Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 41 The Cunning Hiruzen Sarutobi

"I know you better than you know yourself."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words echoed in the mind of the Third Raikage, A.

He stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, trying to find even the slightest flaw in the other's face.

but.

The other person's eyes were calm and deep, like an ancient well that could absorb all his thoughts and see them clearly.

This feeling sent chills down Ai's spine.

Throughout his life, he fought against countless ninjas.

But I have never felt this sense of powerlessness from being completely seen through in anyone.

His strength and speed, which he was so proud of, seemed to become a joke in front of his opponent.

"impossible……!"

A roared again, and a violent burst of lightning chakra erupted from his body even more fiercely than before.

He wanted to use even greater force to tear the man before him apart, to tear apart his damned, all-knowing composure.

He transformed into a streak of blue lightning once more, charging towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, this time Hiruzen Sarutobi did not use various ninjutsu to maneuver as he had before.

He simply stood there quietly, and the Vajra Ruyi Cudgel in his hand once again burst forth with dazzling golden light.

"Ape Demon!"

"roar!"

The ape demon roared, and an indestructible golden luster appeared on the surface of the Vajra Ruyi Cudgel.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his staff in both hands, assuming a standard fighting stance.

He's determined to tough it out!

Seeing this, a hint of joy flashed in Ai's eyes.

So you're finally not dodging anymore? Want to test your strength against me?

He pushed his speed and power to the limit, and his finger, which had been condensed into the "strongest spear," once again thrust towards the Vajra Ruyi Staff with an aura that seemed to tear everything apart.

However, just as the two were about to collide...

Hiruzen Sarutobi moved.

His movements were not as fast or as violent as the Raikage's.

But it carries with it a kind of effortless skill, a deft touch that moves mountains with minimal effort.

Instead of using the staff to directly strike the Raikage's fingertips, he flicked his wrist, pointing the staff at an extremely tricky angle at the side of the Raikage's strongest spear.

Ding!

A crisp metallic clang rang out.

An unimaginable shockwave traveled from Raikage's fingers and instantly spread throughout his entire body.

Ai felt a piercing pain and numbness throughout his entire arm. The lightning chakra that had been condensed to its limit dissipated instantly under this gentle touch.

His unstoppable momentum was abruptly deflected by this gentle touch.

The "strongest spear" grazed past Hiruzen Sarutobi's body and slammed into the ground behind him.

Boom—!

The earth, through its own power, blasted a bottomless crater.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, was completely unharmed.

"How...how could this be?"

Ai looked at her finger, which was still trembling slightly, and her brain went blank again.

He was actually... deflected?

His strongest attack was easily neutralized by a technique similar to soft fist.

This guy can not only predict my actions, but he also knows exactly where my strength is weak.

At this moment, Ai's indomitable fighting spirit finally began to waver.

For the first time, he began to doubt the power he was so proud of.

At that very moment, Ai Xin was deeply shaken and fell into self-doubt.

An unprecedented sense of frustration welled up in the heart of the Third Raikage.

I feel like a tiger trapped in a cage, full of strength but with nowhere to unleash it.

And in that very moment of hesitation...

"Report—"

An intelligence ninja, specially instructed by Danzo, appeared instantly on the fortress wall. His voice, amplified by a special ninjutsu, resounded throughout the entire battlefield.

"Urgent report from the western front of the Land of Fire! Our surprise attack force, led by Captain Sakumo Hatake, has successfully killed the Sand Village puppet army commanders, the Sand Couple, and destroyed all supply lines to the Sand Village front! The morale of the Sand Village army is low, and they have retreated completely!"

What?!

This news caused an uproar within the Cloud Village's military ranks.

The Sand Village... has it been defeated?

The Third Raikage's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.

His willingness to mobilize all his forces this time was based on his calculation that Konoha would be preoccupied with fighting on three fronts and would be too busy to help itself.

But now, the Western Front is already over?

This is not over yet.

"Report—!"

Another messenger ninja has appeared.

"Urgent report from the southern front of the Land of Fire! Our Sannin squad has decisively defeated the main force of Amegakure within the Land of Rain's borders, slaying the elite Jonin brothers, the Demon Brothers, and directly confronting the demigod Hanzo of the Salamander! The combined forces of Amegakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure have fallen apart, fighting independently!"

"Report—!"

The third messenger ninja followed closely behind.

"Urgent report from the Eastern Front of the Land of Fire! Our Illusionary Wall unit has successfully lured and captured the surprise attack force led by Huang Tu, son of the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, without bloodshed, forcing Iwagakure to adopt a defensive posture across the entire front!"

One piece of good news after another came in succession.

Every message was like a resounding slap in the face to the Third Raikage and all the Cloud Village ninja.

They then realized with horror that...

What kind of three-front war is this? The troops are scattered.

From beginning to end, it was all a scheme laid out by Hiruzen Sarutobi!

He wasn't dividing his forces; he was launching a counterattack on four fronts simultaneously against four countries.

The Hidden Cloud Village, thinking they had seized the best opportunity for a surprise attack, actually became the last fool to run headlong into an insurmountable obstacle.

The so-called "surprise attack" has turned into "deep penetration by a lone force".

The ninjas of Kumogakure began to stir.

Their morale plummeted to rock bottom at that moment.

Is there any point in continuing this fight?

Judging from the battle just now, Lord Raikage was clearly at a disadvantage.

What can this lone force do? Just wait to be surrounded and slaughtered by the returning Konoha army?

The Third Raikage's face turned from blue to white, then from white to red.

He clenched his fists tightly.

He lost.

Perhaps it wasn't just about strength, but also about strategy, vision, and the wisdom of the Third Hokage whom they had always looked down upon.

He was brave, but not a fool.

Ai understood that continuing the fight would only endanger himself and his troops.

for a long time.

As if using all his strength, he slowly loosened his tightly clenched fist.

He gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep look, his eyes filled with resentment.

"...You win."

"Tell me, Hiruzen Sarutobi, what price we need to pay."

He squeezed out those words through gritted teeth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put on the hat of the Will of Fire again, the brim of which covered most of his expression, but Ai could sense that it was mockery.

"Ah, Ai, as you wish."

"........."