"Oh?
Looks like I've run into an old acquaintance~~~"
A figure stepped forward as the slightly crazed voice echoed around them.
The newcomer had long yellow hair and two upright horns on his head. His cheeks bore six whisker-like markings. He wore a purple short-sleeved shirt, over which was a white jonin vest from Kumogakure. On his forehead was a Kumo ninja forehead protector, slashed horizontally across the center.
His rather tall build immediately drew attention, especially the golden "King" tattooed on his arm and the massive Bashosen fan he carried in one hand.
He was striding forward with an air of arrogant confidence, taking slow and deliberate steps toward them.
Finally, he stopped about ten meters away from the group.
He studied them with amusement, his gaze lingering on Hiruzen Sarutobi and the group behind him.
As he looked at this person before him, past events surfaced in Hiruzen's mind.
Clenching his teeth in fury, he spat out the name he'd cursed countless times in his nightmares throughout the past year:
"Kinkaku!"
As a ninja, the fact that he survived only thanks to the self-sacrifice of Tobirama has been tormenting his heart all along.
If not for his responsibilities as Hokage and needing to ensure the village's future, he would have abandoned everything long ago just to seek revenge.
Looking at the furious, red-eyed Hiruzen, Kinkaku grinned widely and said,
"Aren't you that little Sarutobi brat always tagging behind Tobirama?
You don't look too thrilled to see me — what a shame!"
Hiruzen took a deep breath upon hearing this, quickly adjusting his emotions to remain calm.
After all, as an experienced ninja, he clearly understood that anger easily leads to mistakes during battle.
He gave a quiet signal behind his back while speaking aloud,
"I wonder what business Lord Kinkaku has here?"
Still smiling, Kinkaku tilted his head toward the group as he replied,
"Well, you know after that incident, things got pretty uncomfortable for me back in Kumogakure.
Since then, I've had no choice but to wander wherever fate led me.
Honestly, I didn't expect to bump into you here! I heard you're about to replace Tobirama as the Third Hokage?"
Faced with this question, Hiruzen remained calm but gave no verbal reply.
Unbothered by the silence, Kinkaku slowly raised the hand holding the giant fan and flicked his tongue across it.
At that moment, his smile became increasingly sinister as he locked eyes with Hiruzen and continued,
"If I were to kill both Konoha's Second and Third Hokage… That's a rather sweet thought, wouldn't you say?"
No sooner had Kinkaku finished speaking than a wave of tangible killing intent erupted from him.
Hiruzen's expression changed instantly as he shouted one word:
"Run!"
Even before his command, the moment the killing intent surged, Kagura and the others had already begun to flee.
This wasn't them abandoning their teacher—they recognized the meaning behind the signal Hiruzen had given earlier was precisely to escape.
Moreover, they all understood that stepping into a battle between Kage-level fighters would be suicide.
The sooner he left, the better it would be for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The scenery around him blurred as Kagura fled the battlefield at full speed.
But before he could get far, a voice straight from a nightmare whispered beside his ear.
"Kids, did I say you could leave?"
Along with the voice came Kinkaku's face.
Seeing that familiar figure, Kagura's heart tightened.
Fortunately, he'd already activated his Sharingan before Kinkaku even showed up.
Facing the enemy who suddenly teleported in front of him, Kagura unleashed [Kotoamatsukami] immediately.
"Hmm?"
A sound of confusion escaped Kinkaku's mouth as he found himself temporarily unable to control his body.
"This is the chance!"
Spotting the fleeting opening, Kagura swung both hands forward and hurled several shuriken at his opponent.
But within this brief moment, Kinkaku had already regained control over his body.
A blur flashed, and he caught every single weapon thrown at him barehanded.
"Heh, brat from the Uchiha clan.
You're too naive..." Boom!
Before Kinkaku could finish speaking, the Explosive Tags attached to the shuriken he held all detonated at once.
The explosive tags Kagura secretly attached earlier had finally taken effect.
Yet before Kagura could even smile in satisfaction, he noticed that Kinkaku had vanished right before his eyes.
An instant later, he understood what happened.
"This is just a clone!"
Realizing this, he quickly glanced toward the other three.
Just as expected, figures identical to Kinkaku now stood before each of them.
The difference was that these clones only needed one strike—be it a punch or kick—to send Tsunade and the others flying from midair down to the ground.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Three loud impacts rang out, leaving three deep craters across the surface.
As the dust settled, Jiraiya's and Orochimaru's figures slowly emerged.
They were lying unconscious in the craters, felled by just one strike.
Tsunade, however, barely managed to resist using her immense strength at the very last second.
Even so, she could barely stand upright, trembling unsteadily. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and horror filled her eyes.
Perched on the trees, the three Kinkaku clones all looked startled.
Though merely clones, their taijutsu capabilities were exactly the same as the original.
And yet, these young brats kept escaping death under their pursuit.
Thinking this, they all revealed bloodthirsty smiles.
With a powerful push from their feet, the three dark figures lunged toward the trembling Tsunade at once.
Witnessing the approaching shadows, Tsunade's eyes flickered with despair.
No wonder he defeated my great-grandfather — with a single casual strike like that, I couldn't even block it.
Right now, the only reason she still stood was because she refused to admit defeat.
But deep down, she knew very well her body could no longer move.
She shut her eyes tight in despair, but one regret pierced through her thoughts:
"I shouldn't have snapped at that idiot..."
Just at this critical moment, a blazing sea of flames suddenly surged before her!
The three shadowy figures, like messengers from hell, gradually vanished within the inferno, reduced to nothing more than ashes.
[Fire Release: Roaring Flame Technique!]
It was Hiruzen Sarutobi, arriving just in time.
As he spoke the word "Run," the Kinkaku standing before him, brimming with killing intent, faded away like an illusion.
Witnessing this, Hiruzen froze for a heartbeat—and then the truth hit him like lightning.
"It's his students he's after!"
Although he had rushed over immediately, he still couldn't block in time.
Luckily, he arrived just when Tsunade was at her most desperate moment.
Yet before he could even catch his breath, another dark figure—another Kinkaku—burst forth from behind Tsunade.
At this moment, he dove straight toward Tsunade while laughing loudly:
"If I'm not mistaken, this girl's one of Tobirama's bloodline pups!
Let me bring her over for a little reunion with Tobirama!"
Hiruzen's chest clenched—he shot toward Tsunade without thinking twice.
However, compared to the Kirigakure ninja who focused heavily on taijutsu training, Hiruzen's speed was far below Kinkaku's.
Plus, Kinkaku was already much closer to Tsunade.
To Hiruzen's horror, Kinkaku had already closed in on Tsunade.
He bared his teeth in a cruel grin, then swung his massive fist down with a shrieking roar.
Tsunade, paralyzed and defenseless, could only stare as the monstrous fist came crashing down.
Yet at that very moment,
Without warning, a familiar silhouette suddenly blocked the punch.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!