Chapter 671: Infinity that cannot be crossed!

There was no referee.

The two exchanged glances and nodded at each other, then began to gather Chakra and fight.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, quickly formed hand signs, and concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his throat.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Large swathes of flames were spewed out by Hiruzen Sarutobi, rapidly forming an orange-red sea of fire in front of him.

The terrifying high-temperature flames seemed to ignite everything, even the air was burned and distorted, forming waves of heat.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi continuously output Chakra, the range of the sea of fire continued to expand, and for a time, firelight soared into the sky, dyeing everything around it fiery red. The constantly expanding sea of fire rapidly devoured all combustibles; trees and grass were turned to ash under the raging flames.

Soon, under Hiruzen Sarutobi’s control, the sea of fire split into three, transforming into three violent flames that charged towards Sōsuke from three directions simultaneously.

According to the known intelligence, Sōsuke’s most proficient Ninjutsu was Fire Release, and Fire Release was also Hiruzen Sarutobi’s most proficient Nature Transformation Ninjutsu, so Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to test Sōsuke’s depth with Fire Release.

Confronting the same Nature Transformation is the best way to gauge Chakra Nature Transformation and Ninjutsu skill.

If the difference in the clash was not significant, then he would surely win this battle.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi’s most proficient Nature Transformation was Fire Release, his powerful combat ability had little to do with Fire Release. It was because he had mastered thousands of Ninjutsu and secret techniques, because he could combine numerous Ninjutsu perfectly, and because he had no weaknesses, being proficient in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu.

However, to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s surprise, Sōsuke did not use Fire Release to clash with him in a same-nature Ninjutsu battle, nor did Sōsuke use Water Release or other Ninjutsu that countered Fire Release.

Sōsuke did not use any means, merely standing still and quietly watching Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“Could it be a Shadow Clone? When did that happen? I didn’t notice it at all.” Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously observed his surroundings vigilantly.

His opponent was Sōsuke, who had defeated Danzo Shimura and Hanzō, after all. Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t believe such a powerful individual would be scared silly by a single Fire Release.

Sōsuke was known in the Ninja World as the strongest Fire Release Ninja.

“What is Sōsuke doing?” Kakuzu suppressed his urge to act, frowning as he watched Sōsuke, who remained motionless.

He saw clearly that Sōsuke hadn’t made a single move, not even a hand sign.

“Teacher Sōsuke must be performing a Ninjutsu he hasn’t used before,” Nagato analyzed.

He could see the Chakra circulating within Muzuki’s body.

Although Muzuki appeared to be doing nothing on the surface, he had already used Ninjutsu.

“What kind of tactic is this?” Orochimaru also couldn’t understand Sōsuke’s actions.

However, like Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru did not underestimate Sōsuke because of this.

After all, if Sōsuke’s strength was lacking, how could he have killed Danzo Shimura?

Orochimaru knew his partner very well; Danzo Shimura was extremely cautious about his life, not only acting carefully but also possessing many life-saving techniques.

Boom!!!

Three large, violent fire dragons simultaneously charged towards Muzuki, unleashing a massive amount of flames that engulfed him.

Under the burning of the terrifying high-temperature flames, the ground around Muzuki turned scorched black, and Muzuki himself was enveloped by a large amount of high-temperature flames, his figure becoming difficult to discern.

“Did he win?” a Konoha Jonin asked uncertainly.

Directly taking such a Fire Release, even with Chakra protection, it would be difficult to survive, unless one possessed a terrifying Lightning Release Chakra Mode like the Third Raikage.

However, instantly killing a renowned strong individual like Sōsuke was too fantastical, so he was uncertain.

The flames came quickly and dissipated just as quickly, leaving behind only scorched earth and a completely unharmed Muzuki.

“Hmm?” Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a puzzled expression.

If this Sōsuke was a Shadow Clone, and he was burned away by the flames, he could still understand it as Sōsuke using some secret technique to hide and leaving a clone in place.

But if Sōsuke was the original body, he found it very difficult to understand.

With this level of Fire Release, even if the Third Raikage were to take it, his clothes would not remain completely intact.

“What’s going on? How did he do that?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi rapidly thought, trying to recall similar Ninjutsu or secret techniques from his memory.

However, no matter how he thought, he still couldn’t come up with any Ninjutsu with similar effects.

Neither the Third Raikage’s strongest shield nor Senju Hashirama’s unsealed healing should, in theory, leave clothes completely undamaged. It was almost as if the attack hadn’t hit at all.

“Is it a Ninjutsu similar to Kamui?” Shisui analyzed in his mind.

In that situation, he couldn’t think of any evasion method other than the ethereal Kamui, as the flames had completely surrounded Sōsuke without any blind spots.

Shisui’s expression gradually became serious. If it was a Ninjutsu similar to the ethereal Kamui, then Hiruzen Sarutobi might not fare well against Sōsuke.

Shisui, who had fought Obito, clearly understood how powerful the ethereal Kamui was in one-on-one combat.

“Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!”

Seeing Sōsuke walking towards him, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to temporarily put aside his thoughts, quickly form hand signs, and slam his hands onto the ground.

Under the effect of Earth Release Chakra, a giant mud dragon head rapidly formed on the ground.

Whoosh!!

The mud dragon head opened its mouth wide, continuously spitting out rapidly flying mud bullets.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi formed hand signs again, concentrating Chakra in his throat.

“Combination Ninjutsu: Earth Dragon Flame Flow!”

A large amount of flames spewed from Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mouth, attaching flames to the mud bullets spat out by the mud dragon head, further enhancing their power.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

A large number of mud bullets, coated with high-temperature flames, shot towards Muzuki like an arrow rain, covering all around him.

But Muzuki seemed oblivious to the attack, maintaining his unhurried pace as he walked towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Rumble!!!

The flame bullets from the Earth Dragon Flame Flow struck the ground and Muzuki, causing bursts of explosions, as if dozens of explosive tags had been detonated simultaneously.

The dust and smoke created by the fierce explosions obscured Muzuki’s figure, making it impossible to observe the latest battle situation.

At this moment, a sudden gust of wind thinned the smoke and dust, revealing Muzuki’s body completely unharmed.

Boom!

The flame bullets were still exploding, but strangely, the explosions had no effect on Muzuki, not even slowing his steps.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly, feeling a bit of pressure.

This was a Ninjutsu he had never heard of or seen before, and to him, it was a powerful and unknown Ninjutsu.

“What kind of Ninjutsu is this? It’s so bizarre?” Homura Mitokado’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious.

When Sōsuke blocked the Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, a large amount of flames obstructed his view, so he didn’t understand what was happening.

Now, with Sōsuke openly strolling through Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Combination Ninjutsu, Homura Mitokado realized that Sōsuke might be even stronger and more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

“No, it’s not like Kamui.”

Shisui activated his Sharingan and observed carefully, discovering that while Sōsuke’s Ninjutsu effect was very similar to the ethereal Kamui, its essence was very different.

The reason the ethereal Kamui could not be attacked was by transferring the body to the Kamui Dimension, but Sōsuke was different.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Ninjutsu seemed to hit Sōsuke’s body, but upon closer inspection, the flame bullets exploded when they were still two or three centimeters away from Sōsuke.

Compared to Obito’s ethereal Kamui, Sōsuke’s Ninjutsu was more like forming a shield around his entire body to block all attacks.

“Such a powerful Ninjutsu, and he never used it before. He hid it really well,” Kakuzu couldn’t help but exclaim.

This made Kakuzu curious about one thing: how much strength did Sōsuke use to defeat Hanzō?

“No wonder he wasn’t flustered at all back then,” Kakuzu recalled the crisis that almost caused the Shinobi Sect to perish.

Thinking about it now, Sōsuke definitely wasn’t using his full strength back then. He wouldn’t need that much effort to fight Hanzō.

It was probably to leave them with a profound lesson, which is why he made such arrangements.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Seeing that the Earth Dragon Flame Flow could not cause effective damage to Sōsuke, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly retreated backward, and while retreating, he formed hand signs to create two Shadow Clones.

“Combination Ninjutsu: Lightning Water Dragon Bullet!”

One Shadow Clone used Water Dragon Bullet, and the other used Lightning Release, quickly creating a large water dragon covered in lightning.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s main body took out a Shuriken from his Ninja tool pouch, his eyes fixed on Sōsuke, wanting to understand the details of Sōsuke’s Ninjutsu.

Unlike fire, water has the property of permeating everything, and this was an electrified Water Dragon Bullet; once touched by the water, one would be paralyzed.

If the Lightning Water Dragon Bullet also had no effect on Sōsuke, then most of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Ninjutsu would be useless.

Roar!

The water dragon, with lightning arcs around its body, had a more intimidating appearance than a normal Water Dragon Bullet, and its roar seemed to want to tear apart everything in its sight.

However, facing the aggressive Lightning Water Dragon Bullet, Muzuki still did not dodge.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s heart sank at the sight.

Clearly, the Lightning Water Dragon Bullet also couldn’t do anything to Sōsuke’s Ninjutsu, otherwise, how could Sōsuke dare to take it head-on?

Whoosh, whoosh!!

Before the Lightning Water Dragon Bullet could hit Sōsuke, Hiruzen Sarutobi unleashed his Chakra and threw the Shuriken in his hand.

“Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!”

Under the effect of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Chakra, the Shuriken multiplied from six to twelve, then from twelve to twenty-four, and in a blink of an eye, their number became terrifyingly large; the air was filled with dense Shuriken.

Boom!!

The Lightning Water Dragon Bullet struck Muzuki and exploded violently, scattering lightning-infused water. The powerful force caused cracks in the ground beneath Muzuki’s feet.

Immediately following were thousands of Shuriken.

Under the immense strength and Chakra enhancement of Hiruzen Sarutobi, even ordinary Shuriken possessed the power to shatter wood and penetrate stone, and with tens of thousands of such Shuriken, their terrifying power was unimaginable.

Bang, bang, bang!!!

A continuous series of impacts rang out, and the ground where Muzuki stood looked as if it had been bombed by a bomber, with craters of various sizes everywhere.

Yet, Muzuki himself remained unharmed, continuing to walk towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi’s forehead, his expression becoming more serious than ever before.

The Lightning Water Dragon Bullet combined with his full-power Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique had failed to cause even a scratch on Sōsuke. This was truly too exaggerated.

He had to admit that he had underestimated Sōsuke.

Sōsuke was probably not just a strong individual skilled in Fire Release; it was simply that Sōsuke’s previous opponents were not strong enough to force him to reveal his other techniques.

“Unexpectedly strong, what kind of ability is this?” Orochimaru’s gaze towards Sōsuke was filled with curiosity.

Human life is so fragile; Orochimaru wanted immortality precisely because he had witnessed too many deaths.

However, immortality was still too far away for him. What he needed now were powerful life-saving techniques to prevent him from perishing midway.

“How is this possible? Attacks of this magnitude have no effect!” The Konoha Jonin watching were stunned.

The battlefield was clearly in disarray, yet Sōsuke, who had withstood several waves of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s attacks, didn’t even have a single tear in his clothes.

They had initially thought this would be an easy and simple escort mission, after all, how could their powerful Third Hokage possibly lose to a Ninja from a small country?

Now, it seemed uncertain; perhaps they would even need to intervene in the battle.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into a disadvantage, they certainly couldn’t just watch. Agreements were nowhere near as important as the Kage’s life.

The Shinobi Sect Ninja who followed Muzuki all showed excited expressions.

They had long been prepared. If Sōsuke was no match for Hiruzen Sarutobi, they would fight to the death to help Sōsuke escape.

However, they seemed to have underestimated their Teacher Sōsuke.

Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage who commanded respect throughout the Ninja World, Sōsuke was not at a disadvantage at all, and seemed even slightly stronger.

Hiruzen Sarutobi used various Ninjutsu and secret techniques to attack, while Sōsuke casually blocked the attacks as if strolling through a garden. It was clear who was more at ease.

“He will win, Teacher Sōsuke will definitely win!” This was the cry in the hearts of many Shinobi Sect Ninja at that moment.

“So strong!” Roshi showed a shocked expression.

Even if he was a perfect Jinchuriki, Roshi absolutely could not guarantee that he could defeat Hiruzen Sarutobi; he would be more likely to guarantee his own death.

The reason Tailed Beasts are important is not because the Jinchuriki are stronger than the Kage; in fact, most Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages can suppress their village’s Tailed Beast. It’s because Tailed Beasts represent a special and long-lasting powerful entity.

And Sōsuke actually gained some advantage in his battle against Hiruzen Sarutobi. How could this not surprise Roshi?

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s two Shadow Clones burst with Chakra from their feet, launching attacks on Muzuki from different directions.

Since Ninjutsu didn’t work, then they would try Taijutsu.

However, under Muzuki’s Transparent World, the movements of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Shadow Clones were completely exposed.

Bang!

He slightly shifted his body, dodging the punch from Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Shadow Clone attacking from the left. At the same time, his right hand shot out like lightning, accurately grabbing the Shadow Clone’s wrist, and with a squeeze, he crushed the Shadow Clone.

At this moment, the other Hiruzen Sarutobi Shadow Clone, who had circled behind Muzuki, seized the opportunity and struck fiercely, taking advantage to swing a Kunai and stab at Muzuki’s back.

Bang!

However, Muzuki seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; his body twisted in an incredible way, not only dodging the attack but also kicking the Hiruzen Sarutobi Shadow Clone, causing it to explode.

“His Taijutsu is also quite impressive.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was trying to gather information on Sōsuke, had an even more serious expression.

“Summoning Technique!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not be careless, directly gathering Chakra and using the Summoning Technique to summon Enma. The powerful Enma was an important part of his strength.

After a few exchanges, Hiruzen Sarutobi already knew that Sōsuke was not an opponent that could be easily dealt with. He had to go all out.

Otherwise, let alone avenging Danzo Shimura, he himself might be in danger.