"Who?"
Yagura instinctively asked.
But suddenly, he felt something strange.
Hozuki Izumo's words, "Don't be afraid," made Yagura feel somewhat confused.
Don't be afraid?
When have I ever been afraid?
It's true that I'm short, but did you really take me for a child?
A figure suddenly rushed out from the side.
A greatsword was gripped in hand, charging straight towards Hiruzen.
"Kill!"
The sudden attack startled Hiruzen.
"Ding!"
He instinctively drew a kunai to block.
However, it was too weak.
Compared to the greatsword in the opponent's hand, it was far too fragile.
With just one touch, it broke.
Hozuki Izumo looked across.
"Three against two."
"Mizukage-sama, the one in Chukichi's hand, Uehara-san's newly forged Zanpakuto, has a very special ability."
"We can win!"
Yagura raised an eyebrow.
"A new Zanpakuto?"
Hiruzen retreated a dozen steps before stopping, looking at the ninjato in Chukichi's hand with a furrowed brow.
"What a sharp ninjato!"
"It's not one of the previously known ninjato."
"A new ninjato?"
"Skillful Grade Sword?"
"Great Grade Sword?"
"Or is it a Zanpakuto?"
Chukichi met Hiruzen's gaze.
"Hidden Mist Village, Chukichi!"
With his left hand, he fiddled with prayer beads.
His right hand gripped the hilt tightly.
Hiruzen didn't dare approach easily.
The earlier clash between the ninjato and kunai made Hiruzen very aware of the sharpness of the ninjato in Chukichi's hand.
If even a kunai broke upon contact, a human body would not withstand it.
Not even bones could endure that.
"Fire Release, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Hiruzen had not heard of Chukichi's name.
However, he did not underestimate Chukichi.
After all, Chukichi was the reason Hozuki Izumo felt confident enough to return to the battlefield.
Judging that close combat was not suitable against the opponent, Hiruzen directly unleashed his strongest Fire Release.
A large surge of raging flames appeared.
In an instant, it split into three fireballs.
The three fireballs rushed toward Chukichi from three different directions.
Moreover, halfway through, Hiruzen could control and change the direction of the flames using Chakra.
This meant that the operability of this ninjutsu was extremely high.
Once used, it was nearly impossible for the opponent to simply rely on dodging to evade it.
However, Hiruzen did not adjust the direction right away.
Instead, he created an illusion for Chukichi, making him think he could dodge.
This would prompt Chukichi to attempt to evade.
When Chukichi made a move to dodge, Hiruzen would then adjust the direction of the fireball.
At that moment, he would catch Chukichi off guard.
Even if Chukichi managed to evade, it would at least consume more of his Chakra and stamina.
In Hiruzen's view, the game of ninjas was essentially a process of calculation.
One side attacks, and the other side must respond.
The process of this game involves many elements:
hitting, damage, dodging, consumption...
Hiruzen had a high level of confidence in his experience in this regard.
However, just as Hiruzen was fully focused, thinking that Chukichi would attempt to dodge,
Chukichi looked at the three fireballs coming at him and showed no intention of evading.
Instead, he directly swung his sword at the three fireballs.
Hiruzen: "???"
"Using a ninjato to cut through flames?"
"So reckless?"
"But even if he cuts through the flames, what good will it do?"
"The remaining flames can still cause damage!"
However, when Chukichi's Dragon Scale Blade made contact with the flames, an astonishing scene appeared before Hiruzen.
He saw that the three fireballs instantly vanished upon being touched by the Dragon Scale Blade.
It was as if a spatial portal had suddenly appeared, transporting them away.
"What?"
Chukichi slashed through the fireballs and continued charging toward Hiruzen without stopping.
Hiruzen could only dodge and create some distance.
However, before Chukichi got close, he swung the greatsword in his hand, cutting through the air.
Hiruzen: "???"
Suddenly, three fireballs appeared and were hurled toward him.
They were exactly the same flames that Hiruzen had used before with his Fire Release.
Each came from three different directions, rushing toward Hiruzen.
His pupils contracted.
"What?"
In such a brief exchange, Chukichi's choices had surprised Hiruzen twice.
The first surprise allowed Hiruzen, with his experience and skills, to turn the situation around.
But the second surprise was different.
"Bang!"
Hiruzen couldn't evade all the attacks.
The flames hit him, and immediately, his clothes caught fire.
As the flames extinguished, Hiruzen emerged.
At this moment, he looked quite disheveled, with some blood at the corner of his mouth.
It was clear that Chukichi's previous strike had indeed injured Hiruzen.
Using one's own weapon against them.
Hiruzen fixed his gaze on Chukichi.
"Hidden Mist Village, Chukichi!"
Hiruzen couldn't remember the last time he had suffered a setback at the hands of a young ninja.
This time, he did not underestimate his opponent.
The reason he was at a disadvantage was entirely due to a lack of information.
Hiruzen's eyes fell on the Dragon Scale Blade in Chukichi's hand.
"Durable, sharp."
"And it can absorb ninjutsu like the Sword of Wisdom."
"But it can even return the ninjutsu."
"It's essentially a combination of the Sword of Wisdom and the Water Mirror Jutsu?"
"In other words, using ninjutsu against it will have no effect at all."
"It could even become a threat to its user."
"It just so happens to counter me."
"Another powerful Zanpakuto like this."
"How did Uehara Soma manage it?"
"Where did he get the materials?"
"No matter how good the forging technique, it can't turn decay into wonder."
When Konoha faced the Hidden Mist Army, Hiruzen had previously told Sarutobi Sasuke that the ability of the Sword of Wisdom was very effective against ninjas like them who relied heavily on ninjutsu.
The Dragon Scale Blade is not the Sword of Wisdom, but its counter against ninjutsu users is the same.
"No wonder Hozuki Izumo has so much confidence."
"A single Chukichi can completely restrain me."
"The ability to counter is one aspect, and the injury I just sustained through information advantage is another."
"Furthermore, Enma was also injured when dealing with Hozuki Izumo."
Hiruzen had used a clever method to break Hozuki Izumo's Lightning Judgment.
However, it didn't come without a cost.
If Enma were still present, Hiruzen could have used Taijutsu against Chukichi, facing him with the Adamantine Staff.
But without Enma, Hiruzen's kunai and ninjato were no match for the Dragon Scale Blade.
They broke upon contact.
There was simply no way to fight back.
Hiruzen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"If those two face Orochimaru, he definitely won't be able to take them down."
A flicker appeared in Hiruzen's eyes.
"Unless I can switch opponents with Orochimaru."
At the moment Hiruzen had this thought, Orochimaru had already done just that.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
A multitude of venomous snakes appeared beside Orochimaru, surging forth like a flood.
"Sarutobi-sensei!"
Seizing the opportunity, Orochimaru moved closer to Hiruzen.
Hozuki Izumo intervened to block him.
"Lightning Release, Lightning Strike!"
A bolt of lightning descended, aimed directly at Orochimaru.
At the same time, Yagura also made his move.
"Water Release!"
However, what Hozuki Izumo and Yagura did not expect was that Orochimaru did not stop in the face of these two attacks; instead, he continued toward Hiruzen.
He endured the blows.
"Boom!"
Orochimaru emerged from the lightning.
"Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A hand reached out toward Chukichi.
From within his sleeves, several venomous snakes crawled out, their appearances grotesque and ugly, clearly possessing potent venom. If bitten, it would surely result in more than just pain.
Chukichi raised his hand and swung the blade.
"Crack!"
The few venomous snakes that touched the Dragon Scale Blade's ninjato were completely unable to withstand it.
In an instant, they were severed in two, falling to the ground.
However, by enduring the damage, Orochimaru successfully exchanged positions with Hiruzen.
Chukichi was restrained by Orochimaru, and Hiruzen's gaze immediately shifted to Yagura.
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen formed hand seals.
"Combined Ninja Art, Lightning Water Dragon Bullet!"
This technique was a combination of lightning and water attributes, making it more powerful than single-attribute ninjutsu.
The impact was stronger.
The water dragon, crackling with lightning, collided with the Water Wall.
The Water Wall held up, but it did not completely block it.
A dragon head broke through.
At the same time, the lightning on the water dragon spread across the entire Water Wall.
"Wind Release, Passing Typhoon!"
Yagura stepped back a dozen paces and used another ninjutsu.
The powerful wind struck the water dragon.
More precisely, Yagura used this ninjutsu to disperse the lightning that was spreading toward him.
However, just as Yagura finished dealing with Hiruzen's Lightning Water Dragon Bullet, Hiruzen's next ninjutsu arrived.
"Combined Ninja Art, Flowing Earth Dragon Flame!"
This technique was a combination of fire and earth attributes.
In terms of impact, it was even stronger than the previous Lightning Water Dragon Bullet.
If the Lightning Water Dragon Bullet excelled in explosive power, then the Flowing Earth Dragon Flame was strong in sheer force.
Yagura's expression changed.
"Water Release, Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
He chose to attack instead of defend.
Using the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave Jutsu, Yagura clashed against Hiruzen's Flowing Earth Dragon Flame.
The two were engaged in an extremely intense ninjutsu battle.
And this was exactly what Hiruzen wanted.
Earlier, Yagura used Water Mirror Jutsu, which consumed a large amount of chakra.
Even though Yagura was in his prime and Hiruzen was getting old, Hiruzen still had a considerable amount of chakra.
However, what puzzled Hiruzen was that, in this situation, Hozuki Izumo had not provided support to Yagura.
Hiruzen couldn't help but glance over and realized that Hozuki Izumo had actually taken the initiative to confront Orochimaru.
"Lightning Release, Thunder God Armor!"
Lightning coalesced into a suit of armor that covered Hozuki Izumo, significantly enhancing his defensive capabilities.
"Chukichi, I'll handle this!"
Chukichi nodded and stepped back.
However, it wasn't simply letting Hozuki Izumo face Orochimaru alone.
Instead, Hozuki Izumo would confront Orochimaru, Yagura would face Hiruzen, while Chukichi would serve as the supporting role in between.
From the perspective of the three, it was most ideal for Chukichi to confront Hiruzen.
Conversely, this was the least ideal situation for Orochimaru and his opponent.
Orochimaru and Hiruzen would not allow Chukichi and his companions to have their way.
Thus, Hozuki Izumo and Chukichi decided to have Chukichi charge in as the support role directly.
In this way, no matter how Hiruzen and Orochimaru exchanged opponents, it wouldn't affect Chukichi and the others.
"Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru turned back.
The two locked eyes.
Then, Hiruzen's expression grew serious.
A large amount of chakra was mobilized.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Four shadow clones appeared.
"Five Release, Great Combo Bullets Jutsu!"
Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning.
These five different attribute attacks were used simultaneously, all targeting a single objective.
This was Hiruzen's strongest Combination Ninjutsu.
In terms of power, it might even surpass some Kekkei Genkai Ninjutsu.
Yagura's expression was somewhat grim.
Previously, he barely managed to withstand Hiruzen's two Combination Ninjutsu.
Using Water Mirror Jutsu against Manda had consumed too much of Yagura's chakra.
Moreover, Yagura could feel that this time's Great Combo Bullets Jutsu was significantly stronger than the previous Combination Ninjutsu.
In the original storyline, Akatsuki's Obito controlled Yamato to use a powerful Wooden Man Jutsu.
Even though it wasn't on the level of Senju Hashirama, it was much stronger than Yamato alone.
And Hiruzen relied on his Five Release Great Combo Jutsu to block Obito's full-force attack.
One can see the strength of this Ninjutsu.
"Water Release…"
Yagura realized that he didn't even have enough chakra left to use a Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
Chukichi was still a certain distance away from Yagura.
As Hiruzen used his Ninjutsu, Orochimaru also forced a certain level of restraint on Chukichi.
The two exchanged glances and made this decision.
"With this distance, Chukichi won't be able to provide support."
"At the very least, if we can kill Yagura, my operation with Orochimaru won't be completely fruitless."
Hiruzen, confident in his ability to inflict severe damage on Yagura, observed the distance between Chukichi and Yagura.
However, this would be the end of his attack.
The previous intense battle had already consumed a significant amount of Hiruzen's energy.
He hadn't reached his limit, but he was close.
In other words, after he and Orochimaru killed Yagura, it would be quite unlikely for them to continue threatening Chukichi and Hozuki Izumo.
"In the end, I'm getting old."
"If only I could turn back time a few years, I could hold on longer."
"Maybe they would have been defeated already."
Hiruzen instinctively supported his waist.
"Water Release, Water Wall!"
With no other options, Yagura could only use his strongest defensive Ninjutsu under the conditions of his dwindling chakra.
Chukichi gritted his teeth.
"So close!"
"It seems I can only use that now."
Chukichi looked at the Dragon Scale Blade in his hand.
Instead of resisting mentally, he allowed the power of the Dragon Scale Blade to invade him.
"Dragon Scale Blade, grant me strength!"
---
You can read up to 50 Advanced chapters and support me at patreon.com/Lookar