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Chapter 81N
🕑 Added 2025-07-02 15:24:57 +0000 UTCChapter 81N
Why kill the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Biwa Jūzō had already thought about this question when he infiltrated the secret prison. The reason was actually simple—everything was for the village. Although he had been forced to betray Kirigakure after failing to assassinate the Mizukage, his original intention had been for the village to prosper. He had done those things to give Kirigakure a better future.
So, upon learning that Konohagakure was about to go to war with Kirigakure, in order to help Kirigakure win the war, he planned to assassinate the Third Hokage, who had been impeached and forced to step down. Biwa was posing as a collaborator of the Uchiha clan. Regardless of whether he succeeded or failed, it would serve to incite the faction-prone shinobi of Konoha into another round of internal strife. After all, the Uchiha had been ostracized for quite some time.
This logic flowed smoothly into one another, without any flaws.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, as long as I kill you, I can return to the village as a hero with Samehada." In the dense mist where one couldn't see their own hand, Biwa Jūzō’s elusive voice echoed. Not only Sarutobi Hiruzen, but even Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma, who were locked in combat nearby, heard this.
Samehada?
The name triggered certain memories. Asuma had done his homework after returning to Konoha. He knew exactly what had happened recently. The emissaries from Kirigakure had initially used Samehada as a pretext to pressure Konoha, and after several twists of fate, it had ended with the old man being forced out of power.
"Was it the Uchiha?"
In the thick fog, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked in a deep voice.
"Isn’t that obvious? Who else but the Uchiha?" Biwa Jūzō, wielding the Executioner’s Blade, silently crept up behind Sarutobi Hiruzen. While Hiruzen was speaking to the water clone he had left in the distance, Jūzō suddenly swung his blade toward Hiruzen’s neck.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen was not that easy to kill.
Earth Style: Earth Spear!
The blade strike didn’t sever Hiruzen’s seemingly not-so-sturdy neck. Instead, it felt like it struck diamond. The Executioner’s Blade’s edge chipped upon impact, and Biwa Jūzō’s eyelid twitched. Was this the strength of "The Professor"?
What the hell? Just how far had this Earth-style technique been refined? Was this the Hokage or the Tsuchikage?
At some point, Sarutobi Hiruzen had grabbed a piece of iron railing, which he had casually broken off when pushing open the prison door. He opened his mouth and exhaled, coating the iron bar with translucent Wind Release chakra, turning it into a sharp sword.
Wind Style: Vacuum Blade
Just as Biwa Jūzō tried to retreat, Hiruzen, already ready with his long blade, turned and slashed. The sharp sword struck fast and accurately, immediately leaving a deep cut on Jūzō’s arm, and scarlet blood splattered.
If he hadn’t reacted quickly and used the Executioner’s Blade’s length to force back Hiruzen—who couldn't use hardening while swinging the sword—his left arm might have been severed.
"Damn, he's strong!"
Biwa Jūzō retreated in panic.
He hid himself again in the mist, cold sweat dripping down his back.
This brief exchange made him feel a type of power different from the Fourth Mizukage, who had mastered the power of the Tailed Beast. With his limited education, he couldn’t articulate how terrifying Hiruzen was with sophisticated language. All he could say was that he felt sharpness, precision, and unfathomable depth.
"Mist Concealment Technique... what a nuisance."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, holding his intangible sharp blade, looked around. The thick mist rendered his eyes useless, and his ears couldn’t track Jūzō either. Meanwhile, Kakashi and his son were still clashing noisily nearby.
"Mist Concealment combined with Silent Killing? I think I learned this technique back in the day too."
With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen formed a one-handed seal.
He said softly, "Mist Concealment Technique."
As Biwa Jūzō stared in disbelief, the already-dense mist grew even heavier. The white fog surged like tides. Now, nothing could be seen clearly, as if they were immersed in a sea of clouds. Unless one's finger was pressed directly to their eyeball, they truly couldn’t see anything.
And that wasn’t all.
Unusual chakra had mixed into the mist, severely interfering with Jūzō’s sensory abilities, making it impossible to pinpoint Hiruzen’s location.
The sound of water splashing onto the ground.
Jūzō noticed that his water clone had disappeared. Unfortunately, unlike Shadow Clones, water clones couldn’t return information. So Jūzō didn’t know how it had been eliminated. But one thing was clear: Sarutobi Hiruzen was monstrously strong.
This over-sixty-year-old shinobi hero might indeed be aging and no longer at his peak, but he certainly wasn’t so weak as to be underestimated by anyone.
Barrier techniques, Fire Style, Earth Style, Wind Style, Water Style—these dazzling techniques left Jūzō in awe. He fully realized the terror and strength of "The Professor" and understood that this assassination attempt was doomed to fail.
However— He couldn’t accept retreating like this.
Some irrational obsession made him refuse to flee, even though he knew he was outmatched.
Biwa Jūzō didn’t sense anything wrong with that thought. Instead, he took a deep breath, resolved to bite off a piece of Sarutobi Hiruzen even if he died here. He decisively canceled the Mist Concealment Technique and leaped onto the rocky ceiling above.
A metallic clang followed as the Executioner’s Blade was stabbed into the rock wall.
Biwa Jūzō began forming hand seals with both hands.
"You’re digging your own grave!"
The mist swirled.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sliced through the fog with his wind blade and charged toward Jūzō. The sharp sword pointed straight at Jūzō’s chest.
"You're not getting through!"
From the left and right, two Biwa Jūzōs rushed out, each swinging the Executioner’s Blade in an attempt to slice Hiruzen in half.
The sword twisted sharply.
Unable to use hardening while moving, Hiruzen had no choice but to shift his blade to block. The spinning sword coiled like a parasite, instantly slicing the two water clones into splashing puddles.
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s swordsmanship was exceptionally skilled.
His experienced Konoha-style sword techniques were unmatched in the current village.
However—
Those two seconds of delay created by the water clones had been enough. Biwa Jūzō’s real body had already finished forming hand seals.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
This A-rank Water Style jutsu was considered a last-resort technique by nearly ninety percent of Kirigakure shinobi. Jūzō was one of them. Although he was a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Executioner’s Blade only offered a self-healing function through blood absorption. It didn’t boost his combat power in other ways.
The Great Waterfall Technique was one of his better offensive options.
His chest puffed up before suddenly compressing as he exhaled a massive torrent of water like a collapsing river from the heavens. This Water Style jutsu relied on the sheer weight and momentum of the water to crush its target. Even a building struck by this attack would be leveled instantly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just cut down two water clones, failed to dodge in time and was hit head-on by the surging torrent.
Then, with an expressionless face, Sarutobi Hiruzen dissolved into a splash of water and merged into the torrent.
Water clones weren’t exclusive to Kirigakure.
