"Haha, so this is what Konoha means by a duel—a whole group of ninjas dueling our leader alone."
Kakuzu formed hand seals with both hands, and numerous thin black tendrils burst out from his back, as two Earth Grudge Fear Masks moved onto his shoulders.
Roshi silently stepped forward, ready to unleash his Chakra at any moment.
His unique position made it risky to act hastily, which could cause trouble for the Ninja Sect, so he had to wait for the battle to truly erupt first.
Other ninjas from the Ninja Sect were equally undeterred, drawing their weapons to prepare for combat with the Konoha ninjas.
The atmosphere suddenly became charged with tension, as both the Konoha ninjas and the Ninja Sect ninjas were ready to fight it out desperately.
Mokgetsu ignored the actions of the Konoha ninjas and swiftly walked towards the fallen Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Numerous attacks were thrown at Mokgetsu, but they were all blocked by the Ninja Sect ninjas.
Manda, taking advantage of its huge body, broke through the defense line and attempted to bite Mokgetsu, only to be repelled by a massive cube that fell from the sky without warning.
Seeing that the battle had officially started, Roshi too attacked directly, spewing numerous Lava Release Fireballs towards the Konoha ninjas.
"Does the Ninja Sect have another powerful Lava Release ninja?" Mitokado Homura furrowed his brows.
This was unexpected for him; he only calculated two powerful figures, Nagato and Kakuzu, not realizing that the Ninja Sect had quietly gained another Lava Release powerhouse.
Mitokado Homura was puzzled by how the ninjas of this faction could conceal themselves so well.
As Sosuke and Sarutobi Hiruzen drew closer, Mitokado Homura became extremely anxious.
Considering both identity and relationships, he did not want Sarutobi Hiruzen to die.
"Hold on, he seems to lack killing intent." Already having gathered a lot of Chakra in his Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui restrained from using his Dojutsu.
He felt that Sosuke may not necessarily want to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Because if Sosuke wanted to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, there was no need to walk over; Ninjutsu would suffice.
As for why others hadn't thought of this, Shisui believed they might be too rushed?
Of course, it could also be that others thought Sosuke intended to kill once he got close.
Shisui watched the two silently.
With the insight granted by the Mangekyo Sharingan, he should be able to give Kamiyakao-no-mikoto in time before Sosuke made his move.
Noticing Sosuke approach, Sarutobi Hiruzen, struggling to get up, instinctively reached into his ninja pouch to draw a kunai, thrusting it toward Sosuke.
Under Mokgetsu's gaze, the kunai in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand shrank rapidly, and almost instantly, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his hand become empty.
At this moment, a surge of indescribable helplessness flooded Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.
This sense of helplessness was even stronger than when he watched Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama battle in his youth.
It's not that Sosuke's power surpassed those two, but rather, back then, Sarutobi Hiruzen only had to watch, while now he was fighting Sosuke personally.
Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed.
It was neither a flattering smile nor a grin of complete relief, but a self-deprecating smile.
How laughable, he realized how laughable he was this time.
Confidently looking for a fight with Sosuke, he hadn't even touched him once.
Claiming it was for Konoha's dignity, but mainly it was due to personal grudges.
Sarutobi Hiruzen did not fear death; decades ago during the Warring States period, the average lifespan of a ninja was only thirty years, yet he was fifty-four this year, encompassing the total of two short-lived Warring States ninjas.
What prevented him from feeling at ease was that in the last phase of his life, he had made such a grave mistake.
His death was minor, but if Konoha suffered as a result, he would have to face the First and Second Hokage without honor even in death.
"I'm sorry, Mokgetsu," Sarutobi Hiruzen apologized to Mokgetsu in his heart.
Mokgetsu could have calmly trained as the Hokage Assistant for years before taking on the mantle of Hokage, leading Konoha to a new pinnacle.
But due to his recklessness and wrong judgment, Mokgetsu was about to be forced to take over as Hokage, possibly facing Sosuke's vengeance and a chain reaction triggered by his mistakes.
Even Mokgetsu's proud disciple, Shisui, might be killed as a result, which left Sarutobi Hiruzen feeling extremely guilty.
At this moment, Mokgetsu reached out and grabbed Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand.
Sarutobi Hiruzen made his last resistance and struggle. He was the Hokage; as long as he had even a trace of strength left, he would fight to the end—this was the least a Hokage should do.
In battle with the Ninja Sect ninjas, Shisui's forehead was sweating profusely, and his inner tension reached its peak.
There was no choice; once Kamiyakao-no-mikoto was used, it might be years or even longer before he could use it again. He had to use it wisely, or what would they do if Mokgetsu faced danger again?
"Hiruzen!"
Mitokado Homura was extremely anxious, but couldn't escape Kakuzu's grasp to get close to Sosuke.
"Huh?"
Orochimaru, who was fighting Nagato, used his peripheral vision to keep an eye on Sarutobi Hiruzen, sensed something, and withdrew some of his strength.
"Hokage, you can't lie down directly after intense movement."
Mokgetsu lifted Sarutobi Hiruzen upright, striking his shoulder with a Mystical Palm Jutsu.
Despite various factors, no matter how you look at it, Sarutobi Hiruzen had assisted Mokgetsu a lot, and he never intended to kill him.
Of course, since this time Sarutobi Hiruzen had initiated the trouble, Mokgetsu didn't hold back in exploiting the situation a bit.
In truth, Mokgetsu could defeat Sarutobi Hiruzen without him having much chance to use many ninjutsu.