Konoha.
BOOM!!
The peaceful night took a violent turn as fire and debris rained down from the explosions, the massive walls surrounding the village shattering apart while enormous snakes burst through the breaches, their bodies crashing into the streets below.
Shinobi dressed in black, faces concealed, swarmed in behind them, attacking any place and anyone they saw.
SWISH! SWISH!
Isagi and the others rushed out of the ramen stand the moment the attack began, only to be met with fierce winds and flames tearing through everything in sight.
"Orochimaru! Damn, he must've figured out Konoha was about to do a sweep." Seeing the giant snakes in the distance wreaking havoc, Kakashi immediately understood who was behind the attack.
"The civilians… they can't stay out in the open." Kurenai said, taking in the chaotic scene — panicked civilians unsure of what to do, running aimlessly through the streets.
At once, the jonin's eyes shifted toward the genin beside them. They exchanged a brief look and reached a silent decision.
"Gather any genin you can and escort the civilians to the safe houses under the great stone faces. Hurry!"
Without wasting a second, Kakashi used his authority as a jonin to issue a mission on the spot.
"Yes!"
"Wait."
The three acknowledged the command and turned to leave, only for a voice behind them to halt their steps.
"Not you… your abilities require you to be on the front… with us."
Kakashi said, pointing toward Isagi. Isagi nodded and looked at Mei and Ryota.
"Be careful, don't die!"
Thup!
"You too!"
Swish!
Isagi said, patting their shoulders. They answered back in the same breath, thumping his chest before vanishing in a blur.
Bidding his teammates farewell, Isagi wasted no time and followed the jonin. The four of them flashed from rooftop to rooftop, moving at high speed toward the heart of the battlefield — the area surrounding the Hokage building.
------------------------------------
SWISH!
BOOM!!
As they approached the main battlefield, the explosions and flames tearing through the air only intensified. Suddenly, the four halted mid-movement as they noticed four cloaked shinobi rushing straight toward them.
"Spread out!"
Seeing the incoming enemies, Kakashi wasted no time issuing orders, knowing that staying together would only risk their attacks harming one another.
They split in four different directions. Mid-air, Isagi felt a searing heat and spotted a massive fireball racing toward him.
He didn't panic. Still in the air, he formed hand signs, flipped once, and thrust his palm forward.
Wind Style! Gale Palm!!
Though only a C-rank jutsu, the chakra he poured into it amplified its power several times over. Sharp, violent gusts of wind burst from his palm, slicing through the flames and scattering them in all directions.
After dealing with the attack, Isagi landed on a rooftop, but he barely had time to breathe before a shadow blurred toward him in the night. A blade gleamed in the darkness, slashing for his neck.
Remaining calm, Isagi stepped back just as the blade whizzed past his throat, its momentum carrying it forward. He didn't give the enemy time to recover, immediately grabbing the wrist that held the weapon.
Crack!
"Aghh!!"
Isagi tightened his grip slightly, and the bone snapped with a sickening crunch. The enemy screamed and dropped to one knee, but Isagi didn't release the broken wrist. Instead, he yanked the shinobi forward.
Thud!
His fist drove straight into the opponent's windpipe. A sharp crack followed as the throat collapsed. The enemy clawed at the air, unable to draw breath, before going limp and falling lifeless onto the rooftop.
Having dealt with his opponent, Isagi had no chance to check on Kakashi and the others. A massive, oppressive presence loomed above him.
"HISSS!!!"
A gigantic black snake descended from above, its forked tongue flicking as it lunged to bite down. Isagi immediately leapt away.
BOOM!!!
The enormous head smashed into the rooftop, obliterating the house beneath it. The snake lifted its head angrily after missing its prey — only to find Isagi standing upright on the ground before it, completing his final hand sign.
Wind Style! Great Breakthrough!!
BOOM!!!
Isagi drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Like a cannon firing, a devastating torrent of wind erupted from his mouth, tearing through everything in its path as massive gusts slammed into the colossal snake.
"HISSSS!!!"
The sharp wind cut through its tough skin like butter, wounds appearing across its gigantic body and blood like rain pouring down over the area around it, dyeing everything red as it writhed in pain on the spot.
Isagi didn't give the struggling and wounded snake a chance to recover, flashing hand signs again and bringing his hand next to his mouth.
Wind Style! Vacuum Bullets!!
Leaving a booming sound, countless wind pockets shot out from his mouth, hitting nearly every available spot on the snake's head.
Pfft!!
Every wind bullet pierced through its head and came out from the other side, countless bloody holes covering its head as, writhing in pain, it hissed a few times before its colossal body, devoid of any life, crashed down.
Isagi watched the huge body tumble down without any change of expression on his face, as if he had done something insignificant like stepping on a bug. Only he knew that before the rank of strength he possessed, most large body enemies only made it easier to kill unless they had a big skill set and high intelligence.
While Isagi was unfazed, the same could not be said for the shinobi fighting around him and even Kakashi and co who had dealt with their respective opponents.
Most Jonin and other shinobi who were not present at the death forest preliminaries were all shocked and curious about who this unknown young shinobi was, but the present fight made it impossible to rush over and ask.
"Huh?"
Suddenly Isagi's calm look wavered as, narrowing his eyes, he gazed towards the direction of his house, his mind eye of kagura picking up a familiar huge and ominous chakra getting stronger every second.
Swish!
Wasting no time, Isagi turned into an afterimage, rushing at full speed towards the location where he could feel the ominous chakra.