The skies over the Land of Waves cleared, and sunlight dispelled the last of the gloom, but the weight on the survivors' hearts had not entirely lifted. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura set out for Konoha with the physically and emotionally exhausted Tsunami and Inari, along with several civilians from the Land of Waves willing to testify against the Black Tide Trading Company. Team 7 had arrived as four, but on the journey home, one quiet, powerful figure was missing.
Konoha, the Hokage's Office.
After hearing Kakashi's detailed report, Tsunade slammed her fist into her desk, shattering the sturdy wooden desktop! Her face was livid, her chest heaving-not out of anger over the mission's losses, but because of the terrifying power the Sacred Lord had displayed and the devastating price Ling had paid to prevent his descent.
"The Sacred Lord... Soul Descent... the Land of Waves as a sacrifice..." Tsunade's voice trembled slightly with suppressed fury. "And that Heize... Those rats hiding in the sewers actually had ambitions this vast!"
She forced herself to calm down and looked at Kakashi, whose face was pale and whose depleted chakra had yet to fully recover, then at Naruto and Sakura, whose eyes held grief and frustration.
"About Ling's condition... Are you certain it was the Second Hokage's soul that took him to Shikkotsu Forest?" Tsunade's voice was heavy with disbelief. Tobirama Senju, her great-uncle, the legend of the Shinobi World renowned for his forbidden techniques and cunning-his soul had been residing inside Ling all this time? If that news spread, it would send shock waves through the entire Shinobi World.
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Kakashi nodded firmly, his Sharingan weary but still sharp. "Although I only caught a fleeting glimpse, his unique, cold, powerful chakra and the extraordinary Space-Time Ninjutsu he used both matched