The Third Hokage Confronts Orochimaru, Two Reanimated Kage Descend, and the Space-Time Youth Suppresses the Ancient Era

One Special Jonin, one Elite Jonin.

Working together, the two of them were actually toyed with and brutally beaten by Orochimaru.

Kabuto Yakushi watched coldly from the sidelines, utterly unmoved.

Danzo, hidden in the shadows, watched quietly, hoping Orochimaru would severely injure a few more Konoha Jonin.

Just as Anko was about to be critically injured by a single blow and Kakashi was on the verge of being unable to hold on.

A figure arrived through the air, ripples of space-time spreading around him.

In an instant, he landed between them, and an invisible Kage-level pressure exploded outward.

Forcibly cutting off all of Orochimaru's attacks.

Orochimaru's brows furrowed tightly, his heart filled with irritation and frustration.

It felt as though no matter what he did, this Uchiha youth would always come out to interfere.

Ruining his plans at every turn.

"Uchiha Mu, this is a grudge between me and Konoha's Jonin. It has nothing to do with you."

"Do not keep provoking my bottom line."

Mu remained expressionless.

"Withdraw immediately, or I do not mind making sure you remain in Konoha forever today."

His scarlet Sharingan flashed with a chilling light as Amaterasu's black flames faintly gathered in the void.

A deadly sense of threat tightly enveloped Orochimaru's entire body.

He cast a cold glance at the wounded Anko and Kakashi, then snorted unwillingly.

Without lingering any longer, his body transformed into a snake-like shadow and retreated into the distance.

His gaze turned toward Hokage Hall from afar as he quietly waited for the final act of the Konoha Crush Plan.

Anko clutched her wound, gasping for breath.

Her eyes toward Uchiha Mu were filled with sincere gratitude.

Kakashi withdrew his Chidori and slowly closed his Sharingan.

His eyes were filled with solemnity and amazement.

He genuinely acknowledged the strength and character of this young Uchiha powerhouse.

Among the crowd, Temari watched Uchiha Mu step forward and save Konoha's Jonin.

The righteous way he acted made the feelings in her heart grow even stronger.

She admired powerful people with a sense of justice and responsibility, but she did not know why she felt this way today. She only felt a fire rising within her heart.

Everything Uchiha Mu did deeply matched the expectations in her heart.

The girl's thoughts had long since become completely chaotic.

That quietly budding affection could no longer be suppressed.

Yet constrained by her identity as a Hidden Sand Village shinobi and her own pride, she could only hide it silently in her heart.

Watching him from afar, secretly falling for him.

The flames of war within Konoha had already spread everywhere.

Taking advantage of the Konoha Crush Plan, the Hidden Sand Village army invaded the village streets on a massive scale.

Buildings collapsed, and smoke rose everywhere.

Cries and the sounds of fighting intertwined.

All of Konoha had fallen into turmoil and chaos.

The conflict at the Chunin Exams venue was merely one corner of the entire upheaval.

The true fated confrontation was already quietly brewing before Hokage Hall.

Inside the exam arena.

After Orochimaru retreated into the distance, he no longer deliberately fought anyone.

He merely stood quietly, waiting for the Konoha Crush Plan to erupt in full.

His gaze was deep, and he had long calculated that the Third Hokage would inevitably appear in person to confront him.

As for him, he had already made thorough preparations, intending to use this battle to completely overturn Konoha's foundations.

Everyone in the arena was still unable to calm themselves.

The scenes of Uchiha Mu repeatedly thwarting Orochimaru's schemes and saving Anko and Kakashi.

Had been deeply etched into everyone's hearts.

The Konoha shinobi were filled with awe and reassurance.

The shinobi from other villages were full of apprehension and no longer dared underestimate this new-generation Uchiha powerhouse of Konoha.

The Hidden Sand Village trio still remained in the corner.

Temari's gaze lingered on Uchiha Mu, unwilling to move away for a long while.

After the two successive incidents.

Her feelings for Uchiha Mu had completely changed from initial curiosity and shock into a deep, quietly growing affection.

She could not help but pay attention to every movement he made and every change in his expression.

Even a simple glance or a steady stance.

Could send ripples through her heart.

She knew that the Hidden Sand Village and Konoha stood on opposing sides.

The two of them belonged to different camps, and these feelings should never have arisen.

But emotions had never been something people could control.

Once they entered the heart, they became impossible to let go of.

She could only carefully hide these thoughts deep in her heart.

Turning them into silent gazes and concern as she tasted the thoughts of a maiden alone.

Kankuro vaguely noticed Temari's unusual behavior.

Seeing her constantly staring absentmindedly at that Konoha youth, with an indescribable softness in her eyes.

He could not help raising his brow slightly, doubts arising in his heart, but he did not ask further.

He merely assumed Temari simply admired the strong.

Gaara remained indifferent and distant, completely uninterested in the romantic feelings around him.

He only focused on sensing the chakra fluctuations of the powerful people nearby, silently building up his own strength.

Just then.

A steady, ancient, yet immensely imposing presence.

Slowly spread over from the direction of Hokage Mountain.

In an instant, it suppressed all the restless auras across the arena.

Bringing the chaotic venue into sudden silence.

Everyone instinctively turned to look.

They saw an elderly figure clad in a red Hokage robe walking through the air.

Though his body was aged, his back remained as straight as a mountain.

Around him swirled dense, steady chakra at the peak of the Kage level.

The summoned Adamantine Staff circled around him.

It was none other than Konoha's Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Third's gaze was grave as he slowly swept his eyes across the devastated exam arena.

Looking at the chaotic situation beneath the barrier and Orochimaru's cold, arrogant figure.

His eyes were filled with grief and anger.

He had long noticed the abnormal disturbance in the barrier around the Chunin Exams venue.

He had also learned of Orochimaru's conspiracy with the Hidden Sand Village to launch the Konoha Crush rebellion.

Unable to stand by any longer, he had personally come to take command.

He intended to end this conflict with his own hands and suppress his rebellious disciple.

"Orochimaru."

The Third's voice was aged, yet sonorous and powerful.

It carried the authority of a Hokage and the sorrow of a teacher.

"You were once a disciple I personally taught, one of the Legendary Sannin."

"Blessed with Konoha's talent and glory, you should have protected the village's peace and sheltered the younger generation as they grew."

"Yet now, you have betrayed your original heart, colluded with foreign enemies, launched rebellion, harmed your fellow villagers, and sought to overthrow Konoha."

"Are you worthy of your years of training? Are you worthy of Konoha's cultivation?"

Faced with his former teacher's questioning.

Orochimaru's face showed not the slightest guilt or remorse.

There was only utter indifference and an obsession with ninjutsu and immortality.

"Teacher Sarutobi, the times have long changed."

"Konoha's outdated rules can no longer restrain what I seek."

Orochimaru's tone was indifferent, carrying a trace of madness.

"What I have pursued all my life is the ultimate mystery of ninjutsu, an immortal and indestructible body."

"And control over every bloodline and talent in this world."

"Konoha's bonds and the village's ideals are nothing more than irrelevant burdens to me."

"Konoha's collapse today is already inevitable. No one can reverse your fate."

"And no one can stop me."

Teacher and disciple faced each other from afar.

The atmosphere grew incomparably heavy.

A fated sorrow and killing intent swept across the entire arena.

Ibiki, Might Guy, Asuma, and the others gathered behind the Third, standing ready for battle.

They were prepared to join the fight at any moment upon receiving the order.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the other Genin held their breath.

Their eyes were locked tightly on the two top-tier powerhouses as they waited for the fated battle to begin.

Danzo hid in the shadows of a pavilion, his gloomy eyes flickering.

He silently watched the situation, hoping Orochimaru and the Third would fight until both were severely injured.

Then he could reap the benefits and seize control of Konoha's power.

"Since you remain stubbornly unrepentant, betray Konoha, and fall onto the path of evil."

"Then in the name of the Hokage, I will personally suppress you and cleanse our ranks."

The Third's expression was resolute as chakra around his body erupted in full force.

The vast pressure of a peak Kage-level powerhouse swept in every direction.

The summoning technique activated instantly, and Monkey King Enma appeared, transforming into the Adamantine Staff in his hand.

His fighting spirit surged as he prepared for a battle to the death.

"Hahaha, suppress me? Teacher Sarutobi, you are far too naive."

Orochimaru threw back his head and laughed wildly, the cold light in his eyes surging as he held nothing back any longer.

"Today, I will show you the true foundation of the forbidden techniques I have studied for so many years!"

As his words fell.

Orochimaru formed hand seals at an extreme speed.

The complex, obscure seals of a forbidden technique were completed in an instant.

The ground began to tremble and churn violently.

A sinister, deathly aura erupted from the depths beneath the earth, enveloping heaven and earth.

"Forbidden Technique: Impure World Reincarnation!"

This was his greatest trump card.