This time, the Third Hokage had to die!

In the Land of Rice, a small, intelligent snake nimbly darted into a hole in the field and quickly headed underground.

Hiss hiss hiss~~

The Poisonous Snake flicked its scarlet tongue, sniffing the air.

"Huh? It seems like some information has arrived, Kabuto!" Orochimaru, who was busy in the Laboratory, glanced at Kabuto Yakushi and gestured for him to bring over the little snake responsible for delivering the information.

Dou took off his gloves, adjusted his glasses, and opened his palm. The small snake that had crawled in through the crack in the door darted onto his palm in a flash.

Guh!

The snake's body suddenly swelled up, and then it spat out a Scroll larger than its own body from its mouth.

"Lord Orochimaru, it seems like that guy sent the information." Kabuto didn't like Tōka, always feeling that Tōka was particularly dangerous, and usually didn't even want to mention Tōka's name.

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru paused in his work and immediately stopped, handing over all the experimental materials to Kabuto Yakushi.

With a whoosh.

Orochimaru unfolded the intelligence Scroll; the large page contained only eight large, flamboyant characters.

The Hokage leaves the village to Ambush Kill!

The map was also attached, which was a topographical map of the area Sanghe Village North Mountain. There was a red mark deep in the forest, which was the location where Tōka decided to Ambush Kill the Third Hokage.

"Is it finally time to make a move?" Orochimaru scanned the Scroll quickly, memorizing the information.

Immediately afterwards, Orochimaru flicked his finger, and a ball of flame burst into flames, instantly turning the intelligence Scroll into ashes.

Orochimaru casually removed the lab coat from his body, turned around, and walked out the door.

"Lord Orochimaru, are we not continuing the experiment?" Kabuto was puzzled. What kind of information had Tōka sent that made Orochimaru abandon this important experiment?

"The rest is up to you, Kabuto." Orochimaru's voice grew increasingly chilling; Teacher Sarutobi was determined to die at his hands!

Sanghe Village, North Mountain.

The Third Hokage, Kakashi, and their group of nine immediately dismissed the villagers upon arriving at Sanghe Village, unlike the nearby villages.

Sanghe Village is less than two miles from North Mountain, so even a slightly larger area-of-effect Ninjutsu would affect this area.

If the opponent is Orochimaru, he will definitely summon Manda, the Summoning Technique that loves to eat living people.

The villagers cannot be allowed to stay here for Third Hokage.

There are over a hundred villagers in Sanghe Village. Kakashi has led the Shadow Guard members to gather them at the village entrance.

Village head Okawa, leaning on his cane, slowly walked out from the crowd, looking at the Third Hokage with a puzzled expression.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was Okawa had met before. "Lord Hokage, why have you summoned us all here?"

"Okawa, lead everyone away from here for now. You can settle in a nearby village or go directly to Konoha," the Third Hokage said solemnly, his tone gentle yet revealing an unyielding authority.

This statement caused an uproar.

The villagers whispered among themselves, complained, and some even started a commotion.

"But..." Okawa opened his mouth, preparing to ask what had happened and why they were being asked to leave the place where their ancestors had lived for generations.

The Third Hokage did not offer much explanation to the villagers of Sanghe Village, nor did they have enough time to explain things clearly.

"Kakashi, leave a small squad behind to protect the villagers as they leave. The rest of you, come with me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Hokage leaped into the air, like a nimble ape leaping across Mountain Stream, and in a few bounds, he disappeared into the Forest outside the village.

Swish, swish, swish!

Four black figures rushed out in succession, keeping up with the Third Hokage's pace.

Kakashi couldn't stop him even if he wanted to; the Third Hokage's figure disappeared from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye. Kakashi's eyes darkened, and he said in a low voice, "You three go and support the Lord Hokage. Leave this to me."

"But it's the Lord Hokage's order..." an Anbu said hesitantly.

"The Lord Hokage only brought two squads this time, leaving half here?" Kakashi glared at the Anbu. "You guys hurry up and follow them. I'll go provide support as soon as I've dealt with the villagers!"

Upon hearing this, the three Anbu dared not say anything more and immediately Body Flicker Technique into the dense forest.

A rustling sound came from the Forest, and three figures from the Anbu were seen rushing after the Third Hokage and his group.

Kakashi frowned as he glanced at the noisy villagers who refused to leave, and suddenly felt a headache coming on...

On the North Mountain, ancient trees with gnarled roots gather the earth's yin energy, their lush branches and leaves obscuring the sunlight.

The moment the Third Hokage set foot in the North Mountains, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

The air was thick with the lingering stench of blood, and even the swaying Big Tree seemed to be absorbing the blood essence in the air with every breath.

"This place is eerie, everyone be careful." The Third Hokage paused, giving a deep warning.

Then, with a whoosh, the Third Hokage's figure shot straight into the forest.

Upon seeing this, the four members of the Shadow Guard secretly roused themselves and rushed into the woods. Immediately afterward, three more black shadows flashed past in a flash.

As the group walked through the forest, a whirlwind arose from their powerful energy, causing the branches to tremble and the leaves to dance wildly.

Gradually...

The wind subsided, and the Big Tree settled down peacefully.

Buzz!

A strange, ink- Black Vortex appeared on a Big Tree, growing larger until finally two figures emerged from it.

"Black Zetsu, where is Orochimaru?"

Although Sanghe Village is located within the Land of Fire, it is about the same distance from the Land of Rice and Konoha, and Orochimaru could easily use the Reverse Summoning Technique to get there directly.

As a medium for information gathering, Tōka believed there must be many intelligence snakes in this Forest.

But now that the Third Hokage and his group have all arrived, where is Orochimaru?

"That treacherous Orochimaru arrived a long time ago, but he hasn't shown himself yet; he's been hiding in the forest outside the mountains."

Black Zetsu dispatched nearly a thousand White Zetsu, which lay in ambush underground within a radius of a hundred miles.

Centered on North Mountain, within a radius of a hundred miles, no movement can escape Black Zetsu's control.

"Heh, sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, and picking up the scraps?" Tōka sneered, instantly guessing Orochimaru's thoughts.

The Third Hokage is not easy to deal with, and neither is the Shadow Guard.

Orochimaru is using Tōka as a pawn, wasting the manpower brought by the Third Hokage.

However, wasn't Tōka also using Orochimaru as a pawn? As long as he could kill that old man, the Third Hokage, what did it matter if he was used as Orochimaru's tool?

"By the way, where is Kazuma Furido?" Tōka hadn't seen this guy since that night, even though he had used his Eternal Tenseigan to control Kazuma's three subordinates.

However, Kazuma did not tell Budong and the others where he was, so Tōka was unable to find out where Kazuma had gone.

"I've already sent White Zetsu to look for him, but it seems Kazuma hasn't gone to find Orochimaru." Black Zetsu also didn't know Kazuma's whereabouts.

Black Zetsu was brought over by Dong Tōka at the last minute, arriving only half a day earlier than Orochimaru.

Tōka nodded to indicate that he understood. It was an insignificant little pawn; where it went was not important. He had thought that the Third Hokage would bring many people with him.

I didn't expect the Third Hokage to be so confident, or perhaps it's a testament to how much he values Naruto.

They actually arrived first with Elite Ninja; there must still be at least a company of ninjas gathering on the Konoha side.

"We need to hurry." Tōka looked up at the high ridge, where the Tree Shadow swayed, and the group of the Third Hokage were approaching the ambush site.

He was also heading there, but with the strength of the three of them— Budong, Fufeng, and Fuen —they were no match for the Third Hokage.

"Black Zetsu, go tell Orochimaru that if he wants to take down the Third Hokage himself, he'd better hurry up!"

Call!

Before Tōka could finish speaking, his figure had already disappeared from the spot.

Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly marveling to himself, "Space-Time Ninjutsu is really convenient!"

Orochimaru, huh...

I hope you don't do anything strange!

Black Zetsu's body gradually sank into the earth...

Deep in the North Mountain, at the bottom of a cliff, lies a Valley filled with countless white bones. At the valley entrance, two towering rocks stand like two coiled snakes.

The valley floor was shrouded in thick black fog, preventing sunlight from penetrating and causing an accumulation of yin energy.

The Third Hokage generations avoided the exposed bones underfoot, their faces grim as they made their way forward. Some of the bones, some new and some old, were half-buried in the mounds of earth, and some were covered with dried bits of flesh.

"Lord Hokage, it seems some kind of evil ritual has been performed here," a member of the Anbu said in a deep voice.

"Blood Sacrifice is a Forbidden Jutsu that can enhance the power of certain evil Ninjutsu." As the Third Hokage, a professor of Ninjutsu, he naturally knew something about Blood Sacrifice.

Orochimaru had also come into contact with this Forbidden Jutsu, which resulted in the loss of civilians and ninjas in the village.

Their bodies, flesh, bones, cells—every part of them was fully utilized by Orochimaru in his experiments.

The Third Hokage deeply abhorred such evil Ninjutsu that should never exist.

"Everyone be careful, the enemy might be hiding nearby."

Sudden!

Just as the Third Hokage was about to step inside, the earth suddenly churned as if it had been flipped over by a giant hand.

Earth Release: Rock Lodging Collapse!

With a low shout, the ground beneath the feet of the Third Hokage and the others collapsed with a roar, and thick black cracks spread out.

In a short while, the ground caved in, and everyone felt their feet sink into the ground, falling one after another.

"Earth Release?" The Third Hokage, whose body was sinking, narrowed his eyes slightly and quickly Hand Seals with his two withered palms.

Earth Release: Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!

The Third Hokage was proficient in the nature transformations of all five chakra natures, and his mastery of Ninjutsu was profound and extensive.

Earth Release: Earth Shore Return is a defensive Earth Release technique that pulls out a Rock to block the enemy's physical attacks. However, the Third Hokage raised a Rock right under everyone's feet.

The Shadow Guard members were all elite Anbu. Suddenly, a Rock protruded from their feet, and they found a foothold.

He touched the Rock with his toes and used the momentum to leap into the air.

In the blink of an eye, the Third Hokage and his companions, who had been trapped in the Rock Lodging Collapse Jutsu Formula, were freed from danger.

However, this was only the first wave of attacks Budong. The crowd, who had just leaped up and had not yet regained their footing, suddenly saw a charming beauty standing not far away.

She formed a hand Hand Seals and uttered a sentence from her alluring lips.

"Genjutsu: Binding Technique!"

"Oh no, it's an advanced immobilization Genjutsu."

The Third Hokage had extensive combat experience. He reacted immediately, biting his lip hard to regain his senses in that instant.

Swish swish swish!!

At the same time, the Third Hokage Generation threw three Shuriken, finding an opportunity to counterattack within two moves of being suddenly ambushed by the enemy.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

Buzz!

The Shuriken, shooting towards the enemy, flickered mysteriously in mid-air, instantly multiplying from one to two, then from two to four...

By the time the Shuriken approached Fufeng, they had transformed into Shuriken raining down from the sky.

It was completely airtight, making it impossible to weave through the Shuriken with agility; the only way was to defend!

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!" Budong flashed towards Fufeng, his ten fingers interlacing as he unleashed a torrent of Earth Element chakra from his body.

Rumble!

A stone wall rose abruptly from the ground, blocking the Fufeng and the Shuriken.

A series of loud, crackling sounds rang out as countless Shuriken struck the Earth Flow Rampart, sending soil and stones flying and dust billowing into the air.

Instantly, clearly visible cracks appeared behind the Earth Flow Rampart, which was a full hand's width thick.

Upon seeing this scene, both Budong and Fufeng's expressions changed drastically.

"I can't hold them off any longer, get out of the way!" Budong, and at the same time quickly activated the Earth Release Ninjutsu, his body darting into the ground in a flash.

Fufeng reacted quickly; while the Earth Flow Rampart blocked the dense Shuriken of shuriken, her body transformed into a wisp of wind and drifted away into the distance.

The initial sneak attack not only failed, but also directly exposed the two men.

It was a complete failure!

"So it was you who kidnapped Naruto and Sasuke?" A withered, large hand smashed through the broken, crumbling earthen wall blocking the way.

Immediately afterwards, the Third Hokage, dressed in Black Ninja Battle Gear with two jet-black ribbons fluttering in the air behind him, stepped out.

"Lord Hokage!" The four members of the Shadow Guard reacted quickly, assembling behind the Third Hokage.

"Surround them and try to capture them alive." The Third Hokage, unaware of Naruto and his companions' situation, decided to take one or two hostages first.

The Anbu squad understood the Third Hokage's intention and immediately split into two groups, moving in opposite directions and Body Flicker Technique to teleport away.

The two groups, along with the positions of the Third Hokage, formed a triangle, trapping the two, Budong Fufeng, within it.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the two men, Budong Fufeng, stared at the Third Hokage with solemn expressions.

The two were only at the Special Jonin, and with the support of Secret Technique, they could barely fight against Jonin, but they were no match for true Kage-level.

Clearly, the two, Budong Fufeng, are no match for them!

However, their mission wasn't to target the Third Hokage; it was simply to attract everyone's attention!

Just as everyone's attention was focused on the two people trapped in the middle, two faint auras eerily approached the four members of the Shadow Guard, who had split into two groups.

The two ghostly auras grew increasingly real, and the shadow gradually coalesced into a human form, revealing itself to be Tōka, dressed in casual attire.

There are only two: one Original Body and one Shadow Clone.

Buzz!

Chakra surged, and an aura of decay erupted!

All-Killing Ash Bones - Earth Spear Pierce!

Puff puff puff!!

One after another, grayish-white Bone Spur burst from the ground, spreading rapidly in all directions from Tōka's location...