"I never thought there would be a day I'd fight alongside both of you."
Standing in the endless desert, Hanzō spoke with a faint emotional tone.
Not long ago, both sides were still enemies. A month ago, he had even been a prisoner of Konoha. Yet now, he was standing side by side with the Third Hokage and Konoha's Lightning Flash, preparing to face the Sunagakure army together.
If anyone heard this, they would never believe it.
To his right stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, wearing a faint smile. On his other side was Hayashi, equally composed.
The three of them could be said to be the peak combat forces of the entire ninja world.
Rarely in history had three Kage level fighters gathered on the same battlefield as allies.
During Hashirama Senju's era, Konoha had the strength to do so, but it was unnecessary. The First Hokage alone was enough to dominate any battlefield.
At the peak of the Sannin era, such a formation might have been possible, but Tsunade was bedridden and unable to fight, while Orochimaru had already defected. The remaining Sannin were never aligned.
Even the Akatsuki of the future rarely gathered such strength in one place, often working in pairs and gradually falling one by one when isolated.
Because of that, this kind of lineup, assembled without Edo Tensei, was almost unheard of.
Hiruzen let out a light chuckle. "Hayashi, when the battle starts, stay behind me."
This had not been part of the original plan.
The Third Hokage had insisted on coming personally.
Not because he wanted glory, but because this battle mattered too much.
Hayashi's previous operation in Kirigakure had already shifted the tide of the war. This interception of Sunagakure would further tilt the entire conflict in Konoha's favor.
It was easy to assume that two thousand Sunagakure shinobi would mean nothing against Hayashi and Hanzō combined, but reality was more complicated.
Kirigakure had dense mist, terrain advantages, and internal chaos involving civilians and the Six Tails, making large scale annihilation easier.
This battlefield was different.
An open desert offered no cover at all.
Even for Hayashi, repeating the same kind of suppression would be far more difficult.
At least, that was Hiruzen's judgment. And because of that, he refused to leave everything solely to the younger generation.
Still, Hayashi found the situation complicated.
He did not doubt Hiruzen's strength, but the Hokage represented the highest authority of Konoha. If anything happened to him here, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Even if the enemy was only two thousand Sunagakure ninja led by Rasa and Ebizo, they would swarm like beasts if they detected an opportunity.
Hayashi looked at Hiruzen with concern, but the Third Hokage simply shook his head.
"Don't worry about me. Dividing your attention in battle will only slow you down."
Hanzō glanced sideways and spoke flatly.
"If I die here at the hands of Sunagakure, I probably won't even have a body left to recover."
His tone was indifferent.
"I'll say this clearly. If I die, everything ends. But if you die, Konoha must remove the cursed seal on me and honor the agreement."
He had not come only to avoid dragging the Land of Rain into war, but also because he was bound by the cursed seal and Konoha's control.
Hiruzen waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. Even if I die, Konoha will still keep its word."
He paused briefly.
"Besides, let's not talk as if defeat is certain. This is not a death trap."
If it truly were hopeless, he would never have come.
With Hayashi, who had already invaded and withdrawn from Kirigakure alive, and Hanzō, who had held the Land of Rain together for years, plus himself, there was no reason to fear two thousand Sunagakure shinobi.
And importantly, the Third Kazekage was absent.
Without him, Ebizo alone was not enough to be decisive.
As for Rasa, Hiruzen did not even consider him a threat.
Silence settled over the group.
Sunagakure had not yet appeared.
The Third Hokage looked out across the desert and spoke again.
"The Land of Wind. The last time I came here was before the Second Great Ninja War."
He glanced at Hanzō.
"Do you remember?"
Hanzō nodded.
"Of course. Back then, you, me, and the Third Kazekage fought in different directions. We clashed from the border of the Land of Fire all the way through the Land of Wind, and ended up in the Land of Rain. None of us could truly defeat the others."
A rare sense of excitement surfaced in Hanzō's expression.
These days, he had been burdened with ruling the Land of Rain. It had been a long time since he felt like this.
Hiruzen laughed.
"That was the most satisfying battle I've had since becoming Hokage."
"Before that, I'd have to go back to the First Great Ninja War."
"It's a pity. After becoming Hokage, opportunities like that became fewer and fewer."
He turned slightly, glancing at Hayashi.
"I was born during the time when the Senju and Uchiha clans were still in constant conflict."
"By the time I was old enough to understand things, the Warring States period was already ending."
"I haven't actually experienced that many large scale wars compared to people like Orochimaru or Tsunade."
"That peace was thanks to Lord First Hokage. Only he could suppress the entire ninja world for so long."
Hiruzen's voice lowered slightly.
"As Hokage, I have failed in some ways. I let you younger ones grow up in war."
Hayashi listened quietly. He did not interrupt.
Hiruzen then changed his tone.
"Back then, Lord Second Hokage sacrificed himself for the younger generation."
"I will do the same today."
"If anything happens, Hayashi, you retreat first. Do not worry about me."
"The position of Fourth Hokage… will go to your teacher Orochimaru. Understand?"
Hayashi replied firmly, "I understand."
In the next instant, Hiruzen's chakra surged outward without restraint.
He grabbed a handful of sand, letting it slip through his fingers as the wind scattered it across the sky.
Then he stepped forward.
And charged toward Sunagakure.
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