Even so… this was just too absurd.
Even Orochimaru's expression shifted in the footage.
"As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin. Handling two people at once is still troublesome."
His long tongue shot out and coiled around Tsunade's throat.
Though he had lost the use of his hands and could not perform many jutsu, that did not mean he was helpless. After years of modification, his body itself had become a lethal weapon.
"I'll strangle you like this," Orochimaru sneered. "Even if you can't die during battle, if I tear off your head, you'll die, won't you, Tsunade?"
Tsunade realized she could not mold her chakra. Gritting her teeth, she forced her hand between his tongue and her neck, prying it apart inch by inch.
"It's time… let's end this."
With a roar, she yanked him forward and slammed a punch into him, sending him flying. Then she dragged him back and pummeled him again and again.
A true friendship-destroying punch.
The two chased and clashed relentlessly. With neither able to unleash large-scale jutsu, it became a pure contest of taijutsu. Blow after blow landed until Orochimaru was gravely wounded.
But Tsunade's own injuries dragged at her every movement.
"In the end, this is all you amount to," Orochimaru mocked.
Her eyes blazed. She hauled him back again and continued beating him down.
At last, though, she reached her limit. Her muscles had torn apart from the strain.
"Manda… you've made me look ridiculous," the giant snake snarled as it dissolved into smoke. "I'd swallow you whole if I could, but there's a hole in my mouth now. If we meet again, you'd better be ready."
With Manda's disappearance, the battle of the Legendary Sannin came to a close.
Three warriors far from their peak had still delivered a fierce, unforgettable fight.
"Tsunade, even if you refuse to heal me, I still have a way. A way to restore these arms. I will destroy Konoha."
Orochimaru's skin peeled back, revealing a woman's face beneath.
"I hope we meet again by then, my former comrades… Tsunade, Jiraiya."
"That face…"
"How did he take over someone else's body?"
Only then did Jiraiya and Tsunade fully grasp what had felt off during their fight, especially the strange sensation Tsunade noticed while beating him down.
"No wonder he didn't feel the same as before," Jiraiya thought.
"True immortality lies with me. I am eternal."
With an Earth Release, Orochimaru vanished.
"Until next time."
Kabuto used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared as well.
"Tch… my ribs and foot are broken."
Neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya could pursue them. Tsunade was heavily injured. Jiraiya was still affected by the drug and unable to fight at full strength. He too had suffered multiple fractures and could only watch the clash between Tsunade and Orochimaru unfold.
If he had been at his peak, Orochimaru would not have escaped so easily. Even if he did, he would have paid dearly.
"The side effects are kicking in… my body…"
Tsunade had reached her limit as well.
The screen went dark.
This version of the Legendary Sannin, aged, injured, and weakened, had still delivered a breathtaking battle. Kage Level clashes often ended in a single strike. Even under severe limitations, each of them displayed willpower far beyond ordinary ninja.
When the body falters, only will can carve a path through despair.
This fight embodied that truth.
Whether Tsunade and Jiraiya on the side of justice, or Orochimaru as the antagonist, each demonstrated a resolve that defied common sense.
None could fight at full strength.
Yet each squeezed out the last of their power and carried the battle forward.
Just when everyone thought the video had ended, the screen lit up again.
A new title appeared.
[New Sannin, Assemble!]
The scene opened with a three-years-older Uchiha Sasuke, dressed in entirely new attire.
Haruno Sakura stared at him in shock.
Uzumaki Naruto, however, looked as if he had expected this all along.
"You're late, Sasuke!"
"Sasuke…?" Sakura whispered, as if she were seeing a ghost.
She had never imagined she would see him again.
"Sakura, huh?"
Sasuke glanced back at her.
"Why… why are you here?" she asked, disbelief written across her face. The other members of the Konoha 12 looked equally stunned.
Some even regarded him as an enemy.
"You're as annoying as ever," Sasuke said flatly.
"Why would Sasuke show up here?" Sakura asked as she treated Naruto, still unable to process it.
"It's a long story," Sasuke replied calmly. "But I've decided to protect Konoha. And I… will become Hokage."
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone froze.
The Konoha 12 had grown up with him. They knew his personality.
This was not something they ever expected to hear.
Even those watching outside the scene reacted intensely.
"What is this kid talking about…?"
Tsunade almost laughed from sheer disbelief.
She had never met Sasuke in person, but she had seen him in the footage and read about his future in Kaede Kitahara's diary.
In the future, he would betray Konoha and follow Orochimaru.
A potential Missing-nin through and through.
And now this potential traitor was calmly declaring he would become Hokage?
Where did that confidence come from?
It was ridiculous.
"Sasuke…"
Hatake Kakashi's lips twitched.
He knew Naruto constantly declared he would become Hokage.
But Sasuke too?
An Uchiha becoming Hokage?
It sounded rebellious, yet strangely reasonable.
After all, Konoha had been founded jointly by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. An Uchiha Hokage was not unreasonable.
And according to Kaede Kitahara, they would already be at the Seventh or Eighth Hokage in the future. What would be wrong with one from the Uchiha Clan?
"Becoming Hokage… Sasuke wants that?"
Uchiha Itachi stared at the screen in shock.
Sasuke. Hokage.
That was never a future he had imagined.
Then he noticed something else.
The headbands worn by those present were different. Instead of the familiar village symbols, they bore the single character for "shinobi."
Had Konoha's headband changed in the future?
Considering their apparent ages, this scene likely took place three or four years ahead.
Sasuke had said he would protect Konoha.
That brought Itachi unexpected relief.
Perhaps Sasuke had strayed for a few years, endured countless hardships, but ultimately returned to the right path.
Maybe… he had not been wrong.
That thought strengthened his conviction in his own choices.
"Ninja… is this a ninja world war?"
Jiraiya was less concerned about Sasuke's ambition and more about the headbands and the context.
Sasuke had said he returned to protect the village.
Did that mean a new threat loomed over Konoha?
Was it the incident mentioned in the diary, Yahiko's attack that obliterated the village in a single strike?
But the battlefield did not look like Konoha. The lighting was different.
Or was this the apocalyptic battle Kaede Kitahara had hinted at?
If Naruto and Sasuke were destined to become saviors, then there must be a catastrophe worthy of salvation.
This might be that very battle.
What kind of war could be called world-ending?
The thought alone was terrifying.
"A runaway Missing-nin suddenly comes back and cracks jokes?"
Inuzuka Kiba looked outraged.
"Do you even know what Hokage means?"
"I don't know what you've been through, but this is impossible. Do you even hear yourself?" Nara Shikamaru demanded.
"You think the past can just be erased?" Aburame Shino said evenly.
Sasuke did not flinch.
"I know it can't be erased. But how you see me doesn't matter. The current situation is the result of past Hokage. So I'll become Hokage and change the village."
He had his own vision.
His own plan.
He did not care what they thought.
That was very Uchiha.
Agree or not, he would walk his path.