On Konoha's eastern battlefield.
Thick smoke covered the eastern sky, while the smell of blood spread across the scorched earth.
Hyūga Sakumasa's white robe had already been soaked in blood.
His Byakugan was locked onto the endless wave of Kirigakure assassination squads rushing toward them.
Beside him, the Inuzuka Clan Head knelt on one knee.
His ninja hound, Daikokumaru, had a kunai piercing its abdomen and let out painful whimpers.
"Why are there so many of them?!"
A feeling of helplessness rose within Hyūga Sakumasa.
He had originally wanted his clansmen to fight so they could make a name for themselves throughout the ninja world.
He wanted to bring greater honor to the Hyūga Clan within Konoha.
Everything had gone smoothly at first.
Against Kirigakure's ninja, the Byakugan had given them a huge advantage.
But who could have expected...
Kumogakure would send so many elite ninja as reinforcements.
And they kept coming one after another without fearing death.
On top of that, Kirigakure had also deployed its elite forces.
The alliance between the two villages was incredibly powerful.
Konoha's advantage on the eastern battlefield had instantly turned into a disadvantage.
Especially after the surprise attack by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist...
More than twenty elite members of the Hyūga branch family had sacrificed their lives just to hold them back.
Only then had they barely managed to save Hyūga Sakumasa, their Clan Head.
"Clan Head Sakumasa, we can't hold the defensive line anymore!!"
A ninja from the Shimura Clan roared.
His right arm had been burned black by Lightning Release.
"If this keeps up, we're all going to die here!"
Konoha's battle line was collapsing across the entire battlefield.
Kumogakure's Lightning Release troops tore through their defenses like raging thunder.
Kirigakure's Silent Killing Technique harvested lives from the shadows.
Despair spread among Konoha's ninja.
Even their eyes began to waver.
Were they really unable to stop the enemy today?
"For the honor of our clans, for the old and young waiting at home, and for the village..."
"Even if we die, we'll die on this battlefield!"
Hyūga Sakumasa declared righteously.
It was obvious that he had already prepared himself to die in battle.
Hearing those words.
Everyone fell silent.
Just then.
Boom!!!
A blazing fire dragon descended from the sky and instantly swallowed the five Kirigakure ninja charging at the front.
What?!
Everyone on the battlefield looked up at once.
Through the smoke.
An elderly yet upright figure slowly walked forward.
He wore an old suit of armor with great spirit.
Beneath the armor was a soft inner garment that fit closely against his body.
Holding the Adamantine Staff in one hand, his beard and hair danced in the wind.
Those eyes, weathered by countless years, now burned with unquestionable authority.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's dramatic entrance.
Shimura Danzo, standing in the distance, rolled his eyes.
'At your age, you're still making such a flashy entrance?'
'You stole all the spotlight!'
"L-Lord Hokage?!"
Hyūga Sakumasa's pupils shrank violently.
His dry throat swallowed with great difficulty.
"The Third Hokage... has personally come?!"
Konoha's ninja froze for a brief moment before finally reacting.
It really was the Third Hokage!
Their repeated shock instantly turned into the will to fight.
Roars erupted from every Konoha ninja.
The bodies that had already fallen stood back up.
Their bloodstained hands once again tightened around their kunai.
"Lord Hokage is watching us!"
"Charge back! Protect Konoha's battlefield!"
"..."
With the appearance of the Third Hokage.
Konoha's low morale exploded almost instantly.
Calling it explosive was no exaggeration.
Damn it!
It's Hiruzen Sarutobi!
The Kumogakure commander turned pale.
Why was he here?!
The Kirigakure ANBU captain immediately raised his hand.
"Everyone retreat! Reform the formation first!"
But it was already too late.
Dozens of dark figures charged in from the flanks.
Root's ninja slipped into the enemy ranks like ghosts, every strike accurately cutting open an enemy's throat.
From the deepest shadows.
Shimura Danzo slowly stepped forward.
His lone eye coldly swept across the battlefield.
"Hiruzen, you still love stealing the spotlight."
Hiruzen laughed loudly.
"Didn't you arrive at just the right time as well?"
After several decades.
The former comrades once again stood side by side against foreign enemies.
The feeling filled both of them with warmth and nostalgia.
"Danzo, support me with your Wind Release!"
Hearing Hiruzen's words.
Danzo snorted unhappily.
"I know! You don't have to tell me!"
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!
The enormous blazing fire dragon expanded several times in size under the enhancement of the violent wind.
Danzo did not stop.
He quickly took out several shuriken.
He infused them with Wind Release chakra.
Then threw them.
The rapidly spinning shuriken shot straight into the fire dragon.
Dozens of Kumogakure ninja were burned into charcoal.
Another seven or eight had their chests sliced open by the Wind Release shuriken hidden within the flames and died on the spot.
Watching this scene.
Hyūga Sakumasa's heart pounded wildly.
Was this the power of the bond between the Third Hokage, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, and Hokage Advisor Danzo?
Root under Danzo and Hiruzen's ANBU also worked together perfectly.
Konoha's collapsing battle formation was reorganized in an instant.
Instead, they forced the allied forces of Kumogakure and Kirigakure back by a full hundred meters.
"Bastards!"
The Kumogakure commander roared.
"Don't retreat! Concentrate all firepower on killing the Third Hokage first!"
Kill me?
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly slammed the Adamantine Staff into the ground.
"Then come and try!"
A cloud of white smoke exploded.
The Adamantine Staff immediately transformed into the giant Monkey King, Enma.
With a single punch.
It instantly crushed the heads of three Kirigakure ninja.
Nothing could stop him.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others joining the battle.
The situation on the battlefield was instantly reversed.
When the setting sun dyed the battlefield red.
The enemy army finally collapsed.
Konoha's ninja panted heavily.
Many of them simply collapsed onto the ground.
But their eyes burned with the joy of surviving.
We survived!
Because the Hokage was here!
Inside a temporary command tent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wiped the blood from his forehead and looked toward the leaders of the major clans.
"How are the casualties?"
"More than half of the men we brought have already died."
"..."
Hearing that report.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Danzo let out a cold snort.
"Are you all afraid?"
"Konoha is only at a slight disadvantage right now."
"We haven't lost."
"We'll gather our strength and kill our way back."
Everyone was stunned.
Hiruzen took a deep breath before slowly opening a secret order.
"Next, we'll carry out Uchiha Chiya's bait plan."
The moment he said that the Hokage himself would serve as bait.
The entire tent fell silent.
"This is insane!"
Hyūga Sakumasa immediately stood up.
"What if you..."
"As the Hokage, one must possess the resolve worthy of the Hokage."
"The Hokage exists to protect the village."
"The village does not exist to protect the Hokage."
Hiruzen's voice allowed no argument.
"And this is the only way to save Konoha."
Danzo narrowed his lone eye.
The Hokage...
The village...
"Hiruzen."
"Are you really prepared to bet your life on this?"
Hiruzen smiled.
"Just like our teacher did when he stayed behind to cover our escape."
Those words made Danzo's fist clench tightly.
Light and Darkness.
Seeing everyone remain silent, Hiruzen immediately gave the order.
"If no one has any objections, return and get some rest."
"The mission begins tomorrow."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
...
At dawn the next day.
Konoha secretly began moving its troops.
Meanwhile.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put on the most eye-catching Hokage robe they had prepared and openly led a unit toward the north.
"Pass down the order."
He instructed the ANBU.
"Make sure everyone hears about it."
"The Third Hokage has won the battle on the eastern battlefield."
"And is now heading to reinforce the other battlefields."
"Yes!"
The ANBU immediately departed.
The news that Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally entered the battlefield soon swept across the ninja world like a storm.
Looking at Hiruzen in the distance.
Danzo, who had worked alongside him for many years, could naturally see his determination to die.
Shimura Danzo.
He raised a hand and touched the bandages covering his face.
His lips moved slightly as he muttered under his breath.
"Hiruzen, you're still trying to steal the spotlight?"
"This time..."
"The spotlight will definitely be mine!"
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