Although the trip to the Daimyō's Residence had produced some unexpected developments, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group did not remain there for long.
The Jōnin Assembly, where candidates for the Fourth Hokage would be formally submitted, was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. They had to return to Konohagakure before then.
So early the next morning—when the sky had only just begun to brighten—Hiruzen and his party departed from the capital and began heading back toward Konoha.
The journey was uneventful for most of the day.
However, when they passed through a mountain valley with a small stream, Hiruzen—after traveling for more than half a day—suddenly stopped and raised his arm.
"Stop. Rest here for one hour. Refill water supplies, eat some rations, and rotate sentry duty."
Although time was tight, shinobi had to maintain enough stamina to deal with any sudden crisis. No matter how urgent the situation was, proper rest was still necessary.
"Hokage-sama, please have something to eat."
An ANBU kunoichi with long brown hair approached after assigning her subordinates to stand guard. She took out a water flask and some rations from her pack and handed them to Hiruzen.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sachiko."
Hiruzen accepted the items with a smile. His gaze toward the kunoichi named Sarutobi Sachiko was filled with approval.
Sachiko was not only an ANBU squad leader and Shinnosuke's deputy, but also Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wife—and therefore Hiruzen's daughter-in-law.
Sachiko then walked over to her husband.
"Captain, you should eat something too."
Shinnosuke shook his head firmly.
"No need. According to shinobi protocol, when a squad is operating in the field the commanding officer must eat separately to guard against unexpected attacks. You eat first—I'll eat later."
Sachiko sighed helplessly.
She knew that trying to persuade him was pointless. Shinnosuke would not eat until everyone else had finished.
Watching this interaction from the side, Hiruzen couldn't help but start thinking.
Perhaps after the Fourth Hokage took office, he should transfer either Shinnosuke or Sachiko out of the ANBU.
With the way this couple behaved, if they stayed like this, he might not get a grandchild even after another ten years.
Still, considering the turbulent situation currently brewing inside Konoha, Hiruzen suppressed the thought.
Having grandchildren could wait until the village stabilized.
Just then—
"Enemy attack—AHH!"
A startled cry rang out, followed by a scream.
Hiruzen shot to his feet instantly, his expression turning extremely serious.
"Prepare for battle! Let's test their strength first!"
Nearby ANBU operatives immediately spread out and formed a defensive formation.
At that moment, a loud shout echoed from the distance.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
A sharp spear of lightning burst from the enemy's mouth, shooting forward like a lance. It shattered the incoming Earth Release spikes and then streaked toward Hiruzen.
At the same time—
The ground beneath the raging water suddenly erupted.
Dozens of enormous Earth Release spikes burst upward, severing the water flow while stabbing toward Hiruzen's group.
Hiruzen rapidly formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Air Vortex!"
A violent whirlwind rose around him.
Most of the lightning from False Darkness was blown away—but a portion still pierced through the vortex and struck Hiruzen.
"Ugh!"
Hiruzen grunted as wisps of smoke rose from his body.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness" was clearly no ordinary attack.
However, Hiruzen showed no intention of retreating.
Even though the enemy outnumbered them several times over, he was still the Hokage of Konoha.
Back in the day, the Third Raikage of Kumogakure had fought ten thousand shinobi from Iwagakure for three days and three nights.
How could he—one of the great leaders of the shinobi world—be frightened off by merely a few dozen enemies?
Hiruzen tore off his Hokage cloak, revealing the combat gear underneath.
Then he quickly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
He spat a fireball toward the ground.
The flames erupted outward and instantly spread like a blazing sea, engulfing the battlefield.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The flames combined with the violent wind, transforming into a massive inferno rushing toward the enemy.
The enemy reacted instantly.
"So powerful—what incredible Fire Release chakra control!"
"Water Release: Water Barrier!"
A curtain of water rose from the nearby stream, transforming into a towering wave that slammed into the sea of flames.
Steam exploded into the sky as the fire and water collided violently.
Although the two techniques were similar in strength—
Water counters fire.
After a brief stalemate, Hiruzen's flames began to weaken under the overwhelming torrent.
Meanwhile, the enemy launched another attack.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
A barrage of earthen projectiles erupted forward.
But Hiruzen countered immediately.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
He spat a stream of mud onto the ground.
A massive stone wall erupted upward, blocking the attack.
Earth counters water.
Then another technique struck—
A thick bolt of lightning tore straight through the rock wall and shot toward Hiruzen.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
The enemy's technique release speed was astonishing.
He barely had time to gather chakra for another Wind Release counter.
Meanwhile, not far away, Sarutobi Shinnosuke watched the entire exchange with astonishment.
"Incredible…"
"The enemy shinobi is just like Father—proficient in all five elemental nature transformations."
"And the power of his techniques is on par with Father's."
"His hand seal speed is even faster…"
"He's actually suppressing Father!"
Shinnosuke stared toward the battlefield.
"Just who… is that person?"
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