'He used such a terrifyingly powerful ninjutsu just now without any hand seals...'
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared intently at Lexon, his thoughts racing.
He had seen Lexon's actions clearly. Normally, with the fireball so close, there would have been no time at all to form hand seals.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, lauded as the "Ninjutsu Expert," believed that at best, he could have only managed to form a weak, minor jutsu in that time.
But the reality was that Uchiha Lexon had used a C-rank jutsu with power comparable to an S-rank jutsu without hand seals...
'Was his seal speed just too fast for me to see?'
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't sure.
A drop of sweat trickled down his forehead and fell to the ground.
It was hard to tell if it was from tension or the scorching heat.
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen was certain: this person, Uchiha Lexon, was strong. Very strong...
'An almost-instant, powerful ninjutsu. Terrifying chakra reserves that allow him to use S-rank jutsu with ease. And a Mangekyo Sharingan he hasn't even used yet...'
'His strength is beyond my expectations. Taking him down... will be anything but easy!'
How could Sarutobi Hiruzen have known that the ninjutsu Lexon acquired through check-ins didn't require hand seals?
It was an anomaly... ah, but not really. After all, in the later stages of Naruto, ninja barely used hand seals; they'd just wave a hand for show, and the jutsu would come out.
The ones who still used hand seals late in the story were basically the honest types, like the "Akatsuki" member, Kisame Hoshigaki...
'Dammit... and it had to be at a time when the Sannin are all gone and the next generation hasn't fully matured...'
Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts were a bit frayed as he looked at Lexon.
'And... Danzo is also out of commission... If he came to help, he might not even be on my side...'
"Enma!"
Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted.
As his voice fell, a monkey rushed over, transforming into a long staff in mid-air and landing in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand.
"Catch Aoba."
He tossed the injured, unconscious Aoba in his arms toward another of his subordinates.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
A Jonin caught Aoba and retreated, taking him for medical treatment.
"What is your ultimate goal?" Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Lexon, asking again.
"You're the one who picked a fight with me. I don't have a goal," Lexon replied leisurely from his higher position, looking down on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
In truth, Lexon hadn't really intended to fight Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Because the Main God Space's main mission was related to Konoha, Lexon didn't want to deliberately sour his relationship with the village.
Besides, Naruto and Sasuke, two kids he didn't dislike, were ultimately from Konoha. If he wanted to interact with them in the future, it would be troublesome if his relationship with Konoha was too bad.
However, if Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to fight, Lexon naturally wouldn't hide. He was more than happy to oblige.
After all, only by displaying an appropriate level of strength could he get the other party to "communicate reasonably" with him.
With his current strength, he had no fear of a weakened Konoha.
"Adamantine Staff: Raging Storm!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was now completely convinced that Lexon had an ulterior motive and was the culprit who had controlled the Nine-Tails to destroy Konoha seven years ago. He wouldn't hold back in the slightest.
He suddenly spun the thick, long staff with both hands, like rapidly rotating fan blades, instantly generating a violent gale, turning the surrounding air currents into a spiral vortex.
Lexon, who had been standing, suddenly felt a strong pulling force. His entire body was instantly, uncontrollably, drawn in by the raging wind.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
The moment Lexon was pulled in by the wind, Sarutobi Hiruzen kept one hand spinning the staff while the other formed hand seals with a single hand.
In the next instant, four figures identical to Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared beside him, only these four shadow clones were not holding staves like the main body.
'Going for a big move?'
Lexon's clothes and hair fluttered, his face showing no sign of panic as he mused in mid-air.
As if sensing Lexon had been pulled into range, Sarutobi Hiruzen instantly dismissed his summon, and the staff in his hand vanished.
"Five Style: Great Combo Bullet Jutsu!"
The five Sarutobi Hiruzen figures spoke in unison. The seals for the technique were quickly completed.
Instantly, powerful jutsu of five different natures—fire, lightning, water, earth, and wind—erupted from the mouths of the different Sarutobi Hiruzens.
As the "Ninjutsu Expert," Sarutobi Hiruzen was proficient in all chakra natures and could use powerful jutsu of each!
In an instant, flames surged, lightning leaped, water rushed, earth flowed, and wind howled...
A scene like the end of the world appeared before them.
The jutsu attacked Lexon from five directions at once!
"What a powerful attack!"
"With a ninjutsu that strong, he's definitely dead!"
"He's done for!"
The surrounding Jonin couldn't help but cheer.
'Lord Hokage is truly powerful when he's serious!'
However, their cheering and optimism were not shared by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
His face remained serious and calm.
"Very strong..."
Lexon's calm voice rang out. Faced with such an attack, he was completely unfazed!
A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.
In that split second, the image reflected in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flashed with a hint of green. Then, his vision was obscured by the intense, blinding light from the explosion of his own powerful jutsu.
A deafening boom.
This time, the entire village of Konoha heard the sound.
The explosion instantly kicked up clouds of dust and smoke, and a violent shockwave spread out in all directions.
"Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage!"
The second after the explosion, the Hyuga clan ninja with the Byakugan seemed to see something and shouted excitedly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and looked at him.
"Chakra! Surging chakra!"
The Byakugan ninja pointed frantically in Lexon's direction.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's frown deepened.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A Jonin used the ninjutsu's gale to blow away the dust and smoke from the explosion.
After the smoke cleared, a scene that left everyone dumbfounded was revealed...
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but show a look of shock.
Chakra, so dense it was tangible, had condensed into a dark-green, ferocious-looking, half-bodied giant. The giant's chest was covered by armor, and its right arm held a spiral spear.
This was what Shisui's Susanoo looked like. Since Lexon's Mangekyo Sharingan was Shisui's, the Susanoo it produced was naturally identical.
Although a Susanoo was a rare sight, for the well-informed "Ninjutsu Expert" Sarutobi Hiruzen, it wasn't a completely shocking thing.
What shocked him...
...was the bright red shell covering the dark-green Susanoo.
Bright red chakra tightly enveloped the dark-green Susanoo, forming a set of crimson armor for it.
Red and green intertwined.
The aura it exuded was even greater than the aura of the Nine-Tails when it rampaged through the village seven years ago.
"Lord Hokage... That's!..."
The Byakugan ninja's voice was trembling.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra..."
After the shock, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face became incredibly grave.
He recognized the source of the red chakra armor covering Lexon's Susanoo. It was something Sarutobi Hiruzen was very familiar with.
To this day, he had not forgotten that night seven years ago...
That orange-red fox...
The Nine-Tails!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]