Toying with people's hearts had always been one of Naruto's favorite pastimes. Watching as they lost their faith and began to rage… in that moment, they would erupt with an unusual power.
By now, the Third Hokage had already launched his attack on Naruto. He began with a probing kunai throw. The cliché opening move bored Naruto to no end. He raised his hand and immediately used Horin. The yellow lines of Kido twisted and danced in the air, effortlessly deflecting all the kunai.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Bullet."
"Fire Style: Fire Flow Bullet."
"Water Style: Water Flow Bullet."
The Third Hokage lived up to his title as the Professor of the ninja world. He layered three different elemental ninjutsu, completely sealing off Naruto's escape routes.
"Impressive power, but you've gotten old." Naruto emotionlessly swung his sword. The Reiatsu from Kyoka Suigetsu sliced through all three jutsu, leaving not even a trace behind.
"Gale!!" The moment Naruto swung his blade, Monkey King Enma appeared behind him, swinging the Power Pole with immense force. Infused with a wind-style ninjutsu, the attack carried the weight of a mountain. If it were to hit an ordinary person, they would be instantly crushed to pieces.
But unfortunately for him, he was facing Naruto.
"You shouldn't be playing with such childish toys."
Sheathing his sword, Naruto twisted his body in a bizarre arc, dodging the Power Pole's strike, and then kicked Enma away.
"Hado Number 73: Soren Sokatsui." A massive blast of blue-white fire, three meters in diameter, shot from Naruto's palm, engulfing Enma. A deafening explosion roared, leaving a crater fifteen meters wide in its wake. The wall of the stands behind it was riddled with holes.
Enma, caught in the blast, was in a sorry state. He had barely managed to avoid a direct hit, but his arm was red, swollen, and searing hot where it had been grazed.
"What a terrifying jutsu!" The Third Hokage's pupils constricted. He and Enma were partners who had fought side-by-side for decades; they knew each other's strengths well. While Enma wasn't as strong as him, he wasn't far behind. Yet he was struggling to survive under Naruto's relentless assault.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!" The Third Hokage continued to form hand seals without pause, spewing a violent torrent of fire from his mouth. This was a secret fire-style ninjutsu passed down through the Sarutobi clan. The flames were incredibly intense, capable of incinerating anyone caught in them in an instant. At the same time, the jutsu had a wide range, making it difficult to dodge.
The Third Hokage knew he was no match for Naruto in taijutsu, so he tried to maintain his distance and attack with the ninjutsu he excelled at.
Of course, the Great Flame Technique wasn't all he had. He formed another set of hand seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow River." The earth-style jutsu changed the terrain, and the ground beneath Naruto's feet instantly turned to mud.
Crack.
Several hands made of earth shot up, grabbing Naruto's ankles and binding him.
"The Professor, a master of ninjutsu. Is this all it takes to call yourself the strongest Hokage in history?" Naruto sneered with contempt. He easily broke free from the earthen hands and swung Kyoka Suigetsu horizontally, the Reiatsu clinging to the blade stirring the air and sharpening its edge.
Amidst the sea of crimson flames, a blinding white line suddenly appeared, stretching horizontally from the left and right sides of the fire and rapidly extending.
SWISH.
The fan-shaped inferno that had covered half the battlefield split down the middle, creating a massive gap. The swirling flames neatly parted, passing over Naruto's head and crashing into the ground.
Seeing his powerful combination ninjutsu so effortlessly broken, the Third Hokage's pupils shrank. He then saw the Naruto who had been standing there a moment ago become an afterimage. In an instant, Naruto had closed the distance between them and slashed with his sword.
The Third Hokage's heart rate skyrocketed, alarm bells screaming in his head. Neither his eyes nor his aged body could keep up with Naruto's speed. If he were in his prime, he would never be in such a pathetic state.
The Third Hokage tried to form hand seals, but Naruto was too fast.
"You're old, strongest Hokage."
SLASH.
Blood sprayed through the air. With a pained cry, one of the Third Hokage's arms was sent flying. Yet he still endured the excruciating pain, forming hand seals with his one remaining hand.
"Wind Style: Cyclone!" He spat a hurricane from his mouth, engulfing Naruto. From behind, Enma, also enduring immense pain, rushed in. He swung his staff at Naruto's back.
"Your battle sense is decent, but a little naive." Naruto turned, and before everyone's shocked eyes, his slender arm caught the incoming Power Pole. A white mist swirled around his arm, and a negative energy spread, forming half of a grim, bone-white mask on his face.
Before Enma's horrified gaze, Naruto's other hand grabbed his neck and squeezed. The eyes beneath the mask were filled with killing intent.
Gurgle.
Enma was slowly lifted into the air, his legs flailing uselessly as his eyes rolled back in his head. The staff in his hand fell to the ground. He clawed helplessly at Naruto's hand, despair gradually filling his eyes.
"Water Style: Water Stream Bullet Technique!" At this critical moment, the Third Hokage's ninjutsu support arrived.
Naruto turned, using Enma as a shield. The Water Stream Bullet slammed into Enma's body. The immense impact knocked Enma unconscious. Don't underestimate the destructive power of water ninjutsu; its impact was very real. The force of a simple Water Stream Bullet was comparable to falling from a height of twenty meters onto the surface of water. Even a summoning beast couldn't withstand it.
"In such a hurry to die? It's not your turn yet." Naruto then tossed Enma aside and pointed his right index finger at the Third Hokage.
"Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro."
Six wide beams of light descended from the sky, precisely striking the Third Hokage's body and pinning him to the ground. No wounds appeared on his body, and no blood flowed, but the connection to his chakra was completely severed. No matter how he tried to control it, how he struggled, he couldn't break free. He could only watch in despair as Naruto slowly approached, speaking in a flat tone:
"The moment you became obsessed with power, you began to decay. Now, you don't even have the right to die by my hand."
Before the horrified eyes of everyone present, Naruto stepped on the Third Hokage's face. He reached up with his left hand and crushed the bone mask, revealing his mocking blue eyes.
"Did you ever imagine that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki you tried to control would one day be the one to humiliate you?"
The ninja in the stands watched in fury as Naruto humiliated the Third Hokage. But no matter what they did, they would find themselves running around like headless chickens, always ending up back where they started. They could only watch in despair as the Third Hokage of Konoha, the strongest of the hidden villages, was humiliated. A Kage represents their village. Naruto's actions were tantamount to grinding Konoha under his heel.
"Let go of Lord Hokage!" the Konoha 12 cried out in anguish, Naruto Uzumaki's eyes burning with rage.
But in the Third Hokage's eyes, everyone was under Naruto's genjutsu, standing still like puppets. To be able to control hundreds of people while fighting him… what kind of terrifying power was this? Naruto had such terrifying talent in genjutsu?!
If only I had stopped Danzo when he was spreading those rumors. If only I had revealed Naruto Uzumaki's identity as the Fourth's son when he was a child. Then perhaps, the Naruto Uzumaki of today would be as brilliant and powerful a ninja as this Naruto. If only I had treated him with sincerity, perhaps Konoha would not have fallen to this state.
Unfortunately, there were no 'if onlys' in this world.
The Third Hokage's eyes were filled with regret.
"So now, you regret it?" Naruto's tone was filled with ridicule. "If you hadn't hidden Naruto Uzumaki's identity from the beginning, he would have grown up beloved by all, received the resources he deserved, and his talent would have been realized. He would have grown into a Kage-level ninja who inherited the Will of Fire."
"He might have even surpassed the Kage level."
"But, in order to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, you made the worst possible decision."
"The Nine-Tails is indeed a fine weapon of war, but don't forget, Naruto Uzumaki is the son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki. Inheriting the Fourth's talent and the Uzumaki clan's chakra constitution, he always had the potential to surpass the Kage level."
"In fact, you all suppressed his growth."