In the Arena
Aoike was still on his way.
Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen were locked in fierce combat, with the two previous Hokage brought back through Impure World Reincarnation bearing down on Sarutobi.
And that was with their consciousness suppressed. If this had been the perfected version of Impure World Reincarnation that came later, they would have reduced him to ashes by now.
Even so, Sarutobi was still struggling to hold on. With the resolve to die, he displayed the bearing of a Shinobi Hero.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A torrent of flames surged forward, engulfing the reanimated bodies.
Seeing his attack land, Sarutobi poured in more chakra. Smoke billowed everywhere, and the scorching heat made people's faces burn.
Amid the flames, Tobirama Senju, who felt no pain, formed only two or three hand seals before spitting out a wall of water that instantly overwhelmed the fire.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
"How is that possible? He can use a Water Release of that level with no water source nearby?"
"Unbelievable."
Was this what a Kage-level battle looked like?
The Anbu held outside the Four Red Yang Formation had unconsciously begun acting as ringside commentators.
Jiraiya, whom they were protecting at the center, was entering Sage Mode, trying to break through the barrier.
Jiraiya being held back was clearly an unforeseen complication.
But Orochimaru wasn't worried in the slightest. Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't the only one with help.
While Orochimaru waited eagerly, the battle between the three Hokage raged on.
Water Release and Earth Release had nearly turned the rooftop into a small valley. Even after withstanding such powerful techniques, the roof—supposedly the strongest one around—remained firmly in place. The construction quality was clearly excellent.
Sarutobi scrambled up the Earth Wall in a few quick steps, eyeing Orochimaru uneasily.
Perhaps it was a warning from fate; his instincts had always been sharp.
While he was distracted, Hashirama Senju came charging in with a huge kick. Sarutobi caught it perfectly with his face.
Climbing out of a puddle in a sorry state, he couldn't help sighing:
"You've still got that incredible strength."
As a powerhouse who used monstrous strength for basic attacks, Hashirama Senju could easily disperse any small-scale ninjutsu.
And so Sarutobi, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, was once again dragged into a grueling battle where he was at a disadvantage.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Wanting to finish the fight quickly, Orochimaru made Hashirama Senju use Wood Release.
A mass of trees burst through the earth and walls, spreading out until they filled the space in seconds.
Outside the barrier
The Anbu guarding Jiraiya suddenly formed hand seals and shouted:
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The brown earth swelled upward, shielding the three of them.
A crimson pillar of fire smashed through the earthen wall, forcing them to retreat. Jiraiya's concentration was broken, and he had to wait for another chance.
Fortunately, a toad had stopped the giant snakes rampaging through the village, and most of the ninja were making themselves useful under Jiraiya's direction.
All in all, the disaster was merely a troublesome one for Konoha, and the damage it caused was nowhere near what happened during the Nine-Tails Incident.
Orochimaru knew that the Sound Ninja and Sunagakure couldn't possibly match Konoha in a head-on fight. Their plan had never been to confront the village directly, but to keep up the harassment and buy Orochimaru time for his decapitation strike.
Before long, once the turmoil in the village died down and reinforcements returned, it would all be over.
That was what Jiraiya thought as he stared at the figure seated above them, looking down on the others.
"Who are you? One of Orochimaru's allies?"
"Heh. You're a little late, Aoike."
What?!
At Orochimaru's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen whipped around, a jumble of emotions welling up inside him.
He had often regretted allowing Aoike to join Root back then, but by the time Sarutobi reached old age, he had long since lost the sharpness of his youth.
To keep Konoha's political situation stable, he had grown used to compromising and backing down.
Perhaps he hadn't acted with malicious intent, but to a ruler, even the smallest mistake could be like planting a Schrödinger's bomb for himself.
"Who is he? Is he famous?" Jiraiya asked the Anbu beside him from outside the barrier.
"He was once a member of the Hyuga Branch Family. He had tremendous potential, developed an A-rank technique on his own, graduated early, and joined Root. Later, he defected."
The Anbu in the fox mask briefly explained the situation, leaving Jiraiya stunned.
Needless to say, Jiraiya knew enough about the village's dark side to imagine the whole story.
The unrest in the village was gradually subsiding. The urgent thing now was to break the barrier quickly, or Sarutobi Hiruzen might not last much longer.
Orochimaru inside the barrier had realized this too, and intensified his assault on the Third Hokage.
"All right. In that case, let's take him down in one go!"
Jiraiya didn't underestimate Aoike because of his age. If even the arrogant Orochimaru considered him an ally, he couldn't be weak.
Snake—One—Monkey—One—Boar—One—Horse—One—Tiger
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"
Unlike the Great Fireball, which was dense and powerful, the Great Flame Bullet's defining feature was its size.
The enormous flames filled everyone's field of vision. Aoike formed hand seals with one hand: Dog—Horse—Rooster...
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gale swept through, scattering the flames in every direction.
Taking advantage of the opening, the three of them had already formed a triangle.
The Anbu in the fox mask formed hand seals.
"Water Shockwave!"
At the same time, his partner used the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to blanket Aoike's position.
Aoike's eyes darted wildly. He used the Body Flicker Technique to shift through the barrage of shuriken, slipping precisely through the gaps and landing safely.
He coated his feet in chakra and raced across the depression left by the Water Release.
Closing in on one of the Anbu, he followed a spinning kick with a grappling move, forcefully driving the man down. Astonished by the boy's strength, Aoyama Makoto used the momentum to slide away, flinging out both arms to put distance between them again.
As the two traded blows, their blades crossed several times before they separated once more.
Jiraiya seized the opening and pressed one hand down, summoning a toad.
Without any wasted movement, the Toad Oil Flame Bullet followed close behind. Excess oil spread across the water's surface, and the surging flames and scorching steam engulfed Aoike in an instant.
Aoike's bright blue eyes gleamed as chakra poured out of him.
Rotation!
Unlike the Hyuga's limit of around ten meters, Aoike's chakra expanded more than fifty meters outward, instantly clearing everything around him.
"Die!"
"Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Thrust!"
A flash of cold light struck first. The Body Flicker Technique, combined with swordsmanship, let the attacker seize the opening just as Rotation ended.
Aoike's expression didn't change. In the blink of an eye, he caught the wrist of the attacker lunging at him. He pivoted and flung the man away with all his strength, then took half a step back to dodge the palm strike descending from above before following up with a punch at Jiraiya, who was approaching with a Rasengan in hand.
"Bang!"
The fallen Jiraiya turned into a cloud of white smoke. Then the ground beneath Aoike split open, and a pair of feet in wooden sandals, beneath a head of white hair, kicked toward him.
Aoike blocked with both arms and was sent flying backward, dispersing the force in midair.
Before Aoike could regain his footing, Jiraiya's hair stood on end.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
The white hair lengthened several meters, binding Aoike before bursting apart.
When the hair loosened, a section of splintered wood dropped to the ground with a dull thud.