darknovel Chapter 157 Considering the princess's age, being arrogant isn't necessarily a sign of reg
Chapter 157 Considering the princess's age, being arrogant isn't necessarily a sign of reg
Chapter 157 Considering the princess's age, being arrogant isn't necessarily a sign of regression.
As a renowned Jonin in Sunagakure, Maki naturally possessed considerable knowledge.
His gaze swept quickly across the Miyake ninjas surrounding him.
He might not take Hayate Gekko and Genma Shiranui, those two special Jonin, seriously, but Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy are a different story.
The four men surrounded them from all sides, exuding a murderous aura that seemed to freeze the air itself.
Maki clenched his fist on the kunai, his palms sweating profusely, his mind racing.
If he were alone at that moment, he might still try to fight to the death and find a chance to break through the encirclement and escape.
However, he was currently accompanied by Temari and Kankuro, two young juniors from Sunagakure. If he rashly attacked and angered these Konoha elites, even if he managed to escape, would he really leave Temari and Kankuro here?
Will you bear the wrath of the Konoha ninja?
Thinking of this, the last shred of hope in Maki's heart vanished.
He gave a bitter laugh, slowly raised his hands, deliberately dissipated the gathered chakra, and said in a hoarse voice, "...We surrender."
"Mr. Ma... Mr. Maki?!"
Temari's pretty face turned pale, her eyes widened in disbelief, and her hand holding the giant iron fan trembled slightly.
Kankuro was also shocked. "H-How could they all... surrender!" Maki said in a deep voice, stopping his two juniors from their irrational behavior. He sighed, "We've lost this time!"
He gestured to the two of them to listen quietly.
Temari and Kankuro suppressed the shock in their hearts and listened intently to the sounds around them.
Upon hearing this, they immediately exchanged glances.
All around was deathly silent. Apart from the distant roar of battle from the battlefield, there was no sign of the expected commotion throughout Konoha Village!
Logically, the Sand Village and Sound Village members they deployed in various corners of Konoha should be attacking everywhere right now, causing chaos.
But now—not to mention explosions and shouts of killing, there isn’t even the slightest sound of fighting!
"As expected—" Maki's face turned ashen, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. "Konoha—was prepared all along."
Kakashi smiled slightly upon seeing this, his words calm yet tinged with a sharp edge: "That's right. I already knew the movements of the ninjas you had planted throughout Konoha long before you even took action."
Temari and Kankuro breathed in the same air, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Maki closed his eyes bitterly—had Konoha planned everything from the very beginning?
The Third Hokage and Danzo led the team together, with the entire Root and Anbu forces mobilized, and the Ino-Shika-Cho family providing support.
A mere few dozen Sand and Sound Ninja who wanted to cause trouble.
There's absolutely nothing to worry about.
After hearing this, Maki felt both annoyed and regretful, and his face gradually lost its color.
However, what puzzled him was how exactly the information was leaked.
How could Konoha be so aware of the plans of Sunagakure and Otogakure?
Kakashi raised his hand and said in a deep voice, "Take him away!"
Several ANBU members who had been waiting for a long time stepped forward instantly and swiftly placed chakra-sealing locks on Maki, Temari, and Kankuro.
As his hands were twisted behind his back and he was forced to the ground, Maki finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him: "Where did you get your information about Konoha?"
Did the news leak out from the Sound Village?!
Kakashi shook his head slightly upon hearing this: "That's not true."
His eyes flickered, but he didn't give a direct answer.
After the great changes in Konoha in the dream, Kushina-senpai actually strengthened the seal for Gaara.
In other words, Sunagakure did not become a mortal enemy, but instead maintained an alliance with Konoha.
So it's obvious that this invasion, which seems to be led by Sunagakure, may actually be a victim of Sunagakure as well.
Kakashi narrowed his single exposed eye. "Your Kazekage—was Orochimaru in disguise, did you know that?"
Upon hearing this, Maki was utterly shocked: "W-what?!"
"Impossible!!"
Kankuro and Temari both changed color upon hearing this.
Temari exclaimed incredulously, "How could Father possibly be Orochimaru in disguise?!"
"snort."
Kakashi didn't say anything more, but simply picked up the bound Maki with one hand and leaped onto the roof of the stands.
The rest of the Anbu also followed, along with Temari and Kankuro.
From this vantage point, the entire landscape unfolds before your eyes.
Kakashi pointed to the massive barrier atop the central platform, engulfed in blazing purple flames, and said calmly, "Take a good look. Is that really your Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, standing there?"
Maki forced himself to look closely, his heart pounding. He couldn't make out their faces from over a hundred meters away, but through the translucent purple wall of fire, he could still vaguely make out two figures locked in fierce combat within the barrier.
At this moment, the fighting styles of the two were fully observed by the spectators in the stands.
Maki was only briefly alerted when his heart sank involuntarily. No matter who was using the ninjutsu within the barrier, it was completely different from the fighting style of the Kazekage, Rasa, that he knew!
"What...what is this?" Maki muttered to himself, his face turning pale and then red, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Upon hearing this, Temari and Kankuro finally realized the seriousness of the situation, their breathing quickened, and their faces were filled with shock and confusion.
"Damn it—!" Maki closed his eyes, unwilling to look at the scene inside the barrier any longer.
His mind was in turmoil, filled with anger and fear. "Where is our Lord Kazekage now?!"
Kakashi, of course, didn't know either, but now was not the time to explain.
He gestured to the secret service, "Take them away and lock them up, keep them under close guard."
Upon receiving the order, several members of the Anbu, along with Gekko Hayate and Shiranui Genma, quickly escorted the three Sunagakure prisoners away from the rooftop.
Maki hung his head, his face pale, unable to utter a single word; Temari bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, not daring to turn back to look at the unfamiliar figure in the arena; Kankuro muttered a curse under his breath, his eyes filled with despair and anger.
The three were quickly taken away from the battlefield.
At the same time, Kakashi and Guy exchanged a glance. Seeing that all the Sand Village ninjas had been captured, they didn't delay any longer and rushed towards the roof of the central platform.
"I never expected things to go so smoothly," Matt Kai said with a sigh as he leaped between the rooftops.
Kakashi, however, remained vigilant and said in a deep voice, "Don't let your guard down. The truly terrifying enemy hasn't appeared yet."
Kai's expression changed slightly, and he nodded solemnly: "You mean—"
"That's right," Kakashi replied in a deep voice.
This was a plan that the Third Hokage and Danzo had discussed.
Now that Kakashi has figured out the Sand Ninja's movements.
Then go all out, suppress the Sand Ninja who are causing trouble at an extremely fast speed, and deal with Orochimaru.
Then we'll gather all our strength.
Waiting for those two formidable enemies whose movements are completely unknown.
"Therefore," Kakashi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "we must resolve this battle as soon as possible. Only by freeing up our forces can we deal with the even stronger enemies that may appear next!"
A moment later, the two arrived at the roof of the central platform, one after the other.
At this moment, several ninjas dressed in ANBU uniforms and wearing animal masks stood around the roof, surrounding the blazing purple barrier.
Also present were two women. "Lady Tsunade! Miss Shizune!" Might Guy recognized the familiar figure and was both surprised and delighted, greeting them repeatedly.
Standing at the edge of the rooftop is none other than Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha who has been out of the public eye for a long time!
At this moment, she stood with her arms crossed, gazing leisurely at the four purple flame array barrier in front of her, a hint of amusement playing on her lips.
It was as if they were watching a rare and wonderful show.
Half a step away from her stood Jingyin, who looked somewhat nervous.
Hearing Kai's enthusiastic voice, Tsunade tilted her head slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her golden pupils, before she quickly regained her nonchalant demeanor.
She smiled as she looked at Kakashi and Gai, who were panting as they arrived, and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead with her slender, white fingers, saying lazily, "Oh, it's been a long time."
"Lady Tsunade." Kakashi bowed respectfully.
Kai exclaimed excitedly, "With you and Jiraiya here, Konoha is saved this time!"
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Don't count on me."
She raised an eyebrow and gave an impatient snort. "I don't want to get involved in Konoha's mess! I'm just here to watch the show."
That's what they say, but everyone can see that if it really comes down to life and death, this proud princess will not sit idly by. Kakashi knows this, but he doesn't say it out loud. He just gets up and steps aside, and together with Gai, they stare intently at the barrier in front of them.
Inside the barrier, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had been locked in fierce combat for some time.
The two men were panting heavily, standing at a distance from each other.
Jiraiya's chest heaved, several burn marks were faintly visible in his long white hair, and a trace of blood clung to the corner of his mouth.
Orochimaru on the other side was also in bad shape. The Kazekage robe he had been wearing was now riddled with holes from the flames, revealing his pale and thin face. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and for the first time, a sinister glint appeared in his golden snake eyes.
Through the barrier of fire, one could see more and more Konoha ninjas converging from all directions, completely surrounding the rooftop.
Seeing this, Jiraiya's expression gradually relaxed.
He grinned, a slight smile spreading across his face, and loudly teased Orochimaru, who was standing not far away, "What's wrong, Orochimaru? Weren't you just saying you were going to end Konoha's era? Keep going, don't stop!"
Orochimaru's face darkened upon hearing this. He didn't reply, but his cold gaze quickly swept over the densely packed figures outside the barrier.
When he spotted the golden figure standing at the front of the crowd, his pupils contracted slightly, and he cursed inwardly, "Damn it, even she's here?!"
He never expected that Princess Tsunade, who had been out of the public eye for so long, would suddenly appear in Konoha today!
Seeing Tsunade's pretty face outside glaring at him with an expression of amusement, Orochimaru gritted his teeth, his anxiety growing.
Jiraiya has become so troublesome that he's unlikely to be defeated anytime soon.
If this drags on any longer, and that old guy Hiruzen Sarutobi arrives, then Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the three of them—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen—will have to work together to deal with him. Orochimaru himself knows that, let alone killing anyone, even escaping unscathed will be incredibly difficult!
"No, we can't hold back any longer!"
A glint of madness flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. He suddenly stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his lips, revealing a sinister smile.
"Jiraiya originally intended to save this move for the old man," he said sinisterly, his voice hoarse and low, exuding endless chill.
Jiraiya's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this.
Orochimaru slowly clasped his hands together: "However, I'll use you as a test first—Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation!"
Orochimaru slammed his palms down on the ground, and the rubble and debris within the barrier scattered and flew in all directions as his chakra surged.
With a strange rumbling sound, the ground in front of Orochimaru slowly rose up!
The black soil churned and solidified into three rectangular coffin shapes, which slowly rose from the ground.
"This is--?!"
Almost instantly, Jiraiya recalled the scene from "that dream" ten days ago: Orochimaru was able to summon long-deceased Kage-level powerhouses and use them for his own purposes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three coffins burst from the ground one after another, crashing heavily into the center of the barrier, stirring up clouds of dust. On the front of each coffin was a prominent character—"初" (first), "二" (second), and "四" (fourth).
However, just as the coffin marked with the number "four" was halfway up, it suddenly stopped, and then slowly sank back into the ground!
"Hmm?!" Orochimaru frowned, seemingly surprised, yet also clicking his tongue in regret. "They actually failed?"
He quickly suppressed his regret and instead let out a low, menacing laugh: "But with these two, that's more than enough to deal with you, hehehehe—."
Amidst the billowing smoke, Jiraiya stared at the two remaining coffins in the room, his expression more solemn than ever before.
As expected, the Impure World Reincarnation technique has arrived!
"Qiya—"
Accompanied by the sickening scraping sound of coffin lids, the lids of the two coffins slowly fell down, crashing heavily onto the rubble.
The next second, two tall figures stepped out of the coffin one after the other.
Under the purple glow of the protective fire, there were two middle-aged men dressed in ancient armor.
A man with long black hair wore a headband bearing the insignia of Konoha Village, and his deep red armor gleamed with a dull luster from the passage of time.
At this moment, his eyes were closed and his expression was blank, like a statue awakening from a deep sleep.
The other person had short, silver-white hair that stood on end, and two strange, dark blue markings across his cold face. He wore dark blue armor and a white fur collar around his shoulders.
His eyes were equally lifeless as he stared straight ahead, his thin lips pressed tightly together, exuding an aura of intimidation that kept strangers at bay.
Although their appearances were slightly more ashen and stiff than when they were alive, all the Konoha ninjas outside the rooftop recognized the two of them at a glance.
That was clearly the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!
And the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!
Outside the Purple Flame Barrier, everyone witnessed the two tall figures emerging from the coffins, and they were all speechless, as if time had frozen at that moment.
"The First Hokage and the Second Hokage?! This...this can't be right?!" Might Guy felt a buzzing in his head, and his whole body froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, almost unable to believe his eyes.
"Grandpa and Second Grandpa?!" Tsunade's pretty face turned pale, and she froze on the spot.
She had been thoroughly enjoying the intense battle between Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and even had a nostalgic smile on her lips—it had been so many years since she had seen these two guys really fight.
However, to Tsunade's utter surprise, Orochimaru suddenly used the forbidden and evil technique "Impure World Reincarnation," summoning her relatives who had been dead for many years!
"How could this be?!" Shizune covered her mouth, staring incredulously at the First and Second Hokage within the barrier.
Tsunade's body began to tremble, her knuckles cracking as she clenched her fists: "That disgusting Orochimaru, how dare he!!!"
However, Kakashi, focused on the situation within the barrier, had no time to spare for anything else.
He stared at the two Hokage summoned by Orochimaru, his brows furrowed in a deep frown: "This attack is here. We can't let Jiraiya-sama face this alone!"
Without further hesitation, he flashed and headed straight for the blazing Four Purple Flame Array.
"Kakashi-senpai, danger!" An ANBU member rushed to his side, urgently saying, "This barrier is untouchable; no ninjutsu attack will work!"
Kakashi smiled slightly, raised his hand and removed the headband covering his left eye, revealing a scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan that spun rapidly: "Who said I was going to use ordinary ninjutsu?"
In his pupils, the three tomoe instantly connected to form a strange windmill pattern!
Kakashi's gaze locked onto a Sound Ninja in the northeast corner of the barrier, who was intently maintaining the jutsu.
That person was none other than Sakon, one of the Sound Four!
"Kamui!" Kakashi suddenly shouted.
hum! ! !
Before Zuo Jin could react to what was happening, he was horrified to find that his right arm was suddenly being pulled tightly by an invisible, enormous force!
The next second, he watched in disbelief as his entire right arm twisted bizarrely from his shoulder, as if it had been swept into the center of a vortex and vanished into thin air!
"Ahhh!!!" The intense pain finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
Zuo Jin screamed, clutching his severed arm and collapsing to his knees, blood gushing out.
With their formation disrupted, the three Sound Ninja in the other corners were caught off guard, their figures swaying as the barrier chakra immediately lost its balance.
Sizzle sizzle—
With a deafening explosion, the once blazing purple fire wall of the Four Purple Flame Array shattered, turning into countless sparks that scattered into the air.
The cage-like barrier has been dismantled!
"The barrier has been lifted?!" Kai exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and delight, and the members of the Dark Guard also perked up.
The Konoha ninja outside the barrier immediately drew their weapons, ready to support the battle.
Inside the barrier, Orochimaru watched in shock as the Four Purple Flame Formation crumbled.
He turned sharply to look in the direction of Zuo Jin, his gaze falling on the severed arm, his face instantly turning ashen.
However, he had no more time to think—just as the barrier extinguished, a fierce shout, laced with boundless rage, swept in with the force of wind and thunder: "Orochimaru—you disgusting bastard! How dare you do such a thing!"
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