[500PS REACHED!! Next Goal: 1000PS!]
Let's not talk about how Kisame felt after being mistaken for collateral damage for the first time.
In front of Konoha's assembled forces, Tsunade's gaze went straight past Kisame, who had just been punched away by her, and locked onto the man sitting leisurely on a large rock.
That man!
The young man dressed in white, with the Hagoromo clan emblem on his shoulders!
Tsunade had seen him before.
However, at that time, his face was full of cracks—he wasn't alive.
But now...
With her skills as a medical expert, Tsunade could immediately sense the powerful life force emanating from him, even enough to shock her.
Hagoromo Gensou!
A man from the Warring States period who was on par with her grandfather, Hashirama, and Madara, hailed as an equal to gods, now living his second life.
At this moment, he appeared here!
The worst-case scenario she had predicted had indeed come to pass.
Not only Tsunade, who instinctively clenched her fists, but also Jiraiya, Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Shikamaru, and the others behind her all looked grim.
The presence of Gensou demanded utmost caution.
In contrast, Gensou himself remained relaxed, still sitting on the rock, scanning the mass of people in front of him before returning his gaze to Tsunade with a faint smile:
"Long time no see, Tsunade."
"No, I should call you the Fifth Hokage now. Carrying on your grandfather's legacy, quite impressive."
For some reason, Tsunade felt a hint of mockery in his words.
Suppressing her inner turmoil, she questioned, "Gensou! After killing the Root shinobi, you dare to appear in Konoha again!"
Gensou replied calmly, "Why not? I'd say I did you a favor. Having all this authority must feel pretty good, right? No need to thank me; consider it a congratulatory gift from an elder."
Normally, hearing such words from Gensou would have made Tsunade charge at him without a second thought.
But as Hokage, she bore a greater responsibility and held back her anger for now.
"This is a gift I cannot accept." She spoke coldly, "What are you here for this time? To give another 'gift'?"
"Unannounced?" Gensou raised an eyebrow, "If I remember correctly, this is the Uchiha clan's grounds, right? I was invited here by the Uchiha. How is that unannounced?"
"This is Konoha! And the Uchiha are part of Konoha." Tsunade replied sternly.
"They were, but not anymore." Gensou announced plainly.
Boom!
As if to affirm this fact.
Blazing flames erupted from the ruins of Naka Shrine behind Gensou, exploding in the air.
Like fireworks, it was a striking sight.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she prepared to speak more forcefully.
Jiraiya stopped her, stepping forward and glancing at Kisame, who stood quietly in his Akatsuki attire, before addressing Gensou:
"Senpai, may I ask what brings you here today, alongside the Akatsuki?"
Jiraiya was somewhat concerned about the potential alliance between Gensou and the mysterious and powerful Akatsuki.
If that were the case, it would indeed be bad news.
Gensou didn't hide anything: "The Uchiha are dealing with a traitor, and I'm here as a witness. As for the Akatsuki..."
Gensou glanced at Kisame and said calmly, "This guy came on his own."
Feeling quite uneasy in his current situation, Kisame, who was mentally planning his escape, still nodded in agreement to show it was true.
Knowing that such a person wouldn't lie, Jiraiya sighed slightly in relief.
However, the words "dealing with a traitor" from Gensou also made him understand immediately: "It is true then, Itachi is up there. Along with Sasuke and the other Uchiha."
Itachi was the culprit of the massacre, so Sasuke and the surviving Uchiha seeking revenge was entirely natural.
However, this was still Konoha.
If outsiders were allowed to fight to the death here, even if they were missing-nin...
And for the leader of the village to arrive with such a large force, only to be stopped and left as mere spectators—that would be a massive blow to Konoha's reputation. Especially since the one blocking them was also the one who had eradicated Root.
Although many Konoha shinobi were glad Root was gone, that was only in private.
On the surface, there had to be a united front.
Jiraiya understood that regardless of the danger, Konoha had to act.
Be it against Itachi, Sasuke, or Gensou.
Jiraiya gave Tsunade a meaningful look.
Quickly, a chilling tension began to emanate from Konoha's side.
Seeing this, Kisame squinted his eyes.
Not wanting to get involved in a god-level confrontation, he was ready to flee at any moment.
As for Gensou, he remained calm, even taking a moment to consider his own question.
"Speaking of which, I feel like something's missing here."
"That's it!"
Gensou suddenly remembered.
With Sasuke being up there, he should have heard a certain loudmouth shouting "Sasuke! Sasuke!" by now.
But at this moment, besides Tsunade and Jiraiya, no one else from Konoha had uttered a word—everyone was trained and disciplined.
Gensou carefully scanned the group again.
Kakashi was there, Yamato was there, even Sakura was there.
But Naruto was missing.
And with that, there was no heartfelt "Sasuke" call at the start of this scene.
"Training? Or maybe he wasn't allowed to come due to being the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?"
Without Naruto, Gensou felt that being the "big bad" who had taken Sasuke lacked a bit of fun.
He shook his head, looked at the poised Konoha shinobi, and kindly reminded them:
"If I were you, I'd stay put and wait for the outcome. Why risk your lives needlessly?"
"You..." Tsunade's forehead veins bulged in anger, "Don't underestimate Konoha shinobi!"
Boom!!!
The ground exploded into a massive crater.
Another battle had officially begun.
Tsunade moved swiftly, dashing at Gensou, her fist ready to strike.
In an instant, the sharp sound of the air splitting echoed continuously.
Still sitting on the rock, Gensou watched calmly.
Just as Tsunade's fist was about to connect...
He raised his palm.
Slap!
Fist met palm!
Gensou remained unmoved.
However, the rock beneath him couldn't withstand the force and shattered.
Gensou stood up effortlessly.
But his hand remained holding Tsunade's fist.
Looking at her from close range, he said calmly:
"Women should be gentle."
(End of Chapter)