"That's right." Biwa Jūzō nodded, while Kakuzu beside him remained expressionless.
Kitsuchi frowned. He naturally recognized this as a rogue Ninja from Hidden Mist Village, and an S-rank one at that.
However, as long as they could help, it didn't matter, since they weren't rogue Ninja from Iwagakure anyway.
"The plan is for you to hold back the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Of course, it would be best if you could kill him. This is half of the commission." Kitsuchi waved his hand, and a subordinate walked over with a large box.
As soon as the subordinate handed it over, the impatient Kakuzu couldn't suppress his eagerness and quickly snatched the box from the subordinate's hand.
He carefully opened the lid just a crack, and after only a brief glance, he immediately snapped it shut again. Even so, a flicker of excitement was undeniable in his eyes.
Seeing Kakuzu's actions, the usually silent Biwa Jūzō couldn't help but quietly step back a few paces, putting some distance between himself and Kakuzu.
Then, he turned to Kitsuchi and asked calmly, "So, when will this battle begin?"
Kitsuchi answered without hesitation, "Tonight!"
Night fell quietly, enveloping the entire Konoha Great Camp in silence. However, this tranquility was soon broken.
"Hokage-sama, there is an important message from Jiraiya-sama." A Ninja, looking hurried, rushed over and respectfully presented a piece of intelligence to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting in the tent.
Hearing the name "Jiraiya," Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been looking weary, suddenly frowned, a hint of doubt appearing on his face.
For some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease welled up in his heart, causing him to involuntarily fall into deep thought.
He opened the intelligence and, after seeing its contents, remained stunned for a long time.
"Alas!" The Sandaime knew that after this battle, Konoha's position as the greatest Ninja village was probably in jeopardy. The current casualties in Konoha, and the Uchiha... The Sandaime was helpless. It seemed he could only seek peace with one side, but which side should it be?
"Boom!" A deafening, sky-shattering roar suddenly came from outside the great camp, as if to tear the heavens and earth apart.
This sudden, earth-shattering sound instantly plunged the previously quiet camp into panic.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been deep in thought in his tent, suddenly stood up, his face grim, and quickly led a group of Ninja towards the direction of the sound.
These days, they had seen such situations many times before.
The cunning Iwagakure Ninja always liked to launch surprise attacks under the cover of night, making it impossible to guard against them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly cursed these hateful enemies, but at the same time, he maintained a high degree of vigilance and calmness.
As he hurried to the edge of the camp, he saw Hyuga Hiashi, with an equally serious expression, standing there observing the situation.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked to Hyuga Hiashi's side and asked, "Hiashi, what's the situation this time? Have they deployed their Jinchuriki again?"
Hyuga Hiashi shook his head and said in a deep voice, "None have been found for now."
However, despite this, his gaze, fixed on the front, showed no sign of slackening.
Just then, a Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan approached the Sandaime and quietly asked, "Hokage-sama, since the enemy often uses Jinchuriki in battle, why don't we also use our own Jinchuriki power?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at the Jonin, but did not immediately answer his question.
Instead, he squinted his eyes slightly, his gaze deep and sharp, continuing to stare at the distant battlefield, seemingly contemplating some important decision.
Just as everyone was waiting for the Sandaime's response, Hiashi suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! Hokage-sama, the enemy has started their attack!"
Before his words had even finished, countless flashes of light appeared in the distant darkness, accompanied by shouts of battle and the clash of weapons, as the Iwagakure army surged like a tide towards Konoha.
Facing this sudden situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the order without hesitation: "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
At his command, the Konoha Ninja brandished their weapons, ready for action. In an instant, the two armies collided with a roar, and the entire battlefield immediately plunged into extreme chaos and fierce fighting.
The Third Hokage was originally preparing to rush towards Kitsuchi's position, while at the same time, he secretly maintained a high degree of vigilance, constantly aware of the potential threat posed by the Tailed Beast's power.
However, at this very moment, a cold light suddenly flashed, and a massive, sharp kubikiribōchō flew in like a shooting star, plunging straight into the ground several feet deep, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The fierce aura emanating from the blade seemed to tear the surrounding air, causing people to be horrified.
Seeing this, the Sandaime was startled. What was this?
Just as he was filled with doubt, a wild, unrestrained laugh suddenly erupted, like a clap of thunder in his ears.
"Hahaha, Third Hokage, today I shall personally experience your formidable skills!"
Accompanying this deafening roar, a figure appeared abruptly before Hiruzen Sarutobi like a ghost.
This person was tall and imposing, clad in a black cloak, holding the kubikiribōchō he had just thrown. It was none other than Biwa Jūzō, the rogue Ninja from Hidden Mist Village.
Not far behind him, Kakuzu stood silently.
He was dressed in black, with a stern face and a pair of dark green eyes like cold water in a deep pool, staring coldly at the Third Hokage, giving off an invisible sense of oppression.
The Sandaime looked at the two figures who had suddenly appeared, and his heart sank, especially when he saw Biwa Jūzō and Kakuzu standing together.
He had never expected that Iwagakure would even invite foreign aid. It seemed that today's battle would be exceptionally difficult.
At this moment, the tension between the two sides reached its peak, and a thrilling battle was about to erupt.
However, surprisingly, Kakuzu did not seem eager to act, but instead squinted his eyes slightly, observing the situation on the field with interest.
It was Biwa Jūzō who couldn't hold back first, brandishing his kubikiribōchō and charging fiercely towards the Third Hokage... After a few rounds, Biwa Jūzō's hand, holding the sword, was trembling slightly as he looked solemnly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was wielding a Ruyi Jingu Bang.
"As expected of the Third Hokage," Kakuzu spoke up at this point, his face full of admiration, "However, he's still far inferior to the First Hokage."
"What!?" The Sandaime showed a hint of alarm. What did this person mean? Had he fought the First Hokage?!
Kakuzu smiled slightly, satisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression, and then joined the battle.
Even with the two of them working together, Hiruzen Sarutobi still hadn't been defeated, but Kakuzu's strength was indeed far superior to Biwa Jūzō's, making it almost impossible for Hiruzen Sarutobi to defeat them.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi had gone wild with their Iwagakure Ninja.
Ultimately, this battle ended in Konoha's complete defeat. At this point, Konoha's overall situation completely collapsed, its front lines fully retracted, leaving it no choice but to seek peace with Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
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