At that moment, Ōnoki swung his massive fist down from the sky, hurtling toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and striking with earth‑shattering force.
The two clashed in a ferocious, all‑out battle.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
At the same time, explosions and chaos erupted across other parts of the village.
Hiruzen’s expression darkened; his brow furrowed tight.
The enemy was not alone.
Iwagakure had launched a full‑scale invasion, striking while Konoha’s defenses were stripped bare.
In that instant, Hiruzen realized: the massive advance in the Land of Grass had been nothing but a ruse!
“I will hold this place—you go reinforce the others!” Hiruzen barked sharply to the ANBU surrounding him.
“And find Danzō and Orochimaru at once!”
“Yes, Lord Hokage!”
SWISH!
SWISH!
SWISH!
The ANBU moved with perfect discipline, vanishing instantly using Body Flicker.
Only Hiruzen and Ōnoki remained.
Ōnoki’s eyes gleamed—this was his chance.
If he could capture or kill Hiruzen before Konoha’s reinforcements arrived, the mission would be a total success.
But would it really be so easy?
Hiruzen was old, yet he had once been Konoha’s strongest Hokage—master of all five chakra natures, known across the world as the Professor of Ninjutsu.
Though Ōnoki had spoken lightly of him back in the Tsuchikage’s office, deep down he held Hiruzen in the utmost respect.
The great battle between Konoha and Iwagakure had truly begun with their clash.
Konoha had fallen for the trap.
Its main forces were deployed far away; its defenses were thin, and Iwagakure had slipped right through.
The situation was dire.
The ANBU and Military Police were fighting for their lives.
Even Danzō was forced to deploy his Root operatives—he had hoped to let the village suffer enough to tarnish Hiruzen and Minato’s names and clear his own path to the Hokage seat.
But now he knew: if Konoha fell, there would be no seat left to take.
“Unbelievable… absolutely unbelievable!”
Ryuu groaned inwardly as he watched the village burn.
He had thought staying behind would be easy—instead, the enemy had come straight to his door.
Yet now he held the Flying Raijin.
Against invading jonin and chunin, he moved with total poise, striking and vanishing at will.
Technically, he should have been helping the Military Police evacuate civilians—but he had other ideas.
This was a once‑in‑a‑lifetime chance to sharpen his skills.
Nothing forged strength like real combat, and he would not be the kind of ninja who only knew theory.
This was not a single massive front where power was wasted; this was scattered fighting across the whole village—perfect for practice.
With the Flying Raijin as his safety net, his only weakness was his fast‑dwindling chakra.
He would just have to rely on military ration pills to keep going.
CLAP!
In an empty alley, Ryuu—now disguised as an ANBU mask‑wearer with Transformation Jutsu—slapped his hand against a wall, leaving a Flying Raijin seal.
“Good.
Enough marks placed, plus three Flying Raijin kunai.
That should cover me.”
He popped a ration pill into his mouth, and his reserves began to recover.
“Time to show what I can do.”
He stretched his limbs, a spark of excitement rising.
In his old life, he had never known real combat.
Even his fight with Ōnoki had been terrifying—and thrilling.
Body Flicker active, he blurred into motion and vanished.
…
Outside the Ninja Academy
CLANG!
CLASH!
SLICE!
TEAR!
Metal rang out, followed by the wet sound of steel cutting flesh.
Figures darted back and forth.
In moments, the ANBU guarding the spot had been wiped out.
Iwagakure’s tactics were cruel and effective: using Earth Dragon Drift to move unseen underground, encircle, overwhelm, and vanish again.
Konoha’s defenses were already stretched thin.
Small squads were cut off, unable to call for backup amid the chaos.
Many had already fallen this way.
“Clear.
Tetsuzan—scan for more Konoha ninja nearby,” Bunya, leading the squad, ordered.
Tetsuzan closed his eyes and focused.
“Four ANBU eight hundred meters southeast—we can take them the same way… wait.
Someone else is coming.
Chakra signature… a genin.”
“A genin?”
Bunya and his men exchanged looks of disbelief.
All four were elite jonin, battle‑hardened and perfectly coordinated—opponents most jonin would never dare face alone.
“Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”