Shamon fell silent, watching Hiruzen effortlessly suppress Shukaku. A complex emotion stirred within him.
In their own land, the entire village had struggled against Shukaku without success. Yet, an outsider—a Hokage—handled it with ease, and he wasn't even using his best element.
Ohnoki had once mentioned that Hiruzen had used a modified Earth Style technique to defeat the Raikage. While elemental advantages played a role, Shamon had to admit that the Third Hokage was undeniably powerful.
Observing the three youngster brought together with Hiruzen, Shamon wondered if Takumi could one day match him in skill, given that Takumi had already surpassed the original creator of the Magnet Release technique.
Meanwhile, Yuhi Shinku, Hatake Sakumo, and Mitarashi Naoto had finished helping with the evacuation. Once they arrived at the battlefield, they saw the once-dry desert turned into a vast, churning sea. They watched in awe as their Hokage controlled the battlefield single-handedly, forcing the One-Tail into retreat. A surge of pride filled them—this was their Hokage, the strongest leader in the ninja world.
However, they were unaware that Hiruzen's ability to maintain such a massive Water Style attack stemmed from recent studies. Inspired by the Second Hokage Tobirama, Hiruzen had been researching his notes, hoping to replicate his sea-summoning technique.
Tobirama, a master of Space-Time Ninjutsu, had used Flying Thunder God to summon seawater directly from the ocean. Since Hiruzen had yet to master Space-Time techniques, thus he found an alternative method—modifying the Summoning Jutsu. Instead of calling forth a creature, he opened a portal at the seaside, allowing water to naturally flow in.
This was why he had summoned the Monkey King Enma first—to prepare for the technique. Unlike Tobirama's effortless summoning, Hiruzen's version was chakra-intensive. Even pulling in a small amount of water required a great deal of chakra, but maintaining the connection cost far less. If he had enough chakra, he could theoretically flood the entire battlefield.
Shukaku, growing irritated, summoned a massive sand wave to block Hiruzen's attacks. "You're not from the Sand Village," Shukaku growled. "Who are you, and why are you interrupting my fun?"
"I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hokage of Konoha," Hiruzen replied firmly.
Shukaku snorted, "I'll admit you're strong. I might not be able to beat you, but you can't defeat me either. Why don't you just go back to Konoha? I'll leave when I feel like it."
Hiruzen's expression darkened, "So Water Style alone isn't enough to subdue you? Fine, the warm-up is over. Now, I'll get serious."
Ending his Water Release technique, Hiruzen cut off the flow of seawater.
"Yes! That's right!" Shukaku grinned, thinking Hiruzen was giving up. "You better stop fighting, I'll do my own thing, and we all—"
Before he could finish, Hiruzen clapped his hands together.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!" (Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu)
Four massive water dragons surged from the battlefield, splitting into two pairs that coiled around Shukaku's body, restraining him completely. Only his head remained mobile.
"You sneaky little—!" Shukaku howled, enraged. His mouth opened wide, gathering swirling black and red chakra.
From the distance, the Sand Village shinobi gasped in horror. "That's a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Hiruzen turned to the others. "Fall back now! If you get caught in this, you won't survive!"
Ignoring whether they listened or not, he formed another set of hand seals.
"Meteor Shower: Meteor Inferno!" (Ryūseigun: Ryūsei Engoku)
A massive flaming meteor tore through the sky, plummeting toward Shukaku.
Realizing he was out of time, Shukaku hastily compressed his Tailed Beast Bomb. But before he could fire, the meteor struck.
The resulting explosion detonated the unstable energy inside Shukaku's mouth, triggering an even larger blast. A storm of sand, fire, and water erupted, filling the battlefield with a deafening roar.
When the dust began to settle, Shukaku's shattered body lay in pieces.
As the smoke cleared, Hiruzen suddenly sensed an immense energy building within the dust cloud.
Shukaku wasn't finished. The fragments of his body twitched as he began gathering chakra again, preparing for another attack.
Glancing back, Hiruzen saw that the Sand Village ninjas had retreated to the village's edge, working together to block the shockwave. Relieved, he decided it was time to unleash his full power.
Gathering his chakra, he formed a sword seal with his fingers and exhaled a stream of energy into the lingering smoke and dust. In an instant, sparks flickered in the air, igniting tiny explosions throughout the cloud.
Within seconds, the air temperature soared. More and more sparks ignited, turning into a chain reaction of explosions.
Then, with a deafening boom, a massive detonation erupted. Hiruzen quickly teleported back to the village's edge, shouting:
"Defend with everything you have! Now!"
As he landed, he slammed his hands onto the ground. Walls of stone surged upward, reinforced by water barriers.
The Sand Village shinobi, still uncertain about what was happening, hesitated before instinctively reinforcing their defenses with every technique they knew.
A series of deafening explosions rang out, each louder than the last, shaking the ground violently.
The final, thunderous blast sent a shockwave that nearly shattered their combined defenses. A chilling silence followed.
Sweat dripped from Hiruzen's forehead.
That was only an incomplete version of the jutsu... If I had gone all out, the entire village would have been wiped off the map.
As the dust finally settled, they cautiously lowered their defenses. Before them lay a massive crater—several kilometers wide and hundreds of meters deep. The once-existing battlefield was now an unrecognizable wasteland.
Heat waves radiated from the ground, making the air shimmer.
Chiyo gasped, "This... this changed the entire landscape."
Shamon and the other Sand Village shinobi turned to Hiruzen in stunned silence, their expressions a mix of awe and fear.
Feeling a bit awkward, Hiruzen rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… sorry about that, Kazekage. I may have overdone it. Good thing I stopped halfway, or this would've been a real mess."
Ebizo, still in shock, muttered, "That was only half?"
Hiruzen shook his head, "Not even—just about one-fifth of my full chakra output."
The three little guy, grinning with pride, exchanged glances.
Hiruzen smacked them lightly on the back of their heads. "What are you grinning about? Go check the area for any survivors or damages!"
Descending into the massive crater, they found nothing but scorched earth. Shukaku was nowhere to be seen.
Hiruzen activated his sensing ability, scanning the area. A notification appeared.
Shukaku — Status
Vitality: 135/1000
Element: 13/1000
Abilities:
Advanced Wind Mastery
Advanced Seal Mastery
Advanced Chakra Control...
Special Trait: Sand-Gathering Body
Threat Level: Low
Hiruzen spotted a faintly glowing seal at the crater's edge. Did Shukaku seal himself?
A muffled voice came from the seal.
"You coward! You ambushed me! If you have any honor, wait until I recover, and we'll fight fair!"
Hiruzen scoffed, "Oh? The one hiding in a seal is lecturing me about honor?"
"Shut up! I'm injured! I'll fight you once I'm better!"
Hiruzen sighed and turned to Shamon, "Well… your problem now. I'll stay and watch him while you prepare a proper Jinchūriki."