The Peak Third Generation (Please Follow)

Danzō was momentarily speechless, a mix of guilt and panic appearing on his gloomy face.

It was not just because he still held a shred of awe for the Hokage in his heart, but because the Sarutobi Hiruzen before him was completely different from before.

That biting aura and the boiling Chakra, visible almost to the naked eye, made Danzō feel as if he were seeing that high-spirited Ninja Hero of Konoha once again.

Only then did Danzō realize that the Third Hokage before him seemed even younger.

"Commit suicide."

Sarutobi Hiruzen lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth.

Although his body was accustomed to the taste of pipe tobacco, Sarutobi Hiruzen still felt that a pipe was too outdated and old-fashioned, so he had switched to cigarettes.

Of course, cigarettes existed in the world of the Hokage; Sarutobi Asuma would later smoke them as well.

"For the sake of our teacher..."

"I will leave you with a decent death."

Danzō's single eye widened instantly; he had never expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to be so ruthless.

Based on his past experience, although Sarutobi Hiruzen would be angry, he would never be this calm.

At most, he would have been stripped of his position and given some painless, superficial punishment, and that would have been the end of it.

And this was one of the reasons why he had dared to attempt to assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Danzō's expression shifted several times as he looked at the murderous, terrifyingly imposing Sarutobi Hiruzen, finally realizing that this old friend was determined to take his life.

"The winner takes all. I have nothing to say..."

Danzō was, after all, a formidable figure of his generation; he showed no signs of cowardice, instead saying directly, "But I hope to die with the reputation of a martyr."

"Do not implicate the Shimura Clan..."

Shimura Danzō seemed to have accepted his fate and began to speak his last words.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded; he naturally had no intention of implicating others.

If Shimura Danzō was truly that sensible, Sarutobi Hiruzen would not mind giving him a good reputation.

Although Danzō was despicable and ambitious, he had still made contributions to Konoha over these many years.

Immediately after, Danzō pulled out a Kunai and, expressionless, placed it against his own throat.

Seeing this, the corners of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth curled into a playful smile.

What a pity.

There are no "ifs"...

"Whoosh!"

Danzō, of course, would not simply surrender. To a narcissist like him, only he could become the Hokage and save Konoha, and he would never believe that he had truly done anything wrong.

Sarutobi Hiruzen tilted his head slightly, dodging the flying Kunai.

The sound of the Kunai embedding itself into the wood and the sound of Danzō leaping up and bursting through the ceiling occurred simultaneously.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen made no further moves; he simply finished his last drag of the cigarette and tossed the butt onto the floor.

On the other side, Danzō, having broken out through the ceiling, wore a gloomy expression, filled with confusion and resentment.

"It must have been Kakashi!"

"He still held expectations for the weak Third Hokage after all!"

Danzō guessed who had leaked his plan.

Of course, this was not entirely unexpected; every time the Hokage position changed hands, he would pull some strings, and usually, the Third would turn a blind eye to his actions.

He just hadn't expected Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude to be completely different this time.

"What exactly is going on with Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

This was the reason for Danzō's panic and bewilderment.

"It's as if he has become a different person, and even his appearance has become younger..."

Danzō prepared to escape Konoha directly through the secret tunnels of the Root, intending to plan for the long term.

When it came to his own life, Danzō's resolve was quite high; only by staying alive would he have the chance to fulfill his wish of becoming the Hokage.

"Hm?!"

"What?!"

Danzō looked up and suddenly discovered that the color of the sky had completely changed.

It was no longer a pale blue, but a deep, rich purple.

"Four Violet Flames Formation..."

"A powerful barrier technique performed by four jonin-level ninja..."

"Only an attack on the level of a Tailed Beast Bomb can break it."

The voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen rang out calmly behind Danzo.

"Don't you recognize it, Danzo?"

It is said that the value of a technique lies in its effectiveness, not its age; Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite fond of this powerful barrier technique that could restrict movement.

Danzo's expression sank completely, looking as if it could drip water.

"Are you sure you want to fight to the death?"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen..."

"It is true that I broke the rules..."

"But I have already paid the price."

Danzo was still counting on the current Sarutobi Hiruzen to be as soft-hearted as he used to be, hoping he would just let him go.

Just as he had let Orochimaru go before.

"I am willing to establish Root outside of Konoha... to eliminate dissidents for you."

"We can still continue to cooperate!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, however, couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.

This old bastard still thought they were a pair of Wolong and Fengchu.

If he had to be one, he wouldn't want to be Wolong or Fengchu.

"If I'm going to be anyone, I'd rather be a Cao Thief!"

"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!"

Just how strong the ninjutsu of the Third Hokage in his prime could be, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just arrived in the world of Hokage, didn't know, but now he could truly exert the power of the Third in his prime!

An overwhelming heatwave instantly submerged the entire roof, the thousands-of-degrees-high-temperature flames scorching every trace of oxygen in the air, instantly burning the tiles beneath their feet into charcoal.

Even the jonin maintaining the Four Violet Flames Formation on the side felt the temperature so high that sweat appeared on their foreheads.

"Sarutobi!"

Danzo exclaimed in shock, not expecting Sarutobi Hiruzen to strike so decisively.

Fortunately, he was no ordinary jonin either, and his reaction was swift.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A fierce gale blew past, lifting the roof tiles and stalling the tentacle-like extension of the fire waves.

But wind feeds fire; in the elemental cycle of the five natures, Fire Style suppresses Wind Style.

The second after the Great Flame was checked, the fire grew three times more intense thanks to the infusion of Wind Style Chakra.

Of course, Danzo was well aware of the elemental suppression, but all he needed was that split second of stagnation.

"You forced my hand, Sarutobi!"

Danzo's face twisted in a snarl as a green fluctuation of Chakra surged from his body.

"Wood Release: Cutting Great Spear Tree!"

In an instant, Danzo's right arm began to squirm frantically, growing violently as if it had a life of its own, and in a flash, it grew into a towering tree!

The flames of the Great Flame Technique could burn through iron and stone, yet they had no effect whatsoever on the tree before him.

Because this was power derived from the God of Shinobi—Wood Release!

Hiding behind the tree, Danzo avoided the brunt of the fire wave, but his mood remained abysmal.

Danzo knew very well that if he hadn't exposed his Wood Release, there would still be room for maneuver.

Even if he had defected from the village for a short time, he could later explain it away as being undercover or for some secret mission.

But once this powerful and sensitive power was revealed in public, Danzo's negative reputation would reach its peak. Since Senju Hashirama was the political correctness of Konoha, how could he allow Danzo to research it at will?

Private matters are private, but such matters of political correctness naturally cannot be brought out into the open.

"So this is what you were relying on..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the towering tree that had pushed right up against the barrier, thinking to himself that it was just as he expected.

Happy New Year, everyone!