The secret medicine touched their lips. An unnatural flush bloomed across the faces of Sarutobi Shinki and his companions.
Realizing what effect the secret medicine had caused, Asuma's face paled in alarm. He shouted frantically, "Stop them now!"
Before his voice even faded, he had already hurled several shuriken toward Sarutobi Shinki and the others, hoping to interrupt their jutsu.
Danzo instantly followed Asuma's lead. His hands moved rapidly through hand seals.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
The chilling night wind immediately answered his call, condensing into countless sharp beams that slashed toward the eight Sarutobi ninja.
The Sarutobi ninja acted as if they had anticipated this. Two quickly stepped forward, forming hand seals in unison before slamming their palms onto the ground.
"Earth Release – Earth Wall!"
The ground thundered as towering walls rose like roaring waves from deep beneath the earth, blocking their path.
Peng! Peng! Peng! ——
KBoom! KBoom! KBoom! ——
Shuriken and Wind Release beams smashed relentlessly into the walls.
The shuriken carved deep cracks along the surface, while the Wind Release beams sliced through stone like paper, turning solid barriers into scattered rubble.
Yet after absorbing most of the assault through layers of earth, the Wind Release beams finally lost their edge. The two ninja managed to block the attack completely.
Before Danzo and the others could form another jutsu, six previously inactive Sarutobi ninja suddenly leaped atop the broken walls.
Each of the six completed the final seals of a Fire Release technique. In perfect unison, they flared their jaws wide open.
[Furious Flame Technique!]
In an instant, eight blazing torrents of red flame spewed from their mouths.
The flames merged together, intensifying into an enormous sea of fire that blotted out sky and land. Its fierce glow illuminated the pitch-black night. The scorching heat dried the moisture in the surroundings, and the violent inferno cracked the earth and collapsed nearby buildings.
Aozora's expression grew grim at the sight.
As expected, the Sarutobi Clan was renowned for its Fire Release techniques. Though their secret [Furious Flame Technique] lacked the raw power of the Uchiha's Great Fireball, its strength multiplied when combined.
Only six Sarutobi jonin working together had unleashed a fire attack nearly reaching S-ranked Ninjutsu level. Imagine the devastation should the entire Sarutobi Clan unite their flames?
Naturally, such combined techniques might require additional conditions—and perhaps this sight would never be seen again.
As Aozora mused, Danzo and the others had no choice but to confront this overwhelming jutsu head-on.
While throwing his shuriken, Asuma had already begun retreating backward. With a chakra surge, he shot back like an arrow.
Danzo knew better than to stand and fight—he hastily pulled away too.
But how could humans outrun a tidal wave?
Helpless and cornered, the four were quickly swallowed by the roaring ocean of flames.
And still, the inferno surged forward like an unstoppable tide, rolling wave after wave, consuming everything in its path.
KRAASHHHH—!
The great mansion ahead shattered under the impact of the massive fire wave. Wooden fragments filled the air, not yet touching the ground before being vaporized by the searing heat.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya, locked in fierce combat, felt the incoming heatwave. In an instant, they exchanged a blow and skillfully backflipped away in unison.
Even they weren't eager to withstand such a powerful technique head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crackle! Snap!
The Fire Wave shattered over a dozen large mansions, burned countless wooden huts to ashes, and finally lost its momentum, leaving behind nothing but ruins.
Aozora stared at the scorched land and blackened stone walls ahead, letting out a sigh of relief.
The combined ninjutsu from Sarutobi's Six-Person Technique had already reached the power level of his Great Fireball Technique. Remember, his Fire Release was enhanced by both Yan Dun Chakra and Natural Energy!
Of course, Aozora wasn't afraid of them per se, but he worried about them using such techniques in densely populated areas—should they successfully suppress this rebellion, Konoha would still suffer enormous damage.
Activating his Sharingan, Aozora quickly scanned the battlefield.
His gaze passed over the distant standoff between Jiraiya and Orochimaru and soon landed on Danzo, whose clothes were tattered, and Asuma, lying motionless on the ground with no clear signs of life.
As for Danzo's two subordinates, they'd become nothing more than charred skeletons within the flames.
Aozora shook his head slightly.
The technique's power rivaled his own Great Fireball Technique, yet its follow-up Blazing Flame damage seemed low. Otherwise, Danzo would have already used up one of his Sharingan abilities in his right eye.
Aozora turned his eyes toward Sarutobi Shinki and the others standing atop an earthen wall, preparing to say something encouraging.
Suddenly, he noticed their figures hunching forward, legs trembling slightly, before one by one tumbling down from the earth wall onto the ground.
After observing them through his Sharingan, Aozora sighed regretfully, "So they used secret medicine, huh? What a shame!"
His handy tools were gone, which left him feeling somewhat disheartened.
He was a man who cherished peace—unless it became absolutely necessary, he still preferred not to get personally involved.
Looking at the ragged Danzo, Orochimaru displayed a mocking smile. "Danzo, you look quite disheveled."
Glowering at Orochimaru, Danzo replied darkly, "Our plan has completely failed!"
Right now, all the Sarutobi Clan ninja remained trapped inside their compound, most of their elite already eliminated by him, with the remaining ones proving rather useless.
Reinforcements from the Barrier Wall hadn't arrived yet, clearly intercepted by Konoha's forces.
Additionally, he sensed almost no blazing light beyond the barrier, indicating the prearranged squads hadn't ignited any significant resistance.
Without doubt, this coup attempt had entered its final stage before it had barely begun.
Orochimaru licked his lips and rasped, "What a shame!"
Though he expressed regret, his lips curled into a grin anyway.
To him, this meticulously planned rebellion appeared nothing more than a game; success or failure held little consequence.
Seeing Orochimaru's indifferent expression, Danzo snorted coldly before stating, "We mustn't get bogged down fighting Jiraiya. We need to break through the Barrier swiftly; otherwise, once Fugaku Uchiha and others arrive, our escape will become difficult."
Orochimaru nodded in response.
Meanwhile, Aozora also leapt to land not far from Jiraiya.
After some consideration, he spoke, "Jiraiya, the situation is now clear. Irrefutable evidence shows Orochimaru and Danzo orchestrated this coup attempt! If we take them down here with undeniable proof, I believe the Hokage will surely go easy on the Sarutobi Clan."
Aozora didn't threaten Jiraiya in any way. He trusted that Jiraiya would make the right choice.
Jiraiya gave a slight nod. The sight of Danzo appearing alongside Orochimaru made him realize just how far his former friend had fallen.
"You've taken the wrong path, Orochimaru. Unfortunately, I can't save you anymore!"
Looking at his former best friend, sorrow filled Jiraiya's face. Then, for the first time ever, seriousness replaced his usual playful expression.
Then, Jiraiya turned his head slightly toward Aozora and said solemnly, "I have a powerful ninjutsu that can definitely finish them off, but I'll need some time!"
He knew that without an edge, he and Orochimaru were evenly matched — holding him here wouldn't be easy.
Aozora nodded thoughtfully. Clearly, Jiraiya had made his decision since he was actually going to use Sage Mode against Orochimaru.
He nodded and confidently replied, "I can hold them down for a while, but I can't guarantee your safety!"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "You're truly a Uchiha genius. I'll trust you just this once! As for my safety, it's not something you need to be concerned about..."
Before he could finish, Danzo and Orochimaru in the distance sliced open their palms and started forming hand seals while smearing blood.
Spotting their seals, Aozora bit his thumb and followed suit.
Aozora's eyes flickered as he cut his right palm and slammed it onto the ground.
[Summoning Jutsu!]
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