Seeing those words, the Third Hokage couldn''t stop the tears welling up in his eyes. His hand trembled as he held the message.


    Let Orochimarue back to help?


    How could he not want to?


    After all, with the strength Orochimaru disyed during the Land of Frost battle, there was no doubt he could save Konoha in its dire situation.


    But…


    The Third Hokage couldn''t ignore the bitter truth: Orochimaru''s defection wasrgely his fault. He had forced Orochimaru into that corner. Now, how could he be shameless enough to beg him for help?


    Even if Orochimaru could be found which was unlikely, given how elusive he had been, would he actuallye back? He''d probablyugh at his ipetence before leaving Konoha to its fate.


    With a heavy sigh, the Third Hokage muttered, "Prepare yourselves. We''ll head to the Suna defense line to meet Tsunade."


    "Report, Hokage-sama! Tsunade-sama is already on her way back," an ANBU informed him."She''s…ing back?" The Third Hokage was stunned.


    At a time like this, with the frontlines so critical, why would Tsunade leave?


    Still, since she was already returning, he decided not to question it further.


    From the Suna defense line, it would only take two days of fast travel to reach Konoha. True to expectation, Tsunade returned to the vige by the afternoon of the following day.


    ---


    Without wasting any time, she marched straight into the Hokage''s office.


    Bang!


    The door mmed open.


    "Teacher, I''m back!" Tsunade dered.


    "Why are you here? What about the border—"


    "The situation isn''t too intense right now," Tsunade interrupted. "With Nono''s help, they should be able to hold the line for now."


    "Nono?" The Third Hokage paused, recalling the director of the orphanage. "I see… Then, what''s the reason for your message? Is it about the Cloud Ninja?"


    "Yes," Tsunade replied, her tone serious. "I heard that they''ve be unstoppable?"


    The Third Hokage sighed heavily. "Yes. I had to transfer Jiraiya and Minato to reinforce the Iwa Ninja defense line. Their troops are too weak to hold out otherwise. But this left the Cloud Ninja defense line without sufficient firepower. Combined with the disadvantage in numbers…"


    He shook his head. "It''s bing increasingly difficult to hold the line."


    Tsunade clenched her fists. "It''s hard enough to fight three viges simultaneously."


    "Three?" The Third Hokage let out a bitterugh. "That was before."


    "Before?" Tsunade''s face fell in confusion. "What do you mean?"


    "See for yourself." The Third Hokage threw a scroll at her.


    Tsunade caught it, quickly unrolling it to read. As her eyes scanned the contents, her face darkened.


    She had known about the dire situations at the other defense lines, which was why she had proposed bringing Orochimaru back. But this…


    "Kirigakure? They''re making a move as well?" Tsunade''s voice was sharp, anger bubbling just beneath the surface. "This is insane… Four viges? Do they really want to see us wiped out?"


    She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white. After a moment of silence, she bit her lip and said, "Teacher, please… Please let me try to reach Orochimaru. If anyone can save the vige, it''s him!"


    She knew Orochimaru''s strength and his army of clones. With the resources and power he controlled, he could hold off an entire major vige by himself if necessary.


    The Third Hokage let out a long breath, blowing smoke from his pipe. "Tsunade… I know you''re still in contact with Orochimaru. But you also know what happened back then. Do you really think…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Do you really think it''s possible?"


    "Let me try, teacher!" Tsunade insisted. "I''ll convince him somehow. I know it''s a long shot, but… but there''s still a chance!"


    Her voice faltered slightly, but her conviction didn''t waver. Deep down, she knew Orochimaru better than anyone. While he had every reason to turn her down, she believed there was still room for negotiation.


    The Third Hokage stared at her for a long moment before sighing in defeat.


    "Fine. There''s no other option now. If you think you can convince him, then try."


    "Thank you, teacher!" Tsunade eximed, turning to leave without another word.


    She didn''t even stay to say goodbye. The moment she stepped out of the Hokage''s office, she was already making preparations to leave the vige again.


    ---


    Tsunade didn''t know Orochimaru''s exact whereabouts, but she knew of several ces where he might be.


    Before returning to Konoha, she had already spoken to Nono, who informed her that Orochimaru hadn''t been to the orphanage recently.


    That left Sound Ninja Vige as her next destination. If Orochimaru wasn''t there, she would have toe up with another n.


    ---


    A few dayster, in the Land of Forest bordering the Land of Sound, Orochimaru stood calmly in the center of a group of ninjas wearing grimace masks.


    Their eyes were full of hostility as they surrounded him, ready to strike.


    Orochimaru, however, lookedpletely unbothered. A faint, amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips.


    Suddenly, a barrage of kunai flew toward him, many of them attached to explosive tags.


    "Die, you fool!" one of the ninjas shouted.


    "Anyone who dares negotiate with us deserves to die!" another sneered.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The explosions engulfed Orochimaru''s position, sending smoke and debris flying in every direction.


    "Hmph. So this is how you deal with diplomacy?"


    Orochimaru''s calm voice echoed through the chaos, freezing the ninjas in their tracks.


    "What…?!"


    Before they could react, a bright orange beam of energy shot through the lingering smoke, crackling with electricity as it tore through the air.


    Boom!@@novelbin@@


    Two ninjas didn''t even have time to dodge. The beam struck them, disintegrating their bodies in an instant.


    The ground beneath them cracked, a deep trench burned into the earth by the intense energy.


    "Haha, looks like Nono''s invention works pretty well," Orochimaru remarked casually, tossing a coin into the air and catching it with a smirk.


    The remaining ninjas stared at him in horror.


    "What… What kind of technique is that?!"


    "Impossible… What is this monster?!"


    Orochimaru''s voice cut through their panic like a de. "Go back and tell your vige chief: I''ll give you three days to agree to a negotiation. If not…" His smirk widened. "I''ll destroy your vige."


    "You… you''re bluffing!" one of the ninjas shouted. "Destroy the vige? Just you?"


    Before he could finish, the kunai they had thrown earlier suddenly rose into the air, spinning menacingly as they hovered around the ninjas.


    The cold steel tips all pointed directly at them, and the air grew heavy with killing intent.


    "Remember. Three days," Orochimaru said, his voice calm yet chilling.


    With a casual wave of his hand, the hovering kunai shot toward the ninjas, blocking every possible escape route. Their screams echoed across the battlefield as Orochimaru turned and walked away without a second nce.


    ---


    As he left, a familiar figure appeared near the border of the Land of Sound.


    "Tsunade? What are you doing here?" Orochimaru asked, surprised to see her in fullbat gear. "Don''t tell me the fighting is already over?"


    Tsunade, breathing heavily from her journey, shook her head. "I… heard from Chana that you were here. So I came to find you."


    Orochimaru frowned. "What''s going on? You don''t look like you came here just to chat."


    Tsunade hesitated for a moment before clenching her fists. "Orochimaru… Can you save the vige?"


    ***


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