Chapter 187: True Extinction-Level Crisis

In the Death Forest of Konohagakure.

Jiraiya sat cross-legged in meditation, practicing the technique of absorbing natural energy and fusing it with senjutsu chakra.

In recent years, Yamanaka Chujiu had specifically issued a prohibition, forbidding Jiraiya from contacting Myoboku Mountain, forbidding him from meeting with the Toad Sage, and forcing him to remain stationed in Konoha to look after Naruto.

Yet, no one could have expected that years of restrictive prohibition would actually grind away Jiraiya's restlessness.

And what had kept him mired in restlessness was precisely his obsession with finding the Child of Prophecy.

No matter how much Jiraiya wanted to find the Child of Prophecy, the continuous years of prohibition, combined with the lack of hope for any departure in the foreseeable future, caused the obsession in his heart to fade naturally.

The biggest change, however, was Yamanaka Chujiu's stern rebuke of Jiraiya when Naruto was bullied a few months ago.

That day, the obsession in Jiraiya's heart shattered completely; coupled with the additional penalty of alcohol prohibition imposed by Yamanaka Chujiu, he was forced to settle his mind and focus on teaching Naruto and writing books.

Months passed, and as the obsession faded, Jiraiya's temperament changed accordingly, and his entire image shifted along with his state of mind.

His white hair no longer spiked outward but was neatly tied behind his head, his red trench coat was folded at his side, and pale green senjutsu chakra flowed slowly around his body.

His senjutsu training, which had seen little progress for decades, had advanced by leaps and bounds within these few months.

Even in an environment like Konohagakure where natural energy was thin, and even without the assistance of the two Toad Sages, he was now able to enter Sage Mode on his own.

The Hokage's exclusive messenger hawk, arriving through the air, was discovered by Jiraiya before it even neared the Death Forest, and he confirmed it was looking for him.

His eyes snapped open, golden irises and horizontal pupils flashing for a moment, and his expression turned incomparably grave.

The Hokage's exclusive messenger hawk represented the highest level of summons; something of immense importance must have happened, and it was extremely urgent.

Jiraiya stood up and gathered his belongings, his figure turning into a streak of light as he leaped and traversed the tree shadows, arriving at the Hokage Building in no time.

The medical building of Konoha Hospital.

Tsunade had been forbidden from drinking and gambling for the past few years, and with no outlet for her abundant energy, she could only pour herself into research and education in Konoha's medical field.

Unknowingly, Tsunade had come to command all of Konoha's medical forces, and the heavy responsibilities she naturally shouldered drove her to work hard.

At this moment, Tsunade had just finished a high-difficulty surgery and was earnestly writing a surgical summary with a wolf-hair brush, her body still radiating the green light of medical chakra.

The messenger hawk flew through the window and landed on the desk, startling Tsunade into a pause.

She knew something major had happened, yet she still calmly finished writing the summary report, then closed the scroll and locked it in a drawer before clenching her fists tightly, vibrating the chakra within her body to stretch her limbs.

Only then did Tsunade stride out of the office and head straight for the Hokage Building.

After Yamanaka Chujiu issued the summons, it took less than thirty minutes for the Konoha Sannin to gather in the Hokage Office.

Orochimaru sat on the Hokage's throne, Jiraiya lounged on the sofa, and Tsunade occupied Yamanaka Chujiu's desk; the three Sannin each radiated the aura of Shadow-level Ninja, clashing and intertwining within the small office.

The fighting and rivalry between the Sannin made the air so heavy it was suffocating; the Uchiha ninja responsible for security had to retreat, and even the birds dared not approach the Hokage Building.

In the contest of auras between the Sannin, Jiraiya suppressed his two classmates with a slight advantage, achieving the final victory.

He thus gained priority to speak and asked straight to the point: "Chujiu, you used the highest summons order to call the three of us here at once; what earth-shattering event has happened in the Ninja World?"

Yamanaka Chujiu handed two pieces of intelligence to Jiraiya.

After reading them, Jiraiya's brow furrowed tightly, and he passed them to Tsunade, who handed them to Orochimaru after reading.

Two major ninja villages, three Tailed Beasts—all meeting with trouble almost simultaneously; this left the three Sannin in silence.

Tsunade's brows were locked in a frown, a strong sense of crisis surging in her heart—it was a threat from an old enemy. She spoke up: "Sunagakure and Iwagakure are far apart, yet their Tailed Beasts were snatched almost simultaneously; this is not something ordinary rogue ninja could accomplish."

Orochimaru analyzed calmly: "The methods of intrusion were quiet in one case and violent in the other, and their combat styles were completely different; this is not the style of a ninja village. But they were able to act in synchronization, proving there is a unified command. Does such a powerful organization still exist in the Ninja World?"

Jiraiya scratched his head: "Impossible, there is no such powerful organization in the Ninja World."

Yamanaka Chujiu stood up, stopped beating around the bush, and stated the truth directly: "During the second Konoha civil war, the new Akatsuki organization established by Jiraiya-senpai's student, Nagato, had such strength."

"But according to my investigation, a major incident occurred within the Akatsuki organization; Nagato was backstabbed by a collaborator and was forced to pay with his life to perform the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, resurrecting Madara Uchiha."

Yamanaka Chujiu's intelligence consisted of only two sentences, yet it contained four or five thunderclaps as shocking as a bolt from the blue.

Even the Konoha Sannin, who had experienced three Ninja World Wars and were accustomed to life-and-death struggles, were shaken to their core and left dumbfounded.

Jiraiya's pupils contracted sharply: "Nagato was betrayed? Is the intelligence of his death confirmed? What is the situation with Konan?"

Yamanaka Chujiu replied: "It is certain that Nagato is dead, but Konan is only missing; her whereabouts are currently unknown."

Orochimaru asked with keen interest: "What kind of jutsu is the Samsara Heavenly Life Technique?"

Yamanaka Chujiu replied: "It is the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."

"This is a jutsu hidden within the Rinnegan that breaks the rules; no matter how long a person has been dead, as long as their soul still exists completely in the Pure Land, they can be resurrected by this jutsu."

"Combined with the Impure World Body shaped by the Impure World Reincarnation, it can significantly reduce the difficulty and cost of resurrection."

Orochimaru became even more interested: "Interesting, very interesting."

Tsunade's focus, however, was: "Madara? Madara Uchiha? Is that the man who fought a life-and-death battle with Grandfather and died at the Valley of the End? Has he really been resurrected?"

Tsunade's body trembled slightly, her hands clenched into tight fists, and she felt no pain even as her nails dug into her palms.

Since she was a child, she had heard Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama constantly mention Madara Uchiha.

In Hashirama's words, Madara Uchiha was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, the best of partners, and the strongest of companions.

In Tobirama's words, Madara Uchiha was insane and perverted, the silliest of idealists, and a brainless fool.

But both of them acknowledged that Madara Uchiha's strength was terrifying beyond measure; he alone could make all the ninja villages in the world bow their heads, suppressing the First Kage of the five great ninja villages to the point where they dared not refuse him.

For such an peerless powerhouse to be resurrected when there is no second Senju Hashirama to oppose him—this truly is an extinction-level crisis.

Orochimaru's desire for inquiry was also suppressed by a profound sense of crisis.

He had spent his life studying reincarnation techniques, forbidden arts of immortality, and the Sharingan, and he was well aware of Madara Uchiha's power.

"Madara Uchiha's strength far exceeds the limits of us contemporary ninja; it seems we must awaken the First Hokage and the Second Hokage once again."

Yamanaka Chujiu nodded in confirmation: "That is my intention as well."

"First, we will awaken the two Hokage with the highest protocol, and then we will properly discuss how to respond."