In the midst of such a high-speed battle, Hiruzen barely had time to be surprised that his barrier had been shattered instantly. He could only respond in coordination with Jiraiya by launching a Fire Release technique.
The moment the roaring flames came into contact with the toad oil, the blaze surged violently, its color shifting rapidly from deep red to a blinding blue-white.
In an instant, the conflagration completely engulfed Aramaki's location.
But Danzō seemed to think it still wasn't enough. He added another layer on top: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
As the raging wind poured in, the already searing flames flared up again, turning blindingly white.
The temperature soared so high that even they couldn't withstand it, and they were forced to retreat dozens of meters away.
But before the flames had even dissipated—
Jiraiya's sensory ability, enhanced by Sage Mode, suddenly picked up a fierce gust rushing in from behind.
[Bang!]
The next second—
Jiraiya was sent flying by a heavy kick from Aramaki, who had emerged from the tree trunk below. But as his body flipped through the air, it burst into white smoke, revealing a shattered wooden log.
At that moment—
The real Jiraiya, now moving at high speed after using the Body Replacement Technique, was shocked to find that Aramaki, wearing a mocking grin, had already caught up with him—at a speed so fast it defied belief.
Their movements were so rapid that even jōnin couldn't follow them with the naked eye.
[Boom!]
The next moment, Jiraiya took a brutal punch to the stomach from Aramaki.
"Gahhh—!"
A column of blood burst from his mouth as his body was sent hurtling backward, crashing through over a dozen thick tree trunks with loud bangs.
"Jiraiya!!!"
Hiruzen shouted in alarm.
But Aramaki had already turned into a blazing green meteor, streaking toward him.
There was no time to worry about Jiraiya anymore.
"Enma! Adamantine Prison Wall!"
Hiruzen threw the Adamantine Staff into the air.
In an instant, dozens of identical clones of the staff multiplied outward,
Forming a large square-shaped prison cage around him.
[Duang——————!]
A jet-black fist, wrapped in green energy, slammed violently into one of the staff pillars directly in front of Hiruzen.
A surge of boiling air exploded outward from the impact like scalding steam,
Even distorting the surrounding air with visible shockwaves.
At the same moment, the surface of the struck Adamantine Staff rippled—revealing the anguished face of the Monkey King, Enma.
"Hiruzen… I'm sorry—I can't hold on!"
[Bang!]
The next instant, Hiruzen stared in shock as the entire cage of staffs dissolved into white smoke and vanished.
"Impossible… Enma has an indestructible body!"
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Indestructible?"
"Don't make me laugh."
Aramaki sneered with disdain.
Just as he was about to move in again—
Danzō suddenly came diving from above, brandishing a golden longsword crackling with electricity, shouting as he brought it down toward Aramaki's head.
"Don't underestimate Konoha, outsider!!"
Seeing yet another strange weapon, Aramaki raised an eyebrow and casually sidestepped the strike. The blade—formed entirely from golden Lightning Release—missed him narrowly.
But just as Danzō began a follow-up horizontal sweep,
Aramaki's fingers transformed into thick vines, which wrapped tightly around Danzō's right arm.
With a twist of force, Danzō's face contorted in pain, and he reflexively released his grip on the sword.
"What is this?"
Aramaki grabbed the stolen Raijin Sword, examining it up and down—
But in the very next second, both the sword and Danzō exploded into a puff of white smoke and vanished.
A vein throbbed on Aramaki's forehead.
These ninja Shadow Clones really were something. Their chakra signatures were completely indistinguishable from the real thing—so much so that even Kenbunshoku Haki couldn't tell them apart.
At that same moment—
Taking advantage of the moment, Hiruzen retreated to a 'safe distance'.
But Danzō wasn't finished.
In his hand, he now held the real Raijin Sword.
At the same time, he bit down hard on his left thumb.
"Summoning Technique!"
[Bang!]
A loud explosion rang out as thick clouds of white smoke billowed outward.
A giant summoning beast with reddish-brown fur and a long elephant trunk emerged into view.
"Damn it... that bastard Orochimaru still isn't ready?!"
Danzō cursed inwardly, his face grim, and roared, "Baku! Swallow him whole!"
"Awooooo—!"
At his command, the beast let out a monstrous cry, then opened its gaping jaws wide.
In the next instant, an overwhelming suction force began devouring the air itself.
On Aramaki's side, he immediately felt the violent pull, his body beginning to shift toward the beast.
Opposite him, Danzō gripped the Raijin Sword tightly, eyes locked on Aramaki.
He was waiting—waiting for the moment Aramaki lost balance and was pulled in… so he could cut him down in a single stroke!
"You like sucking things in that much? Then let Grandpa spice it up for you!"
Aramaki's eyes flashed with a new idea.
He immediately activated the power of the Mori-Mori no Mi.
In the next second—
Giant, bizarre, multicolored flowers and massive, vividly colored mushrooms began blooming across the trees near Baku.
And of course, carried by the fierce wind, these plants were instantly sucked into Baku's open mouth.
But they weren't exactly easy to digest…
Danzō and the others watched in shock as Baku let out a pained, high-pitched screech.
Its reddish-brown fur suddenly turned into a mess of rainbow hues.
[Boom!]
Unable to withstand it any longer, Baku burst into smoke and vanished—no one could say for sure if it had survived the return.
"Heh, how about you hand that sword over to Grandpa for a bit~"
At that moment—
Aramaki appeared right in front of Danzō, whose expression had drastically changed.
Danzō instinctively tried to teleport away, but vines shot up from beneath him, entangling his legs.
Though he immediately unleashed Wind Release chakra from his legs to shred the vines,
that brief moment of hesitation was all Aramaki needed.
[Squelch—!]
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
Danzō looked down in disbelief at the thick wooden spike piercing his abdomen—
It was a spear formed from Aramaki's transformed finger.
In that moment—
A fierce, resolute light burned in Danzō's eyes.
He completely ignored the Raijin Sword now in Aramaki's grasp.
Instead, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Aramaki's right arm, which he clutched tightly—
and activated the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique he had prepared inside his body.
"Sensei… I'll prove to you—my will to protect Konoha is no weaker than Hiruzen's!"
"Let's die together!!"
"Danzō!!!"
Hiruzen shouted in anguish from afar—
But it was too late. He could only watch, helplessly, as countless streams of black blood exploded from Danzō's body,
forming a pitch-black sphere that devoured Aramaki and everything around him in a sealing vortex.
"..."
When the black sphere finally vanished,
everything fell into an eerie, absolute silence.
Sarutobi Hiruzen…
And Jiraiya—bloodied, battered, having returned from the fray, no longer in Sage Mode—stood speechless.
But in the next second—
[Squelch!!]
A sharp, burning pain erupted in his chest.
Hiruzen's eyes widened as he looked down to see the Raijin Sword, crackling with electricity, thrust cleanly through his abdomen.
"Well? Dying by your own village's weapon—doesn't that make you happy?"
Aramaki leaned forward, looking mockingly at the short, aging man before him—the so-called Third Hokage—with a cold sneer.
His mood was euphoric.
Killing the Hokage—
While perhaps not as glorious as crushing the entire village—was still an enormous feat.
From the very beginning, Hiruzen had been his prime target.
"Rasengan!!"
At that moment, Jiraiya charged in like a man possessed, fury blazing in his eyes.
In his right hand, he formed a glowing, pale-blue sphere of energy and hurled himself toward Aramaki.
"Get lost."
Aramaki casually swung his left palm, now coated in hardened Armament Haki.
With one strike, he shattered the Rasengan—
and in the same motion, struck Jiraiya square in the chest, sending him flying backward with another mouthful of blood.
"You're not even worthy of dying by my hand."
"Hm?!"
But just as Aramaki pulled the Raijin Sword free from Hiruzen's body—
Twisted trees suddenly burst up from the ground around him, coiling like ancient serpents as they lunged to entangle him.
At the same time—
A vine shot out from somewhere and yanked Hiruzen's body back out of Aramaki's reach.
Then, from overhead—
A thunderous roar filled with fury echoed through the air, accompanied by a crushing wave of pressure!
"Unforgivable!!"
"Wood Release: Tree Bind Flourishing Burial!!"
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