Chapter 24: The Sannin Reunite
The genjutsu they used to knock everyone out didn't affect them at all. Gaara was seriously injured, or else these three clowns wouldn't have a chance to act so cocky.
The three Sound ninja ignored Takahashi and charged straight for Gaara. In their eyes, his head was the best trophy to please their master.
But they forgot one thing: a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even a badly wounded Gaara wasn't someone they could easily handle.
What's more, there were three other people present. To end the fight quickly, Takahashi summoned the Sword of Totsuka again. He shouted at Temari, "Throw me a shuriken! Now!"
Temari didn't understand why, but she didn't have time to think. She threw seven or eight kunai directly.
The Sound ninja almost laughed out loud when they saw the weak throw. An attack even a blind man could dodge—did they really think it could hurt them?
But these kunai weren't meant to attack. They were springboards for Takahashi. He didn't have the energy to use his Mirror Jutsu, so he used the kunai as points to flash between.
Clearly, the three had badly underestimated him. Holding the light sword, a flash of gold, he appeared right in front of them. In just an instant, the three froze in place.
The arrogant smirks still on their faces, they collapsed to the ground. With his last bit of strength, Ukon forced words from his throat. "Lord Orochimaru... won't let you get away with this!!"
Then he died. Takahashi had now used more than half his stamina. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Dammit. To waste so much effort on a few small fries."
The appearance of these guys had messed up his plan, and he cursed in frustration.
He didn't plan to go out anymore. Konoha was in chaos. Going out in his weakened state was asking for trouble. Kakashi had almost finished cleaning up the other attackers.
It was better to check on Hinata. He turned to leave, but heard Temari's voice from behind.
"Um... Thank you. For saving Gaara."
Takahashi glanced back. "Thanks are better said by the person who was saved. The Fourth Kazekage was assassinated by Orochimaru. You're on your own now."
He could only say that much. The Akatsuki organization and Pain were out there. He couldn't just travel the world hunting them down one by one to protect Gaara. What happened next was up to Gaara's own fate.
Gaara seemed deep in thought. He took a long look at Takahashi's retreating back and muttered under his breath, "Thank you... Takahashi."
When no one was looking, Takahashi took Hinata to a safe, hidden spot where no one should find them. He needed to recover his strength fast, in case of another emergency. As for the others, Kakashi seemed to have it under control. The guy hadn't even used his Sharingan yet.
A while later, seeing things were mostly handled, Kakashi briefly used his Sharingan when no one was watching. He didn't want Sasuke to see he could use it, so he cleared out the last of the enemies as fast as possible.
He remembered what Takahashi had said earlier.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," he ordered. "You three stay here. I'll check the situation outside. Unless it's urgent, don't leave. There are still many people here who need help."
But telling Naruto to stay put was like telling water not to be wet. The more Kakashi forbade it, the more he wanted to go out.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and started to leave. Sakura tried to call him back. "What are you doing? Kakashi-sensei told us to look after the people here!"
Naruto's voice was full of impatience. "Come on! The bad guys here are dealt with! Shouldn't we help other people in the village who are in real danger? Or are you too scared to leave your precious Sasuke?"
He threw the challenge to Sasuke. Seeing Naruto's provoking look, Sasuke knew it was a trap, but it still made him angry. "Fine, let's go! I'm not afraid of you!"
Before Sakura could say another word, the two boys were gone, leaving her behind. She sighed at their recklessness but stayed to obediently care for the others.
Sasuke and Naruto ran without a clear direction, just heading toward any sound of trouble. Soon, they spotted their teacher, Kakashi.
A sly grin spread on Naruto's face. "Hey, Sasuke. Wanna see what Kakashi-sensei is up to?"
Sasuke didn't answer, but he followed Naruto, tailing Kakashi. They didn't know that curiosity could kill the cat.
They kept their distance. Kakashi was too focused and anxious to notice his two students were following him.
Meanwhile, high up in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage stood in his full battle gear. Facing him was his once most-prized student, Orochimaru.
But this was no longer a teacher-student relationship. It was a fight to the death.
Orochimaru's unfamiliar face confused the Third, but the cold expression and flickering tongue were all too familiar.
"Sensei," Orochimaru hissed. "Long time no see. A pity this will be our last meeting."
The Third Hokage's heart was a mix of emotions. Fighting his own student was a teacher's worst nightmare. But he had to be harsh now. "You... Konoha's traitor. You finally came back. Today, I will clean up this disgrace."
Orochimaru just sneered. "Clean up the disgrace? That depends on if you're strong enough."
Just then, a booming voice made Orochimaru's pupils shrink. "You disgusting snake... still so rude. Is that any way to talk to your teacher after all these years?"
A tall figure with long, white hair, wooden sandals, and a giant scroll on his back landed nearby. It was Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.
Then another figure descended—a woman with vibrant blonde hair, a stunning figure, and a pair of wise, weary eyes on a beautiful face. It was the last of the three: Tsunade!
Orochimaru hadn't expected these two to show up at the same time. But even so, what did it matter? His ultimate trump card couldn't be beaten, even by the three of them together.