Chapter 672: Desperately Powerful
"Transform. Our opponent is not simple," Hiruzen said quickly.
Enma could maximize his cooperation with Hiruzen only by transforming into the Adamantine Staff, achieving an effect greater than one plus one equals two.
Seeing Hiruzen's serious expression, Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff without saying a word.
Hiruzen grabbed the staff and aimed it at Mugetsu's upper body.
Whoosh!
Almost in the blink of an eye, the Adamantine Staff rapidly extended, reaching Mugetsu in an instant.
However, the Adamantine Staff stopped extending when it was only three centimeters away from Mugetsu.
Hiruzen's expression remained unchanged. He tightly gripped the Adamantine Staff, channeled chakra into it, and thrust forward with force.
Yet the Adamantine Staff remained three centimeters in front of Mugetsu, as if all of Hiruzen's strength had been swallowed by some mysterious entity.
"Is there an invisible shield around him?"
After confirming that Taijutsu would also be difficult to use effectively, Hiruzen quickly pondered how to fight next.
Sōsuke's Ninjutsu was truly difficult to deal with. It could perfectly block both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, making it excessively powerful.
Moreover, Sōsuke's composure made it difficult for Hiruzen to judge the upper limit of this Ninjutsu's defense.
At that moment, two arms suddenly extended from the Adamantine Staff, swiftly reaching out to grab Mugetsu.
Hiruzen, on the other hand, released the Adamantine Staff and swiftly formed hand seals, preparing to use Genjutsu.
He was the type who had developed comprehensively in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu, and he had mastered many Genjutsu.
Genjutsu's method of attack was very special. It could directly attack the enemy's five senses, so it should be able to bypass Sōsuke's shield protection.
"Demonic Illusion…"
Just as Hiruzen was about to cast Genjutsu, an incredible scene unfolded before his eyes.
Golden.
Sōsuke's right eye suddenly turned a captivating golden color.
His left eye, however, transformed into the Byakugan, which Hiruzen was all too familiar with.
"Daikokuten!"
Hiruzen did not even have time to feel confused before a giant black cube appeared above him.
Whoosh!
Suddenly enveloped by shadow, Hiruzen gave up on using Genjutsu without hesitation. He erupted with chakra, used the Body Flicker Technique, and flashed away.
Boom!
The giant cube slammed into the ground where Hiruzen had just stood, creating cracks across the earth.
Hiruzen ignored the giant cube that had appeared so suddenly, because the scene before him was truly baffling.
Hiruzen did not know what that golden eye was, but wasn't Sōsuke's left eye Konoha's Byakugan?
But how could a normal eye transform into a Byakugan?
The Byakugan was different from the Sharingan. When the Sharingan was not activated, it looked no different from a normal person's eyes. But even when the Byakugan was not activated, it was completely different from ordinary eyes.
Not to mention, Sōsuke was not from the Hyuga Clan. If he had the Byakugan, then it could only have been obtained through transplantation, and he might not even be able to actively switch it on and off.
"Byakugan… How is this possible?" Homura also looked incredulous.
How had those perfectly normal eyes turned into Byakugan?
Homura checked three times to confirm that he was not under Genjutsu, and that this was reality.
Even Orochimaru could not help showing a surprised expression.
If Sōsuke had the Byakugan, Orochimaru would be a little surprised, but he would not find it too strange, because it was not unheard of for the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan to flow outside the clan.
But in this situation, Orochimaru was extremely curious. He had never heard of a Byakugan that could maintain the appearance of an ordinary person's eyes when not activated.
"How does he possess the Byakugan?!" The Konoha jonin were all dumbfounded. They had not expected their own Village's Kekkei Genkai to appear on an enemy.
The jonin subconsciously looked at a certain person in the team. Among the jonin guards Hiruzen had chosen, there happened to be a ninja from the Hyuga Clan.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Hyuga Hizashi shook his head.
Even he, a member of the Hyuga Clan, did not know what was going on.
The Hyuga Clan had been passed down for over a thousand years, but Hizashi could guarantee that he had never heard of any Hyuga ninja whose eyes were like those of an ordinary person.
"A golden eye."
Unlike the others, Shisui focused more on that golden right eye.
The Byakugan was a well known Eye Technique Kekkei Genkai throughout the Ninja World, but Shisui had no impression of Sōsuke's right eye.
Sōsuke's eyes not only baffled the ninja on Konoha's side, but also caused a huge stir among Ninshū's people.
The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was no less famous in the Ninja World than the Sharingan.
Although the Hyuga Clan had never produced a powerhouse like Uchiha Madara, the Byakugan's strategic position in war far surpassed the Sharingan.
An Uchiha with the Sharingan could only make himself strong, but a ninja with the Byakugan could raise the entire team's reconnaissance ability by several levels, equivalent to having a small scope of X ray vision.
"You really know how to hide. You never used your Kekkei Genkai even once!"
Kakuzu was numb.
Hiding Ninjutsu was one thing, but never using a Kekkei Genkai was truly outrageous.
"Son, what's the deal with Sōsuke's eyes? Do you know?" Rōshi curiously asked the Four Tails inside him.
"Not very clearly. I'm just a Tailed Beast. How would I know so much?" The Four Tails shook its head and replied.
It recognized Nagato's eyes because it knew the Sage of Six Paths, not because it was knowledgeable or well informed.
Aside from the period when it followed the Sage of Six Paths, it had basically stayed cooped up deep in the mountains. How would it know about Eye Technique Kekkei Genkai?
Whoosh!
Enma found that the moment his hands approached Mugetsu, they stopped, so he controlled himself to retract and moved closer to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen once again gathered chakra to cast Genjutsu on Mugetsu, but it had no effect, and Mugetsu's attack did not stop.
"It's practically flawless."
Hiruzen held the Adamantine Staff, feeling a little lost for a moment.
The unknown shield allowed Sōsuke to completely defend against Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, while the Byakugan and his excellent Genjutsu Release ability meant Sōsuke did not need to worry about Genjutsu.
Having mastered thousands of Ninjutsu and secret techniques, Hiruzen was actually at a loss for how to fight Sōsuke.
"No. As long as it is a defensive Ninjutsu, it cannot be invincible. There must be an upper limit to its endurance!"
Hiruzen took a deep breath and decided to try his best.
There was no true absolute defense in the Ninja World, because the nature of chakra determined that Ninjutsu could not possess an absolutely invincible defense.
Swish! Swish!
Hiruzen thought about tactics, but his body did not stop moving. He constantly flashed around, dodging the black cubes falling from the sky.
After no more black cubes fell, Hiruzen suddenly turned behind one of the cubes and quickly attached several explosive tags to the Adamantine Staff.
The next moment, Mugetsu caught up, and Hiruzen thrust the Adamantine Staff toward him.
Under Mugetsu's eyes, Hiruzen's movements were completely exposed. The moment Hiruzen made his move, Mugetsu once again used Limitless, causing the Adamantine Staff to stop three centimeters in front of his body.
Whoosh!
The Adamantine Staff extended in reverse, swiftly sending Hiruzen far away.
Rumble!
The explosive tags detonated violently, covering Mugetsu and the surrounding area.
Hiruzen knew that this kind of attack would not faze Sōsuke, so without the slightest pause, he immediately formed hand seals to use Earth Release Ninjutsu.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Under the massive chakra amplification from Hiruzen, a large area of land turned into a swamp, and one third of Mugetsu's body instantly sank into it.
"Adamantine Prison Wall!"
While forming hand seals, Hiruzen kicked out the Adamantine Staff.
As the Adamantine Staff flew toward Mugetsu, it rapidly transformed into dozens of clones, forming a cubic cage that trapped Mugetsu inside.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Hiruzen's hand movements did not stop at all. He immediately formed hand seals again and split into four Shadow Clones.
"Five Great Consecutive Shots!"
Hiruzen's main body used Fire Release, while the other four Shadow Clones used Water Release, Lightning Release, and Ninjutsu of the other four attributes respectively.
This was the tactic Hiruzen had devised.
If ordinary Ninjutsu could not harm Sōsuke, then he would simply not use ordinary offensive Ninjutsu. Instead, he would use supportive Ninjutsu like Swamp of the Underworld to restrain him.
Then, he would use his strongest offensive Ninjutsu, the Five Great Consecutive Shots, to attack the restrained Sōsuke.
The Five Great Consecutive Shots was the ultimate result of Hiruzen's decades of Ninjutsu training. He was confident that it could even break the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Armor, which was known as the strongest shield.
"If even the Five Great Consecutive Shots does not work, then I can only use that…"
A trace of determination flashed in Hiruzen's eyes.
If even the Five Great Consecutive Shots could not break through Sōsuke's defense, then Hiruzen would surely lose this battle.
This was an outcome Hiruzen had never anticipated.
Sōsuke was too secretive. Since the battle began, he had been using abilities he had never displayed before, and his strength far exceeded Hiruzen's imagination.
Before the battle began, Hiruzen had never considered using the Reaper Death Seal.
He had only wanted to avenge Danzo. Why should he sacrifice himself? Would that not simply cause even more chaos for Konoha?
Now, things were different. With the battle having progressed to this point, Hiruzen had to win, even if it meant mutual destruction with Sōsuke.
If he did not, not only would he die, but most of the Konoha ninja who had come with him would also die.
Because those Konoha ninja would not stand by and watch him get killed. They would definitely intervene.
But if his Five Great Consecutive Shots had no effect on Sōsuke, then it could only mean one thing.
Sōsuke was stronger than him.
Significantly stronger.
Coupled with Kakuzu and Nagato from Ninshū, Konoha's side would undoubtedly lose.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A large amount of flames burst from the mouth of Hiruzen's main body. The flames carried intense heat that could incinerate everything, instantly igniting the surrounding air. Rolling heatwaves struck the observing ninja, making them feel hot and restless.
A powerful storm was exhaled by the Shadow Clones, not only amplifying the power of the flames, but also transforming into sharp blades that tore through the air and slashed toward Mugetsu.
Rumble!
Huge rocks, propelled by the strong wind, rapidly passed through the flames like flaming meteors falling swiftly from the sky, hurtling toward Mugetsu.
Boom!
Crash!
Silver white lightning streaked across the sky, and light blue water surged out, forming raging waves.
In an instant, the terrifying power of all five chakra attributes swept across the battlefield. Each attribute complemented the others, constantly amplifying their strength. The power of the Five Releases achieved perfect fusion at this moment, forming an inescapable attack network that enveloped Mugetsu's location.
"As expected of the Hokage. The power of these Five Releases is truly terrifying." Kakuzu stared intently at the battlefield, unable to stop himself from worrying for Sōsuke.
He was also a ninja who played with the five great Ninjutsu and Combination Ninjutsu, so he understood how exaggerated Hiruzen's attack was.
Therefore, even though Sōsuke had said many times that he was very strong and that the battle would be fine, Kakuzu still could not help feeling worried for him.
"Sōsuke sensei."
Even Kakuzu, who knew Sōsuke relatively well, was somewhat worried, let alone the other Ninshū ninja, who were basically all watching the restrained Sōsuke anxiously.
"If it's Sensei, he should be fine," Nagato thought calmly.
If Mugetsu were truly in a desperate situation, he would definitely unleash his full power. But currently, Mugetsu had not used the Ninjutsu associated with his Hayate Mugetsu identity, indicating that everything was still under his control.
"The victor will be decided in this clash." Orochimaru put away his scattered thoughts and watched the battle seriously.
If Hiruzen's Five Great Consecutive Shots, which consumed a large amount of chakra, did not give him an advantage, then Hiruzen would surely lose.
"Sandaime sama, you must win!"
The Konoha jonin silently cheered for Hiruzen in their hearts.
Whoosh!
The moment the Ninjutsu was about to approach, Enma's main body, transformed into the Adamantine Staff, swiftly retreated.
It did not want to take the Five Great Consecutive Shots head on. Taking a Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was fine, but taking the Five Great Consecutive Shots would be a bit too much.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance!"
Just at that moment, Mugetsu slowly floated out of the swamp, entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, and exhaled terrifying flames with extremely high temperature.
Bang!
The monstrous flames struck the Adamantine Prison Wall, and the Adamantine Prison Wall instantly turned into white smoke and dissipated on the ground.
The retreating Enma was somewhat surprised by this sight.
Its clones were not fragile Shadow Clones. Even in its absence, the Adamantine Prison Wall was very sturdy and could withstand some powerful Ninjutsu without issue.
Yet it had been so easily dissipated by Sōsuke's attack. This Fire Release was indeed not simple.
However, Enma did not pay too much attention to it. It was already too late.
Hiruzen's Five Great Consecutive Shots had almost reached Sōsuke, and Sōsuke would definitely not be able to dodge.
But at that moment, the pupil of Mugetsu's right eye suddenly burst with a faint golden light.
"Sukunahikona!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The giant rocks, burning with flames and propelled by the strong wind, rapidly shrank until they eventually disappeared completely.
The sea of fire that could incinerate forests and the hurricane that swept across the entire battlefield also vanished without a trace.
The water like giant waves in the sea disappeared in an instant, not even leaving a wisp of steam behind.
The silver white lightning that seemed capable of piercing everything dissipated in the air, leaving no trace.
The battlefield, which had been ravaged by the power of the Five Releases, suddenly became calm. Only a few marks on the ground proved that someone had just released a terrifying Combination Ninjutsu here.
Silence.
Neither Hiruzen, who was currently fighting Mugetsu, nor the observing Ninshū and Konoha ninja made a sound.
The entire battlefield fell into an eerie stillness.
"No wonder Ninshū's attitude was so strange."
Hiruzen gave a bitter smile.
No wonder he could not find anything when investigating Ninshū's ninja power.
It turned out he had been looking in the wrong direction.
....
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