A Battle of Hokage Level

Inside the arena.

At this moment, Aoike was still on his way.

Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen were locked in a fierce battle, with the two former Hokage summoned via Impure World Reincarnation pressing Sarutobi hard.

This was still under the condition that their consciousnesses were suppressed; had it been the perfected version of Impure World Reincarnation, his ashes would have been scattered to the winds by now.

Even so, Sarutobi continued to struggle on, displaying the mettle of a legendary ninja hero with the resolve of one prepared to die.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

The erupting flames surged forward, engulfing the Impure World Reincarnation vessels.

Seeing the attack land, Sarutobi increased his chakra output, the billowing smoke and heat waves scorching the skin of those nearby.

Yet, amidst the flames, Tobirama Senju—who felt no pain—formed a few hand seals, and the water wall he spat out instantly overwhelmed the fire.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

"How is this possible? To perform a Water Style of this magnitude in a place without a water source..."

"Unbelievable."

Is this what a battle at the Hokage level looks like?

The Anbu blocked outside the Four Red Yang Formation unconsciously began providing play-by-play commentary.

Jiraiya, whom they were protecting in the center, was entering Sage Mode, attempting to break through the barrier's isolation.

It was clearly an unexpected situation that Jiraiya had been held back.

But Orochimaru was not in the least bit flustered; he was not the only one with helpers.

Just as Orochimaru looked on in anticipation, the battle between the three Hokage raged on.

The Water Style and Earth Style had practically turned the rooftop into a small valley. As the strongest rooftop in existence, it remained standing firmly despite suffering such powerful ninjutsu, a testament to the excellent construction quality.

Sarutobi climbed to the top of the Earth Wall in a few strides, looking at Orochimaru with unease.

Perhaps it was a warning from fate; his intuition had always been sharp.

While he was distracted, Hashirama Senju's massive foot came flying toward him, and Sarutobi caught it perfectly with his face.

Scrambling up from a puddle in a sorry state, he couldn't help but sigh:

"Still the same god-like strength as always."

As a powerhouse who used superhuman strength as a basic attack, any small-scale ninjutsu was easily dispersed by Hashirama Senju.

Thus, Sarutobi, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, once again fell into a bitter battle where he was countered.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Wanting to end the fight quickly, Orochimaru manipulated Hashirama Senju to unleash Wood Style.

A massive amount of trees burst through the ground and walls, spreading out and occupying the entire space within seconds.

Outside the barrier.

The Anbu guarding Jiraiya suddenly formed hand seals and shouted:

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

The brown earth rose up to shield the three of them.

A crimson pillar of fire cracked the earthen wall, forcing the three to retreat. Jiraiya's state was interrupted, and he could only look for another opportunity.

Fortunately, the giant snake rampaging through the village was blocked by a Toad, and most of the ninjas were playing their part under Jiraiya's coordination.

Overall, this disaster was merely troublesome for Konoha, and the damage caused was far less than the Nine-Tails Incident.

After all, Orochimaru knew that the Sound Ninja and Sunagakure combined could not compare to Konoha, so their goal was never a head-on collision, but constant harassment to buy time for Orochimaru's decapitation strike.

Before long, once the chaos in the village subsided and reinforcements returned, it would all be over.

Jiraiya thought this to himself, his eyes fixed on the figure sitting high above, looking down at everyone.

"Who are you? A companion of Orochimaru?"

"Heh, Aoike-kun, you're a bit late."

What?!

Hearing Orochimaru's address, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head sharply, a complex mix of emotions welling up in his heart.

He had often regretted tacitly allowing Aoike to join Root back then, but in his twilight years, Sarutobi no longer possessed the sharpness of his youth.

To maintain the stability of Konoha's political situation, he had long since grown accustomed to compromise and concession.

Perhaps he had no subjective malice, but to a ruler, any minor oversight was no less than planting a Schrödinger's bomb for oneself.

"Who is he? Is he famous?"

Jiraiya asked the Anbu beside him, puzzled.

"He was once from the Hyuga Branch House. He had extremely high potential, developed an A-rank ninjutsu on his own, graduated early, and joined Root before defecting later."

The Anbu wearing the fox mask briefly explained the situation, leaving Jiraiya stunned.

Needless to say, Jiraiya, who already had some understanding of the village's darkness, had already imagined a dramatic scenario.

The chaos in the village was gradually subsiding; the priority now was to break through the barrier quickly, otherwise, Sarutobi Hiruzen might not be able to hold on much longer.

Orochimaru, inside the barrier, realized this as well and intensified his assault on the Third Hokage.

"Alright, in that case, let's finish him off in one go!"

Jiraiya did not underestimate Aoike because of his age; anyone deemed a worthy reinforcement by the arrogant Orochimaru could not possibly be weak.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.

"Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!"

Unlike the Great Fireball, which was characterized by its dense core and powerful impact, the Great Flame Bomb was characterized by its sheer size.

The massive flames filled everyone's field of vision, and Aoike formed seals with one hand: Dog—Horse—Rooster...

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gale swept through, scattering the flames in every direction.

Taking advantage of this opening, the three of them had already completed a triangular formation.

The Anbu wearing a fox mask opened his mouth and formed seals.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave!"

His partner on the other side simultaneously used the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to blanket Aoike's position.

Aoike's eyes darted frantically, using the Body Flicker Technique to constantly shift his position amidst the rain of shuriken, precisely grazing the gaps to land safely.

He channeled chakra into his feet and sprinted across the puddle formed by the Water Style.

Approaching one of the Anbu, he delivered a roundhouse kick followed by a grapple, slamming the man's figure downward. Aoyama Makoto was surprised by the boy's immense strength and simply used the momentum to slide away, flicking his hands to create distance once more.

The two traded blows as their blades clashed for several rounds before separating again.

Jiraiya seized the recovery window, slammed one hand down, and performed a summoning.

Without any wasted movement, a Toad Oil Flame Bullet followed; the excess oil floated on the water's surface, and the surging flames combined with the scorching steam instantly engulfed Aoike.

Aoike's azure eyes brightened as his chakra poured out.

Rotation!

Unlike the Hyuga clan's ten-meter limit, Aoike's chakra expanded over fifty meters, instantly clearing everything in the vicinity.

"Die!"

Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Thrust!

A flash of cold light arrived first; the combination of the Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship perfectly exploited the opening left by the end of the Rotation.

Aoike's expression remained unchanged. In the blink of an eye, he caught the wrist of the attacker, spun around, and threw him away with force. He took a half-step back to dodge a palm strike descending from above, then followed up with a punch aimed at Jiraiya, who was charging in with a Rasengan.

"Bang!"

The struck Jiraiya turned into white smoke, and then the ground beneath Aoike burst open as a pair of white-haired feet wearing wooden sandals kicked toward him.

He blocked with his arms and flew backward, dissipating the force in mid-air.

Before Aoike could steady himself, Jiraiya's hair stood on end.

"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"

The white hair extended several meters, binding and wrapping around Aoike before exploding.

When the white hair loosened, a shredded piece of wood hit the ground with a dull thud.