Yu Yuanzhen vs. Sarutobi Hiruzen

"Who are you? And who is this Masked Man you mentioned? Is he the one behind this?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen gripped Enma tightly, his wary gaze fixed on the unfamiliar powerhouse before him as he asked in a low voice.

Seeing the undisguised covetousness in Yu Yuanzhen's eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately understood: this man's target was him!

He immediately turned and gave a stern order to the ninjas beside him who had wanted to step forward and help.

"He is a level ninety-five powerhouse. I'll handle him myself! Continue holding back the Nine-Tails. Make sure it doesn't fire another Tailed Beast Bomb!"

Though the ninjas were worried, they knew the situation was urgent. They immediately stopped, turned around, and threw themselves back into the battle to hold back the Nine-Tails.

"A rather clever decision."

Yu Yuanzhen offered a faint compliment, the fighting spirit in his eyes growing fiercer.

While quietly recovering his strength, Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to draw information out of him.

"What exactly is your purpose, sir? I am already advanced in years, and there is nothing on me worth coveting. Could it be that I have some grudge against you?"

"Ninjutsu." Yu Yuanzhen did not hide it in the slightest. "I want Konoha's Ninjutsu inheritance."

This answer thoroughly exceeded Sarutobi Hiruzen's expectations, and he froze for a moment.

Your target is Ninjutsu, so go find the Scroll of Sealing!

Why come looking for me? Aren't you just making trouble for yourself?

Fortunately, he had already arranged for people to relocate the Scroll of Sealing.

And judging by this man's appearance, he was definitely not a spy from another ninja village.

If he were a spy, he would never say something so lacking in common sense.

"How about this? Help me settle the Nine-Tails Incident now, and Konoha will certainly treat you as an honored guest! When the time comes, you can choose a few Ninjutsu you like!"

A peak level ninety-five powerhouse could play a decisive role in the Nine-Tails Incident. If he could recruit this man, quelling the chaos would become much easier.

Yet Yu Yuanzhen merely slowly shook his head. Boundless Soul Power suddenly erupted from his body, and nine Spirit Rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—slowly rose beneath his feet, their dazzling halos swirling.

"Take you down, and I'll have everything!"

Yu Yuanzhen wasted no words. With a thought, he instantly activated his third Soul Skill. Violent thunder power flooded his entire body, his muscles swelled, and both his strength and speed surged as he entered the Thunder Rage state.

Immediately afterward, his seventh Soul Skill burst forth. Vast dragon might swept in all directions as a layer of thick azure Dragon scales flickering with electricity rapidly covered his body. His arms turned into savage Dragon claws, a pair of Thunder Dragon wings formed behind his back, and his entire body transformed into a colossal Thunder Dragon of overwhelming presence.

Before his aura could stabilize, his first Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, had finished charging. Supreme and tyrannical thunder power gathered entirely in his right claw.

His icy gaze locked onto Sarutobi Hiruzen. He stomped the ground to pieces and charged straight at the Third Hokage with world-destroying force!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was currently at his weakest, and Yu Yuanzhen was certain that this all-out strike would take him down on the spot.

The blue dragon-shaped figure, swift as lightning, closed in within an instant. Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils contracted as his mind rapidly analyzed every piece of information.

Powerful lightning-element force, along with a peculiar beast-like transformation ability—his body was covered in scales and had greatly expanded, clearly resulting in an enormous boost to his physical capabilities.

As for the strange rings of alternating light and darkness floating beneath his feet, each time one lit up, his aura would surge. In the eyes of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Professor of Ninjutsu, each ring clearly corresponded to a technique.

In that brief instant, he had roughly analyzed Yu Yuanzhen's abilities and settled on a response.

At the critical moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated no longer. The black staff in his grip trembled violently and abruptly returned to its true form as Enma, his Martial Soul, appeared.

"Old friend, block this attack for me!"

"Leave it to me!"

Enma answered at once. His body was massive and sturdy as he immediately stood in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, directly facing the incoming thunder assault.

A thunderous boom shook heaven and earth. Violent lightning power slammed fiercely into Enma's body, and the tremendous impact sent dust and smoke billowing into the sky while the surrounding ground trembled violently.

As the dust gradually dispersed, the scene became clear. Yu Yuanzhen's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief as he cried out, "Impossible!"

His all-out assault, powered by all his Soul Power and three stacked Soul Skills, had actually been blocked head-on by the other man's Martial Soul without even causing the slightest injury!

He was confident that this move could easily defeat a low-level Title Douluo!

He stared fixedly at the ape before him and asked in a low voice, "Is this the power you rely on?"

While quietly regulating his breathing to recover his depleted stamina, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly replied, "This is Enma, the Detached Martial Soul that has accompanied me for many years."

The words "Detached Martial Soul" struck Yu Yuanzhen's ears, jolting his mind as he instantly thought of his useless son. A tangle of emotions welled up within him.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his distracting thoughts as his expression became increasingly grave. "Truly powerful. Far beyond my understanding of Detached Martial Souls."

As soon as he finished speaking, he also saw through Sarutobi Hiruzen's little trick of secretly recovering his stamina. Unwilling to drag out the battle any longer, he acted.

"The Martial Soul may be incomparably tough, but you yourself may not be so formidable!"

Yu Yuanzhen no longer held back. Activating his strongest killing move with all his strength, he roared, "Ninth Soul Skill—True Dragon Fury, Shake the Nine Heavens!"

In an instant, nine enormous thunder Dragons entwined with endless lightning condensed out of thin air. They spiraled and interwove into a boundless, violent sea of thunder. Their deafening roars made Sarutobi Hiruzen's eardrums throb.

"A wide-range, high-power Ninjutsu? Good idea! But it takes too long to charge! No one would stupidly wait for you!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had already recovered a fair amount of stamina, and he instantly made his decision.

Just as the sea of thunder filling the sky was about to crash down, his figure flickered as he used the Body Flicker Technique, disappearing from where he stood.

Yu Yuanzhen felt his vision empty and was filled with shock. What speed! He hurriedly searched all around for any trace of him.

The next instant, a figure suddenly appeared at his side. Enma instantly changed form, transforming into a square cage that locked Yu Yuanzhen firmly inside.

Trapped within the cage, Yu Yuanzhen instinctively exerted strength in an attempt to break free by force, only to find that the circulation of Soul Power within his body was heavily suppressed. His fully charged ninth Soul Skill was forcibly interrupted.

Before he could understand why, Sarutobi Hiruzen rapidly formed hand seals outside the cage. In an instant, he created four identical Shadow Clones, and together with the original body, five figures stood evenly in five directions.

"What Ninjutsu is that?" Yu Yuanzhen asked in alarm.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not answer. The five figures moved in perfect unison, each rapidly forming different seals as Chakra of the five elements—wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning—simultaneously surged and gathered.

Five Elements Great Barrage Technique!

Five powerful Ninjutsu of entirely different elements condensed into form and merged as one, hurtling with overwhelming force toward Yu Yuanzhen, trapped within the cage, all at once!