"Enma?"
The moment the massive ape appeared, both Kakashi, known as the "Copy Ninja," and Might Guy, famous for his passionate taijutsu, grew extremely serious.
Their gazes instinctively shifted to Neji, eyes filled with deep concern.
Enma—the name itself struck fear throughout the ninja world.
He possessed an almost indestructible body, and in fierce battles, his strength rivaled even the top taijutsu masters.
Not only that, Enma could transform into the legendary Adamantine Staff, a weapon of incredible power.
The staff could extend at will, and its hardness was beyond imagination.
Years ago, when the Nine-Tails wreaked havoc on Konoha, it was this very staff that played a crucial role at a decisive moment.
The Third Hokage used the staff to strike the Nine-Tails, delaying its rampage and giving the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, precious time.
This intervention prevented Konoha from suffering an even greater catastrophe.
At this moment, nobody expected Hiruzen Sarutobi himself to take part in the battle against Neji.
This made Neji's situation extremely dangerous.
After all, if Neji's proud Eight Trigrams Formation were to be broken, it would be nearly impossible for him to survive against the overwhelming number of attacking ninjas.
"Ugh, that troublesome monkey again?"
While everyone was puzzled, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto sensed Enma and seemed rather annoyed.
"Huh? What's going on now?" Naruto asked, unaware of the history between the Nine-Tails and the monkey.
"Nothing much. This monkey is just a bit troublesome," the Nine-Tails chuckled.
"But Neji inside the formation is going to have a hard time!"
Thinking back to the time he had been knocked several meters by a single strike from the staff, the Nine-Tails couldn't help but feel exasperated.
"Is Neji in danger? Should we help him? Neji is Genya's good friend!" Naruto asked anxiously.
But the Nine-Tails fell silent.
Help Neji?
Right now, Neji hadn't fully shown his strength. If this was all he had, I wouldn't be so wary!
"Hey~~ speak up~"
"Are we helping or not?"
"Nine-Tails."
Bang!
Just as everyone was filled with worry, Enma's body suddenly transformed into a rolling cloud of smoke.
In the blink of an eye, it reappeared as a majestic staff, standing firmly in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, like an unshakable iron barrier.
"Enma, I'm counting on you!" Hiruzen said, gripping the staff tightly and spinning it rapidly in the air.
His eyes were filled with a deep seriousness, as if he were facing a life-or-death challenge.
Then, he aimed the staff at Hyuga Neji.
The staff seemed alive, quickly extending toward Neji.
In an instant, it pierced through Neji's barrier and effortlessly passed through the seemingly unbreakable Eight Trigrams Formation.
Seeing this, Neji reacted immediately. Countless terrifying hand imprints rained down on the staff like a sudden storm.
The hand imprints collided with the staff, producing heavy, resounding thuds that made the staff tremble violently.
Yet, despite enduring such fierce attacks, the staff did not retreat at all and continued to extend forward.
Finally, the staff reached directly in front of Neji.
Neji was prepared, remaining on high alert.
At this critical moment, the power in his bones was rapidly activated, and countless bone blades began to merge.
In the blink of an eye, they fused into a thick, sturdy bone staff.
Neji gripped the bone staff tightly and collided violently with the iron staff.
Boom!
The two staffs clashed, producing a deafening explosion.
The shockwave spread in all directions, creating a fierce wind that made the nearby ninjas struggle to stay on their feet.
For a moment, both sides reached a stalemate, unable to gain the upper hand.
However, because Neji had to divide his attention to counter the Adamantine Staff, the Eight Trigrams Formation beside him began to show signs of instability. Some of the other ninjas' attacks could even penetrate the formation, narrowly missing Neji.
Yet Neji reacted swiftly. Whenever an attack drew near, he would quickly form several hand seals and shatter each assault one by one.
"With the Hokage involved, he won't be able to hold out much longer. Hurry, attack together…"
"Attack together…"
"Just a few more strikes, and he'll collapse!"
"Keep going…"
"Faster, faster!"
"Everyone must use their strongest ninjutsu! Attack together—he won't be able to stop it!"
"Attack together…"
Amid the shouts of the crowd, all the ninjas rapidly formed hand seals, unleashing their most powerful techniques.
For a moment, the combined brilliance of all the jutsus lit up the battlefield as if it were daytime.
"He's about to open the Eight Gates."
Watching the opposing ninjas frantically forming seals, Neji's eyes narrowed slightly.
He knew clearly that if he didn't quickly deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi, he could easily be dragged into a never-ending battle of attrition, eventually ending up exhausted and at the mercy of his enemies.
With that thought, the blue light around his body grew brighter and more intense.
"This is bad… Neji's going all out!" Might Guy watched as the glow around Neji intensified, a foreboding sense of dread rising in his heart.
He was well aware of the power and risk of the Eight Gates. It was a forbidden technique that unleashed the body's full potential.
While it granted unimaginable strength for a short time, it also inflicted severe damage on the body.
No one would use this technique lightly, unless facing a life-or-death situation.
Huh?
Kakashi's eyes were filled with melancholy. He, too, understood the weight of the Eight Gates. It was a desperate gamble taken only in the direst circumstances.
Neji being pushed to this point showed just how immense the pressure on him must be.
If Neji truly opened the Eight Gates but failed to retreat successfully, he would likely fall into the enemy's hands and endure endless torment.
"Kakashi, if we can help this kid, we should. He's suffering too much!" Might Guy spoke up from beside him.
As Neji's teacher, watching him trapped in such desperation filled him with helplessness. He could not bear to see his student driven to the brink of despair.
Kakashi was momentarily taken aback by his words.
But soon, he frowned and said, "We can help him… but I'm afraid he's already made peace with death."
****
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