The Third Hokage Drowned

Shazo Zuo maximized his speed advantage, attempting to firmly suppress Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, once Hiruzen Sarutobi entered a state of heightened excitement and was able to keep up with Shazo's Swift Style, his experience and skills began to come into play, bringing the battle to a standstill.

Unlike the brute force of the battle against the Fourth Raikage, the fight against Hiruzen Sarutobi was a contest of subtle skills and intellectual experience.

For the first time, Shazo realized that a battle could be fought with such wisdom; he truly deserved to be called the Third Hokage.

But he also has a trump card.

Shazo's movements suddenly changed style, no longer pursuing speed in a straightforward manner, but instead showing a certain rhythm. The wonderful feeling made Hiruzen Sarutobi intoxicated, as if he had come into contact with the deep rules of the world.

Shazo had his eyes half-closed, appearing completely relaxed, as if he were sensing and contemplating something.

However, his attack did not falter because of this. On the contrary, his movements, full of mystery, were continuous and precise, intentionally or unintentionally displaying the characteristics of "unusual" and "dangerous", leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi's face covered in welts.

The more Hiruzen Sarutobi, the less he understood.

Even when he couldn't see Shazo's movements, he could use his experience to block and reduce attacks with his armor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a secret medicine from the Kurama Clan, which enhanced his reaction speed.

He also activated Secret Technique he developed based on the Eight Gates Formation, which could double his movement speed and increase his strength by half, enough to keep up with Shazo's speed.

He saw it clearly and sped up, but he couldn't stop it no matter what he did.

Shazo's punches became increasingly erratic. They were clearly aimed at his face, but Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand to block, they grazed his arm and struck his collarbone instead.

Or perhaps he blocked Shazo's powerful chop with both hands, but his left shinbone was kicked prematurely.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was dumbfounded; he couldn't comprehend this kind of battle.

That's not Ninja at all.

Why is it being suppressed even more severely?

Of course, it's because of the Dugu Nine Swords.

By using the method of Great Dan Embrace in the General Principles to complete the Kekkei Genkai Ring, Shazo gradually understood the essence of the Nine Swords General Outline, and finally mastered it, combining it with high-speed, high-attack combat.

Because of the influence of Chakra, Ninja can easily increase their strength.

Therefore, Ninja developed a combat system that pursued powerful individual techniques and continuously accumulated strength.

The Dugu Nine Swords emphasizes combat techniques that prioritize equal strength, and even the ability to overcome a stronger opponent.

The Dugu Nine Swords is a comprehensive summary of personal combat skills, a culmination of Huaxia's ability to record and summarize, and it has even risen to the level of philosophy.

Therefore, when Shazo used brute force to overpower others, he could not appreciate the subtlety of the Dugu Nine Swords at all.

Only at this point, although he could still suppress Hiruzen Sarutobi in strength, he was at a disadvantage in the situation, and only then could he resonate with the Nine Swords General Outline and master it in actual combat.

Once he grasped one thing, everything else fell into place. From then on, Shazo was not only able to defeat the strong with the weak, but he would also no longer be unable to use the Nine Swords techniques because of his superior strength.

While at the Hokage's mansion, Shazo made up for his shortcomings in technique, and his strength was further improved.

If Shazo were to fight the four Raikage again at this moment, he could kill them with just a Kunai after activating Swift Style.

Shazo activated Swift Style and Boil Style, then unleashed his Elixir Embrace after gathering his strength, maximizing his speed and power advantages. He easily deflected Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands, causing Hiruzen to spread his arms to the sides, revealing his hollow chest and abdomen.

Then, Shazo unleashed Elixir Embrace power again, using Boil Style to amplify the impact, and slammed it into Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest, shattering the armor passed down from the Sengoku period and breaking all of Hiruzen Sarutobi's ribs.

Hiruzen Sarutobi flying backward, coughing up blood. He lay on his back on the ground, unable to get up, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

He looked at Shazo and asked with difficulty, "Aren't you afraid of being attacked by the Konoha Ninja for killing me, the former Hokage, like this?"

Seeing that the situation was settled, Shazo smiled with relief and asked, "I killed the Third Hokage? Who said that? Who saw it?"

Blood and foam continued to flow from Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked, "With my body so mangled, even after I'm dead, which Ninja wouldn't be able to tell that I was beaten to death?"

"In the entire Konoha, besides you, is there any other Ninja who would dare to offend the Hokage's dignity?"

"Ninja never believe in coincidences, nor do they need evidence."

"All Konoha Ninja will know that you, Shazo, are the one who killed the Third Hokage!"

Shazo nodded and said, "The Third Hokage is absolutely right."

"But what you don't know is that after death, the body retains sufficient vitality for a period of time, and can still receive healing Ninjutsu to restore damaged flesh."

"My Wood Release and Yang Release techniques are highly proficient; I can guarantee that your body will be restored to a complete, healthy, and normal state after death."

"Oh, and I've also devised a cause of death for you: to cause lung damage from aspiration and to fill your blood vessels with alcohol, proving that you fell into the water while drunk in the middle of the night."

The Third Hokage tragically died from choking on water.

Hiruzen Sarutobi in disbelief, pointing at Shazo, speechless.

Shazo continued with a smile, "Alright, I admit, it's absurd that the Third Hokage died by drowning."

"But I'm just giving everyone an acceptable reason."

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, I think you don't know this, but most of the Ninja in Konoha actually want you dead. As long as it can be explained on the surface, everyone will overlook all the unreasonable details."

Whether you were injured or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you, who acted recklessly, are finally dead. No one will investigate further.

Hiruzen Sarutobi weakly retorted, "Impossible! No Konoha Ninja would think that!"

Shazo sneered, "Originally, I wouldn't have, but you've really stirred up too much trouble. You've infringed on the interests of too many people."

"Actually, when I killed Shimura Danzō, I intended to kill you too."

"But at that time, the Konoha Ninja hoped that you could step down gracefully and give the Third Hokage a sufficiently glorious ending."

"This is the collective will of Konoha. Even I had to bow my head and obey in order to hand over Shimura Danzō's head to you and prevent your secret from being revealed."

"But you didn't take my words to heart, that you didn't have much time left, and continued to cling to your position Hokage, and even went further in causing trouble."

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, why do you think your former staunch supporters, the Ino-Shika-Cho, would oppose you?"

"Because you're holding onto the Anbu, especially the Second Anbu Training Department, which is basically Root under a different name, and Root is an organization that the vast majority of Konoha Ninja hate!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened. He took a few difficult breaths and asked, "I am the Third Hokage, and they hate me for that?"

Shazo was stunned for a full three seconds. "Isn't that enough?"