Chapter 52 Escaping from konoha (1)
"Today's work is finally done."
In the afternoon, after finishing the work at the ninja school, Shiroshi let out a long sigh and rubbed his slightly sore shoulders.
"Are you heading back now?" Tsunade, who had gone to the side to pour herself a cup of hot tea, asked him.
"Why, Tsunade-sensei, aren't you planning to leave now?" Shiroshi turned to look at her.
"I still have some things to take care of," she replied.
"I see. Then, goodbye."
With that, Shiroshi paused for a moment, turned away, and left the office.
"Alright, see you tomorrow," came Tsunade's words from behind.
On the other hand, Shizune watched Shiroshi's retreating figure and remarked, "I can't help but feel that something's a bit off with Shiroshi-senpai today."
"What's strange? Isn't he acting the same as usual? You're overthinking it, Shizune," Tsunade said as she sat there sipping her tea, not paying much attention to Shizune's words.
"Is that so?" Shizune tilted her head, realizing that she might indeed be overthinking things.
A few minutes later, Shiroshi was already walking on the streets of Konoha, just like yesterday, aimlessly strolling along. He also bought some snacks he enjoyed to avoid arousing suspicion.
In the early morning hours today, Konoha's second ninja squad had set out for the border of the Land of Fire to resist the invasion of Sand Village ninjas.
At this moment, Konoha's internal forces were very weak. To ensure the evacuation plan for tonight went smoothly, Shiroshi had deliberately chosen this timing.
Before that, he needed to re-survey the deployment of Konoha's personnel to avoid the situation slipping out of control. Even though a large number of ninjas had been dispatched to the front lines, there were still plenty stationed within the village. There could be no room for complacency or luck.
Especially in some important areas, there were often sightings of ANBU members lurking nearby to prevent any issues in those critical locations.
Very well, there were no significant changes, he thought after the customary inspection. The patrols in Konoha, the locations of ANBU activities, were pretty much the same as during the previous surveys, with no major alterations.
This meant that there was no need for any last-minute changes to the evacuation route, avoiding any unnecessary surprises.
Next, all that remained was to wait for eleven o'clock at night to arrive, at which point they could officially begin the evacuation plan.
...
The moon hung high in the sky, casting a gentle and radiant light. The evening breeze rustled through the forest, swaying the branches and leaves gently. Beyond Konoha's borders, the forest was tranquil.
Four Konoha ninjas patrolled the area nearby, led by a Jounin, with a Chunin and two Genin in the team.
"Let's go over there next. While this area is near the village and generally not a target for attacks, we can't afford to let our guard down completely," the Jounin squad leader signaled with his eyes towards the dark, shrouded forest ahead.
"Understood."
The three team members nodded in response and followed the Jounin squad leader towards the dark forest. The forest, shrouded in darkness, could only be seen clearly with the help of moonlight.
As the four carefully surveyed the area, finding no issues, they prepared to start patrolling the other side. Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept in from the darkness of the forest.
"Wind?" The Jounin squad leader squinted his eyes, sensing that this breeze was different from the natural rustling of the wind in the forest.
"Be careful, retreat!"
Without overthinking, the Jounin squad leader immediately shouted and looked for a thick tree as cover to protect himself. The Chunin and two Genin also hid behind sturdy trees.
A fierce gale suddenly swept in from the darkness, and wind blades, emitting a faint white light, left claw marks on the ground, as if a wild beast had rampaged through.
"Sand Village ninjas? This powerful Wind Release..."
The Jounin squad leader, hidden behind the tree, grimaced in pain. He had been struck by a wind blade on his arm, and blood flowed from the wound.
While he used his hand to cover the wound, preventing the blood from flowing too freely, he cautiously looked towards the dark forest, trying to locate the person using Wind Release ninjutsu to attack them.
"It's not."
A light, soundless figure landed lightly on the Jounin squad leader's shoulder.
The voice appeared suddenly, and the Jounin squad leader's face changed drastically. He turned to look and met a pair of eyes surrounded by lightning.
His entire body erupted with electricity. The Jounin squad leader let out a painful groan.
His body retreated hastily, completely paralyzed, and he staggered to his feet from the ground.
This time, he clearly saw who had attacked him.
No, it wasn't a person at all.
It was just a small, dark creature the size of a pet cat, covered in roaming lightning. Its tiny body exuded an extremely dangerous aura.
The Jounin squad leader's face was covered in cold sweat.
This black beast was incredibly fast, and its Lightning Release ninjutsu was extremely dangerous.
If he hadn't been alert enough, that attack just now could have easily been the end of him.
Then, he caught a whiff of a faint scent of blood in the air, looking to the side.
His three subordinates had fallen in a pool of blood, lifeless.
A girl dressed in a shrine maiden outfit was floating about a meter above the ground, surrounded by a visible wind field with countless white glimmers gathering within it.
These two are—
Awareness stopped at this point.
His shattered body collapsed on the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
The dark creature hopped onto the shrine maiden's shoulder, gazing at Konoha in the distance. However, it spoke to the surrounding air, saying, "Come out, all the patrol members here have already been taken care of. It's your turn now."
"Yes."
In the darkness of the forest, dozens of figures emerged.
"Let's go, Sister Ameyu. Father must be getting impatient."
After Raimei Maru said this, Ameyu only nodded silently.
Their bodies ascended higher and higher from the ground, stopping in mid-air at an altitude of over a thousand meters. From this height, the buildings in Konoha Village looked like tiny ants.
...
Ten minutes to eleven at night.
The night sky was pitch black, like ink spreading on parchment. The moon appeared half-hidden behind the clouds.
In Konoha Village, it was a serene and peaceful evening.
At this time, most villagers had already fallen into a deep sleep, ending their busy day.
Some shop doors remained open with lights on, illuminating the streets. Occasionally, a few drunken individuals staggered past the shops, their shadows filling the road.
—Kakashi, at the window of his home, looked at the moon rising high in the sky, his eyes deep and silent, as if he had already understood what would happen next.
—The Third Hokage had just finished work at this late hour. During the war, his workload had become increasingly demanding. Walking alone on the road back home, there was not a soul in sight, except for a squad of ANBU secretly following to protect him.
—Tsunade's residence.
"Lady Tsunade... it's already this late. Aren't you going to sleep?"
Shizune, half-asleep and holding a pillow, wearing pink pajamas, came to the study. She saw Tsunade under the desk lamp, seemingly taking notes for tomorrow's classes. She rubbed her eyes and asked.
"If you're tired, go ahead and sleep, Shizune. I still have some work to finish here," Tsunade replied, turning her head to Shizune with a gentle smile.
Shizune nodded and, following Tsunade's words, returned to her room to rest. She had to get up early the next day.
—Hyuga residence.
"Ten fifty-seven... it's already this late."
Ayane checked the time and complained as if annoyed.
The one whor responded to her was Doken Winter, a Jounin from the Hyuga clan.
"Hold on for a bit longer. We can head back to rest in about an hour. After all, it's just the two of us responsible for the first half of the night's work."
"I'm not feeling tired at all, Senpai Winter. I'm wide awake tonight."
Ayane looked at Winter like this.
"Is that so?" Winter muttered to himself, unable to gauge Ayane's thoughts but knowing that he just needed to watch over her.
This was not only for the sake of safety but also at the request of the village elders.
Ayane held an alarm clock she had brought from home and stared at it without blinking.
"What are you doing?" Winter asked.
"Checking the time. Don't worry, Senpai Winter, it won't interfere with our work."
Ayane replied without lifting her head.
Winter didn't say anything more, because he knew that even if he did, Ayane might not listen.
Ayane watched the minute and second hands on the clock move, her gaze becoming even calmer as the hour hand approached '11.'
The moment the hour hand pointed at '11,' Ayane put away the alarm clock.
"Aren't you going to check the time anymore?" Winter asked, turning his head.
"No need. It's time."
Time? Time for what? Winter was momentarily puzzled.
Suddenly, the sky brightened.
It was fireworks blooming in the sky above Konoha.
Winter looked at the fireworks over the village and showed a surprised expression.
Fireworks? Was there a festival today? And why were they setting off fireworks at this hour...
"Ayane."
Winter looked toward where the fireworks had burst, calling out to Ayane.
However, he received no response.
Winter's face changed, realizing something. He turned to where Ayane had been standing just moments ago, but it was now empty, leaving behind only a chilling emptiness.
"Byakugan!"
He decisively activated his Byakugan and quickly located Ayane's figure, preparing to pursue her—
The dazzling light in the sky compelled him to look again.
It was no longer decorative fireworks; it was lightning.
Lightning coursing through the atmosphere, carrying an immense amount of chakra and an unstoppable force, was descending toward a certain location in Konoha.
Boom!
The thunderous roar caused the night in Konoha Village to erupt into chaos.
…
In the moment when the flames shot up into the sky, far away from that location, both Shiroshi and Rui could feel the ground trembling.
At this moment, they were in a residential area located to the northeast of the Hokage Mansion.
This was an exceptionally unique residential area.
Living within this residential area was an individual of immense importance to Konoha - Kushina Uzumaki.
She was one of the last remaining members of the Uzumaki clan, and she was the perfect vessel for sealing a Tailed Beast, which made her the current Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
Her usual residence was here, near Konoha's largest training ground, the Forest of Death.
This strategic placement allowed them to quickly transfer the rampaging Nine-Tails into the Forest of Death in case it went berserk, preventing any catastrophe to the village. For this reason, Konoha's high-ranking officials had decided to keep the Jinchuriki's residence in this location.
Within this residential area, many ordinary civilians lived alongside the families of Shinobi to maintain the facade of a normal life for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
In secret, a team of four ANBU Shinobi was assigned to protect her 24/7.
During times of war, four additional ANBU were assigned to reinforce the protection detail, making a total of two squads of elite ANBU operatives.
Shiroshi had gathered this intelligence using sensory Ninjutsu.
"Ameyu and Raimei already succeeded in their mission. It's time for us to move as well," Shiroshi said as Ameyu and Raimei had successfully drawn the attention of Konoha's Shinobi towards the initial chaos, diverting their focus from their true objective - inciting the Nine-Tails to go berserk.
Rui didn't object and followed Shiroshi as they both used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from the residential area and head towards their target's location.
"What's happening over there?" Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, with her long red hair, had been awakened from her sleep by the distant explosions. She rushed to the window, pulled the curtains aside, and opened the window, letting the chaotic breeze flow in.
To the southeast, a large area was engulfed in flames. A towering pillar of fire, accompanied by billowing black smoke, was visible. She could vaguely see figures flying in the air, and bolts of lightning crashing down from the sky.
"Please don't worry; the disturbance over there will be resolved soon," an ANBU operative said as she infiltrated the room.
Judging by her voice, it was a female ANBU.
"Don't you need to go help them?" Kushina asked.
"The other ANBU operatives will handle it, and the village's Shinobi will join the fight as well. Our duty is to protect you," the female ANBU replied.
Kushina nodded, about to say something, when suddenly, the ground beneath her feet started to feel soft, like quicksand.
"What's happening?" Kushina exclaimed, jumping away from the spot. The female ANBU acted swiftly, positioning herself protectively in front of Kushina and unsheathing her ninja blade.
From the soft, swampy ground, a humanoid creature made of mud emerged.
"This guy is…" The female ANBU sounded surprised, as if she recognized the identity of this mud figure.
This mud figure was none other than the Earth General.
After taking on a humanoid form from the swampy ground, its dark, hollow eyes emitted a faint golden light as it stared directly at Kushina, who was behind the female ANBU.
After pausing for a moment, as if contemplating something, it charged straight towards them from the front without any hesitation.
Pshh!
Pshh!
Pshh!
Three ANBU operatives leaped out from the shadows, and their three ninja blades impaled the Earth General's body from different angles, pinning it to the ground less than two meters away from Kushina.
Four additional ANBU operatives appeared at the four corners of the room, forming a protective barrier around Kushina.
"Now, things should calm down a bit. No one can cross our defense line, no matter who they are," one of the ANBU operatives said confidently.
"￥…&*…%￥#￥%…" Earth General mumbled incomprehensibly, and then its mouth opened, releasing an intense beam of light, accompanied by a strong scent of gunpowder that filled the air.
Boom!
Without warning, the house was instantly leveled, enveloping Kushina and the eight ANBU operatives in the explosion's fiery aftermath.
The eight ANBU operatives lay charred and unconscious amid the debris. The shards of their broken masks still smoldered with faint flames.
Dark chunks of earth scattered around the area, slowly coalescing as they gathered to reform into the Earth General's original form.
It began moving toward its "target."
At this moment, Kushina bore numerous injuries, her body covered in extensive burns. She lay battered amidst the rubble, barely conscious, whimpering in pain.
The Earth General briefly glanced at the severely injured Kushina before noticing something else. Shiroshi and Rui's figures appeared simultaneously. They scanned their surroundings, finding all the ANBU operatives who were supposed to protect the Jinchuriki lying defeated, and even the Jinchuriki herself was gravely injured, lying motionless.
Seeing Shiroshi and Rui arrive at the scene, the Earth General silently descended into the earth, disappearing from view.
"Why... Why are you... doing this..." Kushina weakly opened her eyes, and her skin began to emit a reddish chakra, gradually seeping through her pores.
This chakra gave off an eerily cold and malevolent aura.
Nine-Tails Chakra.
This feeling of malice was similar to the chakra of the One-Tails, Shukaku.
Shiroshi crouched beside Kushina, leaning down and softly spoke to her, "You don't need to know."
Without further delay, Shiroshi immediately lifted the corner of Kushina's shirt, exposing her abdomen, where the seal to contain the Nine-Tails was inscribed. Using her navel as the center point, the seal bore the intricate patterns of the Nine-Tails' seal.
"What... What are you going to do... Please, don't..." Kushina realized Shiroshi's intentions as he uncovered her seal.
The Nine-Tails... This person's objective is the Nine-Tails...
As Shiroshi revealed her seal, Kushina understood what Shiroshi intended to do.
However, she was barely able to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra within her at this moment, and she was in no condition to resist Shiroshi.
Shiroshi remained silent, believing there was no need to explain anything to Kushina.
He began to form hand seals, and once completed, he placed one of his palms on the seal at Kushina's abdomen, channeling chakra into it.
"Release!"
"Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah!"
Kushina's agonized screams echoed through the night.
These screams broke through the limits of what a human voice could reach. It was likely that everyone in Konoha could hear her horrifying screams.
At the location of the seal on her abdomen, it immediately surged with an abundance of red chakra. This erupting red chakra, like a torrent, carried an eerie and malevolent presence. It then dispersed into several streams of chakra in the air, dancing chaotically without any pattern.
Forming into several crimson tails.
Creating an immensely powerful and tumultuous flow of chakra.
Subsequently, some of the dispersed red chakra gathered in front of Shiroshi and coalesced into a colossal crimson fox head, complete with a baleful and vengeful gaze, confronting Shiroshi and Rui.
The roars shook the earth.
Four massive tails waved like waves, conjuring a powerful storm that swept away the surrounding ground and rubble.
Stepping back, Shiroshi gazed at the transforming Kushina and her uncontrollable Nine-Tails chakra. Kushina's body was continuously contorting and distorting, and Shiroshi couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
Is it this terrifying with only four tails?
Why does it feel somewhat similar to when I encountered Shukaku?
A monstrous beast capable of natural disasters, with its radiant, piercing eyes, its fangs honed through countless battles seemed to thirst for blood, staining everything before it a deep crimson.
"I didn't expect this level of power to be unleashed with just a partial release. How about it, Rui? Can your Sharingan control it?" Shiroshi asked.
"At this level, it shouldn't be a problem." Rui ignored the raging torrents of red chakra surrounding them and calmly took a step forward. Her Sharingan, adorned with crimson, three-pointed tomoe, began to shine brightly as she focused her genjutsu chakra.
Outside, the crimson chakra cloak enveloping the beast-like figure's exterior suddenly quivered, and its four massive tails stopped their earth-shaking movements as soon as they locked onto Rui's Sharingan.
The pattern of the three tomoe Sharingan appeared in the beast's eyes.
With genjutsu as the core, the Sharingan illusion was successfully unleashed.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Shouts rang out through the air.
Shiroshi wasn't surprised; according to their estimates, Konoha ninja reinforcements were likely to arrive at this point.
Sure enough, a large number of Konoha ninja rushed in from the distance.
Fireballs and water dragons came soaring through the air, heading in the direction of Shiroshi and Rui.
It seemed like they were trying to stop the Nine-Tails' advance.
However, the Four-Tails version of the Nine-Tails wagged its tails, leaping directly in front of Shiroshi and Rui. Its limbs braced against the ground like a wild beast, emitting deafening roars.
The shockwaves from its roars caused the earth ahead to crack, and the fireballs and water dragons dissipated into thin air.
With the screams of the Konoha ninja, they were all sent flying by the shockwaves generated by the Nine-Tails' roars, falling to the ground in various states of injury, their bodies covered in grievous cuts.
"Damn it! What are you two doing? Why are you doing this?" One Konoha ninja angrily shouted.
The Nine-Tails, now in its Four-Tails form, had eyes as ruthless and frigid as Rui's own Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
It was evident that someone among the Konoha ninja was controlling the Nine-Tails. It was just that the controller was a former comrade.
Shiroshi and Rui had no intention of explaining anything. They considered it pointless.
"Stop them!"
A Konoha ninja charged forward, defying the immense pressure from the Nine-Tails. Some of them had switched their focus from the Nine-Tails to Rui and Shiroshi.
The situation had escalated suddenly, and their first priority was to quell the chaos.
The Nine-Tails bared its teeth and glared at these reckless Konoha ninja who dared to oppose it, charging straight at them.
Just then, a specialized kunai flew down from the sky, aiming directly at Rui. It had three blades, an unusual kunai.
Rui furrowed her brow.
Was this kunai an underestimation of her abilities?
A golden light emerged, and a figure suddenly appeared in front of Rui, holding a chakra ball and dropping it without hesitation.
Boom!
The ground shattered, forming a vortex-like crater.
Minato appeared here, his face icy cold as he watched Rui tumble out of the attack range. He chose to give up and picked up another identical three-bladed kunai in his other hand, aiming it at Shiroshi.
Ding!
The kunai clashed with an attack from Shiroshi's Shadow Blades, emitting a metallic clash before stopping Minato's assault.
Minato was incredibly surprised. What was this?
Then, without further thought, his figure disappeared from where he stood, allowing the oncoming Shadow Blades to miss their target.
Minato reappeared in an empty space about ten meters away from Shiroshi. Another standard three-bladed kunai was planted nearby.
Minato looked at Shiroshi and Rui in disbelief. He hadn't expected his ninja techniques to be completely useless against them.
Seeing Minato's swift movements, Shiroshi was momentarily surprised, then smiled.
"You have impressive speed, Minato. That's not the Body Flicker Technique; it's a Space-Time ninjutsu, isn't it?"
Although he questioned, Shiroshi spoke with certainty.
"What are you two doing?" Minato's tone was icy, and it was clear he was genuinely angry.
These were the friends he had been laughing and joking with just a while ago. Now they had become so cold, showing no mercy towards their comrades and using the Nine-Tails' power to harm the village.
Unforgivable!
Shiroshi fell silent and looked around at the devastated streets caused by the power of the Nine-Tails.
"Sorry, but for me, this village has become tiresome. Besides, the person you knew as Shiroshi Chiba never existed from the beginning."
…
"I never anticipated that something like this would occur at a time like this..."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, donned his armor and led elite Anbu shinobi as they headed towards the site of the incident. Flames were rising high ahead, a result of the explosion at the power supply base. As a result, all the street lamps along their path had gone out, leaving only the towering flames to illuminate the darkness.
Flying under the cover of darkness, Ameyu, continuously evaded attacks from Konoha ninja. She did this to deplete their ninja tools and chakra.
The number of Konoha ninja surrounding them continued to increase, packed closely together and full of fighting spirit. They were entirely different from the Grass Village ninja they had faced earlier. The strength and determination of Konoha's ninja were formidable.
Firefighting, battle, protection, and ensuring the swift evacuation of civilians to shelters—all of it was organized and devoid of chaos.
"Hokage-sama!"
Seeing Hiruzen's arrival, the Konoha ninja found their backbone.
Hiruzen looked up at the sky, where Ameyu and Raimei Maru's figures easily caught his eye.
"Is it the mysterious priestess and spirit entity that attacked the Hidden Grass Village earlier?" Hiruzen immediately recognized Ameyu and Raimei Maru, the two enigmatic individuals who had attacked the Hidden Grass Village a few months ago.
"How is the civilian evacuation going?" Hiruzen inquired about the most crucial matter at hand.
Ninja dying in battle was inevitable, but ever since they became ninja, they had to be prepared and conscious of this fact. However, regardless of the circumstances, the battles between ninja should not involve innocent civilians.
"Hokage-sama, the civilians in the vicinity have safely moved towards the shelters."
A senior Konoha ninja jumped to Hiruzen's side and respectfully reported.
"Very well, now focus on confronting the enemy."
"Yes!"
Raimei Maru, on the other hand, gave a glance to Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, and whispered to Ameyu, "Sister, that guy down there is the Third Hokage. We must maintain a safe distance from him; there's no way we can win if we face him head-on. Let's wait for an opportunity."
Suddenly, Raimei Maru felt his body plummeting downward. No, that wasn't quite right; to be more precise, both he and Ameyu were falling. It felt as if their bodies were being restrained, rendering them immobile.
Struggling to turn his head, Raimei Maru looked down at a Konoha ninja below. The ninja had formed hand seals, and his shadow stretched out, merging with the shadows cast by Raimei Maru and Ameyu on the ground.
"The Nara's Shadow Jutsu... I underestimated them," Raimei Maru muttered as he realized what had happened.
The Konoha ninja saw this scene and charged forth with great momentum. Preparing his jutsu below, he waited for Ameyu and Raimei Maru to fall and delivered a fatal blow.
The Nara clan ninja wore a smug smile. Because their opponents were flying in the sky, it wasn't easy to notice their shadows on the ground, although it had been somewhat challenging to find them.
Hiruzen saw this and revealed a satisfied smile. It seemed he didn't need to intervene; the village had many outstanding ninja.
On Ameyu's shoulder, Raimei Maru's pitch-black body began to be enveloped by a dark aura, like a swirling black cloud, with faint electric currents coursing through it.
It seems they were planning to use some jutsu.
At that moment, a beastly roar echoed through Konoha, causing the very earth to tremble violently. Unexplainably, a bone-chilling cold ran down the spines of all the Konoha ninja, giving them an involuntary shiver.
"This is bad!" exclaimed a Nara clan shinobi. His momentary lapse in concentration caused a disruption in the chakra supply for his jutsu. When he attempted to restore it and regain control over Ameyu, he found that she had taken advantage of that momentary lapse to escape his grasp and fly in a different direction.
"Curses, we were so close!" He realized that their window of opportunity was now gone. Any future attempts to use his shadow techniques against her would be met with increased vigilance, making it far more challenging.
However, everyone, including this Nara clan ninja, was puzzled by the recent roar. They all turned their attention toward the source of the sound, located in the northeastern part of Konoha, near the Forest of Death area.
The Third Hokage's expression changed drastically as he recognized the malevolent chakra and the overwhelming chakra pressure emanating from the location. There was no doubt about it; it was the Nine-Tails.
He suddenly realized that Ameyu and Ameyu had only served as bait to draw the Konoha ninja here. Their true target was the Nine-Tails!
Furthermore, the Nine-Tails' chakra had been released, and it was displaying such terrifying power. It was evident that something had gone wrong with the seal on the Jinchuriki.
This couldn't be allowed to happen! The Nine-Tails must not be let loose!
The Third Hokage made a quick decision. He left behind some Konoha ninja to engage Ameyu and Raimei Maru while he, accompanied by ANBU and other elite ninja, headed toward the location where the Nine-Tails had erupted.
"Similar to what my father said, Konoha ninja can indeed be quite troublesome. Even when occupying the skies, I cannot let my guard down. But now, I can hide my Sage Arts successfully. I don't want to engage in combat with that annoying jutsu state..." muttered Raimei Maru as he stared down at the Konoha ninja below.
Raimei Maru noticed that if the Nine-Tails hadn't suddenly unleashed its chakra, he and Ameyu would have been forced to fight in their Sage Art states. As one of Shiroshi's manifestations, each of them possessed unique abilities. Ameyu had control over wind, while Raimei Maru specialized in lightning. However, among all the manifestations, Raimei Maru was quite unique.
In their complete Sage Art states, their powers and forms were vastly different. Raimei Maru's complete Sage Art state was incredibly potent, making it challenging for him to revert to his regular form. He currently struggled to control such overwhelming power and preferred not to reveal his full abilities prematurely.
Ninja battles were also battles of information. In this context, Raimei Maru didn't want to disclose his full capabilities too soon.
Raimei Maru understood that the Third Hokage's departure was part of their plan. Given the strength of both him and Ameyu, facing these Konoha ninja would have been a challenge. Their main mission was to divert the Konoha forces and create an opportunity to separate the Nine-Tails from its Jinchuriki.
With their immediate mission accomplished, the Third Hokage's departure was of little concern.
…
At the exit of the Hyuga clan compound, dozens of people were waiting for them. They appeared dusty and tired, as if they had just arrived. Among them, there were women cradling infants who were born not long ago.
Their eyes reflected the Hyuga estate, which was now covered in flames. The women gazed affectionately at the babies in their arms, hoping that they would not bear the scars of losing their freedom, no matter what.
Most of the Konoha ninjas had already been mobilized and were heading southeast and northeast.
"You all go ahead; I will catch up shortly," said Ayane. With a team of elite members from the branch family leading the way, they didn't hesitate. They moved along the streets directly towards the high walls of the village.
Not long after they left, several Hyuga ninjas emerged from the Hyuga clan's territory, pursuing them. Ayane recognized the elderly man leading them, who held a high position within the Hyuga clan.
Without waiting for the elderly man to speak, Ayane had no intention of explaining anything. She gathered solidified chakra on her palms, spun her body, and created an instantaneous whirlwind-like storm right where she stood.
At the core of the storm was an enormous chakra sphere spinning at high speed.
"Wahhh!"
Caught in the storm created by the chakra sphere, the pursuers were thrown back and hit the ground hard. They spat out fresh blood as they collided with the earth.
"Is this... the Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation?" They used the word "question" because the chakra sphere generated by Ayane's technique had far exceeded their understanding of its limits. Anyone caught in that technique would be pulverized if they weren't careful.
"Damn it! If that's how it is, then I'll take your Byakugan and your life..." The elderly Hyuga clan member lay on the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to form hand seals, preparing to use the Caged Bird Seal technique.
Splat!
As the elderly man was about to complete the hand seals, a kunai embedded itself in his throat.
Ayane crouched beside him, her expression unchanged, and gripped the kunai. She twisted it in his throat, causing blood to spurt out. After ensuring he was no longer a threat, Ayane looked around at the other Hyuga clan members who were similarly incapacitated and disappeared from the scene.
Arriving at the location near the village's high walls, it was surrounded by a small forest. Normally, there were many patrolling ninja here, but they were currently occupied with the village's unrest.
In addition to the Hyuga clan members, there were also members of the Uchiha clan waiting here. They needed to evacuate nearly forty ninja along with their family members, totaling one hundred and twenty individuals.
Although these family members had some basic skills, they were no match for high-level combatants. Their combat abilities could be disregarded in a battle of this magnitude.
"Do we leave through the secret passage?" A high-ranking Branch Hyuga clan member asked Ayane.
The high walls surrounding Konoha were not only tall but also exceptionally sturdy. Therefore, he believed that Ayane had already left a secret passage here.
Ayane didn't say anything; instead, she approached the high wall, placed her palms on the thick and towering structure, and concentrated her Sage Arts chakra. Her eyes transformed into the Byakugan.
"Shinkuha!" she exclaimed.
Boom!
Before the astounded eyes of the Hyuga and Uchiha clan members, a massive opening appeared in the high wall, capable of accommodating a dozen people walking side by side. On the other side was the forest shrouded in darkness.
"This is the hidden passage to the outside. I will hold them off here. Hurry and leave; there are people waiting for you outside," Ayane ordered.
With their shocked hearts slowly steadying, the Hyuga and Uchiha clan members didn't question further. They quickly made their way through the opening and ran towards the forest.
Ayane, using her Byakugan, noticed that several Konoha ninjas had arrived from behind, including Hyuga clan members from the main family. They must have realized that the Caged Bird Seal had failed.
As much as she wanted to see their pitiful expressions, it wasn't the right time for such indulgences.
The moment they appeared, Ayane focused her Sage Arts chakra, and her eyes started to shift.
"Whirr!"
The air trembled.
The Konoha ninjas and Hyuga clan members who had just arrived felt a sudden oppressive force in their heads, making their bodies and limbs incredibly heavy, as if an invisible force had bound them.
However, this invisible pressure came and went quickly, lasting only for a moment, and they quickly broke free from it.
However, Ayane had already accumulated Sage Arts chakra in her palms and pressed them down towards the ground.
The earth shattered.
The sound of panicked Konoha ninjas echoed as their bodies sank into the crumbling ground, crushed by falling rocks.
Ayane took a deep breath and released several powerful wide-range offensive techniques in quick succession, her own body feeling the strain.
Ignoring whether these Konoha ninjas were alive or dead, Ayane began to chase after the Hyuga and Uchiha members who had left ahead of her.
In the view of her Byakugan, the reinforcements from the Land of Ghosts had already joined them, assisting in evacuating their family members, and speeding away from Konoha.
"The first task is complete, now comes the crucial part..."
— Intercepting the pursuit of Konoha ninjas.
If this task failed, all their previous efforts would be in vain, and there would be no turning back. The real challenge was just beginning.
While running, Ayane reached into her ninja pouch and retrieved a specially made soldier pill, which she consumed to replenish her stamina and chakra.
…
The aura of the Nine-Tails was shaking the earth and unsettling the hearts of the ninja.
Above its head, dark clouds gathered, crackling with lightning, forming a vortex.
The Nine-Tails' four tails behind it swirled and lashed out, knocking away the Konoha ninjas attempting to ambush it from behind.
However, the Konoha ninjas rallied themselves, shouting in unison, and continued to risk their lives to subdue the Nine-Tails' rampage.
Their continuous ninjutsu, even against the formidable Nine-Tails, was relentless.
Huge fireballs slammed into the Nine-Tails' back, water balls as hard as steel struck its face, sharp stone pillars erupted from the ground, piercing its belly and chin.
Shuriken, kunai, explosive tags—anything that could be used for attack was deployed to stop the Nine-Tails' rampage and beat it into submission.
The enraged Nine-Tails, with its speed, which the trained eyes of the Konoha ninja couldn't keep up with, plunged into the crowd. It spun its body, its tails whipping around, creating a wild wind that disrupted the formation of the Konoha ninjas.
Just as the Nine-Tails was preparing its next move, two ninja descended from the sky. One of them was portly, and as he pressed his hand downward, under the effect of his ninjutsu, his hand suddenly enlarged.
Boom!
With a single press, the Nine-Tails in its Four-Tails state was smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater.
This display of power caught the attention of both Shiroshi and Rui.
"Are those ninja from the Akimichi clan?" Shiroshi murmured.
"It's Akimichi Torifu, the disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju," Rui identified the Akimichi clan ninja.
Shiroshi nodded; it made sense for someone with such great strength to be part of the same generation as the Third Hokage.
"Hiruzen, now's the time!" Akimichi Torifu shouted to the ninja who had landed with him.
His face turned red, and his body trembled slightly. Just briefly suppressing the Four-Tails state of the Nine-Tails had pushed him to his limit.
Indeed, it was the Nine-Tails! He couldn't help but marvel.
He pushed his Multi-Size Technique to its limit, only managing to suppress the Nine-Tails momentarily.
"Leave it to me, Torifu!"
The other ninja who had descended from the sky was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.
A seal mark appeared in the center of his palm as he landed beside the partially suppressed Four-Tails transformed Nine-Tails. He was about to place the sealing jutsu directly on its forehead.
A roar erupted from the Nine-Tails' mouth, and a massive surge of red chakra, like a raging river, burst forth. Akimichi Torifu's face contorted in pain as his enlarged hand quickly shrank.
The Nine-Tails broke free from its bindings, instantly avoiding Hiruzen's sealing jutsu.
Its crimson Sharingan eyes glared at Hiruzen.
The pillar of red chakra surged towards the stormy clouds crackling with lightning, and another tail extended from its back.
"Damn it! Don't think you can continue to wreak havoc in the village!"
Akimichi Torifu rolled to his feet on the ground, wearing an ancient stacked battle armor. His eyes glared at the Nine-Tails, and his burly body began to slim down at a visible rate. A pair of rainbow-colored chakra wings blossomed beautifully from his back.
With the cover provided by his comrades, the exaggerated speed made it difficult for the Nine-Tails to resist. He reached the Nine-Tails' back, grabbed it from behind with his powerful arms, and the Nine-Tails roared in pain.
Hiruzen wouldn't let Torifu create another opportunity to attack. This time, he accurately placed his sealing jutsu on the Nine-Tails' forehead.
The Three Tomoe Rinnegan in the Nine-Tails' eyes vanished, and the red cloak on its body gradually disintegrated, as the chakra began to flow back towards its core.
Finally, Hiruzen could breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he arrived in time.
He then turned his gaze towards Shiroshi and Rui, who were surrounded by Konoha ninjas. His expression was incredibly complex.
"Surrender, you two. You no longer have the power to resist. There's no escape."
Minato advised Shiroshi and Rui to surrender, not to continue making mistakes.
In this situation, heavily surrounded, and with the Hokage himself present, Shiroshi and Rui had no way to escape.
"What are you talking about, Minato? The real battle has only just begun, hasn't it?"
Shiroshi ignored Minato's advice.
As soon as Shiroshi finished speaking, Hiruzen had an unsettling feeling.
He turned around and saw the Nine-Tails, which had just shrunk and stopped moving, suddenly emanating a moist sensation from its body.
Water?
The thought had just occurred to Hiruzen, but the humid water-like aura became increasingly intense, spreading like a mist.
"Get back!"
At Hiruzen's loud shout, Minato and the surrounding Konoha ninjas quickly dispersed.
Gushing from the Nine-Tails' body was an enormous volume of water, like a vast sea. The rushing water splashed in all directions, crashing into buildings and forming white foam.
The flood that seemed to engulf heaven and earth left the Konoha ninjas in shock.
Hiruzen remained calm in the face of danger. He formed hand seals with both hands, and a powerful surge of chakra erupted from his body.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A massive wall, as tall as a fortress, shot up from the ground, resisting the incoming flood. The earth rumbled deeply.
Boom!
Boom!
The sound of the monster's rampage continued.
The earth itself began to shake uncontrollably.
Circling above the rushing water was a massive, deep-blue aquatic creature—a giant water serpent.
Its mere presence wiped away any trace of composure from the ninja's faces.
With a ferocious body stretching tens of meters, it cast a large shadow, its tongue flicking from its mouth, and its vertical pupils emitting a crimson bloodlust.
Under the cover of the dark night, its form appeared even more grotesque and terrifying.
At this moment, two figures stood on the head of the water serpent, overlooking the Konoha ninja on the ground from above.
The water serpent raised its head higher, and its massive body began to wriggle as it surveyed the Konoha ninja below. It quickly turned around and headed towards the Forest of Death behind.
However, just moving caused extensive destruction to the buildings and streets along the way.
"Chase after them! Don't let them escape!"
Kushina was still inside the water serpent, and Hiruzen led a group of Konoha ninja to pursue them, advancing towards the Forest of Death.
Shiroshi and Rui rode on the head of the water serpent as it moved through the forest, crushing the ground beneath it. Trees on both sides were toppled, the earth trembled, and sand flew in all directions.
A large number of Konoha ninja pursued from behind, roughly counting to several hundred, including many high-ranking ninja. Even the Hokage himself and his Anbu Black Ops team were chasing after them.
"Stop absorbing chakra here. If you continue to absorb tailed beast chakra, your body won't be able to handle it. You can stop now."
The water serpent halted its movements, but due to its enormous size, even when stopping, it still caused significant damage to the area.
"The power of this child is quite impressive," Rui could feel that the power within the water serpent was exceptionally formidable.
Although it appeared bulky, its movements were incredibly agile. With just a single sweep, it could cause extensive destruction.
"Its Sage Mode is similar to that of Raimei Maru's both are quite unique types. I planned to use it from the beginning to absorb tailed beast chakra and restrain the individuals from Konoha," Shiroshi explained.
Suddenly, a kunai flew from behind.
Shiroshi turned to see it was none other than Minato, whose attack had been blocked with his Shadow Blades.
Minato frowned; it was another one of these shadowy entities.
Is it Yin Release Ninjutsu?
What's the triggering form?
On this point, Minato couldn't figure it out at all.
There were no visible hand signs.
"It seems like your reaction time is a bit slower than your Space-Time Ninjutsu, Minato. Just a bit more, and you could have hit me," Shiroshi smiled as he looked at Minato, who had appeared here.
He wasn't surprised at all that Minato had arrived here before him.
At this moment, Rui sprang into action. She leaped towards Minato, her fist coming from the front for an attack.
Minato dodged to the side, using a tri-pronged kunai to slash at Rui's body.
Ding!
The Shadow Blades blocked the kunai, creating sparks.
Then the Shadow Blades extended and changed direction, stabbing towards Minato's chest.
Minato barely managed to dodge, and Rui's fist reached him. Minato transformed into golden light and disappeared from the spot.
"Huff... huff..."
Minato was drenched in cold sweat and had taken cover behind a tree.
"No, it's impossible for me to fight them alone under these circumstances."
Faced with the relentless barrage of continuous attacks, continuing to fight was a dead end, with no hope of victory.
In such a situation, he had no choice but to use Space-Time Ninjutsu to escape.
"Kushina, I will definitely rescue you. Wait for me."
At this moment, Konoha ninja who had set out from the village arrived.
One after another, figures dashed through the forest, sealing off all avenues of escape for Shiroshi and Rui.
"Earth Style: Quicksand Marsh!"
A high-ranking Konoha ninja pressed both hands to the ground, turning the earth into a marsh.
However, seeing the water serpent swiftly swimming through the marsh, they realized that this restraining ninjutsu was completely ineffective against it.
"Both of you... stop right there! Tell me, why are you doing this?"
Hiruzen's angry voice resounded as he stared at Shiroshi and Rui with a pained expression.
He had enormous hopes for these two. Was this the result he got? They were causing destruction to the village, harming their comrades, and controlling the Nine-Tails. Any of these actions was an unforgivable crime.
"Hokage-sama, we are not the kind of people you imagined. We are deeply sorry for disappointing and saddening you."
Shiroshi looked down on him with an indifferent gaze from above.
It was a kind of indifference that Hiruzen had never seen in Shiroshi before.
Hiruzen felt bewildered and suddenly recalled something.
Was it because of Danzo and Sakumo? Was this revenge? He felt anger and shame intertwined within him.
Observing Hiruzen's expression, Shiroshi sensed the emotional turmoil within him and decided to intervene, saying, "There's no need to blame yourself. From the very beginning, my actions weren't driven by that. I hold no resentment towards you. It's just that I've come to see this village as no longer serving any purpose to me. That's all."
Hiruzen, shocked and disoriented, gazed at Shiroshi. It seemed he was struggling to reconcile this new, cold image of Shiroshi with the person he had known—a person who seemed ruthless and indifferent towards the village.
Had Shiroshi truly abandoned the Will of Fire, which had been passed down by the village's first Hokage? Hiruzen was left with a bewildering mix of anger and sorrow, feeling as though he had been deceived and that something he held dear had been trampled upon.
The injured village ninja, the ruined village, and most importantly, the tainted Will of Fire...
Recalling these, Hiruzen's sense of shame was entirely replaced by anger.
He began forming hand seals, biting his finger, and pressed it to the ground.
Seeing this scene, Shiroshi began forming the same seals, biting his finger, and pressing it to the water serpent's head.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
(Chapter End)
The concluding chapter for this arc will be uploaded tomorrow.