086: Lord Hokage, give it your all! It's already six feet under!

Hiruzen wiped his face, his hands covered in soot. 

His chin stung fiercely. Touching it, he realized his beard was gone. 

Tears welled in his eyes. 

Old friend, I couldn't save you after all. 

To be bald and covered in grime... this is hardly the image of a Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, are you alright?"

Kurenai's team darted back. 

When danger struck, they were the first to flee. Now that it had passed, they were the first to offer empty condolences. 

They were masters of superficiality, their faces as thick as castle walls.

Just who taught them shit like this? 

And... why was that student taking pictures with a camera?! Where did a kid even get a camera? Those things are expensive!

Noticing the Third Hokage's sharp gaze, Natsuki didn't flinch. 

Instead, he said with a composed expression, "Lord Hokage, I wanted to capture the moment you bravely shielded us from the Evil Beast, protecting us and the village from harm. I want to send this picture back to the Academy.

"Let future generations remember that we have such a kind and respectable Hokage."

So it was to immortalize my heroic deed for posterity. Good. 

If everyone in Konoha had this mindset, the Will of Fire would spread throughout the ninja world. Hiruzen nodded, his gaze softening considerably. He was not ashamed to admit that the children had been taught well.

"Ahem! As the Hokage, protecting the villagers and Konoha is my duty."

The Third Hokage stood tall, his robes billowing in the wind, a picture of graceful wisdom. He glanced at the Blazing Evil Beast, pinned down once again by the Giant of Light and a squad of ANBU. 

The battle was going well. 

With a nod, he decided he could spare a moment. Being old, most things didn't matter to him anymore. But reputation did, especially a reputation that would last through the ages.

His tone suddenly shifted. "However, to serve as a warning for future generations, capturing these impactful images would be appropriate.

"If you'll excuse me, let me adjust my attire."

Hiruzen straightened his messy clothes, trying to wipe the soot from his face.

"Wait!" Natsuki exclaimed. "That's the shot! This is the most authentic image!

"Lord Hokage, at your age, you still fight so hard for the village despite the hardships.

"Think of the children at the Academy! Won't this inspire them to strive for greatness, to abandon laziness and complacency?

"What a motivating image for them to emulate! Right, Pigmon?" Natsuki finished, kicking Kiba beside him.

"Y-yes... With Lord Hokage's example, the children will surely work hard!" Kiba stammered, then, as if realizing something, loudly protested, "AAAAH! I'm not Pigmon!"

"Then what are you called?"

"I am the Beastmaster of Retribution!"

"Woof!!!"

"I see, impressive title."

"Pfft~~" Kurenai couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into laughter.

Finally, just before the Hokage lost his temper, a picture was taken.

At that moment, the seemingly invincible Blazing Evil Beast finally toppled the Giant of Light, its chest glowing crimson. 

But Choji's Giant of Light transformation still needed improvement. Even with the red glow, he couldn't use his finishing move.

"Lord Hokage, there's no time to lose!"

"I suggest we use the method I suggested, using the Fire Style to burst this Blazing Evil Beast."

Seeing Choji struggling, and the surrounding shops owned by the Konoha elders in ruins, Natsuki finally spoke seriously.

"Is there no other way?" Hiruzen asked reluctantly. The plan sounded unreliable no matter how much he thought about it. 

What if it backfired and his entire shopping district ended up being destroyed?! 

But they hadn't found the beast's weakness, and Natsuki was the first to identify it as a beast in the first place. 

Maybe his method was the only option?

"There is...but it carries even greater risk."

Natsuki hesitated, his face grave.

I could use my Eyes of Death... no, my Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and probably slice this beast in one move. 

But my swordsmanship is still rough. If I accidentally cut the village's or someone else's lines of death... there's no coming back.

His semi-corporeal swordsmanship teacher, Artoria, had been dispatched again, teamed up with another member, Izumi, to rake in bounty rewards across the ninja world. 

The goals were twofold: to earn money and to bolster the reputation of the Dimensional End's Congregation, causing trouble for Akatsuki in the process. 

Hearing of other potential dangers, Hiruzen, ever the pragmatist, shook his head. 

He couldn't wait any longer. Further delay would only result in greater damage to his own assets. 

The Third Hokage wiped his face clean and bellowed to the surrounding ninjas: "Everyone, use Fire Style to annihilate this beast!"

Although no one understood why they should use Fire Style against a creature that was clearly fire-based, the words had come from the Professor, the Third Hokage himself. 

Therefore, it must be right step.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

Instantly, Fire Style attacks roared from all directions, culminating in a thunderous explosion. 

The resulting inferno towered dozens of meters high, illuminating all of Konoha. Moments later, the flames rapidly subsided.

The Blazing Evil Beast had actually absorbed them all, growing larger in the process.

"Roar!!!" Demonic flames surged as the beast grew even more ferocious.

"This..."

"Something's wrong. The monster seems stronger."

"Didn't Lord Hokage tell us to use Fire Style? Has Lord Hokage's eyesight failed him?"

All eyes turned to the Hokage. Hiruzen's face stiffened. 

He turned mechanically and asked, "Natsuki, did we make a mistake?"

He could tolerate other things, but if this was a joke, making him lose face in public with a command that invited disaster… then he wouldn't be polite.

"No! We hadn't made a mistake!" Natsuki insisted. 

"Haven't you noticed? The beast hasn't moved since then. Besides trying to scare us, what else has it done?

"It means it's been focusing on converting that external fire energy. That's its weakness! As long as its conversion speed is slower than its absorption speed…"

Hiruzen nodded, understanding. 

He had indeed noticed the rampaging beast's strange stillness. Since its appearance, when had it ever been so quiet?

"...Everyone, increase the firepower!

"It's converting the flames we're unleashing! Help me overload it!!!"

Certainty bolstering his confidence, Hiruzen waved his hand grandly, his robes flapping dramatically. 

From behind, he looked every bit the wise strategist.

"Yes, sir!" With confirmation received, everyone's spirits soared. 

This bizarre beast had met its match in the Professor, the genius kage of the ninja world.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" This time, the Hokage led the charge himself. 

Another barrage of fire techniques was unleashed.

Several rounds later, everyone was low on chakra, but the Blazing Evil Beast remained imposing.

Its body, originally 20 meters long, had expanded to nearly 100, rivaling even a tailed beast in size.

"This..." Hiruzen felt sweat beading on his forehead. 

He glanced at Natsuki again.

Natsuki was starting to panic internally. 

The tiny bit of fire energy the system said needed to overlord the beast turned out to be a literal astronomical amount. Thankfully, the village had plenty of ninjas. 

If it were just him... he would be dead of chakra exhaustion.

"Lord Hokage! Keep going! We're almost there! It's almost at its limit!" Natsuki put on an Oscar-worthy performance of excitement, despite the frantic screaming in his head.

The boy's innocent expression bolstered the Hokage's confidence. 

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" He clapped his hands together, forcing out three more blasts of fire. Afterward, he swayed almost imperceptibly. 

He was getting too old for this. Just a few Fire Dragon Flame Bullets had left him exhausted. Hiruzen sighed internally, then looked at the barely-phased Blazing Evil Beast. 

It still wasn't enough.

"Almost there, Lord Hokage! Just a bit more! Look, it's already half collapsed!" Natsuki's voice rang out again.

He had a point. 

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" A slightly smaller fire dragon roared forth. Seeing the Hokage's effort, the surrounding ninjas cheered and pushed themselves to their limits as well.

"Great! It's completely on the ground now! Lord Hokage, come on, one more push! The focused sigle target fire of the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet is the perfect answered! Your power alone surpasses everyone else combined!"

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

"Amazing! Lord Hokage! It's on all fours now! Can you hear the villagers cheering? Just a few more and it'll burst!"

Hearing he needed to do more, Hiruzen swayed, feeling dizzy and seeing stars.

"Natsuki… when will this end…" He trailed off. Wait, this kid knew Fire Style too! That… Super Invincible Thunderbolt Fireball thing! His eyes lit up like torches.

"Lord Hokage, what's wrong? Are you feverish? No wait, your eyes are on fire!" A startled Natsuki warned.

"Natsuki, don't you also know Fire Style?" Hiruzen's voice cut through the heat like a chilling wind.

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