Sharingan: Copy!!

Rumble...

A vast swath of fire filled the sky, mixed with five B-rank Ninjutsu of lightning, wind, water, and earth. In an instant, they engulfed everything within dozens of meters.

"Huff, huff..."

On a tree not far from the explosion, Hiruzen Sarutobi knelt, panting as he braced himself against the trunk. He murmured,

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

The complete version of this Ninjutsu consisted of five A-rank techniques, one for each of the five elements. But he had expended too much chakra while traveling and fighting Ginkaku, so he'd had to settle for a weaker version of Five Elements: Great Combo Bullet Technique.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two Ninja wearing Konoha Forehead Protectors arrived beside him.

"Captain Hiruzen, what happened here? Was the enemy strong enough to force you to use that technique?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his teammates, who had finally caught up, and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Good, you're here. I dropped my pack during the fight. Quickly, give me a Ration Pill. We'll talk on the way."

The two exchanged astonished glances. They hadn't expected the battle to have been so fierce.

One of them gave a quiet hum and was about to step forward.

Whoosh!

Just then, a red figure suddenly appeared behind the two.

Slash!

A flash of red swordlight swept past!

The two froze, then their bodies were cut cleanly in half.

Spurt!

Blood sprayed everywhere like a fountain. A few drops even splashed onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, several meters away.

"Takashi, Tomohiko..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured their names. Swaying, he rose to his feet, wanting to avenge his comrades. But as soon as he stood, his legs gave way and he sank back down.

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

Ginkaku gave a vicious smirk and advanced slowly, Seven Star Sword in hand.

But a closer look revealed his tattered clothes and unsteady steps. The five Ninjutsu had clearly left him badly injured, though his wounds were slowly healing under the Nine-Tails Chakra clinging to him.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his teeth and glared at Ginkaku, while one hand silently reached for the Adamantine Staff on his back.

He had very little chakra left. His only option was to rely on Taijutsu to buy time, then, once he'd recovered some chakra, use a summoning technique to call Enma!

But even then...

He glanced at Ginkaku's steadily healing wounds. By then, his opponent would probably have recovered almost completely.

The odds were still against him!

Just as the two were about to clash again—

"Senior Hiruzen, I'm back!"

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

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

Crackle!

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

A graceful figure appeared beside Hiruzen and shielded him from the enemy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a closer look and his eyes widened.

"Koharu?!

"But that voice just now was clearly..."

He looked all around, but there was no sign of Sou.

"Stop looking."

Utatane Koharu paused as she entered the fight, then said with an exasperated expression, "After bringing me here, he shouted once and ran off again."

"Uh..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched. "Kagami's Cousin really is... well... cautious."

Crunch!

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

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

"Mm."

Ginkaku had withdrawn to one side. He studied the wary Hiruzen and Koharu, hesitating.

He'd nearly lost when fighting Hiruzen Sarutobi alone. Judging by the amount of chakra this newcomer had, she was probably a Jonin too.

This isn't looking good...

If only his brother were here! With their Ninja Tools, even a few more Jonin wouldn't be a threat!

What is Kinkaku Eldest Brother doing? Why hasn't he come to find me yet?

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi launched the first attack. Utatane Koharu circled around from the side, looking for the right moment to unleash a Ninjutsu.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"

This time, Ginkaku was ready. He avoided being caught in the mudflow and followed up with a Ninjutsu of his own.

The next instant, an array of dazzling Ninjutsu erupted across the battlefield.

While the three were so absorbed in their battle that they barely noticed anything else, a clump of lush green bushes seemed to sprout legs. It shuffled a few steps left, then a few steps right, and stealthily made its way to a spot a hundred meters from the battlefield.

Damn, no wonder the Third Hokage was called a Ninjutsu professor in the original story. I've been watching for a while, and he hasn't repeated a single technique.

And that old lady from the original story is surprisingly fierce when she's young. No wonder she's an Elite Jonin who can fight alongside the Third Hokage.

I'm learning a lot!

In that short time, Uchiha Sou had copied at least four or five Ninjutsu with his Sharingan.

They were all low-chakra B-rank and C-Rank Ninjutsu, but used cleverly in battle, they could be just as effective as A-rank Ninjutsu that consumed huge amounts of chakra.

Watching the powerful fighters in action, Uchiha Sou felt his own combat experience steadily improving.

After all, even seeing a battle like this once could benefit a Chunin for the rest of his life.

Once Koharu took the lead in attacking and Hiruzen began using some of his more common Ninjutsu to keep Ginkaku occupied, Uchiha Sou shifted his gaze to Ginkaku.

The way Ginkaku coats himself in Nine-Tails Chakra seems an awful lot like Lightning Release Armor...

As if he'd realized something, he pushed the Dōjutsu Power of his Sharingan to its limit.

This chakra circulation...

It was even more sophisticated than the simplified version of Lightning Release Armor. Or rather, was it an advanced form of Lightning Release Armor?!

If so, his gains this time would be incredible!

He silently memorized the way Ginkaku circulated his chakra, planning to take it apart once he was somewhere safe. Then he could see if he could use his Destiny to study and analyze it, and upgrade his Thunder Breathing again.

Rumble...

Just then, a series of violent explosions erupted several miles away!

The enormous chakra surge they produced far surpassed even the dozens of Explosive Tags Uchiha Sou had detonated simultaneously during the trial.

"This surge..."

Uchiha Sou stared at the distance, uncertain. "Why does it feel so similar to the chakra around Ginkaku? Could it be..."

"Roar!"

At that moment, Ginkaku, who had been fighting Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu, let out a sudden roar. He unleashed a spectacular Lightning Release, forcing them back, then raced toward the explosions.

As he ran, he shouted urgently,

"Brother!"

With a roar, the red figure vanished from the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

The Lightning Release had been impressive, but it had mostly served to intimidate. It hadn't done much harm to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu retreated to one side and exchanged baffled looks. Neither had any idea what was going on.

"Let's go after him and see!"