Shimura Danzo's eyes flickered, his feelings complicated.
To be fair, if their positions were reversed, he probably would have abandoned Sarutobi Hiruzen without hesitation.
He might even have felt a bit of joy, as the biggest obstacle to him becoming Hokage would have been removed just like that.
But humans are ultimately selfish.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had abandoned him in a very roundabout way, which made him feel very unbalanced inside.
"Here, take him!"
Yagyu smiled faintly, picked up Shimura Danzo, and threw him out, tossing him unceremoniously toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Danzo!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo with surprise and joy.
Honestly, when he charged over, he had mentally prepared himself for Yagyu to kill Danzo.
But the turn of events exceeded his expectations; Yagyu had actually let Danzo go so easily.
Danzo gave him a complicated look. He felt that beneath Sarutobi Hiruzen's joyous expression, there seemed to be a hidden disappointment.
"Don't let your guard down!"
A slick voice rang out. Golden light suddenly bloomed, and a thick golden laser beam pierced through Shimura Danzo's arm.
Relying on his powerful Observation Haki, Yagyu could even perceive the meridians, bones, and flesh inside Danzo's body.
Yagyu's laser shattered Danzo's bone, and the intense heat incinerated his meridians and blood vessels.
"Some people are born with a mission!"
"Don't underestimate yourself, Danzo!"
"Tearing Konoha apart—who else but you?"
Yagyu chuckled inwardly, watching calmly as Sarutobi Hiruzen carried Shimura Danzo aside.
"Bastard!"
Jiraiya and Kushina Uzumaki attacked, sealing formula patterns surging toward him from two directions.
"It's useless, you know!"
"You fail time and time again; why don't you learn?"
Yagyu spoke nonchalantly. His body turned into light particles and soared into the air, hovering in the sky.
"Well~ It seems that even if you did learn, it wouldn't mean much, because you really don't have any means to deal with me."
Yagyu spoke lazily, his gaze sweeping over Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Sensing Yagyu's gaze, both Jiraiya and Orochimaru felt their hearts tighten, staring at Yagyu warily.
Yasakani no Magatama!
Golden light flashed in Yagyu's hands as a dense barrage of light bullets poured out, covering the sky as they struck toward Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others were also within range of the attack, but this time they didn't choose to dodge.
Having suffered a loss earlier, they had already come up with a way to deal with the Yasakani no Magatama.
"Earth Style: Earth Corridor!"
The ground rumbled as a house-like rock structure suddenly appeared, protecting the Third Hokage and the others. Yagyu's light bullets exploded against it with booming sounds.
"Earth Style? Such terrifying defense!"
Yagyu spoke nonchalantly, unleashing an even more violent barrage of light bullets that directly shattered the rock structure below.
The Third Hokage and the others were forced to flee again, wretchedly dodging the bombardment of Yagyu's light bullets.
"You let your guard down!"
An eerie voice sounded beside Jiraiya, causing his expression to change drastically.
Then he saw Yagyu appearing beside him, hands in pockets, flying horizontally alongside him as he tried to dodge.
"You bastard..."
Jiraiya's hand, covered in sealing jutsu markings, grabbed at Yagyu without hesitation.
Yagyu transformed into light particles and soared upward, kicking down without a second thought.
Yagyu kicked out a column of golden light from a distance, blasting toward Jiraiya menacingly.
The golden light column struck the ground beside Jiraiya, causing a terrifying explosion. The shockwave flipped Jiraiya into the air.
"Yagyu, what are you planning now?"
Seeing Yagyu appear beside Jiraiya, the Third Hokage couldn't help but roar in anger.
"Don't rush, this is only the third one!"
Yagyu stepped on Jiraiya's back, sneering at the approaching Third Hokage and the others.
"You prepared five plans to kill me, Konoha. Did I say anything?"
"Instead of wasting time being angry, you should think of a way to deal with my multiple-choice questions."
"Lord Hokage, this time you're the one who needs to make a God-level choice."
"To express my respect for Lord Hokage, let me continue testing just how precious your bonds truly are!"
Yagyu clapped his hands together, golden light blooming between them.
With a pull of his hands, a massive sword of light appeared in his grip. "Ama no Murakumo!"
Golden light particles condensed into a light sword, its tip pointed at Jiraiya, who was lying on the ground.
"Lord Hokage, make a God-level choice!"
"Option 1: Attack and kill Orochimaru. Jiraiya gets a chance to live, and you gain his adoration, deepening the master-disciple bond."
"Option 2: Orochimaru, the genius, is more important than Jiraiya. You cannot sacrifice Orochimaru for Jiraiya. Orochimaru gets the chance to live."
Yagyu looked at the Third Hokage with a smile. He wanted to tear apart Konoha's bonds, piece by piece.
The Third Hokage stared at Yagyu with an ugly expression, shouting in a low voice, "This demand has absolutely no sincerity. You are clearly toying with us."
Yagyu rubbed his chin, nodded nonchalantly, and said, "You have a point. Then let me change the demand."
"I want you to attack Orochimaru for one minute."
"You must attack with the resolve to kill Orochimaru, understand?"
"If I find you holding back, or if your attacks lack killing intent..."
Squelch!
Yagyu swung the Ama no Murakumo in his hand expressionlessly. The golden light sword sliced off one of Jiraiya's arms.
"You..."
The Third Hokage's expression changed, staring at Yagyu with shock and anger.
"Oops~ Sorry, sorry!"
"Jiraiya wanted to form hand seals. I had to use this method to remind him."
Yagyu spoke nonchalantly, looking down at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya shouted furiously, "Yagyu of the Hidden Mist, if you have the guts, kill me! Battles should be fought fair and square. Always using these underhanded tricks—what kind of skill is that?"
Yagyu looked at Jiraiya in surprise and said, "Battle? In my eyes, this is a conspiracy, an ambush, a farce. It was never a battle."
"Facing me, you are helpless. You think this farce is a battle? Don't joke!"
"You are atoning for your sins, paying a price to entertain me! If you do that, I might let you off!"
Yagyu spoke expressionlessly, his tone calm and indifferent.
If he hadn't been unprepared, Konoha would have been wiped off the ninja world map today!