The explosion outside the Hokage Tower's outer wall shook the entire building.
But the central office on the fourth floor remained cloaked in darkness and silence.
The Iwagakure operatives didn't have time to question it.
BANG!
The thick wooden door was blasted open by brute force.
A large, burly Iwa shinobi stormed into the office—
—but the moment his foot landed on the marble floor…
"Secret Technique: Shadow Imitation Jutsu."
From the ceiling, upside-down in the shadows, an ANBU agent formed the Rat seal with both hands.
A line of chakra stretched through the darkness, extending from the ceiling and locking onto the intruder's shadow.
Almost simultaneously, three masked shinobi with short blades dropped into formation.
"Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
The trio struck from three directions, their blades forming a shimmering triangle in the narrow space of the doorway.
The shriek of blades slicing through the air was sharp enough to freeze the soul.
However—
Just as they attacked, more Iwa shinobi slipped in behind the lead man, slipping through the tight gap.
CLANG!
In an instant, steel clashed. Sparks scattered in the dark.
The trap—a coordinated assassination with three minimal chakra shadow clones—was completely disrupted by the enemy's counter-strike.
But there was one more strike.
Shff!
From beneath the Hokage's desk, yet another ANBU—indistinguishable from the clones—launched a direct charge toward the towering Iwa shinobi.
"Konoha Style—"
But—
"RAAGHH!!"
The massive shinobi roared, his chakra exploding around his feet like flames.
Through sheer willpower, he forced himself forward, breaking free from the Shadow Imitation's bind and charging headfirst into the oncoming blade.
THUNK!
The short sword slammed into his chest, but the sound it made was like metal striking steel.
The ANBU's eyes widened.
A twisted grin split the Iwa shinobi's face.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
His body had been reinforced with advanced Earth Style chakra hardening, turning his flesh into armor.
But the grin lasted only a split second.
From behind the sword-wielding ANBU, another comrade sprang forward, thrusting a kunai wrapped in Lightning chakra into the Iwa ninja's exposed throat.
Splat!
The blade pierced straight through.
Shock overtook his face.
From the moment he kicked in the door to the moment he died, it had taken less than two seconds.
Yet, in that short time, he had bought enough space for his teammates.
Even as his body collapsed, he activated the explosive vest under his cloak.
BOOOOM!!
The blast incinerated the two closest ANBU, including the one who struck him down.
The entire Hokage's office exploded, flames shooting from the top floor of the iconic tower. The whole village trembled.
And beneath the shattered flooring of the office lay the real target.
The Sealed Archives Room.
Despite the tremors, this room—protected by layers of sealing barriers—remained untouched.
Even the shelves of forbidden scrolls were perfectly aligned.
At the sight of it, 'Kojima'—or rather, Ash Soiled—felt his eyes light up.
But before they could react—
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A flurry of special trident-shaped kunai shot from the shadows near the bookcases, aiming directly for the Iwa shinobi.
"Incoming!"
That was the only warning they had.
And then—
A blinding golden flash cut through the darkness like lightning.
Even though they'd been briefed beforehand, the moment they faced the man called "unbeatable" by Ash, Soiled himself—Minato Namikaze—a jolt of terror seized their hearts.
Even enhanced visual tracking, amplified to nearly 80 frames per second, could barely capture his silhouette.
One of the Iwa shinobi saw the kunai approaching and felt his Earth Style–reinforced body falter, struck by a strange numbness.
A split-second later, he felt a tingling at his neck.
They were simultaneous.
Minato had already passed through them like a streak of lightning.
The two behind him collapsed, throats severed by Lightning-infused kunai.
He had adjusted his chakra nature mid-fight.
Lightning beats Earth. Everyone knew that.
The remaining Iwa shinobi barely managed to block with their kunai—
CLANG! CLANG!
Ash Soiled stepped forward at last, crossing blades with Minato, using metal knuckle-blades in both hands to block the trident kunai.
Sparks flared as the weapons clashed.
"My lord!" Two injured Iwa ninja cried out, on the brink of death.
But Ash Soiled remained composed.
"Stick to the plan."
"Yes, sir!"
The others immediately dashed for the Sealed Archives below.
Sounds of fierce combat echoed from below as they clashed with defenders.
Meanwhile, Ash Soiled stared Minato down.
"You Leaf shinobi… terrifying."
"So young—and yet already this strong."
Then, without warning—
His knuckle-blades thrust upward as his leg muscles bulged with raw power.
Flames of chakra exploded under his feet as he rocketed into the air, blowing apart what remained of the tower's roof.
Mid-air, his body flipped as he began weaving hand signs.
"Earth Style: Rock Shrapnel Barrage!"
All the debris from the explosion rose around him, suspended in chakra.
Then—
It rained down like bullets.
Minato's eyes widened.
He knew now: They had been observed earlier that day. Their tactics had been compromised.
The attackers had adjusted their entire approach based on inside intel.
With no wide-area defense available, Minato activated the Body Flicker Technique, speeding toward a shattered window to escape the blast.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Stone bullets tore through the tower, hammering the fourth floor and everything below it.
Dust and smoke choked the air.
Ash Soiled landed in the chaos.
At that moment, two of his shinobi rushed up to him, bloodied and bruised, one carrying a sealed scroll container marked "S".
"My lord—we have it!"
"Excellent."
Ash Soiled finally allowed himself to breathe.
The entire operation had taken less than two minutes.
He turned to look back, watching the Konoha Police and ANBU finally arrive from the lower floors, too late.
He smirked.
"Leaf shinobi... you've grown too soft in your fake peace."
"Let's go."
"Earth Style: Subterranean Dragon Escape!"
The three of them disappeared into the earth.
Thunk!
A kunai arrived a moment too late, impaling the empty ground.
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Yayoi skidded to a stop, drenched in blood. Her Sharingan scanned the area, but there was no chakra trail left behind.
Their Earth Style escape was far more advanced than anticipated.
Three full elite squads—gone.
Konoha hadn't been hit like this in nearly a decade.
And the destruction of the Hokage Tower—it felt like a slap across the face.
Especially to the Uchiha Police Force.
Yayoi's crimson eyes burned.
Ignoring her wounds, she spun around and snapped out orders:
"Rinko! Notify the Hyūga recon team!"
"ANBU—report to the Hokage!"
"Even if we have to mobilize outer defense units—we will find them!"
Elsewhere.
Ash Soiled and his two subordinates surfaced in a hidden alleyway.
Even for masters of Earth Style, that kind of escape was draining—they couldn't stay underground for long.
As they stripped off disguises and prepared to exfiltrate the village—
Their leader suddenly froze.
At the end of the street, a tall figure stood bathed in moonlight, arms crossed, eyes calm.
Icy blue eyes glowed in the darkness.
"Still working this late, huh?"
"Much appreciated, Mr. Spy."
"Now…"
"Would you kindly hand over what you stole?"