At eight in the morning, on the open space in front of the Amegakure, hundreds of Konoha ninjas had already assembled.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were at the forefront of the group, while Danzo and Orochimaru were at the rear, beginning an orderly withdrawal.
Hanzo stood aside with a dozen of his subordinates, watching as Konoha's team departed.
As the entire Konoha team withdrew from the Amegakure, using the illusion of a mirage to conceal themselves, Sarutobi Asuma and Hagane Kotetsu also left the village.
"Hanzo-sama, are we really..." one of his subordinates began.
Turning sharply to look at his subordinate with a fierce gaze, Hanzo silently shook his head, gesturing for them to be quiet.
Intimidated by Hanzo's presence, the Amegakure jonin quickly closed his mouth.
What a bunch of fools! Still clinging to fanciful ideas even now!
Cursing inwardly, Hanzo watched the departing Konoha forces and calmly spoke out, "In this cruel world, ensuring the survival of this country is our top priority! Do you understand?"
Biting his lip, the jonin lowered his head and replied softly, with a tone of reluctance, "Understood."
"Let's go! We should prepare as well."
With that, Hanzo led his subordinates away from the somewhat deserted open space.
"Such greed!" Following the group from afar, Kizaru, using genjutsu to conceal his presence, leisurely walked with his hands in his pockets. He sensed the presence of the Sunagakure's ninja forces.
In Kizaru's perception, the Sunagakure had divided their forces into three teams, with two teams hiding on either side of the forest ahead.
The last team followed the Amegakure ninjas, coming from the rear.
The Sunagakure was preparing to engulf the entire Konoha forces in Amegakure.
Not having the sensing ability of Kizaru, Sakumo hadn't detected the Sunagakure's presence yet. After hearing Kizaru's words, he quietly asked, "Can you confirm the enemy's position?"
Raising his right hand, Kizaru didn't speak, just smiled and pointed to the left and right sides ahead, then gestured backward.
Nodding, understanding Kizaru's meaning, Sakumo suggested, "I'll take care of the rear. You go to the forest ahead and deal with the enemies there first."
"Sakumo, do you want to have a little competition?" Kizaru asked with a smile, looking at Sakumo.
"What?" Sakumo was puzzled.
"Let's see who can take out their target first. The loser treats the winner to dinner."
Thinking about Kizaru's appetite, Sakumo wore a cautious expression and sighed, saying, "It's a hefty bet!"
"Are you in?" Kizaru asked, smiling.
"Then let's have a match!" Looking at Kizaru, Sakumo became serious.
With a smile exchanged between them, the two men almost simultaneously used the Body Flicker Jutsu, rushing towards their respective targets.
This ambush operation represented the Sunagakure's formal declaration of war against Konoha. The Sunagakure attached great importance to it and had thrown almost all their forces stationed at the frontline into it.
With the Third Kazekage and Chiyo leading, along with the elite puppet forces from the village, more than two thousand ninjas were mobilized.
It could be said that apart from Ebizo coordinating the rear and the jinchuriki acting as the village's trump card, the Sunagakure had bet most of their strength on this ambush plan, despite it being their first alliance with Hanzo and the information's authenticity not yet confirmed.
The Third Kazekage was confident that even if Hanzo betrayed them, Konoha would be prepared, and this ambush would still succeed.
After all, they had deployed two Kage-level powerhouses and over two thousand elite ninjas!
"Kazekage-sama, Konoha's people are here." Standing beside the Third Kazekage, a sensory jonin reported upon sensing the chakra of Konoha ninjas.
Nodding, a glimmer of anticipation and excitement flashed in the Third Kazekage's eyes.
If they could kill the three geniuses of Konoha - the elder Danzo, Kizaru, and Sakumo - in this battle, it would be a severe blow to Konoha!
"Enter battle readiness, ready to follow my orders at any time," the Third Kazekage said, looking into the distance.
"Yes!" a elite jonin replied, then turned to the ninjas behind him, signaling to convey the message.
"How interesting!" Sneaking in, Kizaru saw the flamboyant gestures and chuckled.
"Who... attack!"
As Kizaru spoke up, the elite jonin next to him, who was making gestures, immediately issued a warning.
This alert, like a thunderbolt, made the surrounding Sunagakure ninjas tense.
With various weapons in hand, these Sunagakure ninjas watched their surroundings vigilantly.
Standing at the forefront of the team under a big tree, the Third Kazekage instinctively looked to his side at his sensor-type jonin.
Without needing a reminder from the Third Kazekage, the jonin had already begun using ninjutsu to try and pinpoint the enemy's location.
With ninjas all around, chakras mingling together, plus Kizaru's growing proficiency in the Mirage Genjutsu, the jonin couldn't immediately locate Kizaru's whereabouts.
"Oh ho ho! This is really frightening!"
A vulgar voice echoed above the crowd, and Kizaru appeared on a branch above the Third Kazekage's head.
Without any nonsense, as soon as he saw the enemy, the Third Kazekage waved his right hand, and a stream of iron sand flew out from his sleeve like arrows, shooting towards Kizaru.
With incredible speed, the iron sand, with considerable destructive power, pierced through Kizaru's body directly in front of everyone, hitting the trunk behind him.
"Genjutsu?" Seeing Kizaru unscathed, the Third Kazekage frowned, analyzing.
"No, Kazekage-sama, that's his real body!" Using sensory ninjutsu, the sensory jonin sensed a huge chakra from Kizaru and reminded, "His chakra is enormous, even surpassing that of a tailed beast!"
Chakra surpassing a tailed beast? And that immunity to attacks ninjutsu!
At that moment, the Third Kazekage's expression became serious.
"Konoha ninja, the Golden Flash, Shimura Kizaru!" Having seen Kizaru's information, the Third Kazekage immediately recognized his identity.
"To be recognized so easily, it's really annoying!" Seeming genuinely troubled, Kizaru even pretended to scratch his head.
"Everyone, scatter!" Remembering the information that Kizaru possessed wide-ranging attack ninjutsu, the Third Kazekage immediately ordered.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
The Third Kazekage's reaction and response were already fast, but Kizaru's movements were even faster!
While the Third Kazekage was still speaking, Kizaru had already appeared in the air, using his signature move.
Countless light bullets flew out, covering most of the Sunagakure ninjas in the area nearly a hundred meters below.
Seeing this, the Third Kazekage immediately used the jutsu Magnetic Release: Sand Iron Wall, blocking above the Sunagakure ninjas.
The collision between the light bullets and the iron sand formed a solid wall, and explosions rang out continuously!
"Don't stay in one place, scatter!" Blocking Kizaru's AOE technique, the Third Kazekage urged loudly.
Below the Sand Iron Wall, the Sunagakure ninjas quickly used Body Flicker Jutsu, dispersing somewhat chaotically in all directions.
Explosions continued to ring out, and the sturdy Sand Iron Wall began to loosen and thin.
In the end, the Sand Iron Wall couldn't withstand the continuous barrage of light bullets from the Yasakani no Magatama and was directly blasted apart.
Such a powerful attack!
Looking at Kizaru, who had also stopped his assault, the Third Kazekage felt immense pressure.
"To be blocked, truly worthy of being the strongest Kazekage! Strong as a monster!" Transformed into golden light, Kizaru landed back on the branch, looking down at the Third Kazekage and said with a smile.
"You're the one who's strong as a monster!" Looking at Kizaru solemnly, the Third Kazekage reciprocated the praise.
While speaking, the Third Kazekage didn't stop. He manipulated the scattered iron sand around him, forming countless needles that continuously shot towards Kizaru.
Maintaining his elemental body, Kizaru enjoyed the treatment of being pierced by thousands of needles without moving from his spot.
"Damn it!" Seeing that his attacks were ineffective, the Third Kazekage cursed inwardly and increased his intensity.
Countless iron sand appeared out of thin air, turning into needles and continuously shooting towards Kizaru.
The Third Kazekage refused to believe that Kizaru could maintain his immunity!
Unfortunately, to the Third Kazekage's disappointment, after shooting continuously for more than a minute, he found that he still couldn't attack Kizaru.
"What's the point of this?"
Feeling a bit annoyed and uncomfortable, the Third Kazekage didn't intend to continue wasting chakra and stopped his attack.
"Kizaru, you alone..."
Before the Third Kazekage could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by explosions not far away.
"Kazekage-sama, the one in the tree is a decoy!"
"How terrifying!"
Two voices almost sounded simultaneously, having already used genjutsu to arrive at a place where the Sunagakure ninjas were relatively dense, Kizaru, wielding the Ama no Murakumo, activated his unparalleled mowing mode.
Why didn't you say so earlier!
Feeling like a fool just now, the Third Kazekage glared fiercely at the jonin next to him and immediately rushed towards where Kizaru appeared.
"Stop, you bastard!" He shouted loudly, extending his right hand towards Kizaru.
With the Third Kazekage's movement, countless iron sands converged into a huge and sharp triangular cone, swiftly stabbing towards Kizaru.
"Magnetic Release: Sand Iron Triangular Prism!"
Feeling the attack coming, Kizaru turned his head and looked over, pointing the Hiramekarei at the Third Kazekage after giving him a sly smile.
"Shoot him down, Ama no Murakumo!" With Kizaru's voice, the Ama no Murakumo in his hand turned into a laser, rapidly extending towards the Third Kazekage.
Facing Kizaru's sudden attack, the Third Kazekage, who was eager to get away, couldn't evade in time, and could only barely twist his body to avoid vital areas.
His left shoulder pierced, the Third Kazekage had to stop his steps forward, looking down at the long and slender light sword stuck in his shoulder.
"Damn it!"
Hearing Kizaru's voice, the Third Kazekage suddenly looked up and happened to see Kizaru showing a wicked smile.
Not good!
Feeling a jolt of shock, sensing the sudden heat and light emanating from the wound on his left shoulder, the Third Kazekage quickly employed the Shadow Clone Technique, a divine ninjutsu of the ninja world.
The fifty-meter-long light sword in Kizaru's hand exploded instantly, engulfing the entire forest in massive heat and shockwaves.
Such a huge commotion thoroughly alarmed both Chiyo and another Sunagakure team hidden in the adjacent forest, who had already sensed something was amiss.
"Lord Chiyo, something may have happened to the Kazekage." Bending his knees and crossing his hands in front of him to withstand the shockwave, a Sunagakure ninja looked towards Chiyo ahead after enduring the impact.
Looking at the towering smoke rising in the distance, after a moment of hesitation, Chiyo decisively made a decision.
"Trust the Kazekage, gather the team, and launch a direct attack on Konoha!"
Watching Chiyo in a daze, the Sunagakure ninja took a few seconds to come to his senses before promptly responding, "Yes!"
After his response, the Sunagakure ninja quickly relayed Chiyo's orders to the troops behind.
Also swept away by the shockwave, Danzo, who was at the rear of the Konoha team, used Body Flicker Technique to arrive at the front.
"That bastard Kizaru, acting on his own again!"
Glaring at the smoke rising from the left side of the forest ahead, Danzo cursed inwardly.
If it were any other ninja from the village, Danzo would have taken action already.
But it was his nephew acting prematurely, leaving Danzo both angry and helpless!
Was that jerk trying to get him killed?
As Danzo's blood pressure soared in anger, he withdrew his gaze from the front and said to Jiraiya and Tsunade beside him, "Speed up and prepare to attack!"
Just as Danzo picked up his pace, in the center of the explosion, amidst the smoke, Kizaru, after using Observation Haki to lock onto the Third Kazekage's position, also took action.
"To survive that, truly worthy of being the strongest Kazekage!" With a slightly mocking and lewd voice, Kizaru appeared directly in front of the Third Kazekage.
Although he had endured the massive explosion using Shadow Clones and iron sand, the Third Kazekage's condition was very poor.
Inside the shattered iron sand cocoon, the flesh on his left shoulder had nearly disappeared, leaving only tendons stubbornly connecting to the bone, preventing the Third Kazekage's left arm from being completely severed.
Gasping for breath, with his face pale and weakened from blood loss, the Third Kazekage slowly raised his head, looking at the towering Kizaru.
"Why don't you get hurt? Is it genjutsu or ninjutsu?" Leaning against the iron sand behind him, the Third Kazekage looked at Kizaru and asked bitterly.
"Oh ho ho! What an interesting question!" Laughing, Kizaru deliberately paused for a moment before saying with a sinister tone, "Take a guess!"
*Cough cough!*
Because of excitement, the Third Kazekage was choked by the fresh blood surging in his throat and began coughing.
Spitting out the blood from his mouth, the Third Kazekage looked at Kizaru and deliberately said weakly, "I surrender, spare me!"
"Surrender!" Laughing, Kizaru took a step forward, approaching the Third Kazekage.
Bending slightly, Kizaru looked down at the Third Kazekage, about to speak, when suddenly, a change occurred.
The iron sand, forming the broken half-circle cocoon behind the Third Kazekage, surged forward violently.
This time, instead of using iron sand to attack Kizaru, the Third Kazekage swiftly manipulated it to wrap around him.
Forming hand seals with one hand, the Third Kazekage prepared to use sealing jutsu to seal Kizaru within the iron sand.
The seal script representing sealing emerged on the elliptical iron sand enveloping Kizaru. Having successfully ambushed Kizaru using sealing jutsu, the Third Kazekage's face showed a hint of a smile.
"Die!" With a slightly ferocious shout, the Third Kazekage controlled the iron sand, preparing to crush Kizaru, who was sealed within it.
"How terrifying!" Rubbing his chin, Kizaru appeared behind the Third Kazekage.
"You!" Whipping around, the Third Kazekage couldn't accept this outcome at all, his voice hoarse as he demanded, "What the hell are you, you bastard?"
"Kizaru, the Golden Flash of Konoha!" Continuing to rub his chin, Kizaru said with a smile.
"Why aren't you sealed?"
"Because just now was genjutsu! Idiot!"
After answering the Third Kazekage's final question, Kizaru lifted his right foot, shining brightly!