Naruto: By lying low and hiding, he eventually became the leader of the Legendary Sannin.

These "power banks" had clearly been drained by him and had lost their mobility.

After instructing Tsunade and the other two to protect Tsuchishiro and the others, Kagura stood up and looked at the high platform shrouded in purple flames.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately set off, rushing towards that direction.

On the high platform, the battle between these Kage-level powerhouses appeared to be smaller in scale than the battle on Kagura's side.

In front of Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two companions stood three people just like them.

These people are more like faded counterfeits, with obvious differences from the real thing.

It was an illusion created by Yagura's Water Release: Water Mirror Technique.

These phantoms can use the same ninjutsu as their opponents, and with the same power, making them very troublesome.

Lei Ying Ai angrily broke off a piece of coral from his body, a hint of anger clearly visible in his eyes.

This is Yagura's Coral Palm. Any part of the body struck by his palm will grow coral. This technique is extremely destructive to taijutsu ninjas.

However, this attack could not truly harm Ai, who possessed the strongest shield.

However, being hot-tempered by nature, he obviously could not accept being constantly beaten.

He glanced at Yagura, who was not far away, and said with dissatisfaction:

"Why don't we just kill him?"

"no!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was standing beside him, decisively rejected the idea.

In fact, even among the Kage-level beings, Yagura Karatachi, who had not yet become a Jinchūriki, was only considered to be among the weaker ones.

If it were a true life-or-death struggle, he, along with Kakuzu who was only one-fifth the size of him, would absolutely not be able to withstand the three of them.

The reason the battle has dragged on for so long is because Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others haven't used their true strength in the fight.

After all, Yagura Karatachi is the Mizukage of Kirigakure, and if they really kill the Mizukage here, it's foreseeable that the continent, which has only recently achieved peace, will be plunged into a second ninja war.

"But..."

Raikage Ai wasn't just all brawn and no brains; he certainly knew what Hiruzen Sarutobi was worried about.

However, through the purple flames, he could already see that many Jonin from Kirigakure had gathered outside the barrier.

At this moment, the fiery curtain was less of a trap and more of a protection for them.

Although he is very confident in his own strength, there is still a certain gap between his current strength and the peak strength in the original work, where he could fight against ten thousand men single-handedly.

Even if faced with an attack from a group of Jonin who had gathered the entire village, he couldn't be sure he could break through the encirclement.

"Den!"

A series of sword clashes rang out as Danzo and the monster that Kakuzu had transformed into exchange blows before retreating to their side.

As the weakest of the three, he was tasked with keeping Kakuzu occupied from the start of the battle.

By this time, he had already begun to catch his breath.

He took a deep breath and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying:

"If necessary, you must seize the opportunity to escape on your own."

You can't die here now.

Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally understood the meaning behind his words, so he neither nodded nor refused on the spot.

On the other side, Kakuzu, who was wearing a red mask, floated to Yagura's side.

He slightly raised his masked head and looked towards the distant southeast.

Then, a hoarse, inhuman voice came from inside the mask:

Nearly twenty minutes have passed since that roar.

Judging by the time, it seems Madara should have already taken the Three-Tails far away from here. My work is finished, and it's time for me to leave.

Hearing his words, Yagura nodded in agreement.

He looked at the group of Jonin gathered outside the seal and replied:

"You can leave now, all my men have arrived."

Don't worry, I will do my best to keep these people here, as instructed by that person.

"Ha, I don't care about any of that..."

Kakuzu said mockingly, then quickly flew away.

Seeing the direction the monster was heading, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly spoke up to warn:

"Everyone be careful, that monster is about to break the seal!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the square purple flame curtain began to melt away, starting from the top of his head.

In just a few seconds, the enormous Four Purple Flame Array vanished as if it had never existed.

Five black threads came together and reformed into one person.

The man was shrouded in a huge black robe, wearing a tight black hat and a black mask that completely obscured his face.

The only thing that was visible was a pair of green eyes that exuded cruelty and indifference.

He glanced at the assembled Jonin from Kirigakure below and chuckled softly, saying:

"Go quickly and help your Mizukage!"

After saying that, he flew straight away into the distance.

The group of Jonin exchanged bewildered glances, and finally turned their attention to the person gathered at the front, the bald examiner.

The bald examiner gritted his teeth and finally gave the order:

"Go to the Mizukage first, at least to ensure the Mizukage's safety."

The group nodded upon receiving the instruction and rushed towards the direction of the Mizukage, Yagura.

However, just as everyone set off, a blue lightning bolt suddenly passed through them and rushed towards the battlefield at lightning speed.

Upon seeing that familiar blue lightning bolt, the bald examiner narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself:

"It's him?

But what can he do there now?

On the other side, just as the fiery curtain melted away, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly paused for a moment.

A moment later, he said to the Third Raikage:

"Can you help me hold off those Jonin for thirty seconds?"

"I'll take care of the Water Shadow area. Trust me, I have a way to get us out of here safely."

Although no one knew what idea Hiruzen Sarutobi had come up with, Ai finally nodded and agreed to his suggestion.

The next second, thunder roared around him, and he transformed into a bolt of lightning that struck the three clones created by Yagura Karatachi's ninjutsu in front of him.

Those clones were like fragile mirrors, shattering into pieces with a single impact from Ai.

After doing all that, Ai left.

Seeing Ai's departing figure, Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then said to Danzo beside him:

"You and I together, we need to find a way to restrain Yagura Karatachi for at least ten seconds!"

Danzo frowned, but trusting his old friend, he still raised his long sword.

In fact, despite his calm demeanor, Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with doubts inside.

Just now, just as the seal was broken, a voice entered his eyes.

He recognized the voice; it was the voice of his beloved disciple, Kagura.

Chapter 74 Yes, just based on me

Just as the fiery curtain melted away, Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Kagura's voice:

"Sarutobi-sensei, the Mizukage Yagura was controlled by Uchiha Madara using genjutsu."

"Find a way to suppress him; I have a way to break free from this control."

Clearly, Kagura had already arrived outside the seal, ready to assist Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others in solving the most fundamental problem.

Kagura saw it as an opportunity to complete his mission.

On the other hand, it was also to ensure that they could leave the Land of Water safely.

When the mission first appeared, Kagura had a question in her mind: why did Madara Uchiha choose such a day to abduct the tailed beast?

Now that the Three-Tails has been released from its seal, Madara Uchiha could have easily controlled it and taken it away without anyone noticing.

Why did he have to appear in front of the three shadows and tell everyone his purpose before leaving?

Madara isn't the kind of brainless villain who insists on doing cool things.

However, after careful consideration, he finally understood.

Madara Uchiha didn't make an appearance while plundering the tailed beasts; in fact, it should be the other way around—he deliberately chose this time to appear.

By deliberately choosing this occasion—a joint entrance exam for the three countries, in which all the Kage would be present—he would control the Mizukage, the organizer, to launch a preemptive attack on the Hokage and Raikage of Konoha and Kirigakure.

In any case, whichever of the three Shadows dies in the end will undoubtedly set off a new war in this continent that has only been peaceful for a few years.

Although it is unknown why Madara Uchiha started collecting these tailed beasts ahead of time, it is undoubtedly easier for him to plunder the tailed beasts in the war-torn Five Nations than in the peaceful Five Nations.

It's important to understand that while Madara is very strong, he is still just one person, and he couldn't possibly conquer every country by himself.

If he truly possessed such power, he wouldn't need the help of those strange and monstrous demon statues...

Therefore, in Madara's plan, the real priority was to use the Mizukage to wipe out the others present and trigger a massive war.

Controlling the Three-Tails to leave was actually just an easy action to take.

Having figured this out, we can predict the next move of Mizukage Yagura.

Once the seal is broken, he will definitely gather all the forces of Kirigakure and will surely kill the two Kage and himself here.