Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

But now it's different; it's more about admiration!

Fugaku had never felt this kind of gaze before, nor had the Uchiha clan ever felt it before. It was like a bonfire in the cold winter, warming one's heart.

It was precisely these looks and these feelings that made Fugaku feel a sense of responsibility and duty.

"This is what a leader is like! This is how a leader should feel!"

"Rice Fire!"

Fugaku took a deep breath, his red eyes shining even brighter: "I've lived my whole life on thin ice. Do you think I can reach the other side?"

Uchiha Inahisa was taken aback, then nodded emphatically.

"Chieftain, you can definitely do it! You've awakened the same eyes as our ancestors!"

"You're right. With the Mangekyou Sharingan, my success is inevitable!" Fugaku clenched his fist: "After this battle, I, Uchiha Fugaku, shall become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha!"

"Order the rear guard to speed up! I'll be the vanguard!"

"Yes!"

Fugaku Uchiha leaped into the air and charged toward the vast plain, with countless ninja watching him from behind.

The other end.

Tsunade, the captain of the Fourth Division, and the Shinigami of Seireitei also stared at that figure with inscrutable expressions.

"After this battle, Fugaku Uchiha's prestige will reach its peak, and the position of Fifth Hokage should be rightfully his."

Juzo Biwa grinned: "What are your thoughts, Princess Tsunade?"

Tsunade glanced at Juzo Biwa but didn't speak. Kushimaru Kurihara, however, calmly said, "For Konoha right now, letting the Uchiha take the lead is indeed a good choice. It can not only alleviate the infighting among the various factions in the village, but also maximize the protection of Konoha's current fighting strength."

"Moreover, the Uchiha clan deserves the position of Hokage, after all, they are the clan that founded Konoha, but none of the four Hokage were from the Uchiha clan. Tsk tsk tsk."

"Speaking of which, Kushimaru Kurihara, what price did your captain pay for the Fourth Hokage to send us to support Konoha?" Juzo Biwa asked curiously.

If they hadn't arrived on the front lines in time and stopped Kumogaku, Danzo wouldn't have been able to buy time by using space to wait for Fugaku's rescue; he would probably have been completely wiped out long ago.

Furthermore, Tsunade defeated the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, forcing him to stay away from the main battlefield. Even if Konoha had Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan, they would have lost this war long ago.

"How could I possibly know those things?"

Kushimaru Kurihara shrugged: "Our Second Division is the Covert Mobile Unit. We only do the work; nothing else is our responsibility."

"As for you, Juzo Biwa, your position as captain of the 11th Division is still vacant. Aren't you going to show your skills and give it a shot?"

"Come on, even if I could use Bankai now, I still wouldn't be able to reach the level of a squad leader."

"All right."

Tsunade interrupted their conversation, saying calmly, "Let's check the battlefield situation. If Kumogakure decides to retreat and poses no threat to Konoha, then we don't need to waste our time here."

When the captain spoke, the two vice-captains exchanged a glance and immediately shut their mouths.

They didn't want to experience Tsunade's iron fist; its power was such that even the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki couldn't withstand it, let alone them!

The two vice-captains sprang into action, disappearing in an instant, while Tsunade silently watched the battlefield before her.

The Senju and Uchiha clans co-founded Konoha, but the Uchiha clan's position within Konoha has always been awkward. Despite being the foundation of the village, their current status within Konoha is even lower than that of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

The biggest reason for this is her second grandfather, Tobirama Senju.

"The Uchiha clan truly deserves the position of Hokage..."

Tsunade murmured to herself, her heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon a figure at the edge of the battlefield, and her expression immediately became extremely strange...

……

"Mangekyo Sharingan..."

Watching Uchiha Fugaku, who single-handedly charged straight into the Cloud Village camp in Susanoo, Orochimaru, dressed in a black robe with red clouds, licked his lips, his eyes filled with greed.

He was truly fascinated by the power of the Senju and Uchiha clans. He had already sensed the power of the Wood Release of Hashirama Senju, the former God of Shinobi. It wasn't just the power of Wood Release; Hashirama Senju's cells were also incredibly unique.

And the power of Madara Uchiha, the Asura of the Ninja World, who was on par with him, was right before their eyes.

"I never expected you to be able to unleash this power, Fugaku. I really underestimated you."

Orochimaru murmured as he released a few white snakes to collect the flesh and blood of the dead on the battlefield.

Many ninjas died in the war between Konoha and Kumogakure, including bloodline ninjas with techniques like Swift Release and Storm Release, as well as members of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.

This fresh flesh and blood can greatly help Orochimaru's research, and can also be used as material for the Impure World Reincarnation.

Well, although their souls have been taken by the Shinigami of Seireitei, Orochimaru doesn't seem to know this.

The battle between Kumogakure and Konoha continued, and Orochimaru manipulated the swarm of snakes, digging out bits of flesh and blood from the left and gouging out eyeballs from the right.

"There's actually a three-tomoe Sharingan here?!"

Orochimaru, who was controlling the white snake, had a sudden glint in his eye and wanted to gouge out the three-tomoe Sharingan. But after thinking for a moment and glancing at the situation on the field, he made sure that no one was paying attention to him. Then, the white snake opened its mouth wide and swallowed the entire Uchiha clan's corpse.

Hehe, I made a profit again!

The white snake retreated quickly, but suddenly, Orochimaru's vision of the white snake went black. When he came to his senses again, a figure wearing a white haori appeared in front of him, holding a white snake.

Looking at that all-too-familiar face and the white haori draped over his body, Orochimaru was clearly stunned for a moment, then a strange smile appeared on his face, and he licked the corner of his mouth with his long tongue.

"I never imagined you would join the Seireitei and become a Shinigami... This is a betrayal of Konoha, Tsunade."

"Didn't you also leave that place and join Akatsuki?"

Tsunade, dressed in a white haori, stands opposite Orochimaru, who wears a black robe with red clouds.

Ironically, two of Konoha's former top ninjas, two of the legendary Sannin, have now left Konoha and joined other forces. Only Konoha would do something like this.

Their eyes met in mid-air. After a moment, Orochimaru smiled calmly: "It's been several years since we last met. You're not here to have a class reunion with your old buddy, are you?"

"Although we're old buddies, I really don't want to see you. But that guy has always been very interested in you."

Tsunade paused slightly, then said, "He originally thought you would go to Kirigakure, since you sent your disciple there in advance. But I didn't expect you to join Akatsuki. If he finds out, some bad things might happen."

"I was forced into this situation."

Orochimaru shrugged: "Yoru-kun was indeed very attractive to me. After all, in my research, the soul is something that cannot be ignored. But there's no way around it, plans can't keep up with changes. If I hadn't joined Akatsuki back then, I'm afraid I would have been in huge trouble."

"Furthermore, the Akatsuki organization also has some very tempting offers, so I have no choice but to join the Akatsuki first."

"temporary?"

Tsunade scoffed, "You really have absolutely no loyalty, Orochimaru."

"Now that we've left Konoha, our focus should have long since shifted away from the village or clan. The people we are truly loyal to will always be ourselves, won't they?"

"Don't confuse me with someone like you!"

A sudden gust of wind swept through the forest!

That was the aftershock of Tsunade's heavy stomp on the ground, her burst of speed as she started moving.

"Latent Shadow Snake Hands!"

As Tsunade's old comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside her for many years, Orochimaru naturally understood the extent of his old comrade's strength, especially since the latter had joined the Seireitei and become a Shinigami.

Almost the instant Tsunade launched her attack, he raised his hand and summoned countless giant venomous snakes, completely blocking Tsunade's path forward!

But in the blink of an eye, the giant snake that pounced out was crushed into countless pieces of flesh by its unparalleled power.

In the blink of an eye, Tsunade appeared in front of Orochimaru and delivered a punch to him as he was forming hand seals!

boom! !

One punch.

Orochimaru's body was slammed hard into the ground by this punch, his entire limbs were like a puddle of mud, flesh and bones mixed with broken sand and dust, looking extremely miserable.

But as Tsunade expected.

The next moment, Orochimaru, completely unharmed, emerged from the mouth of a large snake not far away, covered in slime. At the same time, the hand seals for his ninjutsu were completed and released in an instant.

"Wind Escape·Big Breakthrough!"

Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!

The fire is fueled by the wind, and the wind fans the flames!

The two ninjutsu techniques merged together under Orochimaru's immense chakra, forming a terrifying fire tornado that instantly engulfed Tsunade.

At the same time, Orochimaru's hands quickly formed hand seals, and with a wide-open mouth, countless snakes surged out and rushed towards the fiery tornado.

In a mere instant, Orochimaru launched an absolute counterattack against his former teammates.

but.

"Still the same old routine, Orochimaru."

A fierce gale, accompanied by Tsunade's soft hum, howled out and completely annihilated the raging fire tornado and swarm of snakes.

Tsunade walked out unharmed, her white haori fluttering in the wind, the number 'four' on her back standing out conspicuously in the remaining firelight.

"This is surprisingly troublesome... After becoming a Grim Reaper, has your physical strength and combat power been greatly enhanced by that so-called 'soul power'?"

Orochimaru looked at the number 'four' on Tsunade's back and immediately understood his old teammate's current status in the Seireitei.

The captain of the fourth division is on par with the sixth division captain, Hozuki Gengetsu, whom we encountered back then.

In that case...

Orochimaru licked his lips, then bit his finger until it bled.

Seeing Orochimaru's actions, a hint of nostalgia appeared in Tsunade's eyes, but she did not bite her finger. Instead, she placed her hand on the Zanpakuto at her waist.

"Is it because you've become a Shinigami that you can no longer use chakra summoning?"

Orochimaru quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palm down on the ground: "Fine, then let me see your power after you become a Shinigami, Tsunade."

"Summoning Jutsu! Come forth, Manda!"

"boom!!"

White smoke billowed, and the next moment, a gigantic snake with a body covered in purple stripes suddenly appeared.

But when she saw the giant snake, Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Normally, given Manda's arrogant and domineering personality, he would definitely have said a few words to Orochimaru as soon as he appeared. But this Manda was surprisingly docile, and it even had four limbs, just like a four-clawed dragon.

"To be precise, it should be considered a second-generation Manda. I reactivated Manda's cells using drugs and remodeled it." Orochimaru clearly noticed the doubt in Tsunade's eyes and said with a faint smile, "This second-generation Manda is much stronger than Manda. Whether it's strength, speed, or sensory abilities, it far surpasses Manda!"

"Of course, all of this is thanks to the Sixth Division Captain of the Seireitei, the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu!"

"So that's why you fought that guy."

Although she didn't have much contact with Hozuki Gengetsu, Tsunade could imagine what it would be like for Orochimaru to fight that guy.

Under the endless explosions, the fate of Manda is predictable.

"Alright, Tsunade, show me your power!" Orochimaru stood atop the Second Manda's snake head, licking his lips with his long tongue, his vertical pupils burning with fervor: "The power of a Shinigami!"

"...Since you're so eager to see it, then enjoy it."

Tsunade took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of her Zanpakuto at her waist.

"My liberation."

"Shikai..."

Chapter 172 Tsunade's Shikai! The Rise of the Uchiha!

"That thing over there... is that Orochimaru's Manda?!"

The battlefield between Kumogakure and Konoha was situated on a flat plain, and the low-lying trees could not conceal the enormous body of the Second Hokage, Manda.

The moment Orochimaru summoned Manda, many Konoha ninjas on the battlefield immediately recognized him, their expressions becoming somewhat dazed.

War, giant snake-like spirit beasts.

Whether it was the Second Shinobi World War or the Third Shinobi World War, they represented Konoha's top fighting force, but now...

"Although it looks a bit strange, it must be Manda.

On the battlefield of Konoha, a ninja from the Hyuga clan gazed at the forest and turned to Danzo Shimura, saying, "However, I only sensed Orochimaru's chakra, but Orochimaru is definitely fighting another unknown person right now."

"This feeling is very similar to that group of people from Seireitei a few days ago. Lord Danzo, what should we do?"