Konoha Under Attack, I'll Lie Low For Now

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Several figures in black robes pressed their blood-stained palms down and roared.

"Poof!"

A thick cloud of white smoke rose from thin air, billowing outward.

"Hiss-roar!"

A sound akin to a serpent's hiss, yet infinitely higher and sharper, erupted.

The sound was so piercing it felt as though it could tear one's eardrums; the thick white smoke that had just risen was shredded instantly by the sonic wave.

A gargantuan figure gradually emerged.

The ninja on duty at the gate saw this scene and, struck with terror, stumbled as he ran into the village to sound the alarm, his voice growing hoarse from screaming.

"Snake... snake... there's a snake!!"

The Konoha guards who rushed to the scene crouched on the walls of Konoha, their hearts nearly bursting with fear as they looked at the giant serpent before them.

The giant snake stood dozens of meters high, its head towering half a body's length above the city wall.

Its entire body was covered in hard, gray scales, with sharp barbs protruding from them!

Most terrifying of all, the snake possessed three heads! Each head had a pair of massive, hideous, blood-red eyes that emitted a chilling light.

As the serpent moved, trees toppled one after another, and the dense forest was carved into a flat path.

Viscous saliva dripped continuously from the giant snake's mouth; the trees and grass touched by the drool withered instantly, and animals that were unfortunate enough to be caught in it were corroded down to white bone.

Deadly poison!

The giant snake was massive, yet moved with incredible speed, reaching the city wall in mere seconds.

"Boom!"

The giant snake slammed violently into the wall; the meters-thick masonry was like paper before it, and a massive gap was torn open upon impact.

The wall could not stop the giant snake's advance. The ninja, having retreated a distance, pulled kunai from their pouches, attached explosive tags, and hurled them fiercely.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The ninja were highly skilled, and every kunai struck the giant snake's head with pinpoint accuracy.

But alas, the kunai and explosive tags were of no use against the giant snake.

One kunai even exploded directly against the snake's eye, yet it failed to cause the slightest bit of damage.

"Go call for reinforcements!"

Seeing this, the ninja retreated again, and one of them sprinted toward the distance.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

But just as the ninja leaped into the air, three kunai were fired from a tricky angle, piercing his back instantly. Blood gushed out, and he fell from the sky.

The other ninja hurriedly looked toward the direction from which the kunai had been fired, and upon seeing the faces of the attackers, they clenched their fists tightly.

"Damn it, it's Sunagakure! Does Sunagakure want to start a war with Konoha?"

The Sunagakure ninja, who had long since made full preparations for war, were naturally not going to back down because of a few threats from the Konoha ninja.

The group exchanged glances and lunged at the Konoha ninja, and a fierce battle broke out right there.

Beyond the city gate, battles were raging throughout the entire Konoha.

Konoha was in total chaos!

At this moment, Lin Mu and Akiyama were on the spectator stand on the side of the Chunin Exams arena.

Due to the invasion by the Sunagakure ninja, the entire Konoha was in disarray, and the Chunin Exams had been forced to cancel; all the students participating in the exam had been gathered together for protection.

Standing in front of the stands were Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, and several Anbu members. Even with Konoha in such a critical situation, these children's safety still required protection.

Suddenly, two figures darted out, carrying fierce killing intent as they charged toward the examinees on the stand.

"Boom!"

Before these two figures could even get close, they were sent flying by a single strike from a gray-clad figure!

Upon seeing the faces of these two figures, the gray-clad figure frowned secretly.

I didn't expect the enemy to disguise themselves as Anbu...

This gray-clad figure was none other than Konoha's Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake!

Seeing Kakashi Hatake take action, Lin Mu's interest was piqued; one rarely had the chance to witness a battle between such elite ninja.

Perhaps because the area was densely packed with students, Kakashi Hatake did not use any large-scale, powerful ninjutsu, relying instead on taijutsu throughout the fight.

But even using only taijutsu, Kakashi Hatake's strength was incredibly formidable.

He struck with precision, aiming for vital points, and with a few punches and kicks, he knocked down the lurking Sunagakure ninja.

"A-dah! Let me show you the power of Konoha's Blue Beast!"

Seeing Kakashi swiftly and cleanly take down several intruders, Might Guy refused to be outdone. He had always viewed Kakashi as his greatest rival, and even in a situation like this, he would not allow himself to defeat fewer enemies than Kakashi.

As a ninja specializing in taijutsu, his movements were purer and far more ferocious, like a tiger prowling the mountains; every strike was a lethal technique.

Several intruders were instantly knocked down, lying unconscious on the ground.

Seeing that the intruders who had attempted to harm his students were all defeated, Lin Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, his gaze shifted once again toward a rooftop in the distance.

On that rooftop stood a square, purple barrier that obstructed the view, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

Four Violet Flames Formation!

This was set up by four Sound Ninja personally trained by Orochimaru after they activated the power of their Cursed Seals.

Once this formation took shape, it could isolate the interior from the exterior.

Another formidable aspect of this formation was that breaking it from the outside was as difficult as ascending to heaven; only internal force could potentially open it.

And currently, inside the Four Violet Flames Formation were the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Orochimaru, who was disguised as the Kazekage!

The Third Hokage probably doesn't know yet that the Kazekage is his student, Orochimaru, in disguise...

Lin Mu pondered secretly, but no matter how much he knew, he had no way to participate in a battle of this Hokage-level caliber.

At this moment, inside the Four Violet Flames Formation.

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen was still observing the barrier, unaware of what was truly happening.

Suddenly, his body stiffened as a kunai was pressed against his throat.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze sharpened as he looked at the Kazekage behind him, saying in a deep voice:

"Lord Kazekage, is this a barrier formation... I never expected the Sand Ninja to betray Konoha."

"So-called treaties are merely a smokescreen to lull the opponent into complacency."

The Kazekage, holding the kunai against the Third Hokage's throat, sneered and continued:

"The boring games end here. From this moment on, history will change!"

Hearing these words, a cold glint flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes as he shouted:

"Do you wish to ignite a war?"

"Exactly!"

As he spoke, the Kazekage pressed the kunai even harder against the Third Hokage's neck.

Although the Third Hokage was now facing a life-threatening situation, his tone remained composed.

"We should avoid the use of force and seek to resolve problems through peace talks. It is not too late, Lord Kazekage!"

The Kazekage behind Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent for a moment, then widened his eyes and said gloomily: "You've grown soft-headed from peace in your old age... Teacher Sarutobi!"