Last Words [1]

It was a rainy day, with a steady drizzle falling without end.

Inside a Buddhist hall in Konoha, Tsunade knelt on a prayer cushion before the great Buddha statue, her palms pressed together as she prayed silently...

This Buddhist hall had originally been an excuse Yuya used to lure out Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki.

Though it had been an excuse, many monks had still come.

Since those people had nothing to do with Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki, Yuya had not trouble them. He honored his promise made for the bait and had this Buddhist hall built.

And today, Tsunade, who had never prayed to gods or worshipped Buddha in her life, knelt upon a prayer cushion in the hall. Facing the Buddha statue, she pressed her palms together like a devout believer...

And there was only one thing she prayed for...

Within Konoha's Forest of Death:

Inside an ordinary little house made entirely of gold:

Yuya sat cross-legged in a recliner. Beside him, Orochimaru was fiddling with some equipment.

On one side of the equipment stood a row of four test tubes.

Those four test tubes were filled with liquids of indeterminate colors.

"Inside them... are the deadliest toxins in the world.

If injected directly into the body, there is no possibility of survival.

Even I would die immediately..." Orochimaru said with his head lowered as he worked with the equipment.

Yuya glanced at Orochimaru and sneered. "That would only mean this body of yours died. You definitely have plenty of backups left, don't you?"

Orochimaru said nothing and simply continued fiddling with the equipment.

Yuya pulled out a pack of menthol cigarettes, put one between his lips, bit down lightly, and lit it...

"Hiss... ha..."

Letting out a long, satisfied breath, Yuya narrowed his eyes and enjoyed the smoke.

Orochimaru tilted his