Enjoy It

Although the enclosed space kept him from blowing away all the mist,

visibility had improved considerably.

Senju Tobirama pressed his hands together again. Whatever he called for, he got.

"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave."

A terrifying torrent of Water Release, like a miniature ocean, gradually appeared around Tobirama.

It surged toward Sarutobi Hiruzen like a tsunami.

Hiruzen's eyes widened at the water that blotted out the sky.

He, too, pressed his hands together. "Earth Release: Earth Style Wall."

A massive earth wall, like a mountain, appeared before Hiruzen.

It instantly blocked Senju Tobirama's tsunami-like torrent.

But that wasn't the end of it.

The water blocked by the earth wall began to change course, spreading around Hiruzen and threatening to flood the area.

Seeing this, Hiruzen leaped onto the top of the earth wall.

Just then, Senju Hashirama came charging across the water, heading straight for Hiruzen.

After another exchange of blows, Hashirama slammed a punch into Hiruzen's face.

Hiruzen was sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground.

Standing on the water, Hashirama watched Hiruzen expressionlessly.

Hiruzen struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

As soon as he got up, a figure appeared in the water behind him.

Senju Tobirama turned into a pool of water and dragged Hiruzen beneath the surface.

Hiruzen bit the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to regain consciousness.

Using all his strength, Hiruzen burst out of the water and once again stood atop the earth wall.

Just then, countless enormous water arrows emerged from the water and destroyed the wall.

Hiruzen could only dodge back and forth like a monkey.

Root Headquarters.

"Lord Danzo, Orochimaru has summoned the First and Second. Lord Hokage is now locked in a desperate battle."

Danzo remained seated, as calm as ever.

Hearing his subordinate's report, he said evenly, "Don't rush. Stay on standby and conserve our strength."

Though the Root member didn't understand, he still replied, "Understood, Lord Danzo."

Perhaps noticing his subordinate's confusion, Danzo

rose to his feet and spoke in self-righteous tones.

"Hiruzen is old. Little by little, he's pushing Konoha toward the abyss. Look at the village now—even mere Sand Ninja and Orochimaru can run rampant here! I'm holding back to preserve Konoha's most vital and elite forces.

"If Root rushes out now to fight the Impure World Reincarnations of the First and Second and the forces of Sunagakure, we'll only needlessly deplete Konoha's foundations."

I'm doing this for Konoha's future, accepting the blame that must be borne. As long as I'm here, Konoha's "roots" will remain unshaken!"

"Besides," Danzo said confidently, turning around, "everything is under my control. You may leave."

Danzo turned to his trusted aide beside him. "Go keep an eye on the Uchiha. Put them in their place."

But the aide in the shadows didn't obey his command as usual.

Instead, he slowly walked up behind Danzo.

Danzo trusted this aide completely and assumed he had something to whisper to him.

He never expected the man to stab him in the back.

As Danzo suffered a grievous wound, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He turned stiffly to look at his aide. "Why... betray me?"

The instant he was attacked, Danzo tried to dodge.

But his body seemed to have been immobilized, and the unseen hand behind him pierced straight through his heart.

Only then, as Danzo slowly turned his head, did he notice the aide's blood-red Sharingan beneath his mask.

Uchiha Yan slowly removed his mask and said in an unhurried voice, "Lord Danzo, Uchiha Yan of the Konoha Military Police Force reporting in."

Danzo's eyes widened.

His heart filled with resentment, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. As his life slipped away, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

He wanted to use a Sealing Jutsu to take this ambitious Uchiha down with him.

But what he hadn't expected was that the chakra in his body had already been completely sealed off.

And as Uchiha Yan's Sharingan fixed on him, Danzo fell into Tsukuyomi.

Within Tsukuyomi, Danzo was bound tightly to a post.

Uchiha Yan held a dagger and stabbed Danzo again and again.

"Danzo, I control time in this world. I'll stab you like this for three days and three nights, with your sense of pain magnified tenfold. Enjoy it."

Uchiha Yan looked down at Danzo's body and took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands.

Then the system's rewards arrived.

1: Hashirama Cells

2: Courage (with it, you'll have the courage to stab Susanoo with a Kunai)

3: Wind Release Mastery.

Uchiha Yan looked at the second option without expression, barely managing to keep a straight face.

Stabbing Susanoo with a Kunai—without courage, no one would be able to do that.

Though it seemed more like a matter of intelligence.

He put Danzo's body away, then left without a sound.

The good show was almost over, after all.

He still had to squeeze some benefits out of the Third Hokage.

At the same time, after using every trick he had, Sarutobi Hiruzen had finally managed to evade Senju Tobirama's attacks.

Just as he was about to catch his breath, the First's unrelenting assault plunged him into another fierce struggle.

Since no Jinchuriki had appeared on Sunagakure's side this time, the forces on the outer and inner perimeters had soon been almost completely cleared out.

Although Orochimaru had joined forces with Sunagakure, they had only damaged buildings on Konoha's outskirts. The village itself had suffered no real harm.

But by now, everyone knew the true battlefield wasn't where they were.

The real battlefield lay behind that barrier-sealed area.

Only that place could determine whether Orochimaru's Collapse Plan had succeeded.

Kakashi had already dealt with all the Sand Ninja causing trouble.

He walked up to the Anbu watching the battle and asked, "Still no way?"

Several Anbu heard Kakashi's question and shook their heads dejectedly.

"Not yet. This barrier can only be broken from the inside, and those four have put barriers around themselves as well."

"It's like putting both the regular and spare keys to a box inside the box."

"Without the key, there's naturally no way for us to open it."

Hearing the Anbu's explanation, Kakashi still decided to give it a try.

He hadn't used much chakra fighting those grunts just now.

He formed hand seals, and a visible surge of chakra welled up from his hands.

Another Anbu, clearly a newcomer, couldn't help exclaiming, "That chakra is terrifying. You can actually see it!"

Hearing his remark, another Anbu began to explain.

"A technique that makes chakra visible, with a sound like a thousand birds chirping—is it...?"