Tsunade: Are the Village's Ninjas Blind?

--Swish.

A figure appeared behind the Reanimated Ninja controlled by Orochimaru, bowing respectfully to him.

"Lord Orochimaru, I have completed the task you assigned."

Orochimaru said gently, "You've worked hard. Go to the Land of Fields first; I have made arrangements there."

"Yes!"

Glancing at the departing Shin, Hyuga Hane asked, "Telling me your destination directly—is this an invitation?"

"If Hane-kun is willing, you are naturally welcome to come after leaving Konoha."

Orochimaru smiled, his figure gradually blurring, "I was worried you might strike at Tsunade directly to obtain the Fission Technique, but it seems I was overthinking. We shall meet again on the battlefield."

If he hadn't interfered, Hyuga Hane likely wouldn't have returned...

A cage... Konoha is indeed a fine cage; birds that do not wish to fly can all be kept here.

Watching Orochimaru vanish, Hyuga Hane's consciousness gradually withdrew from the reanimated body.

If not for Orochimaru, he truly wouldn't have paid attention to this side.

Some things, once started, cannot be stopped.

After this incident, Tsunade will inevitably push the Hyuga Branch Family to abolish the Caged Bird, to prevent others from targeting her and the Hyuga clan again because of it.

Konoha will become the most qualified birdcage and storage base for experimental subjects.

And the Fission Technique, whether from Tsunade or Danzo, will be handed over to him.

"Then, I leave the rest to you, Clan Head Meigoku. I presume you also wish to witness the end of the Main Branch with your own eyes. Perhaps, it is not as bad as you think."

Hyuga Meigoku regained control of his body, his expression complex as he hurried toward the Hyuga Compound.

Over there, shortly after Tsunade finished demonstrating the Fission Technique to Danzo, the upheaval had already begun.

"Causing such a massive commotion, Danzo clearly has no intention of hiding it."

Arriving at the Konoha cemetery and hearing the roaring sounds from afar, Orochimaru shook his head and walked inside.

Danzo is not worried about any aftermath or reckoning.

His words were ruthless, but in truth, from the moment he decided to detain Tsunade, the tone of this battle was set.

The expanded forces of Root are more than capable of stalling Tsunade.

How many years has Tsunade suffered from hemophobia?

Over a decade!

Moreover, she is a taijutsu ninja; having not fought or seen blood for ten years, even if her physical state remained at its peak, her strength would inevitably have declined.

As long as he doesn't kill Tsunade, Danzo still has room to maneuver. Teacher Sarutobi is sentimental; even if the Fourth Hokage were to hold him accountable, he would still protect him.

Is this considered a form of favoritism?

Then, if I were to leave Konoha, what would you do?

Would you let me go, or kill me?

While pondering, Orochimaru arrived before the Second Hokage's grave, collecting his intelligence data. He then manipulated the Reanimated Ninja to enter a coffin and vanished from the spot.

The final items needed have been retrieved; now, he can focus on dealing with the battlefield.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Lady Tsunade." Katsuyu's massive body was suddenly summoned by Tsunade, bursting through the passage between Root and the outside world. She manifested directly within Konoha, also separating Tsunade from the Root ninja. "What happened? What is wrong with Shizune?"

Her soft voice was like a spring breeze, allowing Tsunade's spirit, tormented by the illusions, to recover slightly.

"Shizune is fine. I need to trouble you to watch over her for me."

"Very well, Lady Tsunade."

Katsuyu said softly, immediately splitting off a portion of her body to wrap around Shizune and quietly transporting her away from the tail end.

With Shizune sent away, Tsunade breathed a temporary sigh of relief, her gaze turning cold as she looked down at Danzo.

Neither had any intention of communicating. The Yamanaka and Nara ninja within Root struck simultaneously, attempting to restrain both Katsuyu and her.

Konoha's foundation, when facing a powerhouse like Tsunade, would not easily fall into a disadvantageous position.

Tsunade was well aware of this. She dodged the Shadow Possession Technique and Mind Body Switch Technique while engaging these ninja on the periphery, having no intention of overestimating her own strength by stepping into the encirclement.

She had seen firsthand how troublesome the secret techniques of Konoha's various clans could be when she served as a front-line commander; they could even suppress a Tailed Beast when combined. Fighting Root alone at this moment was not a good choice.

Katsuyu's massive body had appeared here; any ninja in the village who wasn't blind would see it.

Tsunade dodged the attacks nimbly, but because of her size and slow movement method, Katsuyu was directly struck by the Shadow Possession Technique.

Katsuyu was stunned.

"Lady Tsunade, why are you fighting against the ninja of Konoha?"

My attention had been entirely on Tsunade and Shizune just now, but looking around, aren't all these surrounding ninjas from Konoha? A civil war?

Or did Lady Tsunade defect?

"It has to do with the Fission Technique. I'll tell you the details later; for now, please help me hold them off."

Tsunade wove through the buildings, dodging over a hundred shuriken. Seeing several taijutsu specialists closing in around her, she brought her fist down onto the ground without a moment's hesitation.

BOOM!

With a sharp crack, the entire street began to tremble. An exaggerated fissure extended toward the surrounding buildings, followed by a spray of rubble that sent the encircling ninjas flying.

"Very well."

Katsuyu, ever understanding, stopped asking questions and began to divide. Countless smaller versions emerged from every part of her body, covering the ground in an instant and spitting acid at the Root ninjas.

The one who had signed the contract with her was Tsunade; the Konoha ninjas meant nothing to her. She had only been close to them previously because of Tsunade, so naturally, there was no need to hold back now.

Katsuyu's actions left the Root ninjas at a loss for how to proceed.

This Sage's Fission Technique had been imprinted into her physical instincts; whenever her body suffered a fatal wound, it would automatically divide, making her completely unkillable.

Knowing this, the Root ninjas felt that attacking was useless, yet not attacking was equally impossible, leaving them in a dilemma.

"Use the Four Violet Flames Formation!"

Aburame Tatsuma frowned and issued the order.

Eight Jonin stepped forward, splitting into two groups to form the Four Violet Flames Formation, yet they still failed to trap all of Katsuyu's smaller bodies.

Those trapped inside spat liquid at the barrier, causing the barrier and the acid to sizzle as they touched, each trying to erase the other. The smaller bodies outside ignored the incoming attacks, relentlessly spitting acid at the ninjas maintaining the barrier.

Feeling the rate at which their chakra was being consumed and seeing the highly corrosive liquid flying toward them, the eight Jonin turned grim and were forced to terminate their ninjutsu.

Why had they never realized this summoning beast was so troublesome before?

She divided the moment she was struck, and while her attack methods were singular, they were infused with Sage Chakra and possessed extreme corrosivity.

Combined with her chakra reserves, which rivaled a Tailed Beast, even if they didn't dodge the incoming acid, the barriers they set up would sooner or later be forced to vanish as their chakra ran dry.

With Katsuyu helping her shoulder much of the pressure, Tsunade found the time to scan for Danzo's position, only to discover that the mastermind had already left the scene, leaving Aburame Tatsuma to take over command.

Is he that confident these people can hold her back?

Tsunade's expression darkened as she glanced at the few she had knocked down first.

They were ninjas from the Yamanaka and Nara clans. Because it was too difficult to guard against them in the melee, she had singled them out first.

Some of their masks had been torn away, revealing the faces beneath.

Although they all bore the Root Seal on their brains, they were people she knew—they hadn't been Root ninjas before!

These people had been forcibly recruited as subordinates by Danzo!

How many people like this were there among the Root ninjas?

Just thinking about it made it impossible for Tsunade to go for the kill, and without using lethal force, it was difficult to shake them off.

Danzo really had her figured out...

Besides, were the ninjas in the village truly blind?

There hadn't been a single person coming to provide support yet!