Chapter 107: The Trampled Will of Fire
Flames soared into the sky.
Thanks to Asuma's insistence, civilians had been forcibly evacuated in advance. The crumbling buildings and the chakra storms from jutsu clashes hadn't affected the innocent.
However,
The invading shinobi hadn't targeted civilians to begin with. Taking advantage of ANBU's delayed response, several Iwagakure squads had already infiltrated key facilities. The power plant exploded, and fire began to spread.
The enemy ninjas who had been lying in wait were intercepted after their first two waves of attacks by Konoha's rapidly responding forces.
Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation—
"As expected of the strongest Hokage, to be able to block my Lightning Release."
A mocking voice rang out.
The Raikage, A, cloaked in the armor of his most powerful Lightning Release, moved at speeds incomprehensible to the eye.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Countless shuriken were hurled, forming an inescapable iron web.
With speed on his side, he opted for wide-range suppression.
Heavy Current Assault.
A surge of wild Lightning Chakra gathered at his elbow and in an instant swept through the flying shuriken, slamming into Hiruzen Sarutobi's stomach.
But the struck Hiruzen turned into a puddle of mud.
"The clans of Konoha were prepared for your attacks. ANBU, the Barrier Corps, and even Root—just the few of you who managed to infiltrate Konoha are no threat."
As he spoke, Hiruzen spat a blazing fire dragon to force A back.
Relief surged through him—close call.
If not for Asuma's persistent warnings, the damage to Konoha could've been catastrophic.
"I was worried the great Konoha would have some trick up its sleeve. Turns out I worried for nothing."
Onoki sneered.
His stone fist crashed into the platform, shattering tiles, but Jiraiya dodged it with ease.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Konoha's shinobi—most of them aren't even wearing equipment. Even with superior numbers, they won't be able to withstand us."
As if on cue,
A bloodied ANBU staggered to the edge of the platform and, from beyond the Violet Flames, reported:
"Lord Shikaku, the eastern defense line has fallen. Fifty-nine ANBU dead, fifty-four Chūnin, five Jōnin."
Shikaku's face twisted in disbelief. "Impossible. I assigned elite ANBU to the eastern front. Was it Yellow Earth leading the Iwa forces?"
As Konoha's tactician, he had personally selected those ninja.
Be it their jutsu combinations or combat ability, even someone like Yellow Earth shouldn't have been able to break through that quickly.
"No, just regular Iwagakure shinobi."
Even through his mask, the ANBU's despair was palpable. "Their chakra signatures were like ours—perhaps even weaker."
"But… they wore strange armor that seemed to enhance their abilities. We couldn't stop them."
Over fifty ANBU were dead, while the enemy had lost barely a dozen.
The disparity was staggering.
The ANBU pulled out a broken piece of armor, hands trembling, and offered it to Shikaku.
The moment Shikaku took it, a string of black text flashed through his mind.
It was the armor's stats: Energy +30.
He had heard of gear tier classifications before. This green-tier armor alone had flipped the battle?
He yanked off the family pendant around his neck.
"Take this to the Nara Clan. Tell them to reinforce the eastern front."
Inside the Four Violet Flames, A and Onoki had deliberately slowed their attacks, letting the devastating news filter in unfiltered to Hiruzen.
"Armor… equipment?"
Hiruzen's lips trembled as he looked toward the smoke-choked east. Flames billowed across the skyline.
Regret overwhelmed him.
He had refused Asuma's advice, neglected to develop life skills in the village, and left his shinobi to fight barehanded.
The difference was this stark?
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen asked, "Jiraiya, did I make a mistake?"
"Focus, old man."
Jiraiya, frowning, narrowly dodged Onoki's Dust Release attack.
Onoki was careful to avoid damaging the Four Violet Flames, preserving the barrier and causing the ANBU outside to grow increasingly anxious.
Soon after,
Another ANBU reported—Konoha's western line had also collapsed.
"Cloud ninja wore odd leather armor and moved at terrifying speed. We couldn't stop them at all!"
Hearing this,
Hiruzen's breath grew ragged. He knew the priority was defeating A and Onoki, but his heart ached.
His poor decisions had cost countless lives.
Unlike Danzo, he wasn't cold-blooded. He had selfish motives, but he still loved the village.
Summoning Technique: Enma the Monkey King!
Smoke exploded. Enma had barely appeared before he transformed into the Adamantine Staff and landed in Hiruzen's hand.
Hiruzen's eyes burned red with rage. He spun the staff violently, summoning gusts of wind.
His mastery of battle techniques temporarily overwhelmed even the taijutsu master Raikage.
"Mizukage, still not going to act?"
A roared in frustration.
Mei Terumi merely smiled, standing silently in the corner of the Violet Flames. She said nothing.
The two sides were evenly matched. She was the deciding factor.
But she had no intention of helping either side. The longer this dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for Kirigakure's border forces to seize territory.
The ground shook.
A colossal figure entered their view.
Susanoo?
"The Mangekyō Sharingan—it's Sasuke!"
"To leave the game to protect the village—that's the true Will of Fire!"
Hope lit Hiruzen's eyes as he fixed his gaze on the lightning-clad giant.
And then—
Trees began growing wildly, spreading across the battlefield. A massive wooden dragon coiled toward Susanoo.
Before Onoki could even respond, Susanoo's black flame-forged blade sliced clean through the dragon.
"The opponent's a player too. That black flame—it's definitely a purple-tier skill, a level above Wood Release!"
Onoki's face darkened.
According to intel, Konoha hadn't invested much into the Samsara Game. Hiruzen had called Sasuke the last Uchiha?
Had he poured the entire clan's legacy into the game?
Suddenly—
They all noticed the lightning giant wasn't attacking Iwa ninjas.
Instead, it carried countless Konoha ANBU on its shoulders and charged toward Konoha Prison.
"What's going on? What is he doing?!"
Hiruzen froze. Then a horrifying thought hit him like a thunderbolt.
He's going to kill Danzo, who's locked away in the prison—while Konoha is at its lowest?
Because I protected Danzo?
Because of the Uchiha massacre?
Shame and rage surged within him, and he let out a low, anguished growl.
What about the Hyuga Clan?
Why hadn't he seen any of their ninja?
Disappointment and despair nearly crushed him. He felt completely alone.
It reminded him of that night when the Nine-Tails attacked and the Uchiha Clan said nothing.
Crack!
Lost in thought for only a moment, he was caught off guard. A's lightning-coated fist smashed into his face.
Hiruzen was sent flying. As he struggled to his feet, his face was unrecognizable.
Countless dead shinobi. A ruined village. His own disfigured form…
He began forming hand seals.
He hadn't wanted to use it—but now, he had no choice.
The Will of Fire he held so dear had been trampled again and again.
He would never allow this to continue.
"Danzo left me a forbidden jutsu for emergencies. Looks like this is the time."
Trying to preserve his final shred of dignity, Hiruzen pressed his palms together.
Two heavy coffins rose from the earth.
From within them, the souls of the dead returned to the world.
Reanimation Jutsu—Edo Tensei.
"You dare defile the dead?!"
"Hokage… meddling with time never ends well!"
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