"Sasuke!"
"Sasuke!!"
At the same time, both Lee and Naruto saw Sasuke get blasted away.
Their expressions changed instantly as they charged forward again.
At the center of the chaos, the crimson chakra around Naruto grew even denser.
Faintly, it even looked like a second tail was about to form.
His eyes had already turned completely blood-red.
The next moment, he lunged straight at Gaara—
Speed and strength pushed to the absolute limit.
BANG!
But when his fist slammed down, it felt like punching solid steel!
Shukaku's Shield!
Gaara raised his left arm slightly as sand flowed wildly beneath his feet.
"…Better… kill you…"
"…tear you apart…!"
His voice became hoarse, layered with another deeper tone beneath it—
As if two voices were speaking at once.
Especially after sensing the tailed-beast chakra on Naruto, the presence inside him grew more and more violent.
The light in Gaara's eyes dimmed further and further.
Then—
BOOM!
Shukaku's brutal chakra surged sharply upward.
The aftershock alone began rattling nearby buildings.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fortunately, ANBU appeared around the area and quickly erected a barrier, barely containing the spread.
But behind Gaara—
The phantom head of Shukaku formed from sand grew clearer and clearer.
Gaara's eyes, meanwhile, grew emptier by the second.
"This is bad… Gaara's losing control!"
Seeing this, Kankuro's face paled as he hurriedly retreated.
Even Temari didn't dare be careless. She slowed her breathing and gripped her fan tightly—
Almost itching to swing again.
On the Hokage Tower balcony, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
Watching the two tailed-beast auras rising below, the Third Hokage finally realized something was terribly wrong.
A peaceful alliance visit—
So why bring a jinchūriki into the village?
And now both were on the verge of rampaging.
If two tailed beasts went berserk inside Konoha…
The consequences would be unimaginable.
But at a moment like this—
Why hadn't Uchiha Kai appeared yet?
The thought surfaced suddenly in Hiruzen's mind.
He gave a bitter smile.
Somehow, without realizing it, even he had begun to acknowledge Kai's importance to Konoha.
He'd even started placing his hopes on him.
"…Hah. As Hokage, how can I place my hopes on someone else?"
He inhaled deeply, a faint clarity surfacing in his heart.
"Perhaps… today is the day this old man proves himself as Hokage."
No logic.
No evidence.
Just that strange intuition rising as he sat here discussing an alliance.
Hiruzen slowly turned his head.
His aged eyes widened—
Fixing on the group before him.
He saw it.
The playful look on the Fourth Kazekage's face.
So that's how it is.
His heart sank… then oddly steadied.
As Hokage, how could he show fear now?
Step.
At that moment, the pale, androgynous man beside the Kazekage suddenly removed his wide hat, revealing chalk-white skin.
He looked at the Third Hokage, a trace of complexity flickering in his eyes before fading into calm.
Then he smiled.
"Hehehe… it seems the honorable Third Hokage has realized something."
"Oh?"
The Fourth Kazekage stepped forward, subtly blocking Hiruzen's retreat.
Front and back.
Left and right.
Even the Sound ninja behind them were already poised like predators.
"…Just as I thought."
Hiruzen sighed softly.
"But Rasa… do you realize this will ignite war between Konoha and Sunagakure?"
Rasa shook his head.
"War? These are merely… necessary measures."
"…Necessary measures."
Hiruzen repeated the phrase, chewing on the words.
The last trace of hope vanished from his wrinkled face.
They'd been ready for war all along.
Not just Sunagakure—
But Kumogakure and Iwagakure as well.
Otherwise they wouldn't have sent elite forces so deep into Fire Country earlier.
Which meant—
Among the Five Great Villages, aside from the isolated Mist…
Three were already prepared for war.
Only Konoha—
Or rather, he, Hiruzen Sarutobi—
Had not been.
For a village leader, that was a catastrophic strategic failure.
In that moment, he suddenly remembered Kai's earlier words.
Reform.
"…Reform… yes. Konoha truly does need reform."
"To cling to the past… only turns one into a relic of the old era. Just like me."
He exhaled slowly, then looked toward Rasa and the Sound leader.
His heart settled completely.
"…This is—"
As the student who once knew him best, Orochimaru immediately sensed something was off.
He waved a hand at once, signaling the Sound Four to fall back.
Even he himself slowly stepped away, tongue flicking as he chuckled.
"Kazekage-dono, I'll hold off anyone outside."
"Please… kill the Third Hokage quickly and end this."
Rasa: ???
He turned sharply, staring at Orochimaru in shock.
His eyes were full of disbelief.
Wait… that's not what we agreed on.
Weren't they supposed to attack together and take down the Third Hokage first?
Now he was being left alone?!
Rasa might be proud—
But he wasn't stupid.
Against the Third Hokage, he couldn't guarantee the upper hand.
It didn't take long for him to realize Orochimaru's plan:
Let them weaken each other, then reap the rewards.
"…If that's how it is… then don't blame me."
Seeing Orochimaru already retreating toward the door, Rasa took a deep breath and suddenly roared:
"Orochimaru! If you're going to act, now's the time!"
His voice exploded like thunder—
Instantly echoing through the Hokage Tower.
In a flash, attention from all sides snapped toward the building.
"Idiot!"
Orochimaru cursed under his breath, hurriedly activating the prepared barrier.
The battle—
Was about to begin.
From the distance, Kai glanced toward the tower, his expression shifting slightly.
"So… the Konoha Crush finally begins."
"First Hokage… Second Hokage… Kimimaro… Edo Tensei… Living Corpse Reincarnation…"
He smiled faintly.
"Orochimaru…"
"This time, since you've come—"
"You're not leaving."
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/SorenSwiftTL