silence. This also caused Anger to appear in the latter's eyes.
Danzō felt that Hiruzen didn't Understand him at all!
[Bang!]
Just then, the Office Door was suddenly pushed open. The Gaze of the six people swept over in unison, and at the same time, their Body Muscles instantly tensed.
One must know that even Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two Advisors from the Administrative Department, were Jonin. They were also Disciples of Senju Tobirama, and their Strength was considerably Stronger than that of ordinary Leaf Jonin.
"Minato?!"
However, after seeing the person who arrived, the Aura that the six people had just raised instantly returned to normal. But their eyes all held obvious surprise and doubt.
Because Minato Namikaze's current appearance was very disheveled. Not only were his feet wrapped in thick Bandages, but he was also sitting in a wheelchair pushed by his wife, Kushina. Even his usual bright and gentle Smile, like the Sun, had disappeared, replaced only by deep worry and Suffering on his face.
"What happened to you?"
Jiraiya, as his Teacher, hurried over to ask. When he had previously heard Nara Shikaku say that Minato Namikaze had gone alone to hold back Araki, he actually hadn't been very worried.
Because Jiraiya knew better than anyone what Realm Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique had reached. Even if the First Hokage were alive, he wouldn't be able to stop Minato Namikaze!
"Teacher, I have more Intelligence about that Araki, but there's something I need you to confirm first. During the Combat, I found that Summoning Jutsu was ineffective. Mount Myōboku didn't have any Toads responding to my Summoning..."
"What?!"
Jiraiya was very surprised to hear this. He really wanted to say how could this be possible? But seeing the serious Gaze of his Disciple, he immediately held it back.
"Then let me try."
Immediately, under the gaze of everyone in the room, Jiraiya skillfully used the Summoning Jutsu, then slapped his palm onto the cold Ground.
[Roar!]
White Smoke surged out, and Jiraiya's Expression suddenly changed drastically. Because as the Smoke slowly dissipated, truly nothing appeared.
"How is this possible!"
Now Jiraiya realized the Matter was troublesome. Because if he couldn't Summon Toads, then it would be impossible for the Toads to use the Reverse Summoning Technique to Summon him to Mount Myōboku. But why...
"Summoning Technique!"
Suddenly, Orochimaru, who had been silent all this time, also used it once. After the White Smoke dissipated, similarly, not a single Serpent appeared.
This made him lick his lips and sneer, "Interesting, it seems these Holy Lands know some Matters that we don't~"
(End of this chapter)
