“Young man, ordinary methods won’t send the dead back,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a grand gesture, summoning his comrade “King of Apes,” Enma.
Upon appearing, Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff, falling into Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hands.
Hiruzen Sarutobi swung the Adamantine Staff, shouting, “What’s an international superstar, eh?”
Wrong, he shouted, “Sakumo, watch the staff!”
With a heavy swing, Sakumo Hatake once again began to move at high speed, utilizing his superhuman agility to maneuver between Hiruzen Sarutobi and A’jie. His task was simple: just to tie down their combat power was enough.
Meanwhile, Alice and Shukaku’s battle also couldn’t be decided.
As a symbol of the wind god, Shukaku, with its raccoon-like appearance and a body made of sand, presented a challenge for Alice as it had no physical body to attack.
Pure mental force couldn’t achieve the same effects as ninja techniques to force Shukaku back into its Jinchuriki’s body.
Thus, the battle on this side was very monotonous, with Shukaku relying on its immortality to furiously launch vacuum bombs at Alice.
Alice, relying on her immense mental and derived psychic powers, shattered each vacuum bomb while also exploring how to deal with the present Shukaku.
Orochimaru’s planning and personnel arrangements were evidently more rational than what Tony had anticipated.
The reanimated Sakumo Hatake possessed a kind of immortality, and so did Shukaku nearby. Even though Shukaku wouldn’t actively cooperate with Sakumo Hatake, its playful and vengeful nature was enough to vex Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was good that A’jie and Alice were there; otherwise, not to mention breaking out, it would be difficult to say whether they could even stay calmly within the formation.
Seeing the situation, A’jie knew this wouldn’t do—the slow grinding would take forever, and by the time they made it out, Tony’s ashes would have been scattered beyond recovery.
Finding an opportunity, A’jie, ablaze with energy, charged at Shukaku.
Fist Technique — Crouching Tiger!
A punch sent Shukaku scattering, and then A’jie clenched his right hand, forming a sphere of energy that enveloped Shukaku.
Then, lifting and smashing down forcefully, a large crater appeared in the center of the arena, the intense physical damage breaking through the limits, forcing Shukaku to retract.
Having resolved a major problem, Alice also freed up her hands, releasing her psychic powers into the air without reserve.
She turned the air into a mud swamp with powerful resistance, significantly reducing Sakumo Hatake’s speed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been relying on experience for defense, brightened up, twirling the Adamantine Staff in his hands and delivering a blow to Sakumo Hatake’s forehead.
Followed by a sealing technique, Sakumo Hatake was finally freed from the battle.
With no high-level fighter inside to hold them back anymore, the Four Purple Flames Formation became a joke. The three worked together and directly broke the barrier.
The Sound Ninja Five were all defeated, and Kakashi and others, who had been spectating from the side, finally played their part, apprehending all those who tried to escape.
Alice and A’jie did not hesitate to rush towards the city walls. As for how to determine the direction, it was simple: the sudden appearance of so many tall trees was a clear indicator that something was amiss.
By the time A’jie arrived, the dense forest showed no signs of combat. Only the bloodstains on the trees bore witness to a brutal battle that had occurred.
Tony was at the center of the tallest tree. Having been in contact for so long, A’jie had memorized the distinct scent emanating from Tony.
With a sprint, A’jie jumped to the top of the tree, where a huge cocoon-like structure was formed.
The wood here was significantly harder than that of the surrounding trees, and A’jie could only manage to break open a part with each attack.
Moreover, these living trees continuously repaired their outer shell. To ensure Tony wasn’t accidentally hurt, A’jie resorted to the slow and steady approach of pushing inward.
After much effort, Tony finally appeared.
Ha! With a light exhalation, A’jie created a large circular area of force inside the channel and grabbed the freed Tony, tossing him out.
Alice timely used her telekinetic powers to catch Tony, gently placing him on the ground.
After the attack, Tony’s armor was covered in cracks, and fragments fell off at the slightest touch.
Having dealt with the objective, A’jie returned and looked at the badly damaged Tony with relief. At least his life was spared.
Steve and Lee soon arrived behind them. After giving Tony emergency treatment, A’jie handed Tony over to Lee for care and joined others to head to the final battleground.
Orochimaru’s forces far exceeded A’jie’s expectations; it was virtually a steamroll, and Konoha’s defense system, despite being weakened, should not have been so inadequate.
“Orochimaru! What are you really trying to do?!” Jiraiya’s furious voice became clear as they approached the battlefield.
Orochimaru stood at the forefront of the Sound Ninja, looking very detached at the people before him as if they were lifeless.
Realizing Orochimaru had completely changed, Jiraiya felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Sage Mode activated!
Two toads appeared on Jiraiya’s shoulders, and his appearance underwent a profound change, with mystical patterns forming on his face.
Fire Release! Great Flame Bomb!
Terrifying flames burst from Jiraiya’s mouth, heading straight for Orochimaru. This time, he was determined to kill.
“Have you finally given up on your naive ideas?” Orochimaru remained unmoved, “Jiraiya, you’ve grown up.”
It felt quite odd hearing this from someone well over fifty. Jiraiya was still puzzling over the response when Hashirama Senju appeared from the side. A wooden wall materialized with his figure, directly blocking the flames.
The usual disadvantage of fire against wood seemed non-existent before Hashirama, as the flames could not even singe the trees he conjured.
“Hand over Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. You can’t stop me alone,” Orochimaru gave his final ultimatum.
Jiraiya glanced at the civilian area behind him, his resolve firm. Before his death, he would not let Orochimaru step forward.
“Kid looks like it’s time to go all out,” the Elder Sage said, watching Orochimaru.
Boom! Just then, a streak of light plummeted from the sky.
The martial artist Chi Jie made his entrance!
Almost simultaneously, another figure flew over from the sky, the sonic boom cloud behind, proving Alice’s extraordinary nature.
Perfect T-virus evolved, and Alice made her entrance.
Seeing A’jie and Alice, Orochimaru’s expression finally changed.
“People I’ve never seen? Variables?” Orochimaru murmured and then suddenly burst into laughter, “Thief of Heaven! You’re finally out of options, aren’t you!”
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