Naruto: Growing Stronger Through Healing

The ANBU ninjas were gripped by intense anxiety.

First, they had been forced back from the Hokage's office by a sudden and overwhelming assault.

Now, they were trapped atop the Hokage Building itself, sealed inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, with no way to break out.

And yet—most humiliating of all—they still hadn't even laid eyes on their enemies.

They didn't know who was attacking.

They didn't know how many there were.

They didn't even know where the attacks were coming from.

For the ANBU, this was nothing short of a catastrophic failure.

A serious dereliction of duty. An unforgivable disgrace.

If anything were to happen to Lord Hokage today, every one of them would bear that responsibility—no excuses, no redemption.

"Watch out!" A sharp warning rang out just as the next wave of attacks descended.

Once again, it was Fire Release—but this time, far more violent.

Several attackers worked in perfect coordination, layering their chakra together. The flames surged outward like a tidal wave, their heat and scale dwarfing the previous assault.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

Without hesitation, the ANBU responded in unison. Multiple shinobi combined their chakra, erecting a powerful wall of water to counter the incoming inferno.

Water and fire clashed violently.

The collision erupted in a thunderous explosion, sending a shockwave tearing across the rooftop.

The upper levels of the Hokage Building cracked and fractured under the impact, stone and debris scattering in all directions.

Fortunately, everyone present was either an elite ANBU operative or the Hokage himself.

There were no weak links among them. Not a single person was injured. But the danger did not end there.

The explosion instantly produced a dense, boiling mist that swallowed the battlefield whole, obscuring vision entirely.

"Everyone, stay alert!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's deep, commanding voice cut through the fog.

The enemy had planned this meticulously.

They had deliberately forced the ANBU to counter with Water Release—not to overpower them, but to create this exact condition.

Limited visibility. Restricted perception.

An environment tailor-made for assassins.

Just as Sarutobi had predicted, the enemy's next move came immediately.

This was no random assault. This was a textbook execution.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of kunai streaked through the mist, each one wrapped with explosive tags.

By the time the ANBU sensed them, it was already too late to dodge.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A chain of explosions tore through the rooftop, shaking the Hokage Building violently—once, twice, again and again.

The entire structure trembled.

The shockwaves rippled outward, and the deafening noise instantly drew the attention of every shinobi in Konoha.

When they realized the explosions were coming from the Hokage Building, faces across the village changed color.

Panic spread.

Elite shinobi rushed toward the scene without hesitation.

Aoshi was among them. Feigning shock and concern, he stared intently at the Four Violet Flames Formation, his expression tense and focused.

"Hokage-sama!" Under the anxious gazes of countless onlookers, the explosions finally ceased.

The mist began to disperse.

At first glance, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the ANBU were nowhere to be seen—only a massive earthen wall remained, its surface deeply scarred by the blasts.

Then, slowly, the wall crumbled away.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the ANBU stood revealed, completely unharmed.

At the critical moment, the Hokage had used Earth Release to shield everyone within its protection.

Only then did the gathered shinobi finally breathe a collective sigh of relief.

At the same time, the leaders of Konoha's major clans arrived in force.

"What is going on?!"

"Who dares attack the Hokage so openly?!"

Fury burned on every face. Yet despite their rage, there was nothing they could do.

They were forced to stand helplessly outside the Four Violet Flames Formation, watching.

The attackers had planned for this as well.

Normally, the users of the Four Violet Flames Formation would be positioned outside the barrier. If they were attacked, the formation would automatically collapse.

But this time, the four shinobi maintaining the barrier had erected defensive measures of their own, completely isolating themselves.

In truth, Aoshi possessed the strength to forcibly break the Four Violet Flames Formation.

But since this entire incident was unfolding exactly as he had planned, there was no reason for him to intervene.

Nor was he worried.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in his prime. A handful of Root shinobi were not enough to take his life.

Having failed to gain results through surprise attacks, the Root operatives had no choice but to press forward—in full view of Konoha.

After all, Danzō's command had been absolute.

A death order.

They wore black cloaks that concealed their bodies completely, masking their identities and chakra signatures alike.

"Who are you?!" The question rang out repeatedly.

The Root shinobi offered no response.

They answered only with violence.

Relentless and Fearless.

They fought with no regard for injury, willingly trading blows just to hold back the ANBU and open a path toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.

This suicidal style of combat made even veteran shinobi feel a chill down their spines.

Survival was the most basic instinct of all living beings. Even ninjas were no exception.

Yet these attackers fought as if their lives held no value whatsoever.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened like a gathering storm.

Though the black-clad figures deliberately avoided identifiable techniques, their methods—and the familiarity of their movements—were unmistakable.

He already knew who they were. Danzō… what exactly are you trying to do?

Even understanding Danzō as well as he did, Sarutobi had never imagined he would go this far.

To assassinate the sitting Hokage. To attempt a coup in broad daylight, and that too in the Hokage Office.

This was no longer ambition. This was outright betrayal.

Hiruzen showed no mercy. Killing intent flashed in his eyes.

He hurled a single kunai forward while rapidly forming hand signs.

In an instant, that lone weapon multiplied—splitting into hundreds of solid, tangible copies that filled the air.

Every escape route was sealed.

Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!

A technique developed by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself—and it demonstrated its terrifying effectiveness in full.

Aside from the three strongest attackers, every remaining Root shinobi was struck.

Their bodies were pierced again and again, blood spraying as they collapsed, riddled with steel like grotesque hedgehogs.

Their deaths were brutal.

Yet the remaining three did not falter.

They did not hesitate.

They did not retreat.

After barely deflecting the storm of shuriken, they pressed forward without pause, charging straight at the Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen responded in kind.

His hands never stopped moving as he unleashed two powerful Ninjutsu in rapid succession—then merged them seamlessly into one.

Composite Ninja Art: Earth Dragon Flame Stream!

The fused technique roared forward like a living catastrophe.

The three Root shinobi hastily raised defensive jutsu—but it was meaningless. The gulf between them and the Hokage was simply too vast.

Their defenses shattered instantly, overwhelmed by sheer power.

"As expected of Lord Hokage."

"That compound Ninjutsu proves he's still as formidable as ever."

Praise echoed among the onlookers outside the barrier.

Even Aoshi nodded inwardly. In terms of Ninjutsu mastery, Sarutobi Hiruzen truly deserved the title of "Ninjutsu Professor!"

He lacked the invincible Bloodline Limit of the First Hokage. He lacked the forbidden genius of the Second Hokage.

Yet through relentless study and discipline, he had mastered all five elemental transformations, combining them with frightening proficiency.

His ultimate technique—the Five Release Great Combo Technique—was feared across the entire Shinobi World.

No one dared underestimate him.

"LOOK OUT!" A scream of terror rang out.

The three remaining Root shinobi, realizing they could not withstand Sarutobi Hiruzen's assault, abandoned all defense.

They detonated the explosive tags strapped to their own bodies—intent on taking everyone within the barrier down with them in a final act of madness.