The Strongest Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi

"As long as I cross this canyon, I will have left the Land of Fire and entered the territory of the Land of Rain."

Uchiha Shisui muttered to himself, his voice quickly swallowed by the howling wind.

Since leaving the Valley of the End, his footsteps had not paused for a single moment.

Now, gazing at the canyon that sharply divided the clear sky from the rainy one, the string that had been pulled taut in his heart finally began to slacken.

The canyon before him stood like a natural barrier.

On one side lay the clear skies of the Land of Fire, with sunlight pouring down without reservation;

On the other, the sky of the Land of Rain was shrouded in thick, dark clouds, with fine threads of rain hanging down like silver wires, the curtain of rain surging wantonly in the wind to form a hazy world of water.

Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath and stepped into the canyon.

The ground beneath his feet had become muddy from the soaking rain; every step was accompanied by a squelching sound as his soles sank into the mire, only to be pulled out with effort.

The canyon walls on either side were towering and steep, covered in the marks of erosion, with an occasional tuft of grass growing stubbornly, swaying in the wind and rain.

Uchiha Shisui dragged his slightly weary body, walking slowly along the muddy and narrow stone path.

The surrounding curtain of rain was like an airtight veil, wrapping the entire canyon within it.

His gaze pierced through the rain, constantly monitoring the surroundings; vigilance had become an instinctual reaction of his body.

Just then, a small pebble rolling down from the top of the canyon landed abruptly at his feet with a crisp "clack."

At the same time, he noticed two deep puddles by the side of the path, the water surface rippling under the impact of the rain, yet those ripples carried a hint of unnatural movement.

Uchiha Shisui's nerves tightened instantly, and the chakra throughout his body began to circulate silently; every cell was mobilized, entering a state of high alert.

Years of life as a ninja had taught him that behind these seemingly ordinary signs, a fatal crisis often lurked.

Things went exactly as he expected: the rain that had been hitting his body suddenly vanished for a brief moment, and a shadow rapidly enveloped him from above.

He instinctively looked up to see four Anbu dressed in yellow raincoats and white animal masks leaping down from the canyon top like ghosts, the blades in their hands flashing with a cold, murderous light in the dim atmosphere.

At almost the same moment, there was a splash from the puddles on either side as two figures broke through the water. Wet arms reached out like pythons, accurately grabbing Uchiha Shisui's feet in an attempt to drag him into the pits.

Uchiha Shisui became alert instantly, his chakra surging, his muscles tensed like a bowstring drawn to its limit.

At the Thousand Jun moment before those hands could touch his ankles, he bent his knees and exerted force, leaping upward.

Using the power of the jump, Shisui broke free from the two in the puddles, then twisted his body in mid-air. His legs, like two heavy hammers, whistled through the air as he kicked accurately toward the descending Anbu.

This sequence of movements was fluid, a perfect fusion of power and speed. The Anbu had no time to mount an effective defense before they were sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the muddy ground and splashing up a great spray of mud and water.

The moment he kicked the Anbu away, Uchiha Shisui flipped in the air, his right hand flashing into his ninja tool pouch.

In the blink of an eye, several kunai were gripped tightly in his hand.

Following that, he flicked his wrist, and the kunai, wrapped in sharp whistling sounds, shot toward the Anbu at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

The kunai carved arcs of cold light through the air, piercing accurately into the vitals of the Anbu.

Accompanied by a few short, muffled groans, the lives of the previously aggressive Anbu were instantly reaped. Their bodies fell straight to the ground, and blood quickly spread across the earth, washed away by the rain.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave!"

Seeing their companions fall, the two Anbu hiding in the puddles jumped out, forming hand seals rapidly and shouting in unison.

As the words of the two Anbu fell, the surrounding rain seemed to be drawn to them, gathering around their bodies before surging toward Uchiha Shisui like a roaring flood.

At the very last moment before the water could completely submerge him, Uchiha Shisui erupted with the chakra within him, rushing out of the water with lightning speed.

He tapped his feet on the surface of the rushing torrent, using the reaction force to leap up and land steadily against the nearly eighty-degree cliff wall.

Chakra poured continuously from the soles of his feet, adhering tightly to the rough stone and supporting him as he ran rapidly along the cliff.

"This place is truly disadvantageous for me to display my skills." Uchiha Shisui gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed into a deep frown.

The narrow environment severely limited his movements.

Just as Uchiha Shisui was pondering how to escape his predicament, a familiar voice rang out suddenly: "Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

His heart jolted. He turned his head instinctively to see the iconic figure of Hiruzen Sarutobi appearing at one end of the canyon.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was cold, his eyes filled with unquestionable determination and majesty. A special shuriken in his hand flashed with cold light as he threw it rapidly toward him.

The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi finished his hand seals, that shuriken seemed to be imbued with life, multiplying like dividing cells until it became dozens in the blink of an eye.

They scattered in the air, whistling with sharp, piercing sounds as they sped toward Uchiha Shisui from every tricky angle.

"Susanoo!"

Uchiha Shisui would naturally not sit and wait for death. As the word fell, his chakra surged, instantly forming a purple-black skeleton that blocked all the incoming shuriken.

"Those eyes!"

The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the Susanoo, he looked immediately at Uchiha Shisui's eyes. He was naturally very familiar with that aura and pattern.

"The same eyes as Uchiha Madara! War is indeed the catalyst for the Uchiha clan."

After Uchiha Shisui blocked the shuriken with the skeleton, he moved rapidly toward Hiruzen Sarutobi. The environment below made him very passive; only by reaching the open ground at the top of the canyon could he better utilize his strength.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was still marveling at the power Uchiha Shisui had awakened, Uchiha Shisui had already raised his leg to kick.

The kick was full of force, the wind whistling as it struck. Sensing danger, Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped back to reality, his years of accumulated combat experience allowing him to react instantly.

He gritted his teeth, the muscles in his face taut, and crossed his arms, raising them with lightning speed in an attempt to block the heavy, powerful kick.

"BOOM!" The moment they collided, a thunderous roar shook the canyon, as if it would shatter the very heavens and earth.

A powerful shockwave radiated from the point of impact, causing the surrounding air to ripple visibly, while the mud and water on the ground were kicked high into the air, forming a massive curtain of sludge.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a mountain-toppling force surge through his arms, and a sharp, searing pain instantly shot through them; he was sent sliding backward uncontrollably for several meters, his soles carving two deep furrows into the ground.

His hands trembled incessantly, a numbing sensation rapidly spreading throughout his entire body.

He gazed at the youth before him, once the boy upon whom he had pinned his high hopes for the Will of Fire.

Only now did he fully realize that the Uchiha Shisui standing before him had already grown into a Kage-level powerhouse, one in no way inferior to himself.

"The strongest Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is nothing more than this."

Uchiha Shisui looked at the kicked-back Hiruzen Sarutobi and grinned.