Orochimaru suddenly spoke up, "Hold on! I'll admit that Natsuhane fathered the child I'm carrying, but I have no intention of marrying him! At least not now. No, never!"
Her defiance was typical of Orochimaru's prideful nature.
Hashirama examined Natsuhane from head to toe once more, "You... how did you manage to father over 2,000 children in just two years?"
Natsuhane patted his sturdy waist, "I'm young and healthy. My body doesn't break down easily."
Hashirama was speechless.
Tobirama snorted, "Hmph! This is nothing but stud behavior. I understand your desire to rebuild your clan, but I cannot condone this method. Tsunade, he's a man with thousands of wives. Are you sure you still want to marry him? Speak your true feelings, and I will make the decision for you."
"I... I still want to marry Natsuhane. I want to help him restore the Uchiha and Senju clans together!" Tsunade declared.
"Tsunade, you...!" Tobirama was at a loss for words, not expecting Tsunade to be so adamant.
Tsunade was completely infatuated now, her mind filled only with thoughts of Natsuhane. Natsuhane realized that the Heart-Mind Bond Technique was indeed potent.
Jiraiya, on the verge of tears, had hoped that revealing Natsuhane's "scandal" to the two elders would dissuade Tsunade, but her resolve only deepened.
Today marked the darkest day in Jiraiya's life. Both his friend and his beloved were slipping away from him.
Seeing Tsunade's unwavering stance, Hashirama, who had initially been a bit hesitant, decided to say no more. After all, he was a dead man, and this was his granddaughter's choice. He couldn't interfere too much. Besides, Hashirama truly wished to see the day when the Senju and Uchiha clans were united.
Hashirama chuckled, rubbing his head, "Alright, alright, let's head back to the village. We can discuss these matters further once we're there."
"Wait, someone is coming!" Tobirama suddenly sensed a large chakra presence rapidly approaching them.
A few minutes later, a group of ninjas dressed in black cloaks arrived.
Tobirama observed, "Judging by their attire, they should be from the Anbu."
Natsuhane corrected him, "No, these are members of Root. While they are technically Anbu, they serve a different purpose. They were once directly under Danzo, but after his death, I took over."
Tsunade moved closer to Natsuhane and whispered, "Be careful. They're actually working for my sensei. Jiraiya and I were sent with another mission: to weaken both you and Orochimaru, then join forces with Root to kill you both. Afterward, we were supposed to eliminate Root."
Natsuhane's eyes narrowed, "Oh? Is that so?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, your plans are quite thorough...
Tsunade nodded emphatically.
Jiraiya, looking distressed, said, "Tsunade, you didn't have to sell out our sensei so quickly... Does Natsuhane mean more to you than our teacher?"
Natsuhane laughed, "Jiraiya, haven't you seen enough to understand Sarutobi Hiruzen's true nature?"
Jiraiya turned away, "Hmph, I refuse to believe your lies."
"How is Naruto, the one you care about most, doing now?" Natsuhane asked pointedly.
Jiraiya's heart tightened at the mention of Naruto. His sensei had promised to take good care of Naruto. But upon seeing him yesterday, Jiraiya realized that Naruto wasn't being cared for, but monitored. Worse, Naruto had become a pariah, scorned by the villagers. Despite this, the Hokage did nothing to defend him.
"What has this world come to..." Jiraiya's faith in his sensei was suddenly shaken.
"Jiraiya, people base their judgments on right and wrong, while slaves base theirs on loyalty. Only a slave would unwaveringly believe in their master, regardless of whether the master is right or wrong. We are human, living beings with the ability to discern right from wrong. As humans, I trust you will make the right decision..." Natsuhane said.
Jiraiya, momentarily stunned, angrily retorted, "You don't need to lecture me!"
"Your accusations against our teacher will be cleared up once we return to the village and the two former Hokage question him. I still believe in my sensei!"
Though he said this, doubt had already crept into Jiraiya's heart. He just didn't want to admit it...
"Natsuhane-sama, we thoroughly searched those two secret bases but couldn't find Orochimaru," reported the Root squad leader.
"Looking for me? Heh... I'm right here," Orochimaru said with a cold smile.
The familiar raspy voice startled the Root members. The woman before them was Orochimaru?
The last time they had seen him was at the Root base when he was helping Danzo with his Sharingan-arm. In just a year and a half, how could he have changed so much?
Still in shock, the Root members watched as Natsuhane walked up to them and coldly questioned, "Who do you serve?"
"Uh... Natsuhane-sama, what do you mean?" the leader stammered.
"Didn't you hear me? I asked, who do you serve?" Natsuhane repeated.
A terrifying amount of chakra surged from Natsuhane, creating a suffocating pressure. Not only the Root members but even Hashirama and Tobirama were surprised by the intensity. The only word to describe it was "terrifying."
"We... we serve Natsuhane-sama, and we swear to be loyal unto death!" the leader declared.
"Good," Natsuhane said, retracting his chakra and helping the leader up with a smile. "Let's head back to the village together. We'll arrive in about half an hour."
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