The Valley of the End, what a familiar place!
It was still night, and the bright moon still hung high, but that night was now far, far away from them.
The distance was so great that it not only caused them to part ways, but also put them on different sides, and ultimately led to the abrupt end of that relationship.
Perhaps it was the sight that stirred her emotions, Tsunade's eyes were momentarily dazed, and before she knew it, she had become the Hokage.
And all of this was thanks to this man, which reminded her of that joke from before. She never expected that he would actually take it seriously and push her to the Hokage position.
"For so many years, has he... been working towards this goal all along... even if it means becoming infamous and a rat that everyone hates...?"
Thinking of this, Tsunade seemed to have her heartstrings plucked by Orochimaru once again, and a trace of guilt and emotion appeared in her eyes.
"He has indeed done a lot of bad things, and everyone says he is bad, but I have no right to say it, Jiraiya neither does Jiraiya!"
He never did anything to wrong us from beginning to end. Am I being too harsh on him...?
Seemingly noticing Tsunade's unusual behavior, Orochimaru habitually reached out a hand, intending to pat her head.
However, it stopped halfway through, and Tsunade came to her senses at that moment, turned around and saw this scene.
What are you doing?
Seeing the other party's angry glare, Orochimaru reluctantly withdrew his hand.
"It's nothing, let's keep watching!"
Actually, Tsunade regretted saying those words a little. She had wanted to be nicer to him earlier, but the next moment she glared at him angrily.
However, having been used to being assertive, she couldn't change her mind in a short time. She knew perfectly well what Orochimaru wanted to do, but even after decades, she still couldn't resolve that inner conflict.
"I'm sorry! I'm not worth you doing this!"
Tsunade could only silently utter these words in her heart, and her eyes dimmed slightly.
Orochimaru was well aware of this, but there were some things he had no choice but to do, and his methods were not entirely pure.
For example, the matter of the Third Hokage, Danzo, and Sasuke— he would have been forced to do it even if the system didn't want him to; it's just that he mixed in his own feelings during that time.
So, he was using the pretext of completing a mission to take the opportunity to attack Tsunade, and his intentions were even more sinister.
Perhaps it was because of the passage of time, or perhaps he had been too immersed in the role for too long, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed in this situation.
The bullet fired decades ago hit him right between the eyebrows. The bullet was not only not gentle, but it was also very painful!
Perhaps this proves the saying: the person beside you in bed, the one in your arms, and the one you love are all illusions; unrequited love is the only true thing...
Each with their own thoughts, they quietly watched the scene unfolding in the Valley of the End.
At this moment, Sasuke and Naruto were already fighting. At first, Naruto held back, but after exchanging a large Rasengan and Chidori, both of them were really fighting hard.
Naruto realized that Sasuke was truly intent on killing him, and while unwilling to accept the truth, he secretly made up his mind.
Even if I cripple you, I'm still going to take you back!
"Hmph! You can talk after you can do it!"
After his physique improved, Sasuke was able to use Chidori three times in a row during the battle. When Tsunade saw the opponent use Chidori to pierce Naruto's shoulder, Tsunade couldn't sit still.
"How dare this little brat! Is he trying to kill Naruto by hitting him so hard?!"
Tsunade on the table in anger at what she saw through the crack, and the commotion immediately attracted the attention of the ninjas outside the door.
"Lord Hokage, what happened? Are you alright?"
Just then, a ninja knocked on the door, but without the Hokage's order, no one was allowed to enter or leave the office at will.
"It's alright! Just do your job!"
Upon receiving the order, the guards could only slowly retreat. As long as they weren't attacked, it was none of their business if the other side demolished the office.
"Don't get excited. You're underestimating Jinchuriki. This is a good opportunity for you to learn about their Jinchuriki so you won't be caught off guard when you face them in the future!"
Sure enough, as soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, Naruto unleashed a burst of crimson Chakra and grabbed Sasuke's wrist.
Feeling the pain, Sasuke immediately released Naruto and also created some distance between them.
"This... this is the Tailed Beast Transformation?"
Seeing Naruto covered in red Chakra and with a Chakra tail growing from his back, Tsunade was a little surprised, as it was the first time she had seen such a thing.
If she's like this, then let alone Uchiha Sasuke in the arena right now.
"What is this strange power?"
Sasuke, who was secretly gritting his teeth, thought he was strong enough, but Naruto surprised him time and time again.
If the Uchiha Madara statue next to him had a life, it would surely say to him earnestly, "I'm familiar with this scene. This is nothing! I was raised like a pig by Hashirama back then!"
The two clashed again, and Naruto, aided by Nine-Tails, quickly gained the upper hand, causing Sasuke retreat in defeat.
However, this situation did not last long, Sasuke caught up with the opponent's pace again.
The medicine Orochimaru injected him contained a large proportion of the Uzumaki Clan cells, but in order to help him adapt to Hashirama's cells as quickly as possible, Orochimaru also added a small amount to the medicine.
This tiny bit alone made his wound heal several times faster than the average person's.
Moreover, the most direct and effective way to unleash the power of these cells is through combat.
By repeatedly stimulating the body's cells, the medicine can be absorbed into the body more quickly, which is what Sasuke at this moment.
A side kick sent Naruto flying, giving Sasuke a brief respite.
At the same time, he also noticed something unusual about his body. The wounds from his previous injuries had completely healed, although not as quickly as Naruto's, but almost as fast.
Moreover, his hair was turning reddish, clearly indicating that he was also transforming into someone from the Uzumaki Clan.
"You did this too?"
Seeing this, Tsunade glared at Orochimaru with annoyance. Orochimaru could only shrug, the answer obvious.
"It seems you value this little guy quite a bit?"
My gaze lingered on Sasuke. The spatial rift separated a Black Cavity Space, so the person on the other side couldn't sense the Chakra here.
Moreover, this anchor point can be set in a specific area, or it can be set on a person.
Orochimaru set up an anchor point on Sasuke, allowing him to move freely within a 50-meter radius of Sasuke without worrying about being discovered.
"See the statue next to him? In my eyes, he's the next Uchiha Madara!"
Tsunade was somewhat surprised to hear Orochimaru's high praise for Sasuke, and she looked at Orochimaru with a hint of suspicion.
Seeing her like this, Orochimaru didn't explain. He couldn't very well say that she was the reincarnation of the Six Paths' son and would awaken the Rinnegan in the future, could he? Instead, he pointed at Naruto.
"Naruto's potential is also very strong. If Jiraiya plans to train him to control the power of the Tailed Beasts in the future, he should be careful. With his current strength, he can at most deal with Naruto when he displays three tails!"
These words silenced Tsunade again. It seemed these two were the future of the village; no wonder Orochimaru had this attitude.
Just as their casual conversation ended, another unexpected turn of events occurred. After being Talk no Jutsu by Sasuke, Naruto not only failed to change his ways but instead unleashed his Three Tomoe.
The series of unexpected events left Tsunade speechless. In this world, Sasuke was probably the only one who could receive a reverse Talk no Jutsu.
"I must admit your eye for people is as sharp as ever, but are you sure you don't want to intervene and let them keep fighting like this?"