"Oh no!"
The Leaf shinobi's faces fell.
Even Yakumo, who had just controlled Hiruko with genjutsu, hadn't expected Sasuke to lose a genjutsu duel to Hiruko—and so quickly!
Even Kakashi, who had warned Sasuke, only thought he was being reckless.
After all, both Shinji and Yakumo had beaten Hiruko in genjutsu duels. Logically, Sasuke, with his Mangekyo Sharingan, should at least have been able to hold his own.
Surprising as it was, now wasn't the time to dwell on why Sasuke lost. Kakashi, Yakumo, and Naruto sprang into action simultaneously.
Instantly, several vines burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around Sasuke's waist to pull him from Hiruko's grasp.
At the same time, Kakashi, wielding Chidori, charged at Hiruko, with Naruto's army of shadow clones hot on his heels!
Hiruko grinned ferociously, releasing Sasuke and activating Swift Release and Steel Release simultaneously. He dodged Kakashi's assault in a flash, then tore into Naruto's shadow clones like a tiger among sheep.
Bang bang bang.
A series of muffled explosions rang out as Naruto's clones burst into clouds of white smoke, vanishing in droves.
"So fast!"
Naruto was stunned.
He hadn't expected Hiruko's taijutsu to be so ferocious that his shadow clones couldn't withstand a single blow. He quickly grouped the remaining clones in pairs, preparing to unleash his self-created Rasengan Barrage!
But as the glowing Rasengans formed, Hiruko spread his hands: "Dark Release: Inhaling Maw!"
Naruto felt his Rasengan waver, and those held by clones closer to Hiruko were outright sucked away by his Dark Release.
Wielding four or five Rasengans with Dark Release, Hiruko's destructive power surged, wiping out Naruto's remaining clones in moments. If Yakumo hadn't used Wood Release to yank Naruto's real body from the battlefield, he'd have been in grave danger.
Having dispatched the clones, Hiruko hurled all the Rasengans he controlled at Yakumo and Naruto.
Yakumo formed seals again: "Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Boom boom boom.
The Rasengans slammed into Yakumo's Wood Locking Wall, unleashing a roar as splinters flew and dust billowed!
Whoosh.
A breeze swept through, clearing the battlefield's dust, marking the end of the first clash.
Kakashi assessed their side.
Sasuke was knocked out, temporarily out of the fight. Naruto and Yakumo had burned through significant chakra without gaining any advantage.
They had clearly come out worse in that exchange.
And with Kurosuki Raiga still lurking on the sidelines, the situation was dire.
As Kakashi pondered a strategy, Hiruko taunted: "Uchiha? Jinchuriki? Wood Release? Hahaha, all my defeated foes! Today, I'll show you my true power!"
Kakashi felt a sinking premonition.
"The power of my Mangekyo Sharingan far exceeds your imagination! Tremble, you insignificant mortals!"
Amid Hiruko's frenzied roar, a dark purple silhouette projected from his body.
The silhouette quickly solidified, forming a half-body skeleton with outstretched arms, followed by sinew and muscle, and finally, layers of heavy armor!
"Susanoo?!"
Kakashi, Yakumo, and Naruto gasped in unison.
Though they suspected Hiruko's eyes held a Mangekyo Sharingan, seeing him unleash its dojutsu power filled them with visceral unease!
Raiga, nearby, was equally shocked, as this was his first time witnessing Hiruko's Mangekyo technique.
…
In Shinji's apartment.
The Anbu sent to urge Shinji to evacuate had left, but his clone remained on the balcony, showing no intent to flee.
"At least three groups, maybe more hidden…"
Observing the battles across the village, he roughly estimated the number of Akatsuki members invading.
If Tsunade and Jiraiya's elite team were still in the village, an Akatsuki assault of this scale would be manageable. But with Tsunade and Jiraiya having just led the elites to raid the Hidden Rain Village, the Akatsuki's attack on the Hidden Leaf suggested they had anticipated the Five Great Shinobi Villages' moves.
Shinji's clone mused: "If Nagato or Obito are part of this attack, things could get messy!"
Boom.
A massive roar came from the shelter's direction.
Shinji's clone's face darkened. He leaped to the apartment's roof, gazing toward the shelter, where he spotted Hiruko's dark purple Susanoo.
"Tch."
Spitting lightly, Shinji's clone knew the situation was beyond what a mere clone could handle.
"No idea if the main body's surgery was successful. Guess I'll try!"
Decided, the clone returned to the apartment, drew a kunai, and sliced off its own arm.
Drip drip.
Blood from the wound hit the floor.
Undoubtedly, this clone wasn't a shadow clone but a blood clone Shinji had created after retrieving the Koryugan from Yakumo.
Moments later, the severed arm vanished with a bang.
…
In the secret laboratory.
Shinji was still adjusting to his post-surgery body when a wisp of chakra feedback returned to him.
"Trouble in the village, huh…"
His expression remained calm, unshaken.
Instead, he was surprised his blood clone chose to relay the village's situation by severing an arm.
Clearly, the blood clone had used its greater durability compared to a shadow clone, sacrificing part of its body to send chakra back to the main body with the intel.
Fully geared up, Shinji said softly: "Koryugan!"
Swish.
Activating the Koryugan, Shinji's main body in the secret lab swapped places with the blood clone in the Hidden Leaf apartment!
The next second.
The blood clone, serving as a spatial anchor, was sent back to the lab, while Shinji's main body appeared in his apartment.
"Quite the lively scene!"
Shinji stepped out of the apartment.