"Where to first?"
This was a decision Sougen had to make. Hiruko, Kazuma, and Uchiha Obito—these troublesome individuals—had scattered across multiple points, or perhaps they were acting independently. They appeared in different locations throughout the village, and leaving from the Hokage building, he could only choose one direction; covering multiple spots at once was impossible.
However—
He didn't need to weigh the pros and cons himself.
Hiruko had already made the choice for him.
…
As the blinding white light of the forbidden technique Furious Rising Sky erupted, Hiruko, standing atop a strange bird, squinted his eyes at the familiar glow. "So, you've come, Kazuma. Are you alone, or have you brought some friends along for the fun?"
Of course, no one answered him.
Instead, a persistent buzzing noise beside him nagged on.
"Let go of my brother, you bastard!"
Uchiha Daohuo's voice, full of rage yet completely helpless, screamed out.
Daohuo was a shadow of his former confident self, barely staying conscious by sheer willpower. Having lost his right hand and right leg, he couldn't even stand, relying instead on a crumbling wall to keep from collapsing completely.
Compared to his fallen comrades,
He was still considered lucky.
Even though he had lost his right arm and leg, he was at least still alive, as Hiruko's Lava Release had seared the wounds closed, leaving him with no blood loss—just excruciating pain. For now, he could endure.
But Daohuo had no mind to dwell on his own injuries.
Seeing his brother Uchiha Tiehuo being taken into the air by the strange bird, Daohuo roared with fury, attempting again and again to move his broken body, but he couldn't even stand.
"A backup obtained,"
Hiruko paid no mind to the crippled Uchiha Daohuo, nor to Tiehuo. To him, Tiehuo was merely a backup; he was still fixated on obtaining the Mangekyo Sharingan.
One reason he spared Daohuo's life was that Daohuo no longer posed a threat. Another was to see if he could perhaps trigger a new Mangekyo Sharingan.
While studying the forbidden Goryō Enojutsu, he'd also pored over many forbidden texts in the village, including the Second Hokage's research on the Sharingan. It was recorded that when an Uchiha experienced a significant loss or deep anguish, special chakra would surge to the optic nerve, changing the eye and triggering the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Not enough time, not enough 'love'? Or perhaps he lacks the potential?"
Hiruko stared at Daohuo for a few seconds, but saw no changes, feeling slightly disappointed.
However, this disappointment was fleeting.
It was just a small, inconsequential test.
If it succeeded, great; if not… well, that was expected. The Uchiha had only produced a few Mangekyo Sharingan wielders in recent decades. If just anyone could unlock it, the Mangekyo wouldn't be so rare.
"Forget it; since Kazuma is here, there might be others around... best to speed things up. And the fact that no skilled ninja has shown up yet means I need to increase the pressure!"
Hiruko reasoned that perhaps Uchiha Sougen and Uchiha Shisui hadn't shown up because his pressure was too light. After all, the mindless beasts he had summoned with Goryō Enojutsu were just cannon fodder.
He needed to add some weight to the scale.
So, he began to form seals.
Using the Summoning Technique.
More monsters appeared—his final reserves. These synthetic beasts weren't limitless like weeds; they had taken him years to create, and today he would use them all in one go.
It didn't bother him;
To ignite the flames of perfect evolution, one had to provide enough fuel.
The newly summoned monsters gathered among the ruins, merging under Hiruko's command. Bird-like creatures, dog-like creatures, snake-like creatures—all combined into towering, three-story-tall monsters. With a unicorn-like horn, two wings, four legs, and two tails, each was a massive, armored beast in pale white.
And this time,
There wasn't just one.
There was a whole swarm.
"What are those monsters?"
"Watch out—something big is coming!"
The Leaf Village ninjas shouted in alarm. Seeing the monsters open their jaws, the Jonin quickly instructed their squads to disperse. As expected, the beasts unleashed blasts of flame powerful enough to burn through concrete, and if not for the Jonin's Earth and Water Release defenses, this attack would have caused serious casualties.
"Go forth, wreak havoc! Burn this village to ashes!" Hiruko laughed wildly, releasing the monsters. They spread their wings and surged deeper into the village.
Below,
The Leaf ninjas roared in defiance.
"Stop these monsters! Dammit, hold them back!"
"We can't! Our shuriken and kunai don't even reach them!"
"Even jutsu won't work!"
With most of these flying monsters, the average ninja was helpless. This was why a giant bird had previously wreaked havoc until Naruto and Yakumo intervened, attracting Kazuma's murderous intent.
Back on track,
The front-line ninjas could only watch helplessly as the monsters flew toward the village center, inwardly relieved that the Hokage's advisor had issued an evacuation order, hoping the villagers had reached safety.
They couldn't even turn back to assist because the earlier wave of monsters was still attacking.
"Look, there—!"
Suddenly, a wounded ninja at the rear shouted, and others turned to see giants standing throughout the village, blocking the monsters' path with long, thick staffs. Each giant had the same muscular physique, identical armor, and a large circular family crest with the word "Food" on it.
These were from the Akimichi clan.
And leading them was Akimichi Torufu.
The ground shook as the battle began, with eleven Jonin from the Akimichi clan, using their Super Expansion Jutsu, blocking nearly a hundred monsters, swinging their massive staffs to try and knock the flying creatures from the sky. However, the monsters were quick.
True, one had been knocked down by Tsunade's punch before,
But that was a special case. In situations where her hemophobia didn't flare up, Tsunade's top-tier strength in the ninja world wasn't diluted in the slightest. Whether it was strength or speed, she far surpassed the Jonin of the Akimichi clan. And back then, there had been just one monster to face, but now? Now there was an entire horde!
So…
Even though the Akimichi Jonin had appeared full of vigor at the start, when they actually engaged in the fight, they found it was anything but easy.
These merged creatures could fly, breathe fire, and even had explosive feathers. Unless they sustained a fatal wound, they could even regenerate to some extent... Torufu Akimichi was stunned. Following the instructions of Uncle Torufu, he'd chosen ten clan members to show their worth, hoping to earn some recognition for the clan.
But—
This was way harder than he'd anticipated!
When he saw the creatures flying overhead, he thought it'd be the perfect time for a bold entrance. Together with his companions, they used their Super Expansion Jutsu to intercept the creatures headed toward the heart of the village. But once they began fighting, they realized how tough these creatures were! If not for their close-knit bond and practiced teamwork, they likely would've been torn apart by the nearly hundred monsters. Yet, even so, they wouldn't be able to hold out for long; after slaying a dozen creatures, every one of them was already wounded.
The most annoying ones were the flying beasts!
Each one of them was a nightmare to handle.
"Torufu, we can't keep this up much longer."
"I know."
Gritting his teeth, Torufu shouted firmly, "Sato, hold the line! We can't retreat. We represent the honor of our clan, and even if it means dying here, we must not take a single step back!" After all, if other clans were willing to shed blood for the village, the Akimichi clan couldn't just sit back and avoid sacrifice.
He'd never been able to stomach the Sarutobi clan's infamous habit of charging in last and retreating first.
Back then, the Third Hokage had been in control.
He had never dared voice his opinion, not even to Shikaku or Inoichi.
"Torufu, well said! The men of the Akimichi clan aren't afraid to die!" roared Tado Akimichi, who had fought alongside the Fourth Hokage against the Mist and Cloud ninjas. His voice thundered across the village.
The other Akimichi clan members shouted in agreement, whether out of genuine fearlessness or pure grit.
They all understood,
This was a moment when retreat wasn't an option. Anyone who backed down would likely regret it more than if they'd died in battle here.
"All right, Tado, get out of the way—don't block my path."
A deep yet energetic voice sounded from behind. Tado instinctively turned to look, seeing a deep crimson glow he'd witnessed a few times before. A deep crimson katana whizzed past his ear, stabbing through a monster that had tried to ambush him from behind.
"Hey, Tado, are you distracted in the middle of a fight? You've got to be kidding me."
"Sougen… Hokage Advisor-sama? What are you doing here?"
"Huh?"
A deep crimson Susano'o stood towering over the ground.
Standing atop Susano'o's forehead, Sougen looked at Tado, baffled by his question. "What's so strange about me being here?" As he spoke, Susano'o wielded its katana, slashing horizontally, stabbing forward, and slicing at an angle, wounding one monster and forcing two others back.
This was indeed a hassle!
Hiruko's skills were truly something!
These creatures were tedious to deal with, and handling each one individually would undoubtedly cause massive economic losses for the village. Though the Leaf Village was wealthy, they couldn't afford to be wasteful. The only option was to unleash the full force of his power.
Between three choices,
He decided to handle Hiruko first.
It wasn't that he didn't want to go after that lunatic Uchiha Obito, but Obito's space-time jutsu made it nearly impossible to defeat him with overwhelming numbers, unless the opponents all possessed their own space-time jutsu. Unfortunately, Sougen had not mastered Flying Thunder God or any other space-time jutsu.
Even if he went to support Shisui,
There was no guarantee he'd make much difference.
And as for leaving Koma alone… well, as Hokage Advisor, he had to fulfill his duty. Even if rescuing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki could be a valid excuse, he had his own principles and limits, and Yamanaka Inoichi had confirmed that Fujiwara and the others were unharmed.
In comparison,
Hiruko's situation was growing increasingly dangerous, especially with these merged monsters appearing in groups. If they weren't stopped, the village would be reduced to ashes.
"All right, enough talk. Tado, Torufu, move aside! You're in my way!"
Sougen didn't want to waste any more time.
He urged the Akimichi ninja to clear a path, impatiently.
Tado shrank back; even though he was much older than Sougen, in front of Sougen, he couldn't act like a senior. Glancing at Torufu, he silently asked what they should do. They'd just vowed not to take a single step back.
"Hokage Advisor-sama, sorry, we…"
"If you're not leaving, at least get out of my way!" Sougen muttered irritably. This time, Torufu quickly stepped to the left, enduring two claw attacks from the monsters, which gouged chunks of flesh from his arm.
The other Akimichi clan members followed suit, shifting aside to make way for Sougen despite taking injuries.
Then—
"I'd originally saved this move to deal with a certain elusive individual, but since the chance never came... well, might as well show it off now. Besides, this isn't the only ace I have up my sleeve." Sougen looked up at the monsters flying chaotically in the sky. The six-pointed windmill pattern in his eyes began to spin, releasing a vast amount of ocular energy into his left eye like a rising tide.
In the next instant,
An invisible and colorless power shot toward the sky.
The flying creatures suddenly froze in midair, their bone-white bodies turning to a stony gray. From their claws, horns, and tails, the transformation spread across their entire forms in a matter of seconds.
The monsters had turned to stone.
"Whether out in the open or hidden in the shadows, to all you unwelcome guests of the Leaf Village... I present the ocular power of my Mangekyo Sharingan, Ishigami-Houmei!" Sougen blinked nonchalantly, turning nearly a hundred monsters into stone. The results were impressive, though at the cost of considerable ocular energy.
In the past,
His eyes would have bled a little.
But now, he could bear the cost without trouble. Though he had yet to attain the Rinnegan, his years of progress weren't for nothing. He was continually moving forward, weathering all storms and trials, advancing tirelessly along an endless path.