Chapter 132: The Tsuchigumo Clan Shall Rule the World Once More
"It's useless, you can't stop me at all," Shiranamie sneered. "The power of the Forbidden Jutsu is already within my grasp. The Tsuchigumo Clan is about to be restored!"
Just then, Naruto and Foam suddenly felt a powerful flow of natural Chakra. Following the flow, they saw Hotaru being controlled by the Word Bind Jutsu on an altar.
"Hotaru!" Naruto cried out. He immediately rushed toward the altar, trying to rescue Hotaru.
However, Shiranamie blocked his path.
"Want to save her? Get past me first!" Shiranamie sneered. He manipulated his Hand Seals, trying to prevent Naruto from advancing.
Naruto and Foam struggled to dodge Hotaru's attacks; they couldn't believe Hotaru would attack them.
"Hotaru, wake up! It's me, Naruto!" Naruto shouted, trying to awaken Hotaru's consciousness.
However, Hotaru's eyes were hollow, as if she were completely controlled by the Forbidden Jutsu. She continued to perform Hand Seals, releasing powerful natural Chakra.
"Word Bind Jutsu: Nature Explosion!" Hotaru's voice became cold and hollow. With her shout, the surrounding natural Chakra began to surge out of control.
"Not good, the Forbidden Jutsu is going out of control!" Yamato exclaimed. "Stop her quickly!"
However, Shiranamie showed a satisfied smile. In his view, the power of the Forbidden Jutsu had been fully released, and the Tsuchigumo Clan was about to be restored.
"Hahaha, this is the power of the Forbidden Jutsu!" Shiranamie laughed wildly. "The Tsuchigumo Clan shall rule the world once more!"
However, just as he was laughing wildly, Hotaru's body suddenly showed abnormalities. Her body began to tremble, as if she were enduring immense Pain.
"Hotaru!" Naruto cried out. He fought his way through Hotaru's attacks and reached her side. "What's wrong? Wake up!"
Hotaru looked at Naruto, a flicker of light passing through her eyes. However, that light was soon replaced by despair.
"It's... too late..." Hotaru said with difficulty. "The Forbidden Jutsu... is already out of control..."
Just then, Foam suddenly rushed at Shiranamie. He used his tails to bind Shiranamie tightly, rendering him unable to move.
"Foam!" Naruto exclaimed. He looked at Hotaru and saw her body had begun to break down. He knew he had to strip away the Forbidden Jutsu immediately, or Hotaru would be destroyed along with it.
"Quick... quickly strip away the Forbidden Jutsu..." Hotaru said with difficulty. Using the last of her strength, she directed the power of the Forbidden Jutsu toward herself.
"Word Bind Jutsu: Strip!"
With Hotaru's shout, the power of the Forbidden Jutsu began to be stripped from her body. A powerful shockwave spread in all directions, destroying everything around it.
Naruto and Foam shielded Hotaru closely, using their bodies to block the impact of the shockwave for her. Finally, after a loud explosion, everything returned to peace.
The power of the Forbidden Jutsu was successfully stripped away, and Hotaru lost consciousness. Naruto and Foam watched her lying quietly on the ground, their hearts filled with concern.
They brought Hotaru back to Konoha Village and handed her over to the Medical Ninja for treatment. Although Hotaru's vital signs had stabilized, she remained in a coma.
Naruto sat alone on a rooftop, staring blankly at the sky. He recalled everything that had happened during this mission, his heart filled with doubt and unease.
"Why did Shiranamie want to use Hotaru? What was his purpose? And... why did Itachi appear there? What exactly did he want to tell me?" Naruto muttered to himself.
While Naruto was lost in thought, Kakashi suddenly appeared behind him.
"Naruto, come with me," Kakashi said. His expression was very serious, as if he had something important to tell Naruto.
Naruto followed Kakashi to the Hokage Building and met the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
"Naruto, good work on this mission," Tsunade said. "Kakashi, do you have something to report?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi nodded. "While investigating Shiranamie's background, I found some clues related to the 'Akatsuki' organization."
"'Akatsuki'?" Naruto immediately perked up his ears upon hearing this. "What do they have to do with this?"
"It's not clear yet," Kakashi shook his head. "But we must remain vigilant. The fact that Shiranamie could master the Forbidden Jutsu suggests he has powerful backing."
"And what about Itachi? Why was he there?" Naruto asked impatiently.
Kakashi and Tsunade exchanged a glance, then slowly said, "We're not clear on that either. But Itachi is a Rogue Ninja of Konoha after all; his appearance must have some purpose."
Naruto slammed his fist heavily onto the table, his determined eyes revealing his resolve: "No matter what his purpose is, I will definitely find out the truth and avenge Jiraiya-sama!"
Kakashi and Tsunade's expressions were equally serious. They were well aware of the threat posed by the Akatsuki and knew what Jiraiya's sacrifice meant to Konoha and to Naruto.
"I will arrange for personnel to continue investigating the Akatsuki and Shiranamie's background," Tsunade said. "Meanwhile, Kakashi, you are responsible for guiding Naruto and improving his strength. Facing future challenges, we need even greater power."
"Yes!" Kakashi and Naruto responded simultaneously.
In the days that followed, Naruto, Kakashi, and the other Konoha Ninjas threw themselves into intense training and investigation. Using the clues Naruto provided, they finally unlocked part of the secrets in the message Jiraiya had left behind.
However, the truth about the Akatsuki remained shrouded in mist, especially the mysterious figure named Pain; his identity and purpose were still a mystery.
With only the little information Jiraiya had left, it was impossible to solve the mystery of Pain. The interrogation of the Rain Ninja yielded no results, and the autopsy of Pain's corpse was equally disappointing.
"Can't we find any clues about Pain?" Naruto asked anxiously.
"Don't be impatient, Naruto," Kakashi advised. "There will definitely be clues; we just haven't found them yet."
Just then, Fukasaku suddenly made an unexpected suggestion: "Perhaps we can look for clues in the places Jiraiya-sama used to visit. He must have left something behind; we just haven't discovered it yet."
Naruto's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Right, Jiraiya-sama must have left something! He often went to Mount Myōboku to train in Sage Arts; let's go look there!"
After obtaining Tsunade's consent, Naruto immediately took Fukasaku and Byakuya to Mount Myōboku.
Stepping onto the familiar Mount Myōboku again, Naruto felt a sense of familiarity wash over him. He took a deep breath of fresh air and then looked at Fukasaku and Byakuya.
"Grandpa Fukasaku, Uncle White Night, what should we do next?" Naruto asked.
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