Chapter 80
Zixu was immersed in learning the intricacies of Sage Arts from the goddesses, yet his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. His clone had yet to be discovered, which meant its concealment abilities were exceptional. By now, it should have gathered substantial intelligence on Konoha. However, he was uncertain about who currently held the title of Hokage.
"Based on Sarutobi's memories, he actually favored Orochimaru the most as his successor. Unfortunately, they were never on the same page. That old bastard Danzo must have been dying to take the position himself. If nothing unexpected happened, he was probably the one who took over..." Zixu wasn't omniscient—he could only speculate.
"But then again, Jiraiya returned to the village, and he's a strong contender for the position. Haha, among Sarutobi's three disciples, the only one missing is Tsunade."
Lost in thought, Zixu momentarily lost control of his Senpō: Inorganic Reincarnation (Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation). His original target was a stalactite nearby, but somehow, the technique latched onto the hair of Ichikishima-hime, who was sleeping close by.
Ichikishima-hime jolted awake with a sharp scream, her vision momentarily dark. She had been in the middle of a dream where she transformed into a mighty dragon and forced Zixu to his knees, begging for mercy. But upon opening her eyes, she was rudely greeted by her own hair smacking her in the face.
Meanwhile, Zixu was still chatting and laughing, completely unaware of what had happened.
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On the other side of the village, Sasuke was still reeling from the encounter.
"How is there such a massive gap in strength? This is Uchiha Itachi... the most gifted ninja of the Uchiha Clan..." Sasuke gritted his teeth.
Under Jiraiya's pressure, Itachi and Kisame didn't linger for long. Itachi casually tossed Sasuke to the ground like a discarded piece of trash. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun ominously, and in an instant, black flames erupted from the flesh wall behind Kisame, burning through it like ghostly flames from the underworld.
Within moments, a massive hole was scorched through the thick, fleshy surface. Kisame, the ever-practical man, swiftly retrieved a smoke bomb from his robe and threw it to the ground. As gray smoke billowed, the two vanished seamlessly.