"I never thought the Sand Ninja would betray Konoha and work with someone like you." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru sneered. "Teacher, after being Hokage your whole life, don't you know that sometimes treaties are no better than scraps of paper?"
Then Orochimaru raised a Kunai high and, in a flash of white, plunged it into his palm.
Blood ran down his hand, the Kunai still embedded in his palm.
With his other, uninjured hand, he yawned.
"I'm really tired. I need to wake myself up."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he used the Body Flicker Technique to take Sarutobi Hiruzen to the rooftop.
The Third Hokage was still taking things casually, but when several of Orochimaru's subordinates appeared, his expression changed at once.
The Anbu nearby, assigned to protect the Third Hokage, reacted instantly.
He said to the others, "Protect Lord Hokage. Watch out for traps."
"Yes!"
At that moment, Orochimaru's four subordinates formed Hand Seals together.
"Ninjutsu: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
The other three Anbu reacted in an instant, using an awkward pose in midair to absorb the impact.
Only one unlucky soul failed to dodge in time and touched the barrier. Flames engulfed his entire body in an instant.
He didn't even have time to scream. The barrier repelled him, and he fell behind his comrades.
A charred smell immediately filled the air.
The other three Anbu paid him no mind.
As the division with the highest casualty rate, they had to replace their teammates about once a month.
So naturally, they weren't attached to one another.
But by now, they had probably become true tools of the shinobi world.
Elsewhere, Kakashi watched from the stands and muttered to himself, "So that's a barrier technique? They're fast to act. The Anbu over there can't do anything about it, either."
Might Guy, who had been chatting with Kakashi nearby, suddenly said with fervor, "Kakashi, shouldn't we go help Lord Hokage?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he started to head over and help Lord Hokage.
Kakashi reached out and stopped him.
Might Guy looked at him, puzzled.
Kakashi simply said meaningfully, "Guy, we have to trust Lord Hokage. He's the strongest Hokage of all time."
Seeing the show finally begin, Uchiha Yan's lips curled into an excited smile.
"It's finally started." He turned to the others and said, "Do your best."
Then he picked a Sand Ninja jōnin with a bit of a reputation in Sunagakure, and the two began to "battle fiercely."
The Sand Ninja had been a little nervous when he first saw Uchiha Yan.
But today, for some reason, he felt much better than usual.
Maybe he was just having an unusually good day.
He was actually able to fight the famous Scorch Release user Uchiha Yan from Konoha to a draw.
The other Hawk Faction members chose their own opponents, each slacking off and taking it easy as they pleased.
Guy and Kakashi faced the Sand Ninja in front of them.
Might Guy spoke first. "Kakashi, let's have our fifty-first duel today."
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes revealed a trace of helplessness. "Guy, is this really necessary?"
Might Guy ignored Kakashi's protests and shouted,
"Kakashi, here I come!"
Helpless, Kakashi could only follow.
They began their so-called fifty-first duel.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Konoha,
the Summoning Beasts summoned by Sunagakure were rampaging unchecked, destroying Konoha's houses.
The Anbu were attacking the Summoning Beasts with various ninjutsu, trying to stop the destruction.
At that moment, a man and a Toad suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pinning the Summoning Beast in front of them to the ground.
On the rooftop,
Orochimaru and the Third Hokage stood facing each other.
Orochimaru looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a sinister smile.
"Teacher, I never thought we'd meet again like this."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked back at Orochimaru, a flicker of regret in his eyes.
"Orochimaru, I shouldn't have gone soft on you back then."
Orochimaru chuckled, his voice icy. "Teacher, it's too late to regret it now."
"Konoha's windmill hasn't turned in far too long. Now I want to set it in motion with the Konoha Crush Plan."
He turned around and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with his golden snake eyes. "After all, no matter how beautiful something is, if it stays still for all these years, won't you eventually get tired of looking at it, Teacher?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head helplessly. "Orochimaru, you really haven't changed."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes narrowed and he stamped his foot.
"Tile Shuriken!"
The roof tiles transformed into Shuriken and flew at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru looked at the tiles flying toward him and merely shook his head. "Do you think so little of me?"
With that, he dodged the tiles with ease and formed Hand Seals.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
He opened his mouth, and his tongue turned into a snake. Under his control, it shot toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't dodge in time and was wrapped tightly by the snake.
A trace of delight appeared in Orochimaru's eyes, but as Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly turned into a pile of mud, he realized what had happened.
He shook his head and muttered, "Substitution Technique?"
Then he drew his tongue back.
Just then, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly appeared behind Orochimaru.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River."
Orochimaru suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet give way. It turned into shifting mud and sand.
Orochimaru looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen provocatively. "Teacher, is that all you can do?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued forming Hand Seals with practiced ease.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet."
A dragon made of earth appeared beside Sarutobi Hiruzen and spat Earth Dragon Bullets at Orochimaru.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen used Fire Release, breathing fire from his mouth and perfectly combining Fire Release with Earth Release.
Outside, the few Anbu who had stayed behind instead of rushing to help elsewhere continued to act as VIP spectators and commentators.
"Lord Hokage really is impressive. He can use Fire Release and Earth Release so skillfully!"
The other two Anbu looked at their leader, confusion in their eyes.
Wasn't it only natural for Lord Hokage, the strongest Hokage of all time, to do this?
Why praise him so much?
Meanwhile, inside the barrier,
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the screaming Orochimaru and said expressionlessly, "Orochimaru, stop putting on a show."
"Heh, you caught on." Orochimaru emerged strangely from the roof tiles.
He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, "Teacher, we're not at the Ninja Academy. Stop your pointless probing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a cold snort. "Orochimaru, I was just about to say the same."
As soon as he finished speaking, he dropped his Hokage hat and put on the Hokage Cloak.
Before you continue