"Hokage-sama, all targets have been dealt with!"
A Konoha ninja reported to the third Hokage at the center, whose hand was tightly gripping the Adamantine Nyoi, and at his feet lay five corpses smashed into pieces, yet his expression at this mont appeared sowhat dazed. His gaze stared into the distant darkness as the inexplicable unease in his heart surged even more violently.
Hearing the report, the third Hokage was just about to speak when the Adamantine Nyoi in his hand suddenly trembled. The deep voice of the Monkey King Enma ca from within the staff: "Hiruzen! That kid Shinichi is summoning !"
The third Hokage's gaze sharpened, and almost without thinking, he said: "Hurry over there!"
"Alright!"
As soon as the third Hokage finished speaking, the Adamantine Nyoi exploded into smoke and vanished.
Almost simultaneously, an Abura Jonin also hurried forward and spoke in a deep voice: "Hokage-sama! I've established contact with Shinichi Battalion!"
The third Hokage suddenly turned around, his tone urgent.
"Where are they now?!"
...
On the other side.
Danzo Shimura staggered backward, his left hand tightly clutching the wound where his arm had been severed, blood still pouring endlessly through the gaps between his fingers.
At the critical mont, although he had tilted his head aside and avoided the fatal slash aid at his skull, his right arm had still been severed cleanly at the shoulder!
He lowered his head and glanced at his empty right shoulder, then slowly lifted his blood-covered face toward Toroi, whose gaze was icy in the distance, as well as the layers upon layers of Kumogakure forces around him, whose killing intent was boiling even more furiously.
'Am I going to die?'
The dizziness caused by massive blood loss was drowning his consciousness like an icy tide, yet at this mont, there was not the slightest fear in his heart. Instead, a trace of a relieved smile appeared.
Even the earlier panic of how I should face the teacher after eting him had now completely vanished.
He truly had done many wrong things in this life, hiding within darkness, distancing himself from light… but now, none of that mattered anymore.
Leave the rest for his teacher to judge.
Thinking of this, Danzo took a deep breath. Yet the vision in his only remaining eye beca increasingly blurry and unstable.
But he still kept his back straight and did not fall, even though he had already lost the hand that wielded his blade.
"Kill him." Toroi coldly ordered.
Following that command, countless Kumogakure ninja surged once again toward the lone shadow like black waves.
At that very mont, a terrifying pressure, as vast as an ocean, heavy as mountains, violent as heavenly fire, suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping the entire battlefield!
"What?!"
All the Kumogakure ninja stiffened simultaneously. Even Toroi's pupils contracted as he raised his head in shock!
"Careful!"
As the strongest present, Toroi reacted the fastest. He imdiately shouted the order while his hands ford seals like lightning.
The next mont, a gigantic pitch-black pillar, thick as a small mountain and impossibly long, tore through the night sky, carrying a shriek that ripped through the atmosphere and a violent montum capable of destroying everything as it smashed down toward the Village Hidden in the Cloud army charging at Danzo Shimura!
Savage! Fierce! Tyrannical!
Before the giant pillar even arrived, the violent wind pressure had already crashed down first, pressing the ground until it collapsed and cracked. Earth and stone overturned like waves while surrounding trees snapped apart and flew backward!
And at that critical mont, Toroi's Ninjutsu was completed!
"Storm Style: Storm Dragon Light Wave!"
He thrust both palms forward, and a gigantic dragon made entirely of pure white laser light roared forth through the air, its maw wide open as it collided directly with the descending shadow of destruction!
Light and shadow, lightning and staff, collided violently within the night sky!
Boom!!!
The violent explosion transford into a blinding white sphere of light that instantly expanded and burst apart!
The terrifying shockwave mixed with countless blazing white spheres swept outward in rings, directly blowing dozens of front-line Kumogakure ninja away while shattered rocks and broken trees danced wildly like a rainstorm!
In an instant, dust and smoke surged skyward like a tsunami, obscuring the stars and moon, drowning out all sight!
And within that sky-covering smoke and the still-unsettled currents of chaotic energy, a tall figure holding a long staff descended steadily to the ground like an immovable rock, standing in the center of the battlefield with his back facing Danzo.
"Hiruzen?"
Danzo Shimura, whose vision had already grown increasingly blurry, stared at the vague, staff-wielding silhouette before him amid the chaos and subconsciously blurted out: "How did you..."
However, as the dust slowly settled and dispersed, and the blinding light gradually faded, little by little outlining the figure's silhouette, Danzo Shimura's remaining left eye suddenly contracted violently, and he cursed out loud!
"Bastard!! Why did you co back?"
Danzo cursed furiously.
He regretted it!
Although for the past several decades, he had always liked to keep a stern face and say to Hiruzen, "You'll regret it!"
But at this very mont, looking at the back of the boy before him, he truly regretted it!
He regretted ever believing this kid would obediently listen and retreat with the main force. He regretted insisting on rushing over here himself to cover the rear. And even more, he regretted not realizing earlier that this kid, from beginning to end, had never intended to obey anyone's orders at all!
Now things were great, and his entire trip today had been for nothing.
Not only had he failed to drag this hotheaded fool back out of the fire pit, but he had also thrown himself into it as well.
"Danzo-sama!"
"Danzo-sama!"
At this mont, thirty figures burst out from the forest on the flanks. They were precisely the Root mbers previously ordered to escort Shinichi away.
Two of them imdiately rushed forward. One supported the staggering Danzo, while the other had already activated a dical Ninjutsu, green light glowing in his hands as he pressed against Danzo's severed arm to stop the bleeding.
The rest instantly spread out, forming an iron wall around Danzo.
But Danzo violently shook off their support with his left hand, his remaining eye fixed viciously on the Root squad captain. His voice had weakened sowhat from blood loss, yet his tone remained as fierce as ever: "A bunch of useless trash! You couldn't even keep an eye on one person!"
The Root captain knelt on one knee, lowering his head deeply without saying a word.
"Elder Danzo! Don't bla them."
At that mont, Shinichi Higashino, still facing away from him, finally spoke. His voice was calm, devoid of emotion.
"I insisted on coming myself."
From the mont this mission began, Orochimaru was not the only one harboring his own sches.
Shinichi had his own sches as well.
He could roughly guess what Orochimaru's little sche was.
But Shinichi never exposed it. Instead, he followed Orochimaru's script and acted it out all the way through.
Otherwise, with his thods, after infiltrating the Village Hidden in the Cloud a second ti and turning the village upside down, he could have easily withdrawn together with every mber of the Shinichi Battalion and left in style.
But that was not enough and far from enough.
What he wanted was not rely for every mber of the Shinichi Battalion to entrust their lives to him.
He wanted sothing even greater.
He wanted that one day in the future, even if he stood against the village.
Even if the Hokage personally issued the order.
These people would still stand behind him without hesitation, look toward him, and say: "You are the true Hokage!"
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