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As Tsunade spoke with a hint of coldness and plea in her voice, the pale figure in front of her paused. His expression wavered, and the hand holding the kunai hesitated.
At that moment!
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Suddenly, a violent rumble echoed through the mountains. The narrow cave they were hiding in trembled uncontrollably, with jagged stones continuously falling as if intending to bury them alive.
Outside the mountain, a group of sharp-eyed Iwa-nin, under Nanli's command, were fiercely attacking the already scarred and battered mountain.
"Keep attacking! Destroy the entire mountain! Don't give them any chance to escape!"
As Nanli's cold voice issued the order, nearly a hundred Iwa-nin simultaneously formed seals and shouted.
"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear!" "Earth Release: Earth Flow Bullet!"
Some spat out stone projectiles with terrifying force, hitting the mountain like bullets, while others manipulated rock-formed spears, rapidly shooting them at the mountain.
The continuous impacts, like a flurry of dark dots, struck the mountain, making the already weakened structure even more fragile.
Inside the narrow cave, dust and debris fell. Tsunade's beautiful eyes emitted a cold gaze as she stared intently at the person before her, standing firmly in front of him.
"Orochimaru, do you even know what you're doing?!" Tsunade asked coldly.
Hearing her words, the exhausted Orochimaru, who was in front of her, also glared coldly at the spot behind her and rasped out.
"I know exactly what I'm doing, Tsunade. The one who's unclear about things is you!"
"If we let him continue to drag us down, we'll all die here, and this mission will fail!"
"Do you think Konoha can survive if it doesn't receive this information about that man?"
As Orochimaru spoke, Tsunade's body trembled slightly, her eyes dimming with uncertainty, questioning her own actions.
Seeing her hesitation, Orochimaru stepped past her, walking directly towards the corner of the cave.
As he walked, he continued in a hoarse voice.
"We haven't been able to stop and treat him along the way. If we keep dragging this out, we'll only be dragged to our deaths."
"Therefore, I must kill you, Jiraiya."
With every word Orochimaru spoke, Tsunade's lowered head trembled.
Is it because I'm too weak?
Sōsuke left... Now even Jiraiya is going to leave us...
In the corner, a white-haired figure leaned against a rock wall, eyes closed, his expression showing pain and exhaustion that he couldn't fully conceal.
Orochimaru slowly approached, his cold, snake-like eyes fixed on Jiraiya. He gripped the kunai tightly, slowly raising it to aim at Jiraiya's heart.
His expression was extremely conflicted as his throat bobbed slightly. In a low, hoarse voice, he murmured.
"Rest in peace, Jiraiya."
As he finished speaking, his eyes turned cold, and he thrust the kunai towards Jiraiya's heart!
"Swish!"
However, at that very moment, a slender figure stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed, his tired face looking displeased. He asked in a hoarse, confused voice.
"Tsunade, what is your choice?"
Tsunade, head lowered, though her body was petite, seemed to possess immense strength.
In her fair hand, she gripped a sharp kunai, holding it against Orochimaru's neck.
Orochimaru's kunai was only inches away from Jiraiya's chest. Just a little further, and it would have ended his life.
"You're the one who's forgotten, Orochimaru…"
At that moment, Tsunade's slightly hoarse voice softly broke the silence.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze resolute as she looked at Orochimaru, speaking firmly.
"You seem to remember only the title of the Three Sannin, but have forgotten why we're called 'Konoha's Three Sannin!'"
Hearing her words, Orochimaru frowned slightly, his face darkening.
Tsunade continued, not caring about his reaction, her eyes fixed on Orochimaru's.
"We three are more than just comrades. The term 'Sannin' refers to the way we help each other, yet also keep each other in check. Especially in situations like this, as one of the Sannin, I won't let you make such a reckless decision!"
By the end of her speech, Tsunade was nearly shouting.
Orochimaru's face twisted in displeasure as he growled.
"Even if your decision leads to Sōsuke and the Iwa-nin destroying Konoha, will you still stand by it, Tsunade?"
Tsunade's pretty face remained cold, yet firm, her gaze unwavering as she replied in a determined voice.
"Even so! I won't let you kill Jiraiya!"
Orochimaru paused, clearly shocked by Tsunade's response.
The next moment, something happened that made his face darken even further. Behind Tsunade, a trembling hand slowly raised two fingers in a V-shape, as if proudly mocking him.
In the cave.
Tsunade held a kunai to Orochimaru's neck, while Orochimaru's kunai was aimed at Jiraiya's chest. Jiraiya, breathing heavily, kept his eyes closed, but a slight smile appeared on his lips as he weakly raised a hand, forming a V-sign directed at Orochimaru.
The three of them, comrades who relied on each other, were now locked in a tense standoff, balancing each other out.
At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly relaxed his brow, slowly lowering the kunai in his hand, his voice hoarse as he said.
"If that's the case, then do as you wish... Find a way to heal him, otherwise, staying here will only lead to all of us dying."
Seeing Orochimaru's action, Tsunade let out a small sigh of relief and slowly withdrew her kunai.
Orochimaru walked towards the cave entrance, warily watching outside.
Tsunade crouched down, taking the opportunity to quickly start healing Jiraiya.
From a distance, Orochimaru, his voice still hoarse, spoke.
"If we bring this information back to Konoha, it's bound to shock the entire village. I never expected that we would come across information about Sōsuke again, and under such circumstances…"
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Tsunade paused slightly while healing Jiraiya, and Jiraiya, even with his eyes closed, furrowed his brows.
Clearly, the name Sōsuke held significant meaning for the three of them.
The tremors in the cave grew more intense, as if the three were about to be buried alive. At that moment, none of them could predict what situation awaited them next.