Orochimaru watched Jiraiya's determined back, a slow smirk creeping onto his face.
Certainly not because of any bold plan.
The knowledge-hungry ninja was simply captivated by the powerful Sage Arts Jiraiya had unleashed in such a short time.
Combined with Shen's recent recommendation, no self-proclaimed fanatic scientist could possibly remain indifferent.
"After the war ends," Orochimaru mused to himself, "I should find a chance to learn Sage Art."
Dreaming of mastering every jutsu and uncovering every secret, he naturally wouldn't pass up the mysterious Sage Arts.
"Phew—" Tsunade, just finishing her treatment, stared seriously at the Rock-nin before her. "I've saved your life, but with those injuries…"
"You won't be able to be a ninja anymore." The Rock-nin managed a faint smile, his entire body now completely relaxed as if freed from chains.
"Thank you, doctor from Konoha."
Touched deeply, Tsunade suddenly had an idea.
If there are schools for training ninja, why not have schools for doctors?
Passing down knowledge from master to disciple, then from disciple to their own students—this was exactly one of the original purposes of establishing schools.
Rather than teaching them how to kill, she would rather teach them how to heal.
The future Sannin of Konoha seemed to have already chosen their own paths.
Would Jiraiya, who refused to write serial novels for newspapers, really still publish Icha Icha Paradise as his debut?
Would Orochimaru, who had only just begun studying biology and was now curious about Sage Art, keep conducting research that violated Konoha's rules?
And would Tsunade, planning to become a principal teaching Medical Ninjutsu, end up buried in debt before even completing the school?
White Zetsu, the ultimate workaholic among shinobi, felt particularly cheerful.
Having once been chased by a car for an entire day and night, he had long since developed full confidence in his talent for leading enemies on chases.
Back then, he was too young to understand the importance of balancing work and rest.
Playing while running—that's the sustainable way to chase people!
White Zetsu always kept twenty meters between himself and the Rock-nin, vanishing at times and reappearing elsewhere.
When it came to pranks, maybe he wasn't an expert.
But when it came to provoking others? He firmly believed he ranked top three in the shinobi world.
"La-la-la! Konoha's resident prankster reporting in!" Making a silly face, White Zetsu dove underground again with a grin.
Did he look like asking for a beating?
Judging by the thirty-odd furious Rock-nin behind him grinding their teeth and swearing revenge, the answer was yes—a legendary beating straight from the shinobi world itself.
Reappearing somewhere else entirely, White Zetsu played his role perfectly.
"Damnable brat!"
"You won't leave here alive!"
The angry curses of the Rock-nin filled the Land of Earth with a strange yet oddly cheerful vibe.
At the border roughly thirty kilometers ahead—
Nawaki, drenched in sweat, smashed the final Rock-nin deep into the ground.
After nearly fifty-seven minutes of intense effort, Team One could finally relax and rest.
Shen, who had deactivated both Sage Mode and his Sharingan, fell flat onto the sturdy ground that had been upheaved by battle, shifting the horizon nearly half a meter downward.
Nayou and Nawaki flopped down right where they stood, just like him.
Even at full strength, fighting two hundred Rock-nin who still had half their chakra left—and weren't even using lethal force—left them completely exhausted.
The battle was as brutal as it got.
Shen used his Sharingan to manipulate a few Rock-nin, who then attacked their own comrades in a frenzy. That's when the two taijutsu specialists seized the opportunity to strike.
It was just somewhat inhumane.
"Let's go back." Shen, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan fully activated, was in much better shape than the other two.
At the very least, he was still able to fly out of here.
Nayou and Nawaki quickly got up and boarded the Hagoromo's Ship that Shen had just summoned.
In a moment like this, the importance of having an airplane was clearly evident.
Now acting as pilot, Shen didn't mess around.
After completing the system check, he started the engine.
"Huh?" Puzzled, Shen stared at the screen showing all green indicator lights and pressed the button again.
"What's wrong?" Nayou asked with concern, her body still drained.
"Just a minor issue." As soon as he entered Sage Mode, Shen detected an unfamiliar chakra signature coming from the ship's engine.
And its nature bore a strong resemblance to that stone tablet he had been carrying with him all along.
Nawaki, who had previously been slumped in his seat, noticed their silence and immediately felt a bad premonition.
After thinking for a minute, Shen turned his head sideways. "Nayou, can you activate your Byakugan and see what's wrong with the engine?"
Nayou stared at him for several seconds before finally noticing his unnatural expression.
Sighing deeply, she barely activated her Byakugan.
Her Byakugan sight instantly penetrated through the cabin and into both engines of Hagoromo's Ship.
"This is…" Already pale-skinned, Nayou's face turned even paler.
As the realization sank in, Shen slumped weakly into the pilot's chair.
Across the entire shinobi world, there was only one known method capable of disrupting chakra flow.
And currently, only two aliens and one dying alien offspring possessed this ability.
Eliminating one who couldn't possibly be in the Land of Earth, and another who had no reason to do this, left only one suspect.
At this moment, deceived by Black Zetsu, Shen considered many different possibilities.
Reasonable or not, he sifted through each guess one by one.
This sounds insane, but… His mind drifted to White Zetsu—who had been tagging along with him for quite a while now.
Gently placing her hand on Shen's shoulder as he began to tremble slightly, Nayou said, "Shen, even if we can't start the engine, there are still many ways we can leave here safely."
On the surface, Shen smiled—but his bitterness hadn't faded one bit.
Like the seasoned actor he was, he effortlessly reverted to his usual persona: "Walking back? No way—that'd kill my legs!"
Patting gently on the hand Nayou had placed on his shoulder, he pulled his signature mischievous face: "I was even gonna fly over Iwagakure and pull off a little prank or two."
"What the hell is wrong with you? You just said that if the Tsuchikage's Dust Release even grazes us, we'd be annihilated!" Nawaki, whose condition had slightly improved, immediately jumped out to accuse him of changing his stance.
"Do you really think he can touch me with his techniques?" Shen snapped back with a cold glare, feigning fury at the other person. "That old man's body probably couldn't even make it halfway before I shoot him down."
Yet internally, he remained deeply worried.
Protected by White Zetsu, Shen wouldn't fall easily.
However, as for Nayou and Nawaki, one of them would inevitably become the sacrifice for him to unlock his Mangekyō.
With Black Zetsu now stepping out from the shadows, Team One was about to face an unprecedented battle.
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