Naruto: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Otsutsuki

Chapter 37 Hanzo the Salamander

Without even thinking, Onoki immediately stopped charging up his Dust Release technique, and his body flipped sideways at an almost impossible angle in mid-air, barely dodging the huge black rod that grazed his cheek.

The black rod disappeared into the high-altitude clouds, then quickly shrank and vanished, leaving only the shattered clouds behind.

"Damn it... my back..."

While grimacing and rubbing his lower back, Onoki stared intently at the figure slowly emerging from the shadows below.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi..."

On the ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in jet-black armor, held his iconic Vajra staff. Though short in stature, he exuded an aura of quiet authority.

Just standing here is enough to boost morale significantly.

"It's the Hokage!"

"The Hokage himself has arrived! The time for a counterattack has come!"

"You're all finished!"

A deafening cheer erupted from the Konoha camp.

The previously exhausted ninjas seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline. One by one, they straightened their backs again, their morale soaring.

Ōnoki floated in the air, looking at the Konoha ninjas cheering on the ground, and then at his own Iwagakure ninjas whose morale had plummeted to rock bottom.

The young Iwagakure ninjas' faces were filled with exhaustion and unease, and some of them were even secretly taking steps backward.

"..."

Onoki remained silent for a moment, his facial muscles twitching a few times, before finally reluctantly raising his right hand in a gesture of retreat.

"retreat."

...

"Father...we..."

Huang Tu was almost exhausted and could only stand up with the help of two Iwagakure ninjas.

He looked at Onoki, who was slowly flying down from the sky and arranging the battlefield retreat, and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"When at work, you should be addressed by your job title!"

Ohnoki twitched his beard and glared at his eldest son with some displeasure.

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage."

Huang Tu immediately changed his tune and adopted a more respectful attitude.

"Um……"

Onoki nodded in satisfaction, stroked his beard, floated into the air, and flew towards the main tent.

At this moment, in the temporary command room of Iwagakure, everyone felt somewhat frustrated because they had failed to take down Konoha in one fell swoop.

But a small victory means nothing.

Battle reports can be deceiving, but the front lines can not.

"Lord Tsuchikage."

"Lord Tsuchikage."

Almost the instant Onoki floated into the tent, everyone spontaneously stood up, bowed slightly, and spoke with heartfelt respect.

Seeing this, Onoki stroked his beard with great satisfaction.

"Hmm... Sit down, no need to stand."

He floated to the head seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Our next goal is to continue advancing the battle lines and take Konoha step by step."

"So what if the Third Hokage comes?"

"They still can't withstand the attack from Iwagakure..."

Ohnoki suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter carrying a hint of certainty.

The high-ranking officials of Iwagakure in the command room looked at each other, wondering why the Tsuchikage had suddenly started laughing.

But someone burst out laughing first, and soon the entire tent was filled with this joyful atmosphere.

"Iwagakure, will you finally be able to defeat Konoha under my leadership...?"

"I bet Konoha still doesn't know they have a traitor among them..."

Onoki stroked his beard, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

Since the Kannabi Bridge was destroyed by Minato Namikaze's team, he no longer intended to continue fighting with Konoha.

The order to withdraw troops has been drafted and is just waiting for an opportunity to be announced.

One day, a scroll that had appeared out of nowhere was suddenly found on the desk in the command room.

The scroll contained details of Konoha's logistical supply routes during this period, precise troop deployment changes down to the level of each squadron, and a wealth of mission intelligence.

Clear and distinct, so detailed it's startling.

At first, Onoki thought it was a trap set by Konoha.

Such an obvious leak of intelligence suggests either the other party is extremely foolish, or it's a trap designed to lure someone into a snare.

Unexpectedly, the several probing ambushes were all resounding successes.

Konoha's transport team walked into the ambush without any warning, and the strength of the escorting ninjas was exactly as described in the intelligence.

A recent intelligence report even more accurately predicted the Third Hokage's departure time and route.

I just didn't expect it to come so quickly...

"But these are just minor incidents..."

"The roots of Konoha are rotten."

As Onoki gazed out the window at the hazy sky, a vine called "ambition" grew wildly in his heart.

"Iwagakure will eventually regain its greatness in my hands."

"And Konoha will slowly perish amidst its internal strife."

-

The moon hangs high in the sky.

Konoha, the home of the Hyuga clan.

The silvery moonlight poured down, casting a cool hue over the quiet courtyard.

Hinata Seiran sat cross-legged on the veranda, holding a small, transparent container in her hand.

Inside the container, a pair of pale blue white eyes floated quietly in a specially made nutrient solution. The patterns on the pupils were lighter than those of ordinary white eyes, as if they had been washed by something.

The color has changed from pure white to light blue, like two polished glass beads, exuding an unreal beauty.

"If only I could give my eyes to Ao..."

Hinata Seiran murmured softly, gently stroking the surface of the container.

"But a puppet is still just a puppet."

"If you want to bring the puppet back to life..."

Hinata Seiran set down the container, his white eyes reflecting the clear moonlight, as deep as two bottomless ancient wells.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted to the forbidden techniques developed by Chiyo of Sunagakure.

One is born and then reborn.

It was a forbidden technique created by Granny Chiyo to revive Sasori's parents.

By directly imbuing one's life energy into a puppet or inanimate object, one can give "life" to a soulless being.

The price is the life of the one who casts the spell.

"I wonder if Chiyo has finished developing this technique yet..."

Hinata Seiran pondered, his gaze drifting to the shadows of the trees not far outside the courtyard.

There, a member of the secret service wearing a monkey mask landed silently on the ground.

next second.

"Lord Qinglan."

Hyuga Mukai appeared instantly in the corridor, kneeling on one knee, his voice extremely low.

"Lord Danzo has given you a task."

"After you recover from your injuries, I request that you follow Ryoma Aburame to Amegakure and request Hanzo of the Salamander to send troops immediately."

"Mission Objective: Amegakure is required to launch a rear attack on Iwagakure and reverse the battlefield's setbacks."

"Tell them this is your first mission to acquire ninjutsu resources. If you fail... Lord Danzo will abandon you."

"If you succeed... Lord Danzo will provide you with more resources for your spiritual practice so that you can better realize your potential."

Sansashimi Hanzo?

Hinata Seiran squinted slightly, the moonlight falling on his pale profile, creating a play of light and shadow.

It seems... to be a decent puppet...