CIATB Chapter 348 – My Precious Granddaughter
Chapter 348 – My Precious Granddaughter
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The forest was a battlefield of shattered trees and scorched earth. Smoke lingered in the air, wisps of flames clinging to trees. It was proof of the fierce clash between the two legendary ninjas.
Tobirama stood amid the wreckage, his white hair stained with dirt and sweat, his eyes fixed on the dissipating dust cloud where his brother had been moments before.
"Was that the 'Multiplying Tandem Paper Bombs'? That's one hell of a jutsu." Jiraiya muttered, watching as the last of the explosions subsided.
Nearby Anbu Ox merely nodded his head in astonishment. He had rarely seen such destructive jutsu. 'Is this the power of the shinobi who survived the warring era? Unbelievable.'
The ground where Hashirama stood was now a dark deep crater, smoke rising from its depths. There were no movements But they knew it wouldn't be that easy.
As expected, fragments of wood and flesh began to coalesce at the center of the crater. Hashirama's reanimated body was regenerating, cells knitting back together with unsettling speed. Tobirama clenched his fists. 'I should act now. There's no need to waste anymore time on this.'
He vanished with his teleportation jutsu before Jiraiya or Ox registered his movements. His hands already completed weaving several seals.
"Ninja art - Double Tetragram paralysis seal."
A series of sealing lines spread all over Hashirama's body stopping his movements. His body regenerated but he was completely still. As the man's face was restored his eyes went to his little brother.
The second Hokage placed a hand on his elder brother's neck and the seal symbols covering his head vanished, allowing the First Hokage to speak.
By this time Jiraiya and Ox also landed near the two former kages.
Hashirama had a small smile on his face. "You really didn't hold back... Tobirama."
"Forgive me brother. But I don't have that luxury." Without wasting a moment, Tobirama slammed another seal onto Hashirama's forehead.
The seal glowed briefly before fading into his skin. "Summoning Disruption Seal," Tobirama stated. "This will prevent Orochimaru from summoning you back to him."
His little brother's words and the expression on his face gave the First Hokage a bad feeling.
Orochimaru, who was observing the battle through his puppet, realized what had transpired. "Damn you, Tobirama!" he hissed, his golden eyes narrowing. "You've severed my connection." He was furious at being outplayed.
Hashirama blinked, worry and confusion on his face. "What's going on Tobirama?" He asked.
Tobirama took a deep breath. "There's something you should know. Orochimaru has kidnapped Tsunade. She's in grave danger."
Hashirama's eyes widened, a mixture of shock and pain flashing across his features. "Tsunade!?" Hearing her name a memory came to the forefront of his mind.
—-
"Haha. I win again!" In a gambling den, Hashirama had a big grin as he grabbed all his winning chips and cash. At that moment he didn't have the appearance of the leader of a great village. He looked like a pure gambling uncle looking to have a good time.
"Wow. That's a lot of money grandpa." A childish voice came from behind him.
"Yup. I'm gonna put all this into an even bigger bet." Hashirama, who was drunk, didn't register the familiar voice at first. But that ignorance only lasted a few seconds. The smile on his face suddenly vanished and he blinked a few times before robotically turning his head in the direction of the voice.
The First Hokage saw a small hand struggling to reach for the wad of cash on the table. His head turned and followed the hand to the blonde hair and he was shocked to see a very familiar face.
"Pffft! Tsunade!?" He spit his sake all over the table and exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here? H-How did you even get in here?"
Little Tsunade, who was 5 years old, had a big smile as she looked at her grandpa. "I saw you looking all shady while coming here so I followed you in. And I told them I was with you."
Hashirama was having a mental freak out. 'Ghaaa! If my son finds out Tsunade was here- No. If Mito finds out she followed me here, I'm a dead man. I need to make sure they don't ever know.'
Suddenly he put on a big smile and picked up the little girl and sat her on his lap. "Now, Tsuna, it's not good to trail your grandpa all the time. I could be on a dangerous mission sometimes and you'd be in trouble if you follow me."
"Oh?" Tsunade frowned cutely and tilted his head. "So I shouldn't have followed you here?"
"No. So why don't we keep this a secret huh. Just a secret between you and me." The first Hokage had a charming smile as he looked at his granddaughter.
"Ok grandpa." Tsunade smiled innocently and nodded her head.
Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief but little did he know it was not going to end there.
"So what do I get in return?" The next second the little blonde girl asked cutely.
"Ehh!?" Hashirama had to double take as he looked at his granddaughter.
The reanimated body of the first Hokage began to break apart and Orochimaru lost complete control over his jutsu. His soul hovered just above the ground. He wanted to help them find his family.
"I could sense Orochimaru's chakra... faint, but it was there."
Tobirama leaned in. "Where?" Jiraiya and Ox were also paying close attention.
"Somewhere in the Land of Earth," Hashirama whispered. "A hidden location... he's masked it well, but not completely. Not to me. I believe this is a weakness of your jutsu." After saying those words Hashirama's soul slowly began to ascend.
"Brother..." Tobirama began, but Hashirama raised a hand to stop him.
"No need for farewells," Hashirama said warmly. "Just promise me you'll bring Tsunade and her student back safely."
Tobirama nodded solemnly. "You have my word."
Hashirama's form started to break apart into shimmering particles of light. Before he disappeared completely, he looked into Tobirama's eyes one last time. "Take care of our village. And Tobirama... try to smile more."
A faint chuckle escaped Tobirama's lips. "I'll... consider it."
With that, Hashirama's soul ascended, the light fading into the sky.
Jiraiya walked up to Tobirama. "Is he—"
"Gone," Tobirama confirmed. "But he gave us valuable information. Orochimaru is in the Land of Earth."
Jiraiya frowned. "The Land of Earth? That's a long way from here."
"Exactly," Tobirama replied. "Which explains why we couldn't find any traces of him nearby. He's been orchestrating everything from afar."
Back in the Lead village Hiruzen, who was watching everything, sat in a chair. 'Land of Earth. Daichi was right all along. But going there... No this must be done. But this will need proper planning.'
Ox's eyes behind his mask hardened. "We're chasing shadows. Orochimaru has been one step ahead."
Jiraiya clenched his fists. "Then we need to catch up. If he's in the Land of Earth, we need to move now."
"Agreed," Tobirama said. "But we have to proceed with caution. Orochimaru won't be alone, and the Land of Earth isn't exactly friendly territory."
Ox stepped forward. "I can mobilize a tracking unit. With Lord Second's abilities and Lord Jiraiya's connections, we might have a chance."
Jiraiya crossed his arms and spoke. "It's not that simple. After what happened Onoki has increased defenses around the country. Tensions are high right now. If we go in at this time and get caught it could have serious backlash for the village. I'm not saying we shouldn't go. I'm saying we need to make some preparations."
Tobirama glanced at Jiraiya and agreed with his assessment. "Gather what intel you can. I'll inform Hiruzen."
Jiraiya nodded. "Right. I already have some people working on it.. If Orochimaru is hiding in the Land of Earth, someone must have seen something."
"Jiraiya boy. We'll head home. Contact us if you need anything." Fukasaku said to his student.
"It's going to be alright. I have no doubt you'll bring her home." Shima gave some encouraging words to reassure him.
"Thank you Pa, Ma." Jiraiya nodded.
"Lord Second." The two toads nodded at the reanimated Kage and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Tobirama glanced at the two remaining ninjas. "The scouts reported that there was nothing else here. I would have had us conduct another investigation ourselves but that would just be a waste of time. Let's head back to the village."
As they prepared to move out, Tobirama cast one last glance at the spot where Hashirama had vanished.
'Rest easy, brother. We'll bring her back.'
The Second Hokage placed his hand on the two ninjas and vanished instantly.
Author's Note:-
Ever since I introduced Tsunade into this story I wanted to include this slice of life scene. I hope I did it well.
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