That's right, they were the ninja of Konoha.
Behind them was Lord Hokage!
Everyone's gaze, in unison, turned to the figure standing in the very center of the city wall.
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He still just stood there quietly, as if the world-destroying scene before him was nothing more than a common countryside view.
Finally, he moved.
He took off the ordinary black combat suit he was wearing, revealing the red and white Hokage robe underneath.
He placed the hat, which represented the Will of Fire, firmly on his head.
Then, he took a step forward, leaped down from the city wall, and landed steadily on the open ground in front of the fortress gate.
Alone, facing the impending thunderous force.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Hiruzen!"
Everyone on the city wall cried out in alarm.
Sarutobi Hiruzen just stood in front of the gate, holding the Adamantine Staff, calmly watching the blue lightning that was getting closer and closer.
Finally, the lightning stopped.
Less than a hundred meters from Sarutobi Hiruzen.
A's figure was revealed.
Crackling blue arcs of electricity wrapped around his body, and the powerful aura made the surrounding air distort.
He looked at the figure in the Hokage robe, standing alone in front of the fortress gate.
A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, which was then replaced by a thick contempt.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, what is the meaning of this? Do you know you are bound to lose, so you've come out to surrender?"
A's voice was like rolling thunder, full of dominance.
However, when he saw the wide-open gate of the fortress and the Konoha ninja on the city wall, who were on high alert but showed no signs of panic, the unease in his heart grew.
Something was wrong.
This was all too wrong.
This was not at all the reaction a unit about to be ambushed should have.
This was more like... a carefully laid trap.
Just as he was filled with suspicion, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly raised his head, revealing the calm face under the hat.
Those deep eyes stared at the Third Raikage from a hundred meters away.
He slowly took off the hat on his head, revealing a face that was much younger than A's, yet as deep as the sea.
He ignored A's mockery, just looking at him calmly, as if looking at a clown.
He reached out his hand, and the Adamantine Staff, transformed from Enma, appeared in it.
He slammed one end of the long staff heavily on the ground.
Thump!
A dull thud, as if it had struck the heart of every Cloud ninja.
"A."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke. His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"The score for Sensei... it's time we settled it today."
As his voice fell.
A chakra, as vast as the sea and in no way inferior to the Third Raikage's, erupted from Sarutobi Hiruzen's body.
A wave of air, with him at the center, swept out in all directions.
The sky changed color.
The several thousand strong Cloud army, under this terrifying pressure, actually took a step back in unison, involuntarily.
The contempt and arrogance on A's face finally disappeared.
He stared deadly at the man a hundred meters away.
This chakra...
This guy...
He was not some weak little brat at all.
"All troops, fall back! No one is to advance without my command!"
The Third Raikage, A, let out a roar, his voice filled with gravity.
His Cloud army behind him heard the order and immediately executed it, reforming their formation in the distance, tensely watching the impending top-tier showdown of the ninja world.
A slowly looked up, staring deadly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was wearing the Hokage robe.
That vast chakra, that aura of looking down on the world, completely dispelled the contempt in his heart.
He knew he had made a fatal mistake.
He had mistaken Sarutobi Hiruzen for a junior who had risen to power through his teacher's legacy.
But now, it seemed that the other party was a fierce beast of the same level as him, or even... more dangerous.
"Very good... Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
A grinned, revealing a ferocious smile. His fighting spirit erupted from his body like a volcano.
"It seems I've underestimated you! This makes it interesting!"
Before his voice had even faded, the ground beneath his feet exploded.
His entire person turned into a blue bolt of lightning, and at a speed that was difficult for the naked eye to capture, he instantly crossed the hundred-meter distance and appeared beneath the city wall.
Then, with a single, unadorned punch, he smashed towards the figure in the fiery red robe.
Rumble—!
A deafeningly loud bang.
The ground, made of a mixture of hard rock and steel, under this violent punch, was like paper, instantly crumbling and exploding into a huge gap.
Rubble flew, and dust and smoke shot into the sky.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure had also, at the moment A threw his punch, leaped high into the air and landed lightly on the open ground behind.
"Is this the power of the strongest spear? Truly lives up to its name."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the ground that had been collapsed by a single punch and praised him inwardly.
But the expression on his face remained calm.
A did not pause and charged towards Sarutobi Hiruzen again.
"Less nonsense!"
His speed was too fast. After activating the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his body's activity was pushed to the extreme, and his nerve reaction speed even surpassed the dynamic visual capture of the Sharingan.
In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The fist, wrapped in violent lightning, with a whistling sound that tore through the air, went straight for Hiruzen's face.
Faced with this punch that could split mountains and crack rocks, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not choose to take it head-on.
Just as the wind of the fist was about to reach his body, his hands flew through seals, the speed equally dazzling.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A huge fire dragon roared out of his mouth. It did not attack the Raikage, but the ground beneath him.
Boom!
The flames exploded, and a deep pit was instantly blasted into the ground. A large amount of rubble and dust was swept up by the shockwave, forming a temporary barrier that blocked A's vision.
A's fist hit empty air.
"Clever tricks!"
A snorted coldly. Relying on his beast-like instincts, he instantly determined Sarutobi Hiruzen's position and turned with a powerful roundhouse kick.
However, what greeted him was another earthen wall that rose from the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Thump!
The earthen wall shattered on impact.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure had already appeared several dozen meters away.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure moved at high speed on the battlefield.
His hands, as if they never stopped, continuously formed various complex seals.
Fire dragons, water dragons, wind blades, earth walls, swamps...
Ninjutsu of five different natures were used by him with ease, released one after another in an incredibly smooth and combined manner.
He did not pursue the ultimate power of a single ninjutsu, but instead played with these five elemental releases, creating a spectacular display.
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