Homura Mitokado looked serious, staring at Danzo Shimura with great dissatisfaction.
"The news has already begun to spread. We must act immediately—otherwise the consequences will be severe."
As Hokage Advisors and the core of the Hokage faction, they naturally upheld the Hokage's authority.
Normal power struggles, or even the use of ruthless methods...
They could actually turn a blind eye to such things. But this time, the situation was completely different.
The people who went missing in the village were actually captured by Orochimaru for human experiments.
Especially since there were ANBU ninjas among them.
No matter how it was handled, once this news spread, it would already affect the Hokage's prestige.
If handled poorly, it would severely damage Hiruzen Sarutobi's authority.
Prestige and authority—these things are actually among the most important foundations for a ruler.
They represent the proactivity and passivity of the ruled.
If a group of ruled people can only passively follow laws and orders, it greatly increases the cost of ruling and reduces its efficiency.
Like a rusty machine.
If a ruler has enough prestige and authority, the ruled will actively follow laws and orders—greatly reducing personnel supervision and improving the efficiency of order execution.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took two deep puffs from his pipe. After struggling internally, he finally made up his mind.
"I will personally lead the ANBU to investigate the truth."
Hearing this, a fleeting smile appeared at the corner of Danzo Shimura's mouth.
After the meeting ended and he returned to the ANBU, Danzo immediately summoned the elites of Root.
"You four, set off immediately. Act tonight. Capture... Zenji and bring him here."
Danzo paused for a moment.
He thought of the youth Gojo Satoru. Comparatively, he felt this youth's abilities were stronger and he had more potential to become a powerhouse.
But he desired Idle Transfiguration more. Or rather, what he truly desired was a genuine pair of Sharingan.
"Yes."
A brief response rang out.
The leader stood up. He wore a black cloak and a black mask with purple patterns near the corners of the mouth.
His three subordinates immediately set out.
The sky gradually darkened. The streets today were somewhat deserted.
Suddenly, dark figures flew out. Leading them was Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in armor.
He led a squad of elite ANBU, dashing across rooftops and streets.
He quickly arrived at a remote location and entered through a wide underground passage.
Hiruzen led his team and violently pushed open the large door. A cold, gloomy aura hit their faces.
Bright lights shone on operating tables, surrounded by bottles and jars.
Orochimaru, with a smear of blood on his face, turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Standing nearby, Ryomen Sukuna crossed his arms—staring maliciously at the Third Hokage.
Looking at the two, Hiruzen spoke with a somewhat sorrowful tone.
"Orochimaru. Why have you come to this?"
"Why so much nonsense?"
Sukuna's disdainful voice rang out from the side.
Hiruzen's gaze shifted over. His eyes turned sharp.
"Orochimaru, I originally thought Ryomen Sukuna would become an excellent ninja of Konoha under your guidance. Is this how you lead him astray?"
"And you—Advisor Zenshu was a hero of Konoha..."
"Hmph. After that old thing died, this great one can do whatever he wants. Don't fucking use him to suppress me."
Sukuna spoke angrily.
He immediately revealed a ferocious expression, formed a one-handed seal, and waved it forward.
A buzzing sound rang out instantly.
An invisible slash rushed at Hiruzen's face.
His body hadn't completely dulled yet—but this speed was too fast. He didn't have time to summon his beast.
He drew a kunai and blocked accurately.
CLANG.
The hard kunai was sliced clean through. The slash cleaved through Hiruzen's chakra protection and left a mark on his armor.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Protect Lord Hokage!"
The ANBU ninjas exclaimed, drawing their short swords and stepping forward to protect him.
Hiruzen, face serious, quickly formed hand seals to summon his beast.
"Ken." Sukuna looked displeased. "Tch. That old thing really taught everything."
The chakra quality of the guy opposite him was very high. His mastery of techniques was also very strong. Especially the degree of completion—extremely high.
Worthy of the one called the God of Shinobi and the Professor of Ninjutsu.
Orochimaru, standing nearby, had already activated a technique. An invisible sonic wave suddenly erupted, rapidly devastating the entire laboratory.
"Ahhh!"
Several ANBU ninjas instantly slumped to the ground.
Only Hiruzen—who had summoned Enma—maintained a serious face, seemingly unaffected.
He felt the extremely evil killing intent of that brat. And the changes on his body were also very concerning.
A hint of ferocity appeared on Sukuna's face. His fighting spirit was extremely high.
The bastard beside him had too strong of a survival ability. Fighting him was completely boring.
This old man in front of him, however, was very suitable.
"Sukuna-kun, do not underestimate my sensei." Orochimaru chuckled deeply.
If it were just him alone, he indeed could only choose to flee. After all, he knew his sensei's strength.
But with Sukuna added to the mix, he actually really wanted to know.
Sensei. Just how strong are you still?
"If you want a satisfying fight, we should go outside."
After saying this, Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen.
"Sensei. What do you think?"
Hiruzen's face was extremely serious. He didn't expect Sukuna to have grown to this extent—giving him a genuine sense of danger.
"Hiruzen." Enma called out.
He couldn't fully unleash his power here either. Hiruzen glanced at his subordinates, reached out and grabbed Enma—who immediately transformed into a large iron staff.
He took half a step back sideways.
Orochimaru immediately led Sukuna and dashed out, heading for the exit.
Hiruzen left a Shadow Clone to protect his subordinates. He turned and followed.
Rushing out of the cave entrance, the jungle illuminated by moonlight was fairly bright. Orochimaru and Sukuna were dashing toward the village's outskirts.
This suited his intentions perfectly. He followed them out.
After crossing the city wall and getting far away from Konoha...
Sukuna was the first to stop. He looked up at the moon in the sky and took a deep breath of fresh air.
He felt an unprecedented sense of comfort throughout his body.
The old thing pressing down on his head was playing dead. The restrictive environment was gone.
He was finally free.
He looked down at Hiruzen Sarutobi opposite him. An unbridled smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Old thing. You're an eyesore."
BOOM.
The atmosphere churned. The surrounding trees instantly snapped.
Hiruzen's pupils shrank. The large iron staff in his hands swung out without hesitation.
When it struck the air, he felt a massive force.
BANG.
Sukuna leaped into the air, formed a seal with one hand, and aimed his other palm at Hiruzen below.
Wind Release: Chaotic Flowers.
A massive number of Wind Release slashes—arranged like petals—poured down like torrential rain.
Unlike his Innate Technique, Wind Release didn't have as many restrictions. This allowed Sukuna to develop more varied abilities.
Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
An extremely explosive flame soared into the sky, colliding with the rain of petal-like Wind Release slashes.
Energy instantly exploded in the air. Intense heat currents scattered in all directions.
Almost instantaneously, another Hiruzen appeared on the other side—initiating a Lightning Release technique right off the bat.
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