chapter 120 part 1
**Chapter 120: Madara's Demise, Kaedejiaoshan**
Sakumo Hatake lost.
He encountered an opponent completely beyond his expectations. His highly proficient Kenjutsu, or sword art, was completely ineffective against Nagato.
His opponent immediately unleashed a barrage of Hand Seal-less Jutsu, and the casual manipulation of Attraction and Repulsion already gave Sakumo a massive headache.
After he finally deduced the intel about the 5-second interval, he seized the opportunity to rush into close combat. However, several arms instantly sprouted from Nagato's back, flailing wildly and smashing down, even serving as meat shields to block his blade.
Even if he managed to cut them off, they would quickly regenerate. But that wasn't all; crucially, these arms could also be used as explosive Ninja Tools, launched from a distance.
This was only Sakumo Hatake; receiving such a barrage of Hand Seal-less Jutsu and still surviving was a testament to his skill. Any other Ninja would have lost countless lives just to slowly glean this intel.
Nagato even tried to touch him, causing Sakumo's sixth sense to scream in warning—failure to dodge would mean death! Although in the end, Sakumo Hatake never figured out what Jutsu that touch was, or how it would have finished him.
But Nagato would not make such a strange move in such a high-intensity battle; it would certainly inflict heavy damage on him if successful.
Sakumo Hatake speculated that it was some kind of Sealing Technique, capable of incapacitating him with a single touch.
"...I won't make excuses for my failure, but that's truly how it is. I am no match for the Rinnegan's wielder. I gave it my all, yet it seemed only to be a warm-up for him; he still has more terrifying abilities he hasn't revealed."
Sakumo Hatake reported expressionlessly. In reality, while the Rinnegan's abilities were powerful and insurmountable, Nagato, who wielded these eyes, didn't seem to possess the legendary Sage of Kaedex Paths' world-altering, reality-shaping power.
Perhaps he hadn't fully discovered the true potential of the Rinnegan? But that was no longer Sakumo Hatake's concern.
What truly impressed Sakumo Hatake was another person, the one who called himself Yahiko.
Despite being just Taijutsu attacks, they exerted incredible pressure on Sakumo Hatake, and one kick even broke his blade.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances.
They were, of course, aware of Nagato's situation, and knew that Danzo and Orochimaru had tried to intervene multiple times, only to return defeated each time.
This time was no different; it was Sakumo Hatake's turn to suffer a setback.
"Nagato Uzumaki has grown so much. Just a few years ago, he could only hide behind Jiraiya. Now he can stand on his own."
Koharu Utatane said helplessly, "He also has a vendetta against Konoha for his parents' deaths. Someone like that can't possibly stand with Konoha."
"He's also Jiraiya's disciple."
"That's precisely why I didn't directly call him Konoha's enemy!"
Both Advisors' words were filled with dissatisfaction towards Jiraiya.
Regardless of how often they supported Danzo's clandestine activities, their good relationship with Danzo and belief that he wouldn't harm the Village was one thing. The main point was that Danzo's methods always resolved problems at their root.
Had Danzo discovered Nagato first, he would have brought Nagato back to the Hidden Leaf Village by any means necessary, including but not limited to deception, threats, and manipulation.
Once Danzo confirmed a situation was beyond salvaging, he would absolutely resort to excavating the Rinnegan—and naturally, after obtaining it, he would definitely conceal it and secretly research its usage himself.
But at least this would have kept the Rinnegan in the Hidden Leaf Village, adding a strategic asset that surpassed even S-rank Forbidden Jutsu, rather than creating one or more enemies for the Village! Compared to this, what Jiraiya did was far too abstract, single-handedly burying such a huge bomb for the Village out of wishful thinking.
How many years has it been? How old is Nagato? He has already forced a powerful Ninja like Sakumo Hatake, who rarely makes mistakes, to return in defeat.
Everyone looked at the Third Hokage, awaiting his reaction.
"Go and rest, Sakumo. You've worked very hard. Encountering Nagato in Hidden Sand Village was unavoidable. It's no big deal that you couldn't obtain the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu; isn't the one who masters this Forbidden Jutsu an excellent Ninja of our Village? This Jutsu has always been in the Village." The Third Hokage smiled.
This was not surprising; he rarely reprimanded subordinates who tried hard but ultimately failed, choosing instead to encourage them.
After Sakumo Hatake left, the two Advisors were highly displeased.
"Nagato's issue must be resolved as soon as possible. His growth rate is too fast, and he's even established that Akatsuki organization to recruit members. With the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu, he can be resurrected even if he dies in battle. If we drag this on for a few more years, I'm very concerned about the Hidden Leaf Village's situation," Koharu Utatane said with dissatisfaction.
The Third Hokage calmly asked, "Are you suggesting the Village should assemble a massive force to launch a full-scale invasion of the Land of Rain? Or send an elite squad to infiltrate the Land of Rain and assassinate Nagato?"
"That might not be an impossible solution!"
"Would you lead the squad yourself?"
"This, it's better to consider it carefully... What if we send Tsukasa Kaede? He's a top-tier Ninja in the Village; Orochimaru and the others might not even be Tsukasa Kaede's match..." Homura Mitokado stammered.
Lead it himself? Impossible, absolutely impossible. That wouldn't be conducive to Life Extension.
The Third Hokage said expressionlessly, "This matter ends here. Whether it's Hidden Sand Village or Akatsuki, simply sending Spies to gather Intel will suffice. The most important thing for the Village right now is to recuperate and build up its strength."
Bringing this up, the Third Hokage couldn't help but recall the Hashirama Cells Transplantation Experiment led by Orochimaru and Tsukasa Kaede. So far, only Toka Senju and Tsukasa Kaede had succeeded; all others had failed—and those two individuals had surely embezzled a considerable number of Corpses.
"The Human Experimentation project should be suspended. Continuing it will only lead to more needless sacrifices. The Village's Comrades shouldn't meet such a fate."
The Third Hokage ordered, "According to Sakumo's report, he also saw Orochimaru in Hidden Sand Village. That fellow acted on his own initiative once again, so suspend all his duties."
The two Advisors had no objections.
However, Orochimaru, upon receiving the order, was extremely unwilling. He had gained nothing valuable in Hidden Sand Village to begin with, and now even his ongoing Experiment was being forcibly halted by the Village.