Xi, Can We Reconcile?

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi roared in fury, glaring at Uchiha Yue with boundless rage. The next moment, he summoned a giant shuriken and hurled it at Uchiha Yue, simultaneously launching a barrage of physical ninjutsu attacks.

"Is this all you've got?"

Uchiha Yue suddenly stopped, looking at the ninjas desperately attacking him to no effect. The strongest strikes only managed to crack the surface of his Susanoo or blast apart some of its Chakra armor.

That was it. They couldn't even touch his real body.

"Forget it. Boring. Too boring. Just die, all of you! Hahaha!!!"

Uchiha Yue shook his head. The next moment, countless chains burst from his body, piercing through the ninjas. Though some dodged in time, many fell to this attack.

Uchiha Yue turned his gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still stubbornly attacking him. He raised a hand and pulled the giant shuriken embedded in his arm. So this was the so-called strongest ninja—able to break through his defenses.

But that was as far as it went.

He suddenly locked eyes with Hiruzen Sarutobi, his speed spiking violently, kicking up a raging shockwave. In an instant, he appeared beside Hiruzen Sarutobi and swung a brutal strike. That figure burst apart on the spot.

At the same time, five figures appeared around him.

"You fell for it, monster!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands blurred through seals.

Great Exploding Wind Technique.

From the earlier fight, he'd realized this monster didn't ignore energy attacks—it absorbed them, but with diminishing returns. So if he created a massive explosion, outputting energy faster than the monster could absorb...

Five attacks of different natures slammed into Uchiha Yue.

Boom! A thunderous explosion rang out. The towering figure was swallowed by thick smoke.

Did they win?

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at the smoke. The next moment, he jerked back in alarm, retreating frantically as a mangled giant hand broke through the haze, grasping at where he'd just stood.

As the smoke cleared, a tall, battered giant figure emerged before everyone.

"It worked!"

Not far away, Kakashi Hatake almost sighed in relief—then realized something was wrong. The monster wasn't injured at all. The Hokage's attack had only destroyed its outer shell, and that shell was rapidly regenerating.

What a monster!

"What happened?"

Kakashi Hatake was utterly confused. He still didn't understand what was going on. All he knew was that this monster had appeared in the village, started rampaging, and slaughtering everyone.

No attack could fatally threaten it. And after fighting this long, the monster showed no signs of weakening—if anything, it felt stronger.

"What a terrifying thing!"

"Will we win?"

Kakashi Hatake muttered under his breath.

"Kakashi, my dear friend, we will win—because this is youth!"

Might Guy appeared beside Kakashi, flashing his gleaming white teeth.

"Let's go!"

The next moment, Might Guy closed his eyes. A powerful aura erupted from him.

Eight Inner Gates, open!

In an instant, Might Guy's presence surged, skyrocketed, multiplied, exploded—the aura of a true powerhouse burst forth.

"Yeah, we'll win!"

Seeing this, Kakashi nodded. After all, this was Konoha!

Soon after...

"Gwa! This is youth!!!"

Might Guy turned into a shooting star, sent flying by a single blow from Uchiha Yue, crashing into a distant mountain.

Kakashi looked up at the sky, lying limp in the rubble, barely alive.

Will we win? We'll lose!

"Hokage-sama, we've lost. We've lost. Run. This monster is going to destroy Konoha. Sir, take everyone in the village and leave! We'll hold them off!"

The Hokage's guards stood before Hiruzen Sarutobi, their faces set with resolve.

Konoha was utterly defeated. They were no match for this monster. No matter what attacks they used, they only damaged the outer layer of Chakra around it—never dealing any real harm.

They couldn't win. They simply couldn't win!

"No, we haven't lost yet!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, looking at these guards. They reminded him of his younger self, when his own Teacher had died protecting them—the Hokage's guards of that era.

"No, Hokage-sama, we've already lost. Even you can't beat this monster. Sir, leave this place. You must survive! Protecting your life is our mission as your guards! You are Konoha's hope!"

These Hokage guards turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, speaking with resolute expressions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was dazed for a moment. In that instant, he seemed to see his teacher—back then, his teacher had also said they were the hope of Konoha, wishing for them to survive.

Yes, they were the hope of Konoha. That was right. For the sake of Konoha, for the Will of Fire, he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had to survive!

With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head and took a deep breath. For Konoha.

"Retreat! Retreat! Quickly evacuate the people of Konoha, leave the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi roared, immediately splitting off a Shadow Clone, intending to lead Konoha's people to flee. If they didn't run, the village would likely be destroyed by this monster.

"Oh, run? Hahaha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, where do you think you're going? I said it—today is the day you die!"

Uchiha Yue ignored the Hokage guard squad charging at him. Endless chains surged from his body, sealing off the surroundings in the blink of an eye.

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately struck at the chains. Large numbers were severed, only to regenerate in an instant. These chains weren't unbreakably hard—they possessed extremely strong regenerative abilities as well as energy absorption capabilities. With Enma's experience fresh in mind, he dared not touch them.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed under his breath and immediately tried to use Earth Style. But upon sinking into the ground, he found that even the earth below had been sealed off.

At that moment, a deafening boom rang out. The shadow guard squad had all perished.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the colossal giant.

"Xi, can we reach a settlement?"