Chapter 672: Desperately Powerful

“Transform. Our opponent is not simple,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said quickly.

Enma could only maximize his cooperation with him by transforming into the Adamantine Staff, achieving an effect greater than one plus one equals two.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi’s serious expression, Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff without a word.

Hiruzen Sarutobi grabbed the staff and aimed it at Muzuki’s upper body.

Whoosh!

Almost in the blink of an eye, the Adamantine Staff rapidly extended, reaching in front of Muzuki.

However, the Adamantine Staff stopped extending when it was only three centimeters away from Muzuki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression remained unchanged as he tightly gripped the Adamantine Staff, channeling Chakra to thrust forward with force.

Yet, the Adamantine Staff remained three centimeters in front of Muzuki, as if Hiruzen Sarutobi’s previous 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 Sarutobi 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 Sarutobi to judge the upper limit of this Ninjutsu’s defense.

At this moment, two arms suddenly extended from the Adamantine Staff, swiftly reaching out to grab Muzuki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, on the other hand, put down the Adamantine Staff and swiftly formed hand signs, preparing to release Genjutsu.

He was a type who developed comprehensively in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu, having mastered many Genjutsu.

Genjutsu’s attack method was very special, capable of directly attacking the enemy’s five senses, which should be able to bypass Sōsuke’s shield protection.

“Demonic Illusion…”

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi 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 Sarutobi was all too familiar with.

“Daikokuten!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t even have time to feel confused before a giant black cube appeared above him.

Whoosh!

Suddenly enveloped by shadow, Hiruzen Sarutobi unhesitatingly gave up on using Genjutsu, bursting with Chakra to use Body Flicker Technique and flash away.

Boom!!

The giant cube slammed onto the ground where Hiruzen Sarutobi had just stood, creating cracks in the earth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored the suddenly appearing giant cube because the scene before him was truly baffling.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t know what that golden eye was, but wasn’t Sōsuke’s left eye their Konoha’s Byakugan?

But how could a normal eye transform into a Byakugan?

The Byakugan was different from the Sharingan; the Sharingan, when not activated, was no different from a normal person’s eyes, but the Byakugan, even when not activated, was completely different from normal eyes.

Not to mention, Sōsuke was not from the Hyuga Clan, so the Byakugan could only be obtained through transplantation, and he might not even be able to actively switch it on and off.

“Byakugan… How is this possible?” Homura Mitokado also looked incredulous. How did these perfectly normal eyes turn into Byakugan?

Homura Mitokado triple-checked to confirm that he wasn’t under Genjutsu, that this was reality.

Even Orochimaru couldn’t help but show a surprised expression.

If Sōsuke had the Byakugan, he would be a little surprised but wouldn’t find it too strange, because the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan had not been unheard of flowing out of the clan.

But in this situation, Orochimaru was very curious; he had never heard of a Byakugan that could maintain the appearance of a normal person’s eyes when not activated.

“How does he possess the Byakugan?!” The Konoha Jonin were all dumbfounded, not expecting their own Village’s Bloodline Limit to appear on an enemy.

The Jonin subconsciously looked at a certain person in the team; among the Jonin guards Hiruzen Sarutobi chose, there happened to be a Ninja from the Hyuga Clan.

Feeling everyone’s gaze, Hyuga Hizashi shook his head.

Even he, a Hyuga Clan member, didn’t know what was going on.

The Hyuga Clan had been passed down for over a thousand years, but Hyuga Hizashi could guarantee that he had never heard of any Hyuga Clan Ninja whose eyes were like those of a normal person.

“A golden eye.” Unlike others’ focus, Shisui was more concerned about that golden right eye.

The Byakugan was a well-known Eye Technique Bloodline Limit in 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 the Shinobi Sect.

The Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan was no less famous in the Ninja World than the Sharingan.

Although the Hyuga Clan had not produced a powerhouse like Uchiha Madara, the Byakugan’s strategic position in war far surpassed the Sharingan.

A Uchiha with the Sharingan could only make himself strong, while a Ninja with the Byakugan could raise the entire team’s reconnaissance capabilities by several levels, equivalent to having a small X-ray vision.

“You really know how to hide, you never used your Bloodline Limit once!”

Kakuzu was numb; hiding Ninjutsu was one thing, but never using a Bloodline Limit was truly outrageous.

“Son, what’s the deal with Sōsuke’s eyes? Do you know?” Roshi curiously asked the Four-Tails within him.

“Not very clear, 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 Six Paths Sage, not because it was knowledgeable or well-informed.

Aside from the period when it followed the Six Paths Sage, it basically stayed cooped up in the deep mountains; how would it know about Eye Technique Bloodline Limits?

Whoosh!

Enma found that as soon as his hands approached Muzuki, they stopped, so he controlled himself to retract, moving closer to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi once again gathered Chakra to cast Genjutsu on Muzuki, but it had no effect, and Muzuki’s attack did not stop.

“It’s practically flawless.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi held the Adamantine Staff, feeling a bit lost for a moment.

The unknown shield allowed Sōsuke to completely defend against Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, while the Byakugan and excellent Genjutsu Release ability meant Sōsuke didn’t need to worry about Genjutsu.

Having mastered thousands of Ninjutsu and secret techniques, he was at a loss for how to fight Sōsuke.

“No, as long as it’s a defensive Ninjutsu, it can’t be invincible; there must be an upper limit to its endurance!” Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, deciding to try his best.

There was no true absolute defense in the Ninja World, because the nature of Chakra determined that Ninjutsu could not have an absolutely invincible defense.

Swish! Swish!

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought about tactics, but his body movements did not stop, constantly flashing to dodge the black cubes falling from the sky.

After no more black cubes fell from the sky, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly turned behind a cube and quickly attached several explosive tags to the Adamantine Staff.

The next moment, Muzuki caught up, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding the Adamantine Staff, thrust it towards Muzuki.

Under Muzuki’s eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s movements were completely exposed, so the moment Hiruzen Sarutobi made his move, Muzuki 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 Sarutobi far away.

Rumble!!

The explosive tags exploded violently, covering Muzuki and the surrounding area.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that such an attack wouldn’t faze Sōsuke, so without a moment’s pause, he immediately formed hand signs to use Earth Release Ninjutsu.

“Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!”

Under the massive Chakra amplification from Hiruzen Sarutobi, a large area of land turned into a swamp, and one-third of Muzuki’s body instantly sank into the swamp.

“Adamantine Prison Wall!”

While forming hand signs, Hiruzen Sarutobi kicked out the Adamantine Staff.

As the Adamantine Staff flew towards Muzuki, it rapidly transformed into dozens of clones, forming a cubic cage that trapped Muzuki within it.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hand movements did not stop at all; he immediately formed hand signs again, splitting into four Shadow Clones.

“Five Great Consecutive Shots!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s main body used Fire Release, while the other four Shadow Clones used Water Release, Lightning Release, and other four-attribute Ninjutsu respectively.

This was the tactic Hiruzen Sarutobi had devised.

If ordinary Ninjutsu couldn’t harm Sōsuke, then simply don’t use ordinary offensive Ninjutsu, but instead use supportive Ninjutsu like the Swamp of the Underworld to trap him.

Then, 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 Sarutobi’s decades of Ninjutsu training; he was confident it could break even the Third Raikage’s Lightning Release Armor, which was known as the strongest shield.

“If even the Five Great Consecutive Shots doesn’t work, then I can only use that…” A hint of determination flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes.

If even the Five Great Consecutive Shots couldn’t break through Sōsuke’s defense, then he would surely lose this battle.

This was an outcome Hiruzen Sarutobi had not 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 Sarutobi’s imagination.

Before the battle began, Hiruzen Sarutobi had never considered using the Corpse Reanimation Seal.

He just wanted to avenge Danzo Shimura; why should he sacrifice himself? Wouldn’t that just cause more chaos for Konoha?

Now it was different; with the battle having progressed to this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to win, even if it meant mutual destruction with Sōsuke.

If he didn’t, not only would he die, but most of the Konoha Ninja who came 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 only meant that Sōsuke was stronger than him, significantly stronger.

Coupled with Kakuzu and Nagato from the Shinobi Sect, Konoha’s side would undoubtedly lose.

Whoosh whoosh!!

A large amount of flames burst from Hiruzen Sarutobi’s main body’s mouth. The flames, carrying an intense heat that could incinerate everything, instantly ignited the surrounding air, and 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, tearing through the air and slashing towards Muzuki.

Rumble!!

Large, giant flying rocks, propelled by the strong wind, rapidly passed through the flames, like flaming meteors falling swiftly from the sky, hurtling towards Muzuki.

Boom!!

Crash!!

Silver-white lightning streaked across the sky, and light blue water surged out, forming raging waves.

In an instant, terrifying five-attribute powers swept across the battlefield. Each attribute complemented the others, constantly amplifying each other’s strength. The power of the Five Releases, at this moment, achieved perfect fusion, forming an inescapable attack network that enveloped Muzuki’s location.

“As expected of the Hokage, the power of these Five Releases is truly terrifying.” Kakuzu stared intently at the battlefield, unable to help but worry for Sōsuke.

He was also a Ninja who played with the five great Ninjutsu and Combination Ninjutsu, so he understood how exaggerated Hiruzen Sarutobi’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 couldn’t help but feel worried for Sōsuke.

“Sōsuke-sensei.”

Even Kakuzu, who knew Sōsuke relatively well, was somewhat worried, let alone the other Shinobi Sect Ninja, who were basically all anxiously watching the restrained Sōsuke.

“If it’s Sensei, he should be fine,” Nagato thought calmly.

If he were truly in a desperate situation, Muzuki would definitely unleash his full power, but currently, Muzuki had not used the Ninjutsu associated with his “Hayate Mugetsu” identity, indicating that everything was still under Muzuki’s control.

“The victor will be decided in this clash.” Orochimaru put away his scattered thoughts and watched the battle seriously.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Five Great Consecutive Shots, which consumed a large amount of Chakra, did not give him an advantage, then Hiruzen Sarutobi would surely lose.

“Sandaime-sama, you must win!”

The Konoha Jonin silently cheered for Hiruzen Sarutobi in their hearts.

Whoosh!

The moment the Ninjutsu was about to approach, Enma’s main body, transformed into the Adamantine Staff, swiftly retreated.

It didn’t 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 tough.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance!”

Just at this moment, Muzuki slowly floated out of the swamp, entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, and exhaled terrifying flames with extremely high temperatures.

Bang!

The monstrous, terrifying 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 a problem.

Yet it was so easily dissipated by Sōsuke’s attack; this Fire Release was indeed not simple.

However, Enma didn’t pay much attention; it was already too late. Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Five Great Consecutive Shots was almost upon Sōsuke, and Sōsuke would definitely not be able to dodge.

However, at this moment, Muzuki’s right eye pupil slightly burst with golden light.

“Sukuna Hikona!”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The giant rocks, burning with flames and propelled by the strong wind, rapidly shrank, eventually disappearing completely.

The sea of fire that could incinerate forests and the hurricane that swept across the entire battlefield also suddenly vanished without a trace.

The water, like giant waves in the sea, disappeared without a trace in an instant, not even a wisp of steam left behind.

The silver-white lightning that seemed to penetrate everything dissipated in the air, leaving no trace.

The battlefield, which had been ravaged by the power of the Five Releases, suddenly became calm, with only a few traces on the ground proving that someone had just released a terrifying Combination Ninjutsu here.

– Silence –

Neither Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was currently fighting Muzuki, nor the observing Shinobi Sect Ninja and Konoha Ninja made a sound.

The entire battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

“No wonder the Shinobi Sect’s attitude was so strange.” Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a bitter smile. No wonder he couldn’t find anything when investigating the Shinobi Sect’s Ninja power; it turned out he was looking in the wrong direction.