A few minutes later, the two were brought before Tobirama.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Asuma Sarutobi knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed firmly against the floor, cold sweat soaking their backs.
Tobirama looked down at the two "sons of sinners," a faintly amused smile tugging at his lips.
"Could you really bring yourselves to kill the traitor named Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"That man is your father—the one who gave you life and raised you."
At those words, Asuma's body trembled violently as he jerked his head up.
The once somewhat dispirited young man now had bloodshot eyes, madness flickering within them—the look of someone driven to the edge.
"Hokage-sama!" Asuma shouted hoarsely. "From the moment that old man betrayed the village, he stopped being our father!"
"He is a disgrace to Konoha! A stain upon the Sarutobi clan!"
His teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked, nails digging deep into his palms.
"As long as we still bear the name Sarutobi, we'll never be able to lift our heads in the village! Our fallen clansmen will never rest in peace!"
"Only his blood can wash away this shame and let the dead rest!"
Beside him, Shinnosuke slammed his head to the floor as well, his voice ragged.
"My lord! Please give us this chance! I want to personally cut off that traitor's head and present it to you!"
Over the past six years, under Tobirama's guidance, the two had been utterly transformed. Tobirama had spared no effort in turning this father–son tragedy into something worthy of the stage.
"Very good," Tobirama said, nodding in satisfaction.
"Only this kind of rabid, merciless resolve can lead to success."
"But now is not the time."
"That old monkey is hiding deep in the rear of the Allied forces. If you rush there now, you'll be swallowed whole."
"Be patient."
"When I smash through their outer shell, I'll reunite you with your father."
Though burning with impatience, neither dared to disobey. They bowed deeply once more.
"We swear loyalty to Hokage-sama unto death!"
…
Three days later.
The Third Ninja World War—also known as the Ninja World Unification War—officially erupted.
The anti-Konoha coalition fielded a total of one million troops.
Konoha's forces numbered only one hundred and fifty thousand.
Facing such an overwhelming disparity, Tobirama offered only a single response:
"No matter how you look at it, in this battle, the advantage lies with my 150,000 against their million."
First War Zone — The Land of Grass Border
A desolate battlefield beneath an oppressive, overcast sky.
This was the frontline with the greatest numerical imbalance.
Konoha forces: 40,000 mixed regular troops.
Coalition forces: 300,000 soldiers.
A battle that seemed to hold no suspense at all.
Six years ago, forty thousand against three hundred thousand would have meant certain annihilation for Konoha.
At the Iwagakure forward ranks, platoon leader Ishikawa stared at the dark Konoha formations in the distance and swallowed hard.
"Captain… have Konoha's ninja lost their minds?"
The green recruit beside him trembled. "They're outnumbered so badly, yet they're forming an offensive line? We have three hundred thousand men! We could drown them with spit!"
Ishikawa frowned. Something felt wrong.
Konoha's troops were far too abnormal.
And their equipment… it was nothing like standard ninja gear.
Every soldier wore sleek black metal exoskeleton armor, full-face tactical goggles, and carried unfamiliar weapons.
"Enough!"
The thunderous voice of Kitsuchi boomed from the rear.
"All units—advance!"
"Crush them with our numbers! For the glory of the Land of Earth!"
The ground shook.
Three hundred thousand troops surged forward like a tidal wave, battle cries shaking the mountains. Fire Release, Earth Release, Water Release—countless techniques lit up the sky.
And yet—
At the very front of Konoha's formation, Sakumo Hatake calmly drew the White Fang blade from his back.
He tapped the communicator at his ear.
"All units, remove safety limits."
"Free fire."
Buzz—
In the next instant, the chakra pulse rifles held by forty thousand Konoha ninja flared with blinding blue light.
"What… is that?" Ishikawa froze.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
No hand seals.
No preparatory motions.
Tens of thousands of high-density chakra beams rained down like a divine punishment, blanketing the entire battlefield.
The world fell silent.
There wasn't even time for screams.
A piercing chill tore through Ishikawa's chest.
His prized Hardened Rock Armor shattered like tofu. The beam punched clean through him—and the three soldiers behind him.
"So this… is Konoha's power…"
Those were his final thoughts before darkness claimed him.
The charging front lines collapsed like wheat before a scythe. Limbs flew, bodies were torn apart, and the wasteland was dyed crimson in moments.
"Keep firing! Don't stop!"
A Konoha squad leader barked orders coldly. He was only a Chūnin, with average chakra reserves—but the exoskeleton amplified his strength and reflexes fivefold.
"Earth Release! Earthflow Wall!"
Several Iwagakure jōnin erected a massive earthen barrier in desperation.
"Heavy firepower unit, advance!"
Heavily armored Konoha ninja stepped forward, hoisting massive chakra cannons.
BOOM!
One shot.
The earthen wall—along with dozens of Iwagakure ninja behind it—was obliterated into dust.
"Monsters… they're monsters!"
"Our ninjutsu can't even pierce their armor!"
"I want to go home!"
In just ten minutes, the coalition's momentum was completely shattered.
What had once been a mighty army of three hundred thousand was reduced to trembling lambs before the overwhelming fusion of technology and chakra.
From a high vantage point, Jiraiya looked down at the slaughter and felt a chill run down his spine.
"No hand seals. No years of brutal training. With this equipment, even a Genin can slaughter Chūnin."
"The era has truly changed."
…
Second War Zone — The Land of Rice Fields
The situation here was even more desperate.
Because a war-crazed demon stood on this battlefield—Uchiha Madara.
"Too slow! Too weak! Too boring!"
Madara stood within a fully formed Susanoo over a hundred meters tall, a blue demon god made manifest.
He didn't even bother with ninjutsu.
Boom!
One step.
The ground split open, and hundreds of Kumogakure ninja were crushed into pulp without a chance to scream.
The Fourth Raikage, Ay, cloaked in Lightning Release Armor, charged at Susanoo's feet like a raging beast.
"Liger Bomb!"
Bang!
His full-power strike left only a faint white mark.
"Oh?" Madara glanced down at him. "That's a little impressive."
"But that's all."
Susanoo drew its blade.
With a casual swing—
A blade of chakra swept across a thousand meters.
Ay and hundreds of Kumogakure elites were hurled skyward, some disintegrating before they even hit the ground.
"This is your so-called coalition?"
Madara's voice echoed across the battlefield, dripping with disdain.
"A pack of rabble."
…
Third War Zone — Land of Whirlpools Coastline
Orochimaru stood atop a massive steel warship, licking his lips as he watched Hidden Mist ships attempt to attack using dragon water bombs.
"How crude… how primitive."
He pressed a red button.
"Allow me to show you the power of science."
Whoosh!
Countless specially engineered mechanical sharks launched from beneath the warship.
Living organisms turned into suicide weapons.
Blood erupted across the sea.
Within minutes, the once-blue waters turned a blinding crimson.
…
On this day, all established common sense within the ninja world was utterly overturned.
For the first time, traditional ninja bore witness to the true power of science.