That roar had come from the Seven-Tails.
The ninja had finally come back to his senses. Looking at the distant scene, he could no longer suppress the emotions from earlier.
In the blink of an eye, he had nearly died, then nearly killed the Third Hokage. The rapid swings between those two extremes had left his emotions in turmoil.
But now, seeing the remnants of the enemy's attack and the sight of his entire former squad lying dead, his grief instantly gave way to calmness and anger.
This ninja's mind was now full of questions.
Why had the Seven-Tails suddenly erupted and shattered their favorable situation?
Why had Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly become able to use chakra?
"You still weren't vigilant enough!"
"Then stop standing there in a daze. Go repent in the Pure Land!"
Those were the last words the ninja heard.
The last thing he saw was Hiruzen Sarutobi standing before him, watching expressionlessly as his life gradually faded away.
His vision shifted beyond his control, then fell away and was finally swallowed by darkness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not feel much upon seeing the scene before him.
He could only mutter inwardly, I really do have to admit that I'm getting old.
In truth, that duel had also been no small trial for Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
During his long tenure as Hokage, neither his taijutsu nor his physical strength had improved much.
Instead, as he aged, his stamina had steadily declined.
But his abundant experience told him that only by finding this group's weakness and breaking through it could he escape his predicament.
From the beginning, aside from this ninja, none of the other members of his squad had come to assist or attempted a sneak attack.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had tested them more than once, yet never drew out