Sharingan - Copy!!

Boom...

A torrent of Fire Release dominated the scene, mixed with Lightning, Wind, Water, and Earth—five B-Rank Ninjutsu engulfed dozens of meters in an instant.

"Pant, pant..."

On a tree trunk not far from the massive explosion, Hiruzen Sarutobi knelt, gasping, one hand gripping the trunk as he muttered:

"I wonder if that strike was enough to take down that monster."

The full version of this technique was five A-Rank elemental Ninjutsu, but he'd burned too much chakra earlier while traveling and fighting Ginkaku, forcing him to settle for the weakened Five Elements: Great Combo Bullet Technique.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

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Just then, two ninjas wearing Konoha forehead protectors arrived at his side.

"Captain Sarutobi, what happened here? Was the enemy strong enough to make you use that move?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a light sigh as he looked at his finally-arrived teammates.

"Good, you're here. My pack fell off during the fight—give me a Ration Pill, and we'll talk as we move."

The two exchanged a surprised glance, not realizing the battle had been that intense.

One of them grunted softly and stepped forward.

Swoosh!

A red figure suddenly flashed in, landing behind them.

Shing!

A crimson sword arc swept through!

Their expressions froze, and their bodies were instantly cleaved in two.

Splash!

Blood sprayed like a fountain, splattering everywhere—a few drops even landed on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, meters away.

"Takashi... Tomohiko..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, staggering to his feet to avenge his comrades, but he collapsed weakly as soon as he stood.

"Don't worry. I'll send you to them soon enough."

Ginkaku twisted his lips in a savage grin, hefting the Seven Star Sword as he closed in.

But on closer look, his robes were torn, and his steps were unsteady—the five Ninjutsu had clearly wounded him badly, though the Nine-Tails Chakra was slowly healing those injuries.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth, glaring at Ginkaku with hatred, one hand reaching behind him for the Adamantine Staff.

His chakra was nearly spent; his only option was to stall with taijutsu, then summon Enma once he recovered some chakra.

But even then...

He glanced at Ginkaku's slowly healing wounds—the enemy's injuries would probably be mostly recovered by then.

The odds were still against him!

Just as their clash was about to erupt again.

"Senior Sarutobi, I'm back!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Sou's familiar voice, first relieved, then alarmed.

"Sou, what are you doing back here? This fight is beyond you—run..."

Zap!

A blinding bolt of lightning struck down, forcing Ginkaku back as he tried to close in.

Then, a slender figure appeared beside Sarutobi, shielding him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi blinked, then his eyes went wide:

"Koharu?!

But that voice just now was..."

He looked around, but there was no trace of Sou.

"Stop looking."

Utatane Koharu, already in battle stance, paused and said with a helpless look: "He brought me here, yelled that, and then ran off."

"Uh..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched. "Kagami's cousin sure has a... cautious personality."

Crack!

He bit down on the Special Ration Pill Koharu had tossed him, and a third of his chakra instantly recovered.

"Koharu, be careful. This Ginkaku... is strong."

"Mm."

At this moment, Ginkaku, having stepped aside, swept his gaze between the wary Hiruzen and Koharu, hesitating inwardly.

He had nearly overturned just dealing with Hiruzen Sarutobi alone earlier, and this newly arrived ninja, judging by the amount of chakra, was likely at the jonin level too.

"The situation's bad..."

If only his brother were here, they could rely on their ninja tools and not fear even a few more jonin!

What was Kinkaku Eldest Brother doing? Why hadn't he come to find him yet?

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi launched the first attack, while Utatane Koharu flanked from the side, seeking the right moment to release a jutsu.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"

This time, Ginkaku was prepared and wasn't caught by the mudflow, releasing a jutsu in turn.

The next instant, a dazzling array of ninjutsu erupted across the battlefield.

As the three fought nearly lost in themselves, a clump of green shrubbery seemed to grow legs, shuffling left a few steps, then right a few steps, stealthily creeping to within a hundred meters of the battlefield.

"Damn, the Third Hokage really lives up to being the Ninjutsu Professor from the original story—watching him this whole time, he hasn't repeated a single jutsu."

"And that Old Woman from the original—who knew she was this fierce when she was young? No wonder she's an Elite Jonin who can fight alongside the Third Hokage."

Learning, learning!

In just this short time, Uchiha Ao had copied no fewer than four or five jutsu with his Sharingan.

Though they were mostly low-chakra B-rank and C-rank ninjutsu, clever use in battle could yield results no less than the extremely chakra-intensive A-rank ninjutsu.

Observing the battle of these experts, Uchiha Ao felt his own combat experience steadily rising.

After all, a Chunin who witnessed a fight like this even once might benefit from it for life.

Seeing Koharu take the lead and Hiruzen start weaving in common jutsu to harass, Uchiha Ao shifted his Line of Sight to Ginkaku.

"The way Ginkaku has Nine-Tails Chakra attached to him... feels so similar to the Lightning Release Armor..."

As if realizing something, he pushed his Dojutsu Power to the maximum.

This chakra circulation pattern...

It was even more refined than the simplified version of the Lightning Release Armor—or rather, was it a deeper, more advanced Lightning Release Armor?!

If that were true, then his gains this time would be enormous!

He silently recorded Ginkaku's chakra circulation pattern, planning to dismantle and analyze it once he reached a safe place, to see if he could use his Destiny to study and dissect it, then upgrade his Thunder Breathing again.

Rumble...

At that moment, several miles away, a violent explosion suddenly erupted!

The massive chakra fluctuation it produced far exceeded even the dozens of Explosive Tags Uchiha Ao had detonated simultaneously during his breakthrough.

"This fluctuation..."

Uchiha Ao stared uncertainly into the distance. "It feels so similar to the fluctuation on Ginkaku... Could it be...?"

"Roar!"

Just then, Ginkaku, who had been locked in combat with Hiruzen and Koharu, suddenly bellowed. He unleashed a thunderous Lightning Release with immense momentum, forcing them back, then dashed toward the direction of the massive explosion.

As he ran, he shouted urgently:

"Brother!"

Amid the roar, his red figure vanished from the battlefield in an instant.

Though the Lightning Release was spectacular, it was more for intimidation, causing no real harm to Hiruzen and the others.

Stepping aside, Hiruzen and Koharu exchanged glances, clearly unsure of what had happened.

"Let's go see."