"Enough talk. Get moving. Once we kill the Third Hokage, we can report back to Lord Mizukage."
At his words, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen exchanged glances, then all sprang into action.
Not one of the seven was willing to fall behind. They all chose to attack Sarutobi Hiruzen at once.
They seemed to regard Sarutobi Hiruzen and Konoha's surprise attack squad as already theirs for the taking, each afraid that if he moved too slowly, someone else would claim the prize.
As the Seven Ninja Swordsmen moved, the Kirigakure Ninja who had been holding themselves back finally joined the fight, rushing to attack the Konoha Ninja.
For a moment, the cries of battle rang through the heavens.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had thought it over and found no solution. He could only steel himself and fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!
A scorching blaze surged from Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth, shooting skyward. The flames gathered in midair into a vast, blazing sea of fire that covered half the sky.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen showed no sign of panic. One of them quickly formed a few hand seals and cast a Water Release jutsu.
Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!
Because of the elemental disadvantage, the sea of fire that had covered most of the sky vanished without a trace beneath the crashing waterfall. Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Against Kirigakure Ninja, it seemed he couldn't keep using Fire Release jutsu...
In that case...
Earth Release: Earth Flow River!
Earth Release jutsu came easily to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After all, he had mastered all five nature transformations and was known as the Third Hokage, the Shinobi Professor!
Vast quantities of earth appeared out of nowhere, surging upstream like a mudslide. In an instant, they trapped four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and