As Naruto was about to continue forward—whoosh whoosh whoosh!Countless figures flickered into view, moving at once.
On the rooftops, on the branches—everywhere—were Anbu wearing animal-patterned masks.
From among them stepped out the aged figure of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Unlike before, he now wore a full set of black combat gear.When he saw the dozen innocent Leaf Village civilians lying dead and scattered across the ground, anger rose in his chest.
He glared sharply at Naruto, his voice heavy."Naruto! Why did you do something like this?! Keep this up and there'll be no turning back, you understand?!"
Naruto couldn't be bothered to argue.
"You've already brought out this entire lineup… so why waste time talking? Let's fight!"
Seeing Naruto's stubbornness, the Third Hokage sighed deeply.
The very thing he least wished to face… had come to pass.
If only one could be saved—the Leaf or Naruto—he had no choice but to protect the former.
But with Flying Thunder God, capturing Naruto wouldn't be easy.There was only one option: exhaust his chakra until he could no longer use the technique.
And the chakra reserves of the Uzumaki Clan… Hiruzen knew them all too well—this was destined to be a bitter fight.But for Konoha, he had no other choice.
Hiruzen gave a small signal.
The dozen closest Anbu immediately understood, forming hand-seals almost simultaneously.A faint light flickered into a familiar heart-shaped pattern.
It was the Mind Body Switch Jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan.
Over a dozen jōnin performed the technique together—including none other than Yamanaka Inoichi, the clan head himself!Even a Kage-level fighter, if caught off-guard, could fall victim to such an attack.
Hiruzen watched solemnly from the front, praying this surprise tactic would work.That way, he could subdue Naruto with minimal loss—without harming him—a perfect outcome.
But as Hiruzen signaled, Naruto's instincts flared.He instantly hurled a dozen Flying Thunder God kunai around the area.
When the yin-based chakra of the Mind Body Switch Jutsu shot toward him, Naruto teleported beside one of his marked kunai not far away.
His mental strength was powerful enough to resist most control-type ninjutsu,but facing more than a dozen at once—he didn't dare risk it.
Yamanaka Inoichi reacted quickly.Almost the moment Naruto landed, he pivoted and launched another Mind Body Switch Jutsu.
But Naruto was faster.
Several wind-shaped slashes erupted, shattering an entire building and breaking the Yamanaka formation.
Inoichi coughed up blood, his technique broken.If it weren't for the fact he was Ino's father, Naruto would have erased this potential threat completely.
Seeing his plan fail, Hiruzen's expression darkened further.
'Sigh… so it comes to this.'Now he had no choice but to face Naruto head-on—with sheer numbers—and drain him dry.
Biting his thumb, Hiruzen slammed his hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu – Enma!"
Boom!A massive white-furred ape appeared beside him.It wore clothes, bore a forehead protector, and though it had the face of a monkey—it looked almost human.
Crossing its arms, the creature scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes,finally fixing its gaze on Naruto.
"Hiruzen, it's been a while. You summoned me… to deal with this kid?"Enma looked puzzled.
With so many Anbu here, and given Hiruzen's own power, why would he even need help?
"The situation isn't as simple as you think. Please, Enma," Hiruzen replied curtly.
Naruto also looked at Enma—the beast many called the strongest summoning creature.
Its base strength rivaled a Kage's, its body was said to be indestructible as diamond,and it could transform its own body into a staff whose length and size obeyed its will.
All these traits reminded Naruto of a certain defiant figure from another tale—though that one was far stronger than Enma could ever be.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.He wanted to see if this so-called indestructible body could withstand the power of his Sage Mode combined with Breath of Wind!
"Sage Mode—Activate!"
In an instant, diamond-shaped markings appeared at the corners of his eyes.A semi-transparent energy blade slowly took shape in his hand.
This sudden transformation stunned more than a hundred people on site.
Even Hiruzen himself felt the crushing pressure radiating from Naruto.
"Impossible! That's… actually Sage Mode!"
Before his eyes, Naruto's chakra swelled like a storm—far stronger than Jiraiya's half-baked version.In fact, "perfect" would have been a better word to describe it.
"To activate Sage Mode in an instant… Naruto, just how much have you been hiding from us…"
Even Enma's expression grew grim. Now he understood why Hiruzen had called for him.
Yet another question came to his mind."Hiruzen, isn't this kid one of Konoha's own shinobi?A genius like this—if you nurtured him properly, the Leaf could walk sideways across the ninja world!Why fight him?"
Hearing Enma's words, Hiruzen felt only bitterness.He, too, wondered why things had come to this.
But regret could no longer change anything.
Naruto's Sage Mode made him even more cautious.He didn't attack rashly, nor did he order the Anbu to charge.
Instead, he gestured."Earth Release Unit!"
A dozen Anbu leapt forward and formed seals at once.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave!Earth Release: Earth Pillar Explosion!Earth Release: Earth Core Tremor!
From every direction came waves of earth and stone.The ground heaved, houses collapsed in chains of destruction.
Yet Naruto stood unmoved.Under the light blue markings at his eyes, a true warrior's aura emerged.
He swung his energy blade—its edge slicing a brilliant arc through the night!
"Fourth Form: Rising Sandstorm Tempest!"
Seven irregular wind slashes burst out like streams of turquoise flame,each dozens of meters long under the power of Sage Mode.
Even giants would be cleaved to pieces by such force.
The Third and his men stared in shock as the massive blades filled their view.It reminded Hiruzen of the Valley of the End—of the moment Uchiha Madara's Susanoo had unleashed a similar terrifying slash.
It was hard to believe this was the strength of a human.
The wind blades cut through everything in their path—earth techniques shattered like paper, houses crumbled like toys.
The entire Earth Release Unit was wiped out in an instant.
As the dust settled and silence fell, everyone—Third Hokage included—stood stunned at the devastation before them.