Gurgle.
The sound of bubbles floating beneath the sea surface was particularly noticeable in this absolutely tranquil world.
Naruto Uzumaki was immersed in his own little inner world, sleeping peacefully.
It was a warm and moist dream.
Within that boundless yet finite dreamscape, there were two figures, both strange and familiar.
Naruto felt like he had seen them somewhere before, but his memory was hazy.
After an unknown amount of time, the woman with warm and passionate red hair gradually stopped her incessant chatter.
Only that last sentence, tinged with a slight tremor, was deeply imprinted in his heart:
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."
"That's all the help Dad and Mom can give you."
Suddenly, he woke up from his dream.
"thump."
But, just as he raised his head...
Naruto's head slammed into the tough armor, producing a slight thud.
"Huh?"
He still looked up somewhat dazedly.
What comes into view is the three generations of grandfathers, who are in a closed-eye position.
"A third-generation grandfather?!"
Naruto Uzumaki instinctively cried out in surprise.
Immediately afterwards, that previous memory suddenly flooded into his mind.
If his memory serves him right, the earthquake happened while he was sleeping. Not long after he rushed out, he saw his third-generation grandfather and the others fighting against a terrifyingly powerful monster.
The entire street was completely destroyed.
Then...then an ugly old man suddenly put his hand on his stomach.
Another older brother with a bulbous nose glared at him fiercely with his red eyes.
After that, I couldn't remember anything.
Naruto's mind raced as he looked around, a somewhat bewildered expression on his face.
The charred tree stumps, like broken finger bones, pierced the leaden-gray sky.
The cracks formed by the carbonization of the bark still held flickering embers;
The land within a radius of 100 meters was plowed into a spiderweb-like network of furrows by the aftershocks of chakra;
Deeper still, one can even see glass-like crystals formed from cooled lava, which gleam with a sickly purplish-red halo under the moonlight.
It was like hell.
What exactly happened here?
Why was she being held in the arms of her third-generation grandfather?
Was it my grandfathers who protected me?
Naruto's body trembled involuntarily.
For a seven-year-old child who had never been to a battlefield, everything that appeared before his eyes was so unfamiliar and terrifying.
"Cough cough cough..."
Seemingly recovering from the blow to his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly let out a series of muffled coughs.
Even his slightly burnt beard trembled constantly.
"Grandpa! Are you alright?!"
Upon hearing this sound, Naruto Uzumaki felt as if he had grasped a lifeline and hurriedly tried to lift Hiruzen Sarutobi's body, but his arm was instinctively gripped tightly, causing a sharp pain.
My grandfather, who is three generations old, is incredibly strong.
This thought inexplicably arose in Naruto's mind.
It wasn't until Hiruzen Sarutobi laboriously opened his eyes and noticed that it was Naruto standing in front of him that he paused in surprise, gradually loosening his grip:
"Naruto?"
How are you feeling?
The image in his mind was still that of the Nine-Tails letting out its last roar, and everyone around it being shrouded in an endless black curtain.
Even now, he still feels a bit of unease.
That was a power that no ninja could possibly resist.
"It's clearly me who's worried about you now, Third Generation Grandfather!"
When Naruto saw that he was awake, he felt relieved and immediately returned to his usual carefree self. The little boy struggled to hold onto Naruto's arm and put it on his shoulder.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely exhausted. His actions of turning around to try to approach Kurama as the black coffin closed and protecting Naruto were purely instinctive reactions.
With Naruto's help, he struggled to his feet and saw the flat, scorched earth covering an area of hundreds of meters around him.
My heart couldn't help but tremble again.
If that monster hadn't been moved into the forest by Shisui-kun, but instead unleashed this attack in the heart of Konoha, I'm afraid...
"Third-generation grandfathers, who exactly were you fighting just now?"
"That guy is so strong he's like a monster. I saw him all over the rooftop, even though there was only one person there."
Yes.
Hearing Naruto's mutterings, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly snapped out of his daze, looking around frantically, trying to spot the monster. He was still shaken.
Where did that guy go?
It wasn't just him.
Danzo, Jiraiya, Shisui, and Shinnosuke and Kakashi...
Although the number of people they fought just now was small, they were all a small group of the most elite people in Konoha.
If they had all died in that battle, it would have been a devastating blow to Konoha.
Naruto Uzumaki, oblivious to his tension, continued rambling on, "And also, the Third Hokage!"
"I just had a dream. There were two people who said they were my parents. They talked to me a lot, but they didn't tell me their names."
"They also said the big fox came to help me, and told me not to be afraid of him and to be his friend, but I can't see the big fox anywhere..."
"And there's more..."
As Naruto muttered to himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been tense, gradually relaxed.
The fact that the monster wasn't seen was the best news in itself.
Hearing Naruto's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression became somewhat complicated.
No wonder he survived that attack.
So, it was Minato who saved his life again?
They must have stayed behind to help Naruto master the Nine-Tails' power, right?
Thinking this, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Naruto with a hint of guilt in his eyes.
Over the years, I have wronged this child far too much.
The figures of an old man and a young man stepped across the scorched earth, their footsteps making a series of soft crunching sounds on the ground.
It wasn't until they reached the edge of this scorched earth that they discovered the ground beneath their feet had sunk more than three feet compared to the distant forest.
Everything in the entire space seemed to have been smoothed out.
"Waaah!"
Just as they were struggling to climb out of the dividing line, Naruto suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and saw Danzo Shimura appear out of thin air in front of them, his face showing a hint of fear.
It's obvious that he died again.
Danzo!
However, this time Hiruzen Sarutobi completely disregarded his past mistakes, and his voice even carried a hint of surprise.
Not only him, but even Danzo Shimura felt a sense of relief and relief at seeing an old friend again after surviving a near-death experience when he saw Hiruzen.
"Damn it, has that monster already left?"
This time, he managed to drag out the time to Izanagi's five-minute limit before completing the resurrection.
This was to avoid being grabbed head-on by that monster.
If it weren't for the Sharingan on his arm being powerful enough, he would have died at least twice today.
"It's good that you're alive..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Soon, small black dots of figures flew in from the edge of their line of sight and began to converge in their direction.
The main force of Konoha has finally arrived.
"With a thud, Kakashi Hatake, who was half-buried in the ground, was pulled up by the hand while half-conscious and a section of him was forcibly pulled out of the ruins. His consciousness was slightly blurred."
Only when he could clearly see the figure in front of him did he finally feel relieved.
"Hello? Kakashi."
"Are you still awake?"
A large hand slapped his cheek hard, making his face sting.
"Stop! Stop..."
Kakashi called out weakly, feeling as if most of his bones were broken, and he couldn't muster any strength at all.
"Sousuke, you bastard..."
"It's good that you're still alive."
When Yosuke heard that he could still speak, his tense expression relaxed a little. He grabbed Yosuke's almost broken arm, put it on his shoulder, and supported Yosuke's body as they limped towards the main force ahead.
Kakashi Hatake raised his head and looked at the scorched earth in front of him, which had almost swallowed up half of the forest. The shadow in his heart was hard to dispel.
He considered himself to be fairly strong, but he had hardly played a role in the battle with that monster.
Taijutsu, ninjutsu, chakra...
In every aspect, they were overwhelmed by the opponent's overwhelming advantage.
In front of that guy, I felt like a child who hadn't received any ninja training, easily manipulated.
This made Kakashi feel a little regretful.
If he had trained properly over the years, with his talent, he might not have ended up in this situation.
It's really ugly.
By this time, the number of people gathered around had increased considerably.
However, most of them, like Kakashi, were staring blankly at the scorched earth that covered their entire field of vision, lost in thought.
Just how destructive is this?
After regaining his senses, Kakashi, with the help of Sousuke, squeezed through the crowd to stand next to Hiruzen Sarutobi at the front.
"Kakashi."
Even though he looked equally weak, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh with relief upon seeing that he was still alive.
How are you?
"He can still move."
Kakashi Hatake, enduring the pain, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura before him and subconsciously asked:
"Lord Sandai, where are the others?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent, looking down at the slightly raised patch of scorched earth before him, but made no sound.
"This should be Uchiha Shisui."
"Jiraiya's remains haven't been found yet; he might still be alive."
On the contrary, Danzo Shimura remained calm and spoke in a composed tone: "As for that monster, we don't know where it has gone."
"Lord Third Generation, who exactly is our enemy?"
Just as they were talking, the young man supporting Kakashi suddenly spoke up, looking completely bewildered:
"Where did they come from?"
Not only him, but most of the Konoha ninjas who had just arrived looked puzzled.
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could explain, Aizen Sousuke continued:
"If other countries possessed such powerful individuals, it would be dangerous."
"Since they were able to come once, they will definitely come a second time after they find that they have failed to achieve their goal."
These warning words immediately jolted the group, whose thoughts were still somewhat confused, back to reality.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura exchanged a glance, both seeing the deep apprehension in each other's eyes.
The most precious thing was said by Hiruzen Sarutobi to the group of Konoha ninja who were gradually gathering before him:
"Tonight, it was not another country that summoned the enemy here."
"Instead... it's the Hyuga clan that has already betrayed us."
"To be precise, it's the Hyuga main family!"
The moment those words were uttered, everyone present was stunned.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, without the slightest hesitation, immediately made a decision, drawing upon the unique aura of the Hokage, and gave the order to the crowd:
"Gentlemen!"
"Now I command in the name of the Hokage."
"Surround the Hyuga clan's territory immediately!"
"We demand that they hand over the murderer and take responsibility for this incident!"
The crowd was briefly thrown into chaos, but then responded in unison:
"yes!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at the ninjas before him.
Since that monster was summoned by the Hyuga main family, they must have some kind of specific connection.
maybe.
The Hyuga clan itself is that monster's greatest weakness.
Regardless of the circumstances, they cannot afford to remain in this passive, defensive position!
It's over.
It's completely over.
Unlike the other ninjas who were constantly gathering in the central area of Konoha, Xiao Zai was different.
The Hyuga clan members, who were just moments before at the center of the battlefield, are now fleeing towards their clan's territory at an unprecedented speed, their expressions filled with terror.
Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others who were just inside the black coffin.
Those members of the Hyuga main clan who were on the outer perimeter of the battlefield witnessed the most precious scene.
The lord of the Upper Clan, at the moment of releasing his last ninjutsu, collapsed into countless fragments like sand, completely annihilating.
They naturally did not believe that the great man was dead, but were certain that the figure was merely a clone of him.
But the current result is quite unexpected.
Before that high-ranking clan member could kill Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, this clone had already run out of chakra!
How could a dignified ninja clan from the upper realm act like this?!
Hiashi Hyuga was filled with grief and indignation.
Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others are still alive, what will become of the Hyuga clan?!
Sigh, is it possible to reconcile?
Even if they were willing to kneel down and beg for mercy after such a fierce fight, would Hiruzen Sarutobi really agree?
Hiashi Hyuga's thoughts were in turmoil, leaving him no choice but to resolutely go down a dark path.
The only way forward is to unite the entire clan and make it seem as if the clan leader has not left and the Hyuga clan still has trump cards, thus temporarily feigning cooperation with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Once this brief period of highest risk has passed, the entire Hyuga clan will migrate!
Wherever they go, the Hyuga clan, with their Byakugan, represents a strategic force that cannot be ignored—and this is true for every country!
"In the blink of an eye, Hiashi Hyuga and the others had already rushed to the entrance of the clan's territory."
At this moment, most of the ninjas in the clan's territory also noticed the commotion in the center of Konoha and gathered in front of the clan's gate.
"Master of the family!"
One of the branch family Jonin asked anxiously, "What happened in the village? Should we...?"
However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Hiashi Hyuga, whose expression was grave:
"Go! Immediately summon all the clan's ninjas! Mobilize all available forces to defend against the enemy!"
"Master, this...?"
The branch family ninja was taken aback upon hearing this.
Hiashi Hyuga spoke rapidly: "Act immediately, there's no time to hesitate."
As he spoke, his expression gradually became more serious, and his gaze deepened:
"The Third Hokage has already betrayed the village."
"They've decided to take action against our Hyuga clan!"
"To protect the Hyuga clan, we must act immediately and strike first!"
Upon hearing this, all the Hyuga ninjas present were taken aback and looked at him in unison.
"ah?"