"Idiot! Lord Hokage is injured and you're still standing there admiring the technique?!"
Sarutobi Sachiko shoved her husband sharply.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke snapped out of it and immediately moved to shield his father.
He had been too stunned. Never in his life had he seen anyone suppress Sarutobi Hiruzen in mastery of the Five Natures.
"Focus on the other enemies," Hiruzen said calmly, pulling his son behind him. "That one isn't your opponent."
The admission carried weight.
He had only lost half a step earlier due to momentary excitement—but the enemy's strength was undeniable.
A hoarse voice echoed across the valley.
"So this is the 'Hero of the Shinobi World'? The so-called strongest Hokage in history? What a disappointment."
A tall, masked figure stepped forward, wearing a forehead protector slashed through—the symbol of Takigakure.
It was the Black Market's most infamous bounty hunter—
Kakuzu.
A Name From the Past
"Who are you to attack the Hokage of Konoha? You'll be hunted to the ends of the earth!" Shinnosuke barked.
Kakuzu scoffed.
"Hokage? He's yesterday's news."
"And even if he weren't—so what?"
"I've attempted to assassinate a Hokage before."
"After failing to kill the First Hokage, I still walked away alive."
Shinnosuke froze.
Survive an encounter with the First Hokage?
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"…Kakuzu of Takigakure."
Though mocked in later retellings for "throwing a shuriken from eight hundred ri away," the truth was that Kakuzu had clashed directly with Senju Hashirama and survived.
That alone spoke volumes.
"Kakuzu," Hiruzen said solemnly, "Lord Hashirama spared your life. And now you return this kindness with assassination?"
Kakuzu's eyes gleamed coldly.
"No grudge."
"Just business."
"Someone paid for your head."
Hiruzen shifted his gaze toward the surrounding shinobi.
"So you're all here for money as well?"
A masked ninja stepped forward.
"For a price you couldn't imagine."
Another younger voice cut in sharply.
"Enough talk. This is the Land of Fire. End it quickly."
The Trap Closes
"Earth Release: Earthquake Core!"
The ground beneath Konoha's formation sank violently.
"Multiple factions…" Hiruzen muttered mid-leap. "All units—scatter and break through!"
"Kill them! Leave no survivors!"
Dozens of elite shinobi surged forward.
Kakuzu Moves
At the same time, Kakuzu acted.
Two masked creatures burst from his back—each with grotesque stitched bodies.
"Fire Release: Head-Hardening Pain!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The twin blasts merged mid-air.
"Composite Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Chaos Wave!"
A massive torrent of flame and wind roared toward Hiruzen.
So that's it. Mask-based casting—no hand seals. That's why his frequency is so fast.
Hiruzen's body turned into a log—Substitution.
He bit his thumb and slammed his palm down.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
White smoke exploded outward.
"Enma!"
Enma, the Monkey King, appeared clad in tiger-skin garb.
"You've gotten yourself into trouble again, Hiruzen."
"No time. Transform!"
Enma instantly became the Adamantine Staff.
Counterattack
"Composite Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Chaos Wave!"
"Adamantine Staff: Gale!"
Hiruzen swung the extending staff, deflecting the inferno and redirecting the raging flames outward—buying his ANBU precious seconds.
Kakuzu clicked his tongue.
"Impressive control."
"But can you block this?"
He clapped his hands.
The wind and fire masks flanked him.
Kakuzu himself opened his mouth.
Lightning crackled.
Wind spiraled.
Flame ignited.
"Triple Element Final Shot!"
Lightning. Wind. Fire.
The three merged into a terrifying chakra cannon.
It screamed across the battlefield like a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
Unstoppable.
That was Hiruzen's first thought.
Its destructive power rivaled a standard Bijūdama.
The Escape
Hiruzen slammed the Adamantine Staff into the ground and leapt atop it.
The staff extended skyward in an instant.
The chakra cannon obliterated everything beneath—barely missing him.
The valley exploded.
The Counterstroke
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Four clones appeared beside him midair.
Each formed seals simultaneously.
Five voices echoed together.
Five elements ignited.
"Five Release: Great Combination Bullet Technique!"
Flame.
Wind.
Lightning.
Earth.
Water.
Five chakra natures intertwined into a colossal, rotating elemental sphere—descending like divine judgment.
The true clash—
Had only just begun.
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