The Showdown with the Third

On the outskirts of Konoha Ninja Village

The sounds of fighting had died down. The various ninja tools embedded in the surrounding trees, the broken trunks, and the huge craters in the ground all bore witness to the brutal battle that had just taken place.

On a great tree, Namiashi Raidō had been pinned to the trunk by Hashiba Hideyoshi's katana, which had pierced his arm. His body was covered in burns of varying severity, inflicted by lightning.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he glared at Hashiba Hideyoshi. Their defeat had been humiliating. Their opponent's Kekkei Genkai not only obscured their vision but also paralyzed them, making it difficult to locate him. On top of that, he had a strange form of Taijutsu: his clawed hands were poisonous, impervious to weapons, and astonishingly fast.

Less than a few meters away lay Gekko Hayate, unconscious, and Yamashiro Aoba, who had lost an arm. Both had suffered injuries of varying severity. Hayate was in especially bad shape: his opponent had clawed his eyes, and if the poison reached his brain before he received treatment, not even a miracle could save him.

Hashiba Hideyoshi glanced at Namiashi Raidō's venomous glare, then struck him with the edge of his hand and knocked him out. He pulled his katana free and silently calculated the time.

I've wasted too much time. I need to hurry and help the leader. I still can't believe how well this Rokushiki Taijutsu works with the improvements from Nintaijutsu. Otherwise, I'd have had a much harder time dealing with these three Konoha Special Jōnin.

Before they set out, Feng Yao had taught his Rokushiki to both Zabuza and Hideyoshi. Since Hideyoshi had already practiced Nintaijutsu, he learned the techniques much faster than Zabuza.

Rokushiki might not be a form of Taijutsu from the Naruto world, but at its core, it was still a way to train and use the body.

He had also specifically checked with the system and learned that others could practice it too. Only then had he taught the two of them, making them swear never to pass it on to anyone outside the Immortal Organization.

Elsewhere, Zabuza had several wounds of varying sizes. Blood had soaked through his clothes, and he was nowhere near as unscathed as Hashiba Hideyoshi. He had fallen under a genjutsu and could only force himself to wake by hurting himself and relying on the pain.

Kurenai had collapsed beside the desk, her condition unknown.

The injuries were not all Kurenai's doing; some were self-inflicted. Fortunately, Zabuza had managed to escape the genjutsu in time and gain the upper hand with Taijutsu.

As he searched through the various mission scrolls, he suddenly spotted Feng Yao's name and stopped. He snatched it up, tucked it into his clothes, and prepared to leave.

The commotion was already too great, and time was precious. If Konoha, this fierce tiger, truly reacted, he would be in trouble.

At that moment, Feng Yao ran out of the cloud of dust with several Shuriken stuck in his body.

"...Host, are you really planning to run away? If you can defeat the Third, that will count toward your mission rewards too. After all, the Hokage of a village losing would deal a blow to Konoha's morale."

Feng Yao had been about to escape while the Third was still trapped when he heard the system trying to sweet-talk him again.

"Don't be ridiculous. We're in Konoha. Tell me, how am I supposed to escape after defeating the Third? Staying alive is a prerequisite for doing anything. Just like how I'll die if I fail the mission, I'm not about to risk my life for a few extra rewards."

"Looks like you don't have a choice."

Just as it said that,

a gigantic monkey suddenly swatted Feng Yao back. The force was so great that even in Sage Mode, he staggered several steps after landing.

He looked up and saw Enma, the Third's summoned beast. Enma had an indestructible body and could transform into the Adamantine Staff. He was a powerful ally of the Third.

Feng Yao cursed the system for jinxing him. This was bad.

The Third had taken the opportunity to escape the range of the Wind Release sandstorm. With a Body Flicker, he appeared in front of Feng Yao and continued to persuade him.

"You have nowhere left to run, Feng Yao. Surrender. Enma, transform into the Adamantine Staff."

"Understood, Sarutobi. We're fighting side by side once again."

Enma leapt into the air and spun, transforming into a staff as black as night, with golden patterns at both ends.

The Third held the Adamantine Staff in his hands. The enormous weapon looked completely out of proportion with his lean frame. He crouched and swung it forward, forming Hand Seals as he shouted,

"Adamantine Prison Wall!"

The Adamantine Staff split into dozens of clones in midair, moving at incredible speed.

They formed a cube-shaped cage around Feng Yao, trapping him inside.

This technique could be used for both offense and defense. It could trap an enemy or protect the user, depending on how it was wielded.

In the Naruto world, it had even once defended against the First Hokage's Wood Release.

Feng Yao looked at the cage before him and snorted. It seemed he really wouldn't be getting away without defeating the Third.

"Sage Art: Storm Release: Light Fang!"

Feng Yao formed Hand Seals and spat out a water-like beam of lightning from his mouth. It sliced through the cage around him with ease. This was a Sage Art on the level of the Six Paths, so naturally, a summoned beast couldn't stop it.

Enma sensed the danger halfway through Feng Yao's attack and immediately reverted to his original form. But he was still a moment too slow, and one of his arms was cut off. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly; otherwise, he would have lost more than just an arm.

"Old friend, fall back and rest. Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet! Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Seeing Enma injured, the Third was deeply pained. He told Enma to retreat and rest while he continued to face Feng Yao. The two different nature transformations worked together, greatly increasing their power.

"Just as you'd expect from the Third, known as the Professor. He combines nature transformations with ease. If he were in his prime, I might really have been stuck here today."

Watching the incoming techniques rush toward him, Feng Yao stopped holding back. He had less than six minutes left in Sage Mode and had to end the fight in one move. He pressed his palms together.

"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"

A towering, majestic wooden Buddha rose from the rocky ground. It was much larger than the last one. The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet struck the Buddha but barely did any damage, knocking off only a few dozen of its arms.

"That's impossible... How can you know the First Hokage's secret technique?!"

The Third's answer was hundreds of arms, each strike weighing a thousand catties.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

Just as the arms engulfed him, the Third managed to use Earth Release to defend himself.

This time, Feng Yao held nothing back. He launched a full-scale assault. Countless arms battered the already-ruined Kage Rock until it collapsed once more. Thick clouds of dust hung over Kage Rock, lingering for a long time.

The Third knelt on one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood. In the end, he hadn't been able to fully defend against the Sage Art. He was old now and could no longer fight like he had in his prime.

Feng Yao was unsteady on his feet too. A moment later, he left Sage Mode and panted weakly. The Sage Art was powerful, but it consumed too much Senjutsu Chakra and greatly shortened the time he could remain in Sage Mode.

He and the Third stared at each other. Both were at the end of their strength, barely able to move. It all came down to whose reinforcements arrived first.

As expected, on Konoha's home ground, Anbu arrived at Kage Rock first. The Third silently breathed a sigh of relief, while a hint of madness flashed in Feng Yao's eyes. He had no choice but to fight for his life.

"Damn system, this is all your fault for jinxing me! If I ever get my hands on you, I'll sew your mouth shut!"

Feng Yao cursed under his breath, then struggled to force himself to his feet.

"Leader, you really look rough. Then again, it's no wonder—the other guy is the Third, reputed to be the strongest of them all!"

"Heh, something this exciting should've included me! Standing guard outside was no fun at all."

Whoosh, whoosh.

Two figures used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Feng Yao. Each took one of his arms and helped him up. The Anbu on the other side tensed, immediately drawing their weapons and aiming them at the newcomers.

"Let's go. The mission is complete, and there's no reason to stay. It'll be trouble if more Konoha Jōnin arrive."

Hideyoshi, who had been about to attack, frowned when he heard this. He had wanted to fight them, but with a leader like this, there would surely be plenty of danger and excitement ahead. He obeyed Feng Yao's order.

Zabuza threw down a smoke bomb, and he and Hideyoshi helped Feng Yao escape.

"Lord Third, are you all right?"

When the Anbu members saw their enemies leave, they hurried over to the Third to check on him.

"Cough, cough. I'll live. Take stock of the village's casualties. Don't rush to pursue them. Those people are formidable. Have every Jōnin currently away on a mission return as soon as possible... Cough, cough."

The Third could barely speak, but he still had to fulfill his duties as Hokage.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"