This Taki Village shinobi had not yet processed the meaning behind Hozuki Suigetsu's words.
Before he could react, Suigetsu had already raised the hammer connected to the other end of his blade and brought it crashing down onto the back of the sword.
A special technique carrying a crushing force surged from the blade.
Under the Taki Village shinobi's stunned gaze, his entire sword blade shattered on the spot.
He could only watch helplessly as Suigetsu's Kabutowari, brimming with overwhelming power, cleaved straight into his chest.
A massive spray of blood erupted from the wound like a geyser, and the Taki Village Jonin died on the spot.
"The tricky one's been dealt with. The rest should be easy."
Suigetsu gave the dead Taki shinobi a dispassionate glance and rubbed his slightly sore wrist.
After several of Taki Village's more capable Jonin fell one after another to Ringo Ameyuri and Hozuki Suigetsu, the situation in the village rapidly collapsed.
Shouts of fury and enraged curses echoed across the skies above Taki Village, but they had no effect whatsoever.
The Kirigakure shinobi would not halt their assault.
To be precise, the moment Taki Village chose to assist Konoha, the two sides had already become enemies.
And enemies had no reason to exist.
Yuto was nowhere near as lenient as Senju Hashirama. Since they had chosen Konoha, they would have to endure the consequences of that choice.
War was never a game. War meant death — the deaths of many, many people.
At this point, most of Taki Village's shinobi were away supporting Konoha, leaving the village's defenses at their absolute lowest.
Against the Kirigakure forces led by Ringo Ameyuri and Hozuki Suigetsu, Taki Village had virtually no capacity to resist.
In just a single night.
Taki Village was completely annihilated.
By the afternoon of the following day, the news of the Land of Rivers' and the Land of Hot Water's destruction had spread across the entire Shinobi World.
That was right — it was the destruction of two entire nations, not just the shinobi villages within them.
The Land of Rivers was one thing; it had always been a small country. But the Land of Hot Water was far from insignificant — while it could not compare to the Land of Fire, it possessed the territorial mass of two or three small nations.
The destruction of these two countries jolted the entire Shinobi World awake in an instant.
The cruelty of war was laid bare before everyone's eyes, and at the same time, it served as a bucket of icy water dashed over those small shinobi villages that had been considering aiding Konoha.
In an instant, many small shinobi villages sealed themselves off in terror, refusing any contact with Konoha whatsoever.
They were terrified that the slightest misstep would result in their nations being wiped off the map by the two great superpower villages — Iwagakure and Kirigakure.
In tandem with the fall of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Hot Water, the Iwagakure and Kirigakure forces at both frontline positions launched their general offensives almost simultaneously.
In less than two days, both of Konoha's long-held positions fell completely, with massive numbers of Konoha shinobi killed in action.
At the same time, the forces of these two great superpower villages breached the Land of Fire's defensive line and entered the country itself.
Konoha Village.
Hokage's Office.
Reports of one defeat after another flooded into the Hokage's office, piling the desk high with documents.
But at this point, no one cared about the specifics of these intelligence reports anymore.
The Iwagakure and Kirigakure forces had already broken through the Land of Fire's border. Pursuing the details of these setbacks was meaningless now.
Tsunade slammed her fist onto the desk and rose from the mountain of documents, her expression grave beyond measure.
"Now is not the time to sit around. As the Fifth Hokage, there is no way I will let Konoha be destroyed on my watch!"
Tsunade's eyes blazed with unparalleled resolve as she looked up at Nara Shikaku, who stood respectfully before her.
"Shikaku, notify all of Konoha's Jonin to assemble on the rooftop!"
Tsunade's gaze was dead serious, her tone carrying the weight of absolute earnestness.
The moment she finished speaking, Tsunade dissolved into a blur and vanished from the Hokage's office.
At that moment, the usual laid-back expression on Nara Shikaku's face had long since disappeared, replaced by grim determination as he turned and walked out of the office.
It did not take long.
Word of the assembly spread throughout all of Konoha, and one Jonin after another appeared on the rooftops.
They then leaped rapidly across the rooftops, heading toward the central Hokage rooftop.
Tsunade was already waiting on the rooftop above the Hokage's office.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Apart from Tsunade, the rooftop — previously empty — filled with figures in the blink of an eye as one sharp rushing sound after another echoed through the air.
Hatake Kakashi, Mitarashi Anko, Maito Gai, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, Shiranui Genma, Morino Ibiki, Namiashi Raido, Yamashiro Aoba, Aburame Shibi!
Along with the various clan Jonin — every single one of them wore an expression of grim solemnity.
The dire straits Konoha now found itself in were obvious to every Jonin present. A shadow lingered in every one of their hearts.
It was as if a colossal dark cloud hung above the sky of every person there, oppressive and suffocating.
Seeing that all of Konoha's Jonin had gathered, Tsunade took a deep breath.
"Everyone, I am sure you have already heard that Iwagakure and Kirigakure have breached the Land of Fire's defensive line."
"This war cannot be avoided, and there is no possibility of avoiding it!"
"Everyone here grew up in Konoha, and your loved ones are in this village as well. No matter what, we must win this war!"
"Not just for the village — but to protect the people behind us!"
Tsunade did not deliver a grand motivational speech. She spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, yet every word carried profound earnestness.
With that, Tsunade paused briefly before an indomitable aura erupted from her body.
"Everyone, I am counting on you."
"Intercept the enemy outside Konoha Village at all costs. Do not allow them to approach the village!"
Tsunade roared, her voice filled with absolute conviction.
"Yes, Lady Hokage!"
"Yes, Lady Hokage!"
"Yes, Lady Hokage!"
Roar after roar echoed across the rooftop, every voice as resolute as the last.
Every single one of them harbored the resolve to fight to the death. They had nowhere left to retreat — if that was the case, then they would settle this with one decisive battle!
In that moment, the thick gloom that had weighed upon their hearts was scattered by the battle cries and fighting spirit surging from within.
All the Jonin present gave Tsunade a deep bow, before dissolving into afterimages and scattering in every direction.
Clearly, each Jonin had already been assigned their mission. Nara Shikaku, as the overall commander, would naturally coordinate everything that needed to be done.
There was no need for Tsunade to spell it all out herself.
After all the Jonin had departed, Tsunade finally let out a soft breath.
"That was a good display of spirit."
"Our Tsunade has truly come into her own."
Senju Hashirama had appeared beside Tsunade at some unknown point, a warm smile on his face as he patted her shoulder.
Faced with Senju Hashirama, who had materialized beside her without the slightest warning, Tsunade froze for a moment before her face settled into a resigned expression.
"Grandfather, I haven't been a child for a long time now."
A vein twitched at Tsunade's temple as she spoke in an irritated tone.
"Haha, true enough. You are the Hokage now."
Senju Hashirama let out a hearty laugh and ruffled his hair.
At the sound of Senju Hashirama's laughter, a vein bulged on Tsunade's forehead. Had she not known that this unreliable individual was her own grandfather, she would have punched him long ago.
"Rest assured, I built Konoha with my own hands. I will not let anyone destroy it."
"And anyone who wishes to destroy Konoha will have to step over my corpse first."
Senju Hashirama's boyish smile faded, replaced by a rare expression of complete sincerity.
As he spoke, Senju Hashirama walked to the edge of the rooftop and stood at the highest point, gazing down at all of Konoha with a look of nostalgia in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Tsunade. Konoha will endure."
Senju Hashirama suddenly turned his head, a gentle smile on his face as he spoke softly.
Hearing Senju Hashirama's words, Tsunade opened her mouth as if to say something, but the words died on her lips. Instead, she gave a firm, resolute nod.
"Alright, I won't interrupt your reunion."
Senju Hashirama cast a sidelong glance toward the back of the rooftop and chuckled.
The moment the words left his mouth, Senju Hashirama's figure vanished from the rooftop as though he had simply ceased to exist.
Tsunade knew perfectly well that Senju Hashirama had not truly disappeared — he had simply moved so fast that she could not track his movement at all.
Recalling what Senju Hashirama had said just before leaving, Tsunade turned to look toward the back of the rooftop.
Under Tsunade's gaze, two figures slowly emerged from the rear of the rooftop and came into view.
Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
The moment Tsunade saw the two of them, Jiraiya and Orochimaru spotted her as well.
Seeming to sense the faint coldness in Tsunade's gaze, Orochimaru forced a smile onto his stiff face.
"I sacrificed the entire Land of Rice Paddies to help Konoha. Surely that counts as enough sincerity."
Orochimaru spread his hands, a note of helplessness in his voice.
Sensing the tension between Orochimaru and Tsunade, Jiraiya quickly let out a hearty laugh to break the heavy atmosphere.
"It has been a long time since the three of us stood face to face like this."
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade and spoke with a light smile.
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya and let out a slow breath.
"I can overlook the fact that you attacked Konoha in the past. I am not even interested in your true motives right now."
"But since you are here, I expect you to keep your word."
Tsunade looked at Orochimaru, her tone even but underpinned by absolute seriousness.
Having said that.
Tsunade paid no further attention to the expression on Orochimaru's face and walked straight ahead.
The instant she passed beside Orochimaru, Tsunade suddenly spun around and drove her fist straight into his stomach.
With a heavy, muffled impact, Orochimaru's entire body doubled over like a bowing shrimp.
His body was then sent flying uncontrollably, crashing into the edge of the rooftop and leaving cracks spiderwebbing across the surface.
Seeing Orochimaru launched by a single punch, Jiraiya's eye twitched violently as he reflexively shrank his neck.
After sending Orochimaru flying with one blow, Tsunade turned and continued walking forward.
"That punch was from me, on behalf of Lord Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Tsunade's voice drifted back, reaching the ears of both Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Meanwhile.
The blasted Orochimaru pulled himself up from a shallow crater at the rooftop's edge, his body contorted into a grotesque shape.
The force behind Tsunade's monstrous strength was terrifying. What was more, she had clearly held absolutely nothing back with that punch.
In other words, Orochimaru had taken the full brunt of that devastating blow.
Orochimaru steadied his warped body and rose to his feet. With a single thought —
His mouth suddenly gaped open to an impossible width, and a fresh Orochimaru crawled out from within.
Moments later, a fully restored Orochimaru stood before Jiraiya.
"That strength really hasn't changed much. If I hadn't been careful, that could have actually killed me."
Orochimaru licked his lips and spoke in a hoarse voice.
Jiraiya walked over to Orochimaru and examined him. Seeing that he did not appear to be seriously injured, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Tsunade's personality has always been like that."
Jiraiya shrugged as he spoke in a wry, exasperated tone.
But at this point, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in his gaze as he fixed his stare on Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru. Do not disappoint Tsunade."
Jiraiya's face was deadly serious, his tone flat and even.
Faced with Jiraiya's dangerous aura, Orochimaru seemed entirely unbothered. He simply looked out over Konoha from the rooftop, lost in his own thoughts.
"While I find this village's growing rigidness distasteful, I did grow up here, after all."
"If Konoha were to be destroyed, that would be rather boring."
A cold light flickered in Orochimaru's golden, slit-pupiled eyes. He paused for a moment, then turned to face Jiraiya with a low chuckle.
"Besides, if anyone is going to destroy Konoha, it might as well be me."
"And I have been quite interested in the immortal bloodline limit possessed by Kirigakure's First Mizukage, Yuto."
"He killed me once before. This time, I intend to have a proper fight."
An expression of abnormal excitement flickered across Orochimaru's pale face as he spoke.
"I hope so." Jiraiya retracted his dangerous aura and spoke in a flat, quiet tone.
[
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