"This is not the time to explain," Hiruzen gritted his teeth, struggling to stay on his feet.
The wind pressure felt like a mountain on his shoulders, causing cold sweat to pour from him.
His aging muscles screamed in protest.
"Enma!" Hiruzen called out, "This guy wants to take the jinchuriki out of Konoha. As Hokage, I must stop him!"
"Gurararara! Hiding in your shell, huh?"
Murakumogiri failed to cut through the "Adamantine Prison Wall," surprising Whitebeard with its durability.
However, the smile on Whitebeard's face didn't fade.
As he withdrew Murakumogiri, Hiruzen seized the opportunity. Enma transformed back into a staff, and Hiruzen used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat several meters.
Hiruzen panted heavily.
Even against another village's Kage, he wouldn't tire this quickly.
Yet, he felt an unusual exhaustion.
Whitebeard's immense power...
...was beyond his expectations.
The information about Whitebeard had underestimated him; this man's strength was absurd.
Hiruzen regretted coming alone and leaving Kakashi behind. With Kakashi's help, it might have been easier.
Hiruzen had to admit.
He was getting old.
Currently, even with Enma's help, it would be challenging to contain Whitebeard. At least ten Jonin would be needed to assist him.
"The ANBU should be on their way!" Hiruzen quickly devised a strategy. "Enma, we don't need to fight him head-on. We just need to stall him for five minutes!"
"Understood!" The mouth on the staff responded.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!" Hiruzen planted the staff into the ground, his hands forming signs at lightning speed.
An earth dragon head emerged in front of him.
The dragon opened its mouth, spewing a barrage of earth bullets like cannonballs!
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!" His technique shifted.
Spewing flames.
Fiery bullets engulfed in flames!
Combined Technique: Earth Dragon Flame Stream!!
"You ninjas sure have a lot of tricks!" Whitebeard swung Murakumogiri, his Armament Haki-imbued strike smashing through the combined technique.
"Got you, big guy!" A triumphant voice echoed from within the destroyed fire and earth.
The staff by Hiruzen's side vanished, revealing the technique as a diversion.
Two hands of Enma emerged from the staff hidden within the technique, aiming to grasp Whitebeard's wrists.
"Got him!" Enma grabbed Whitebeard's arms.
Restricting his movements.
"Hiruzen! Now!"
"Well done, Enma!" Hiruzen's joy was short-lived, as Whitebeard's voice drastically changed both their expressions.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard mocked, "What made you think you could control me?"
"What?" Enma was startled.
It realized.
Whitebeard's hands were enveloped in a white light, extending to Enma's hands.
"What is this?" Hiruzen recalled something, his face paling. "Enma! Be careful!"
Too late.
Buzz!!!
The terrifying vibrational force made Enma's hands bulge with veins, its face contorting in horror.
"A vibrating power?" It realized the danger. "What kind of strange jutsu is this?!"
Enma instinctively tried to let go.
But it was too late. The tearing pain in its hands made Enma break out in cold sweat.
Although its Adamantine body prevented immediate destruction, the bone-deep pain was unbearable.
Its hands, usually indestructible, now had gruesome cracks, shocking Enma to its core.
The indestructible body cracked?!
Forced to release its grip.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard held Murakumogiri in his left hand, his right hand clenched into a fist, surrounded by a vibrating white light.
That light seemed to hold the power to destroy everything.
"You think you can stop me with that? I am Whitebeard!!" Whitebeard's muscles tensed, his face showing a menacing grin reminiscent of the Marineford War.
In the blink of an eye, under the horrified gaze of Hiruzen and Enma.
He punched the air!
Crack—
The atmosphere.
Shattered!
In the night, the visible vibrations shattered the air, with white cracks spreading wildly forward. Almost instantly, they reached Hiruzen.
Enma bore the brunt, feeling like the world was spinning, the sky and earth reversing. Its special body allowed it to endure, but the tearing pain made it scream.
Half of its fur was shaken off, its skin starting to crack, blood seeping through.
Even with its indestructible body.
What about without it?
"Not good!" Enma endured the pain, glaring at Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, dodge!!"
Boom!!!
Hiruzen's body exploded, but instead of blood, it was mud. A Mud Clone!
In a flash, Hiruzen appeared a hundred meters away.
His face was pale with fear.
"What?" He hadn't even caught his breath when the sound of breaking air, like death's bell, made his face tremble. "The range...is this wide?!"
"Earth Release: Super Hardening Technique!" A strong survival instinct made Hiruzen form several signs with unprecedented speed.
Buzz!!!
"Ugh!"
Hiruzen spat blood, his clothes shredded instantly, his body feeling like it was under continuous heavy blows. His bones cracking sounded like firecrackers.
His vision blurred.
Blood streamed from his orifices, his eyes rolling back uncontrollably.
His conscious mind blanked out.
Like a power outage.
The vibration continued, reaching the Hokage Rock a kilometer away and directly hitting a large sculpture—Hiruzen's head!
It shattered!
Rubble flew!
...
"No way...this is too much," Kakashi, chasing Hiruzen, watched as white cracks spread across the sky.
Like a giant white dragon rampaging over Konoha.
Hitting the Hokage Rock.
Feeling the earthquake, Kakashi saw terrified villagers running out of their homes.
He looked at the cracking ground beneath him.
Sweat pouring, his throat dry. "The Hokage should still be alive, right?!"
"This is bad!"
...
...