"I'm counting on you, Enma!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke once again to his old partner held in his hands.
Enma could only grit his teeth and nod. I understand. Let's go!
Having received an affirmative answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly aimed the Adamantine Nyoi Staff at the massive mountain of flesh before him.
Furthermore, the staff transformed from Enma extended at lightning speed, its end slamming heavily into the Apostle of Desire.
Incredible power erupted instantly, continuously pushing the Apostle of Desire toward the outskirts of the village.
Despite the fact that the Apostle of Desire's massive body crushed many houses along the way, such losses were acceptable compared to fighting such a behemoth directly inside the village.
This guy's strength is actually this great?
Simu looked at the long staff in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands with some surprise.
If he remembered correctly, it should be a transformation of Hiruzen Sarutobi's monkey-like summoning beast.
One must realize that the Apostle of Desire's current size was comparable to a Tailed Beast. Because its entire body was made of flesh, its weight far exceeded that of a Tailed Beast. Despite this, the summoning beast was able to push the Apostle of Desire back with its own strength. This power was indeed not to be underestimated.
Furthermore, its diamond-like physical constitution piqued Simu's interest significantly.
If I get the chance, I could capture it for research.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no idea that the enemy was already planning to study his summoning beast. He spoke with urgency to Kakashi and Guy, who had just arrived. "You two assist me in heading to the village outskirts to deal with the enemy!"
"Don't worry, Lord Hokage, leave it to me!"
Might Guy agreed without a second thought, even giving Hiruzen Sarutobi a thumbs-up to show that the matter was under control.
Conversely, Kakashi asked with some concern, "Lord Hokage, is your body really alright?"
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just experienced a fierce battle with the Nine-Tails. The best choice now would be to have medical ninja examine him immediately. Kakashi was worried that participating in another intense battle would cause his health to fail.
Hearing Kakashi's words, Might Guy also realized the situation and said hurriedly, "Lord Hokage, although the opponent is powerful, Kakashi and I can definitely handle them with our teamwork. You should focus on recovering from your injuries!"
Guy was quite confident.
This was because he was prepared to open all of the Eight Inner Gates. Even if it cost him his life, he would never let the enemy harm the village.
Faced with their discouragement, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head calmly. "I appreciate your kindness, but don't forget, I am the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!"
"Rest assured, with the two of you cooperating, we will surely take down the enemy with ease!" Hiruzen Sarutobi stated firmly.
Since he had put it that way, neither Guy nor Kakashi could find words to argue.
After all, as the Hokage, it was only natural to stand at the forefront to protect the Hidden Leaf.
Seeing that the Apostle of Desire had already been pushed over a thousand meters away, Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly, "If there are no problems, let's move out quickly and finish off the enemy!"
"Yes!"
Just as they were about to set off, Danzo appeared.
"Wait, Monkey!"
His raspy voice rang out, and Kakashi instantly felt a bad premonition.
Is this elder planning to pull something at a time like this?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression also became serious. "Danzo, what are you trying to do?"
Normally, he could tolerate Danzo's various excessive behaviors, even something as outrageous as sending assassins after him.
However, this was a life-or-death moment for the Hidden Leaf. If Danzo still wanted to play games, he would absolutely not show leniency.
Instead, Danzo said something that caught both Kakashi and Hiruzen Sarutobi by surprise.
"Monkey, let Kakashi and Guy stay to guard the village. I will deal with the enemy alongside you."
Danzo's righteous appearance left Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi somewhat stunned. Guy, however, did not sense anything wrong and even felt that Danzo seemed like quite a good person.
Noticing the distrust in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, Danzo frowned slightly. "Monkey, have you forgotten our teacher's Will of Fire?"
"Is it not time for us old-timers to stand up and shield the growth of the new leaves?"
"If there is danger, it should be borne by me, not by young people like Kakashi!"
These words left Hiruzen Sarutobi speechless.
The sentiment was simply too politically correct. It was so correct that Hiruzen Sarutobi had no right to refute or question it.
If he refused Danzo's request now, it would mean he did not recognize the Will of Fire. To reject the Will of Fire was to dig the grave of his own political foundation.
Therefore, he had no reason to refuse Danzo.
"In that case, Kakashi, Guy, the two of you stay behind to protect the village and guard against attacks from other members of the Jashin Religion. Elder Danzo and I will deal with the masked enemy!"
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's instructions, Kakashi and Guy looked at each other and could only nod.
"Yes, Lord Hokage! I will definitely take out all those Jashin cultists!" Guy said passionately.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage added one last instruction. "Kakashi, keep an eye on him."
"Understood."
Kakashi nodded.
As the orders were finalized, the Apostle of Desire beneath Simu's feet was pushed into the forest at the village outskirts by the Adamantine Nyoi Staff.
That place was sparsely populated, making it the perfect battlefield the Third Hokage had chosen for this fight.
"Let's go, Danzo."
"I know. Stop your nagging, Monkey."
The two looked at each other and sprinted toward the village outskirts together.
Tsk tsk, the Hokage and the Elder of the Hidden Leaf teaming up against me? I'm truly honored.
During the process of being pushed out of the Hidden Leaf, Simu was not idle.
As the Third Hokage and Danzo approached, he quickly clasped his hands together.
Following his movement, hundreds of densely packed arms grew out of the massive mountain of flesh. They all shared one common trait: enormous palms.
These giant palms spread out in mid-air, and subsequently, countless amounts of chakra erupted from the palms, covering them entirely.
"This is..."
The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed. As the Professor of Shinobi, he possessed knowledge of the vast majority of ninjutsu, secret techniques, and Kekkei Genkai in the shinobi world.
The starting stance of the monster before him clearly carried the shadow of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.
This was noticed not only by the Third Hokage but also by Hiashi Hyuga, who was observing the battlefield from a distance. This realization filled him with anxiety.
What if the Hyuga Clan gets dragged into this conflict?
Of course, before he could think further, all those palms scattered in the air pressed down simultaneously.
Just like the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, every palm was wrapped in a massive amount of chakra, descending upon the Third Hokage and Danzo like a torrential rain.
"If it's only an attack of this level, then you are underestimating the Hidden Leaf."
Danzo snorted coldly, forming a hand sign with one hand to activate a ninjutsu.
"Wood Style: Great Spear Tree!"
In an instant, his arm transformed into a towering tree, crashing into the falling palms like a piercing spear.
These chakra-wrapped palms fell like a meteor shower. It was as if hundreds of Hyuga ninja were attacking at once, striking the incoming tree palm after palm.
The canopy, branches, and trunk were smashed into wood chips bit by bit by the numerous palms.
Although Danzo's attack did not succeed, it successfully halted Simu's offensive.
The Third Hokage seized this opportunity. Holding the Nyoi Staff, he sprinted up the giant tree formed by Danzo's arm, rushing toward Simu.
Seeing this, the massive head beneath Simu's feet suddenly split open into a large mouth, and a terrifying air current brewed within.
"Praise Lord Jashin!"
As the Apostle of Desire spoke, an unimaginable sound wave spread from that large mouth.
The sonic wave was laced with a large amount of genjutsu chakra, which continuously invaded the Third Hokage's body.
However, the latter was a battle-hardened veteran ninja. He disrupted all the chakra in his body the moment he came into contact with the genjutsu to avoid falling under its spell.
Simultaneously, Danzo swung his arm, pulling the Third Hokage out of the genjutsu's range of influence.
Then, at extremely high speed, he activated another Wood Style ninjutsu.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Under the influence of the Wood Style chakra, the nearby trees began to grow wildly, continuously climbing onto the Apostle of Desire in an attempt to restrain its movements.
"That won't work..."
Simu leapt high from the Apostle of Desire's head, inhaling a large gust of air, mixing it with chakra, and blowing it out.
"Wind Style: Gale Blade!"
These air currents formed several wind blades, frantically slicing through the surrounding trees and vines.
The Third Hokage had recovered by this time and performed a ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A scorching fire dragon shot out from his mouth, flying straight toward Simu in an attempt to strike the leader directly.
Simu immediately blocked it with a Water Wall.
Failing the first strike, the Third Hokage pulled out a shuriken and threw it at Simu.
"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, a massive number of sharp shuriken blanketed the Apostle of Desire's enormous body.
Even with the help of Shisui's Mangekyo to activate Susanoo, Simu could not possibly defend against it all.
This was simply the disadvantage of having such a massive body. Although every movement could cause great destruction, the surface area for receiving attacks was greatly increased, and flexibility was a major concern.
In response, Simu simply gave up on defense, allowing the numerous shuriken to create many wounds on the Apostle of Desire's body.
As if sensing the pain, the countless human faces on the Apostle suddenly let out agonized wails.
It hurts, it hurts...
Damned bastard...
Lord Jashin will cast you into hell!
This feels great! Praise Lord Jashin!
Simu scratched his mask; it seemed something strange had been mixed in.
However, the rising sound of wails and curses brought a heavy mental burden to Hiruzen Sarutobi, causing his head to throb.
Conversely, Danzo was slightly better at resisting mental pollution, likely due to his long-term tenure in a place like Root.
Simu's counterattack did not stop there.
Amidst the widespread wailing, a massive mouth appeared on the belly of the mountain of flesh.
"Fire Style: Hellish Great Flame!"
A rolling torrent of fire instantly erupted from it, and the target of the attack was precisely the Third Hokage, who had just finished using the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Rather than a torrent of fire, it was more like a sea of flames!
The crimson glow occupied almost Hiruzen Sarutobi's entire field of vision!
Facing such a terrifying Fire Style attack, the experienced Hiruzen Sarutobi did not choose to use Water Wall for defense. Instead, he formed signs and used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to summon four clones.
Then, the four clones and the original—five people in total—used the Water Style: Giant Waterfall Jutsu together, summoning a massive amount of water to clash with the flames!
Five massive pillars of water instantly slammed into the sea of fire. Although the water was evaporating rapidly at an incredible speed, it still managed to carve out a narrow path of survival within the terrifying flames.
Despite the fact that the water was evaporating faster and faster and the space in the path was getting smaller, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not choose to give up. He knew that no matter how much chakra the enemy had, it was impossible to maintain such a terrifying ninjutsu for long. Thus, he only needed to hold on for a while.
Things happened exactly as he predicted. As his shadow clones were swallowed by the flames one by one until only he remained, the surging fire finally lost its momentum and dissipated.
At this point, the entire land had turned pitch black. Only Simu stood like an evil deity atop the high "mountain," looking down upon the world.
"As expected of the legendary Professor of Shinobi, your timing is impeccable."
Simu smiled beneath his mask, and then he heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's interrogation.
"Although I do not know your name, why is your Jashin Religion attacking the Hidden Leaf?"
Simu crossed his arms and yawned. "You can call me Tobi, Lord Hokage. As for why we are attacking the Hidden Leaf..."
His voice suddenly turned cold. "Has the Lord Hokage forgotten? Back in the Hidden Steam Village, it was your Hidden Leaf that struck first against our Jashin Religion."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was momentarily speechless.
At that time, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi have imagined that the Hidden Leaf, known as the number one village in the shinobi world, would be devastated like this by an obscure cult?
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi at a loss for words, Simu sneered. "See? If you hadn't been made to feel the pain, I'm afraid you great nations wouldn't care about the feelings of small forces like us at all."
"Monkey, stop talking to him."
Danzo's raspy voice sounded, and he activated the ninjutsu he had been preparing for a long time.
"Wind Style: Gale Blade!"
A thin wind blade expanded from his hand, like an unstoppable fine line, cutting through all the trees along its path—including the legs of the Apostle of Desire!
Blood erupted instantly. The massive Apostle of Desire could not possibly dodge such an attack and came crashing down toward Danzo!