"Boom!"
In an instant, flames soared into the sky. However, Tatsuma had already surveyed the surroundings using the Perception Technique. Although the commotion caused by Hiruzen was quite loud, there was no need to worry about disturbing others.
The subsequent task of eliminating traces would indeed be quite busy, but after all, Hiruzen was the Hokage.
Tatsuma also witnessed Sarutobi Hiruzen's true abilities for the first time, and it was undeniably impressive. Although he could perform the Fire Release jutsu and achieve a scale comparable to Sarutobi Hiruzen's, the control over the technique and the depth of understanding in Nature Transformation resulting in factors like high flame temperature and Chakra conversion efficiency were beyond Tatsuma's reach.
Moreover, what Tatsuma would exert considerable effort to achieve was merely a pastime for Sarutobi Hiruzen during his leisurely journey.
With one breath of fire, Hiruzen remained composed, neither panting nor flushed. He simply smoothed out his robes, which had been stirred by the wind, and calmly remarked, "It's been too long since I last acted. Made a few mistakes."
As his words fell, the flames within the cage also dispersed. Among the six Iwa-nin who had been trapped, only about three-quarters of one remained, a single Hidden Rock Jonin, barely clinging to life. His subordinates and another Jonin might have been vaporized by the flames.
The remaining survivor appeared extremely disheveled; his right hand had completely vanished, likely burned off directly judging from the charred surface of his upper arm. However, there was not a single trace of burns on his body.
Hiruzen's mention of mistakes was merely a form of sarcasm. He had intentionally showcased his Fire Release, demonstrating that it could be lethal or harmless at his will. The Iwa-nin, relying on the cage formed by Enma to stand, looked terrified, breathing heavily with fear, having dared not to breathe when engulfed in flames just now.
If he had dared to take a breath just now, his respiratory tract would probably have been completely burnt.
Moreover, in the hellish flames just now, he watched helplessly as his subordinates and companions were ignited, charred, and eventually turned into ashes one by one. At this moment, he lost his composure entirely.
Hiruzen also approached slowly at this moment, looking at the Iwa-nin inside the cage, and said, "Speak up. What is your purpose in coming to the Land of Fire? What wicked plans is Onoki up to again?"
Hearing Hiruzen's question, the Iwa-nin slightly regained his senses from his panic. Without hiding anything, he said directly, "We heard that Jiraiya hasn't returned to the village. The Third Tsuchikage ordered us to secretly investigate and try to ambush him on his way back to the village."
"Ambush?"
At these words, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, his beard trembling slightly. There was no anger on his face, but the unintentional aura of killing intent caused the barely-conscious Iwa-nin to faint in fear again.
Although Hiruzen often had headaches because of Jiraiya, sometimes he even wanted to scold him or give him a good lesson, but in the end, Jiraiya was his disciple.
The fact that Onoki wanted to harm his disciple made Hiruzen's voice become slightly deeper as he said, "Hmph! Just a few of you, daring to ambush Jiraiya? Although my disciple is not reliable, he's not someone you few can handle!"
Even though Hiruzen was defending his disciple in his words, he also understood that with Jiraiya's carefree nature, his vigilance on the way back to the village would inevitably be relaxed. Being ambushed by so many people might indeed lead to some unexpected outcomes.
However, Hiruzen was also puzzled. After all, Onoki would not issue a mission that depended on Jiraiya's carelessness for its success.
Upon hearing Hiruzen's words, the Iwa-nin seemed to suddenly realize something. His expression became even uglier as he said, "It's Onoki's scheme! I opposed Onoki's sale of war supplies to the Land of Rain before! It must be because of this reason."
"Hokage-sama, please spare my life. Give me a chance, and I will definitely retaliate against Onoki!"
At this moment, this Iwa-nin even refrained from addressing the Third Tsuchikage and directly called him by his name. Hiruzen pursed his lips lightly, contemplating the possibilities hidden within the Iwa-nin's words.
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma seemed to understand as well. They were sent deep into the Land of Fire to carry out assassination missions without being accompanied by any Sensory Ninja. Onoki didn't really expect them to accomplish the mission. In fact, Konoha discovering them and taking action against them was exactly what Onoki wanted.
For every village, two Jonin were precious assets. However, if these Jonin went against the will of the village elders, Onoki might not tolerate them. Unable to act directly, he sent them on missions like this. If successful, it was a pure gain. Even if discovered by Konoha as they were now, Onoki wouldn't lose. He might even achieve his goal, making it a big win.
Moreover, if these two squads hadn't encountered Hiruzen's team and instead engaged with other squads, they might have caused trouble for Konoha. Killing any Konoha ninja would benefit the Hidden Rock Village.
Hiruzen also understood the situation clearly, but he didn't show any intention of letting go of the Iwa-nin. Instead, he said, "Fire and Earth are friendly nations. I cannot guarantee the truthfulness of what you've said. This could affect the diplomatic friendship between our countries. If what you said is true, then come back to Konoha with us. As long as the intelligence you provide is accurate, Konoha won't make things difficult for you."
Upon hearing this, the Iwa-nin's face turned extremely ugly. The interrogation department in Konoha was known for its ability to extract information, even from one's soul. What he said was indeed true, but there were many things in his mind that Konoha couldn't know about.
It wasn't about keeping secrets for the Hidden Rock Village; it was that once some of the things he had done that harmed Konoha's interests were exposed, Konoha wouldn't spare his life.
Nevertheless, he nodded, kneeling down as if accepting Hiruzen's proposal. Hiruzen looked at the bowed Hidden Rock and said softly, "Enma, release him."
"Good!"
"Bang!"
The Adamantine Prison Wall reverted to Enma's form. At this moment, the Iwa-nin suddenly made a move, but he dared not attack Sarutobi Hiruzen. Instead, he tried to break out towards the outside, targeting Tatsuma, whom he perceived as the weakest.
Seeing this, Mandrill in the other direction was about to intervene and pursue, but Hiruzen said, "Yaksha, handle him!"
Upon hearing Hiruzen's direct order, Mandrill halted his movement. If Hiruzen hadn't issued the command, he would have had some autonomy, but since Hiruzen had given the order, he shouldn't interfere.
Even though Mandrill didn't believe Tatsuma could defeat and execute this Iwa-nin Jonin.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Tatsuma, upon hearing Hiruzen's command, immediately accepted it. Unlike Mandrill, who had some doubts, Tatsuma probably understood why Sarutobi Hiruzen specifically wanted him to act.
Firstly, it was a test. Although Hiruzen had access to all reports and intelligence regarding Tatsuma's performance on the battlefield, he had never witnessed it firsthand. Asking Tatsuma to act was undoubtedly a way to observe him in action.
Giving Tatsuma a chance could be seen as allowing him an opportunity. After all, he entered the ANBU through a "back door," and while ANBU ninjas wouldn't openly discuss it, there was undoubtedly some resentment. Despite Tatsuma's talent, he was still a Chunin. Moreover, his "predecessor" was Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
While Sakumo Hatake might not mind and might even be pleased to see Tatsuma take his place, his indifference didn't mean other ANBU members felt the same way. There's always some favoritism involved, so letting Tatsuma prove himself capable of defeating Jonin would naturally dispel any rumors.
Hiruzen intentionally severed the Iwa-nin's arm to make it easier for Tatsuma. As the Iwa-nin charged towards him, Tatsuma quickly moved to block his path. Seeing this, the Iwa-nin gritted his teeth and began forming hand seals with his left hand.
Every village researched One-Handed Seals, and most Jonin knew them. In critical moments, they could be life-saving, and for this Iwa-nin, the time was now.
"Earth Release! Rock Fist!"
With the hand seals complete, the missing right arm of the Iwa-nin suddenly became covered in rock, forming a rather crude stone arm. He lunged forward with a fist aimed at Tatsuma.
Bang!
Tatsuma's enhanced strength erupted. With a stomp on the ground, the earth in front of him suddenly cracked and sank. The fist of the Iwa-nin, heading towards his head, veered off course, and with Tatsuma slightly tilting his head. The Rock Fist grazed past his cheek.
The punch blew open the hood of Tatsuma's cloak, revealing his head of tousled white hair. Seeing this white hair, the Iwa-nin suddenly realized who was before him. At the same time, a youthful voice spoke up.
"Even at a time like this, you still possess such formidable strength. Truly worthy of being a Jonin from Hidden Rock Village."
Hearing these words of praise, the Iwa-nin finally confirmed the identity of the young man before him. Meanwhile, Hiruzen, watching this scene unfold, had a somewhat speechless expression, and even Enma by his side seemed quite dramatic in response.
The monkey-faced Enma first looked stunned, then a row of black lines appeared on his face. 'In the midst of battle, he successfully praised the opponent. Who is this child's sensei?! How did they teach him?!'
Meanwhile, as the Iwa-nin looked at Tatsuma crashing into his embrace, he quickly reacted. He concentrated a large amount of chakra in his abdomen and back, intending to resist Tatsuma's attack. His left hand involuntarily moved to his groin area.
With such a short distance and time, the Iwa-nin didn't think Tatsuma could use ninjutsu to attack him. If it was taijutsu or ninja tools, perhaps he could hold out!
Tatsuma didn't form hand seals either. With one hand, he slapped towards the right ribs of the Iwa-nin.
"Eight Trigrams! Vacuum Palm!"
Just as the Iwa-nin thought it was just a push of the palm, a surging chakra poured out from Tatsuma's hand, penetrating into the Iwa-nin's body. In an instant, the Iwa-nin bent over, and the chakra gathered in his abdomen and back had already dispersed.
Tatsuma raised his knee, crashing into the Iwa-nin's left hand protecting his jewels.
Crack!
The Iwa-nin felt a clearer sensation under his left hand than ever before. The part he had always treated cautiously was now being treated forcefully by someone else.
The Iwa-nin's eyeballs bulged instantly, his mouth gaping open. Before the sense of weakness and pain could feedback to his brain, he saw a Chakra sphere.
He couldn't understand why Tatsuma could launch a Taijutsu attack and use his signature move while also employing Ninjutsu in an instant. Could it be a No Seal Jutsu?
"Rasengan!"
Boom!
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