A bolt of lightning flew over. Ryomen Sukuna spotted it at a glance.
Just in time to test out the newly developed technique.
A smile split his face as his hands rapidly formed seals.
"Hollow Wicker Basket."
Subtle chakra fluctuations spread outward with him as the center. The profound mysteries of Wind and Fire Release were miniaturized to the extreme.
The lightning disappeared the moment it touched this domain surrounding his body.
As if it had been eaten.
"Old thing, I didn't expect your chakra to be so delicious. It's a pity it has a bit of a rotten taste—otherwise it would be perfect."
Sukuna laughed loudly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had jumped out, was instantly suspicious upon seeing this scene.
What was that?
His hands didn't stop moving. Four Shadow Clones immediately appeared beside him.
They formed seals simultaneously, activating the Five-Release Great Combo Technique.
Five torrents spewed out at once: fierce wind, roaring flames, rushing water, crackling lightning, and flying rocks.
They enveloped Sukuna with overwhelming force. The power was tyrannical—absolutely not something an ordinary Jonin could withstand.
But the moment this intense attack touched the range of the Hollow Wicker Basket, it was decomposed and smelted. Reverted to the most primitive chakra.
It was swallowed by Sukuna—the most gluttonous diner—turning into pure nutrients that nourished his cells.
"It's useless. Just obediently surrender."
Sukuna wore an unbridled smile.
One pair of hands formed a seal. The other pair slowly split apart, opening wide as if embracing the sky.
"Hahaha!"
Amidst his hearty laughter, the range of the Hollow Wicker Basket slowly expanded. Growing larger.
Hiruzen's eyes fixed on the empty space amidst the five torrents. As the Professor of Ninjutsu, he immediately formed a judgment.
Chakra Absorption Technique? An ordinary one couldn't achieve this level.
He immediately took out a shuriken, threw it, and formed a seal.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Poof.
One shuriken instantly multiplied into a swarm—flying into the gaps like a flock of birds.
As soon as the shuriken entered the range of the Hollow Wicker Basket, they immediately caught Sukuna's attention. His four eyes fixed on them respectively.
As I thought.
A hint of understanding flashed in Hiruzen's eyes. But before he could make his next move—
A thick python shot out instantly. Its bloody maw snapped toward Hiruzen's head.
Poof.
The Hiruzen bitten by the python turned into smoke.
Dense poofing sounds also rang out within the Hollow Wicker Basket as almost all the shuriken vanished.
One of them revealed Hiruzen's true body. Holding the Adamantine Staff with both hands, he raised it high. His face was stern.
"Brat. You need to learn to respect your elders."
As his voice fell, the Adamantine Staff slashed down from above.
Even with the weakening effect of the Hollow Wicker Basket devouring chakra, the staff still retained surging power.
Sukuna didn't have time to think. He immediately crossed his arms above his head to block. An unstoppable force roared down.
BOOM.
The Hollow Wicker Basket shattered and dissipated instantly. Sukuna flew down like a cannonball, smashing heavily onto the ground.
A cloud of dust burst open. He waved his hand, creating a strong gust to blow away the debris. His eyes were full of excitement.
"What powerful strength. Is your title of Ninjutsu Professor actually a specialized piece of fake intelligence?"
The power of Reverse Cursed Technique acted on his wrists, rapidly healing his swollen arms.
"Don't underestimate Sensei. The two of us are not his match yet."
Orochimaru's voice slowly rang out from the side.
He knew very well how strong his sensei was. Especially since he mastered so many methods—he had almost no shortcomings. There was simply no possibility of finding a weakness to exploit.
To defeat him, one could only suppress him with pure power. Although the two of them had strong techniques, they hadn't reached the level of overwhelming superiority yet.
Hiruzen landed on a nearby tree. His face was serious.
He hadn't held back at all with that strike. Yet it had only bruised the opponent's arms.
Looking at the twelve-year-old Sukuna—about 1.5 meters tall—the boy was right at the age of rapid physical growth.
His physical talent was inherently strong. He would soon experience a period of explosive development. His strength would probably be even more formidable in the future.
Looking at the two people before him—one proficient in secret techniques, the other physically tyrannical—
"I absolutely cannot let you two escape."
Hiruzen spoke and continued to charge forward.
The battle here wasn't far from the village. The commotion was massive. The entire Konoha Village seemed to have been activated.
After all, it hadn't been many years since the Nine-Tails incident.
Meanwhile, Danzo Shimura led a squad of Root ninjas, rushing toward the village's edge in another direction.
Soon, the group arrived at a clearing in a dense forest and immediately stopped.
"Lord Danzo, this is where traces of a barrier were found."
A Root ninja immediately pointed to a spot.
There were two adjacent large trees—like a door. Behind them was a small hill.
"That old thing indeed had a problem."
Danzo snorted coldly.
He knew best that people doing research would absolutely not honestly conduct proper experiments.
Having gained the power to control the entire Forbidden Jutsu Laboratory, how could Zenshu not abuse his authority for his own private work?
And after he raided Zenshu's independent laboratory, he immediately found anomalies in the finances and materials amidst the clues.
Such crude fake accounts. I'm afraid they couldn't even fool Hiruzen.
Danzo was expressionless but snorted with some smugness internally.
He raised his hand and waved.
Two Root ninjas proficient in Barrier Techniques immediately stepped forward. After some manipulation, a barrier shield indeed appeared between the two large trees.
But they manipulated it for a long time. The shield didn't show the slightest fluctuation.
Gradually, their foreheads were covered in cold sweat.
Seeing this, Danzo gradually understood that these two subordinates simply couldn't crack this barrier.
This immediately made him think of that female ninja—Tengen. She had almost formed her own faction within the Barrier Team.
He heard her skills had convinced almost all the ninjas in the Barrier Team. The original team leader had applied multiple times to step down and give the position to Tengen—but it was rejected.
Useless.
Danzo was very dissatisfied internally. He waved his hand.
"Alright. You two may step down."
The two Root ninjas immediately breathed sighs of relief and hurriedly bowed their heads and retreated.
"Yes!"
"Arrange people to guard this place."
After Danzo issued the order, he took a few people and left.
The remaining Root ninjas guarded the surroundings vigilantly.
But they completely failed to notice that a White Zetsu was hiding in a large tree nearby.
Zenshu's secret laboratory?
White Zetsu was also very curious. What kind of experiments were inside?
He slowly dove down, sinking into the earth like swimming, and moved toward the distance.
But as he swam, he noticed something was wrong.
How can I still be in the dirt after such a long distance?
White Zetsu's expression changed slightly.
He carefully found a large tree, floated up, and took a cautious look.
He was going uphill. More than a hundred meters below were exactly those two trees and the barrier shield.
What's going on? Barrier Technique? Or Space-Time Ninjutsu? What kind of experiment requires such technology to hide it?
White Zetsu didn't know. But he was now very interested in this laboratory.
"Interesting. I really want to see what exactly is here."
White Zetsu slowly closed his eyes.
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