Within the Land of Hot Water, near the Land of Fire's border, in a dense forest, Hiruzen swiftly moved with three Anbu squad members. If one could see through the monkey mask, they would find Hiruzen's expression to be one of extreme displeasure, even gloom.
'Damn it, if those guys catch up to the injured transport team, who knows what kind of tragedy will unfold!' Hiruzen thought, seething.
Earlier this morning, Hiruzen suddenly received intelligence indicating that a group of Kumogakure shinobi had secretly breached Konohagakure's defenses deployed in the Land of Hot Water and were heading towards the team that had transported the wounded from the front lines two days prior.
This matter directly alarmed the Hokage, Tobirama. A secretly breached defense line wasn't new; after all, the entire battlefield spanned almost half of the Land of Hot Water, with many perilous jungles. Shinobi also had their trump cards, so it was common for some to bypass the defenses.
However, the problem was that they intended to attack the team carrying the wounded, which was utterly barbaric. Generally, neither side in a conflict would do such a thing.
But now, the intelligence was very precise, indicating that Kumogakure was indeed doing this. In some ways, it also showed that their current situation was truly dire, like cornered dogs jumping over a wall.
"Commander, ahead is the resting area for the wounded team. Currently, there seems to be no movement. Perhaps they noticed us pursuing them from behind, so they stopped their action?" an Anbu member said quickly while moving through the forest.
As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruzen's expression beneath his mask changed abruptly. He couldn't help but think, 'They discovered our whereabouts? Luring us into an ambush?'
Thinking this, Hiruzen quickly ordered, "Stop all action! All units, be on alert! Watch out for ambushes!"
After speaking, he stopped pushing off the ground, halting directly on a tree branch. Before he could even observe the surrounding situation, several kunai swiftly shot out from all directions. The sharp-eyed Hiruzen also noticed that these kunai all had burning explosion tags attached to them.
'Damn it, I was too hasty. There really is an ambush!' Hiruzen Sarutobi thought regretfully.
But his speed was also not slow. He quickly reached into his Ninjutsu tool pouch, simultaneously throwing kunai in four directions, knocking all the explosion tag-equipped kunai away in mid-air.
Then, explosions erupted around their four-man squad, raising a cloud of smoke. The four of them formed a defensive formation, back to back.
After the smoke dissipated slightly, Hiruzen also clearly saw the surrounding scene. Ten Kumogakure Anbu shinobi had already completely surrounded the four of them in this desolate wilderness.
"Damn it, we fell for it. Their priority target wasn't the wounded team, but us!" Hiruzen whispered, and the hearts of the other three Anbu squad members sank.
"Commander, it seems they either deciphered the intelligence system, or there's been a change in the intelligence network, or even... a traitor!" an Anbu squad member said.
Just then, the leader of the opposing Kumogakure Anbu member spoke, "Monkey mask? Hehehehe, it seems we've caught a big fish, Hiruzen Sarutobi... The leader of Konohagakure's Anbu!"
Hiruzen's heart sank, then he quietly told his subordinates, "It seems they really have our intel. We need to thoroughly investigate this when we get back! Change the intelligence transmission method and encryption!"
As soon as Hiruzen finished speaking, the enemy leader's hand on the other side already began to flicker with electricity...
"Lightning Release: Ground Flash!" As the person spoke, they slammed their hand onto the ground. The next second, powerful Lightning Release energy surged along the ground towards Hiruzen and the others.
In this situation, Hiruzen, as an experienced shinobi, naturally understood that he absolutely couldn't jump up at this moment. Otherwise, suspended in mid-air, unable to maneuver, the remaining enemies around him would seize the opportunity to finish him off.
But the problem was that if he didn't jump, he would have to use Ninjutsu to defend, and the best and fastest defensive method was Earth Release. However, Earth Release was naturally countered by Lightning Release, so using it wouldn't be very effective.
Thinking further, the more troublesome aspect of Lightning Release: Ground Flash was that it could conduct not only through earth but also through water, becoming even more powerful. This also made Hiruzen hesitant to use Ninjutsu like Water Formation Wall for defense.
At this very moment, the opponent had used only one Ninjutsu, yet it forced Hiruzen into an extremely stifling position. From this, it was clear that the leading Kumogakure Anbu shinobi was also an experienced master!
No sooner said than done!
"Group A Tactics!" Hiruzen quickly bellowed.
Then, the two Anbu shinobi beside him swiftly formed hand signs without hesitation. Hiruzen also formed the 'Tiger' hand sign!
The next second, Hiruzen exhaled a stream of flames at the rapidly approaching Lightning Release, shouting, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
As Hiruzen's words fell, a large amount of flames directly ignited the ground not far in front of him, blocking the power of the Lightning Release outside. However, it was still clear that the powerful Lightning Release was continuously breaking through the burning ground...
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Just then, the two Anbu members assisting Hiruzen also simultaneously exhaled Wind Release Ninjutsu. When the strong winds blew into the Fire Release, the flames instantly surged, suppressing the power of the Lightning Release and completely consuming it.
This wasn't all. Seeing that the flames hadn't died down yet, Hiruzen began to form hand signs again. As a Ninjutsu prodigy, Hiruzen's hand sign speed was extremely fast. In just an instant, his hand signs were complete.
"Vacuum Fireball!" Hiruzen fiercely exhaled a massive fireball, which also contained the power of wind. Instantly, the fireball passed through the already burning flames and smashed towards the enemy's direction.
This was a fireball used in conjunction with Vacuum Spheres, a Collaboration Ninjutsu with extremely high power...
After Hiruzen unleashed this Ninjutsu, his three subordinates also changed formation again, directly forming a triangle to protect Hiruzen in the center.
At the same time, two Kumogakure shinobi also quickly used Water Release Ninjutsu, barely managing to block Hiruzen's Fire Release.
A mountain breeze dispersed the mist. The Kumogakure shinobi on the opposite side looked at Hiruzen's squad, who had changed formation again, feeling somewhat confused. What was going on? Sacrificing pawns to save the king? What kind of tactic was Group A Tactics?
A confident smile appeared beneath Hiruzen's mask...
It was no surprise that, at the advanced age of sixty-nine, Hiruzen could exchange Ninjutsu with the First Hokage and Second Hokage in a confined space, and successfully use the Reaper Death Seal to almost take Orochimaru with them.
Although the power of Hashirama and Tobirama was severely limited at that time, it still showed how formidable Hiruzen's mastery of Ninjutsu was.
It should be known that he was an all-rounder shinobi capable of proficiently mastering thousands of Ninjutsu!
And at this moment, Hiruzen, protected in the center and able to attack with full power, was a human artillery turret!
But ultimately, Hiruzen and his group were still surrounded. Before Hiruzen could even make a move, shinobi from all four directions had already begun performing Ninjutsu.
"Wind, Lightning, Water, Fire, Earth... None missing?" Hiruzen merely glanced, grasping the situation. Then, the chakra within him, far exceeding that of a normal shinobi, began to surge, and he quickly started forming hand signs.
"Five Elements: Great Consecutive Bombs!"
Hiruzen bellowed softly. Then, he spun around, continuously exhaling five elemental chakra energy balls in all directions. Fireballs, water bullets, Vacuum Spheres, and similar attacks all flew out. This wasn't all; each element precisely struck the Ninjutsu it countered, not only nullifying the incoming technique but also launching a counterattack to a certain extent.
If viewed from a distance, it looked as if Hiruzen alone was suppressing all the enemy forces!
After accomplishing this, Hiruzen's hands swiftly moved to the Ninjutsu tool pouches on both sides of his waist, then he suddenly hurled a large number of shuriken in all directions.
The moment the shuriken left his hands, Hiruzen formed hand signs again.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Hiruzen whispered softly.
The next second, the already numerous shuriken exploded violently in the air. Then, to the astonishment of the Kumogakure shinobi, an overwhelming barrage of shuriken indiscriminately covered all directions!
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu is an A-rank Ninjutsu, considered one of the super high-difficulty techniques. It's a technique performed by combining Ninjutsu tools with Ninjutsu. A single shuriken can split into hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of shuriken, all of which are solid attacks with immense power.
Not to mention how many shuriken Hiruzen had thrown at this moment. The area around them now looked like it was continuously raining, with a large number of shuriken covering the surrounding dense forest, pulverizing trees into wood splinters. The ground itself was cracking, and Hiruzen clearly appeared to be on a rampage.
This wasn't all. Although Hiruzen possessed all five elements and knew a bit of every Ninjutsu, his most proficient and frequently used were Fire Release Ninjutsu.
With shuriken fluttering everywhere and him single-handedly suppressing the entire field, Hiruzen once again formed the 'Tiger' hand sign in his hands. Then his chest swelled slightly, and he fiercely exhaled scorching flames into the air around him.
"Fire Release: Great Phoenix Fire Technique!" Hiruzen whispered.
Phoenix Fire Technique is a Ninjutsu developed in conjunction with Shuriken Jutsu, capable of igniting shuriken to further enhance their power, giving them high temperature and flame-based destructive force.
And Hiruzen's actions in this wave literally seemed to set the entire sky ablaze. The already incredibly powerful Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu gained even greater power, making it seem as if fiery rain was falling from the sky, causing the Kumogakure shinobi to cry out in distress, making it unclear who was truly surrounding whom.
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