Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

At the Konoha main gate, after hearing the guards' report, Tsunade's face turned ashen. She slammed her fist down in a rage.

BOOM!

A deep crater appeared in the ground.

Without a word, she turned to leave, but was stopped by Orochimaru.

"Tsunade, where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious? To rescue Nawaki, of course!"

"Do you even know which direction they took Nawaki? Rushing in blindly will only be a waste of effort," Orochimaru said calmly. "Sarutobi-sensei has already sent men after them. Wouldn't it be better to wait here for support?"

"How can I just wait here peacefully?!" Tsunade clenched her fists. "Nawaki is my only brother, my only family left!"

"Five routes. Are you going to gamble on one?" Orochimaru sneered. "Oh, I seem to recall your luck with gambling has never been very good."

"Gamble?" Tsunade slowly surveyed the forest before her, feeling as if a ferocious beast was lurking within, waiting for her to walk right into its trap. Faced with gambling, something she had always loved, she now hesitated. Because she knew that if she bet wrong this time, she could regret it for the rest of her life.

As her heart wavered, she heard an unexpected voice.

"I don't think we need to gamble." Kaito, the anti-gambling crusader, spoke up, drawing the surprised gazes of the other two. "We can try to deduce where this group of ninja came from. No matter how well they cover their tracks, to ensure the success of their mission, they will definitely take the shortest route to leave the Land of Fire as quickly as possible."

"And that direction will definitely point toward their home country!" Tsunade said, her voice filled with excitement.

"But how do you know where they're from?" Orochimaru asked. "None of them were captured, and they didn't leave any obvious traces of their ninjutsu."

"You don't need all that to make a reasonable deduction." Kaito already knew it was the Land of Lightning's doing. Working backward from the result, he could always find a reason.

"First of all, to carry out such a meticulous plan in Konoha, they must be from one of the Five Great Nations. The Land of Wind is currently mired in war, so they clearly don't have the spare resources for such a move. The Land of Earth is far away; it would be highly unrealistic for them to try and take Nawaki back to their country from here. The Land of Water? Even more impossible. The direction is all wrong."

"Therefore, there is only one truth. They are Cloud ninja from the Land of Lightning!"

"While it's a bit of a stretch, it's plausible," Orochimaru said, looking at Tsunade. "It's your decision."

"Is there even a question?" Tsunade said, her voice venomous as she clenched her fists. "We're going to crush the Cloud-nin and get Nawaki back!"

Surrounding Konoha was a vast green forest that stretched all the way to the border of the Land of Fire.

Three Cloud ninja dressed in black leaped rapidly through the branches, carrying Nawaki. They weren't taking any chances with the grandson of the First Hokage. They had not only drugged him but had also sealed his chakra and bound his hands and feet.

By the time Nawaki had overcome the effects of the drug and woken up, he saw his situation and his heart sank.

Don't be afraid, Nawaki. You're going to be Hokage. You can definitely get through a crisis like this. Nawaki knew Konoha would send someone to rescue him, so he forced himself to remain calm. He didn't move, pretending to still be unconscious, waiting for an opportunity.

However, Nawaki was facing elite Cloud ninja. How could they not see through his little trick?

"Nawaki, your erratic breathing has already given away the fact that you're awake," the Cloud-nin carrying him sneered. "But there's nothing you can do. If you know what's good for you, you'll be obedient. Otherwise, hmph, hmph..."

"Damn it! Who are you people? Do you know who I am? Are you trying to start a war with Konoha?!" Seeing that his ruse had failed, Nawaki opened his eyes and said angrily.

"Hmph, Konoha is currently stuck in the quagmire of war with the Land of Rain. Do you really think they dare to start another war with a great nation?" another Cloud-nin said arrogantly. "If it really comes to a fight, we're not afraid of Konoha either."

"..." Nawaki knew they were determined to take him away. He fell silent, quietly trying to build up the chakra in his body.

"Don't waste your energy. We're almost at our destination."

His eyes widened. Nawaki was surprised to find that they had already left the forest and had arrived at a plain covered in lush green grass. Being familiar with the geography of the Land of Fire, he knew that they would soon be leaving the country.

Sis, everyone from the village, please hurry and save me... Nawaki could only place his hope in his comrades.

As if hearing his prayer, several figures shot out from the edge of the forest with a series of "whooshes." Leading them was Danzo, dressed in his Anbu battle gear. Beside him were seven members of the Root, all wearing masks.

"We finally caught up with you," Danzo said, his eyes narrowed. He waved a hand and commanded coldly, "Stop them!"

"Yes, sir!"

They executed a combination ninjutsu with practiced ease. "Wind Style: Vacuum Wave! Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The wind fanned the flames, and a great wall of fire rushed toward the Cloud ninja.

"Tch! You don't care at all about the jinchuriki's life, do you? It seems you're quite disliked," the masked Cloud-nin carrying Nawaki said, not slowing down for a moment and continuing to run forward.

The other two automatically stopped, turned around, and formed hand seals to counterattack. "Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"

Water and fire collided, creating a dense cloud of steam a hundred feet high.

Nawaki ignored the enemy's attempt to sow discord, calmed his nerves, and said defiantly, "You'd better let me go, or my comrades won't let you get away with this!"

"You're thinking too much. They alone could never take you from us!" the masked Cloud-nin sneered. "You have backup, but so do we!"

"!"

Just as Nawaki was filled with doubt and alarm, the two Cloud ninja who had stayed behind to cover their retreat were intercepted by two Root members. The rest of the Konoha ninja surged forward, and the distance between the two groups rapidly closed.

At that moment, more than twenty Cloud ninja appeared ahead of them. They made no attempt at disguise, brazenly invading the territory of the Land of Fire.

"The Land of Lightning... so it really was you!" Danzo's face darkened. At this distance, the enemy would definitely reach their backup first. "There's no other way. Don't blame us, Nawaki. This is all for the sake of Konoha!"

He made a subtle hand signal, and his subordinates understood. Just as they were about to unleash a large-scale ninjutsu, a figure descended from the sky, shattering the ground with a single punch and single-handedly blocking the path of the more than twenty Cloud ninja.

Her flowing twin ponytails danced wildly in the wind. Tsunade glared at the stunned, masked Cloud-nin behind her and said in an icy voice, "Give me back Nawaki!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Nawaki's eyes filled with tears. "Sis!"

"Nawaki, don't worry. I'll take down the enemy and save you in just a moment."

"Yeah!"

With Tsunade momentarily holding them off, Danzo and the others had already surrounded them.

"Damn it!" The masked Cloud-nin looked at his comrades, who were only a few hundred meters away, and knew that this mission was a complete failure. "But you won't get the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki back alive!"

He hardened his heart, grabbed Nawaki by the hair, and pulled him in front of him as a shield. He took out a kunai and quickly swiped it across Nawaki's neck.

"Just watch him die right in front of you!"

"NAWAKI!" Tsunade's eyes flew wide open. The spattering blood seemed to dye her entire field of vision red.