Hanfu raced along in a blaze of speed, reaching the spot where he had just met the Old Woman in only a few minutes. Unfortunately, not a single person remained.
"What's this...?"
Suddenly, Hanfu spotted a small, round crater in the ground not far away. It was twenty centimeters deep and a meter across, its bottom webbed with cracks as if a meteor had struck it.
Hanfu walked over and crouched beside the crater to examine it. Among the web-like cracks, he spotted two faint footprints.
A scene flashed through his mind: a woman stood there with both fists clenched, gathering strength. When she unleashed it, immense power, accompanied by Chakra, compressed the ground and formed the crater.
Was it Tsunade?
Hanfu thought of the Old Woman he had just met, with her yellowing hair, deeply wrinkled face, and stooped figure. It was hard to connect her with Tsunade.
Could she have used the Transformation Technique?
At Tsunade's level, even the most basic Three Body Technique was beyond Hanfu's ability to see through.
But Hanfu couldn't understand why someone of Tsunade's standing would use the Transformation Technique on a bunch of schoolchildren like them.
Hanfu stood up and continued looking around, but found nothing else.
Strange.
Hanfu frowned. Whether or not the Old Woman was Tsunade, the crater and the loud noise he'd heard proved that she had made a move. But who had she attacked?
Why were there no signs of a fight anywhere nearby?
Hanfu searched for a long while but found nothing.
"Hanfu, Hanfu! Come down, it's ready!"
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Inuzuka Sa and the little puppy Shiromaru had come looking for him.
"Oh, coming!"
Hanfu put his thoughts aside and turned to head down the hill.
On the other side of the hill, Tsunade leaned against a tree with one hand and pressed her forehead with the other. Her face was pale.
"I didn't think you still hadn't overcome your fear of blood."
Orochimaru stood behind Tsunade. His right shoulder was slightly sunken, and bright red blood seeped through his clothes, staining the fabric around it.
"No wonder you haven't taken a mission in all these years." Orochimaru's eyes flickered. "Tsunade, I can help you overcome your hemophobia."
Tsunade fell silent.
Orochimaru understood what she meant. He was reluctant to accept it, but there was nothing he could do.
He had come to see Tsunade for a simple reason. Konoha was now at war with Sunagakure, and Orochimaru wanted the Sannin to return to the battlefield and drive the Sunagakure Ninja out of the Land of Fire. But, unfortunately...
Orochimaru had contacted Jiraiya first. Jiraiya said he was sick of war and wouldn't return to the battlefield unless Sunagakure's ninja invaded the village. He'd even said he was going to search for some so-called savior who could put an end to war for good. He sounded like a lunatic.
Then Orochimaru had come to see Tsunade, only to find that her hemophobia hadn't gone away. Worse, she'd given up on treatment. What could Orochimaru do?
As he brooded, Orochimaru suddenly recalled the Second Great Ninja War. The three of them hadn't yet reached their peak back then, but the days they'd spent on missions, fighting, and killing together were truly nostalgic.
But... Orochimaru suddenly had a strong premonition that, from now on, he would never again fight alongside Tsunade and Jiraiya.
By the time he left Beishan, Orochimaru's injuries had nearly healed.
When he returned home and stepped into the entryway, Orochimaru stopped. "What are you doing here, Danzo?"
The man stood with his head bowed in the shadows, and asked in a low voice, "How did it go?"
Orochimaru shook his head.
"Jiraiya and Tsunade both turned you down?"
Danzo was displeased. "Hmph. Those two have been useless ever since they made a name for themselves. Damn it!"
When the war broke out, Danzo had hurriedly discussed matters with Orochimaru and devised a "perfect" plan: bring the Sannin back to the battlefield.
With the Sannin's formidable strength, they could lead the Konoha Ninja and drive the Sunagakure Ninja out of the Land of Fire in a crushing victory!
It was the fastest way to end the war. It would minimize Konoha's losses and intimidate the other nations and hidden villages, stopping them from making any rash moves. But most importantly, if the Sannin went to war, Danzo could pull off a series of brilliant maneuvers in the village and make Orochimaru the top celebrity, winning him far more fame and influence than Tsunade or Jiraiya. That would help him secure the position of Fourth Hokage.
As Danzo saw it, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't yet know that his prized student Orochimaru had allied with Danzo. So if Danzo sang Orochimaru's praises, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't stop him. By the time Orochimaru became Fourth Hokage, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi came to his senses, it would be too late to change anything!
Unfortunately, the plan had fallen apart before it even began.
"So what do you plan to do now?" Orochimaru asked.
"With two of the Sannin out, you can't defeat the Sunagakure Ninja quickly on your own."
Danzo considered the matter. "So you can't go to the battlefield until the decisive moment!"
Danzo's meaning was clear. Orochimaru either had to stay out of the war or, if he entered the battlefield, secure a decisive victory in one fell swoop and earn fame and influence beyond what anyone else could achieve.
Orochimaru nodded, but seemed distracted. After being "rejected" by Jiraiya and Tsunade, he felt rather disheartened and wanted to be alone for a while.
"In that case, I'll take my leave."
Danzo saw that Orochimaru seemed to be in a bad mood, so he didn't say more. He slipped into the shadows and slowly disappeared.
At the foot of Beishan.
The boys weren't interested in sweets, so they dug into the various balls instead. They especially liked the spicy beef balls, and each of them had two skewers.
But...
After one spicy beef ball, Hanfu felt like his mouth was about to explode!
Damn, that was way too spicy!
Hanfu hurriedly poured himself a bowl of sweet red bean soup to cool down.
"Anko!!"
Iruka had taken a bite too, and was sticking his tongue out from the heat. "You did this on purpose, didn't you? Why are the beef balls so spicy?!"
Anko huffed in protest. "You kept saying you wanted spicy food, so I asked the vendor to add chili. And now you're blaming me? Fine! I'll never buy spicy balls again!"
"Could you try not to smile while you're saying that?"
Hanfu bared his teeth as he complained.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not smiling!"
Anko adjusted her expression and said solemnly, "Now you know how delicious red bean soup is, right?"
Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were also guzzling red bean soup to soothe their burning mouths. Hearing Anko, they didn't know whether to put down their bowls or keep drinking.
Inuzuka Sa sat on the grass, sipping red bean soup and eating octopus balls with a cheerful smile. "Iruka, Hanfu, Izumo, Little Tie, you might as well accept your fate."
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Shiromaru sat beside Inuzuka Sa, tail wagging as he waited for his little master to give him an octopus ball.
Aside from the extra-spicy beef balls, the six of them chatted and joked around as they finished all the red bean soup, balls, and other food they'd brought. It was already past five-thirty, and the sky was gradually darkening.
"It's about time to head home."
Inuzuka Sa glanced up at the sky and picked up the little puppy, who seemed unhappy after eating only two balls. "Everyone, start packing up."
Kotetsu Hagane immediately dumped all the trash into one bag, ready to toss it in a bin.
Hanfu saw what he was doing and hurried to stop him. "Kotetsu Hagane, you—you—you can't just throw all this trash together! That won't do. Dry waste, wet waste, and recyclables have to be separated!"
"Huh?"
Kotetsu Hagane looked completely bewildered. Why couldn't he understand what Hanfu was saying?
"Let me do it!"
Hanfu took over and sorted the trash into three piles: dry, wet, and recyclable. Satisfied, he handed all three bags to Kotetsu Hagane and said earnestly, "Everyone's responsible for sorting their trash!"
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