As if fearing that this fluent combination of Ninjutsu wouldn't be enough to wipe out all the surrounding enemies, Hiruzen didn't stop his movements at all. The speed of his hand signs was incredibly fast, almost imperceptible, a mere blur of afterimages.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Hiruzen quietly shouted again.
As Hiruzen's words fell, two identical figures appeared outside the original triangular formation. Then, without any pause, the three Hiruzen swiftly formed a complex set of hand signs.
"Collaboration Ninjutsu: Erupting Firestone Bullet!" The three Hiruzen simultaneously bellowed.
The next second, a large number of burning small meteors instantly appeared in the sky, continuously smashing down on the already ravaged surroundings, shaking the ground.
Erupting Firestone Bullet was one of Hiruzen's trump card Ninjutsu for fighting against overwhelming odds, a technique he had exchanged with Hibari for that 'Mini Hydrogen Bomb Jutsu'. Its power was extremely formidable. Now, with three such techniques erupting simultaneously, the surrounding area was forcibly transformed into a fiery, lava-like hell.
The scorching heat caused Hiruzen's vision to slightly distort, a scene that appeared when the air was heated to a certain degree.
Without wasting any chakra, after releasing this set of Ninjutsu, Hiruzen swiftly dispelled his Shadow Clone Jutsu, recovering some of his chakra.
Although it seemed like a long time had passed, only a few moments had actually elapsed since Hiruzen threw his shuriken. In a situation where it was impossible for anyone to react, he fully showcased his title of 'Prodigy Shinobi'.
Ten mere individuals wanted to surround Hiruzen Sarutobi? They still greatly underestimated Konohagakure's future 'Third Hokage'!
Although the power levels of shinobi were very unclear, even within the Jonin rank, there were significant differences. Hiruzen's strength, at this moment, was already beyond what ordinary prodigies could compare to.
At the same time, it was absolutely normal for shinobi to fight against overwhelming odds. In the future, the Third Hokage even created a legend of fighting one against ten thousand!
This time, after dispelling his Shadow Clone Jutsu, Hiruzen didn't continue attacking. However, the four of them still didn't lower their guard, carefully observing the surrounding situation.
As the flames gradually subsided, a proud smile once again appeared on Hiruzen's face beneath his mask, because he had already clearly seen the surrounding situation.
As expected, after his powerful counterattack, the opposing ten-man squad was basically completely annihilated. Occasionally, there were two or three survivors, lying on the ground, impaled with many shuriken, burning with sparks, constantly twisting and struggling. It seemed they were not far from death.
Only the leader from before had three shuriken stuck in his shoulder, with large areas of burns on his entire left arm, still showing a hint of resistance.
Although this guy was also a decent master, who had once put Hiruzen in a somewhat stifling situation, even masters had to be compared. Compared to ordinary shinobi, he was a master, but in front of Hiruzen, he truly wasn't enough to contend with!
"Impossible... How can you be so strong?" The guy clutched his arm, looking at Hiruzen with an incredulous expression.
And Hiruzen grinned, saying, "Don't underestimate Konoha!"
Perhaps in recent years, Hiruzen had been made the head of the Anbu by Hibari's meddling, so he rarely had to personally undertake missions that required his direct intervention. Even when he did, he had to follow Anbu rules, trying to be as discreet as possible, so the outside world found it difficult to obtain specific information about him, such as how much he had grown in strength over the past few years...
Therefore, this ten-man Kumogakure Anbu squad had made a huge mistake in estimating Hiruzen's strength. From the beginning, they relied on their numerical superiority and were overflowing with confidence. As a result, they accidentally gave Hiruzen an opportunity to strike, and in an instant, he used a continuous barrage of powerful Ninjutsu to directly wipe them out...
Just then, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared in the distant forest. Then, the few people on the battlefield looked towards it, only to see a figure enveloped in Lightning Release chakra rushing towards them at an incredibly fast speed.
The leading Kumogakure shinobi looked at this scene, his heart filled with joy. It was the Lightning Release Chakra Mode! It was the secret technique passed down only within the Raikage's lineage in Kumogakure!
And the people from that lineage were all masters among masters. Perhaps he was saved this time, and not only that, but they might even be able to kill Hiruzen and the others here!
Hiruzen was also startled when he saw the figure rushing towards them. In this war against Kumogakure, he had often sparred with these masters who used the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. He had not only fought the Second Raikage once but also the future Third Raikage.
Therefore, Hiruzen understood how troublesome these guys were...
But when the figure got closer, and Hiruzen clearly saw the bird mask on that person's head, he relaxed completely, a smile involuntarily appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Hibari..." Hiruzen murmured softly.
The next second, that figure appeared beside the Kumogakure shinobi at an incredibly fast speed, showing no intention of wasting words. With a single Lateral Bolt of Pain: Chop hand blade, he nearly smashed the guy's head into his chest, killing him beyond revival.
At the same time, Hiruzen also spoke with a hint of teasing, "You, haven't seen you in two or three months, and the moment you show up, you try to steal my credit?"
Hearing Hiruzen's words, the Lightning Release chakra around the figure wearing the bird mask quickly dissipated. Then Hibari lifted his mask slightly, letting it hang askew on his head, revealing his brilliant smile as he said, "You've been slaying on the front lines, accumulating countless merits. The wounded in the village are all praising your valiant and courageous deeds. Your prestige in the village is soaring right now. Isn't it natural for me to steal a kill and bask in some of that glory? Hahahaha."
Just as Hibari said, Hiruzen was very active on the front lines, and various heroic deeds of his were constantly spreading throughout the village, causing his prestige in the village to rise significantly, even appearing a bit more formidable than his father, Sarutobi Sasuke.
However, Hiruzen wasn't the only one active on the front lines and accumulating numerous merits. Yet, only his deeds were widely circulated. This made Hibari understand the situation. Without a doubt, it must be his grandfather, the Hokage, Tobirama, taking the opportunity to build momentum for Hiruzen!
In Tobirama's eyes, Hiruzen was the most suitable candidate to succeed him as Hokage. The reason was simple: Hiruzen was his direct disciple, capable of inheriting his ideals without overturning the foundations he had laid.
Secondly, Hiruzen came from the Sarutobi clan, which had close ties with the Senju clan. Having him as the Third Hokage wouldn't cause the Senju clan to instantly lose power.
The most important point was that Tobirama could see that the Uchiha clan always wanted to push one of their own to become Hokage, which was absolutely unacceptable to Tobirama.
From a public standpoint, Tobirama still couldn't completely trust the Uchiha clan. Kagami was the only Uchiha member he could truly trust, but Kagami's prestige within the Uchiha clan wasn't enough to convince everyone or reverse many situations. Therefore, even Kagami couldn't become Hokage, otherwise he might very likely be made a figurehead.
From a private standpoint, if a member of the Uchiha clan were to become Hokage, then their Senju clan would inevitably be suppressed. This was simply a given!
So, Tobirama absolutely could not accept an Uchiha clan member becoming Hokage, both publicly and privately.
And in the entire Konohagakure, besides their Senju clan, the only ones capable of suppressing the Uchiha clan's ambition were the Sarutobi clan, because the Sarutobi clan had the backing of their Senju family, and Sarutobi Sasuke's reputation was strong enough. Furthermore, the Sarutobi clan itself was a prestigious noble family!
While the Hyūga clan also had the ability to contend with the Uchiha clan, their 'rigid' aura was simply too strong. And precisely, the Hokage sometimes needed to be 'unscrupulous', so Tobirama believed they were not suitable!
Therefore, Hiruzen was seen by Tobirama as the best successor. Thus, during this war, he had to build momentum for him, increasing his prestige in the village, so that the Uchiha clan would be even less able to object to anything.
Although Hibari could understand these matters, he had no intention of interfering. He also supported Hiruzen. Despite his good relationship with Kagami, this was merely a personal connection. Both of them tacitly never brought up the friction and issues between their clans.
As a member of the Senju clan, Hibari was born to stand in opposition to the Uchiha clan. This was one of his fundamental stances. Unless the Uchiha clan declined to a point where they couldn't contend with the Senju clan, he would absolutely not support an Uchiha clan member becoming Hokage. That would be akin to inviting trouble for himself!
As Hibari finished speaking, several more dark figures arrived from the direction he came from. They didn't even need to remove their masks; Hiruzen knew who they were with just a glance: Hitenn Hyūga, Kagami Uchiha, and Sakumo Hatake, among others.
"It looks like your vacation is coming to an end, isn't it? You're a bit late; the war is almost over..." Hiruzen said with a chuckle, simultaneously lifting his own mask.
"Commander, long time no see. It seems your strength has greatly improved again. As expected, your reputation is well-deserved, and the villagers were right!" Hitenn still spoke in a very 'polite' tone.
However, Hiruzen had long been accustomed to this, so he didn't mind this seemingly 'unfamiliar' tone. Instead, he chuckled and said, "I've read in the reports about what you did in the Land of Water, Hitenn. A set of brilliant palm techniques that left the Kaguya clan leader unable to even retaliate, directly leading to his sudden death on the spot. Absolutely incredible!"
"Alright, alright, are you two done being awkward? Do you really have to praise each other here?" Kagami said helplessly.
Then the few of them laughed and chatted for a bit before starting to clear the battlefield, directly finishing off those half-dead individuals, saving them from further suffering.
As for why they didn't take them back for interrogation or intelligence gathering, it was unnecessary. It was clear that these guys were also Anbu members, and the Anbu of various countries were notoriously tough.
Instead of interrogating them, it was better to bring them back to the intelligence department to "dig out their brains."
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