There was no need to elaborate on the situation on Yagyu's side.
At this moment, the atmosphere between Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had become extremely tense.
Looking at Tsunade and Jiraiya standing before him, Orochimaru's expression showed little change, his gaze remaining cold.
"I never expected that when we met again, it would be under such circumstances. Has it truly come to the point where we must fight to the death?"
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Jiraiya's eyes dimmed slightly before returning to normal.
"Orochimaru, at this point, what meaning is there in saying such things?"
Tsunade stepped forward.
Forming hand seals, her expression turned icy as she declared:
"Orochimaru, in the name of the Fifth Hokage of the village, I will leave you here today. Prepare to die!"
Buzz.
Chakra surged.
Tsunade's expression hardened as she shouted:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Seeing her actions, Kabuto Yakushi, standing beside Orochimaru, endured the injuries Yagyu had inflicted upon him. Taking Orochimaru's blood, he formed the seals in place of his master, whose hands were unusable.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The last of the Sannin, Jiraiya, dared not be careless. Sweat appeared on his face as he formed hand seals.
"You'd better come out, Gamabunta! Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three enormous clouds of white smoke exploded into existence, obscuring the battlefield.
When the smoke dissipated, three colossal beings, each resembling a small mountain, appeared on the field, forming a triangular standoff.
Instantly, the atmosphere grew heavy and suffocating.
On the other side, watching the battle, Yagyu spoke:
"These are the summoning beasts of the Three Legendary Sannin, the Three-Way Deadlock. Manda, Gamabunta, and Katsuyu. What a breathtaking sight."
When such massive summoning beasts entered combat, the support they provided was truly terrifying.
In many situations, sheer size represented absolute power.
With their immense forms, the Three-Way Deadlock seemed nearly invincible.
"Yes," Shizune nodded in agreement.
"This scene is indeed astonishing."
Naruto, however, appeared unfazed as he spoke:
"Is that so? When I summoned Boss Toad before, I thought he was incredibly powerful, but I didn't feel anything special."
Hearing Naruto's words, Yagyu and Shizune glanced at him once more.
That was simply because you were too weak to sense the overwhelming aura of these powerful beings.
Such was the fearlessness of the ignorant.
The appearance of the Three-Way Deadlock marked the grand beginning of the legendary internal battle among the Three Sannin, shaking the ninja world with its immense momentum.
Yagyu led Naruto and Shizune further back once again, maintaining a safe distance as they quietly waited for the conclusion of a battle that was destined to yield no definitive outcome.
Just as Yagyu had predicted, about half an hour later, the seemingly climactic confrontation between the Three Sannin ended somewhat anticlimactically with Orochimaru's retreat.
Aside from that, there were no substantial consequences.
Even Kabuto Yakushi, who had been severely injured by Yagyu at the beginning, suffered no further harm.
Thus, Yagyu had only one evaluation for the battle:
An anticlimax.
If they had truly intended to kill Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya could have accomplished it by joining forces.
Unfortunately, neither of them could bring themselves to strike the final blow.
One week later.
At the gates of Konoha.
Many villagers with free time, along with off-duty ninja, gathered at the entrance.
Today was an exceptionally special day.
Tsunade, the Slug Princess and one of the legendary Three Sannin of Konoha, had ended her travels and returned to the village to assume the position of the Fifth Hokage.
Her once-forgotten achievements were now being remembered.
Faced with the prospect of their village gaining a powerful Fifth Hokage, nearly all the villagers were filled with joy and anticipation.
Since the sacrifice of the Third Hokage, Konoha had been without a pillar of strength to anchor its stability.
Although elite jōnin such as Kakashi, as well as rising prodigies like Yagyu, were present, the village remained unsettled as long as the position of Hokage remained undecided.
Therefore, Tsunade's return being met with such a grand reception was only natural.
At the gates of Konoha.
Ino stood there with a face full of longing, gazing expectantly down the distant road.
Besides Ino, Sakura held a bouquet of flowers in her hands.
They were meant for Tsunade.
Such arrangements were naturally orchestrated by Konoha's higher authorities.
At this moment, the two foolish elders of Konoha were also waiting at the village gates.
The matter of appointing the Fifth Hokage was of the utmost importance.
They dared not show the slightest negligence.
After all, they were somewhat familiar with Tsunade's temper.
"Oh! They're here!"
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
Everyone looked up at once.
Several figures had appeared at the end of the road and were approaching Konoha.
"That beautiful woman must be Lady Tsunade. She's truly stunning!"
"Lord Jiraiya is there too!"
"Lord Yagyu is with them! As expected, Lord Yagyu is so handsome!"
"The other one, Uzumaki Naruto, also went on this mission?"
"He did quite well during the Chūnin Exams. He's an outstanding genin!"
"…."
There were many voices discussing among the crowd.
Most of them were focused on Tsunade, a smaller portion on Jiraiya, and even fewer on Yagyu and Naruto.
As for Shizune, in such an occasion, she was merely an inconspicuous figure.
Before long, with Tsunade walking at the front, Yagyu and the others arrived at the gates of the village.
Upon returning, Yagyu noticed Ino, whose beautiful eyes had been fixed on him from the very beginning. He gave her a gentle smile before following Tsunade, who had already been received, into the village.
Although this was only a welcoming ceremony, it was still important.
After all, as she prepared to assume the position of Hokage, Tsunade required prestige and support.
With Yagyu and Jiraiya, along with Naruto, whose strength might be lacking but whose symbolic significance was immense, walking behind Tsunade into Konoha, it served as a silent declaration of support and allegiance.
Any ninja with even a modest understanding of politics could comprehend what this signified.
Of course, such matters were never spoken aloud.
After being busy for most of the day, the mission handover was finally completed, and Yagyu had nothing more to attend to.
He left the Hokage Building directly.
Just as he stepped outside, he saw Ino waiting for him.
"Sosuke, welcome back!"
Upon seeing Yagyu emerge, Ino immediately threw herself into his arms and said:
"I missed you so much!"
Holding his girlfriend in his embrace, Yagyu smiled affectionately.
"I'm back. I missed you very much as well."
Smack.
As he spoke, he gently kissed Ino on the forehead.
He paid no attention to the setting.
As a result, the adults passing by looked at the two with teasing smiles.
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