Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 224

Orochimaru shuddered, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes: "!!!"

He turned around abruptly and saw a figure rushing towards him in a flurry of activity.

He was a boy whose features vaguely resembled Tsunade's. He looked to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, tall and thin, yet exuding a youthful naiveté.

He wore a slightly oversized Konoha armor vest, his headband hanging crookedly around his neck, and his gait carried a hint of childish impatience.

At that moment, the boy was excitedly waving his arms and running towards them, a bright smile on his face: "Teacher, please let me participate in this operation! I'm ready!"

Orochimaru stared blankly at that all-too-familiar face, frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

Rope Tree!?

His former disciples, who had died in battle, were now standing vividly before him, giving him the same smiles they had when they parted before the war.

Orochimaru's mind was buzzing, and an indescribable complex emotion suddenly swept over his entire body.

Shock, astonishment, doubt, anger...

……

"Rope, rope tree—!!"

At the same time, Tsunade also suddenly stood up from her seat in the audience.

She stared intently at the familiar boy on the screen, tears welling up instantly, her voice cracking slightly with emotion, "It's Nawaki!"

[Ding! Tsunade's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +500!]

Tears blurred her vision. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya beside her, her voice choked with emotion: "Jiraiya, I really saw Nawaki!"

Tsunade covered her mouth tightly, almost unable to believe her eyes.

That really was the younger brother she had been longing for day and night!

She could clearly see that Rope Tree was wearing a very familiar necklace around its neck.

That was the First Hokage's keepsake that she had personally given to her younger brother!

The boy who died tragically on the battlefield, leaving her with endless regret and pain, is now standing alive and smiling before her!

Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming extremely serious.

How could they not know the meaning of the name Rope Tree?

Senju Nawaki – Tsunade's only younger brother, a victim who died in battle.

For Tsunade, it was a pain she could never touch again.

Jiraiya felt a slight sting in his nose, as if he could see again the boy who once had a bright smile and kept shouting that he wanted to become Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was also extremely complicated, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Nawaki is an exceptionally talented child with a fiery passion. If fate hadn't played a cruel trick on him, he might very well have become a pillar of Konoha in the future...

Both of them had a vague sense of foreboding: what was to come was that this dream would probably make them witness the death of Nawaki repeat itself... Could Tsunade withstand such a blow?

On the other side, Kabuto squinted, staring at the boy on the screen with considerable surprise.

"Nawaki... Orochimaru-sama's disciple?"

He muttered to himself, a look of doubt on his face.

In Kabuto's mind, Orochimaru had never bothered to actually take on any disciples.

Whether it was Kabuto himself, Kimimaro, or the Sound Five—

At best, they are just subordinates and pawns.

But this boy named Nawaki is actually calling Orochimaru "teacher"...

This child must have something extraordinary about him to be accepted as a disciple by Lord Orochimaru!

Moreover, judging from Tsunade's excited appearance, it's clear that Nawaki and she have a very close relationship...

Kabuto pondered, his gaze shifting back and forth between Nawaki on the screen and Tsunade in the audience.

……

On the screen, the story continues.

"hateful!"

Orochimaru's fingertips trembled slightly.

That damned bastard dared to fool my soul!

Orochimaru has finally understood.

This is not Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu at all!

This is that damn dream!

It's one thing to sit in the audience and watch a hallucination, but now to personally fall into this dream and witness someone he hasn't seen for years come back to life...

This feeling of being manipulated and played with!

Orochimaru's face was extremely gloomy, and his golden vertical pupils were brimming with killing intent.

Just then, a servant rushed in from outside the tent to report: "Lord Orochimaru! The battle force has been assembled and is ready to depart at any time!"

Orochimaru snapped back to reality upon hearing the sound, forcibly suppressing the complex emotions churning within him.

His gaze unconsciously fell on the rope tree in front of him, which seemed eager to try.

The boy's face was filled with tension and anticipation, and his eyes, which were quite similar to Tsunade's, burned with a fierce fighting spirit and longing, completely unaware of what awaited him.

"..."

Orochimaru's Adam's apple bobbed, and he remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he suddenly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, they had regained their usual coldness and indifference.

"Let's go." He issued the battle order in a deep voice, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Rope Tree was overjoyed upon hearing this and clenched his fist in excitement.

Meanwhile, Inuzuka Jacques and the others beside him readily accepted the order: "Yes—!"

Orochimaru stood with his hands behind his back, watching the crowd rush out of the camp.

He lowered his head slightly, his face dark and unreadable.

He won't try to change anything!

It was just a false dream, how could it possibly shake me, Orochimaru?

wow——

In the scene, the camera seems to suddenly shift, and a scene of a forced march begins.

During the march, dozens of kunai suddenly shot through the air from the trees on both sides—

The Cloud Ninja's ambush!

Rope Tree's eyes narrowed, and he shouted sharply, "There's an ambush!"

He shot off like an arrow to the front of the group.

Several figures suddenly emerged from the shadows of the dense forest; they were none other than the Cloud Village ninjas who had been lying in wait.

Nawaki calmly responded to the attack, throwing several shuriken to force his opponent back and buy his companions a chance to counterattack.

He then rapidly formed hand seals, unleashing a fierce fire-style ninjutsu that exploded among the enemies.

With a series of screams, two unsuspecting Cloud Ninjas were blasted away on the spot!

Led by Nawaki, the remaining Konoha ninja were greatly encouraged and attacked from both flanks, quickly annihilating the enemy forces that had launched the sneak attack.

In the vast forest, more than ten figures flashed and moved through the trees, rapidly approaching their predetermined target.

Orochimaru silently followed in the middle of the group, his golden vertical pupils calmly scanning the surroundings.

Along the way, they encountered several small groups of Cloud Ninja intercepting them.

However, these Cloud Village ninjas were of mediocre strength, so how could they possibly withstand the high morale of the Leaf Village ninjas?

After only a few rounds of fighting, the enemy was defeated by the advance team led by Rope Tree, and most of them fled in disarray, leaving behind corpses or wounded.

Within just half an hour, Konoha's forces advanced rapidly, quickly reaching the vicinity of the location indicated in the intelligence report.

A small hill, not very high, appeared before everyone's eyes.

A dark cave entrance was faintly visible in the bushes at the foot of the mountain.

"Found it!" Inuzuka Jaw shouted excitedly, pointing ahead. "The cave is over there—!"

Before he could finish speaking, a figure shot past Orochimaru like an arrow: "I'll lead the charge!"

It was none other than the Rope Tree.

The boy, gripping a kunai, was the first to rush towards the entrance of the cave that appeared to be a supply depot. His speed surprised several Konoha ninjas beside him.

"Haha, that kid Nawaki..." Inuzuka Jaw shook his head with a laugh upon seeing this, and exclaimed to Orochimaru, "His speed is truly impressive. As expected of your disciple, Lord Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

At this moment, his attention was completely focused on Rope Tree, and the solemnity between his brows was even greater than before.

This is it—

The scene he remembered was now playing out again, exactly as it had appeared.

He knew perfectly well that there was no supply convoy in this inconspicuous cave; Yunyin had simply set up a huge trap.

The cave was filled with pre-placed explosive tags!

Once someone steps inside, only a devastating explosion awaits them.

Orochimaru looked at the fearless expression on Nawaki's face—

It overlapped with that last scene in my memory.

Back then, he had high hopes for this apprentice, regarding him as the most promising successor.

But the cruelty of war took everything away in an instant...

Am I really going to just stand by and watch Nawaki die again?!