"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In the tense battlefield, Hiruzen Sarutobi's deep and commanding voice echoed.
With Enma holding back the Chidori Current, he swiftly drew out a massive shuriken and hurled it toward Ryūjin.
Among all of them, Hiruzen had been the unlucky one. Ryūjin had deliberately chosen to confront him with his real body. Compared to the others, eliminating Hiruzen would take the least time.
Poof!
The giant shuriken burst into a cloud of blue smoke mid-air, instantly multiplying into a dense storm of spinning blades that filled the sky and rained down toward Ryūjin.
Yet Ryūjin did not dodge.
He stepped forward and charged straight into the storm.
Hiruzen frowned.
The move made no sense. No rational shinobi would rush headfirst into such an attack unless they had a death wish.
The distance between them was already minimal. Combined with the overwhelming speed of the technique, the countless shuriken struck Ryūjin almost instantly.
"It hit!"
Relief flashed across Hiruzen's face.
But it lasted less than half a second.
Shock replaced it.
Every single shuriken passed straight through Ryūjin's body as if he were nothing more than a mirage.
For that brief moment, he had become untouchable.
By the time the last blade passed through him, Ryūjin was already standing right in front of Hiruzen.
"Rasengan."
A swirling sphere of blue chakra formed in his palm, compressing with violent energy.
Hiruzen's pupils shrank.
"The Rasengan…"
An A-rank technique, notoriously difficult to master. In Konoha, only Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya had truly mastered it. Even the Sharingan could not copy it directly.
So how could this Uchiha use it so effortlessly?
Boom!
Before the thought could fully form, the Rasengan slammed into his chest.
At such close range, with his reaction delayed by Ryūjin's phasing ability, Hiruzen had no chance to defend.
"Gah!"
Blood burst from his mouth as he was sent flying, crashing and rolling across the ground.
At the same moment, Enma reverted to his original form and slammed heavily beside him, defeated as well. His Adamantine Body could withstand physical force, but it did nothing against raw lightning coursing through him.
"Hokage!"
In an instant, Hiruzen vanished.
Minato Namikaze had already moved, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport him away.
Moments later, Minato appeared beside Akimichi Choza, laying Hiruzen next to the already unconscious Jiraiya.
The sight was grim.
Master and student, both down.
Choza and Minato exchanged a glance, their expressions darkening.
How long had it even been?
One after another, the strongest figures of Konoha had fallen.
If not for their unique abilities, they would have already joined them.
Then it hit them.
Shibi Aburame.
Without hesitation, both men vanished using the Body Flicker Technique and rushed back toward the battlefield.
What they saw made their hearts tighten.
Ryūjin stood at a distance, calmly manipulating waves of gold dust that surged toward Shibi in relentless attacks.
Shibi, no longer using a clone, was barely holding on. His real body was exposed, and he struggled to evade while commanding his insect swarm to retaliate.
After realizing earlier that he had been tricked by a clone, Ryūjin had used Sage Mode perception to pinpoint Shibi's true body instantly.
This time, there was no mistake.
Learning from before, Shibi had surrounded himself completely with insects, forming a dense, swirling black vortex. It acted like a living barrier, devouring anything that came too close.
Anyone who dared approach would be consumed.
At least, that was what he believed.
Swish!
Ryūjin moved again.
Using the gold dust, he sent a Flying Thunder God kunai directly in front of Shibi, not behind him.
A calculated choice.
The insect barrier made distance attacks ineffective, and Chidori Current required close proximity to work. Entering the swarm while attacking would leave him exposed.
So Ryūjin chose a different method.
Genjutsu.
Even while intangible, his eyes remained active.
In an instant, he appeared before Shibi.
Too close.
Their faces nearly touched.
The Sharingan spun.
Shibi's vision blurred.
Before he could react, his mind was seized.
Ryūjin did not move away.
Instead, he issued a silent command.
The insects intensified, spiraling faster and denser around Shibi, forming a massive, violent tornado.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Terrifying screams echoed from within.
They sounded real, desperate, filled with pain.
Minato and Choza froze.
"What is happening?"
Their eyes locked onto the churning mass of insects, unable to see inside.
The screams made it worse.
Was Shibi losing?
Even his techniques could not stop that Uchiha?
They wanted to rush in.
But they could not.
Charging blindly into that swarm would be suicide.
So they hesitated.
And that hesitation cost them.
A sudden numbness spread through their bodies.
Their limbs stiffened.
They collapsed.
"I have been… poisoned…"
Realization hit instantly.
But how?
Neither of them had noticed anything.
The insect tornado suddenly dispersed.
The truth stood before them.
Shibi stood beside Ryūjin, motionless and obedient, like a puppet.
Understanding dawned.
"So Shibi was controlled… by Genjutsu."
The poison was not a mystery anymore.
It had been his insects all along.
Controlled.
Directed.
Used against them.
The earlier screams had been nothing more than a distraction, a carefully staged act to draw their attention while the nearly invisible venomous insects closed in.
Even Minato could not detect them under those conditions.
He exhaled slowly.
What kind of opponent was this?
Not just overwhelming power, but precise, calculated thinking.
Every move layered with intent.
Even as an enemy, Minato could not deny it.
This was terrifying.
From the shadows, Sasori watched in silence.
"Minato Namikaze… defeated like that?"
Disbelief lingered in his voice.
That man had been considered untouchable.
Yet here he was, brought down without even a direct clash.
Sasori's gaze hardened.
Ryūjin was dangerous on every level.
His techniques, his chakra reserves, his decision-making.
All of it pointed to one thing.
A monster.
No wonder even the wielder of the Rinnegan beside him remained cautious.
"Hokage-sama!"
Voices rang out as ANBU operatives appeared, surrounding Ryūjin.
Yet none of them dared to move.
Sweat dripped down their faces.
Jiraiya was down.
The Hokage was down.
Shibi was down.
Choza was down.
Even Minato, their symbol of hope, had fallen.
And their enemy stood there, untouched, still maintaining control over the Nine-Tails' seal.
This was not a battle.
This was domination.
Ryūjin glanced at them, a faint smirk forming.
"What, you really want to fight me?"
The pressure alone made several of them step back instinctively.
"Take them and get lost," he said coldly.
The ANBU leader hesitated briefly, then signaled.
They understood.
Staying meant death.
With extreme caution, they retrieved the fallen and vanished, retreating toward Konoha.
Within moments, the battlefield emptied.
Only a few hidden observers remained.
Along with Sasori.
And Obito.
Sasori pulled out a small bottle and handed it over.
"Uchiha Madara… no, Obito."
Obito took it, raising an eyebrow.
"What is this?"
"Antidote."
Understanding flashed in Obito's eyes.
"You are thinking of poison."
Sasori nodded.
"I will release poisonous gas."
Obito's interest deepened.
Magnet Release could counter most of Sasori's arsenal.
But gas was different.
It could not be blocked.
It would seep in from anywhere.
As long as they restricted Ryūjin's movement, the poison would do the rest.
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