After hearing the Fourth Kazekage's words, Hiruzen understood that today's battle was unavoidable. Still, he didn't want to rip off the last shred of pretense, so he tried again.
"Fourth Kazekage, peace in the ninja world has not come easily. I hope you won't make a grave mistake. Once war reignites, the result will only be mutual destruction. As Kage, we should protect our villages, not bring harm to other nations by abusing our power."
"Hahahaha!"
Hearing this half-admonition, half-warning, the Fourth Kazekage burst into laughter.
"As expected of the most eloquent Third Hokage. You're still trying to convince me with your Will of Fire nonsense?"
"But it's too late now. It's not just Suna that wants Konoha to fall…"
"You only know how to compromise now that you're old, Sarutobi-sensei."
"You…" Hiruzen stared in shock, instantly realizing the true identity of the person in front of him.
As the two spoke, several Iwa teams coordinated their ninjutsu to collapse parts of the wall. Stones rained from above.
The disguised Anbu removed their masks, revealing the Four Sound Ninjas under Orochimaru.
The four simultaneously formed hand seals.
"Ninjutsu, Four Violet Flames Formation!"
Four violet walls of flame rose, enclosing the entire rooftop.
Orochimaru peeled off his human-skin mask, took a few steps back, and looked at Hiruzen with a sinister smile. "Sensei, are you satisfied with the funeral I've prepared for you?"
"Hmph!"
Hiruzen threw away his bamboo hat, and as the wind blew, a set of old-fashioned battle armor was revealed.
"Orochimaru, I will eliminate you here today, and rid Konoha of its cancer!"
In the stands, the ninjas who had been caught in the genjutsu had begun to fight back.
Kakashi and Guy joined forces to destroy the falling stones caused by Iwa ninjas. Guy tried to rush to the barrier to save Hiruzen, but Kakashi grabbed his wrist.
"Guy! Trust the Hokage!"
Kakashi's tone was serious. "He's the Hokage. He'll be fine handling Orochimaru. What we need to do now is protect the villagers!"
The earlier smoke bomb had served not only to block vision but also as a signal flare. Even inside the gymnasium, the commotion and roars outside were audible.
Guy nodded instinctively at Kakashi's words. Just then, a few Otonin caught his attention, distracting him from shouting to save the Hokage.
Kakashi looked toward the platform with a complicated expression.
What he'd just said was true, but deep down… he didn't actually want to save Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Or rather, many people in Konoha felt the same.
As soon as things went south, Hyūga Hiashi and Hizashi took Neji and likely returned to the Hyūga compound to take charge. Before leaving, Nara Shikaku kicked his son who was pretending to sleep, realized it was useless, and left on his own.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could rot, but the Hokage could not.
Konoha had become stagnant, even beginning to decay. Although the ninja clans were still stable, how long could a weakened Konoha protect them?
The heads of the clans and elite jōnin had reached a consensus.
The village needed a brave and capable Hokage to lead its revival, not someone as worn-out as Sarutobi Hiruzen.
If things continued this way for a few more years, each generation would grow weaker than the last, until the decline became irreversible.
Should they assassinate the Hokage directly, or try to persuade him to abdicate?
Neither was a viable option for the clans. It would be no different from eating poison for breakfast and would very likely lead to civil war.
Orochimaru's attack and the betrayal of Suna and Iwa had caught them off guard… but it might be an opportunity.
Let fate decide everything.
Even if Hiruzen survived this battle, after such a monumental failure, he'd have no face left to remain as Hokage.
Kakashi gave one last glance at Hiruzen, who was now engaged in battle with Orochimaru, then looked away.
Just as he was about to assist Guy in dealing with the incoming enemies, Kakashi spotted someone who shouldn't be sound asleep in the middle of all this.
Kakashi: "...."
He stared at Yami in disbelief. "The village is under attack, and you still have the nerve to pretend to sleep here?"
When he saw that Yami remained unresponsive, Kakashi moved to act, but the boy slowly opened his eyes, looking mildly annoyed.
"It's rude to disturb someone's dream, Kakashi."
The effects of the Nirvana Technique had trapped people in a dreamlike state. Yami had been about to enjoy a 1v5 battle when Kakashi woke him.
"Is this really the time to dream?" Kakashi smiled bitterly. "It's chaos outside. Get up and go take a look."
"What a hassle."
Yami stretched, then casually threw a kunai, which pierced the throat of a nearby Otonin.
"Anbu!" Yami shouted.
Swish, swish, swish!
Over a dozen Anbu appeared behind him under Kurenai's lead.
Yami quickly issued orders. "Red Tiger Squad, guard the outside of the barrier. Fire Squad, protect the Daimyō. Yuichi and Yushi, go assist inside the village. The others bring Kurotsuchi back to me."
Although he couldn't enter the barrier to help Orochimaru—no, help the Third Hokage—fight the enemy, he could still send Anbu to spectate and cheer.
Everyone moved immediately after receiving orders. Before leaving, Kurenai pinched Yami's side in irritation.
As if asking her to help him chase a woman wasn't enough…
"Such speed…"
Kakashi watched Yuichi and the others vanish, eyes filled with doubt. He didn't recognize any of these Anbu.
"Yami, are these all new Anbu? I don't know a single one of them."
"You've been gone from Team Three too long. Isn't it normal you don't recognize them?"
Yami grabbed a Suna ninja by the throat and slammed him against the wall.
Boom!
The ninja turned into a pile of mud, and Yami walked calmly down the passage.
Kakashi shook his head, dropped the issue, and joined Guy in clearing out the remaining enemies before chasing after Shikamaru and Chōji, who had already left.
In the village, several snakes over thirty meters long were rampaging through the buildings. Konoha's shinobi tools were useless against their thick scales. Only attacks to weak points were effective.
Over a dozen security guards surrounded one giant snake, but they were at a loss. It was clear how much Konoha's combat capabilities had degraded after years of peace.
Yami took out a small bottle of blood, smeared it on his hand, then stored the bottle again.
Constantly slicing one's palm made it easy to get infected. So he'd just drawn more blood in advance.
"Summoning Technique!"
Yami pressed his hands to the ground and called softly.
Bang! Bang! The smoke cleared, revealing the two massive snakes, Aogame and Garaga.
"Kill all of Orochimaru's snakes. Don't hold back just because they used to be comrades."
Garaga raised half of his body, surveyed the village, and snorted coldly.
"A bunch of modified monsters. They're not worthy of being called Ryūchi Cave snakes."
Orochimaru had a ridiculous number of hybrid snakes. Though weaker than high-tier summoning beasts like Gamabunta, Manda, they were still above most jōnin in strength.
This wasn't because Ryūchi Cave was stronger than Mount Myōboku. Rather, these snakes were biologically modified summons exclusive to Orochimaru. They had nothing to do with Ryūchi Cave.
Yami casually grabbed two shinobi to ride the snakes, so they wouldn't be mistakenly killed by Konoha's forces. Then he dashed southeast.
He used Body Flicker alongside Flying Thunder God.
Yami turned into a streak of blue lightning, tearing across the battlefield.
Any enemy he encountered was taken down in just a few moves.
The stunned Konoha shinobi finally had breathing room.
Seeing Yami's overwhelming power, morale surged.
…
Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, after a brief test, Orochimaru revealed his true technique.
Three coffins rose from the ground. Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately realized what jutsu was being used but was too late to stop it.
Luckily, one of the coffins collapsed halfway, making Hiruzen feel slightly relieved.
Orochimaru frowned.
Failed?
What went wrong?
But he didn't have time to investigate. The old man in front of him, though no longer at his peak, still couldn't be underestimated.
The coffin doors slowly creaked open, revealing the identities of the two summoned.
"Shodai-sama…"
Hiruzen looked at the red-armored man in shock. As for the other one, based on his attire, it was clearly the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, who had been ambushed and killed by Pakura and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru smugly inserted talismans into the back of their heads. "Sarutobi-sensei, are you satisfied with this gift?"
"You dare to toy with the dead, Orochimaru… You must die today!"
Although he spoke harshly, Hiruzen's expression grew graver.
One Orochimaru was already a major threat. With two Kage-level opponents now in play, if he wasn't careful, forget killing Orochimaru—he'd die here himself.
Fortunately, it seemed Orochimaru hadn't fully perfected Impure World Reincarnation. The Shodai's presence lacked that overwhelming life force. If he had it, surrender would be the only option.
Elsewhere.
Senju Tobirama also felt a force trying to summon him.
"Someone's trying to use Impure World Reincarnation to summon me?"
Tobirama quickly figured it out and guessed it was Orochimaru's doing, his expression immediately turning cold.
He'd originally planned to turn a blind eye and not meddle. But now someone wanted to use his power against Konoha?
Unforgivable!
Just as he was about to act, a force locked him in place. Yami's cold voice echoed in his mind.
"Don't get involved."
Yami had acted, and Tobirama couldn't break free.
He could only sigh.
…
In just a few minutes, Yami had already fought his way out of the gymnasium and across the village.
The barrier had been broken by Orochimaru's forces, and enemy reinforcements were pouring in. The majority were Iwa forces, numbering in the hundreds.
This was Iwagakure's style. Every battle, they threw in as many shinobi as they could to crush the opposition with numbers.
Crackle!
Blue lightning exploded in front of the Iwa troops, sweeping across them with snowflakes and screams trailing behind.
In mere seconds, dozens fell. It was as if the Shinigami himself had descended to harvest lives.
Han, the Steam Ninja stationed in the rear, roared in fury. Steam burst from the vents in his armor, launching him forward. He blocked the path of the blue thunder and threw a punch.
Bang!
The blue lightning clashed with Han in a heavy thud.
Han was sent flying backward. His feet tore through the ground, carving out deep grooves. He slid dozens of meters before barely managing to stop.
Yami reappeared, standing where he had landed. He casually shook his hands and spoke flatly.
"Steam Ninja? Not bad, pretty tough."
Han's face darkened.
He was the one who got knocked away, yet this brat's "praise" sounded like mockery in his ears.
(To be continued.)
***
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