Haruki Town's Destruction, the Third Hokage's Sudden Change of Attitude!

"Quick, enemy attack!"

The distant explosions sent Konoha Village's Ninja into urgent action.

Ninja figures rapidly leaped across rooftops throughout Konoha Village.

The ninja clans of Konoha Village also mobilized at once, preparing for a possible enemy invasion.

Screech!

Just as the Konoha Shinobi mobilized in haste, a ninja eagle shot into the Konoha Barrier at incredible speed.

It then landed atop the Hokage Building.

After tossing a piece of intelligence to an Anbu, the ninja eagle turned into smoke and returned to the Summoning Realm.

The Anbu swiftly delivered the intelligence to Hokage advisor Homura Mitokado in the Hokage's Office.

After reading the report, Homura Mitokado's expression changed drastically. "Quick, notify the Third Hokage immediately! Haruki Town, the closest town to Konoha Village, has been destroyed by a sudden golden energy sphere. Over ten thousand townspeople and dozens of Konoha Shinobi in the town have all died."

Bang.

An Anbu quickly dispelled his Shadow Clone Technique, his body turning into white smoke as he vanished from the Hokage's Office.

Meanwhile, in the center of Konoha's streets.

The Third Hokage looked up at Ato in midair, both shocked and furious as he demanded, "Saiyan brat, what exactly did you do?"

Facing the Third Hokage's questioning, Ato merely turned and extended a single finger toward him.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you're too noisy."

After Ato spoke coldly, a white Dodon Ray instantly shot from his fingertip.

"Third Hokage-sama, watch out!"

Before the Third Hokage could react, Minato Namikaze beside him had already grabbed his shoulder with his right hand and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Whoosh.

The Third Hokage and Minato Namikaze instantly appeared atop Barbecue Q. Where the Third Hokage had originally been standing, Ato's Dodon Ray had punched a small round hole into the ground, extending several hundred meters deep.

"Minato, I have you to thank this time."

The Third Hokage looked at the small hole in the ground and spoke to Minato Namikaze with a face full of relief.

He was immensely grateful that he had brought Minato Namikaze along.

Otherwise, Ato's Dodon Ray would likely have pierced straight through him by now.

"That brat really is strong!" The Third Hokage said with a deep frown, wiping the cold sweat from his face.

The Third Hokage glanced at Ato, his heart filled with alarm.

Strong was an understatement. Ato's attack had nearly killed him in a single blow.

Just as the Third Hokage was shaken by Ato's strength, an Anbu swiftly appeared before him.

"Third Hokage-sama, the Ninja Eagle Corps responsible for scouting the towns around Konoha has sent a report. Haruki Town, twenty kilometers east of Konoha, was destroyed by a golden Energy Blast. Over ten thousand civilians and dozens of Ninja in the town—none survived!"

The Anbu's report struck the Third Hokage like a bolt from the blue, leaving him frozen in place.

Minato Namikaze beside him likewise widened his eyes, his face full of shock.

"Damn it! Haruki Town was destroyed?!" The Third Hokage clenched his fists, his face filled with rage as he began venting his helpless fury.

Of course he knew why Haruki Town had been destroyed.

A few minutes ago, he had personally watched Ato release an Energy Blast toward the east.

Without question, it was the Energy Blast Ato had fired that destroyed Haruki Town.

One strike had erased an entire town.

To the native Ninja of the Naruto World, such power was no different from the power of a god.

It was completely absurd!

The Third Hokage's expression kept changing, and Haruki Town's destruction seemed to drain all spirit from him.

At this moment, there was none of the Third Hokage's usual lofty bearing as Konoha's leader.

He looked like an eggplant wilted by frost, no longer possessing his earlier calm confidence of certain victory.

He lowered the head of a Hokage, his tone becoming humble and even carrying a hint of ingratiation. "Mr. Saiyan Ato, please forgive my earlier rudeness. Perhaps we could have a proper talk in my Hokage's Office."

Ato looked at the Third Hokage with amusement.

The Third Hokage's abrupt shift from arrogance to deference was truly laughable.

This was the oppressive force of Dragon Ball power levels.

Not just the Third Hokage.

Even if Hashirama Senju himself came, he would have to sit down obediently and negotiate with Ato.

"Mr. Ato..." The Third Hokage looked at Ato uneasily, afraid that Ato would refuse negotiations and simply fire an Energy Blast, causing Konoha to follow Haruki Town's fate.

"I told you already, didn't I? I want to convene the Five Kage Summit." Ato crossed his arms and spoke coldly.

"Impossible!" Hearing Ato's demand again, the Third Hokage grew anxious.

However, under Ato's icy gaze, his attitude soon softened.

"Ato-kun, the procedures for convening a Five Kage Summit are extremely complicated. And we are currently at war. Even if Konoha wished to convene one, the Kage of the other ninja villages would not agree."

The Third Hokage spoke with a troubled expression.

"During wartime, the other Kage would refuse a meeting?" Ato looked coldly at the Third Hokage and said casually, "Then just end the war."

"What? End the war?" The Third Hokage was stunned for a moment.

Ato made it sound simple.

But this was the Third Shinobi World War.

The Five Great Shinobi Villages had fought each other to the brink of madness.

How could the war possibly end just because someone said so?

Did this Saiyan brat think war was some children's game?

Just as the Third Hokage inwardly grumbled.

Ato had already crossed his arms, his entire body turning into a streak of light as he shot straight into the sky.

Boom!

A terrifying gale swept through Konoha's central streets.

After the gale passed, the entire street was left in ruins.

"What is that Saiyan brat... going to do now?" The Third Hokage looked up at Ato, who had become a tiny black dot, fear flickering in his eyes as cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

"Third Hokage-sama, what should we do?"

Minato Namikaze also looked up at Ato, now a black dot in the sky, and spoke with a deeply furrowed brow.

"No matter what Ato intends to do, I must stop him." The Third Hokage casually tore off his Hokage robe, revealing the ninja armor beneath.

Then he formed hand seals with both hands and slammed them directly onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Monkey King Enma."

Bang.

A cloud of white smoke appeared before the Third Hokage, followed by the appearance of a burly ape.

"Monkey, you haven't used the Summoning Jutsu in a long time. Have you encountered a powerful enemy again?" Enma, who had been summoned, asked sternly.

"Enma, Ruyi Staff, send me up there." The Third Hokage pointed toward the black dot formed by Ato, his expression grave.

"The sky? Understood." Enma glanced upward, then nodded.

"Transformation Technique: Wish-Granting Golden Cudgel."

Bang.

Enma transformed into an enormous Wish-Granting Golden Cudgel. A pair of hands extended from within it and directly grabbed the Third Hokage.

Then the Ruyi Staff expanded with the wind.

It shot toward the heavens at incredible speed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was called "Monkey" not because he looked like one.

Rather, it was because his Summoning Beast was extremely special. With the Ruyi Staff formed by his Summoning Beast, Hiruzen Sarutobi could move as nimbly as a monkey, leaping and bounding about.

And because his Ruyi Staff could ignore much of the terrain, others had given him the nickname "Monkey."

In the blink of an eye, the Ruyi Staff had already shot into the sky, and with its help, Hiruzen Sarutobi successfully caught sight of Ato.

"So this is the Wish-Granting Golden Cudgel of the Naruto World? It really is interesting!"

Several thousand meters in the air, Ato looked at the Wish-Granting Golden Cudgel below him, his eyes shining.

The Enma Clan of the Naruto World was an exceptionally special type of Summoning Beast.

They possessed Indestructible Bodies and an unusual Transformation Technique.

The Wish-Granting Golden Cudgel they transformed into could shift freely according to its master's will.

Even more valuable was the fact that every member of the Enma Clan could transform into a Wish-Granting Golden Cudgel and grow alongside their master.

This golden cudgel was already comparable to Son Goku's Ruyi Staff from the Dragon Ball World.

As a Saiyan, how could he not have a Ruyi Staff of his own?

However, although Ato was determined to obtain the Wish-Granting Golden Cudgel.

Now was not the time.

His foremost priority was ending the Ninja World's war.

Then he could initiate the Five Kage Summit and begin the first step of his plan.

Ato stood several thousand meters in the sky, and the outline of the Shinobi Continent beneath his feet became clearly visible.

"Android 18, search for areas with concentrated power levels."

Ato gave Android 18 the command.

As the Scouter emitted a series of beeps, Android 18 displayed several regions where power levels were concentrated.

Ato adjusted the display on the Scouter, then looked toward Konoha's southwest.

There, densely packed power levels were continuously disappearing.

"This direction should be the Stone Shinobi's main battlefield."

Ato rubbed his chin, then raised his right hand as an energy sphere quickly gathered.

Boom.

Ato hurled the energy sphere forcefully toward the southwest.

At incredible speed, the energy sphere instantly vanished from Konoha's skies.

"Next, the Cloud Hidden Battlefield."

Ato repeated the process, easily locating the Cloud Hidden Battlefield before throwing a blue energy sphere toward it.

"Continue. The Mist Hidden Battlefield."

Boom, boom!

Two energy spheres streaked across the sky, swiftly disappearing from Ato's sight.

"Hmm, with this, the Third Shinobi World War should be able to end quickly." Ato shaded his eyes with his hand, watched the trails left by the three energy spheres, clapped his hands, and smiled.