Adamantine Enma

"Transformation Jutsu: Adamantine Staff!"

Seeing the urgency of the situation, Enma wasted no words and transformed into the Adamantine Staff. In Sarutobi Shinnosuke's grasp, it instantly lengthened and punched a huge hole through one side of the barrier.

At the same time, a hand extended from the Adamantine Staff and grabbed Sarutobi Shinnosuke, intending to pull him out first.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately grabbed his girlfriend Izumi Shimura's hand and rushed out with her.

"Stay!"

A flash of lightning streaked through the air. The Third Raikage charged over and kicked Sarutobi Shinnosuke flying.

However, before being sent flying, Sarutobi Shinnosuke flung Izumi Shimura out through the gap in the barrier, where Shimura Danzō caught her.

Shimura Danzō had originally run quite far away and had even given up on these people. But when he saw the Adamantine Staff punch through, he knew there was still hope and turned back.

"Shinnosuke!"

Izumi Shimura panicked and prepared to go back to rescue him, but Shimura Danzō knocked her unconscious with a single blow.

"Raikage! Uzumaki!"

Shimura Danzō shot a vicious glare at the rapidly repairing and closing gap in the barrier, then swiftly retreated with his daughter.

They had lost this battle—not to the Raikage and the Cloud Ninja, but to the Uzumaki clan. He had never expected an Uzumaki Ninja to appear at the end.

If the barrier and that Uzumaki Ninja hadn't distracted him, even if the Third Raikage had erupted with power after taking the Secret Medicine, he wouldn't have lost an arm. At the very least, he could have dodged.

Damn Uzumaki clan!

At the same time, seeing Sarutobi Shinnosuke kicked away, Enma immediately released his Adamantine Staff form and leaped after him, intending to catch Sarutobi Shinnosuke and use the Summoning Technique to take him back.

That way, he could at least save Shinnosuke and spare Hiruzen the pain of losing a son.

But what greeted him were two Three Tomoe Sharingan—each implanted in a different person's eye socket, their Dojutsu Power linked together. They were clearly a pair.

They were the twin brothers who had targeted Sarutobi Shinnosuke earlier. Both formed hand seals and used the Three Tomoe Sharingan in their eye sockets as a medium to cast a genjutsu.

The moment Enma saw the Three Tomoe Sharingan, he realized something was wrong. But by the time he tried to undo the Summoning Technique, it was already too late.

His body crashed to the ground, and the images of Three Tomoe appeared in his eyes as well.

"These eyes are too hard to use!"

The two brothers who had cast the genjutsu instantly turned pale as paper, showing just how great the expenditure had been.

Even though both of them were jōnin specializing in genjutsu, they could not withstand the Sharingan's consumption. And that was with the eyes implanted separately—otherwise, the drain would have been even greater.

"Can you still hold on?"

After knocking Sarutobi Shinnosuke unconscious with a Hand Blade, the Third Raikage walked over and asked with concern.

These two were their precious treasures. Nothing could happen to them.

"We can hold on, Lord Raikage!"

The two simultaneously drank a bottle of medicine, nodded to show that they could endure it, then took out another large bottle and poured it into Enma's stomach to assist the genjutsu in maintaining control over him.

"Then begin the second phase of the plan!"

The Third Raikage glanced at Uzumaki Ashina's Shadow Clone as it approached, then nodded at the two, signaling for them to begin the next phase.

Without hesitation, the two used the Sharingan's Dojutsu Power to gain deeper control over Enma while probing his memories.

"Quickly treat the Third's wounds."

Dodai's Shadow Clone arrived with a Medical Ninja and motioned for him to step forward and treat the injuries.

Although those wounds had only cut the skin and had not damaged the muscles, quite a bit of blood had already been lost.

Moreover, the Lightning Release Armor itself was a ninjutsu that stimulated the body, causing blood to flow even faster.

"Putting on an act is exhausting!"

The Third Raikage grumbled as he crouched down to receive treatment.

That was right—he had merely been acting just now.

Although he had expended quite a bit of Chakra earlier to quickly wipe out the Mist Ninja, his combat strength had not weakened. It would not have been a problem for him to pin Shimura Danzō to the ground and grind him into the dirt, even if Wind Style somewhat countered Lightning Release.

However, they had gained far too much this time. One misstep, and they could be besieged by the Four Great Shinobi Villages. They could only use this opportunity to feign weakness before their enemies.

"Next, Lord Raikage will have to publicly condemn the Konoha Third Hokage's sinister and despicable actions."

Dodai's Shadow Clone came over with a smile. The act was not over yet.

Their gains this time were indeed considerable. Not only had they obtained Uzumaki clansmen, they had also acquired the Uzumaki clan's complete Sealing Technique inheritance and annihilated nearly a thousand of Kirigakure's ninja troops.

Furthermore, because all those they had brought were elites, coupled with the Third Raikage's involvement, Lightning Release's restraint over Water Style, and the Uzumaki clan's support, their side had suffered few casualties.

It could be said that this plan had been a perfect success, and they had also taken the opportunity to scheme against the Third Mizukage and Kirigakure.

Kirigakure would not be peaceful internally from now on and likely would not have the spare strength to retaliate. Konoha's internal conflicts would not be minor either.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi really is one shameless, despicable monkey."

The Third Raikage held Hiruzen Sarutobi in contempt. All he knew was scheming and plotting.

Still, it was understandable. His strength was what it was.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was powerful, that title of "strongest Hokage" was complete nonsense.

The combined application of the five elemental ninjutsu did increase their power, but only to a limited extent.

Back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had been chased by Kinkaku and Ginkaku so badly that they fled in disarray, yet he himself could personally poke Kinkaku and Ginkaku to death. That was the gap in strength.

His title as the strongest Raikage was well earned, while Hiruzen Sarutobi's was watered down—heavily watered down.

If one lacked the strength to suppress everything, then one could only make up for it with schemes and tricks, using them to weaken or even wipe out one's own people.

"Summoning Technique: Contract Scroll!"

By then, the twins had already gained deep control over Enma. They manipulated Enma into forming hand seals and summoning the Monkey Clan's Summoning Scroll, then used genjutsu to transmit the information they had uncovered from Enma's memories about the Monkey Clan into the Third Hokage's mind.

Uzumaki Ashina's Shadow Clone stepped forward and unrolled the scroll. He saw a long string of names from the Sarutobi Clan, among them Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Third Hokage!"

His icy gaze fixed on that name, and Uzumaki Ashina's Shadow Clone hated it to the core.

He had also seen the flames erupting in the village earlier. Clearly, the situation there was not good, and there was a strong chance it had been Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō's doing.

He wished he could drag Hiruzen Sarutobi out and cut him into a thousand pieces.

"Senior, please proceed according to the plan. Even if we use Enma to Reverse Summon Hiruzen Sarutobi here and kill him now, it would not accomplish much. Besides, once Hiruzen Sarutobi dies, Konoha will only grow stronger.

"We must plan for the future of the village and the Uzumaki clan."

Dodai, standing nearby, offered a word of persuasion. Although they could take this opportunity to Reverse Summon the Third Hokage and kill him, that did not align with Kumogakure's current interests or future plans.

Even if the Third Hokage died, Konoha would not fall into chaos. Konoha still had Mito Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Combined with her status as the First Hokage's wife, the strength and prestige of the Senju Clan, and the pressure of the external war, once Hiruzen Sarutobi died, the Senju Clan would quickly seize control of Konoha.

Konoha would instead become even stronger then, so keeping the Third Hokage alive better served their interests.

Shimura Danzō had even been deliberately released by the Third Hokage earlier. They still wanted the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, and the others to join forces to weaken—or even scheme the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan to death.

After hearing Dodai's persuasion, Uzumaki Ashina's Shadow Clone forcibly suppressed his hatred. Raising a hand to form seals, he used the Contract Seal to seal away that long string of Sarutobi Clan names.