The Third Hokage's Command

The man, his body covered in stitch marks, stood exposed in the center, surrounded by countless writhing tentacles.

With a wave of the man's arm, the tentacles he had set up in advance suddenly appeared, snapping taut as they hung in midair.

Like spider silk, the Tentacle Barrier completely blocked Diejian and the others' escape routes.

Worse, the wall of tentacles was still writhing, growing thicker by the moment.

Diejian and the others had fallen right into the man's cunning trap.

Diejian glared at the gray-skinned man.

Chakra filled with all of Diejian's killing intent seeped from his body.

A powerful, dense torrent of chakra flooded the area. Even the space around them seemed to waver and ripple.

"Diejian, who is that?"

Hiruzen landed beside Diejian and asked, his expression curious.

Diejian kept his sharp gaze fixed on Kakuzu as he gave Hiruzen a brief answer. He didn't even look at him.

But Hiruzen raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"That guy? No, that... doesn't make sense. Kakuzu should have been killed by the First Lord. Some of the bodies were badly mangled, reduced to little more than chunks of flesh, but Takigakure's assassins recovered the corresponding number of bodies. There's no mistake."

"What...?"

Now it was Diejian's turn to look back at Hiruzen.

Diejian had been unconscious at the time, so he didn't know all the details of the Takigakure incident.

Hiruzen, on the other hand, had fought alongside the Second, Tobirama, and his father, Sasuke Sarutobi, who was still alive at the time, during the turbulent period immediately after the First's death.

Back then, Takigakure had been pressed by Tobirama, disguised as Senju Hashirama, to explain the existence of the assassins. In response, the village abandoned its elite squad led by Kakuzu.

They claimed that a ninja named Kakuzu had stolen one of the village's Forbidden Jutsu and become a "missing-nin," and that Takigakure had nothing to do with the incident.

By handing Konoha the records of the ninjas branded as "defectors," Takigakure offered its "sincerity" over the ominous incident caused by a "former" village ninja, burying the assassination of Hashirama in darkness.

According to the records, Hiruzen and the others found that everyone branded a "defector" had died in the forests of the Land of Fire.

The incident should have ended there—should have.

"Could it be... Impure World Reincarnation? No, that's impossible."

A moment's thought told him it couldn't be, but Diejian still murmured the possibility.

If someone had used that Forbidden Jutsu, which summoned the souls of the dead by sacrificing the living, it would certainly explain why Kakuzu was here now.

But there were far too many inconsistencies for Impure World Reincarnation to be a plausible explanation.

For one thing, Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu was among the most important pieces of classified intelligence under Tobirama's control.

Tobirama was an exceptionally cunning man. He had even tried to erase the existence of his own Flying Thunder God Technique by downplaying it as a mere Body Flicker Technique that relied on high-speed Taijutsu.

He would never have leaked information about Impure World Reincarnation, a technique even more dangerous than Flying Thunder God.

Moreover, the dead summoned through Impure World Reincarnation had distinct features: blackened pupils, artificial bodies made of dust, and cracked skin.

But Kakuzu showed none of these signs.

In fact, as much as it infuriated Diejian, his skin even looked healthy and flushed.

There was no doubt about it. He was alive.

The man with the repulsive, feral grin was undeniably alive, standing in Diejian's way.

"Hiruzen, Diejian, that's not the issue. We don't have time. Do we kill him here or avoid a fight and retreat? What do we do, Hiruzen?"

Kagami spoke as if warning the bewildered Diejian and Hiruzen.

They didn't know why Kakuzu was here, but one thing was certain: Hiruzen and the others were out of time.

Kagami believed they should act quickly rather than waste time on pointless questions.

—Suddenly, an explosion rang out.

A terrifying boom and tremor, as if they could shake the very air, came from some distance away.

The blast had come from the direction of Kumogakure.

That was also the direction Hiruzen and the others had fled from.

There could only be one explanation.

"W-what?"

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

The instant Kakuzu's attention was drawn to the blast, a sudden gust struck him.

The blades of air spat from Danzo's mouth severed the tentacles trying to seize Diejian and the others.

Kakuzu took the surprise attack head-on and was blown away by the force of the wind.

But Kakuzu wasn't about to take the beating lying down.

The tentacles surrounding them thrashed more violently, writhing as they tried to grab Hiruzen and the others.

Danzo kept exhaling as he swung his head from side to side, cutting down the tentacles around them.

"That's the Second's... Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags..."

"Hiruzen! What are you waiting for?"

During a pause to catch his breath, Danzo glanced at Hiruzen with an expression that seemed to say, "Make up your mind!"

The explosion just now had most likely come from Tobirama's Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Technique, just as Hiruzen had murmured.

It was a chain-reaction explosion in which one tag kept summoning more tags.

Tobirama had probably sacrificed one of the enemies to activate Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

Impure World Reincarnation was an astonishing technique, but using it consumed a tremendous amount of chakra.

That meant Tobirama had been driven into a corner.

There wasn't much time.

Hiruzen closed his eyes for a brief moment as he thought, then seemed to make up his mind at once and nodded.

"We'll take him down right here—"

"I'll stay behind. You go."

Just as Hiruzen decided that they would have to gang up on Kakuzu and kill him, Diejian cut him off.

Diejian was remarkably calm as he focused on the direction Kakuzu had been sent flying.

Hiruzen watched him with an expression that said, "I knew it."

What Hiruzen had been about to say was right.

Kakuzu had once been ordered to assassinate a Hokage, and now the Gold and Silver Brothers had proposed joining forces with him.

There was no doubt he was a formidable opponent.

But no matter how powerful Kakuzu was, he couldn't possibly take on Konoha's greatest forces, led by Hiruzen, and win by himself.

And Kakuzu was far too clever not to understand that.

Yet even so, he had stood alone in Diejian and the others' way.

There was only one reason they could think of.

He was luring them into what looked like a favorable fight.

Kakuzu's army of tentacles was a solid fortress that kept enemies from approaching.

If he focused entirely on defense, it would become a shield that was difficult to break through.

That would inevitably lead to a prolonged battle, giving the Kinkaku Unit, which had broken through Tobirama's line of defense, time to catch up with Diejian and the others.

Kakuzu didn't need to win.

All he had to do was stall until the reinforcements arrived.

—So there was only one option: retreat.

Hiruzen was a kind man.

No matter how desperate things got, he would search for a way to ensure everyone survived.

And if that proved impossible, he had the resolve and burning determination to sacrifice himself first.

Although his kindness sometimes earned him accusations of indecision, he was no fool.

If they fought here, they would waste time and be caught by their pursuers.

Even if they broke through the barrier at one point, Kakuzu would surely catch up.

To prevent that, someone had to stay behind and cover their retreat. It was the best strategy.

And who that "someone" would be had long since been decided. Hiruzen knew it.

That was why he had thought, "I knew it."

After Tobirama had entrusted him with the Hokage Position, Hiruzen was now the person on the scene whose life mattered most. He couldn't volunteer to stay behind. So of course, "it would come to this."

"Diejian, are you... planning to use that? But you still—"

"You're the Third Hokage. Please do what needs to be done."

Diejian's calm voice cut off Hiruzen.

His words sounded almost like a gentle admonition, though it wasn't clear whether they were meant for the hesitant Hiruzen or for Diejian himself.

Either way, they spread through Hiruzen's heart like ripples on the water.

Diejian slowly turned toward Hiruzen, a smile appearing on his face.

But his eyes held unshakable resolve.

It wasn't the desperate resolve of someone marching to his death.

"Don't be ridiculous, Diejian. Hiruzen, I'll stay."

Kagami leapt in front of Diejian.

He had been too afraid to volunteer as a decoy earlier, but he wasn't a coward who would cower when his student was about to march to his death.

"Finish the mission, and make sure you come back alive, Diejian."

But Hiruzen mercilessly rejected Kagami's words and entrusted the mission to Diejian.

Seeing the unwavering fire in Diejian's eyes, Hiruzen also made up his mind.

Diejian admired the Hokage more than anyone, pursued that position more than anyone, and strived toward it more than anyone. He had acknowledged Hiruzen as Hokage and offered him advice.

So Hiruzen had to make up his mind, too.

He had to answer that sentiment not as an older brother worried about his younger brother, but as the Third Hokage, who trusted his comrades. That was the proper thing to do.

Even if it meant sending his junior to his death.

"Hiruzen!!"

"Teacher, thank you. But I'm unquestionably the best person for the job. I've fought Kakuzu once before, so I know him better than anyone else here."

"Diejian..."

"It's all right. I'll definitely come back alive."

It was Diejian himself who stopped Kagami from shouting, grabbing Hiruzen by the collar, and demanding to know why.

Kagami's face creased with regret.

Kagami understood who the best ninja was to "buy the most time" now that Tobirama had left.

Indeed, in a retreating battle where Tobirama was buying them time, fighting the enemy was the worst possible option.

But if they were going to sacrifice the youngest among them, Diejian, so the rest could survive, then his teacher should be the one to stay behind.

Because "staying here" meant dying for his comrades.

But Diejian and Hiruzen saw things a little differently.

"Are you holding a strategy meeting?"

"Did you think I'd let you go so easily?"

Kakuzu's voice came from every direction.

They looked around and saw several Kakuzus surrounding them.

"This... Even my Sharingan can't see through it. Are they Shadow Clones?"

"No... Tentacles are coming out of their backs. They seem to be connected to the original. You could call them Tentacle Clones."

Kagami examined them with his Sharingan, but every Kakuzu had the same amount and color of chakra. He couldn't tell the real one from the fakes.

Only Shadow Clones and Wood Clones could make clones like that.

But Hiruzen ruled that out.

Hiruzen, who was versed in all of Konoha's techniques, had an analytical ability no one could match.

He concluded that this was a new kind of clone technique, similar to Wood Clone.

"Diejian stays behind. Everyone else, follow me. This is my first order as the Third Hokage. No objections."

"—You people never listen. I've already spread a Tentacle Barrier across a hundred-meter radius around this place. You can't escape. Die here."

As far as the eye could see, the wall of tentacles wove through the gaps between the trees, covered the ground, and spread in every direction.

Even Danzo's Wind Release techniques were barely making a difference.

The tentacles regenerated almost as soon as they were cut. The sight was downright monstrous.

They seemed to be moving even faster than when they had fought Diejian and the others.

Hiruzen and the others gathered together, standing back-to-back.

It was fair to say they had been backed into a corner.

Everyone except Hiruzen and Diejian grimaced at the terrifying power of Kakuzu's abilities, which far exceeded their expectations.

But Hiruzen and Diejian met each other's eyes and nodded.

"See you all back in Konoha."

"Danzo, Kagami, open a breach with Wind Release. Torifu, I'll leave the rear to you. Koharu and Homura, cover us—move!"

The next moment,

Diejian and Hiruzen shouted and charged in completely opposite directions.

The wind blades unleashed by Danzo, Hiruzen, and Kagami sliced through the tentacles.

Aiming for the opening, Torifu unleashed the Akimichi Secret Technique: Human Bullet Tank.

The massive human ball, propelled by terrifying momentum, blasted through the weakened Tentacle Barrier.

The strategy Hiruzen and Diejian had devised through unspoken communication had perhaps only a fifty percent chance of success.

But they believed that if it went well, it was the only strategy that could keep everyone alive—not some reckless gamble with poor odds.

The only person who knew that information was Hiruzen, Diejian's senior. He wasn't allowed to share it freely.

Because Kakuzu couldn't be allowed to grow wary.

That was why Hiruzen, as the Third Hokage, had issued such a ruthless order and led the elite squad.

Diejian was grateful for his wise decision.

"If we stay here, we'll surely die"—that was probably what everyone thought.

Diejian thought the same.

If Diejian failed, Hiruzen would have to bear the stigma alone.

Hiruzen, kinder than anyone, would surely blame himself before anyone else could criticize him.

And it wasn't only Diejian who would be sacrificed. The same went for anyone else.

That was precisely why only Diejian could serve as the rear guard.

The "one and only chance" to keep everyone alive rested in Diejian's hands.

That was what the two of them were betting on.

In terms of strength, Diejian was slightly weaker than the other elites.

That wasn't just a matter of raw power; it also came down to the difference in their combat experience.

Naturally, there was a gap between the generation that had experienced war and the one that hadn't.

Even so, Hiruzen and Diejian had judged that "if it's me—if it's Diejian—there's a chance of surviving."

His experience fighting Kakuzu was certainly a tremendous advantage, but it wasn't the biggest reason—

Torifu sent him flying, opening a narrow path through the wall of tentacles.

Hiruzen and the others passed through it,

and Kakuzu immediately began regenerating the pierced tentacles, trying to close the passage.

But that didn't make him lose focus on Diejian, who was bearing down on him, nor did it leave Hiruzen and the others any opening to escape.

To make up for the "opening" in his main body as he focused on regeneration, Kakuzu's clones attacked Hiruzen and the others.

There was no better way to buy time before the barrier was rebuilt.

Fortunately, Kakuzu's clones seemed unable to use ninjutsu.

Rather than attempt ninjutsu, they tried only to overwhelm Hiruzen and the others with taijutsu.

In that case, there was a way to counter them.

Koharu and Homura intercepted the clones trying to seize Hiruzen.

Kakuzu had many clones, but Konoha also had some of its finest elite ninja.

They made the fullest use of their ninja tools and ninjutsu to deflect the attacks.

Their advance was undeniably slowed, but they were far from unable to break through.

"Come to die again, Senju brat?"

"This time, I won't let you get away with it, seaweed old man."

"Enough talk."

Meanwhile, Diejian charged straight at Kakuzu's main body.

But Kakuzu was cautious.

He hid his main body in a sea of tentacles and sent only one clone to deal with Diejian.

Diejian didn't care and kept charging.

It looked like a reckless, thoughtless attack, but it was a move meant to seize a "chance."

Kakuzu was wary, sensing Diejian was plotting something. But he easily decided that a clone would be fine and met him head-on.

Diejian waited for "that moment," honing every part of his chakra network to its limits.

The colors drained from the world around him, and all his nerves focused on the scene before his eyes.

—Then that moment came.

Kakuzu's clone made contact with Diejian.

Diejian's arm, sharpened by Wood Release until it was like a spear, collided with Kakuzu's arm, which had gathered tentacles into a spear—their spearpoints clashed.

After a brief standoff, Diejian's spear shattered Kakuzu's.

What mattered wasn't winning the clash of thrusts against Kakuzu.

What mattered was this instant—"this instant" when Kakuzu and Diejian's bodies and chakra came into contact.

"Secret Technique—"

Diejian closed his eyes and released his chakra all at once—

—Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Impossible. What... what just happened?"

"Haa, haa, haa... I did it, you bastard!"

He felt strangely weightless.

The next moment, Diejian was flung into the air. He landed shoulder-first and skidded across the ground.

Sweat sprang out at once, soaking his forehead as he struggled to catch his breath.

His ragged breathing was proof that he had consumed a great deal of chakra.

That showed just how difficult the technique was.

Panting in pain, Diejian pushed himself up from the ground.

He couldn't dawdle.

He had to regain his footing immediately, either to fight or to buy time.

While Kakuzu was flustered by the sudden turn of events, Diejian had to act as much as possible.

Diejian tossed all the restorative medicine he had into his mouth and replenished his chakra.

He steadied his breathing and put some distance between himself and Kakuzu.

They were on a grassland where the bedrock showed through.

But nearby was a fissure in the earth, as if it opened onto an abyss.

It was the ravine where Diejian had once trained with Tobirama.

"Is this a genjutsu...? No, it can't be. Then what is this? We were just in the forest... The Konoha ninja's presence has vanished, too. What's going on...? No, could this be...?"

Kakuzu, flustered at first, gradually regained his composure. In the meantime, Diejian gathered as much chakra as he could.

"—I've heard of it. The stories from before the village was founded, back when I was young. Senju Tobirama, one of the two pillars of the legendary Senju Clan, hailed as the strongest in the Shinobi World, was famous for his incredible speed. They said he could even surpass space and time... I thought it was nonsense spread by ninja who feared him too much... I never imagined this technique actually existed. With Hashirama as the elder brother, there was Tobirama, the younger... This is the Second's despicable technique, isn't it, Senju brat?"

"..."

"Hmph. It's admirable that you won't reveal information as a ninja, but I'll take your silence as confirmation. I can't believe you learned a technique that lets you move through space... I'm impressed."

Diejian was secretly impressed by Kakuzu's insight. From limited information, he had managed to deduce the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Secret Technique: Flying Thunder God.

One of Tobirama's secret arts, an extremely advanced Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Diejian hadn't fully mastered the technique that allowed him to freely cross space.

Not only did a single jump cost him a huge amount of chakra, he couldn't take multiple people with him, either.

It was nowhere near ready for actual combat.

Even so, he could still return to Konoha alone.

That was why he had volunteered.

But serving as the rear guard came with one additional condition: he had to survive a solo fight against a powerful ninja long enough to give his comrades time to retreat, while still having enough strength left to use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

He was lucky to have brought Kakuzu along with him.

It could have failed. Space might have torn them apart, or he and Kakuzu might have been split into pieces beyond recognition.

Diejian couldn't deny that he'd briefly considered that even if it happened, taking Kakuzu down with him would be good enough.

In fact, that would have made killing Kakuzu all the more certain.

But that worry had been unnecessary. The first plan had worked.

Now it was time to move on to the next one.

"Kakuzu, I heard Hashirama killed you. Why are you still alive?"

Diejian put on a confident smile and silently repeated, Take the bait, take the bait, take the bait.

Kakuzu was talkative.

He liked talking to people—or rather, he liked talking about himself.

So Diejian gave him something to talk about, buying time to gather chakra.

Once he had enough chakra, Diejian could immediately fly back to Konohagakure and leave Kakuzu behind.

That was the strategy Hiruzen and Diejian had agreed on.

This guy had put him through a lot.

Before leaving, Diejian would get in one last jab and leave him with a snappy parting line. He was certain of his victory.

Come on, hurry up and fill up.

Diejian made his blood race through his body with a pounding rhythm as he gathered chakra.

His overworked chakra network would probably be screaming afterward, but for now, he had to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Once he was back in Konoha, there'd be plenty of ways to treat him.

Diejian burned through the fuel in his body like a steam engine.

"Hmph. I don't mind telling you..."

Kakuzu broke into a chilling smile, and Diejian felt repulsed.

More than the satisfaction of seeing that Kakuzu had taken the bait, he felt an ominous foreboding.

It was the same smile he'd seen during their deadly fight in the past.

But Kakuzu turned that unpleasant gaze away from Diejian.

What?

—Diejian looked puzzled, followed his gaze, and widened his eyes.

Could it be... Diejian's throat began to tremble.

He realized what Kakuzu was planning.

Far in the distance, in the direction Kakuzu was looking, smoke was rising.

It wasn't a signal fire.

There was the unmistakable sign of human life in that smoke.

—There was a small village on the border of the Land of Fire.

Diejian had sharp eyesight. He saw them.

Young children and their mothers, their grandparents, laughing together.

"I seem to get angry easily. It's a bad habit. I often think I ought to change it... Come to think of it, I killed your comrades in front of you once before, too. This is just a hypothetical... But if I lost my prey now—who knows where I might take my frustration out?"

"Ka-Kakuzu... You... you despicable coward—!"

Kakuzu had seen through Diejian's thoughts before picking up where he'd left off.

The word "retreat" no longer existed in Diejian's mind.

Worn out as he was, Diejian had to defeat Kakuzu, who was in perfect condition and even stronger than before.

Without Sotan, Ina, or Hashirama coming to reinforce him as they had last time, Diejian's deadly battle began.