Facing Araki's question, Hozuki Sengetsu shook his head. "I don't know. When the mountain collapsed, he used ninjutsu to protect himself too. He's the Hokage, after all. He shouldn't die that easily."
"Is that so?"
Araki tightened his grip on his sword hilt and tilted his head at him. "Then let's switch opponents. You handle those Anbu outside. The Hokage is mine!"
"Can you handle him alone?"
"A man can never say he can't!"
The moment he finished speaking, several rods propped up the rubble in the distance, and the Third Hokage crawled out from underground in a thoroughly disheveled state.
Then he saw the Anbu corpses strewn all over the ground at Araki's feet.
"You... are unforgivable!"
His hands flashed through a seal. "Ninja Art: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!"
At the same time, he shouted to the Anbu outside, "Don't engage the enemy on your own! Go get Maruboshi Kosuke and Torifu Akimichi to support us!"
After his battle with Hozuki Sengetsu, the Third Hokage no longer believed he could take all of them on by himself. Especially upon seeing that pile of corpses at Araki's feet, he did not even know whether he should be glad that his son and future daughter-in-law were not here, or regret sending them away.
Given the enemy's strength, the only people in the village who could help now were Maruboshi Kosuke and Torifu Akimichi.
As for Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu...
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who saw them every day, naturally knew exactly how much their strength had deteriorated after more than a decade as advisors.
As the saying went, skills rusted after three days without practice. They had practically become full-fledged deskbound ninja.
They would only be dead weight if they came. Better that they did not.
He had cast the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to buy