White lightning erupted right in front of The Third, scattering like glowing embers.
The commotion was significant and drew the attention of many.
Saitama had already retreated beyond the explosion's range but kept his gaze fixed on the center of the blast.
He needed to be sure his Ninjutsu hit this time—unlike the last.
His Sharingan glowing crimson, he spotted within the brilliant white light a figure seemingly unable to dodge any longer.
[Hakke Kuin!]
The shockwave surged outward, kicking up countless dust particles from the ground.
Saitama also noticed a squad of Konoha ninja charging toward them from the direction they had come. However, it didn't concern him since he couldn't sense any strong presences among them.
The explosion came swiftly and vanished just as fast!
In an instant, Saitama reappeared at its epicenter, scanning for The Third.
The blast had caved the ground downward several meters, forming a deep crater. At the bottom lay Saitama's intended target.
A figure clad in battered Ninja Armor—the Old Man—lay there, exposed skin charred black and smelling faintly of grilled meat.
Standing on the edge of the pit, Saitama gazed down at the Old Man with no particular expression on his face.
Killing an enemy gave him satisfaction, pure and simple—no room for guilt.
"Lord Third!"
Behind Saitama, the voice of Hizashi of the Hyuga clan rang out.
With Byakugan eyes wide open, he stood there flanked by several alert ninjas, halting dozens of meters away from Saitama.
He had seen what happened inside the crater through his Byakugan, prompting him to cry out involuntarily.
Unbothered by the commotion behind him, Saitama leapt into the crater. He needed to confirm whether The Third was truly dead or not.
It's called finishing off a wounded foe—what some would call a mercy strike.
[Clack!]
Although The Third's body lay motionless on the ground without emitting the slightest breath, Saitama remained vigilant.
Crackling arcs of electricity danced around his body as he stepped slowly forward.
[Zap!]
A meter away from The Third, Saitama halted. As if recalling something, he flicked his right hand, hurling a spear made entirely of lightning forward. It impaled The Third's chest to the ground.
Yet The Third neither dodged nor reacted at all, resembling a lifeless corpse.
"Is he really dead then?"
Saitama mused inwardly, looking at The Third lying still, pierced straight through the chest by his own technique.
"It's over!"
After waiting a few more seconds, Saitama continued stepping closer.
Since The Third was now gone, he could gather some items to prepare for future major battles.
Although aged, The Third was still a rare fighter capable of becoming a formidable force in the battles yet to come.
"Hmm?"
As Saitama stood beside The Third's corpse, preparing to squat down and collect what he needed, he suddenly saw The Third's eyes snap open.
Instantly, Saitama knew something was wrong.
[Crack!]
Behind Saitama, the ground erupted as Enma burst forth, aiming to cut off his escape route.
"Hmph!"
Enma was drenched in blood but remained fearless. He lunged forward and tightly embraced Saitama, enduring the electrifying shocks coursing through his body from Saitama's aura.
"I've already said," the old warrior growled, "even in death, I will take you with me! I won't allow you to remain and continue devastating Konoha!"
As soon as his eyes snapped open, Third Hokage leapt up and lunged at Saitama.
Blood poured nonstop from the gaping wound Saitama had torn through his chest.
He had made his choice—no matter how bad he was hurt, he'd trade his life for Saitama's.
His face was pale and lined with fatigue, but his eyes burned with unyielding resolve.
"As long as leaves dance in the wind, fire will burn. Its light will guide the village, where new leaves will always grow. True strength awakens when one fights to protect what they hold dear."
"Now, it's my turn to become that flame, lighting the path forward for our village! This is the duty of the Hokage—and my solemn responsibility!"
"Saitama Uchiha, perish here with me!"
Third tightly wrapped his arms around Saitama, channeling all remaining chakra into his grip to prevent the younger man from breaking free.
From within his Ninja Armor came the familiar crackling sound of Explosive Tags igniting.
"Konoha isn't just an organization to me. Every year, Konoha nurtures countless ninja who fight and sacrifice themselves to protect their village and loved ones. Even without blood ties, everyone in this village is family to me. Even if I die, the pillar supporting this village won't fall, for I am the inheritor of the First and Second Hokages' spirits—I am the Third Hokage. No matter how much you destroy Konoha Village, new Hokages carrying on my spirit will rise as pillars to defend this nation."
Leaning close to Saitama's ear, Third spoke with ironclad determination.
In his eyes shone warmth filled with memories.
Saitama Uchiha absolutely could not be allowed to live—this conviction had solidified throughout today's battle.
"That's merely your personal opinion. Some things exist only as illusions in certain people's minds."
"This village, this country, this entire world must change! And I am the one fated to make that happen! Therefore, I won't easily die here!"
Though held tightly by both Enma and Third from front and back, Saitama didn't struggle at all, maintaining an unusually calm expression despite the burning Explosive Tags before his eyes!
[Electric Shock]
"Then first, get through me!"
Third's voice gradually deepened, his chest wound continuously losing blood, steadily pushing him closer toward death.
He'd already survived one of Saitama's jutsu—and took another head-on just to get close enough. That only sped up his death.
"If I don't wish to die, there are few in the entire Shinobi World who could truly kill me—and obviously, Third Hokage, you're not one of them!"
Saitama's Mangekyō gradually emitted a crimson glow. The explosive tags wrapped around The Third's body began to emit light.
The explosion erupted instantly, engulfing the two humans and one ape locked tightly together.
"Boom!"
Before the eyes of Hizashi Hyūga and others, another massive explosion occurred inside the crater, sending waves of dust flying.
"Lord Third!"
Hayato rushed to the edge of the crater, peering down anxiously.
The smoke from the blast slowly dissipated, while Saitama appeared on the opposite side of the crater, facing off against Hizashi Hyūga from a distance, seemingly unscathed.
"Huff!"
Crouching on the ground, he exhaled deeply.
His gaze fell into the crater, locking onto The Third's figure. Those broken bodies captured most of his attention, and his face darkened in anger.
Didn't expect to get tricked at the last moment! Without the power of the Mangekyō's dojutsu, he would've suffered grave injuries from that explosion alone.
An explosion no less intense than that from the previous Lightning Clone—this was The Third's trump card, his final move.
"It's over!"
Saitama raised his gaze, looking toward that somewhat familiar-looking Hyūga ninja across from him.
Likewise, Hizashi Hyūga maintained an alert expression as he stared back. Separated by a crater, they locked eyes, tension crackling in the air between them.
In the end, it was Saitama who made the first move. His figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
"He's coming!"
Instantly, Hizashi activated his Byakugan, assuming the opening stance of the Eight Trigrams Palm.
This man before him had just defeated The Third—an enemy rogue ninja from the Uchiha Clan, now the greatest threat. Although unsure how much strength this foe had preserved after battling The Third, Hayato knew he must bring forth his full power to face him.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of white light zipped past. Within Hizashi's Byakugan vision, Saitama's chakra crossed a great distance and arrived right before him.
[Eight Trigrams...]
[Poom!]
Midway through chanting, a glowing circle of Eight Trigrams flickered beneath Hayato's feet, visible only to his own eyes.
Yet before he could act, Saitama's attack struck.
A foot laced with lightning smashed fiercely into Hayato's face—an attack so fast that even with the Byakugan, Hayato couldn't evade.
"Boom!"
Hizashi Hayato flew backward like a cannonball, crashing violently into a nearby stone wall.
"Cough… cough, cough!"
Amidst swirling dust, Hayato coughed audibly, spitting out blood with every strained breath.
"Zzzt!"
Locking eyes on Hayato, Saitama raised his right arm to shoulder level, forming a spear shaft forged purely from lightning.
"Hmph!"
He twisted his waist, then hurled the jutsu forward with full force—a direct strike aimed at that familiar-looking Hyūga ninja recently kicked away.
"Boom!"
Another deafening bang echoed. Hayato's voice weakened until no sound came forth.
"Captain!"
By now, the remaining few Konoha shinobi finally reacted, staring in disbelief toward where Hayato lay.
"Hmm..."
Saitama was about to finish off the Konoha ninja with a few more strikes when his eyes suddenly felt weak and swollen. A wave of dizziness followed.
"My ocular power is nearly depleted... This is a bit problematic!"
The [Mangekyou pattern] in Saitama's eyes gradually faded, reverting back to the original [Three-Tomoe state].
His eyes had been heavily drained from repeated use of [dojutsu].
Especially during the Third's final attack earlier, Saitama had once again activated his ocular technique, consuming what little power remained.
Although his physical constitution allowed gradual recovery of this ability, it was clear this wouldn't happen quickly.
"Now what..."
The Konoha ninja exchanged glances, appearing somewhat at a loss.
The enemy stood right before them, yet the gap in strength between them was simply too vast for a small group to overcome.
Most importantly, they weren't battle-oriented ninja — Shikaku had dispatched them as scouts and messengers.
Their mission had merely been to follow Hayato at a distance and relay battlefield intelligence back.
However, their team leader Hayato had been instantly killed in two moves upon spotting the enemy, his fate still unknown.
Moreover, even the former Hokage had already fallen at this enemy's hands.
The Old Man, known as "the Ninja Sage", who had served as Hokage for decades, now lay motionless on the ground, his body mangled beyond recognition, having lost all signs of life.
"End this quickly and leave."
Resolving on a course of action, Saitama fixed his gaze once more on the distant ninja.
"Whoosh!"
His figure vanished. White arcs of electricity flickered through the air, creating an effect akin to an intense static discharge.
Then, each ninja clutched their necks and fell to their knees with a thud, gradually losing consciousness.
In an instant, Saitama sliced through all their necks, killing them instantly.
"Orochimaru..."
Having easily handled this situation, Saitama could feel his body's fatigue and weakness increasing, yet he still turned toward where Orochimaru's chakra signature lingered.
Orochimaru's chakra felt chaotic — he definitely wasn't in good shape.
"Clack! Clack! Clack!"
After several leaps onto the stone wall, he sprinted toward that direction.
Though Orochimaru was strong, his opponent was Jiraiya, the man who had mastered sage arts.
Saitama still believed Orochimaru would likely be at a disadvantage, so he decided to assist and bring this chaos to an earlier conclusion.
By now, the sky had become gloomy, nearing nighttime, with dark clouds gradually forming overhead.
Ordinary vision had begun to suffer from poor visibility, but for Saitama who had mastered sage arts, this made no difference whatsoever.
The markings of sage arts on his face had already disappeared, with most of the golden hue near his pupils also gone, leaving only a faint trace of pale gold remaining.
He had exited [Sage Mode] after the Third's explosion and his last use of [dojutsu].
His body was worn out from overuse, and his mind was just as drained. His control over Sage Art chakra had reached a critical point.
Though he could still stay in Sage mode, Saitama felt off—his form wasn't perfect.
Saitama simply climbed over the cliff, bypassing the area where he previously fought Kakashi and others.
He sensed the presence of Konoha ninja there, so he decided not to go back to deliver finishing blows. He couldn't tell who was out there, and getting closer now would just invite trouble.
...
"Haha! Jiraiya! Die!"
Orochimaru held a long sword, impaling Jiraiya's shoulder while revealing cold murderous intent in his eyes. He yanked the blade free and slashed at Jiraiya's throat.
Several snakes tightly coiled around Jiraiya's body.
Jiraiya's white hair shielded key areas, keeping the snakes from hitting his vital points.
[Ninjutsu - Needle Jizo!]
Jiraiya showed no fear. Though pushed this far by Orochimaru, he still had a countermove.
As he clasped his hands before his chest, the white hair covering his body instantly hardened and extended, piercing through the constricting pythons and turning them into white smoke.
But it didn't end there. The white hair acted like a cape, wrapping completely around his body.
"Clang!"
Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword struck Jiraiya's hardened hair, producing a crisp metallic sound.
"Hmm?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. Just as he prepared to withdraw, Jiraiya's counterattack arrived instantly.
[Wild Lion's Mane Technique!]
The hair behind him transformed into lion-like heads, sweeping toward Orochimaru who stood right before him.
The close distance and incredible speed ensured that this attack would be nearly impossible for Orochimaru to evade.
In an instant, Jiraiya's hair completely ensnared Orochimaru.
"Tsk tsk tsk!"
At the moment Jiraiya entangled Orochimaru, he formed another hand seal. Countless strands of hair became like silver needles, directly piercing into Orochimaru's body with the sound of sharp objects penetrating flesh.
"Hehehe..."
Orochimaru stretched his mouth wide, blood trickling from the corners.
However, as if unaffected by the wounds, he launched another attack immediately.
With a sweep of his right hand, the blade coated in blue chakra severed Jiraiya's hair.
"Whoosh!"
Orochimaru retreated backward. The white hair wrapped around him gradually loosened and slowly fell to the ground as Jiraiya lost control over it.
Jiraiya didn't pursue. His hair slowly returned to normal.
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