Shimura Danzō: Tobirama Senju, Teacher, You're Still Researching Ninjutsu in the Pure Land?!

Just as Fugaku Uchiha was thinking this, the flames of his Great Fire Annihilation technique were nearly crushed, making his heart grow even more anxious.

Right at that moment, the Uchiha clan leader's guard ninjas, who had been following all along, made their move. They formed hand seals and unleashed Fire Release Ninjutsu, successfully pushing the waterfall back.

Fugaku Uchiha finally breathed a sigh of relief, but soon he felt those peculiar gazes behind him. An inexplicable sense of shame welled up inside, and he clenched his fists:

Damn it!

That bastard who used Water Release Ninjutsu.

As long as you're not the inherently evil Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, I, Fugaku Uchiha, leader of the Uchiha Clan, swear I'll kill you!!

"Continue forward."

Just as Fugaku Uchiha was burning with humiliation, the Third Hokage gave the order.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

The group pressed on using the Body Flicker Technique.

And at that moment, deep in the Forest of Death, Roman finally finished forming the forty-four hand seals for the A-rank Water Release Ninjutsu, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique. He let out a long internal sigh:

This damn Water Dragon Bullet Technique, with its forty-four seals, is way too long!

But this torturous forty-four seals are finally over!

Roman took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, and gathered most of his Chakra into his throat.

He spat it out fiercely.

Boom boom boom...

A vast torrent of water spread across the air, forming a dragon with distinct, layered scales—lifelike and coiling endlessly through the sky.

This dragon of water gleamed brilliantly under the blue sky, vivid and full of life!

"Roar!"

The moment it appeared, following Roman's will, it charged fiercely toward the damp trail left by Hinata Hyuga's Great Waterfall Technique.

The dragon's body swept through broken trees, crushing them to splinters.

Its claws lightly grazed the trees, uprooting them entirely.

The dragon rampaged through the Forest of Death, leaving the forest even more devastated.

Boom boom boom...

The earth trembled, the air quaked.

All of this made the approaching Third Hokage and his group realize that the mysterious ninja who had kidnapped Hinata had likely unleashed another jutsu from afar.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Hyuga Hiashi a look, and Hiashi immediately understood, activating his Byakugan.

The corners of his eyes twisted!

The Byakugan's extraordinary insight fully manifested, revealing a dragon in the distant forest? A dragon made of water?

An A-rank Water Release Ninjutsu, Water Dragon Bullet Technique?

No, that's not right... The normal A-rank Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique isn't nearly this massive, unless it's the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama. But Lord Tobirama has long since...

As Hiashi thought this, he fell into deep confusion.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly noticed this and spoke in a low voice: "Hiashi, what do you see?"

Hiashi snapped to attention and quickly replied: "A water dragon."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique?"

Hiashi: "No, it's far more exaggerated than the normal Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique. It's as if the Second Hokage himself had revived and used a Water Release Ninjutsu."

Hiashi's words made many of the ninjas present recall the earlier, highly abnormal Great Waterfall Technique with its overwhelming power.

Could it be... that another person has emerged in the ninja world with Water Release Ninjutsu ability rivaling the Second Hokage?!

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, kept his expression calm on the surface, but inwardly he was shaken:

Water Release Ninjutsu skill rivaling the Second Hokage, rivaling his teacher Tobirama Senju—how could such a person exist?!

Could it be the forbidden technique Impure World Reincarnation, researched by the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama Senju?

But the problem is, that technique was already classified as forbidden by the teacher and inscribed in the Scroll of Seals... and only Danzo and I have seen that scroll.

Could it be Danzo?

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought this, glanced at Danzo, and confirmed his expression was normal before thinking to himself:

It shouldn't be Danzo.

After all, no matter what, the Second Hokage was Danzo's teacher.

He wouldn't go so far as to commit such an act of betraying his master.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was silently dismissing Danzo's suspicion in his mind, Danzo himself was far from calm:

Why did Hiruzen Sarutobi look at me? Could he suspect that I, Danzo, dug up Teacher Tobirama Senju's corpse?

Impossible!

Am I, Danzō, the kind of person who would betray my teacher and destroy my clan?

I merely dug up my teacher's elder brother.

That is, the founder of Konoha, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju's grave.

But this was for Konoha, for Konoha's future—Wood Release was essential, and excavating the First Hokage's grave to research it was a necessary measure.

Wait... the Wood Release researcher, Orochimaru.

Back when I collaborated with Orochimaru, I gave him a chance to secretly observe the Scroll of Seals. Could he have learned the forbidden technique, Impure World Reincarnation, from it, dug up my teacher's corpse, and cast it on him?

And now he's returned to research the Byakugan?

Shimura Danzō's heart began to race as he pondered this.

The reason was simple: he believed that the S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru, in his pursuit of immortality and the Byakugan, was truly capable of such deeds.

And just then, a water dragon appeared in the distance. Its scale was immense, as if it were the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique my teacher once cast at the edge of the sea!

Wait... not "as if." The one using ninjutsu in the Forest of Death was likely my teacher, Tobirama Senju, in his Impure World Reincarnation state!

Shwoosh!

In that instant, cold sweat drenched Shimura Danzō's back.

Unlike Danzō, the Shinobi Hero Hiruzen Sarutobi also saw the colossal water dragon bullet at that moment. But he didn't flinch. Instead, he swiftly formed hand signs, splitting into clones to unleash Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet and Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!

As the Shinobi Hero and Professor of Ninjutsu, the power of his techniques far surpassed that of other ninjas using the same jutsu.

The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, for instance, transformed into a true fire dragon writhing across the sky, raising the ambient temperature and dyeing the heavens red.

The Earth-Style Wall became a veritable fortress!

One technique for offense, one for defense—both attack and defense were covered!

Yet when these two techniques met the overwhelmingly massive water dragon, the water dragon spat two water bullets that sent the fire dragon wailing and the fortress crumbling.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock. He wasn't stunned by the power of the technique, but by the fact that this enormous water dragon bullet could autonomously spit water bullets... Did it possess the sentience of a tailed beast?!

Unbelievable!

Beside him, Shimura Danzō shrank back at the sight. By now, he was increasingly convinced in his heart that the caster in the forest was his teacher, Tobirama Senju:

It was his teacher, Tobirama Senju, who, even after death, had never stopped developing ninjutsu, eventually researching an advanced version of the S-rank Water Dragon Bullet Technique in the Pure Land!

End of chapter, begging for follows. Tomorrow is Tuesday... Please, esteemed readers, grant this author a small follow.

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