"Without forming hand seals, you can use Raikiri?"
Kakashi never expected such a result. The assassin before him had actually executed his signature jutsu.
Or was this someone he knew from the past?
Kakashi's brow furrowed even deeper.
He wouldn't back down.
If that's the case, then let's see whose Raikiri is stronger.
For the first time, Kakashi experienced the frustration of having his jutsu copied.
So this is how it feels to have your technique stolen!
Gritting his teeth, Kakashi dashed toward Genya at high speed.
"If that's how it is, I'll show you the true meaning of overwhelming power!" Genya responded with a calm smile and charged forward as well.
The clash of Raikiri!
Blinding light erupted between them, so intense that no one could keep their eyes open.
"Lord Hokage, there's an emergency distress signal from Kakashi's side too?" Sarutobi Eisuke, looking at the signal from Kakashi's location, felt a twinge of anxiety.
This type of urgent distress signal clearly meant danger!
"We're not far from Hiashi's position. Let's head there first!" Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced toward Kakashi's direction, his brows tightly knit.
A vague sense of foreboding crept into his heart, even making him regret initiating this mission.
He had been overly confident in his decisions. If only he had prepared more shinobi!
Now, everyone was in danger.
They were closest to Hyuga Hiashi's location, so they had to move step by step.
With this thought, their pace quickened even further.
In just the time it took for an incense stick to burn, they arrived.
What greeted them was the sight of a figure in a black robe locked in fierce combat with Hyuga Hiashi. Two other shinobi were assisting Hiashi, fighting desperately against the black-robed figure.
The battle was evenly matched, neither side giving an inch.
"That's the assassin!" someone in Hiruzen's group declared firmly, recognizing the shadow clone of Genya engaged with Hiashi. "For the Hyuga clan leader to hold off this assassin—what an achievement!"
Seeing this assassin in action, the earlier losses of their shinobi seemed almost insignificant.
Killing this assassin is worth everything!
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a quiet command, leading the ninjas behind him to quickly surround Genya's clone. "You can't escape. Surrender now!"
"Heh. Surrendering is impossible. If you have the skills, kill me!" Genya's clone looked at the approaching Hiruzen Sarutobi, a smile curling at the corner of his lips. "I'd like to see how strong the Hokage of Konoha really is!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Genya rushed toward Hiruzen.
"Hmph, challenging me? I'd like to see what's so special about you!" Hiruzen snorted coldly, his eyes sharp with hostility. "How dare you harm someone from the Sarutobi clan!"
The people nearby rarely saw Lord Hokage so serious.
As black flames spread, the two stood face to face.
Hiruzen quickly realized the assassin's unique abilities—the black flames that could absorb chakra and reflect any ninjutsu.
During the fight, Genya's chakra, supported by the black flames, seemed endless.
No wonder others had fallen to this assassin before!
"Everyone, attack together! End this quickly!" Hiruzen ordered the ninjas behind him to launch a coordinated ninjutsu assault.
Genya's clone fended off each attack one by one.
After about an incense stick's worth of time, Genya's clone suddenly stopped fighting and retreated several meters, looking in a specific direction.
"My main body, I can only help you this far. I've exhausted all my mental energy," Genya's clone said calmly.
Earlier, in order to counter the coordinated attacks, his mental energy had been rapidly depleted.
Now, it was completely drained.
Hiruzen didn't understand what Genya was planning.
"Lord Hokage, is he trying to escape?" Sarutobi Eisuke asked, his gaze cold as he stared at the retreating Genya clone.
This was the man who had killed his clansman. Eisuke swore to tear him apart.
"He won't escape. I've already ordered a ninjutsu barrier to be set up around the area," Hiruzen said, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"We will meet again, Hiruzen Sarutobi!" Genya's clone declared, a smile forming beneath the mask as he looked at Hiruzen.
"You can't escape, so you'd better surrender," Sarutobi Hiruzen said firmly, looking at Genya's clone.
But before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened!
The assassin standing opposite him suddenly exploded, turning into a puff of white smoke.
It dissipated completely.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed sharply—was that a shadow clone just now?
He couldn't believe it.
Had he really been fighting a shadow clone for such a long time?
Damn it! He had been played!
At that moment, Hiruzen's face was full of anger. To think he had been so thoroughly tricked.
"This was just a shadow clone!" Hyūga Hiashi exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief as he watched the clone dissipate.
The person he had just been fighting was only a shadow clone, and yet, even that clone could hold its own against him—or even push him to a disadvantage!
If the assassin's clone was this strong, how powerful was the real body?
"An assassin that strong... there's no way that was just a shadow clone!" murmured one of the individuals who had accompanied the Third Hokage, their pupils filled with shock and fear.
They had only been fighting a shadow clone?
Then, what about the real body?
"Hokage-sama, if it was a shadow clone that attacked the Hyūga clan head, then the real body must be in one of the other two locations!" someone nearby reminded urgently.
"Follow me quickly!" Hiruzen exclaimed, immediately realizing the truth. His figure disappeared into the forest in a flash, heading straight toward Uchiha Shisui's location.
The others exchanged glances before swiftly following him.
This time, they all pushed themselves to their limits. Hiruzen, in particular, felt a twinge of frustration—if only he had learned some space-time ninjutsu. If he knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, he wouldn't be in such a difficult position now!
When they finally reached Shisui's side, Genya's shadow clone was locked in combat with him. Shisui's team had already lost three members in the skirmish.
"Hokage-sama, you're here! Hurry and capture this assassin!" Shisui shouted.
Seeing the familiar figure of Genya's clone, Hiruzen's expression grew even darker. "Set up a barrier!" he ordered.
Without another word, he joined the battle, unleashing his ninjutsu in rapid succession.
"You've finally arrived! I've been waiting for so long!" Genya laughed loudly as terrifying black flames began spreading in all directions. The flames engulfed everyone, absorbing their chakra to unleash the strongest possible power!
With this surge in strength,
Genya's clone managed to kill two Sarutobi clan members in the intense burst of energy!
Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious. A final pillar of flames struck Genya's shadow clone!
But just as the attack landed, Genya's shadow clone suddenly exploded, vanishing into thin air!
As it disappeared, Genya's clone smirked and said, "The Hokage is nothing special. My real body should be able to defeat him... but that Dead Demon Consuming Seal of his—"
That was a sealing technique capable of sealing away half of the Nine-Tails' power. Could his real body withstand it?
"This... was a shadow clone?" Shisui's expression was filled with shock. He hadn't expected that the opponent he'd been fighting all along was just a shadow clone!
A deep sense of frustration welled up inside him.
He was supposed to be a genius ninja of the Uchiha clan!
"Damn it! Another shadow clone!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed tightly. How could this be?
Each shadow clone possessed such immense strength?
Then where was his real body?
With that thought, Hiruzen turned toward the last position—Kakashi's direction!
The real body must be over there.
No wonder there had been multiple distress signals coming from Kakashi's location!
At Kakashi's position—
The black flames gradually faded away, leaving Genya standing alone in the area. Surrounding him were nothing but corpses, and the barely breathing Kakashi, clinging to life.
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