I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

"Tsunade-senpai, isn't it normal to ask for the moon's highest price during negotiations? Don't get too worked up, or even the Yin Seal won't be able to maintain your beauty..."

After a pause, Naruto continued, "However, Tsunade-senpai seems to have overlooked one thing. While your village's strength is indeed enough to deal with Orochimaru and Sunagakure's combined attack, what if Uzushio Village also joins the attack on Konoha?"

Tsunade's expression changed drastically, and her clenched fists suddenly felt weak.

Naruto is right. If even Uzushio Village participates in the Konoha Collapse Plan, Konoha's current strength is simply insufficient to resist. The best outcome would be to preserve a Konoha devastated by war.

Naruto ignored Tsunade's negative expression, brushed past her, and left with a casual remark:

"I have no intention of becoming enemies with Konoha for the time being, but I urge Konoha to correct its attitude. After the Nine-Tails' rampage and the Uchiha Night, Konoha is no longer the number one ninja village in the ninja world."

"I will deal with Shukaku, but not for the sake of your Konoha..."

"After this turmoil ends, Uzushio Village will compile a list and collect the corresponding rewards. It would be better for Tsunade-senpai to stay in the background and observe the battle, and prepare supplies in advance."

After saying that, Naruto disappeared from the spot, leaped into the air, and condensed a Great Rasengan in his hand.

Chapter 243 A Child Yearning for Recognition

"Great Spiral Wheel!"

The next moment, Naruto appeared above Shukaku's head, and the Great Rasengan struck Shukaku directly in the face.

With a blinding light like a nuclear explosion, Shukaku's figure was pushed back hundreds of meters and crashed heavily to the ground. His chakra-condensed body was also missing pieces, and his eyes were filled with fear as he looked at Naruto.

Barely managing to stand up, Shukaku clasped his hands together, preparing to unleash a ninjutsu to counterattack.

But what awaited it was one Rasengan after another. When dozens of Rasenshuriken struck Shukaku at once, Shukaku completely lost its chance to get up.

After being pressed to the ground and rubbed against it more than ten times, Shukaku's eyes changed from fear to dread.

Although it guessed that this kid was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, even Kurama could not overwhelm it unilaterally. Thinking of its own useless Jinchuriki, Shukaku couldn't help but sigh at why the chakra between Jinchuriki was so great.

Seeing the fear in Shukaku's eyes, Naruto did not stop, attempting to subdue Shukaku in one fell swoop.

He hadn't forgotten the task Kurama had given him, and according to Kurama, Shukaku was simply asking for a beating; as long as Shukaku was beaten into submission, he would gain Shukaku's approval.

"Is this Naruto's power?"

Tsunade stared in disbelief at everything before her.

She originally thought Jiraiya was being modest when he said he was weaker than Naruto, but now it seems to be undeniable that he is stronger than anyone else. Naruto's strength has surpassed the level of the Five Kage, and he might even be close to his great-grandfather.

But Naruto is only old enough to participate in the Chunin Exams, how could he possess such terrifying strength?

At this moment, Shisui, having released Susanoo, slowly walked towards Tsunade, gazing at the strongest descendant of the Senju clan.

Knowing that Naruto was about to make a move, he decisively dispelled Susanoo, leaving the opportunity to show off to his superior.

With his strength, although he could defeat Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, he would lose a lot of his eye power. Menma-sama, on the other hand, would be completely crushed by the One-Tailed Beast Jinchuriki.

Upon noticing footsteps behind her, Tsunade looked at Uchiha Shisui and frowned.

The Senju and Uchiha clans have a long-standing feud that has lasted for a thousand years. In just a few decades, it is difficult for the two clans to completely let go of their differences and to maintain a necessary level of vigilance and suspicion.

Shisui's attitude was much calmer. He said to Tsunade, "Tsunade-senpai, it's been a long time. It seems that even though the Uchiha have left Konoha, Konoha has not been peaceful these past few years."

"..." Tsunade remained silent, unsure of what to say.

……

Inside the arena.

The battle between Naruto and Shukaku continues. The super-fast regeneration ability grants Naruto great endurance, but when the difference in strength is too great, this regeneration ability becomes a torment.

After enduring several minutes of torment, Shukaku gave up resisting, panting heavily as he looked at Naruto standing on top of him.

"Kid, stop hitting me! I've already given up..."

“Your attitude of admitting defeat is not sincere…” Naruto paused and glanced at Shukaku, who quickly said, “I… I admit defeat. To be honest, there was no need for us to fight at all.”

"Whether you want to fight or not is not important. What's important is that I want to test the strength of the One-Tailed Beast."

After saying that, Naruto used the Adamantine Sealing Chains to lock Shukaku to the ground, then cut off a portion of his chakra and sealed it into his own body. He then activated a genjutsu, imagining Gaara sleeping under the guise of a dormant spell.

As Gaara opened his eyes, all of Shukaku's chakra, which had been out of control, returned to Gaara's body.

Gaara, who had been lying on the ground, got up and looked at Naruto not far away, his eyes filled with confusion: "I remember my consciousness was controlled by Shukaku. Did you defeat Shukaku?"

Naruto glanced at the panda-eyed boy and nodded slightly.

Naruto had some understanding of Gaara, who had a similar experience to his own.

Gaara is the son of the Kazekage and the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast in Sunagakure. He has never enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep since childhood and has been ostracized by his father Rasa and the other Sunagakure ninja. They even sent his uncle to assassinate him to test Gaara's stability.

The result was obvious: Gaara was successfully trained as a weapon of war by Sunagakure.

Gaara was shocked when he heard Naruto admit that he had defeated Shukaku. Shukaku had been his nightmare since he could remember, and Naruto had defeated him so easily, and the opponent looked to be about the same age as him.

"How did you defeat Shukaku?" Gaara asked impatiently.

Naruto glanced at Gaara, giving him a look of concern for a mentally challenged child: "Of course, it's defeating Shukaku with strength. What, you mean by talking-no-jutsu? I haven't used that stuff much lately."

"What I mean is, you're about my age, how did you manage to defeat Shukaku? Shukaku is a monster comparable to a natural disaster."

Gaara seems to be having some difficulty communicating normally, and his speech is somewhat hesitant and stuttering.

Naruto rarely lies, and he exuded the aura of the Nine-Tails' chakra: "Besides my personal strength being stronger than yours, the tailed beast within me is also stronger than your Shukaku. Don't you know that Shukaku is not unique? There are eight other tailed beasts like Shukaku in the ninja world."

"There are still eight tailed beasts in the ninja world?"

Gaara stood there stunned. No one had ever told him these basic ninja facts before. His voice trembled as he said, "So there are eight ninjas like me."

Naruto stepped forward and patted Gaara on the shoulder: "Don't worry about these trivial matters. You Sand Village allied with Orochimaru to attack Konoha, and now that you've been defeated by me, you should seriously consider surrendering."

"surrender?"

Gaara's expression changed slightly. Remembering his mission, he immediately distanced himself from Naruto, preparing to counterattack, but Naruto pinned him to the ground.

"Gaara, you'd better not even think about resisting. You can't possibly be my match."

Instead of indulging in wild thoughts, it's better to think carefully about which powerful force Sunagakure should align itself with after the defeat—Konoha in the Land of Fire or Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools. After all, the weak have no right to choose.

Gaara, who was pinned to the ground, raised his head and saw a large number of Konoha ninja rushing towards him in the distance.

No matter how confident he was in his abilities, he could never be a match for so many Konoha ninjas. The plan of Sunagakure and Kazekage Rasa had failed.

However, what does all this have to do with him? He's just a monster who gets no love and is hated by everyone.

It's better to stay here for now. At least there's a monster similar to myself in front of me. Maybe I can exchange experiences about becoming a monster. Perhaps in the future I can suppress Shukaku and get rid of Shukaku's nightmare.

At that moment, a system notification sounded in Naruto's mind:

"Gaara's favorability has reached the approval level, and I have received the reward [Sand Control Technique]. Lonely children always crave recognition, even if it means becoming part of the monsters."

Chapter 244 The Death of the Third Hokage

"Gaara's favorability has reached the approval level, and I have received the reward [Sand Control Technique]. Lonely children always crave recognition, even if it means becoming part of the monsters."

Upon hearing the system notification in his ear, Naruto's face showed a strange expression.

He hadn't expected Gaara's affection for him to increase so quickly. He hadn't done anything to increase Gaara's affection, so he could only blame it on the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa's, inhuman behavior.

After all, it is extremely rare in the ninja world for a brother-in-law to assassinate his own son.

After a moment of internal monologue, Naruto looked towards the distant Konoha Forest. Having dealt with Gaara and obtained Shukaku's chakra, he could now go and watch the spectacle of master and disciple fighting each other.

Besides Naruto, many other Konoha ninjas also looked in the direction where Orochimaru and the Third Hokage were.

Led by Naruto, the group headed towards the location of the Third Hokage.

Before long, they saw the Third Hokage fighting a fierce battle in the Four Purple Sun Formation, as well as Orochimaru and the reanimated First and Second Hokage as his opponents.

Sensing the commotion within the Four Purple Sun Formation, Naruto had to acknowledge the Third Hokage's formidable strength.

Under the pressure of three Kage-level powerhouses, the Third Hokage was able to hold out for so long, truly deserving of his reputation as the Professor of Ninjutsu.

However, to Naruto's surprise, the Third Hokage did not use the Reaper Death Seal Technique to deal with Orochimaru. Instead, he relied on his Power Pole and physical strength to hold on. Did he lose the courage to perish together with Orochimaru after losing the position of Hokage?

Naruto was wrong about that.

The Third Hokage, inside the Four Purple Sun Formation, desperately wanted to use the Reaper Death Seal Technique, but couldn't find an opportunity. Orochimaru, as if he already knew the Third Hokage would choose to perish together with the First Hokage, maintained a safe distance at all times, allowing the First and Second Hokage to make their move.

For the Third Hokage, sealing only the First and Second Hokage would undoubtedly be a bad deal.

Only by rendering Orochimaru, the culprit, incapable of fighting can the village be saved and the misguided clansmen given a chance to be forgiven. Otherwise, the Sarutobi clan will be ostracized by other ninja clans until they completely lose their space to live.

"Orochimaru, I will kill you with my own hands and stop your conspiracy!"

"Third Master, it seems that a comfortable life has made you age completely and you have lost all of your judgment."

Looking at the Third Hokage, who was panting heavily, Orochimaru remained calm. His eyes showed neither the pain of killing his teacher nor hatred for the Third Hokage. He spoke indifferently.

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage suddenly realized something, but quickly regained his resolve.

"I will not be swayed by you. You have betrayed the village and are an enemy of Konoha."

Wielding his magic staff, the Third Hokage repelled the attacks of the First and Second Hokage, but he attempted to approach Orochimaru again. However, the sharp Kusanagi sword had already pierced his heart.

"Third Hokage, have you ever thought that the person who has hindered Konoha's development for more than a decade is yourself?"

The Third Hokage coughed up blood, his eyes wide: "Impossible! All my decisions were for Konoha. If it weren't for me, Konoha would have fallen apart long ago."

Orochimaru sent his earth clone to the Third Hokage's side and whispered, "Teacher, you think too highly of yourself. Konoha can still thrive without you. By the way, Jiraiya already knew about the Sand Village invasion. Why didn't he inform you?"

The Third Hokage didn't hear the second half of the sentence clearly before collapsing to the ground, powerless.

After killing the Third Hokage with his own hands, Orochimaru had his summoned beast bite off a piece of the Third Hokage's flesh. He then looked outside the barrier at Naruto and the Konoha ninjas who were rushing towards the area.

At Naruto's signal, Shisui instantly killed the Sound Ninja who was maintaining the Four Purple Sun Formation, and the barrier collapsed.

Upon entering the barrier's area, Tsunade and the others immediately saw the Third Hokage lying in a pool of blood, as well as Orochimaru and the First and Second Hokage not far away.

"Aren't those the First Hokage and the Second Hokage? Why are they standing behind Orochimaru?"

Some ANBU ninja recognized Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, their faces filled with shock. Those of lower rank were unaware of the existence of the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

Tsunade's face was ashen. Orochimaru had actually used his great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather to deal with Sarutobi-sensei.

This is not only blasphemy against the dead, but it also puts the Third Hokage, Sarutobi, against the First and Second Hokage.

Unable to endure any longer, Tsunade gathered chakra in her arm and blasted it at Orochimaru. After Orochimaru dodged it, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground.

Orochimaru had the First and Second Hokage protect him and said with a light laugh, "Tsunade, I have no intention of attacking you. You are the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage."