At the breach in the outer wall.
Boom boom boom.
Amid a series of explosions, shockwaves laced with billowing dust swept outward, turning nearby streets into an apocalyptic scene—gloomy, dark, and so thick with haze that one could barely see their hand in front of their face!
"The sealing formation's been destroyed…"
"We need to suppress him first, or our sealing won't work!"
"Watch out!"
In the choking dust, the sealing team struggled not just to seal the rampaging demon Moryo, but even to protect themselves.
Standing atop the fully unleashed Moryo's shoulder, Shinno laughed heartily: "The Hidden Leaf is as weak as I expected!"
As a remnant of the Sky Shinobi Village, which had been crushed by the Hidden Leaf, Shinno reveled in the sight of the village plunged into chaos.
Swish.
Suddenly, a figure darted out of the dust, lunging at Shinno.
"!?"
Caught off guard by the speed, Shinno hastily unleashed the Zero-Tails, using its body to block the attack.
Retreating the Zero-Tails, Shinno sneered: "So it's Lord Hiashi of the Hyuga clan. My apologies!"
Hiashi replied coldly: "If you dare invade our Hidden Leaf, you'll stay here permanently!"
"Keep us here? Let's see if you, the Hyuga clan leader, have what it takes!" Shinno's expression hardened: "Life Gate, open!"
Instantly, a vortex of air swirled around Shinno.
Seeing Shinno activate the Eight Gates Release right off the bat, Hiashi's face darkened.
Though they'd never fought, Hiashi had gathered intel on Shinno and Moryo from various sources.
Especially after Neji's recent mission, where he'd detailed his encounter with Shinno, Hiashi knew better than to underestimate him.
"Seventh Gate, Shock Gate, open!"
In just a few breaths, Shinno pushed straight to the Seventh Gate, the Shock Gate.
Just as Hiashi feared Shinno, Shinno was equally wary of Hiashi.
His years as a wandering medic had netted him plenty of intel, and he knew the Hyuga's Byakugan paired with Gentle Fist acupoint strikes posed a massive threat to taijutsu specialists. Even if he was stronger, a single misstep could spell disaster.
And this was the Hidden Leaf Village, a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!
As the Shock Gate activated, the swirling air around Shinno shifted from transparent to a deep, inky black.
Hiashi, squinting, grew even graver, thinking: I thought Neji's report was exaggerated, but it's true!
Thanks to his Byakugan, he could see the black cyclone was a mix of sweat, blood, and overflowing chakra.
Normally, chakra flowing through the body's meridians didn't leak out. If it did, it meant the meridians could no longer contain it.
And that's exactly what Hiashi saw.
In his vision, Shinno was a massive blur of chakra, his meridians and acupoints indistinguishable even to the Byakugan.
Swish.
In an instant, Shinno vanished from Hiashi's sight.
Hiashi's pupils contracted as he instinctively activated Kaiten.
Boom.
With a deafening crash, Hiashi, still spinning in Kaiten, was struck as if by a mountain, his body staggering and flung backward.
Before he could steady himself, Shinno whooshed right up to him again.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hiashi unleashed the offensive-defensive Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, clashing head-on with Shinno in his Shock Gate state.
While Hiashi kept Shinno occupied, a swarm of Hyuga clan shinobi, alongside Leaf jonin and Anbu, launched an assault on Moryo.
…
At the village gate.
Sasori, in his Hiruko form, advanced step by step into the Hidden Leaf.
Behind him lay a trail of fallen Leaf shinobi, sprawled haphazardly. They'd tried to stop him, only to lose their lives without even slowing his steps.
Swish swish swish.
Soon, Shibi Aburame, the Aburame clan leader, arrived with several elite Aburame shinobi and multiple Anbu squads sent by the Third Hokage.
"The Aburame clan?" Sasori, hidden within Hiruko, chuckled lightly, his voice raspy: "If I were an ordinary puppeteer facing you, I'd retreat! But I'm no ordinary puppeteer—your little bugs are useless against me!"
Shibi spread his arms.
Buzz buzz buzz.
Instantly, a swarm of insects unfurled like a dark curtain.
"You're begging for death!" Sasori snorted, then said: "Your Aburame clan's parasitic insects do have some use. You're strong enough to be part of my collection!"
Shibi declared: "He's an SS-rank wanted criminal, too dangerous to hold back. Use every means to kill him!"
"Understood!"
The Aburame shinobi behind Shibi—some with hands in pockets, others sporting sunglasses—each acknowledged the order.
Then, swarms of parasitic insects poured from their bodies or the gourds on their backs, merging with Shibi's insects to form a massive bug curtain that half-covered the sky!
…
At the same time, battles erupted across the Hidden Leaf Village.
A steady stream of wounded was sent to the Leaf Hospital, while villagers flocked to the shelters in droves.
In the Hokage Building.
The communication team's shinobi came and went, delivering reports from all corners of the village to the Third Hokage's desk.
Koharu Utatane said: "No new Akatsuki members have been spotted. It seems only those six are involved in this attack!"
Mitokado Homura asked anxiously: "Have the messages been sent? When will Tsunade and Jiraiya return to reinforce the village?"
Compared to the two advisors, the Third Hokage remained much calmer.
Still puffing on his pipe, he said: "Reinforcements will take at least a day to arrive, so we're on our own!"
Swish.
At that moment, a bloodied Anbu with a severed arm burst into the office, reporting: "Lord Hokage, Lord Shikaku's interception failed. Hiruko broke through our encirclement!"
"What!?"
Koharu and Homura exclaimed in unison.
…
On the battlefield.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio lay scattered on the ground, their fates unknown. The other jonin and Anbu were littered with dead and wounded, with only a handful of Leaf shinobi still standing.
"This is the price of underestimating me!" Hiruko sneered cruelly, then added: "Time to find the Nine-Tails!"
With that, he slowly raised his hands, beginning to form seals.
…
In the shelter.
Kakashi, setting up defenses, suddenly froze, his eyes going blank as he slipped into a daze.
Sasuke, nearby, immediately sensed something was wrong: "Kakashi?"