Chapter 7: Uchiha Raizen, Can We Reconcile?
The air was thick with tension as Sarutobi Hiruzen's furious roar echoed across the battlefield. His eyes blazed with unwavering determination as he locked his gaze onto the towering figure of Uchiha Raizen. Without hesitation, Hiruzen summoned a massive shuriken, hurling it with deadly precision. At the same time, he unleashed a relentless barrage of physical ninjutsu, desperate to halt the monster's rampage.
"Is that all you've got?" Uchiha Raizen taunted, pausing briefly to observe the futile attacks. The ninjas' most powerful jutsu barely left a scratch on his colossal Susanoo armor, and even their chakra barriers cracked only superficially. Their combined efforts were nothing more than a nuisance.
"Pathetic," Raizen sneered, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "Boring. Too boring! Just die already! Hahahaha!"
With a sudden surge, countless chains burst forth from Raizen's immense frame, weaving through the air like serpents. The chains pierced through the ranks of ninjas with deadly precision; many managed to evade, but just as many succumbed, ensnared and crushed.
Raizen's cold gaze returned to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who stubbornly continued his assault. Raising his hand, Raizen yanked the giant shuriken embedded in his armor and examined it thoughtfully. "You are truly worthy of being called the strongest ninja. You actually managed to break through my defenses..." he admitted begrudgingly.
But that was all he acknowledged.
Suddenly, Raizen's speed exploded, energy rippling violently around him. In the blink of an eye, he was at Hiruzen's side, delivering a devastating strike that shattered the Hokage's figure into an explosion of dust and light.
Before anyone could react, five figures materialized around Raizen, encircling him.
"You've fallen into our trap, monster!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice echoed, though his form was already reassembling nearby.
Quickly forming hand seals, Hiruzen invoked the legendary technique — Five Styles: Great Linking Bullet Technique.
Through the brutal fight, Hiruzen had discerned that energy-based jutsu weren't entirely useless against Raizen; while Raizen absorbed chakra, the sheer scale of a simultaneous massive energy burst might overwhelm his absorption capacity.
With precise coordination, five devastating energy attacks, each with a different elemental attribute, rained down upon Uchiha Raizen.
BOOM!
A colossal explosion engulfed the towering figure in a cloud of thick smoke and debris.
Victory? The assembled ninjas hoped so.
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, watching the smoke intently. But then, a broken, giant hand suddenly shot through the haze, reaching hungrily for him. Panic surged as the remnants of the smoke parted, revealing a shattered but still formidable Raizen standing tall and unbroken.
"It worked!" a nearby voice breathed in disbelief.
Hatake Kakashi, watching from a distance, had just begun to relax when dread washed over him. The monstrous form before them was far from defeated; the Hokage's attack had only damaged the outer shell, which was now rapidly regenerating.
It was no longer a mere opponent — it was a relentless monster.
"What on earth is this thing?" Kakashi muttered, eyes wide with disbelief. He had no clear explanation, only the horrific truth: this beast had appeared in Konoha, slaughtering ninjas mercilessly.
No attack inflicted lasting damage. Worse, the longer the battle dragged on, the stronger and larger the creature became.
"This is terrifying," a voice whispered nearby.
"Can we even win?" Kakashi's instinctive question hung heavily in the air.
Suddenly, Might Guy appeared beside Kakashi, flashing his signature grin. "Kakashi, my dear friend," he said confidently, "it will win — because this is youth!"
Without warning, Might Guy closed his eyes and an explosive aura burst forth, enveloping him completely.
"Eight Gates, activated!"
An immense surge of power radiated from Guy, his figure glowing with unstoppable energy.
"Yes! It will win!" Guy shouted, eyes blazing with fierce determination.
Kakashi gave a slight nod. This was Konoha — the village that never gave up.
Moments later, Guy launched himself forward like a blazing comet.
"Ku! This is youth!!!" he cried, his body colliding violently with Raizen.
The force of the attack sent Might Guy crashing into the distant mountains, leaving a crater in his wake.
Kakashi watched helplessly, battered and half unconscious among the ruins.
Will he win? The answer seemed clear: no, he would lose.
"Hokage-sama!" the guards pleaded desperately, forming a protective circle around Sarutobi Hiruzen. "We have been defeated! This monster will destroy Konoha! Please, evacuate the villagers at once! We will cover your retreat!"
The battlefield was a massacre; the villagers were no match for Raizen's terrifying power. No matter the ninjutsu or strength wielded, only the outer chakra layer of the monster was damaged, never the core.
"It's hopeless," a guard whispered, shaking his head.
"No," Hiruzen replied firmly, though exhaustion lined his face. The guards reminded him of his younger self — protectors willing to give their lives for the village.
"Sir, even you cannot match this monster. Please, survive! It is our mission as your guards to protect you, the hope of Konoha!" they implored.
Hiruzen paused, his mind flashing to memories of his own teacher, who had once told him the same. They were the hope of Konoha — the Will of Fire — and he must live for that future.
Drawing a deep breath, Sarutobi Hiruzen roared with renewed resolve.
"Retreat! Evacuate the villagers quickly! Leave Konoha at once!"
He summoned a shadow clone, intent on leading the survivors to safety. Without evacuation, Konoha's destruction was inevitable.
"Oh, running away?" Uchiha Raizen's mocking laughter rang out. "Sarutobi Hiruzen, where do you think you're going? Today is the day you die!"
Raizen ignored the desperate charges from the Hokage guards, chains bursting endlessly from his body. In moments, he sealed off the entire battlefield.
Hiruzen slashed at the chains, severing many — only to watch them regenerate instantly. These were not ordinary chains; they had regenerative powers and absorbed energy, lessons Hiruzen had painfully learned before. He dared not touch them directly again.
"Damn it!" Hiruzen cursed under his breath, attempting an earth escape technique.
But to his horror, the ground itself was sealed.
A deafening roar split the air as the last of the Hokage guards fell, lifeless.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at the towering giant before him — his old friend turned enemy.
"Uchiha Raizen," he said quietly, "can we reconcile?"