"Lord Hokage."
The Third Hokage smiled and nodded. "Well done. Without you, the Vanguard Force might have been wiped out.
"We received the call for help and were about to pick up speed when an elite Sunagakure force appeared and blocked our path.
"Dan and Crimson are still leading our troops against them. I came as soon as the crisis was dealt with.
"I had every confidence in your strength. For the Wind Shadow to kill you alone would be next to impossible."
Fugaku smiled. "You flatter me, Lord Hokage. The Third Kazekage was much weaker than I expected.
"Lord Wind Shadow, Sunagakure's defeat is in sight. Surrender now, and your village might still preserve some of its strength.
"If you wait until Konoha takes Sunagakure, surrender won't be so easy."
The Hokage's brows twitched. He had caught the double meaning in Fugaku's words. In the last war, he and the Wind Shadow had fought to a draw.
If the Wind Shadow wasn't much of a fighter, then the man who had fought him to a draw couldn't be much of one either, at least in Fugaku's eyes.
The two village leaders were both a little dispirited. They had stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World for years, only to be mocked today by a fifteen-year-old boy.
The Third Kazekage's anger flared. "Big words. Today, I'll show you both the true power of Magnet Release."
Anger rose in the Third Hokage as well, but he could only take it out on the Wind Shadow.
Plenty of Konoha shinobi were still here. Now that the Third Hokage had arrived, Fugaku had no reason to stay.
The priority was to press on and strike directly at Sunagakure.
The Adamantine Staff spun in the Third Hokage's hands, tracing several arcs before crashing