They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 253 War!

"Ghost Lantern Crescent Moon?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the young man in the distance, his heart trembling.

This was his first meeting with Hozuki Shingetsu. Although Hozuki Shingetsu had previously caused him a lot of trouble in the public sphere and international arena, this was the first time he had met Hozuki Shingetsu in person.

Hozuki Shingetsu's first impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi was that he was young.

Extreme youth.

In the minds of the ninja world, Hozuki Shingetsu has been famous for more than ten years. His glorious past achievements make it easy for people to overlook that Hozuki Shingetsu was only twelve years old when he became famous, and he is only twenty-four years old now.

This made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel a sense of disorientation. Was this young man, who was about the same age as Minato Namikaze, the same bastard he had wanted to devour alive more than ten years ago?

The moment the Konoha members who were lying in ambush saw Hozuki Shingetsu, Hozuki Shingetsu also looked up and noticed their presence.

"I see... is that what you were planning?"

Hozuki Shingetsu had actually arrived at the Hidden Mist tent long ago, but he had not announced it to the outside world and had been keeping his presence hidden.

His idea was the same as Danzo Shimura's: to take advantage of the information gap and eliminate the opposing commander the moment they appeared.

While boosting their own military morale, they also dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's morale.

The only difference is that Danzo Shimura chose the Third Raikage, while Shingetsu Hozuki chose Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former Hokage of Konoha.

However, to Hozuki Shingetsu's utter surprise, while his side was trying to capture the leader first, Sarutobi Hiruzen was also having the same idea.

The enormous chakra within him was mistaken by the Hyuga branch family ninja for Uzumaki clan leader, leading to the two groups accidentally bumping into each other.

"Ha, this really came without any effort... Your intervention at this crucial moment has saved me a lot of trouble..."

If the enemy doesn't take the initiative and just stays in their camp fighting a stagnant battle, Hozuki Shingetsu really doesn't have any good solutions.

Although he was strong enough to storm the main camp alone, his cautious nature meant he wouldn't make the same mistake as the Third Raikage. Even if there was a risk, he wouldn't take the plunge.

Faced with this scene, Hozuki Shingetsu couldn't help but smile, standing there with a look of delight as he gazed into the distance.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were overjoyed.

For them, the goal was to severely injure or even kill important enemy figures to buy time for their side. And were there any important figures in Kirigakure more important than Hozuki Shingetsu?

If we can severely injure, kill, or even capture Shingetsu Hozuki here, the situation on Konoha's southeastern front might be reversed. Combined with Danzo Shimura's scheme, the whole game might come to a head!

So when they saw that the person who came was Hozuki Shingetsu, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fugaku Uchiha exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, secretly making up their minds.

"Where is Lord Mizukage heading? This mountainous terrain and long journey seem rather unsettling... We are not far from our Land of Fire, so why don't we extend some hospitality and see Lord Mizukage off?"

Knowing that Hozuki Shingetsu had also noticed him, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head to signal his men to signal the others to close the net, then stepped forward and spoke to Hozuki Shingetsu.

"First, let me correct a common misconception of the former Hokage: Kirigakure is still under the rule of the elders and there is no Mizukage at this time... As for where I want to go, I really want to visit Konoha and stand on the Hokage Rock to look out over the scenery of Konoha. I just wonder if the former Hokage could grant me this wish?"

Hozuki Shingetsu seemed oblivious to Hiruzen Sarutobi's subtle actions, ignoring the subtle encirclement by the Konoha ninjas around him, and cheerfully greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was observing Shingetsu Hozuki, and Shingetsu Hozuki was naturally observing Hiruzen Sarutobi as well.

Shingetsu Hozuki has long admired Naruto, the longest-serving Hokage in the original manga. Regardless of the exact role this Hokage played in Naruto's development, he was indispensable to the advancement of the entire Naruto storyline.

This meeting was the first and possibly the last between the two, so Hozuki Shingetsu naturally displayed considerable "gentlemanly" manners and responded politely.

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.

This foreigner, especially the leader of a foreign ninja village, wants to stand on the Hokage Rock, the symbol of Konoha. The symbolic meaning behind this is far too strong. If Hiruzen Sarutobi still can't understand the meaning behind it, then his decades-long career as Hokage has truly been in vain.

"Is that so? How rude of me... But if Lord Hozuki wishes to visit Konoha, I do have the time. How about I accompany him?"

"Hmm... Forget it. As the former Hokage, Lord Sarutobi, it would be disrespectful to have you go through all this trouble. Besides, it feels a bit strange for two men to stroll arm in arm... But if the tour guide is a beautiful woman from your village, such as Tsunade or the Uchiha clan head's wife, then I would be quite interested."

Hozuki Shingetsu's words made Uchiha Fugaku's expression stiffen. He hadn't expected that the fire would actually burn him. His good mood, which had been good when Hozuki Shingetsu repeatedly brought up Hiruzen Sarutobi's status as the former Hokage, vanished instantly.

He couldn't help but give a wink to the Uchiha clansman beside him.

Ugh~

Just as the group was talking peacefully, a whooshing sound suddenly rang out. The sound of a shuriken being thrown seemed to signal a bombardment, and immediately a barrage of shuriken, kunai, senbon, explosive tags, and other throwing tools rained down on Hozuki Shingetsu's location.

Those qualified to join Hiruzen Sarutobi in the encirclement and suppression were at least Konoha Jonin, and moreover, seasoned and experienced Jonin.

In the hands of this group, the most basic ninja tool throwing technique has been taken to an extreme, with all sorts of imaginable and unimaginable attack angles filled with ninja tools.

In particular, the ninja tools thrown by several Uchiha ninjas seemed to come alive. With a series of clanging sounds, the tools cleverly changed direction three times in the air and flew rapidly towards Hozuki Shingetsu's vital points.

boom!

boom!

……

A cloud of dust filled the sky, accompanied by a series of explosions. Instead of showing any signs of relief, the people present were on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.

They didn't take it for granted that these attacks alone could defeat a Five Kage-level expert. They were convinced that Hozuki Shingetsu was lurking nearby, secretly watching them.

Stab it!

A long, blue line, stretching to its limit, suddenly appeared in the mist.

"Was that the first attack you fired? How rude of you..."

As if a video were skipping frames, Hozuki Shingetsu appeared ghost-like in front of a black-clad ninja wearing a black mask, his right hand gripping the man's throat tightly, lifting him up with brute force.

hum!

As expected of a Jonin handpicked by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the ninja who was firmly controlled by Shingetsu Hozuki was instantly transformed into countless tiny insects that pounced on Shingetsu Hozuki's body.

"The secret technique of the Aburame clan: Nano-poisonous insects. Please, Lord Hozuki, take a look."

Aburame Shiguro's voice came from not far away. Looking at Hozuki Shingetsu, whose body was covered with poisonous insects, his eyes revealed a smug look.

These nano-sized venomous insects are arguably the most lethal venomous insects in the Aburame clan. Aburame Shiguro thought to himself that even if the Nine-Tails came, these nano-venomous insects would still be able to play a certain role.

Now that Hozuki Shingetsu's body is covered in nano-poisonous insects, even though he is the Six-Tails Jinchuriki with amazing strength and many methods, he will inevitably have to expend a lot of chakra to escape.

"Nanometer-sized venomous insects... seeing them in person is truly remarkable... However, even at the nanometer level, they're useless if they can't penetrate the body!"

Under Aburame Shiguro's incredulous gaze, Hozuki Shingetsu's voice came from the humanoid insect, and then in the next instant, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind, Aburame Shiguro's gaze began to spin in mid-air.

"Don't you know I have a water-style armor residing on my body? What use are these poisonous insects, no matter how powerful, if they can't get in?"

Hozuki Shingetsu maintained his right hand in a chopstick stance, his hair now completely turned from white to red. He looked at the headless corpse of Aburame Shiguro in front of him and smiled disdainfully.

Over these six years, Hozuki Shingetsu's strength could not have remained stagnant, and he naturally developed many new ninjutsu.

In particular, he made further improvements to several of his commonly used ninjutsu techniques.

Water Release Chakra Mode is no exception.

Inspired by the "Lightning Release Chakra Mode," also known as "Lightning Release Armor," and combined with the knowledge of Tai Chi, the Tai Chi symbol, the principle of overcoming strength with softness, and the ability to deflect heavy weights with minimal effort, all of which are familiar to every Chinese person, and his own enormous amount of chakra.

Hozuki Shingetsu successfully developed the technique "Water Release: Armor".

When this ninjutsu is activated, it can highly concentrate the chakra that is distributed throughout the body to the surface of the body. Through the high-frequency vibration of chakra, it can divide and transfer the enemy's attack.

These nano-poisonous insects, while their tiny size grants them immense offensive power, also means their defenses are extremely weak. Before they could even enter Hozuki Shingetsu's body, they were killed by the autonomous chakra defense on his body's surface.

"The Magical Shackles Technique!"

Just as Hozuki Shingetsu killed Aburame Shiguro, a sinister voice rang out. Hozuki Shingetsu suddenly felt his five senses being shut off, and then he fell into a dark space, his limbs nailed to a wooden frame with huge iron nails, unable to move.

"Illusion, huh...?"

With a furious roar from the Six-Tails, Hozuki Shingetsu successfully escaped the genjutsu space and saw the Uchiha clan members not far away.

"Heh, looks like I can get a few pairs of Sharingan today..."

Hozuki Shingetsu's casual words enraged Fugaku Uchiha, who immediately unleashed a furious attack with his three-tomoe Sharingan.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"

In an instant, several dragon-shaped fireballs appeared in the air and shot towards Hozuki Shingetsu from all directions.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared just in time, his hands forming hand seals and his chest bulging high. A dragon made entirely of soil snaked out from underground and launched an attack on Shingetsu Hozuki.

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"

However, when faced with the attacks of these two ninjas, Hozuki Shingetsu did not engage them in combat but instead chose to retreat first.

The essence of fighting against many is naturally in hit-and-run tactics. Although he was confident that he could kill everyone present by himself, his cunning nature made him prefer to nip any unstable factors in the bud. In order to avoid the possibility that he and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Fugaku Uchiha and others would fight to the end and be exhausted, only to have someone else pick off their kills, he chose to eliminate the remaining small fry first.

Stab it!

boom!

hum!

……

With the support of the Dual Chakra Mode and years of physical training, Hozuki Shingetsu's physical abilities are now terrifyingly strong.

Taking advantage of the thick fog, Hozuki Shingetsu successfully used his speed advantage to manipulate Uchiha Fugaku, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and others at will.

Hozuki Shingetsu was in front, and the two of them were behind.

Often, when the two arrived at the scene after hearing the screams, there was only one or a few still-warm corpses left, and there was no sign of Shingetsu Hozuki.

At this time, screams could often be heard from other places as well.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi, Fugaku Uchiha, and the others worked together to disperse the mist, the Konoha team, which originally numbered dozens, was reduced to only seven or eight people.

"Hmm, still not working... It seems that if I want to increase my speed further, I'll have to move towards space-time ninjutsu!"

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at the results, but his face still showed dissatisfaction.

He knew that in this Ninja World War, Minato Namikaze would begin his legendary life with his infamous battle of instantly killing fifty Jonin from Iwagakure.

Although his record was more impressive than Minato Namikaze's, he was undoubtedly at a disadvantage in terms of speed.

While Hozuki Shingetsu was still secretly marveling at his own performance, he was unaware that Hiruzen Sarutobi on the other side was practically grinding his teeth to powder.

"That bastard..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the corpses on the scene, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

These ninjas present were all elites of Konoha, and given Konoha's dire situation, they were an irreplaceable force.

These forces have fallen here without even having fought many battles, how could he not be furious?

"What? Could it be that even after being Hokage for so many years, Lord Sarutobi still hasn't seen through the true nature of ninjas?"

The sound of Hozuki Shingetsu did not anger Hiruzen Sarutobi; instead, it made Fugaku Uchiha's pupils shrink, because his voice appeared right next to him!

puff!

Fugaku Uchiha instinctively swung his sword backward, the sound of it piercing flesh bringing him some relief.

"Wow... Is there infighting within the Uchiha clan? Just how big is this conflict that they're not even bothering to hide it from us?"

Seeing Hozuki Shingetsu appear before him like a ghost, Fugaku Uchiha turned his head blankly and looked in the direction of his sword.

Tick ​​tock!

With the sound of blood dripping, the corpse that had passed through the blade was none other than the remaining members of the Uchiha clan!

These elite Uchiha warriors were killed by Hozuki Shingetsu in an instant, and he even used their corpses to shield himself and toy with Fugaku Uchiha!

As Fugaku Uchiha watched this scene, his eyes slightly opened, and the three blood-red tomoe in his pupils spun wildly, eventually coalescing into a crescent moon in Hiruzen Sarutobi's incredulous gaze.

(End of this chapter)