With Gaara's defeat, the momentum of the Sand Village and Sound Ninja forces weakened noticeably, and their assault gradually began to falter.
At the center of the village, the Sand Shinobi who had broken into Konoha's heart were searching house to house, preparing to kill anyone they found.
"This is strange," one of the Sand Shinobi muttered, scanning the area. "There's no one here!"
"Yeah, we've made it into the center of the village, but the resistance has gotten weaker. Something's not right."
"And there's not a single civilian in sight. That's impossible in a place like this!"
While the invading Sand Shinobi remained puzzled, deep in the back mountain of Konoha, an emergency shelter had been set up.
Inside the dimly lit rooms, with only a thin beam of sunlight streaming in through a small window, Konohamaru's eyes flicked to the side. He shivered slightly, then quietly stepped out.
"Konohamaru, where are you going?!" Iruka called out sternly.
There was still combat happening throughout the village. As a Chūnin, Iruka had gathered all non-combatants and academy students here and was maintaining watch to ensure everyone's safety.
With everyone quietly in place, what was this little troublemaker up to now?
"Konohamaru!" Iruka placed his hands on his hips and scolded, "This is an emergency. Everyone must stay here. Go back and sit down!"
"But, Sensei!" Konohamaru clutched the hem of his shirt awkwardly, twisting his body. "I... I need to pee!"
"Hold it in!" Iruka frowned. He knew Konohamaru well—this little brat was always trying to pull something. He had to stay alert!
"But I really can't!" Konohamaru shouted, then dashed past Iruka and sprinted out of the shelter.
His two faithful followers, Udon and Moegi, immediately chased after him.
"Ugh, I've been played again!" Iruka groaned and rubbed his forehead in frustration, then quickly followed.
But as soon as he rounded the corner, the three of them had vanished.
"What?!" Iruka was stunned.
He scanned the area for Konohamaru and the others, but they were gone.
"This is bad!" Iruka muttered.
With the whole village under attack, if Konohamaru wandered into danger, Iruka would never forgive himself.
He rushed back to give instructions to the other guards, then took off toward the battlefield.
Unbeknownst to Iruka, three voices whispered from where he had just stood—though no one was visible.
"Konohamaru, your invisibility spray really works!" a cute girl's voice giggled.
"Of course it does! I got it from Boss Haruto's Golden Egg Shop!" Konohamaru said proudly.
"You're amazing, Konohamaru!" Udon added with admiration.
"Haha, naturally!" Konohamaru laughed.
"Alright, Iruka-sensei's gone. He went that way, so we'll go this way!" Konohamaru instructed. "Make sure you hold onto me or you'll get lost—I can't even see you myself! This spray only lasts for fifteen minutes!"
"Got it!" Udon and Moegi replied in unison.
"Let's move!" The faint whir of a bamboo helicopter echoed, and the area fell silent once more.
"Hmm? I thought I heard something..." A Konoha Chūnin nearby peeked around the corner, confused. "Must've been my imagination."
Elsewhere behind the village—
Several Sand Shinobi were moving quickly, searching for Konoha civilians.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A barrage of shuriken suddenly whizzed through the air toward them.
They looked up to see several masked figures standing in front of them.
"That's far enough. You won't take another step," said a purple-haired woman coldly.
"Hmph!" the leading Sand Shinobi snorted. "Go!"
The enemy ninjas charged forward—only to be met by a sudden gust of wind and a cheerful voice.
"Hasak!"
In an instant, the Sand Shinobi collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
At the same time, in an open courtyard—
Dozens of Sand Shinobi had surrounded a man in a white robe. With pale white eyes, he stood calm and unshaken.
"There's only one of him?" a new arrival scoffed.
"One person?!" the man repeated coldly, and suddenly spun in place.
A burst of chakra burst outward as he activated his Rotation, forming a swirling dome of destructive force. The Sand Shinobi were sucked in and hurled away, screaming.
"The Hyuga Clan is the strongest in Konoha!" the white-robed man declared solemnly. "Don't forget it."
Elsewhere in the village—
A group of Sand Shinobi stood trembling, unable to move. Next to them, a massive man several meters tall swung an enormous iron staff, flattening them like a game of whack-a-mole.
Nearby, a blonde man manipulated a Sand Shinobi like a puppet, turning him against his own comrades.
"Never seen the Ino–Shika–Cho combo before?" said a calm voice.
A young man with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle leaned lazily against a wall, watching the chaos unfold.
"Remember this moment... we're your worst nightmare."
All around them, more Konoha shinobi were arriving.
Some came with giant dogs. Others brought swarms of insects.
A few wielded massive scrolls, and several groups of civilians-turned-volunteers emerged with iron rods and spears, pushing back both Sand and Sound ninja forces.
One shopkeeper even opened the doors of his ninja tool store and shouted to the passing Konoha shinobi, "Take whatever you need!"
From a higher vantage point, Maki watched the scene below, grinding his teeth in frustration.
The average soldier wouldn't notice, but as someone overseeing the entire battlefield, he could see the truth clearly.
This attack, though sudden in appearance, had been anticipated.
The villagers they thought were civilians were actually hiding skilled shinobi in ambush.
In other words, while it looked like they had taken many Konoha lives, most were decoys and support troops.
"Damn it!" Baki muttered furiously.
Just thinking about the figures that blocked their advance made him want to scream.
Especially that one guy—the one who kept coughing. That guy really got under his skin.
Even if the Konoha Crush plan failed...
That guy had to die.
"The wind? I'll show you the real wind, you bastard!"
End of the Chapter.