A few days had passed.
Outside the Hokage's office, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, an impatient frown on her face.
"Hey, hasn't that brat come out yet?" she asked, glancing at the two guards standing by the door—Izumo and Kotetsu.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade. He still refuses to leave," Izumo replied with a helpless shrug.
Kotetsu hesitated before suggesting, "Tsunade-sama, should we forcefully remove him? Even though he's the Third Hokage's grandson, he can't just disrupt your work like this."
Tsunade sighed, then stepped forward and knocked hard on the door.
"Konohamaru, you little brat! If you don't come out now, I'm going to get serious!" she warned.
"Hmph! This was my grandpa's office! You're not taking it!" Konohamaru's voice came from inside, full of defiance.
Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. She could understand why Konohamaru was upset. The loss of the Third Hokage was still fresh, and now seeing someone else take over his office must have made him feel like his grandfather was being replaced. Forcing him out seemed... wrong.
Just then, a calm voice interrupted.
"Huh? Tsunade, what's going on here?"
Tsunade turned to see Sasuke approaching.
"Oh, it's you. It's just this stubborn brat, Konohamaru..." she muttered.
Sasuke smirked. "I see. Leave him to me."
Without hesitation, Sasuke unleashed his Genjutsu: Moonlit Realm.
A surge of invisible mental energy washed over the room.
Inside, Konohamaru suddenly felt the warm office grow ice-cold. The lights dimmed, and a chilling wind howled through the space. Shadows lengthened unnaturally, twisting into eerie shapes.
"W-What's happening...?" Konohamaru gulped.
Suddenly, a grotesque specter emerged from the darkness, its gaping maw lined with jagged white fangs.
Konohamaru's face went pale. "A-A GHOST!"
With a terrified scream, he bolted for the door, throwing it open and dashing down the hall—tears streaming from his eyes.
Sasuke dusted off his hands. "Done."
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. "You didn't even touch him... Was that Genjutsu?"
Sasuke gave a small nod. "If I wanted to, I could've kept him trapped in that illusion indefinitely."
Tsunade smirked. "I like the way you think, kid."
As they stepped into the office, Tsunade suddenly leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Sasuke's cheek.
"That's your reward for dealing with my headache," she teased.
Sasuke blinked, touching his face. "You're bold. What if Izumo and the others walk in?"
"Hmph! I'm the Hokage now. Who in Konoha would dare go against me?" Tsunade declared smugly.
With Danzo and the other elders gone, the power of the Hokage had been fully restored, and she intended to wield it however she pleased.
"Anyway," she continued, "why did you come to see me?"
Sasuke got straight to the point. "I'm looking for a powerful Summoning Beast—preferably one that can fly. Do you know anything?"
Tsunade thought for a moment. "A flying Summoning Beast? Hmm... Actually, I did hear about something back when I was in the Land of Lightning."
Sasuke's interest piqued. "Go on."
"In the far east of the Land of Lightning, near the border of the Cloud Village, there's a place called Wind and Thunder Canyon. It's rumored that a Thunder Condor lives there. It can spit lightning and flies faster than anything. So far, no one has been able to tame it."
Sasuke's eyes gleamed. "That sounds perfect."
Tsunade frowned slightly. "You sure? That thing is supposed to be ridiculously strong. It won't be easy to subdue."
Sasuke smirked. "That just makes it more interesting."
Tsunade sighed. "Fine. But be careful. The Cloud Village is war-hungry, and their Raikage is not someone to mess with. Try not to start trouble."
Sasuke nodded. "I'll handle it."
Before leaving, Sasuke asked, "Do you have a map of the Land of Lightning?"
"Izumo, get me a map of the Land of Lightning!" Tsunade called out.
Journey to the Wind and Thunder Canyon
Sasuke teleported to the Land of Sound, reappearing within Orochimaru's former hideout.
"Kabuto, come see me."
Through his Cursed Seal Connection, Sasuke issued the mental command.
Before long, Yakushi Kabuto arrived.
"Lord Sasuke, the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields has been invited to the Sound Village. He is waiting in the reception hall," Kabuto reported.
"Good," Sasuke said.
A short while later, he met the Daimyo in person and immediately cast Genjutsu. Within moments, the man's eyes went dull, his will completely overwritten.
"From now on, I control the entire Land of Rice Fields," Sasuke murmured with a smirk.
Wind and Thunder Canyon
A few days later, Sasuke arrived at a vast, storm-ridden valley in the Land of Lightning.
Dark clouds loomed over the Wind and Thunder Canyon, with lightning flashing across the sky.
A Cloud Village ninja, his face blank and his mind clouded by Sasuke's genjutsu, led the way.
"Sir, we're almost at Wind and Thunder Canyon..." the ninja said dully, pointing to the mist-covered valley ahead.
"Good," Sasuke said. With a flicker, he vanished into the canyon.
A few moments later, the Cloud ninja snapped out of the illusion, blinking in confusion.
"Huh? How did I get here?" He shivered, suddenly recalling the terrifying stories of the Thunder Condor that dwelled in the canyon. Without a second thought, he turned and ran back toward his village.
Inside the canyon, Sasuke leaped effortlessly across jagged cliffs, lightning crackling all around him. A stray bolt struck him, but his Lightning Chakra Cloak absorbed the impact with ease.
"Heh, this level of lightning is nothing to me," Sasuke muttered, smirking.
As he ventured deeper into the canyon, his Sensory Field expanded.
"Hmm... Strange. No sign of the condor yet."
He continued his search until he reached the end of the canyon—where towering cliffs blocked the path.
"Could it be... that it's not here?"
That didn't seem right. Even local Cloud Village ninjas had spoken of the beast.
Then, Sasuke had a realization.
"Maybe it's out hunting."
Deciding to wait, Sasuke found a vantage point on a high cliff and sat down, his eyes scanning the skies.
Hours passed. The sun climbed higher, and the mist in the canyon began to thin.
Just as Sasuke started to grow impatient—
"Screech!"
A thunderous cry echoed across the sky.
Sasuke's eyes snapped toward the horizon.
A massive bird, its feathers shimmering with blue lightning, soared toward the canyon. Its razor-sharp talons gripped a colossal fish, easily over ten meters long.
"The Thunder Condor..." Sasuke whispered, a sharp glint in his eye.
As the condor landed on a nearby peak and began feasting, Sasuke smirked.
"Now's my chance. But I only get one shot at this..."
Silently, he crept toward the beast's nest—ready to strike.