Land of Rivers.
Konoha and Sunagakure's Main Camp.
As November arrived, the temperature had dropped considerably. The cool breeze was refreshing and comfortable.
Standing by the river near the main camp, Hanekawa ford a hand seal.
His body quickly softened and transford into liquid water, rging seamlessly with the river.
From the surface, there was no sign that a ninja was hiding beneath the water.
Releasing the Hydrification Technique, Hanekawa returned to his human form.
He nodded in satisfaction—this technique was indeed impressive.
Not only could it make him immune to physical attacks, but it also served as an excellent stealth ability.
Two months had passed since their attack on Kirigakure's island stronghold.
After capturing Hōzuki Mangetsu, Hanekawa had the Yamanaka Clan interrogate him, successfully extracting the Hōzuki Clan's Water Release secrets.
In addition, he had also obtained the Summoning Scroll of the Seven Ninja Swordsn's Blades.
Now, he had a complete set.
When the peace negotiations arrived, these could be traded for a higher price.
That included Hōzuki Mangetsu—Hanekawa also planned to sell him back to Kirigakure.
After all, he wouldn't live long anyway.
However, over the past two months, Hanekawa hadn't just learned the Hydrification Technique—his B-rank perk, "Lightning Release Body", had finally upgraded.
Mind's Eye!
Closing his eyes to confirm no one was spying on him, Hanekawa ford another hand seal.
A surge of chakra spread throughout his body, followed by bursts of lightning.
Unlike Chidori Nagashi, which spread lightning outward, this lightning surrounded Hanekawa's body like armor.
This was the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
> [S-Rank Ninjutsu Perk: Lightning Release Chakra Mode.]
[Activation Conditions: The upgrade of B-Rank perk "Lightning Release Body" and mastery of Lightning Release Chakra Mode.]
[Effect: Enhances physical strength by 200%, including attack power, speed, and defense.]
S-Rank?!
Hanekawa was slightly surprised.
After all, beyond Lightning Release Chakra Mode, there was an even stronger technique—The Strongest Lightning Release Armor.
Essentially, that armor was the ultimate state of Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
And since "Lightning Release Body" was only B-rank, he had expected its upgrade to be A-rank, not S-rank.
But regardless, this was great news.
Hanekawa's body flickered as he sprinted around the area at high speed, returning to his original position in less than a second.
To an observer, it would have seed like he hadn't moved at all.
Clenching his fists, Hanekawa felt an unprecedented surge of power.
A thought suddenly occurred to him—
If he used Flying Thunder God Technique while in Lightning Release Chakra Mode...
Would that make him the fastest ninja in history?
That said, Flying Thunder God was notoriously difficult to master.
Even after two months of practice, he had only barely grasped the basics.
But Hanekawa wasn't in a rush.
After all, he had already mastered Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Besides that, he had also learned Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
This was simply an enhanced version of Shadow Clone Jutsu, with the only difference being the chakra limitation.
Since Hanekawa had already mastered Shadow Clone Jutsu, learning the multi-clone version didn't take much ti.
As the lightning dissipated, Hanekawa let out a slow breath.
Losing the surge of power felt sowhat uncomfortable, but he quickly adjusted.
Now, it was ti to decide on his next objectives.
1. "Leaf Dragon God" Taijutsu (Chen's technique)
This could help him disguise the activation of Lightning Release Chakra Mode during battle.
2. Flying Thunder God Technique (Minato Namikaze's jutsu)
He had already begun learning it—mastering it was just a matter of ti and practice.
3. Acquiring the "Jōnin-Level Water Release" and "Jōnin-Level Earth Release" perks to synthesize Wood Release
Even if it was the Yamato version of Wood Release, it was still a life-saving technique in Konoha.
With Wood Release, Hanekawa could gain significant influence, both tangible and intangible, securing a higher status.
4. Five-Elent Grand Bullet Technique (Hiruzen Sarutobi's jutsu)
The reason for learning this was simple—
It was a highly destructive area-of-effect jutsu. A must-have.
Hanekawa stroked his chin.
If he mastered all these techniques, he would truly embody the strengths of all past Hokage—
First Hokage (Wood Release)
Second Hokage (Water Release)
Third Hokage (Five-Elent Ninjutsu)
Fourth Hokage (Flying Thunder God)
Fifth Hokage (dical Ninjutsu)
One day, when he beca Hokage, he could rightfully say—
"I am the strongest Hokage."
But that was still far off.
For now, the priority was making Tsunade the Fourth Hokage.
Thanks to Hanekawa's efforts, she was finally considering it.
All that remained was the right opportunity to push her into the position.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Hanekawa turned around and saw Nohara Rin.
"Hanekawa."
Rin walked up excitedly and said, "I finally mastered the Mystical Palm Technique!"
Since Hanekawa was the one who taught her, she imdiately ca to share the good news.
"Congratulations."
Hanekawa wasn't surprised.
She had already learned the Mystical Palm Technique before, but she hadn't been proficient in it.
"Now, the only dical ninjutsu you haven't learned is the Chakra Scalpel, right?"
After a brief thought, Hanekawa asked.
"Mm!"
Rin nodded with a bright smile.
"Based purely on dical ninjutsu, you already qualify for a jōnin promotion."
Hanekawa comnted with so admiration.
Although in his mory, Rin's strength was just average, in reality, she wasn't weak at all.
At her age, very few could master so many dical jutsu.
"Huh?"
Rin was montarily stunned before hurriedly shaking her head.
"I'm still far from your level."
To her, if Hanekawa hadn't been promoted to jōnin yet, then she definitely wasn't qualified either.
"Don't underestimate yourself."
Hanekawa smiled, reached out, and gently patted her head.
"You're already an excellent dical jōnin."
Compared to other ninjas, dical ninjas had so advantages when it ca to promotions:
1. They were rare.
2. dical jutsu were difficult to learn.
3. They didn't need to fight on the battlefield.
When Hanekawa said Rin could be promoted to jōnin, he wasn't just comforting her.
"I..."
Feeling his hand on her head, Rin's heart trembled, and she felt her face heat up.
"I'll teach you the Chakra Scalpel when I have ti."
Seeing how obedient she was, Hanekawa couldn't help but smile.
"Mm..."
Rin responded softly.
Just then, the ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
Rin lost her balance and fell into Hanekawa's arms.
By instinct, she grabbed onto his arm.
"What's happening?"
Hanekawa reached out and held her slender waist, scanning his surroundings.
Then, he spotted the culprit.
A gigantic toad, over ten ters tall, had just descended from the sky and landed in the open space in front of the main camp.
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow slightly.
This was a Mount Myōboku summoning beast.
Jiraiya?
But why such a dramatic entrance?
After a mont of thought, Hanekawa understood.
This was most likely Tsunade's doing—an intimidation tactic to pressure Kirigakure's forces.
To be honest, by this point, the war in the Land of Rivers had lost much of its aning.
Kirigakure's strategy was clear—they were stalling for ti.
That alone wasn't an issue, but Tsunade couldn't stand seeing Konoha's ninjas dying in a prolonged war.
So the best course of action was to force Kirigakure into peace talks.
However, Yagura Karatachi had been avoiding direct battles, and with Kirigakure still possessing the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, there hadn't been a good opportunity.
But now that Jiraiya had arrived, things were different.
The Sannin were famous throughout the ninja world.
Tsunade alone had already been a major headache for Kirigakure.
Now, with Jiraiya also here, their chances of victory had dropped even further.
If the war dragged on, the cost would be far too great.
After nearly six months of fighting, negotiating peace now would still satisfy Kumogakure.
Of course, this was just Hanekawa's speculation.
Whether Kirigakure would retreat ultimately depended on Yagura Karatachi's decision.
But there was a high probability that they would withdraw.
Hanekawa certainly hoped for Kirigakure to retreat—that way, he could return to Konoha and enjoy a peaceful New Year.
Lost in thought, Hanekawa suddenly heard soft, rapid breathing.
Looking down, he saw Rin leaning against him, her face flushed red, breathing lightly.
She looked like she would pass out from lack of oxygen at any mont.
This kind of reaction...
It was sothing he had only seen in certain questionable ani.
"Rin."
Hanekawa cleared his throat, shaking off the weird thoughts in his mind.
"Uh... I..."
Rin snapped out of it and quickly let go of his arm, taking a hurried step back.
"Why are you so flustered?"
Seeing her stuttering and flustered expression, Hanekawa's smile grew wider.
"I... I... I've never seen such a big toad before!"
Rin stamred.
A clear lie.
But Hanekawa didn't press her further.
If she fainted here, explaining it would be awkward.
"It's Jiraiya's summoning beast."
Hanekawa paused for a mont and said,
"Let's head back to the main camp and see what's going on."
"Okay."
Rin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and obediently followed behind him.
Upon returning to the main camp, the sheer size of the toad beca even more apparent.
It was so massive that even an entire cooking pot wouldn't be enough to stew it.
But since Hanekawa had already seen tailed beasts, he only admired it for a couple of seconds.
In truth, when it ca to sheer size, Katsuyu was probably the largest summoning beast in the entire ninja world.
"Hanekawa, Rin."
Kurenai Yuhi approached and said, "Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade are discussing sothing in the main tent."
"As expected."
Hanekawa's eyes flickered with thought as he said, "I'll head to the main tent."
Jiraiya definitely hadn't co just to help them fight Kirigakure.
This was obviously related to the Wood Release experints. It seed he had already uncovered the results.
"Lady Tsunade said no one is allowed inside."
Kurenai quickly shook her head.
"It's fine."
Hanekawa patted her head and said, "That obviously doesn't include ."
"Then go ahead."
Kurenai tilted her head slightly.
---
Inside the Main Tent
"Sensei."
Standing at the entrance of the main tent, Hanekawa called out.
"Co in."
Tsunade's voice responded.
Hanekawa entered and imdiately noticed the heavy atmosphere inside.
After exchanging a brief greeting with Jiraiya, he moved closer to Tsunade, who was reading a docunt.
Glancing down, Hanekawa saw exactly what he expected—records of the Wood Release experints.
The report even stated that the experints were a collaboration between Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru.
No wonder Jiraiya and Tsunade looked so grim.
Orochimaru wasn't just their longti teammate—after spending nearly two decades together, he was practically family.
In the original tiline, after Orochimaru defected, Jiraiya never gave up on trying to bring him back to Konoha.
Similarly, Tsunade had pardoned Orochimaru later on, even removing his status as a missing-nin.
Of course, this was mainly because Orochimaru had helped Konoha during the Fourth Great Ninja War, making up for his past cris.
---
"Tsunade, what do you plan to do?"
Jiraiya asked after she finished reading the report.
"..."
Tsunade fell silent.
If this only involved Danzo, she wouldn't hesitate.
But Orochimaru was not just her teammate—he was also Nawaki's teacher.
She couldn't bring herself to kill Orochimaru.
"Both Orochimaru and Danzo are currently on the Kumogakure battlefield. We shouldn't alert them for now."
Tsunade said slowly.
"And after the war?"
Jiraiya pressed.
"We'll deal with them as they deserve."
Tsunade gritted her teeth and said firmly, "They broke Konoha's rules. They must be punished!"
"But..."
Jiraiya hesitated.
"You know they won't die."
Tsunade shook her head.
"True."
Jiraiya sighed in relief. "The old man always prefers to offset cris with rit."
More importantly, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't bring himself to kill Danzo or Orochimaru either.
"I only have one condition."
Tsunade's expression turned serious. "They must step down from Konoha's leadership. No more power."
"I think the old man will agree."
Jiraiya was montarily surprised, then quickly understood.
Without power, Danzo and Orochimaru wouldn't be able to conduct any more Wood Release experints.
Hanekawa wasn't surprised either—this was actually a pretty good outco.
With this, Tsunade would have no more political rivals—her path to becoming the Fourth Hokage was practically guaranteed.
And with this scandal, Hiruzen would likely have no choice but to step down.
At least he could still save face.
The only uncertainty was whether Orochimaru would defect again.
To be honest, the man was extrely useful.
If Hanekawa were Hokage, he'd lock Orochimaru up and force him to do research nonstop.
"If he refuses, I'll make him agree."
Tsunade had already thought of a way to force Hiruzen's hand—
She would beco the new Hokage.
Of course, she hoped it wouldn't co to that.
Jiraiya was taken aback.
For so reason, he felt like Tsunade had changed a lot—so much so that she almost seed like a stranger.
Perhaps it was because this involved Wood Release.
"I didn't see any ntion of surviving Wood Release users in the report."
Tsunade frowned.
"I couldn't find anything either."
Jiraiya shook his head. "Chances are, they're with Danzo right now."
"No rush. Once we capture him, we'll find out where the Wood Release ninja is."
Tsunade then changed the subject. "You should stay in the Land of Rivers for a few days. Move around a bit."
"No problem."
Jiraiya knew exactly what Tsunade was implying.
He had been wandering around for years, barely contributing to Konoha.
It was ti to start helping out.
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