Clack.
The sharp metallic snap of restraints unlocking echoed inside the crimson prison of the Four Red Yang Formation.
Shimura Danzō slowly extended his right arm from beneath his sleeve.
Bandages fell away.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flickered with relief.
"Danzō!" he barked. "Capture the leader first! Take Ryuji down and everything changes!"
Danzō let out a cold snort.
"You don't need to tell me."
There was no room left for subtlety.
No room for politics.
Only assassination.
Danzō's gaze shifted instantly—not to Ryuji, but to Namikaze Minato and Hatake Sakumo.
"I'll handle them," he said curtly. "You kill the boy."
Hiruzen nodded.
Even now, in chaos, Danzō remained decisive.
And ruthless.
Without hesitation, Danzō lunged forward.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Smoke burst outward as multiple clones split from him, fanning across the battlefield in coordinated motion.
Wind chakra howled.
Blades of compressed air tore toward Minato and Sakumo from multiple angles.
The clones attacked in perfect synchronization with the original body—an experienced war veteran's precision.
Meanwhile—
Hiruzen moved.
His aging frame blurred forward, hands flashing through seals with surprising speed.
"Brat!" he roared. "The Hokage's seat isn't for children!"
He vanished in a flicker of afterimages.
"Fourth Hokage-sama—!" Minato stepped forward.
Ryuji raised a hand calmly.
"No need."
His eyes never left Hiruzen.
"You two focus on Danzō. His right arm holds something troublesome."
Minato's expression sharpened.
Sakumo shifted immediately.
They redirected.
Ryuji stood alone.
Unmoved.
Unshaken.
Hiruzen's sneer deepened.
"Arrogant."
"I'll show you the power of the strongest Hokage Konoha ever had!"
He inhaled deeply, chakra swelling.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A roaring torrent of flame erupted from his mouth, surging across the battlefield like a blazing tidal wave.
The ground scorched.
Air warped.
But Hiruzen didn't pause.
His hands blurred again.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Flame Flow!"
The earth beneath Ryuji split apart as a massive dragon of stone surged upward, lava-like currents spiraling forward as fire chakra fused with it mid-charge.
The battlefield transformed into a storm of magma and flame.
Still—
Hiruzen continued.
"Water Release: Lightning Water Dragon Bomb!"
A towering water dragon manifested above, lightning crackling violently through its body before diving downward in tandem with the molten earth below.
Three elements.
Perfectly layered.
Fire. Earth. Water—amplified with Lightning.
Even for a former Hokage, this was an extraordinary display.
Hiruzen watched Ryuji closely.
He expected panic.
Defense.
Retreat.
Instead—
Ryuji clasped his hands together calmly.
Seals flickered across his palms like living script.
Ancient markings glowed.
"Old man," Ryuji said lightly, "did you really think I wouldn't learn this?"
His chakra spiked.
Space bent.
"I have the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"And I'm not afraid of the First or Second Hokage crawling out of hell."
Hiruzen's expression twisted.
Envy.
Jealousy.
Hatred.
In that instant, he wanted nothing more than to tear Ryuji apart.
The compound ninjutsu crashed downward.
And—
The sky detonated.
Flame collided with something unseen.
The water dragon exploded into steam.
Lightning scattered like broken glass.
A violent shockwave rippled outward, filling the barrier with rolling clouds of vapor.
For a moment, Konoha vanished beneath mist and thunder.
Then—
Ryuji's voice cut through the chaos.
"All ANBU—withdraw from the Sarutobi and Shimura clan grounds."
Minato and Sakumo paused mid-motion.
The order was absolute.
And deliberate.
The ANBU obeyed instantly, retreating in disciplined formation beyond the immediate combat zone.
Inside the crimson barrier, only four figures remained at the center of destruction.
Ryuji.
Hiruzen.
Danzō.
And fate.
The clouds thickened above.
Water vapor from the clash condensed rapidly.
Thunder rumbled.
Ryuji lowered his hands slowly.
His expression remained composed.
He had drawn the field.
Now—
He would decide how it ended.
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