Chapter 140: The Konoha F4 Join Forces, Complete Susanoo

"Danzo, Koharu…"

Seeing his old comrades, Danzo Shimura and Homura Mitokado, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a surge of relief and quickly said, "You arrived just in time. Help me seal myself before I cause more harm!"

"Hmph… I told you long ago not to let Orochimaru go because of your sentiment as his teacher," Danzo sneered, slowly unwrapping the bandage over his right eye. "Now look at the mess—it's not only taken your life, but it's brought ruin upon our clans."

Clearly, both Hiruzen and the Konoha F4 assumed Orochimaru was the mastermind behind this attack.

In their minds, Edo Tensei was a forbidden jutsu known only to their teacher and Orochimaru. Moreover, those massacring their clans were Uchiha survivors, including Sasuke, who had once sided with Orochimaru. To them, it seemed logical that Orochimaru would aid Sasuke in a vendetta against them.

"I'm sorry… I truly regret this," Hiruzen admitted, deeply remorseful at Danzo's words.

If he'd known that sparing Orochimaru would one day lead to the Konoha Crush and now bring harm upon his clan, Hiruzen would never have hesitated to kill Orochimaru outright.

"This time, it's my turn to save the day. You owe me one, Hiruzen!"

Danzo closed his right eye, then opened it to reveal a Mangekyo Sharingan with a shuriken-shaped pattern. He spoke a single command: "Kotoamatsukami!"

In an instant, the binding that controlled Hiruzen's body broke. With a shiver, he realized he could move freely again.

"Hiruzen, stop standing around!" Danzo shouted.

Even after years apart, Hiruzen quickly understood his old comrade's intent. Moving swiftly, he formed hand signs, pressing his hands to the ground. "Edo Tensei: Release!"

A blinding white light shone over Hiruzen's cracked form as his body began to disintegrate into white ash. For a moment, the Sarutobi clan believed Hiruzen was about to disappear entirely. But then the ash coalesced back into form as the white light faded.

"Did it fail?" Asuma muttered instinctively.

"No, it worked," Danzo replied with a triumphant smile.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With a puff of white smoke, an elderly monkey appeared before Hiruzen.

"Hiruzen? You're… alive?" Enma, the Monkey King, looked astonished.

"Yes, Enma. It's time for us to fight side by side once more," Hiruzen said, wearing a confident smile.

"Though I'm unsure what's going on, I'll lend you my strength once more."

Without further questions, Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff with a poof, which Hiruzen grabbed and turned toward Danzo and the others.

"Hiruzen-sama… Clan Leader…" Sarutobi clan members called out, sensing what was happening, unsure if they dared hope.

"Don't worry. I'm in control again," Hiruzen announced. "I am once again the Third Hokage of Konoha and the leader of the Sarutobi clan!"

A roar of cheers erupted from the Sarutobi clan's territory, echoing across half of central Konoha.

Watching this display, Sasuke's shadow clone scowled. If he hadn't expended so much chakra and ocular power dealing with the Sarutobi's barrier jutsu, he would've incinerated these conspirators in black Amaterasu flames.

Poof! The shadow clone dispelled, sending all its memories back to the original Sasuke.

Sasuke, who was still hunting down Shimura clan members, felt a murderous chill upon receiving the memories. "Perfect timing—I won't have to search for them one by one."

He abandoned the stragglers he'd been hunting and dashed toward the Sarutobi compound.

"It seems I underestimated these old guys. Experience does come with age," Yagyu murmured from atop the Hokage Monument, having witnessed the entire exchange.

He had to admit, he hadn't expected Danzo's loyalty to Hiruzen would lead him to use the Kotoamatsukami—a jutsu that would require some time to recharge.

Though Danzo's Kotoamatsukami in his right eye wasn't a permanent control like the one Shisui had given Itachi, it was still incredibly powerful. Had Danzo managed to use it against Sasuke during their original battle, Sasuke might've needed Obito's help to finish him off.

Yet here Danzo had sacrificed this precious trump card for his old friend.

While Yagyu acknowledged Hiruzen's break from Edo Tensei's control, he only found himself more intrigued by the unfolding events.

"Enton: Kagutsuchi!"

The sea of black flames surrounding the Sarutobi compound surged to life, transforming into several massive dragons that roared toward Konoha's F4 and their clan members.

"Asuma, protect Konohamaru. The rest of you spread out and assist the Shimura clan," Hiruzen instructed as he effortlessly resumed command.

Konoha's F4 nodded in unison, immediately performing hand signs and slamming their hands to the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

"Earth Style: Earth Moving Core!"

The earth turned swampy, forming massive earth dragons that clashed with the black flame dragons.

The Sarutobi clan compound shook violently as black flames sank into the ground, smothered by the earth. Unlike the Sarutobi clan, whose specialty was fire, the F4 swiftly neutralized the Amaterasu flames.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

A powerful lightning bolt zigzagged across the distance toward the F4.

"Lightning Style: Thunderbolt!" Hiruzen formed signs and shot a massive bolt of lightning from his mouth, meeting the attack head-on.

The two lightning attacks collided in a deafening explosion.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!" Danzo fired off a volley of air blades toward the building where Sasuke had appeared.

Sasuke vanished just as the wind blades sliced the building into pieces.

As he reappeared, Homura suddenly unleashed a rain of kunai and shuriken that poured down upon him.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, blowing the projectiles away with a gust of wind. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The wind also kicked up a cloud of dust, obscuring him from the F4's view.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a large shadow descended on Sasuke.

It was Enma, in his Adamantine Staff form, descending with crushing force.

"Lightning Style: Chidori Sharp Spear!"

Sasuke met the staff with his Chidori-imbued sword, attempting to pierce through. But his attack merely sparked against the staff's indestructible surface.

"Ninja Art: Three-Way Sealing!"

Three voices called out from the dust as a triangular formation lit up around Sasuke, enclosing him in a green, translucent barrier.

"Amaterasu!"

With a smirk, Sasuke unleashed his unique ocular jutsu.

A tear of blood trickled down his cheek as black flames manifested within the barrier, igniting the three points. Agonized screams filled the air, but before he could feel satisfaction, three pops sounded as shadow clones exploded.

An immense suction force cleared the dust and immobilized Sasuke, drawing him forward. Only by grounding his feet with chakra was he able to resist.

Ahead of him, a massive red-furred elephant stood with its mouth open, creating a terrifying pull that dragged debris, bodies, and Sasuke himself toward it.

Sasuke, his vision blurred from repeated Mangekyo usage, prepared to burn the elephant with Amaterasu. But before he could, Konoha's F4 flanked the beast, hands already moving through seals.

"Four-Element Grand Blazing Shot!"

Four streams of different elemental chakra merged into a massive orb, and an explosion ripped through Konoha with blinding light and sound.

As the energy wave dissipated, a giant chasm lay where the Sarutobi compound had stood. A vast, smoldering wasteland stretched across central Konoha, still pulsing with residual energy.

Yet the F4's faces betrayed no relief, only grim resolve. Sasuke's chakra signature was still present, accompanied by a new, immense surge.

The dust cleared, revealing a colossal red figure, half-formed but wearing tengu armor and holding a crimson shield.

"So… that's the legendary Susanoo of the Uchiha clan?" Homura muttered, his voice uneasy.

"That girl—who is she?" Koharu asked grimly. "She looks as young as Konohamaru, yet she's awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and wields the power of Susanoo!"

"I don't know, but she's clearly stronger than Sasuke," Koharu replied, her face ashen.

Danzo remained silent, removing the arm guard that concealed his arm covered in Sharingan, a wary look in his eye.

Amaterasu was formidable but non-lethal to the F4; Sasuke's usage of it was still inexperienced. But this girl, Hikari, exuded an aura of undeniable danger.

And indeed, they were right to fear her.

With a simple gaze, Hikari enveloped Sasuke in her Susanoo's half-formed shield, absorbing their attack. Her Mangekyo Sharingan glowed with a fierce crimson light as she activated Yachihoko.

Blue chakra poured out of the F4 clan members and Root ninja, defying distance and obstacle, converging toward Hikari. Those drained of chakra slumped to the ground, lifeless or weakened.

Amassing hundreds of streams of chakra, Hikari's Susanoo began to lift from the ground, drawing its full body from the earth to stand at a towering hundred meters.

Standing below, the F4 seemed no more than ants beneath the massive, god-like entity.

This was the ultimate expression of the Uchiha's divine power, feared and dreaded throughout the shinobi world—the Perfect Susanoo.