Chapter 392: No, it's... Flying Thunder God?! (Bonus Chapter)
The Kusanagi Sword, now transformed into a Magic Tool, instantly elongated, meeting the Adamantine Staff.
The two massive weapons clashed and separated in an instant, emitting a grating metallic sound.
Qingshui hadn't expected the Third Hokage, who had been comfortably retired in Konoha Village for years, to step back onto the battlefield.
And as soon as he appeared, his target was Qingshui himself.
Jiraiya's tall, robust figure emerged, with two elderly Toads perched on his broad shoulders.
As expected, it's an ambush targeting me. Even Jiraiya was prepared, summoning the Toads, which typically require a long time to summon, in advance.
This time, it might be a bit tricky.
"*Frog Kumite!*"
A sense of unknown threat swept over him, yet even Qingshui's perceptive abilities struggled to detect it.
Frog Kumite, a Sage Art unique to Mount Myōboku, uses undetectable natural energy to expand its attack range.
"*Clang!~*"
The mighty Big Ivan Puppet appeared before Qingshui, its steel chest plate blocking the attack, allowing Qingshui to follow up with his next move.
This Puppet, like Platinum, had been fully transformed into a Magic Tool, inside and out, achieving an overall rating of S-!
"Hiruzen, be careful. That Kusanagi Sword is unexpectedly powerful. Even my Adamantine Staff, which is indestructible, was chipped. I'm also in danger of being injured by that sword."
Enma's voice rang out from the Adamantine Staff in the Third Hokage's hand.
In decades, he had never encountered anything that could breach the defenses of his Adamantine Staff.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he saw a faint white mark on the staff.
Such power, indeed troublesome!
"Orochimaru! This guy's Puppets have gotten stronger too!"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both repelled at the same time, shouting.
"I know, which is why this time, no matter what, we have to stop this guy!"
Orochimaru replied in a hoarse voice.
By this point, everyone realized that as long as Qingshui remained, Konoha would never be able to defeat Sand Hidden!
This was not only because of the various reforms he brought to Sand Village, but also because of his immense strength, which subtly hinted at surpassing the current Five Kage and reaching a new pinnacle in the Ninja World!
This was the strongest individual combatant to appear in the Ninja World since the passing of Senju Hashirama!
Not to mention, this guy was less than sixteen years old, with potential for further growth in power.
The Third Hokage had always worried about another Uchiha Madara emerging from the Uchiha Clan, but now it seemed the next person with that level of combat power might come from Sand Village!
If they allowed this guy to continue getting stronger, Konoha currently had no one like the First Hokage who could stop him.
Qingshui was now a grave threat to Konoha!
A grave threat that needed to be eliminated without delay, at any cost!
"*Earth Release: Earth Flow River!*"
"*Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!*"
The moment Orochimaru and Jiraiya were forced back, well-trained Konoha ninjas spontaneously began performing combined Ninjutsu, attacking Qingshui.
These powerful Ninjutsu, performed by hundreds or thousands of people, were why large ninja forces had the confidence to confront Kage-level opponents!
Ice Bombs flew from the Blue Jerboa, forming solid ice prisons that blocked the combined Ninjutsu.
However, in the next moment, five incredibly powerful Ninjutsu, several times stronger than these combined Jutsu, assailed Qingshui.
"*Five Release: Great Consecutive Bombs!*"
Four Shadow Clones appeared beside the Third Hokage, attacking Qingshui together.
This Ninjutsu wasn't like the combined Ninjutsu performed by other Konoha ninjas, which relied on sheer numbers. Instead, it subtly blended the Nature Transformation and Form Transformation of the Five Release Ninjutsu, mutually promoting and enhancing each other. Both its destructive power and attack capabilities were astonishing.
The ice prison shattered, but within it, an exceptionally terrifying storm raged.
Surging hurricanes accompanied by lightning appeared, like a natural disaster, sweeping across the land.
A Shadow Clone also stood beside Qingshui; one used Wind Release while the main body used Lightning Release.
"Such powerful Wind Release and Lightning Release."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the lightning storm hurricane before him with a grave expression.
Even as a grand master of Ninjutsu, he had to admit defeat in this aspect of Wind and Lightning Release.
Ninjutsu, Puppetry, Swordplay, and all those inventions and institutional reforms—was this guy really less than sixteen years old?
In the past, the Third Hokage believed that the young people in the village, like Minato, would not be much worse than Qingshui of Sand Village. But now, even with all his confidence in Minato Namikaze's talent, he wasn't so sure.
This great enemy of Konoha must be eliminated today, at all costs!
"*Sage Art: Goemon!*"
Jiraiya stood atop Gamabunta's head, breathing fire. Fukasaku and Shima, perched on his shoulders, expelled oil and wind, unleashing a combined Sage Art attack.
Qingshui's ninjutsu was simply too powerful; only Sage Art had a chance of overwhelming it.
"Jiraiya, I'll help you!"
Orochimaru formed hand signs, and together with the Wind Release squad of Konoha shinobi, he unleashed ninjutsu.
"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"
The raging winds merged with Goemon's sea of flames, transforming into a fiery tornado that was no less impressive than Qingshui's lightning tornado. The two collided.
A thunderous explosion, accompanied by a hurricane-like shockwave, swept through the Konoha camp.
Konoha shinobi were forced to activate defensive ninjutsu to block the aftermath of the blast.
The sheer scale of the commotion even caused a minor earthquake, alerting Rasa and Pakura, who were leading their teams in that direction from afar.
"Pick up the pace, Qingshui has already engaged the Konoha forces," Pakura said anxiously, looking up at the sky.
"You and I are faster. Go provide support first. Chiran Jonin and Sasori will command the rest of the troops," Rasa said, stepping on gold dust, nodding to Pakura.
By now, the once arrogant Rasa had become utterly convinced of Qingshui's prowess.
In terms of strength, the two were practically in different leagues. In terms of ability, the gap was even wider.
This war, from multiple angles, had proven Qingshui's overwhelming superiority over him in many aspects.
Rasa, in his frugal mind, wondered if it were him, his expression probably wouldn't even be half as composed as Qingshui's. Without Qingshui, they might still be locked in a protracted battle with Jiraiya and Orochimaru in the Land of Rivers.
Shifting the perspective back to Qingshui.
The battle continued.
The Third Hokage's appearance was somewhat unexpected for Qingshui.
In terms of strength, this old man might even be slightly stronger than the Third Kazekage.
He had no weaknesses, a vast array of techniques. In a fight, you were more likely to be countered by him than to counter him. The only way to contend with him was with sheer power.
Orochimaru was somewhat similar, though not as formidable as the Third Hokage in terms of head-on clashes. However, his techniques were equally bizarre, and whenever he found an opportunity, this slippery character always managed to escape.
Add to that Jiraiya, who could enter Sage Mode and whose explosive power was almost on par with the Third Hokage, plus the surrounding Konoha shinobi, and even Qingshui felt a certain amount of pressure.
However, this battle allowed Qingshui to roughly gauge the limits of his own strength.
He estimated it was roughly on par with Pain.
He could kill one Kage.
If there were two, it would be like his previous battle against the combined forces of Jiraiya and Orochimaru: he could win, but if the opponents were determined to flee and not fight to the death, it would be difficult to kill them. At most, he could severely wound them.
If there were three, the outcome would be uncertain.
Especially this time.
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya were among the top tier of Kage-level experts. Add Orochimaru, and the three, with their years of unspoken understanding, made it a difficult fight even for Qingshui. Plus, with three thousand shinobi surrounding them, it was truly troublesome.
Qingshui had ample chakra and strong regenerative abilities, allowing him to sustain the fight indefinitely. However, the five Puppets might not be able to last as long.
If the battle dragged on too long, and the Puppets were destroyed, his combat effectiveness would suffer, potentially putting him at a disadvantage.
However, his own safety was not a concern.
Unless he was sealed by a very powerful Sealing Jutsu, there was no possibility of him being killed.
And the premise for sealing him was to find an opportunity to briefly restrain him.
However, he also possessed the Blood Demon Art Flying Thunder God, which allowed him to escape when in danger.
And this information should still be unknown.
At this point, this move could be used for a surprise attack.
"Myriad Snake Net!"
"Wind Cutter Jutsu!"
The swarms of snakes were shredded by wind blades. Qingshui glanced at Orochimaru, then instantly moved with his sword, dodging the next attack.
This snake's raw power was the weakest of the three, but he was the hardest to kill. He had too many life-saving tricks. Using this critical information on Orochimaru would likely be a waste.
What about Jiraiya?
"Breath of Separation: Seventh Form - Separation Mirror!"
A large blue sun rose, then shattered with a boom.
Scattered white hair flew everywhere as Jiraiya narrowly, yet precisely, dodged Qingshui's attack, even providing cover for the Third Hokage's subsequent attack.
This guy had Sage Mode, and his perception and reaction speed were elevated to an extremely high level. The surprise element of Flying Thunder God might work, but there was also a chance of failure.
The remaining choice was then self-evident.
The Kusanagi Sword deflected the Adamantine Staff. Qingshui closed in, enduring a combined attack from Orochimaru and the Third Hokage with the Platinum covering his body, and managed to land a strike on the old man, leaving a shallow cut on his chest.
"Old man! Watch out, the sword's poisoned!"
Jiraiya hastily warned him, then activated his Wild Lion's Mane Technique, working with Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Many Snake Hands to hold back Qingshui.
The Third Hokage's face was calm, without the slightest hesitation. A small ring of wind blades appeared on his fingers, cutting away the discolored flesh near the wound. He then cast a simple healing jutsu, tearing off a piece of his clothing to bandage the wound and prevent it from reopening, before continuing to wield his Adamantine Staff and charge forward.
As the Professor of Ninjutsu, his Medical Ninjutsu, while far from as specialized as Tsunade's, was still formidable given his Ninjutsu mastery and Chakra control. He could quickly pick up most conventional Medical Ninjutsu.
"Troublesome dead snake."
Qingshui waved his hand, and Big Ivan, along with Miss Qiu, began to unleash a barrage of weapons across the battlefield.
Missiles, Exploding Kunai, Senbon, and Shuriken flew indiscriminately, slaughtering large swaths of snakes on the ground.
In the chaotic fight, Orochimaru wasn't much of a direct threat, but he was incredibly annoying and always managed to create opportunities for others.
Especially these seemingly endless hordes of snakes—while not a huge threat, they were incredibly persistent.
Of course, Qingshui clearing the area like this was also to create an opportunity for himself.
"Lord Third! I've detected two powerful Chakra signatures approaching!"
A sensory ninja from the Yamanaka Clan, with golden hair tied in a high ponytail, suddenly shouted.
The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed.
The Sand Village reinforcements were almost here.
Yet, they still hadn't managed to take down Qingshui.
Qingshui's strength far exceeded the Third Hokage's expectations, and even surpassed the estimates of Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who had fought Qingshui before.
The appearance of the Magic Tool Kusanagi Sword and the Magic Tool Puppet had further elevated Qingshui's already superior strength.
Even with the Third Hokage, a Kage-level pinnacle expert, present, along with numerous Konoha ninjas, they couldn't defeat Qingshui.
They had to kill the Sand Hidden Separation Release user, Qingshui, before the reinforcements arrived!
Otherwise, there wouldn't be another chance like this!
At this point, they couldn't afford to worry about casualties!
As the Third Hokage's thoughts raced and his Adamantine Staff deflected incoming Shuriken and Kunai, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a few Kunai with the character "kill" engraved on their handles.
No!
This is…
"Breath of Separation: Sixth Form - Parting Dragon Night Dance!"
Qingshui's figure, accompanied by an exquisite Kusanagi Sword, instantly appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi, transforming into a Chi Dragon and aiming directly for his head.
Flying Thunder God!
*CLANG!*
*THWACK!*
Two sounds rang out, one after the other.
It was Enma who had extended a helping hand to the Third Hokage in that moment of crisis.
Yes, a helping hand, and an ape's hand at that.
That invulnerable, indestructible arm had extended just in time, protecting Hiruzen Sarutobi's vital neck, preventing the Third Hokage from dying on the spot.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still severely wounded.
A wound, deep enough to expose bone, appeared on the Third Hokage's abdomen.
As expected, this injury would significantly impact his fighting capability.
"What a shame."
Qingshui clicked his tongue.
He had miscalculated Enma; it wasn't just a simple weapon, but a conscious being, a top-tier Summoning Beast with an indestructible body that could transform into a weapon.
But it didn't matter. Hiruzen Sarutobi was severely wounded, and Qingshui was confident he could end the Third Hokage's life today.
By his estimation, Rasa and Pakura's Sand Hidden reinforcements should be arriving soon.
Today would be the old man's end!
"Old man! Are you alright?!"
Jiraiya quickly used his Wild Lion's Mane Technique, extending his hair to pull the Third Hokage back to his side.
"Damn it, that was… Flying Thunder God!"
Orochimaru's face was grim.
He hadn't expected Qingshui to still have such a trump card!
With that jutsu, there was no way they could stop Qingshui today!
And they might even end up losing here.
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