Chapter 79: Fierce Battle with the Hokage
Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaping across the rooftops, wore an expression as dark as water, his eyes as sharp as blades. As Hokage, he had to consider the situation from every angle. With Kumogakure now making a move on a Jinchuriki, he had to handle this perfectly. Otherwise, it could lead to unimaginable consequences—the worst of which would be another war.
With the Uchiha having just defected, Konoha needed time to recover and consolidate. It could not afford to be dragged into a new conflict. From this moment on, every decision he made had to be weighed with extreme care.
'Lightning Release Chakra Mode? Is this masked man also a Cloud ninja? Who could he be? To be able to snatch Naruto from under heavy guard, this person's strength is not to be underestimated. When did the Cloud produce such a master?'
'I can only hope that the Uchiha clan's defection has nothing to do with the Cloud.'
Staring at the distant figure of Neji, who was carrying Naruto and moving at high speed, Hiruzen's mind filled with questions. The Uchiha's defection was a foregone conclusion. While it was far from the outcome he wanted, he had to accept reality. Hiruzen just hoped that after leaving, the Uchiha would go to a smaller country and establish their own village, or perhaps join a minor village like Amegakure or Takigakure.
If that were the case, the Uchiha would be no great threat. In fact, Konoha wouldn't even need to act; the various powers coveting the Sharingan would deal them a heavy blow.
But if they joined one of the other four great nations, especially Iwagakure or Kumogakure, Konoha's position as the number one ninja village would be in jeopardy.
At this moment, Hiruzen glanced back at the shinobi following him. After such a long, high-speed chase, the only ones who had managed to keep up were the elites from the Hyūga, the Ino-Shika-Chō, and other clans—a mere twenty or so individuals, the youngest of whom was in their thirties.
'If only Minato were still alive... or if my three students were still here... how would we allow the Cloud to be so brazen?'
A bitter expression crossed Hiruzen's aged face. Ever since the Nine-Tails attack, Konoha had been on a downward slope. The village's main pillars were dead, had left, or had run off. The younger generation was almost completely devoid of usable talent. The lack of a successor was one of the greatest problems looming over him.
Collecting his thoughts, a sharp light returned to Hiruzen's world-weary eyes. Bearing the title of Hokage, he had to lead by example, to forge ahead without a trace of hesitation or cowardice.
'He's almost out of the village. I have to stop him here!'
His mind made up, Hiruzen bit his thumb, his hands flying through seals at an incredible speed. "Summoning Jutsu!" he growled.
POOF!
A monkey the size of a full-grown man appeared in a cloud of white smoke. With swift, agile movements, Monkey King Enma landed beside the still-rushing Hiruzen. "Sarutobi, what's the enemy's origin?"
Hiruzen's gaze was fixed on the white-lightning blur in the distance. "Enma, the enemy is a master of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and is extremely fast. Transform into the Adamantine Staff and help me stop him!"
"I understand." Enma knew Hiruzen wouldn't summon him for a trivial matter. The situation was clearly urgent, and he didn't hesitate. "Transform!"
Another puff of white smoke exploded, and Enma vanished, replaced by a long, dark staff. Hiruzen and Enma had worked together for decades, their coordination flawless. The instant Enma transformed, Hiruzen leaped, landing on the staff. The Adamantine Staff immediately extended, carrying Hiruzen forward at a phenomenal speed.
The staff could extend and retract freely at incredible speeds. In the blink of an eye, it had closed the distance and was right behind Neji.
"What?!" Neji was shocked as he saw the Third Hokage suddenly cross several hundred meters to catch up.
With his chakra running on fumes, he knew it was only a matter of time before he was caught, but he hadn't expected it to be so sudden. Neji's own speed was immense—he had even left Yugito far behind—but he never thought the Third would use Enma to catch him like this.
At the same moment, Hiruzen took a deep breath, his chest puffing out. "Fire Style: Great Flame Barrage Jutsu!" he roared.
Fire-style jutsu were largely similar; the main difference was their scale and power. The Great Flame Barrage was a secret jutsu passed down in the Sarutobi clan, and its power was terrifying. In an instant, Hiruzen unleashed several waves of scorching fire, which immediately engulfed Neji.
Fortunately, Neji's reaction speed was fast. The moment Hiruzen had appeared behind him, he had used a Lightning Clone Jutsu. His real body changed trajectory, avoiding the all-consuming inferno.
Neji, with Naruto tucked under his arm, landed steadily on a roof, staring at the blazing fire that lit up half the sky. His brow furrowed. "So this is the power of a shinobi at the pinnacle of the world."
Judging by the scale of that jutsu, the Third's chakra reserves were still plentiful, not yet significantly diminished by age. He was a master of nearly all five basic nature transformations and had decades of combat experience. It was easy to imagine how terrifying he was. People said the Third was old, but no one wanted to fight him. If it came down to it, Hiruzen could use the Reaper Death Seal, a jutsu that could take down even someone like Nagato.
Hiruzen landed on an opposing rooftop, holding the man-sized Adamantine Staff, and stared coldly at Neji.
Neji spoke in his hoarse disguise, "I never expected to draw the personal attention of Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen's voice was sharp. "You dare to lay a hand on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. No matter who you are, Konoha will not let you go."
Feeling the killing intent radiating from Hiruzen, the expression under Neji's mask grew heavy. He didn't know how well Yugito had synchronized with the Two-Tails, or if she could transfer its chakra to others. If he could get a boost of Tailed Beast chakra, he might have a chance. But as he thought it, his rational mind told him it was unrealistic. He remembered from the original story that only Naruto could share the Nine-Tails' chakra with others; even a perfect Jinchuriki like Killer Bee couldn't do it, let alone Yugito, who was not a perfect host.
Sensing Hiruzen's aura growing stronger, Neji's expression hardened. He had to strike first. His only advantage was that Hiruzen knew nothing about the Tenseigan's abilities. If he could seize the initiative and catch him off guard with its bizarre powers, he might have a chance to escape. Otherwise, his only option was to be captured and wait for the Fourth Raikage to ransom him.
With this thought, Neji quickly extended his right hand, secretly activating the Tenseigan's attractive force, but shouted, "Wind Style: Suction Palm Jutsu!"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. He was "The Professor" of ninjutsu; he knew every mainstream Wind Style technique and even many of the secret techniques from other clans. But he had never heard of a "Suction Palm Jutsu."
As Neji's voice fell, the invisible attractive force grabbed Hiruzen like a giant hand. Hiruzen's expression changed dramatically as he felt his body being pulled uncontrollably toward Neji. 'This ability is Wind Style?'
The instant Hiruzen's feet left the rooftop, Neji's right fist shot forward. "Divine Air Strike!"
A sharp sonic boom echoed as a pale blue orb of force shot from his body, flying straight at the Third. Caught in mid-air, Hiruzen had no leverage and could only swing the Adamantine Staff to smash the orb.
BOOM!
The air seemed to explode. Hiruzen was sent flying backward, smashing through a wall and disappearing into a civilian's home.
"Did it work?" Neji frowned. If the Divine Air Strike had truly hit the Third, he would be half-dead, even if it wasn't a fatal blow. While it was true that Hiruzen had never seen the Tenseigan's attraction or the Divine Air Strike, and being caught off guard was normal, Neji couldn't help but feel it had been too easy.
"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Prison Dome!" a majestic voice suddenly rang out.
RUMBLE!
With a series of roars, the earth surged, and a massive dome rose from the ground, trapping Neji inside. Then, Hiruzen, holding his staff, emerged from the earth and looked coldly at Neji.
Neji's face turned grim. The one he had just blown away was clearly a Shadow Clone. The Shadow Clone Jutsu was such a broken ability that even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki couldn't see through it, let alone the current Neji. What he hadn't expected was that a ninja at the pinnacle of the world like Hiruzen, facing an opponent who was nearly out of chakra after a series of hard battles, would immediately resort to using a clone as bait while his real body hid for a sneak attack.
He was too cautious. Too devious.
"The abilities you just used were very strange. Let me see them again," Hiruzen said, brandishing his staff, his eyes filled with curiosity. The memories from his destroyed clone had astonished "The Professor." The clone was stronger than an average elite Jōnin, yet it had been destroyed in a single exchange. The indefensible attractive force and that taijutsu that was both hard and soft... these two unknown abilities had piqued his curiosity.
Of course, Hiruzen's calm demeanor was predicated on the belief that Neji was now a turtle in a jar, with no means of escape.
Neji remained silent, his face grim as he formed hand seals. "Lightning Style: Black Panther!" he shouted.
In an instant, violent black lightning converged in his palm, crackling loudly.
"A lightning-nature transformation... That's Black Lightning! Are you a successor of the Third Raikage?" Seeing this, Hiruzen's mind flashed to the Third Raikage who had died on the battlefield. His gaze on Neji sharpened.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Black Lightning. That strange attraction and powerful taijutsu. The number of trump cards this mysterious ninja had was endless. He was a treasure trove of information.
He must be captured alive.
First, it would give Konoha more leverage when negotiating with the Fourth Raikage. Second, if they could interrogate him, the village might gain insight into Kumogakure's secret jutsu.
The black lightning in Neji's palm formed into a panther, but instead of pouncing on Hiruzen, it turned and slammed into the earthen wall behind him. He knew a fight with the Third in this confined space was a losing battle. He had to break the barrier and escape.
Hiruzen saw Neji's intention and chuckled, pressing one hand against the wall and continuously pouring chakra into it.
ROAR!
The Black Panther slammed into the wall, as if biting into indestructible stone. It was nothing like the ease with which it had torn through Kakashi's mud wall. With Hiruzen constantly supplying chakra to repair the dome, the panther's destructive speed couldn't keep up with the restoration.
Realizing this, Neji's heart sank.
Uchiha District.
"It was you! You're the one?!" Fugaku stared at the mysterious masked man, his eyes crimson and streaming tears of blood.
In that one instant, Fugaku believed he understood everything. This man was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails attack. He was also the one who had killed Itachi. This man was an Uchiha, but Fugaku was certain he was not one from the village. Over the course of several wars, many Uchiha had either died in battle or gone missing. This masked man was likely an Uchiha who had been lost during a war and had betrayed the clan.
Obito, surprised by the pure hatred rolling off Fugaku, was momentarily confused. But it no longer mattered. Since he had decided to intervene, there was no chance Fugaku was leaving here alive.
Beside him, Danzō glanced at Obito, a barely perceptible killing intent in his eye. Obito had killed Itachi and framed him for it. While this had succeeded in forcing a final confrontation between Hiruzen and the Uchiha—a good outcome, from his perspective—Obito was clearly a hidden threat to the village's stability.
To Danzō, all Uchiha were evil and had to be eliminated. This mysterious Uchiha was no exception. It was just a matter of timing. Only after dealing with Fugaku and the defecting clan could he turn his attention to this one.
Though the three had different motives, Danzō and Obito were, for the moment, allied. Fugaku, realizing the situation was against him, decided to strike first.
"Takemikazuchi!"
A line of blood trickled from his eye as dozens of lightning pillars shot from his Susanoo, raining down on Obito and Danzō. Obito merely chuckled, standing perfectly still. Unless one could counter Kamui, no attack, no matter how strong, could harm him.
Danzō, however, paled. He stomped his foot and leaped back, narrowly dodging the lightning. But his summon, Baku, was too large and clumsy to evade. In an instant, it was engulfed by the thunder. Just as Danzō was about to order it back to the summoning realm, the Susanoo's giant hand shot out, brutally clamping down on Baku's hind legs.
"Baku!" Danzō's expression changed.
"Amaterasu!" A cluster of black flames appeared on Baku's head.
The black flames were devastatingly effective against large summons. Baku let out a terrifying, beastial shriek, collapsing to the ground and thrashing violently.
Fugaku showed no mercy. He raised his lightning-wreathed Susanoo blade high, aimed at Baku's neck, and brought it down.
SQUELCH!
With a ferocious and decisive slash, the giant summoning beast was cut in two, not even given the chance to disperse. Its piteous cry echoed as blood splattered everywhere. The two halves of its body were a ghastly sight.
"Baku?!"
Danzō's heart sank. Baku had been with him for decades. While it wasn't as strong as the summons from the three great sage regions, it was perfectly compatible with his own jutsu, creating a "one plus one equals more than two" effect. He never thought it would be killed here by Fugaku.
A brief moment of heartache passed, replaced by a thick, heavy greed in Danzō's eyes. Baku was gone, but if he could just obtain Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan, his own power would only increase.
That was Danzō. He was obsessed with the Uchiha's power, and even at a time like this, he was coveting Fugaku's eyes.
Hah!
Taking a deep breath, Danzō gripped his kunai, pushed off the ground, and leaped into the air, stabbing fiercely toward the Susanoo.