"Roar!"
A deluge of sand swept across the arena, sending Temari—who had rushed in to help—flying. In the center of the clearing, a humanoid Tailed Beast, its body entirely encased in sand, emerged!
"Hey, hey... this is no joke!"
Genma Shiranui had no time to stop Temari from entering the fray. Cold sweat poured down his face as he stared at the humanoid Tailed Beast.
High in the spectator stands, the calm expressions of the Kazekage and Raikage vanished, replaced instantly by a bone-chilling killing intent.
Now was the time... to strike!
Spear of Placer Gold!
Lariat!
A violent explosion instantly drew the attention of the tens of thousands of people in the stadium. Thick smoke and dust erupted from the high platform where the three Kage sat.
"Lord Hokage!"
The Konoha ninja in the arena cried out in alarm, desperate to investigate.
But...
Figures suddenly surged forward, blocking their path and launching a relentless assault!
It was... the Sound and Sand ninja!
At that moment, the Konoha shinobi realized exactly what was happening. Sunagakure had betrayed their treaty once again! Not only that, but even Otogakure—a tiny village established only a few years ago—dared to pluck the tiger's whiskers!
"Temple of Nirvana Jutsu."
In the spectator stands, a figure disguised as a Konoha ANBU formed a hand seal. Countless white feathers drifted down from the sky. The confused audience members and those with weak wills were instantly plunged into a deep sleep by the genjutsu.
"Big Brother Kakashi!"
Naruto's heart raced with anxiety at the sight. He tried to rush toward the high platform, but a figure stepped in front of him.
"Master Hayama!"
Naruto saw Hayama Shiragumo and immediately pleaded for him to help Kakashi.
"Stay calm, Naruto. Lord Hokage is not a weakling," Hayama spoke calmly.
He didn't move. His intended opponent was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. It wasn't his turn to take the stage just yet.
Up on the platform, the young Hokage sat with his legs crossed and hands folded over his stomach, seemingly indifferent to the sudden ambush by the Kazekage and Raikage.
"How... is this possible?"
The Raikage gritted his teeth, staring at the man who had intercepted his strike with a single hand.
He recognized this man. Nine years ago, he was the one who had teamed up with the Hokage to kill the Two-Tails.
The Blue Beast of Prey, Might Guy.
"It seems you were well-prepared for us, Hokage. You never truly considered us allies, did you...?"
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, spoke with a grim expression. Standing before him was Shizune, wearing black metal gloves; she had stopped his Spear of Placer Gold with a single palm.
"Allies?"
"Don't make me laugh."
Kakashi remained silent, but Shizune, who stood as his shield against Rasa, let out a cold sneer.
"The Sand betrays the pact, and the Cloud breaks the treaty. Do either of you deserve the title of 'ally'? You truly are birds of a feather."
Chakra Enhanced Strength surged through her. With a sudden burst of power, the Spear of Placer Gold she held was crushed into dust by her bare hand!
Rasa's eyes narrowed at the sight.
Tsunade's Monstrous Strength...
"Rraagh! Konoha has gone too far! Don't blame us for resorting to these measures!"
The Raikage flew into a rage. Lightning chakra exploded around him as he entered his Lightning Glow Armor mode. Both his strength and speed increased dramatically as he lunged at Might Guy with a heavy steel fist!
"Gone too far?"
Kakashi finally spoke. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he slowly stood up.
In order to let the Kazekage and Raikage strike first, he had abandoned his long-standing principle of preemptive action.
"When you do something wrong, you must be punished. If you can't handle the penalty, you shouldn't have made the choice in the first place."
His white haori, embroidered with flickering flames, snapped loudly in the wind. Kakashi looked down at the Konoha ninja fighting in the stands and spoke in a calm, steady voice:
"Do not let down my expectations."
"Now, show me. To resist Konoha's punishment, what tricks do you have up your sleeves?"
"Though to me... you are nothing more than ants."
His tone was flat, as if he were merely stating a fact, but to the Kazekage and Raikage, it sounded incredibly arrogant!
"To submit eternally at the feet of Konoha... that is your destiny, and the destiny of the entire shinobi world," Might Guy added calmly.
Inside him, the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life, and the Gate of Pain had already opened silently. Yet, neither his expression nor his chakra revealed a single ripple of fluctuation.
However...
The Raikage could clearly feel, through the fist that blocked his own, that the man in front of him was growing exponentially stronger by the second!
BANG!
With a whip-like kick as fast as a lightning bolt, the Raikage's massive frame was suddenly sent flying backward!
"I'll leave him to you, Guy," Kakashi said calmly.
"The Raikage will not survive the day," Might Guy replied with equal composure. To him, killing the Raikage seemed like a trivial task.
As soon as the words left his lips, Guy vanished, pursuing the retreating Raikage!
Battles between high-level masters were unlike those of ordinary ninja; they were often accompanied by massive collateral damage. Guy needed to force the Raikage out of the Chunin Exam arena.
In that brief window of exchange, a small white snake hidden on Rasa's person detached itself and hit the ground. The snake unhinged its jaw, and a figure surged out from its mouth!
"Orochimaru," Hayama Shiragumo muttered from a distance. He turned to Sakura and Naruto, who had gathered beside him.
"You two coordinate with Sasuke and the others to deal with Shukaku. I'm going to assist Lord Hokage."
The moment Orochimaru appeared, Kakashi tapped the ground with his toe and leaped directly onto the roof above. Clearly, Kakashi intended for that to be the battlefield.
"Hehe..."
Orochimaru followed immediately, with Shizune and Rasa close behind.
As both sides landed firmly on the roof, four figures leaped out simultaneously, landing at the four corners of the rooftop.
Tayuya, Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, and Jirobo.
The Sound Four.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
Four walls of purple flame erupted from the ground, instantly sealing off the battlefield!
"A Konoha barrier technique," Shizune said, her face turning icy cold as she surveyed the enclosure.
"Ah, yes. Having followed Tsunade for so many years, you've developed quite the eye," Orochimaru said with a light chuckle. He was about to say more when, out of nowhere, a brown-haired man appeared in mid-air outside the barrier!
As the man descended, mysterious black markings crawled across his cheeks!
It was... Hayama Shiragumo!
Hayama's face was cold as he suddenly drew the long blade at his waist!
A sharp, piercing sound—like the scream of metal tearing through air—echoed throughout the arena!
A brilliant flash of sword light swept across the battlefield, reflecting in everyone's eyes!
Another... Konoha's White Fang!
That absurd thought rose in the hearts of everyone watching.
Under that lightning-fast, god-like strike, the newly erected Four Violet Flames Formation shattered instantly! The barrier, reputed to be strong enough to trap Kage-level experts, was sliced open like tofu.
One man, one blade, the barrier broken!
The Sound Four, who were maintaining the formation, all coughed up blood simultaneously!
Orochimaru's pupils shrunk in shock!
"Orochimaru, your opponent is me."
Hayama Shiragumo landed in the center of the battlefield. His eyes were cold and sharp as a blade as he pointed his weapon directly at Orochimaru.
Only then did everyone see the true appearance of the sword in Hayama's hand.
It was about a meter long, with a silver-filigreed hilt wrapped in cloth, and a blade so bright it was blinding...
This was... The White Light Chakra Sabre!
The personal blade of the Fifth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake!
As a confidant of the Hokage and one of the only two members of the Kage Guard, a man of absolute loyalty, Hayama had been gifted this blade by Kakashi three years ago.
It symbolized Kakashi himself—its presence was equivalent to the Hokage being there in person!
The wind brushed Hayama's hair across his eyes, but it did nothing to hide that soul-piercing, blade-like gaze.
Orochimaru felt a surge of danger in his heart. He had never heard the name "Hayama Shiragumo" before; he had initially assumed he was just an insignificant member of the Kage Guard who happened to be paired with Itachi Uchiha.
If it were Itachi, he might have been more cautious—after all, he was an Uchiha. But this Hayama Shiragumo looked like any other common Konoha ninja.
However, the scene before him completely shattered his initial judgment.
"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation..."
"Don't even think about it!"
Shizune's eyes turned cold. She exchanged a glance with Hayama, and both charged at Orochimaru!
"Stop right there."
Seeing that Shizune and Hayama intended to stop Orochimaru's Reanimation, Rasa moved, immediately blocking their path.
"Giant Sand Burial!"
In an instant, a torrent of gold sand poured from Rasa's sleeves, surging toward the rapidly approaching Hayama and Shizune!
Sword light flashed! Fists exploded!
Under the combined efforts of Hayama and Shizune, the massive tsunami of placer gold was shattered in an instant!
"Now this is getting interesting," Kakashi said, a sudden smile playing on his face.
He sensed them. Five familiar chakras.
Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju...
And...
Sakumo Hatake, Kushina Uzumaki, and Rin Nohara!
Orochimaru's initial hand seals were a mere ruse. Before this final stage of the Chunin Exams had even begun, the Reanimated ones had already been summoned!
The roof tiles beneath Kakashi's feet churned as giant trees and golden chains surged toward him!
"Lord Hokage!"
Hayama sensed the movement behind him and couldn't help but look back.
"Don't worry about me. Stick to the plan," Kakashi said, raising a hand to stop Hayama from retreating. He tapped his foot and leaped high into the air.
But two chakras descended from the sky!
"Water Style: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!"
The familiar voice of Tobirama Senju came from above, along with... a silent gaze.
Kakashi looked up, meeting the eyes of a man with white hair and a sturdy face—a man whose eyes were filled with nothing but agony.
"It really has been a long time..."
"My father, who died so long ago..."
The man attacking from above also spoke, his voice thick with suppressed pain:
"Yeah... it's been a long time, Kakashi."
"I'm sorry to cause you trouble."
"Finish me."
As they spoke, the short blade in the man's hand erupted with a blinding, razor-sharp intent, slashing down toward Kakashi's face!
"Father, mentor's wife, comrade..."
"Orochimaru, you're a monster!"
Shizune's killing intent boiled over at the sight. She made no attempt to hide her pure hatred for Orochimaru!
Sage Mark: Release!
As Kakashi prepared to move, the giant trees and golden chains surging from below suddenly accelerated! The simultaneous attacks of Tobirama Senju and Sakumo Hatake arrived in an instant!
"Kakashi..."
"Save me..."
A young, fragile plea—sounding like it came from a twelve-year-old girl—cried out from the distance, filled with pain and resentment. A figure shrouded in Tailed Beast chakra, looking like a humanoid monster, appeared. A pitch-black orb formed in front of her, firing directly at Kakashi!
The former Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, Rin Nohara...
Attacks from five directions converged at once, creating what seemed like a certain death trap!
Hard Whirlpool Water Blade, White Fang Sword Technique, Deep Forest Emergence, Adamantine Sealing Chains, and a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Each one was a top-tier technique in the shinobi world. No matter who it was, anyone facing these five attacks would usually have no choice but to retreat.
"As you wish..."
"Rin."
A faint sigh echoed.
Just as the five-way assault was about to strike Kakashi simultaneously...
A sudden, brilliant light erupted!
————
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