Chapter 139: Senju Tobirama, Sharp-Tongued and Soft-Hearted

Facing the overwhelming, all-encompassing attack, Senju Tobirama was completely unafraid.

His eyes narrowed slightly, a cold sneer curled at the corners of his mouth, and his figure flashed, instantly vanishing from before the crowd.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

When Senju Tobirama appeared again, he was already at the north side of the East Gate of Konohagakure, which was the right flank of the four great clans' ninja.

The Second Hokage moved with lightning speed, performed three simple hand seals, and spoke in a low shout:

"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

Unlike Hoshigaki Kisame, who would open his mouth to spew forth a waterfall, a massive wall of water rose up before Senju Tobirama.

Even though it was the same Water Style Ninjutsu, and even though the amount of chakra he erupted was far inferior to Hoshigaki Kisame, the volume of water gathered was more than three times greater.

The water wall, standing dozens of zhang high, collapsed with a roar, slamming violently into the stunned ninja of the four great clans.

The Fire Release Ninjutsu dancing across the sky were swallowed up in one fell swoop by this monstrous wave.

The Fire Release Ninjutsu were like matches thrown into water; a "hiss" was the absolute limit.

Even the most powerful Great Fireball, after erupting into a cloud of white mist within the water curtain, was helplessly extinguished.

What, you say the even more powerful Great Fire Annihilation?

Don't be ridiculous; in the hands of Madara Uchiha, Great Fire Annihilation is a world-destroying super Ninjutsu.

But in the hands of the Sarutobi Clan ninja, it is not even as threatening as the Great Fireball Technique.

After the great wave swallowed the Fire Release and Wind Style Ninjutsu, it went on to engulf the Konoha Ninja who had launched the attack, instantly turning the forest outside the East Gate of Konohagakure into an endless vast ocean.

Miraculously, the towering Konohagakure city walls were completely unaffected.

The Konoha Ninja on the walls looked down and discovered in horror that the water did not touch the wall surface at all, but maintained a distance of one fist's width.

Next, they discovered that the Konoha Ninja swallowed by the giant wave were all crawling out of the water one by one; not a single one had died.

The Second Hokage's mastery of Water Style could only be described as miraculous.

Senju Tobirama said in a deep voice: "This is the final warning; from here on, I will not hold back."

He turned his head again and said: "Orochimaru, and Yamanaka Chujiu, do not intervene."

"The outbreak of this Konoha civil war has its roots in my failure to judge people correctly back then, which buried a fatal hidden danger."

"The decay of the Third Hokage and the collective of Konoha, as well as the greed of the high-ranking clans, are ultimately mistakes I committed."

"The war triggered by this should be resolved by me personally; do not let your hands be stained with the blood of Konoha Ninja."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, pulling Yamanaka Chujiu back until they stopped at an absolutely safe distance.

His actions proved that he would not hold the Second Hokage back.

Orochimaru sneered: "It still came to blows."

"The Sarutobi Clan ninja have truly lost their minds, the Shimura Clan is blinded by hatred, and the Utatane and Mitokado clans are accustomed to fawning over power; they actually dared to make a move against the Second Hokage."

"How pathetic; Lord Second Hokage is so gentle. He is not here to overthrow the Third Hokage at all, but to save these Konoha Ninja who are being held hostage by greed and hatred."

"As a result, they used violence to oppose the Second Hokage; this is simply courting death."

"Teacher Sarutobi is the same; does he really not see the Second Hokage's gentleness, or is he intentionally sending his own clansmen to their deaths?"

Yamanaka Chujiu speculated maliciously: "Teacher Orochimaru, is there a possibility that Sarutobi Hiruzen is so accustomed to accepting others' decisions that he has forgotten he is the Hokage who needs to make decisions and bear the consequences?"

Orochimaru glanced at Chujiu: "Nonsense, Teacher Sarutobi has been a Hokage for twenty years; he even dared to sideline the Fourth Hokage, how could he not make his own deci..."

He could not continue.

Sunagakure showed hostility, and the Third Hokage did nothing; only after the other side attacked the Land of Fire did he helplessly accept the result of the war breaking out.

The Land of Rain became a battlefield for the three great nations, and the Third Hokage merely responded passively to the attacks from Iwagakure and Sunagakure, turning a blind eye to the pleas of the Land of Rain.

Not until Amegakure could bear it no longer and Hanzo frantically launched an indiscriminate counterattack did he helplessly accept the failure of the Konoha Ninja and regretfully retreat his troops into the Land of Fire.

The reputation of the White Fang of the Leaf was too high, and Danzo spread rumors to strike at him, while the Third Hokage stood by and watched coldly the whole time, doing nothing.

Not until the White Fang of the Leaf despaired of Konohagakure and chose to commit suicide to prove his innocence did he painfully accept the result of losing the White Fang of the Leaf.

Orochimaru remembered.

In these recent years, whether it was the outbreak of war or internal conflicts, the Third Hokage never took the initiative to make a decision, but was constantly accepting established facts.

In other words, it is quite logical that Sarutobi Hiruzen did not step out to stop his own clansmen.

Orochimaru let out a long sigh: "Perhaps you are right; Teacher Sarutobi is too passive. He doesn't look like a Hokage at all, but more like a nice guy who is always a step slow in everything he does."

The two fell silent, and the Konoha Ninja around them also fell silent.

The battle on the field continued.

Senju Tobirama's figure was elusive, the chakra around his body did not weaken in the slightest, and he sent the ninja of the four great clans tumbling in defeat.

But Sarutobi Masao discovered that although the Sarutobi clansmen were beaten until their heads were broken and bleeding, with fractured bones and severed tendons, not a single person had died on the battlefield.

This insidious and cunning Sarutobi Clan Elder understood that this really was the Second Hokage—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, extremely gentle toward the Konoha Ninja.

Sarutobi Masao used greed to suppress the unease in his heart, forcing his own clansmen to ignore their vital points and launch frantic, mutually destructive attacks.

The despicable tactic actually worked, and Senju Tobirama was suddenly thrown into a flurry.

Yamanaka Chujiu monitored the emotional changes and immediately discovered the problem, whispering to Orochimaru: "The Second Hokage is indeed powerful; he uses Water Style Ninjutsu as if it were Sea Style, and the Flying Thunder God Technique combined with the Impure World Reincarnation body makes him invincible."

"But he is too gentle. He speaks harsh words, but his hands do not deal heavy blows to the ninja of the four great clans, and that old thing Sarutobi Masao has seen through it. If this continues, it won't do."

"Regardless, the number of ninja from the four great clans is vast, and there are Anbu ninja awkwardly helping; if this stalemate lasts for a long time, I fear the Second Hokage will suffer."

Orochimaru nodded: "You are right, and there are too many people from the Sarutobi Clan."

"The chakra of the Impure World Reincarnation still has its limits; maintaining high-intensity combat for a long time will likely cause the Impure World body to collapse suddenly."

Yamanaka Chujiu said: "It seems we must step in to help..."

"No!"

Orochimaru shook his head: "The Second Hokage is very stubborn; he explicitly stated he would resolve it himself. If we intervene, we will only be scolded by him."

"However, I can call for a reinforcement that the Second Hokage cannot refuse."

Yamanaka Chujiu followed with a wicked smile: "I know who you are talking about."

The master and disciple looked at each other and simultaneously let out a wicked laugh: "The First Hokage, Lord Senju Hashirama!"