Even in the eyes of Black Zetsu—who had witnessed countless eras—the physical enhancement surgery developed by Orochimaru was nothing short of revolutionary.
Until now, elite jōnin and chūnin were never more than cannon fodder before true powerhouses. They couldn't turn the tide of battle. But now? Taking them down was no longer so easy. Even Obito, who relied on the spatial powers of Kamui, was barely keeping up. Anyone else, even someone as tough as Kakuzu—whose body had no clear weaknesses—would've been killed outright.
"Even ants can kill an elephant," Zetsu thought grimly. With enemies like this, how could Sasori possibly find the time he needed to go all out?
"Sasori, you need to retreat," Jue's voice came from the shadows. "'Madara' hasn't fully recovered his strength. He won't be able to hold off the Third Hokage and his forces for long. They're only ten or twenty miles from here—moments away, really. You want to get surrounded?"
The words weren't exactly true—more like manipulation. But if it got Sasori to withdraw, Jue didn't mind lying.
"Tch. What a letdown," Sasori muttered coldly from within Hiruko. He swept his gaze across the battlefield. "Fine. I'll let you live... for now."
As he spoke, all of his puppets—except for the two bloodline-limit ones still entangled with Shisui's Susano'o—began forcing their way through Konoha's formations, ignoring the mounting losses.
"Lord Hokage is almost here! We can't let them escape!" Kakashi called out, cutting down another puppet. He glanced toward the retreating Kusanagi forces with a grim expression.
Despite Konoha's preparations, they had still suffered heavy casualties. Pain's wide-area jutsu had devastated the battlefield. Now, the mastermind had fled, defeated by Orochimaru. Letting the rest escape as well felt unbearable.
Many of the Konoha shinobi shared his resolve. Knowing the Third Hokage's unit was nearly there, they fought even harder to stop the enemy from withdrawing.
Ironically, Zetsu 's bluff—meant to scare Sasori into retreating—ended up rallying Konoha's morale far more than expected.
Still, despite the renewed effort, the Kusanagi forces managed to slip away.
High above, Satori, the beast created by the Box of Bliss, soared through the sky. It weaved between fire, lightning, and wind jutsu like a ghost, always slipping through narrow openings. It didn't attack directly, merely hovered and harassed—dividing Konoha's attention.
But if any shinobi lowered their guard, Satori would strike without hesitation. Like a hunting hawk, it would dive and tear them apart with its jagged fangs.
Unlike the mindless Tailed Beasts, Satori was forged from countless human souls. Its cruelty and cunning were far beyond any wild beast.
"Disgusting monster," a Konoha jōnin muttered. "If this keeps up, they'll get away for sure."
Kakashi leaned against a tree, his Sharingan spinning. Without a way to fly, there wasn't much they could do. Once Sasori withdrew, Satori could just grab the Box of Bliss and vanish into the sky.
"I need a plan..."
"Kakashi!" Guy's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I think I have an idea to bring that thing down."
"...You do?" Kakashi blinked, uncertain. Guy's brilliance was usually tied to taijutsu—not tactics.
"It's simple," Guy said, staring up at the beast. "That thing reacts to hostility. But if there's no hostility—like with those puppets—it can't dodge."
"That's easier said than done," Kakashi replied. "We can't fake that. You can hide your intent on the surface, but your heart always gives it away."
"Then I just won't think," Guy said cheerfully. "If you don't feel anything, there's no hostility."
Guy's grin was blinding. He waited until Satori swept down again, then sprang up—eyes blank, movements mechanical, as if he had emptied himself completely.
He spun mid-air, his kick slamming into Satori's armored chest.
The monster was knocked back.
It was the first time anyone had landed a clean hit.
The Konoha shinobi were stunned. A jōnin whispered, "How… did Guy manage that?"
Kakashi stared at Guy, realization dawning. "He really emptied his mind…"
Because he held no thoughts—no memory of their earlier discussion—Guy wasn't pretending to feel nothing. He had simply forgotten. He wasn't fighting out of anger or strategy.
Kakashi muttered, "That fool... it actually worked."
But now that Satori had been hit, it was furious.
The monster, a living mass of spite and malice, let out a roar that echoed through the forest. Its eyes burned red. Guy's strike hadn't seriously hurt it, but it had wounded its pride.
Satori soared higher, then dived—faster and more vicious than before. The trees shook. Konoha ninjas realized, with dawning horror, that until now, Satori had only been playing.
"Can Guy survive this?" someone asked.
Kakashi raised a hand. "Don't approach him. If Guy's in that state, even we might become targets if we distract him."
All they could do was wait—and be ready for the opening Guy created.
Guy stood calm, unmoving, even as Satori came crashing down like a meteor. At the last moment, he pivoted, dodging the attack and slamming another whirling kick into the beast.
Satori was thrown again, crashing through trees, fangs shattering.
"Now!" Kakashi shouted.
His Mangekyō Sharingan activated. But instead of targeting the body, he aimed Kamui at the ground where Satori would land.
The moment the monster touched down, its wings twisted—and part of them were sucked into the vortex.
Satori shrieked in agony.
"That attack…" it howled. "What is that jutsu!?"
It had endured Guy's attacks—but Kakashi's Kamui was something else. Even with its unnatural form, it couldn't resist the space-tearing effect.
Blood dripped from Kakashi's eye. He couldn't teleport the whole beast, but targeting the wings was enough. He let Kamui close, its edges severing the chakra-laced appendages like a blade.
Satori screamed again, its body grounded.
The Konoha shinobi didn't hesitate. With their enemy vulnerable, they bombarded it with jutsu:
Fire. Wind. Lightning. Water. They came in waves—coordinated, relentless.
But even so, Kakashi's voice rang out again, "Don't relax! It can regrow its wings!"
The creature was a mass of chakra and hatred—wounded, yes, but not beaten.
The Earth-style users among them responded instantly. Stone pillars and chains shot from the ground, binding Satori's limbs, reinforcing again and again.
Only then did the Konoha shinobi breathe a bit easier. Their jutsu came down again like a storm.
From the shadows, Zetsu watched it all unfold. "Tch... Konoha's pretty ruthless," he muttered with a smirk. "Still, thanks to that monster's tantrum, everyone else got away safely."
Suddenly, his face darkened. He turned toward the direction of the village.
"That chakra... what's happening to him?"
…
Moments earlier—
Obito, facing off against the Third Hokage's squad and flickering in and out of Kamui space, suddenly found himself surrounded by black, fluttering feathers in the void.
"What… is this?"
He raised his arm instinctively, but it was too late. The feathers surged forward, piercing him from all sides—like thousands of birds diving into a nest.
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