noveltune Chapter 171: The Secret Technique for Defeating the Third Boss
Chapter 171: The Secret Technique for Defeating the Third Boss
Chapter 171 The Secret Technique to Defeating the Third Hokage
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned upon hearing this: "Is there really no way at all?"
He felt very regretful.
Itachi Uchiha possessed strength surpassing the vast majority of ninjas and was the inheritor of the Will of Fire, yet he was destined to die young due to illness.
This is undoubtedly a great loss for the village.
Tsunade sighed and shook her head slightly: "At most, I can only extend his lifespan."
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi gripped his pipe tightly, a look of regret appearing on his face.
Kakashi stood to the side, a helpless look appearing in his eyes.
Unexpectedly, Itachi on the other side suddenly breathed a sigh of relief after a brief silence: "That's enough, extending it is already enough."
He had thought his life was about to end, but now that he heard Tsunade could help him buy more time, it was already good news for Itachi.
Seeing this, Tsunade nodded and said solemnly, "Give me some time, I'll go and prepare the treatment methods."
After saying that, she did not hesitate any longer, got up and walked outside to prepare the scrolls and medicine needed for the treatment.
Inside the room, Itachi also stood up and bowed to Sarutobi and Kakashi, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Third Hokage and Kakashi-senpai. I should take my leave now."
Kakashi asked with concern, "Are you leaving now? What about the Akatsuki—"
Itachi nodded slightly: "I used Shadow Clones to sneak away from my comrades this time when I returned to Konoha. The clones can't last long, so I must get back as soon as possible to avoid giving myself away."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, without trying to stop him.
Without saying another word, he turned and walked outside.
Just as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and turned back to look solemnly at the two people inside the room: "Kakashi-senpai, Third Hokage, my identity—I'm with Sasuke. Please keep it a secret for me."
"Keep it a secret?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, somewhat puzzled. Kakashi, however, immediately understood Itachi's intention, his pupils shrinking slightly: "You mean—"
A bitter smile played on Itachi's lips, a complex emotion flickering in his dark eyes: "This misunderstanding might not be a bad thing for him. Let him continue to misunderstand!"
Kakashi was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "...I understand. I'll keep it a secret for you."
"Thank you, Kakashi-senpai."
Itachi's face showed a rare expression of genuine gratitude.
After saying that, he didn't linger any longer, pushed open the door, and left quickly.
Watching Itachi leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, somewhat puzzled, "What happened?"
Kakashi sighed softly, a flash of reminiscence crossing his eyes: "Because of that dream—Sasuke had some misunderstandings. He believed that the murderer who killed the Uchiha clan was an imposter."
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi confirmed it, then nodded meaningfully and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: "That's fine too."
Kakashi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's slightly wistful expression and didn't say anything more.
Even without Itachi's request, he had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding for Sasuke.
Since this misunderstanding, Sasuke has become much more cheerful. Compared to the twisted hatred that Sasuke carried, this misunderstanding is a good thing for him.
Itachi walked briskly through the corridors of the Sarutobi clan's mansion.
He only came to his senses after he walked out the door.
Perhaps it was because he heard his own ending with his own ears.
In a moment of confusion and shame, I actually forgot that I was still wearing my original face!
Itachi quickly formed a hand seal for the Transformation Jutsu.
With a "poof," white smoke rose, and in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with black hair.
After confirming that the disguise was complete, Itachi looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Luckily, I changed my clothes specifically for returning to Konoha this time, so I wasn't too conspicuous."
Having transformed, it dared not linger and vanished in an instant.
No sooner had he left than a figure emerged from the shadow of a large tree not far away.
Under the moonlight, one could see that the person was wearing a mask from the Konoha Anbu and had a slender build.
Although the mask covered her face, the exposed hair was a striking light gray.
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing in the direction Itachi had left, and muttered to himself, "Uchiha Itachi—he actually came out of Hiruzen Sarutobi's house?"
Beneath the mask, the Pharmacist Kabuto's lips curled into a cold smile.
He was very aware of Orochimaru's obsession with the Uchiha clan.
These past two days, he had been secretly gathering intelligence on Orochimaru's orders, but had come up empty-handed. He never expected to stumble upon such a scene tonight.
Not long after, deep within the Konoha dungeon.
In the dark and cold cell, the chains clanged crisply, and a flickering oil lamp in the corner emitted a dim, yellowish light.
Orochimaru was bound hand and foot and locked in the center of the room.
His body was covered in new bruises and wounds, his long, black hair was disheveled, and his vertical pupils gleamed in the shadows.
I heard a soft sound of footsteps approaching from afar.
"Lord Orochimaru."
The newcomer called out in a low voice; it was none other than Yakushi Kabuto, dressed in ANBU attire.
"You've gathered information about the dream so quickly?"
Orochimaru's hoarse voice, tinged with urgency, was squeezed out from his throat.
He stared intently at Dou, his golden eyes burning with excitement.
Kabuto shook his head slightly: "I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru. I've secretly investigated quite a bit these past two days, but it seems no one in the village knows anything about 'dreams,' and I haven't found any valuable clues."
"Hmph!" Orochimaru's face darkened, his eyes narrowing with barely concealed disappointment and displeasure. "Then why did you come to see me?"
"However—" Kabuto calmly adjusted his glasses, "there's some information I think you'll find interesting."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's expression shifted, signaling him to continue.
Kabuto took two steps closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Just now, I saw Itachi Uchiha walk out of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mansion with my own eyes."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's sinister eyes suddenly lit up: "What?! Uchiha Itachi? He's actually from Konoha?"
Orochimaru's face was filled with barely concealed excitement.
"Yes. And—" Kabuto pushed up his glasses and continued, "Before Itachi came out, I saw Kakashi Hatake hurriedly invite Tsunade to the Sarutobi residence as well."
"Oh?" Orochimaru licked his chapped lips, a meaningful smile on his face. "If it were just about delivering information, there would be no need for him to come back in person. The fact that he rushed to find Tsunade as soon as he returned is quite obvious: Itachi's health is in trouble! And it's a problem that only a medical ninja of Tsunade's caliber can handle."
"That's exactly right, that was my guess too." Kabuto nodded slightly, unable to hide his excitement, and said, "That's why I rushed here to report to you!"
In the silent cell, Orochimaru suddenly chuckled, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism and greed: "What a rare opportunity!"
A vague and ethereal dream, compared to the Uchiha bloodline limit he had long awaited.
Not to mention, this was Uchiha Itachi, whom he had long coveted. Orochimaru didn't hesitate at all. He took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and felt every inch of chakra within his body cheering: "It seems it's time to leave this place!"
Before he could finish speaking, Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth, and a snow-white shadow darted out with a "whoosh"—
It was a white snake as thick as a thumb!
The little snake slithered out of the cage, quickly coiled up along the outstretched arm, and slipped into his sleeve.
"Let's go! Let's go back to Otogakure first!"
Orochimaru's voice came from the small snake's mouth, revealing his barely concealed excitement and impatience.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied with a slight bow.
After concealing the small snake in his arms, he glanced at the figure bound by chains in the cell, then retreated into the darkness without a second thought, leaving the dungeon unnoticed.
The dimly lit cell fell silent once more, except for Orochimaru, bound in chains in the center of the room, who maintained his joyful expression.
Motionless—
Night falls.
After a busy day, Konoha Village fell into tranquility.
A silvery crescent moon hangs high in the night sky, its cool light spilling onto the quiet streets and alleys.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, he found himself in a spacious and bright room.
"It's finally my turn again!" Naruto looked around at the furnishings and grinned.
He is currently in the home from his dream.
Unlike my own cramped and quiet apartment in reality, this place is spacious, bright, cozy, and comfortable, with family photos hanging on the walls.
Every detail made Naruto feel incredibly at ease and satisfied.
However, the once cozy home is now empty.
Naruto looked around but didn't see any familiar faces.
He scratched his messy blond hair, somewhat puzzled: "?Mom?"
Logically speaking, whenever he enters a dream, his mother Kushina is always at home preparing things or busy in the kitchen.
But the house is quiet today.
"Mom!" Naruto raised his voice and called out twice more, his voice echoing in the empty room, but no one answered.
A feeling of unease welled up inside Naruto.
[Ding! Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +300!]
After thinking about it for a while, he decided to go out and take a look!
Naruto dashed to the entrance, quickly changed his shoes, opened the door, and jumped out.
in the audience.
Four familiar faces were present today: Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno.
Sasuke sat with his arms crossed, a hint of dissatisfaction on his face, and seemed somewhat absent-minded.
He was still somewhat worried about Nissan's injuries in the dream.
Kakashi glanced at it twice and sighed inwardly, "I'm still worried about Itachi—"
"Hey, Kakashi," Jiraiya suddenly leaned over, "I've made a big discovery on this trip!"
Kakashi perked up and looked away from Jiraiya: "Really?"
"Near Kannabi Bridge—" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "I ran into Itachi Uchiha. He might have some connection with the masked man."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi's fingertips trembled, and he quickly glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye.
As expected, the boy's already furrowed brows deepened even more, and a cold line appeared at the corner of his lips.
Sasuke snorted coldly, his voice low yet still sharp: "That imposter isn't Uchiha Itachi. He's just a monster disguised as his brother! Those monsters who can impersonate others are originally the masked man's subordinates!"
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
"Fake—." Jiraiya's expression changed, and he couldn't help but look at Kakashi.
Kakashi paused, his expression turning complicated.
He also wanted to tell Jiraiya that the Uchiha Itachi was the real one, that he was a spy for Konoha, that he had returned to Konoha today, and that he had brought a lot of information.
But he couldn't reveal anything in front of Sasuke, so he could only vaguely wave his hand and say, "Lord Jiraiya, I will give you the latest information tomorrow."
Although Jiraiya was puzzled, seeing Kakashi's reticence, he could only nod and say, "Alright, I'll wait for your news."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the audience became somewhat awkward.
The bright sunshine bathed my whole body, making me feel warm and cozy.
Naruto took a deep breath of fresh air and felt refreshed.
In my dream, it was early morning, and the streets were bustling with people.
"Good morning, Naruto!" The fishmonger by the roadside greeted him with a smile.
"Naruto, keep up the good work with your training today!" A middle-aged woman carrying a shopping basket waved to him with a smile as she walked towards him.
Naruto was a little embarrassed by the enthusiastic greeting. He scratched his head and replied with an awkward smile, "Good morning! Hehe, I will!"
Naruto felt very comfortable and warm inside. He realized that he still preferred the Konoha in his dream.
Naruto hummed a little tune, feeling increasingly cheerful as he walked.
Just as he was happily looking around, a childish voice suddenly called out from behind him: "Ah! Big Brother Naruto!"
Naruto paused, stopped, and looked back: "?"
Not far away, three little devils, who looked about eight or nine years old, were running towards him in a hurry.
"Stare! Stare! Stare!"
The little legs made rapid footsteps on the ground.
The one leading the group was a little boy wearing goggles, with chubby cheeks and big, bright eyes that were sparkling with excitement.
Before he even reached him, he shouted breathlessly, "Naruto, big brother—I finally caught up with you!"
Naruto looked down and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Yo! Isn't that Konohamaru?"
Before Konohamaru could speak, the two little ones beside him arrived breathlessly in front of Naruto.
The little boy with big round-framed glasses and a string of glistening snot bubbles hanging from his nose is Ise Udon.
The other little girl with two high braids and light freckles on her cheeks is undoubtedly Kazamatsuri Moegi.
The three little ones all looked up at Naruto, their faces filled with admiration and excitement.
Konohamaru's face flushed red: "Naruto-nii! You promised to teach me ninjutsu! The ninjutsu you taught me last time was too difficult, Jin and I studied it for days and still couldn't learn it!"
Ise Udon and Kazamatsuri Moegi nodded vigorously.
Naruto was slightly taken aback.
Did I actually teach Konohamaru and the others ninjutsu in my dream?
It must be that ninjutsu!
Recalling the secret technique that once defeated the Third Hokage, Naruto rubbed his nose with some excitement.
"That's easy!" Naruto waved his hand heartily, raised an eyebrow, put his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly. "It's just a matter of pointing out ninjutsu, right?"
No problem! I'll demonstrate it for you all again today—watch carefully!
"oh!!"
The three members of Konohamaru cheered and nodded repeatedly, then quickly and obediently took two steps back, their eyes fixed on Naruto, afraid of missing any details.