Chapter 305. Will of Fire
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At the same time.
On the other side.
Under the pursuit of the Iwa ninjas, all the racers were charging toward the finish line, tearing through one checkpoint after another set by the Kumogakure. In fact, under the pressure of the chase, their speed had exploded to an unbelievable level.
The surrounding mountains roared with powerful rumbles!
One side ran, and the other side chased.
Of course, under the relentless pressure from Iwagakure, quite a few racers had already perished!
Time passed bit by bit.
There were fewer and fewer racers left on the track, and the pursuit from behind only grew more intense!
The surviving racers were all on high alert—some used explosive tags to force the Iwa ninjas to keep their distance, some relied on advanced puppetry to both drive and block enemies with puppets, and some directly clashed with powerful chakra.
Various ninja techniques kept appearing.
Dust and dirt filled the racetrack, and under this unrestrained barrage of ninjutsu, even some mountains had begun to collapse.
Thick smoke rolled across the area!
"We're getting closer to the finish line!" said Kitsuchi, who was following Onoki's orders to intercept this group of ninjas. He looked seriously at his subordinates, then cast a grave look toward the mountain range where spectators were gathered.
The explosions over there hadn't stopped either.
That situation... didn't look good either!
He said, "We must stop them!"
They absolutely couldn't let these ninjas reach the finish line. Forget how strong they were—if they really made it to the end, Iwagakure would become the laughingstock of the entire Ninja World.
He knew all too well—
In today's Ninja World, as soon as something hit the internet, it would instantly spread to the other villages.
Unfortunately—
The Land of Earth still hadn't achieved network coverage!
Kitsuchi sighed. He hadn't expected the Tsuchikage and the higher-ups to resort to this method—directly launching a war, intending to reshuffle the deck!
But now that the orders were issued—
As a ninja, he had to carry out the mission!
"There is a giant bridge up ahead suspended between two waterfalls!" one Iwa ninja said after some thought. "This segment features rapid currents and falling water to obstruct racers. Looks like the Kumogakure designed it to test speed and stability. We might be able to use that!"
If they couldn't cross, they'd definitely be swept down.
"Blow up that bridge! It's even longer than the cliff in the first track. Without the bridge, they won't be able to cross as easily as before!"
Their mission was to stop every single racer here.
So, there was no need to fight them directly—just stall them long enough for the Tsuchikage and the others to take care of things.
Right now—
Time was running short, and the sun was starting to set!
If this kept up...
The racers would reach the finish line and be greeted by cheers—while Iwagakure would be the butt of every joke.
He looked up at Kitsuchi. "Kitsuchi-sama, we have to act fast. They're almost at the next section of the course."
After hearing that—
Kitsuchi paused briefly, but didn't hesitate long. With a serious tone, he made a swift decision: "Do it as you said! I'm counting on you! Destroy the bridge as soon as possible!"
"Yes, Kitsuchi-sama!"
After receiving orders, the Iwa ninja Jonin quickly led his team through a shortcut to reach the next stretch of the course.
At that moment—
Time was extremely tight!
...
As for the racers—
Once the Iwa ninjas joined the fray, this was no longer just a simple ninja race.
It had become a war!
Not only did they have to watch for traps set by the Kumogakure, but they also had to be constantly on guard for attacks from Iwagakure!
But as long as they made it to the finish line, Iwagakure's entire plan would fall apart—and they would win!
So—
No matter what—
They must reach the finish line!
Next section—The Raging Waterfalls!
Suddenly—
Just as everyone was bracing themselves, ready to gun it through the rapids—
Boom!!!
A huge explosion!
A thunderous blast!
The entire mountain shook, and the shockwave sent massive boulders tumbling from the summit.
Some unlucky racers were crushed when they couldn't dodge in time—their vehicles flattened on the spot.
What the hell just happened?!
Just as everyone was wondering—
"The bridge! It's down! It collapsed! The bridge collapsed!"
Someone up front shouted. With sudden, panicked braking, several racers who didn't react fast enough crashed into those ahead of them, tumbling off the cliff one after another—vanishing beneath the raging waterfall in seconds.
After a while—
Everyone realized what had happened, and their hearts were gripped with dread as curses filled the air.
Iwa ninjas actually blew up the bridge?!
"Damn it! What are we supposed to do now?!"
"Those Iwa bastards!"
"Is the race really over like this?!"
Frustration and helplessness surged.
Everyone knew how much they had prepared for this race.
And now it might end just like this?
Unforgivable!
The whole course echoed with angry shouts.
Some, filled with indignation, couldn't stand to give up. They remembered the cliff jump in the first track, revved their engines, built up momentum, and released the brake—rocketing forward.
Hoping to fly across the waterfall chasm the same way as before!
But—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The falling water instantly smashed down on the vehicle mid-air. Though it flew for a moment, it was soon caught in the waterfall and hurled down.
Everyone instantly understood—
That method wouldn't work at all!
It wasn't just the long distance—those terrifying waterfalls made flight a pipe dream!
In that moment—
Every racer let out a helpless sigh.
And just then—
The Iwa ninjas appeared.
After all, this race had participants from every village, and Iwagakure wasn't looking to offend all of them!
"Please wait here patiently!" Kitsuchi bellowed. "Once the time is up, you'll be allowed to leave!"
No sooner had he spoken—
Everyone glared furiously at the Iwa ninjas.
"Screw it! The race is over anyway—let's just kill these Iwa bastards!"
"That's right! Kill them!"
"Damn it! If you wanna fight the Kumogakure, go fight the Kumogakure—why start a war now?!"
"This is just too much!"
Just as sleeves were being rolled up, and people were ready to throw down—
Suddenly—
"The race isn't over yet!"
A deep, aged voice rang out.
It carried a strange kind of power, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
They looked—
An old man wearing a black-and-gray racing suit stepped forward. On his chest was engraved the logo: [Root Studio].
"Th-that's the Third Hokage!"
The others finally recognized him too.
That's right!
It was that guy… the [If you're a brother, come fight me!] spokesperson!
Very familiar indeed!
"We've come this far—how can we give up so easily?" Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped out of his car, took a rare puff from his pipe, and looked over the racers—especially Konoha's grown-up generation and the village's pride: Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Originally, he hadn't planned to step forward.
But when he saw those young faces of Konoha's future, angry and ready to give up, he couldn't just stand by.
With a faint smile, hands behind his back, he said, "To give up here—wouldn't that be a waste? In the face of war, since even the Raikage hasn't backed down, how can we be the ones to give up first?"
"But…"
Before anyone could speak—
The Iwa ninja, wary of Hiruzen, cut in, "Third Hokage!" He paused, then continued, "Don't dream! You're not getting through. Please stay here and wait. Don't worry—as long as you behave, we won't do anything else!"
But—
Hiruzen waved his hand with a gentle smile. "This old man won't compromise on this." Looking at the Konoha ninjas beside him, he said, "Since you have participated, then try your best to complete it! Don't give up so easily! This is the final lesson from your Third Hokage."
And before anyone could react, he formed hand seals.
"Let me give you all a push."
Snap!
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In the blink of an eye—
Five clones dashed toward the waterfall's edge and formed seals together.
"Earth Release!"
Before the Iwa ninjas could even react—
In a flash—
A massive bridge!
A huge bridge appeared beneath the waterfall, linking both sides.
Instantly—
The Iwa ninjas' faces twisted. "Stop him—now!"
But—
It was already too late!
"Go! Go and finish the race!" Hiruzen shouted with a smile. "Don't worry about me!"
"Third Hokage-sama!"
"Old man…"
Everyone looked at Hiruzen in surprise, but he urged them on: "Go already! I can't hold them off for long! Move it!"
Ignoring the other racers, he charged at the Iwa ninjas with his summoned beast by his side. "Leave this to me! You all go on ahead!"
With that—
On the Konoha side,
Kakashi and the others exchanged glances, took one last look at that figure, then… without hesitation, got into their cars and launched forward toward the waterfall.
They—
Would never give up that easily.
In that moment—
Even those who weren't from Konoha were moved by the Third Hokage's words. They too glanced at that figure—especially the [Root Studio] logo shining on his back…
So dazzling!
They jumped into their own vehicles.
In their hearts, they all sighed: [He is truly worthy of being the Third Hokage of the strongest ninja village, Konoha!]
Even Hyuga Hanabi, who had traveled from another world and seen countless strange things, sighed inwardly.
Driving toward the waterfall, she glanced back through her rearview mirror, through the falling water—at the man holding off the Iwa ninjas.
She paused.
As if she was seeing once again—
That day, when Konoha collapsed—
One figure.
Though aged and hunched, at the most desperate moment, when facing a terrifying enemy, he had never backed down. He stood tall and protected Konoha—
"Where the leaves fall, fire will continue to burn. The flames will continue to illuminate the village…"
Even if he embezzled public funds, did ads for cash, went into business, delivered takeout, ran courier jobs, or played background roles—
The Third Hokage is still the Third Hokage.
It's just…
Looking at those five glittering words shining in the sunset, Hanabi couldn't help but mutter, "That [Root Studio]… is seriously a bad view."
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