The night wind howled fiercely atop the Hokage Tower.
Swish! Swish! Swish!——
Following a series of rushing sounds, one by one, elite Jonin arrived on the rooftop of the Hokage Tower.
Seeing Fugaku wearing the Sacred Robe of Office eased everyone's anxiety slightly.
No one dared question Fugaku, who stood at the railing, but curiosity drove them to whisper among themselves.
"What's going on? Did someone attack the village?"
"I don't know. On my way here I saw the Police Force dealing with some enemies; they didn't seem very strong."
"Those must be minor characters. Didn't you see the barrier that rose from the Sarutobi Compound?"
"Could it be the Hokage is planning to exterminate the Sarutobi Clan? That would be… excessive."
"No way. Even if the Hokage wanted to, he wouldn't do it at a time like this!"
...
The Jonin all had keen ears. Choza overheard some chatter and turned to the two strategists beside him, asking, "Inoichi, Shikaku, got any idea what's going on?"
Shikaku shook his head without speaking.
Choza expressed disappointment, "Even Shikaku doesn't know?"
Inoichi replied, "Shikaku means we don't need to know since Hokage-sama will tell us soon enough anyway."
They were of a similar age and standing to Fugaku, but since he had become The Fifth Hokage, they had adjusted their manner of addressing him out of protocol.
Upon hearing this, Choza stopped asking questions, pulled out some dried meat from his sleeve, and began consuming it to store energy for whatever battle was coming.
Everyone waited briefly until most of the Elite Jonin had arrived, then Fugaku turned around to face them.
Just as he was about to speak, a sudden loud rumbling noise came from far away; everyone could even feel the ground tremble slightly.
Everyone looked toward the sound and saw three enormous beasts at the Sarutobi Compound.
At this sight, everyone understood.
Fugaku no longer maintained his calm demeanor and coldly ordered, "All Jonin, follow me to eliminate these rogue ninja!"
Before his words had completely faded, Fugaku had already rushed forward toward the Sarutobi Compound as the first to act.
The other Elite Jonin and Anbu wasted no time either, instantly channeling their chakra and rushing after Fugaku.
In an instant, the rooftop of the Hokage Tower was once again deserted, leaving only howling cold winds.
Outside the Sarutobi Compound.
Shisui had already eliminated the intruders at the Barrier Wall. Right now, together with the leader of the Sealing Team, he stood outside the barrier, gazing intensely toward the distant Sarutobi Compound.
Thick Barrier Walls lay before them. Outside the Barrier Wall stood groups of scattered ninja, forming a large circle around the Sarutobi Compound while continuously channeling chakra into the barrier by holding specific hand seals.
Although the power of the barrier relied on Konoha's overall barrier system, drawing upon its strength still consumed considerable resources.
The loud noises and frantic shouts coming from inside the Sarutobi Compound made Shisui visibly uneasy. He turned to the leader of the Sealing Team and asked, "Senior Utatane, what is the situation inside?"
Utatane Jinguji maintained a calm expression and said indifferently, "We're currently using [Protective Barrier]. It offers strong defense, but cannot detect what's happening inside."
He paused for a moment, recalling instructions from clan elder Koharu Utatane, then added with a slightly warmer tone, "Previously, we've already communicated with Aozora. If he encounters danger, he will send the predetermined distress signal."
Then he added, "Aozora hopes the Sarutobi clansmen have never left the Sarutobi Compound, which leaves room for negotiation afterward."
Shisui nodded understandingly after hearing Utatane Jinguji's detailed explanation. "Hmm, I hope nothing happens."
Even so, he still felt uneasy about Aozora. Activating his Sharingan, he peered through the barrier toward the center of the Sarutobi Compound.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, three thunderous explosions rang out, and then everyone saw huge plumes of smoke rising from the Sarutobi Compound.
With flames roaring inside the Sarutobi Compound, the silhouettes of three massive beasts were visible through the smoke.
Shisui exclaimed urgently: "Damn it, the missing-nin among the rebels are Danzo and Orochimaru!"
Utatane Jinguji quickly recognized the shapes of the giant beasts within the smoke as well. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he said, "If it's those two... our barrier won't last long. We must request reinforcements immediately! [Barriers like this require time to form and are crucial for defense.]"
Shisui said urgently, "Let me in!"
Utatane Jinguji shook his head: "We can't casually open the barrier. It takes time to form. If one of these giants were to run wild in the village, it might become another Nine-Tails' Invasion! [a devastating attack that nearly destroyed the village!]"
After saying this, he glanced into the Sarutobi Compound with alarm and added, "Why hasn't Aozora sent a distress signal yet? Jiraiya-sama alone won't be able to take down Orochimaru and Danzo!"
Shisui frowned slightly. Over these past six months, he had often trained with Aozora in the mornings, so he understood Aozora's abilities to some extent.
He couldn't believe Aozora hadn't even had the chance to send a distress message.
If that was the case, there was only one possibility—Aozora must have believed he could work with Jiraiya to defeat both Orochimaru and Danzo.
Thinking of this, Shisui shook his head helplessly.
That was way too dangerous!
As he was worrying, Shisui suddenly sensed a message coming from a summoning animal.
Then, following a burst of wind, Karasu emerged from the white smoke, appearing before Shisui.
After reading Karasu's message, Shisui looked puzzled at first, then smiled and started checking his ninja tools.
...
Inside the Sarutobi Compound.
Three mountainous beasts suddenly appeared, crushing nearby houses and causing the Sarutobi clan members to flee in all directions.
Fortunately, many lower-ranking ninjas had been allowed to leave by Aozora, and under their organization, the Sarutobi clan members quickly evacuated the battlefield.
At the center of the Sarutobi Compound, now lay ruins and rubble, with occasional flames reflecting the shadows of the three gigantic creatures.
The white smoke had not yet completely dissipated when a deep voice came from within it.
"Orochimaru, I've already warned you not to summon this lord without reason!"
Standing atop Manda's head, Orochimaru calmly responded, "Don't worry, the sacrifice will be offered shortly."
Hearing the servile tone in Orochimaru's voice, Danzo contemptuously glanced at him and asked, "Who'll stop Jiraiya?"
Orochimaru sneered with a wicked grin, "I will! Our battle isn't over yet!"
Meanwhile, a colossal reddish-purple toad had appeared beneath Jiraiya.
Holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other, it spoke solemnly: "Jiraiya-sama, is our opponent today Orochimaru again?" [spoke the Great Red-Toad, guardian of Mount Myōboku]
"Not!" Jiraiya shook his head. "Our enemies are Orochimaru and Danzo!"
He then fixed Orochimaru with a solemn gaze and said, "I want to put an end to our old feud once and for all. This time, I won't let him keep going down this twisted path."
Afterward, Jiraiya turned his attention to Aozora, who was standing on a strange black bird nearby.
"Uchiha Aozora, they seem to be trying to destroy the barrier. Do you think you can hold them off for a while?"
Though waiting for Fugaku and the others might mean leaving Orochimaru to them, Jiraiya wanted to deal with Orochimaru himself.
Standing atop Taiyi's main body, Aozora calmly nodded and replied, "Then you'd better hurry up. You know, I really hate crunch time!"
Hearing that, Jiraiya nodded and vowed, "I'll finish as quickly as I can, then completely eliminate them!"
With that, Jiraiya used the blood on his hand to draw a red line beneath his eyes. After swiftly forming several hand seals, he pressed both palms together in front of his chest.
"Gamaken, I need your help for what's next!"
Sensing the natural energy rapidly gathering around Jiraiya, Gamaken immediately understood his intent and realized his own mission.
Gripping the weapon in his hand and narrowing his eyes, he gravely said, "I understand. Although my abilities are limited, I will do my utmost."
Feeling the natural energy in the area converging toward Jiraiya, Aozora knew Jiraiya had begun preparing to enter Sage Mode.
Without waiting for Orochimaru and Danzo to act, he struck first.
[Fire Release - Great Fire Annihilation Technique!]
Orange Homura chakra spewed from his mouth, transforming into raging flames with the wind, turning the pitch-black night sky as bright as day in an instant.
His mission was to buy time for Jiraiya, and there were many ways to accomplish it. His method was attacking as defense.
He didn't believe Orochimaru and Danzo would have any chance to disrupt the barrier under his continuous assault.
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