Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 189: Despair-Inducing Gap

"Senpō: Gōryū Kyōbu!" (Sage Art: Fierce Dragon Dance!)

Hagoromo Gengetsu clapped his hands, and under the influence of senjutsu chakra, numerous awe-inspiring fire dragons materialized in the air, circling around him, making him appear majestic and solemn.

"Retreat!" 

Upon seeing this, Jiraiya's pupils contracted sharply, and he decisively ordered a retreat.

The Konoha ninja, already sensing something was wrong, quickly withdrew.

Sakura glanced at the Naka Shrine, now close, and bit her lip in frustration. However, Kakashi and Yamato held her shoulders from either side, forcing her to retreat with the main group.

A deafening dragon's roar echoed through the heavens and the earth.

Hagoromo Gengetsu issued the command.

Fierce Dragon Dance.

Majestic fire dragons descended from the sky with an apocalyptic force, surging towards the Konoha troops.

"Senpō: Goemon!" (Sage Art: Goemon!)

At this moment, Jiraiya had prepared himself. With a large amount of senjutsu chakra, he expelled an unprecedented volume of oil. Simultaneously, Fukasaku and Shima, the two Sage Toads, exerted all their might to perform senjutsu Wind Release and Fire Release.

The combination of these three techniques formed boiling oil flames of thousands of degrees, capable of theoretically devouring all physical matter, clashing head-on with the incoming fire dragons.

Boom!

At the instant the two senjutsu techniques collided, massive flames shot up into the sky, creating an enormous red curtain that covered the heavens, turning day into a deep crimson.

Next, the air twisted, the earth melted, and all tangible things rapidly disintegrated.

The Konoha ninja behind Jiraiya felt as though they were in the legendary Flame Mountain, with the moisture in their bodies quickly evaporating.

Before they could react further...

Boom!

Like a balloon bursting, the prestigious dragon's roar prevailed, and the senjutsu technique known as Goemon was swiftly overwhelmed by Senpō: Gōryū Kyōbu.

Seeing the fire dragons still surging with undiminished power, Jiraiya swiftly retreated. On his shoulder, Shima exclaimed repeatedly in amazement:

"This young man! This young man! How did he train to become so powerful!"

Jiraiya, watching the fire dragons that seemed almost tangible, remarked with a wry smile, "Shima Sage, he's not exactly young. By now, he should be around seventy or eighty."

Living for over 800 years, Shima didn't agree, "Not even a hundred years old; he's definitely young."

"Young indeed! Remarkable youth!" Fukasaku echoed, his tone more serious than before.

Jiraiya had no time to respond.

The remaining power of the Fierce Dragon Dance continued to rage, threatening to crash into the Konoha troops. Jiraiya quickly halted and used more ninjutsu to block it.

Not just him, but the other Konoha ninja also deployed defensive jutsus.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

"Wood Release: Tree Barrier!"

A series of ninjutsu formed a barrier before them, struggling to resist Hagoromo Gengetsu's single senjutsu.

In the group, Shikamaru looked on with a complex expression, his heart filled with shock:

"Is this the power of one of the three great warriors of the Warring States?"

At this moment, he understood why the Nara clan, known for their intellect and strategy, always remained inconspicuous during the Warring States period, often seeking alliance with the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans, keeping a low profile.

No matter how clever your strategies, they ultimately cannot match the sheer force of some individuals' overwhelming power.

Shikamaru, with an IQ over 200, felt a sense of defeat.

Next to him, Sakura and Kakashi, deeply connected to Sasuke, also felt a profound sense of powerlessness seeing the scene before them.

With such an insurmountable figure like Hagoromo Gengetsu, how could they hope to bring Sasuke back from beyond this towering mountain?

"Naruto, if you were here, you'd never give up no matter what, right? But... I see no hope!"

Sakura clenched her fists, looking at the unprecedented sea of flames connecting the heavens and the earth. She had thought she had made significant progress.

But now, the gap seemed too vast!

Vast to the point of despair!

While Hoshigaki Kisame, temporarily allied with Hagoromo Gengetsu, did not feel despair, he was grateful that Hagoromo Gengetsu's attack had forced Guy and others, who had been pressuring him, to retreat. Still, the shock on his face was no less.

He glanced at the raging fire dragons and then at the ever-composed Hagoromo Gengetsu, feeling a sudden surge of fear.

Reflecting on how he had casually bantered with Hagoromo Gengetsu and even contradicted him at times, Kisame realized how bold he had been.

Now, he knew better than to be so daring.

Seeing both Hagoromo Gengetsu and the Konoha forces preoccupied, Kisame took one last look in the direction of the Naka Shrine.

As expected, Itachi should be dead by now.

There was no reason for him to stay any longer.

With a courteous nod to Hagoromo Gengetsu, Kisame sheathed Samehada and quietly retreated while Konoha was otherwise engaged.

Hagoromo Gengetsu glanced at Kisame's departing figure without concern.

"Let's add one final touch."

He turned back toward the Konoha forces. With another surge of senjutsu chakra, the waning Fierce Dragon Dance flared up again, roaring towards the Konoha side.

"Damn!"

Tsunade's voice rang out.

With a loud bang, a giant blue-and-white slug was summoned.

Hagoromo Gengetsu turned away, uninterested in the ensuing events.

As the Konoha ninja were kept occupied by his senjutsu, he reached the Naka Shrine.

Standing amid the ruins, with Amaterasu's black flames still burning in many places, Hagoromo Gengetsu observed the Uchiha, who were still laughing uncontrollably.

He counted them—fifteen, all present, some heavily injured, others lightly, but none dead.

"Still showing restraint?"

Hagoromo Gengetsu looked at Uchiha Itachi's corpse.

With his strength, it was impossible for him not to kill a single Uchiha.

So, in the end, did he relent out of compassion?

Or did he do it for Sasuke's future, to avoid further displeasing him?

Hagoromo Gengetsu shook his head slightly.

He really was a brother who loved his sibling deeply.

Though such a method of love was unbearable for ninety-nine percent of people.

Soon, the ecstatic laughter on the ruins of the Naka Shrine faded.

Replaced by faint sounds of sobbing.

Extreme joy and sorrow intertwined.

Hagoromo Gengetsu withdrew his gaze from Sasuke, who still had three tomoe Sharingan. He was considering whether to reveal the truth to Sasuke as in the original story, to trigger the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Suddenly, he sensed a strong chakra fluctuation.

Hagoromo Gengetsu turned his head and exclaimed:

"Huh?"