radicalducati Chapter 345 Robbery
Chapter 345 Robbery
In the special care ward of Konoha Hospital, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had all his casts removed. Although he was still wrapped in many bandages, he had at least regained his basic mobility.
At this moment, he sat on the edge of the hospital bed with a livid face, his fingers tightly gripping a crumpled piece of paper.
That note was just urgently delivered by an ANBU ninja.
"Lord Hokage, what should we do now?" The voice of the ANBU ninja by the bedside was filled with barely concealed anxiety.
The third generation stared intently at the neat handwriting on the note.
To ensure the preservation of what we cherish, we have no other choice. All our actions are aimed at laying the foundation for lasting peace—Jin.
Today, the tightly guarded Cocoon cell used to imprison Orochimaru was found to be completely empty. Apart from this deliberately left note, there were no signs of a struggle, nor were any alarms triggered—Orochimaru simply vanished into thin air.
Orochimaru was taken away by the mysterious "Jin" organization?!
The Third Hokage felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and he had to reach out and grab the bedside table to steady himself. What was the true purpose of that organization? What did they want to do with Orochimaru after taking him away?
Countless terrifying speculations churned in his mind—was he using Orochimaru's forbidden techniques? Or was he trying to use Orochimaru's power for some more dangerous plan? The uncertain future and his complex worries about his former disciple clouded the Third Hokage's wrinkled face.
However, as the Hokage, he had to make a decision immediately.
Silence filled the ward for a long time before the Third Hokage finally spoke slowly, "...Go back to your original mission. There's no need to organize a team for pursuit and reconnaissance."
The ANBU ninja was visibly taken aback, but he quickly realized his lapse in composure, lowered his head, and replied in a deep voice, "Yes!" Then, he cautiously pressed on, "So, what about Lord Jiraiya? Should we inform him of this information?"
"No," the Third Hokage decided firmly, "You are not allowed to reveal anything to Jiraiya."
"Yes, sir!" The ANBU ninja said no more, and disappeared from the ward in a flash.
The Third Hokage sat alone on his sickbed, gazing out the window at Konoha Village. His decision was not rash—firstly, he didn't send anyone to pursue and retrieve Orochimaru because he simply wasn't confident in engaging the [Jin] organization in a direct confrontation.
The organization's strength was too mysterious and unpredictable. If the operation failed, and their terrifying ninjutsu, capable of instantly destroying an entire village, were to fall on Konoha... the consequences would be unimaginable.
Secondly, the Third Hokage didn't inform Jiraiya because he really didn't want any further complications. The Hokage succession ceremony was just around the corner, and he had to ensure that Jiraiya could ascend to the Hokage position without any worries.
"Sorry to bother you."
Suddenly, a polite male voice broke the silence of the ward without warning.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, suddenly looked up, his cloudy pupils contracting sharply—in the center of the ward, a pitch-black portal opened. A figure floated out leisurely, hovering in the air as if defying the laws of gravity, his feet not touching the ground.
The newcomer had white hair, no pupils, and a chillingly pure white eye, which was the Hyuga clan's signature "Byakugan".
He was carrying a red fishing rod, but his oddly styled white clothes were now torn in many places, covered with dust and scorch marks, clearly indicating that he had recently been in a fierce battle. This added a touch of dishevelment and danger to his otherwise polite demeanor.
"Who are you?" The Third Hokage appeared to still be sitting on the edge of the bed, but all his muscles were tense. "Why do you have those eyes?"
The Byakugan, which should be the bloodline limit of the Hyuga clan of Konoha, could never have ended up in the body of such a suspicious stranger.
What alarmed the Third Hokage even more was the way the opponent appeared—he had never seen this kind of space-time ninjutsu before.
"Nice to meet you. However, there's no time for introductions right now." Ōtsutsuki Urashiki nodded slightly with a smile, but there was no warmth in his smile. "I apologize for the abrupt visit while you are recuperating."
His voice was steady and his words were polite, yet they carried a condescending indifference.
"However, could you... lend me some chakra? I've been a little 'short of supplies' lately."
His tone was so relaxed, as if he were borrowing a trivial little object.
"—!!!"
The Third Hokage's face instantly turned ashen. Borrow? To break into the Hokage's hospital room by tearing through space like this and "borrow" chakra? This was nothing short of a blatant declaration of plunder!
The Third Hokage instantly formed hand seals, however...
"That's too slow."
Pu shook his head regretfully, then casually flicked his wrist.
The next instant, the Third Generation only felt a flash of red light before his eyes.
"Pfft."
The sound of something being plunged into flesh rang out.
The Third Hokage's body stiffened abruptly, all hand seals halting abruptly. He looked down in disbelief at his chest, where the dark red fishhook had pierced his hospital gown without resistance and sunk deep into his body.
Unable to move! Not only was his body bound by some force, but his chakra was also like a flood bursting its banks, uncontrollably rushing towards the fishhook and being frantically extracted!
"Ugh...!" The Third Generation groaned, trying to struggle, but he couldn't even lift a finger.
Only then did he truly see the change in the other person. Pu Shi’s originally pure white eyes had now turned into an eerie blue, with deep ripples appearing in his pupils.
"Those eyes... who exactly are you...!?" A terrifying thought flashed through the Third Hokage's mind. Not long ago, the earth-shaking roar outside Konoha, the golden behemoth soaring into the sky, and the devastating Tailed Beast Ball explosion... combined with the Anbu's vague follow-up report, and Naruto's ambiguous explanation of a "training accident"...
"Could it be... that Naruto... was fighting you that day!?"
All the clues connected instantly. Naruto would never use that level of power outside the village without reason, unless he encountered an unimaginably powerful enemy!
"Heh..." Urashiki let out a low laugh, his blue Rinnegan indifferently watching the huge and colorful chakra ball gradually forming on the fishing hook—it was the five elemental chakra forcibly extracted from the Third Hokage's body.
"Although I don't know who it is, I really have to thank the person who hurt you to this extent."
"It's thanks to your current weakened state that things would have been much more complicated."
Urashiki looked at his "harvest" with satisfaction and nodded slightly. "Well then, thank you for your hospitality."
"Old man, do you have a moment now? About that house that Minato and I used to live in, you..."
Suddenly, the door to the ward opened, and a red-haired figure entered while speaking. Kushina's words came to an abrupt halt, and she stared in disbelief at the scene.