Orochimaru reached the edge of the Konoha Forest first. Tsunade and Jiraiya landed behind him one after the other.
The moment he arrived, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
The battlefield was a scene of utter devastation.
Trees had been shredded, and enormous furrows scarred the ground, as though pieces of the earth had simply been carved away.
At a glance, it was clear that Eiji had caused the destruction by repeatedly using the Ninjutsu called Azure.
The air reeked of blood. Every few steps, they came across another Kumogakure Ninja sprawled dead, many of them cut clean in half at the waist.
Orochimaru paused beside one Kumogakure Ninja whose lower body still stood upright while his upper body lay on the ground. Tsunade had no idea what he was thinking.
Farther on, the three found more Kumogakure Ninja: some with their necks twisted, some reduced to mangled flesh, and others dead with terror frozen on their faces.
The sheer variety of deaths stunned even the seasoned Jiraiya.
"Eiji..."
Worry filled Tsunade's face. It looked as though Eiji had done all this.
Had he been fighting desperately here alone for so long? She had left him behind to spend her time fighting the Raikage. The thought filled her with guilt.
"Damn it! Eiji must have stayed in the forest to keep these enemies out of the Village, fighting until they caught him in the Four Violet Flames Formation!"
Jiraiya spoke through gritted teeth.
His words only made Tsunade feel worse. If she had stopped to think back then, she would have realized they were after Eiji.
She could not help against the Raikage, and she had failed to reach Eiji the moment he was in danger. What kind of older sister was she?
What could I still do for Eiji!?
"Don't worry.