286. I Have Susanoo Too

Amegakure, the Village Hidden in the Rain, Land of Rain.

The relentless downpour had finally ceased.

But it wasn’t because the weather had cleared; it was because the rain was blocked by the towering figure of the Thousand-Armed Kannon.

“Is… is this real?”

Yahiko stared up at the Thousand-Armed Kannon, his face frozen in shock.

He couldn’t see the top of the Kannon statue. It seemed to stretch endlessly, towering into the heavens and blotting out the sky.

“I must be under a genjutsu.”

Konan’s voice was filled with disbelief.

The villagers of Amegakure were even more overwhelmed.

In the face of this colossal Thousand-Armed Kannon, they fell to their knees.

The shinobi world did have temples, such as the Fire Temple, where deities like Kannon were worshipped.

But now, with the appearance of this unimaginable Thousand-Armed Kannon, they all believed that a god had descended.

“You… who are you?”

Madara Uchiha snapped out of his daze and instinctively asked.

He even entertained an absurd thought—that Hanekawa was actually Hashirama Senju in disguise.

Otherwise, how could there be a second Hashirama Senju in the shinobi world?

But upon further reflection, that couldn’t be the case.

Hashirama’s personality wouldn’t allow him to hide in the shadows, nor would he become Tsunade’s student.

What was going on?

Hanekawa smiled faintly.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon began to move.

With one hand, it caught the massive meteor formed by the Planetary Devastation.

From a distance, it looked as if it had casually grabbed a ping-pong ball.

Madara’s breath hitched, and his expression turned grave.

This was undoubtedly the true Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.

If it weren’t, how could it so easily block his Planetary Devastation?

Madara gritted his teeth, and the wings of his Susanoo spread as he soared into the air.

The blue giant, wielding two swords, roared and leaped forward.

A surge of chakra enveloped the swords, making them glow like blue lightsabers.

The Susanoo moved swiftly, stirring up fierce winds in its wake. In an instant, it was in front of the Thousand-Armed Kannon.

The swords were raised, and all the chakra was concentrated into a single thrust, like an arrow released from a bow.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon extended its hands and caught the swords.

Boom!

An explosion rang out, and the chakra shockwave turned into a gust of wind, creating a cloud of smoke around the Kannon’s hands.

But that was all.

When the smoke cleared, the Susanoo was immobilized in mid-air, unable to move.

“……”

Madara fell silent.

The reason he had been able to contend with Hashirama in his lifetime was due to the Armored Susanoo, which combined the power of the Nine-Tails with the Susanoo.

Now, however, the Nine-Tails was sealed within Kushina Uzumaki.

He could summon it, but he would face resistance from the jinchūriki.

In a battle like this, he couldn’t afford to waste time.

That left only one option.

Madara dispelled the Susanoo and formed hand seals.

Summoning Jutsu!

The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.

“What’s happening?”

Yahiko struggled to steady himself as he asked.

“What… what is that?”

Konan’s eyes widened in shock.

A massive creature, no smaller than the Thousand-Armed Kannon, appeared.

It had nine eyes, and its body was as dark and gnarled as dead wood.

On its back were ten pillar-like protrusions, resembling volcanoes.

“The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.”

Hanekawa narrowed his eyes.

Madara, possessing the Rinnegan and with unlimited chakra in his reanimated state, could theoretically summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Fortunately, this was a chakra-deprived version of the statue—merely the husk of the Ten-Tails.

The most troublesome aspect was its ability to absorb chakra.

However, Hanekawa’s Wood Release could also absorb chakra, effectively neutralizing the statue’s ability.

“You’ve pushed me to this point, which means you’re no weaker than Hashirama.”

Madara spoke calmly, though in truth, he had no confidence in defeating Hanekawa.

Chains of the Demonic Statue!

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path let out a deafening roar, spewing forth a multitude of chains.

In the original story, these chains could restrain the Tailed Beasts, as well as seal and reclaim them.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon extended a hand and grasped the chains.

The Demonic Statue pulled back, but the Thousand-Armed Kannon remained unmoved.

Madara frowned.

A mere husk of the Demonic Statue was indeed no match for the Thousand-Armed Kannon.

But he was far from admitting defeat.

Armored Susanoo!

A surge of immense, cold chakra erupted from Madara’s body in an instant.

The Susanoo transformed into a flowing blue light that rushed toward the Demonic Statue.

In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the statue.

With the added power of the Armored Susanoo, the Demonic Statue gripped the chains tightly.

In that moment, a terrifying force surged forth.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon trembled and was pulled forward slightly.

“So this is the Armored Susanoo?”

Hanekawa examined the blue armor covering the Demonic Statue with interest.

“You’re quite knowledgeable.”

Madara secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though his expression remained calm.

Even with the Armored Susanoo, the Demonic Statue and the Thousand-Armed Kannon were evenly matched, but that was enough.

As he had said before, in his reanimated state, he had unlimited chakra.

Even if Hanekawa was on par with Hashirama, his chakra was finite.

Madara could wear him down, even if it took a long time.

“What if True Several Thousand Hands were combined with the Susanoo? Would that make one invincible?”

Hanekawa asked leisurely.

Madara was momentarily stunned.

He thought about it and realized that such a combination would indeed make one nearly invincible in the shinobi world.

Unfortunately, he and Hashirama had parted ways long ago, making the idea of a Susanoo-clad Great Buddha an impossible, earth-shattering feat.

“Enough small talk, descendant of the Senju.”

Madara’s Rinnegan suddenly pulsed.

The Demonic Statue opened its mouth, and a purple dragon shot out along the chains.

This was a Chakra Dragon.

Anything it touched would have its chakra instantly absorbed.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon reached out and grabbed the dragon’s head.

The purple dragon struggled, letting out an ear-splitting roar as a powerful suction force emanated from its body.

Hanekawa felt the Thousand-Armed Kannon lose a significant amount of chakra.

But in the next moment, a vortex-like suction force formed in the Kannon’s hand.

Once again, the two forces were locked in a stalemate.

Madara watched the Demonic Statue and the Thousand-Armed Kannon with a grave expression, feeling a headache coming on.

It seemed unlikely that a winner would be decided anytime soon.

Hanekawa glanced down at the ground.

From such a height, it was difficult to make out the figures of Konan, Yahiko, and the others.

“As a senior of the Uchiha clan, would you be willing to give me some guidance?”

Hanekawa looked at Madara and smiled.

“Guidance?”

Madara was baffled.

With Hanekawa’s strength rivaling Hashirama’s, what could he possibly teach him?

In the next moment, his expression turned to one of shock, as if he had seen a ghost.

A flash of crimson.

Hanekawa activated the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

“That’s… Obito Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan?”

Madara was momentarily stunned, then quickly shook his head. “No, wait—that’s the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!”

The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan required the fusion of two Mangekyō Sharingan.

Could it be Obito and Shisui Uchiha?

But even if Hanekawa agreed, Shisui would never consent to such a thing.

After all, the Mangekyō Sharingan was far too precious; no one would willingly give it away.

But aside from Obito and Shisui, who else possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan?

“Senior Madara, please guide me!”

Hanekawa stood on the palm of the Thousand-Armed Kannon and clapped his hands together.

Streams of white light flowed from his body, covering the Thousand-Armed Kannon like water.

Madara’s pupils contracted.

Even an idiot would understand what Hanekawa was trying to do.

This was the Susanoo-clad Great Buddha!

Madara opened his mouth to speak but then hesitated, frozen in place.

How was he supposed to fight this?

The Thousand-Armed Kannon was now clad in white armor.

The suction force in its hand intensified, and the purple dragon let out a final, mournful cry before dissipating.

“It’s time to end this, Senior Madara.”

Hanekawa formed a hand seal.

Top Transformation: Buddha!

The Thousand-Armed Kannon moved in response, and a thousand massive hands shot forward.

In an instant, the winds surged, and the terrifying force, combined with the overwhelming speed, caused a deafening roar to echo through the sky.

A thousand massive hands clenched into fists, smashing toward the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

But sitting idly by and waiting for death was not in Madara Uchiha's nature.

His face twisted into a snarl as he unleashed all of his chakra, raising his hand.

Super Shinra Tensei!

At the same time, the Demonic Statue let out a furious roar, and the protrusions on its back released countless bolts of lightning.

The lightning formed a sea of thunder in an instant, surging forward with an awe-inspiring momentum.

But in less than half a second, it was shattered by the Thousand-Armed Kannon.

What followed was a repulsive force capable of annihilating the heavens and the earth.

Wherever it passed, shockwaves rolled, the air screamed, and the ground cracked and crumbled into dust.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon withstood this repulsive force head-on.

Its body trembled, and cracks appeared in the white Susanoo armor, but it held firm against the Super Shinra Tensei, not even retreating a single step.

Madara's face immediately filled with despair.

The Demonic Statue raised its arms to shield itself.

Boom!

A single fist came down.

The blue Susanoo armor began to falter.

But in the next moment, countless fists followed.

The sound of cracking echoed.

The Susanoo armor shattered into streams of light.

The Demonic Statue tried to resist, but the Thousand-Armed Kannon gave it no chance.

Eight of its hands shifted from fists to palms, grabbing the statue's body and pinning it in place.

Fist after fist rained down.

Amidst the earth-shaking roars, the Thousand-Armed Kannon displayed its terrifying power.

Each punch created explosive impacts and massive shockwaves.

In the midst of the raging winds, the Demonic Statue let out a howl of agony.

The ground around it was completely pulverized, with smoke billowing and debris flying in all directions.

"Amegakure is utterly destroyed," Yahiko said with a bitter smile as he watched the scene.

"At least we survived," Konan said hoarsely. "As long as we're alive, there's hope."

She recalled the condition she had agreed to with Hanekawa—to work for him for three years.

With power like his, what could he possibly need them for?

But no matter what, she didn't dare break the agreement.

The thunderous sounds finally ceased.

The Demonic Statue was still not dead.

As the husk of the Ten-Tails or the Divine Tree, it possessed tenacious vitality and was theoretically immortal.

But immortality didn't mean it couldn't be injured.

By now, it had been beaten beyond recognition, its body covered in fist-shaped craters.

It collapsed heavily onto the ground, pinned down by the Thousand-Armed Kannon, unable to move.

Hanekawa turned his gaze to Madara.

Caught in the aftermath of the Top Transformation: Buddha, Madara's body was in tatters. His arms and legs had been blown apart, leaving him half-crippled.

But in his reanimated state, he wasn't dead, and his horrific injuries were slowly healing.

"Senior Madara," Hanekawa said as he leaped down, landing in front of Madara.

"Are you the child of a Senju and an Uchiha?" Madara asked after a few seconds of silence.

Hanekawa was momentarily stunned.

He had expected Madara to say something like "I admit defeat" or "I declare you as the strongest."

Why was his first question gossip?


But upon reflection, he understood why Madara would ask.

Madara was simply too curious and bewildered.

How could both Wood Release and the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan exist in one person?

And from the looks of it, both abilities were the original versions, with no signs of weakening.

"I am not," Hanekawa shook his head and asked, "Senior Madara, will you release the Reanimation Jutsu yourself, or shall I send you off?"

Madara fell silent once more.

With Nagato and Black Zetsu both sealed, he had no way to revive himself.

But his grand ambition remained unfulfilled, and he couldn't bear to die here.

"Or you could use Limbo: Border Jail to make a final stand," Hanekawa said with a smile.

"How… how do you know about my Rinnegan ability?" Madara instinctively looked up, his face filled with confusion.

Limbo: Border Jail was a secret known only to him.

Neither Black Zetsu nor Hashirama Senju had ever seen it.

"Would you like to try?" Hanekawa asked with a smile.

"You insolent brat!" Madara was enraged, and his Rinnegan pulsed.

Limbo: Border Jail!

A silent, invisible attack shot toward Hanekawa.

But in the next moment, it passed right through his body.

"This… this is Obito Uchiha's Kamui?" Madara was stunned, then slumped in defeat. "No wonder you're so confident."

Limbo: Border Jail was a unique ability of his Rinnegan.

It had two extraordinary effects.

First, it could create shadow clones with physical forms.

These shadows could block attacks for the original body or be used to ambush enemies, with a maximum of four shadows.

Second, once Limbo: Border Jail struck a target, the target would be immobilized.

In the original story, even Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God Technique was countered by Limbo: Border Jail.

The most terrifying aspect was that these shadows could only be seen in two ways.

One was through the Rinnegan, and the other was through Six Paths Sage Mode.

Hanekawa possessed neither, so he chose to use Obito Uchiha's Kamui, relying on intangibility to evade the attack.

He had hesitated between choosing Kotoamatsukami and Kamui.

While Kotoamatsukami was powerful, Kamui was more practical.

"I lost fairly," Madara said as he came to his senses, sighing.

Hanekawa knew all of his secrets.

And he knew nothing about Hanekawa.

From the Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and then to Kamui, everything was beyond his expectations.

"Descendant of the Senju, I hope we meet again."

Madara Uchiha sat up, his body emitting countless points of light.

He broke free from the restraints on his own and ascended into the sky.

If he didn't release himself, he would face sealing.

Given his personality, he couldn't accept being sealed, so he chose to release the Reanimation Jutsu himself.

Hanekawa stood in place, waiting. Soon, three lines of text appeared before his eyes.

Since the new talent entry had been triggered, it confirmed that Madara Uchiha was indeed dead.

[S-rank Talent Entry: Rinnegan.]

[Trigger Condition: Defeat the reanimated Madara Uchiha.]

[Effect: Evolves the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan into the Rinnegan.]

Hanekawa thought to himself, 'As expected.'

He had already speculated this, so obtaining the Rinnegan wasn't particularly surprising.

The only regret was that there was no mention of an advancement path.

He had thought it might connect with the S-rank talent entry 'Six Tomoe Rinnegan.'

Unable to figure it out, Hanekawa stopped pondering.

After obtaining the Rinnegan, his strength undoubtedly skyrocketed.

Both the Six Paths Techniques and the Outer Path Techniques were extremely practical.

In addition, the Rinnegan possessed unique ocular abilities.

For example, Madara's Limbo: Border Jail and Sasuke's Amenotejikara.

As for his own ocular ability, it remained unclear for now.

Hanekawa would need time to explore it himself.

He looked up at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which was still pinned down by the Thousand-Armed Kannon.

Theoretically, he now had the ability to summon the Demonic Statue.

Summoning Jutsu: Release!
Hanekawa formed hand seals and slapped the ground.

Boom!

A massive cloud of smoke enveloped the Demonic Statue.

When the smoke cleared, its enormous body had vanished.

"It really works."

Seeing the experiment succeed, Hanekawa dispelled the Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon trembled and disappeared without a trace.

"Konan, let's go."

Yahiko and Konan exchanged a glance and walked over to Hanekawa.

The path was littered with destruction caused by the Thousand-Armed Kannon and the Demonic Statue, giving them the illusion that the world had been torn apart.

"Wait for me a moment."

Hanekawa's body vanished on the spot, but after two seconds, he reappeared.

Along with him were the sealed Nagato and Black Zetsu.

"Where's Madara Uchiha?"

Black Zetsu looked around, bewildered.

The ground in sight was completely ruined, a testament to the ferocity of the battle that had just taken place.

Hanekawa stared at Black Zetsu, deep in thought.

He was considering how to separate it from Nagato.

But he was afraid that if he released the Four Symbols Seal, Black Zetsu might seize the opportunity to escape.

After all, he didn't know what other tricks Black Zetsu might have up its sleeve.

"You defeated him? How could you defeat him?"

Black Zetsu froze, then demanded an answer.

While it was stunned, Nagato noticed more details.

For example, the unique abilities of the Rinnegan.

From the traces left on the battlefield, he recognized Shinra Tensei, Banshō Ten'in, and Chibaku Tensei.

But what was with this bottomless crater?

Nagato suddenly shuddered, his pupils trembling.

It was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!

Under Black Zetsu's guidance, he had once sensed the presence of the Demonic Statue.

Although he had never seen it in person, he had a rough idea of what it looked like.

Madara Uchiha had summoned the Demonic Statue, but what had Hanekawa summoned?

And from the outcome, it seemed the Demonic Statue had been utterly defeated.

This left him utterly perplexed.

How had Hanekawa won?

Nagato suppressed his curiosity, deciding to ask Konan and Yahiko later.

"Madara Uchiha has ascended to the heavens. Now it's your turn, Black Zetsu."

Hanekawa had already thought of a solution and said with a faint smile.

"Wait! We can cooperate! I can make you stronger!"

Black Zetsu, not bothering to question how Hanekawa knew its name, quickly pleaded.

Hanekawa ignored it and formed hand seals.

Shadow Clone Jutsu!

In a puff of smoke, three Hanekawa clones appeared.

"Although you're already very strong, you're far from matching the Sage of Six Paths!"

Black Zetsu, sensing danger, struggled and said, "I can help you surpass the Sage of Six Paths!"

It had schemed for a thousand years, and just as its plan was on the verge of success, Hanekawa had ruined everything.

Now, it was trapped, about to lose everything.

"I don't need your help to surpass the Sage of Six Paths."

The four Hanekawas each pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai and stabbed them into the ground.

He was preparing to use the Flying Thunder God Seal, the same sealing technique Minato Namikaze had used to seal the Dragon Vein.

"You have no idea how powerful the Sage of Six Paths is!"

Black Zetsu said in panic, "Even if you work hard your entire life, you'll never reach his level!"

For most ninja in the shinobi world, this statement was absolutely true.

Even the protagonists of the original story, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, had only come close to the Sage's level with his help.

But Hanekawa was different—he had cheats.

As they say, a small cheat is still a cheat.

The four Hanekawas simultaneously formed hand seals, creating a seamless, barrier-like pillar of light around them.

"Nagato."

Hanekawa extended his hand and said, "I'll release the Four Symbols Seal and take you away. Don't resist."

Nagato nodded.

Black Zetsu, attached to him, saw a glimmer of hope.

Since Hanekawa was unyielding, its only chance was the moment the seal was released.

Four Symbols Seal: Release!

Hanekawa placed his hand on Nagato's body.

The black, vortex-like seal disappeared.

"Die!"

Black Zetsu, like a blob of ink, leaped into the air.

Surrounded by the Flying Thunder God Seal, it couldn't escape.

It could only resort to its final move—killing Hanekawa.

If it could kill him, its plan could still continue.

The ink formed a human hand that reached for Hanekawa's heart.

But in the next moment, the hand passed right through his body.

"Kamui?"

Black Zetsu was stunned.

Four Symbols Seal!

The three Hanekawa clones behind it took advantage of its momentary distraction and simultaneously formed hand seals.

"No!"

Black Zetsu let out a scream.

Its plans, its ambitions, its thousand years of waiting—all were destroyed in this moment.

Hanekawa casually picked up Black Zetsu.

After being sealed, it had turned into a pitch-black, amorphous blob.

Hanekawa initially thought about tossing it into some remote location, but that didn’t feel secure.

The best solution was to keep it on his person.

That way, Black Zetsu wouldn’t be rescued.

Hanekawa suddenly thought of White Zetsu and felt a pang of regret.

Most of the White Zetsu had likely been scared off by his battle with Madara Uchiha.

Wait.

White Zetsu were ancient humans transformed by the Divine Tree, or rather, ancient humans who had fallen under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

And the Divine Tree was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Now that Hanekawa could summon the Demonic Statue, he could theoretically be considered the master of the White Zetsu.

At that moment, three lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[S-rank Talent Entry: Mastermind.]

[Trigger Condition: Seal Black Zetsu.]

[Effect: All control-type ninjutsu have their power increased by 200%.]

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.

The scope of control-type ninjutsu was quite broad.

Genjutsu, sealing techniques, and even Chibaku Tensei could be considered control-type ninjutsu.

In terms of effect, it was indeed fitting for Black Zetsu, the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Hanekawa, thank you," Nagato said, still shaken.

He had almost become a sacrifice for the Rinne Rebirth technique.

"It’s nothing," Hanekawa replied casually. "Just remember your promise."

"Promise?" Nagato was momentarily confused and instinctively looked at Konan and Yahiko.

"That’s right," Yahiko explained briefly.

"Three years of work?" Nagato fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "I’ll honor it."

Although he disliked the Leaf Village because of his parents' deaths, he always repaid his debts.

Hanekawa had saved his life, so working for three years wasn’t a loss—in fact, it felt like he was getting the better end of the deal.

"What about those Akatsuki members you recently recruited?" Hanekawa suddenly asked.

"They joined Akatsuki out of fear for my strength, not out of loyalty," Nagato explained after some thought.


"Your battle likely made them feel threatened, so they took the chance to flee during the chaos."

"That makes sense," Hanekawa nodded.

"If you need them, I can go find them again," Nagato offered, glancing at him.

"No need," Hanekawa refused. "They’re all ruthless rogue ninja. There’s no reason to rely on them."

The only one he was interested in was Sasori of the Red Sand.

His strength and personality made him a suitable subordinate.

The only complication was that Sasori’s parents had been killed by Sakumo Hatake.

In the original story, Sakumo had already died, so the grudge was resolved. But now, Sakumo was still alive.

"Next is the reconstruction of Amegakure," Hanekawa said, looking around. "The Leaf Village will provide assistance."

"Thank you," Yahiko said, visibly relieved.

Amegakure wasn’t wealthy to begin with, and the destruction had been too thorough. Without the Leaf’s help, they would likely go bankrupt.

"You clean up the battlefield. I’ll return to the Leaf Village and bring a team over," Hanekawa said decisively.

He was extremely satisfied with today’s gains, especially the Rinnegan.

As for aiding Amegakure, it was a small matter.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

Hanekawa stepped back and vanished.

"Today’s events feel like a dream," Yahiko sighed.

"I’m sorry," Nagato said apologetically. "It’s all because I was too arrogant and trusted Madara Uchiha."

"It’s not your fault," Yahiko shook his head. "The Rinnegan is indeed powerful."

"How did Hanekawa defeat Madara Uchiha?" Nagato asked, his curiosity piqued.

"How should I put it?" Yahiko said with a tone of awe. "I’ve never seen such a terrifying shinobi."

"Indeed," Konan agreed.

Yahiko recounted the battle.

Although he couldn’t capture all the details, it was enough to leave Nagato in awe.

A Thousand-Armed Kannon that rivaled the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?

"Wood Release truly is the ultimate kekkei genkai," Nagato said after a pause. "Do you think Hanekawa can now be called the God of Shinobi?"

Yahiko and Konan were stunned.

Hashirama Senju had been called the God of Shinobi for ending the Warring States Period and being the strongest shinobi of his time.

Hanekawa had already achieved two-thirds of that.

He was now the strongest shinobi in the world.

And before this, he had single-handedly ended the Third Great Shinobi War.

---

In the Hokage’s office, Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she felt someone embrace her from behind.

The hands were quite bold, moving upward from her waist, seemingly trying to lighten the burden of her clothes.

"What do you need?" Tsunade grabbed his wrist, stopping his advance.

"Do you remember that Wood Release user?" Hanekawa asked, giving up on his sneak attack and behaving himself.

"You mean the one who caused Yagura’s rampage?" Tsunade paused. "Didn’t you kill him?"

"He’s dead, but his organization still exists," Hanekawa said, resting his chin on her shoulder and inhaling her faint fragrance.

"You found that mysterious organization?" Tsunade’s eyes lit up.

As Hokage, she disliked such uncontrollable groups.

Who knew when they might suddenly threaten the Leaf Village?

"Yes," Hanekawa explained. "They were in Amegakure."

"Amegakure?" Tsunade looked surprised.

She suddenly recalled how Amegakure had abruptly severed its alliance with the Leaf Village.

Was it because of this mysterious organization?

Hanekawa briefly summarized the events.

He only mentioned that Madara Uchiha was the leader of the organization, whose name was unknown, and that he had been killed.

"Why didn’t you inform me about such a dangerous situation?" Tsunade glared at him. "I’m the Hokage!"

"It wasn’t that dangerous," Hanekawa lied smoothly. "I handled them all by myself and didn’t even get hurt."

"Don’t do this again!" Tsunade flicked his forehead.

But as she let go, Hanekawa took the opportunity to grasp her heavy burden.

"Brat!" Tsunade groaned, annoyed. "This is the Hokage’s office!"

"That’s exactly why!" Hanekawa blurted out.

But the next second, he sensed danger and quickly withdrew his hand.

"Sensei, Amegakure has reestablished its alliance with us," Hanekawa coughed lightly, holding her hand and changing the subject.

"..." Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Amegakure was destroyed in the battle, so I plan to take a team there to help with reconstruction," Hanekawa said, gently squeezing her soft hand.

"Alright," Tsunade’s tone softened. "Go ahead."

"Sensei, see you tonight," Hanekawa said with a wink.

Tsunade’s heart skipped a beat, knowing that the night would bring another fierce battle.

Hanekawa leaned down and kissed her forehead before leaving.

He returned to the ANBU base.

"Dragon Maiden," Hanekawa called as he sat at his desk.

"Lord Hanekawa," Samui immediately entered.

"Organize a team from the ANBU, focusing on post-battle reconstruction," Hanekawa said after a moment of thought. "It involves the entire Amegakure, so gather as many people as possible."

"Yes," Samui turned and left.


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Worth 2 chapters