The Uchiha Clan's Sun

After learning about the strength of the newcomer, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that his chances of survival were slim. As he leaped high into the air, he gave orders to the ANBU ninjas around him.

"Kill! Don't let a single one escape!"

Without further hesitation, the masked ninja raised his hand and waved it, sending dozens of elite ninjas around him to surround and attack the ANBU ninjas!

"Fire Release: Head Carving, Wind Release: Pressure Damage, Combined Ninja Art: Flame Wind Chaos!"

At the same time, Kazuya also made his move, with two monsters wearing special masks jumping out from behind him. As soon as they opened their mouths, they unleashed two incredibly powerful ninjutsu attacks at Hiruzen Sarutobi in mid-air!

It's a ninjutsu technique without hand seals, no wonder it's being used so frequently!

Hiruzen Sarutobi transformed into a wooden stake, using the Substitution Jutsu to dodge Kakuzu's attack while simultaneously biting his finger and slamming it into the ground.

"Summoning Technique: Monkey King!"

A puff of white smoke rose, and a monkey wearing a tiger skin and a Konoha headband appeared in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi!

"Sarutobi, you're in big trouble this time!"

The Ape Demon King scanned his surroundings, quickly gaining a clear understanding of the battlefield situation, and said with a solemn expression.

"No time for sighs, let's transform into the Vajra Ruyi Jingu Bang!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already seen Kakuzu's attack coming again, and without bothering to explain, he hurriedly urged him on.

Knowing the urgency of the situation, the Ape Demon King formed a hand seal and transformed into a strange iron rod as thick as a thigh!

"Composite Ninja Technique: Flame Wind and Waves!"

"Ruyi Jingu Bang - Gale!"

Facing Kakuzu's combined ninjutsu attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly swung his Vajra Staff, blocking the chaotic waves of flames while simultaneously unleashing a series of violent air currents, directing the flames towards the masked ninjas surrounding the ANBU ninjas, trying to buy them a moment to breathe!

Seeing this, Kakuzu couldn't help but secretly admire Hiruzen Sarutobi's experience; he had actually managed to turn his attack into his own.

This level of chakra control is truly remarkable!

"But can you still withstand that! Thunder, Wind, and Fire Tri-Element Final Shot!"

Kakuzu clapped his hands, and the two masked monsters, Wind and Fire, stood on his left and right, opening their mouths wide. He himself opened his mouth at the same time.

The chakra of the three attributes of lightning, hurricane and fire merged together and converged into a terrifying chakra cannon, which bombarded Hiruzen Sarutobi at an extremely fast speed!

Unstoppable!

This was the first thought that popped into Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind after seeing Kakuzu's chakra cannon!

Such power is probably not much less than that of a regular Tailed Beast Ball!

Hiruzen Sarutobi heavily placed the Vajra Wish-Fulfilling Jewel in front of him, and with a leap, he landed on the Vajra Wish-Fulfilling Staff. As the staff rapidly rose, he narrowly avoided Kakuzu's final shot!

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Four shadow clones appeared beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, quickly forming hand seals together with the main body and each using a ninjutsu of a different element!

"Five Escapes: The Technique of Large Continuous Bullets!"

Chapter 176 There is no place for me in this new era!

"Five Elements: Great Combo Technique? Heh, I can do that too!"

Kakuzu clapped his hands together, and a surge of black lines appeared on his left and right shoulders, each revealing a strange mask!

Kakuzu opened his mouth wide, and along with his four masks, he spat out five different elemental ninjutsu—wind, lightning, water, fire, and earth—to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi's Five Elements: Great Combo Bullet Technique!

"boom!!!"

The ninjutsu, which combined five different chakra nature transformations, collided and annihilated each other, unleashing a terrifying power that spread in all directions!

"Sarutobi, this guy is a bit strange. What he's using doesn't seem like ninjutsu; it's more like a pure application of chakra nature transformation!"

"Let's retreat first; your men are almost all wiped out!"

"If they surround you then, you'll be in grave danger!"

The Vajra Staff, which the Monkey King had transformed into, flew back into Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand automatically, and he spoke to remind him.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked around and discovered that of the two ANBU squads he had brought, only Shinnosuke Sarutobi, Sachiko Sarutobi, and two ANBU ninjas remained, struggling to hold on amidst the attack of dozens of people. The situation was extremely critical!

Although the other side also suffered losses, they were negligible compared to their total numbers!

If this continues, all of them will die here!

Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi also has another option!

Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength, there's a good chance he could break through if he forced his way out.

but......

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at his son and daughter-in-law, who were engaged in a fierce battle not far away, but he still couldn't make up his mind!

"Hmph, you dare to be distracted when fighting against me?"

Just then, a gust of wind rushed towards him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly turned his head to dodge, a fist flying past his cheek!

But the next moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils shrank as he discovered that what followed the fist was not Kakuzu himself, but strange black threads!

Hiruzen Sarutobi realized something was wrong, and saw that the fist, after rushing a distance, spun around and wrapped around him!

Hiruzen Sarutobi had no time to dodge and could only hold his Vajra Staff upright in front of him.

The next moment, the fist with black threads bound Hiruzen Sarutobi tightly and dragged him forward!

"Oh!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face collided head-on with a fist the size of a sandbag, causing his entire face to contort in pain.

Kakuzu landed a successful blow, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. He raised his arm high again and, before Hiruzen Sarutobi could react, smashed it down on his head!

This time, Kakuzu's fist was covered with a layer of black chakra, and he was gathering all his strength to smash Hiruzen Sarutobi's head with one punch!

But just as Kakuzu's fist was about to fall, an arm reached out from an unbelievable angle and grabbed Kakuzu's wrist tightly!

Kakuzu was taken aback, realizing that the arm that had suddenly appeared was actually extending from the Vajra Ninja Staff in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi!

"Thanks, Ape Demon!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already reacted in the gap, thanked him, and then turned into a lump of dirt, breaking free from Kakuzu's control!

With a 'bang', Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared more than ten meters away, holding a huge shuriken that was half the height of a person!

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly threw the giant shuriken in his hand, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The giant shuriken spun rapidly in the air, instantly transforming into dozens of clones that shot off into the distance with powerful gusts of wind!

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's target this time was not Kakuzu, but the masked ninjas who were besieging Shinnosuke Sarutobi and his group not far away!

This sudden, wide-range attack halted the masked ninjas' offensive, causing them to scatter and dodge the incoming giant shuriken, giving Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his companions a brief respite!

"You all leave quickly! I'll hold them off!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he threw the Vajra Staff in his hand in that direction again, completely disregarding the consumption of chakra within his body, and began to rapidly form hand seals.

"King Kong prison wall!"

The Vajra Ruyi Cudgel split into dozens of clones in the air, rapidly growing larger and longer, forming a huge cage that imprisoned most of the enemies and divided the battlefield!

"Aren't you underestimating me too much!"

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi completed his Vajra Barrier technique, Kakuzu appeared beside Hiruzen Sarutobi and delivered a powerful punch toward Hiruzen Sarutobi's head!

Hiruzen Sarutobi barely managed to raise his hands to block, but his hasty defense was no match for Kakuzu's well-prepared attack. Kakuzu's punch shattered his defense and slammed heavily into his head!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was thrown high into the air, a mouthful of blood spurting out along with several broken teeth!

This was a punch from Kakuzu enhanced with Earth Release: Hardening Technique. An ordinary ninja probably wouldn't be able to withstand even one punch!

This time, Kakuzu gave Hiruzen Sarutobi no chance to catch his breath, lunging forward and raining punches down on Hiruzen's emaciated body!

"Father!"

Seeing this scene, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who had finally escaped from danger, was filled with rage and flew forward to help Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Shin-chan, hurry up! Don't waste the opportunity that the Hokage created!"

Sarutobi Sachiko grabbed Sarutobi Shinnosuke, trying to persuade him to leave.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke broke free from Sarutobi Sachiko's grasp and angrily said, "We are the Hokage's direct ANBU, how can we do something like leaving the Hokage to cover our retreat while we run away!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was far away, managed to break free after taking several punches from Kakuzu and began to fight back against him. Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely anxious!

"Shin-nosuke, leave now! I am no longer the Hokage. There is no place for me in this new era. You are the future of Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, urging Shinnosuke Sarutobi to leave!

"Speak up!"

Kakuzu's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he seized the opportunity to deliver another punch to Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder, causing Hiruzen to stagger backward!

At this moment, Kakuzu was also filled with admiration. Hiruzen Sarutobi truly lived up to his reputation as a ninja hero; his experience and strength were impeccable!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't been preoccupied with Shinnosuke Sarutobi and the others, preventing him from focusing all his energy on fighting me, it's hard to say whether he could have won!

"But......"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke hesitated upon hearing this.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not only the Third Hokage of Konoha, but also his father!

"Want to leave? It's too late!"

Just then, a figure crackling with lightning suddenly shot out from the side, and a kunai wrapped in lightning pierced straight through Sarutobi Shinnosuke's chest!

"Shinnosuke!!!"

Chapter 177: One great force brought both sides under control!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened in fury, and his powerful chakra erupted from his body. He kicked Kakuzu away and rushed towards where Shinnosuke Sarutobi was!

The person who ambushed Sarutobi Shinnosuke was the leader of those masked ninjas. His strength was no less than Sarutobi Shinnosuke's, and this time, the ambush was fatal, directly crushing Sarutobi Shinnosuke's heart!

After landing a successful attack, the masked ninja completely ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi who was rushing towards them, and instead pounced straight on Sachiko Sarutobi!

Although Sarutobi Sachiko is also a Jonin, she is not an offensive ninja but a sensory and medical ninja! Moreover, according to intelligence, Sarutobi Sachiko is also the daughter-in-law of Sarutobi Hiruzen!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi were to witness his son and daughter-in-law die before his very eyes, he would surely be thrown into turmoil and might even contemplate suicide!

This masked ninja's intention was to thoroughly enrage Hiruzen Sarutobi, so that Hiruzen would give up any thought of breaking through and escaping!

"How brave!"

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with rage and increased his speed by another three points!

But the masked ninjas who were not trapped by the Vajra Barrier also surrounded him, unleashing a barrage of ninjutsu at Hiruzen Sarutobi as if they were free, desperately hindering his movements!

Sarutobi Sachiko's mind was already greatly shaken by the death of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and now she was in grave danger under the fierce attack of the masked ninja!

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew increasingly impatient. He slapped the skull of a masked ninja to pieces, formed hand seals, and exhaled a cloud of gray smoke that enveloped himself and several other masked ninjas nearby!

"Fire Escape·Ashes Burning!"

A spark flashed, instantly igniting the area shrouded in gray smoke and blasting the masked ninjas away!

Hiruzen Sarutobi also emerged from the flames, his body bearing scorch marks, yet his aura was overwhelming, like a demon god descending to earth!

The masked ninja who was fighting Sarutobi Sachiko gritted his teeth upon seeing this. Facing Sarutobi Sachiko's chakra scalpel strike, he neither dodged nor evaded, but instead formed his five fingers into claws and grabbed at Sarutobi Sachiko!

With a 'whoosh', the masked ninja's left hand was severed cleanly at the shoulder, but his right hand grabbed Sarutobi Sachiko's throat. With a forceful twist, he snapped Sarutobi Sachiko's neck, tearing off a large chunk of flesh!

"How dare you! Die!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't care less about anything else at this point. He stopped maintaining the Vajra Barrier, summoned back the Vajra Staff, and swung it at the masked ninja who had killed Sachiko Sarutobi and Shinnosuke Sarutobi!

This blow was powerful and heavy; if it landed squarely on the masked ninja, he would surely die!

"Wood Release: The Technique of the Great Forest!"

Just then, a dozen thick tree branches came flying through the air, blocking all of Hiruzen Sarutobi's escape routes!

"Wood Release?!"

Everyone present was stunned by what they saw, momentarily lost in thought!