A massive dark shadow loomed over the entire battlefield. As the people looked up, the silhouette was so immense they couldn't even discern what it was; it felt as if a mountain had suddenly appeared in mid-air and was crashing down with a thunderous roar.
Crucially, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were currently standing at the very center of the battlefield, directly beneath the trajectory of this colossal entity.
As the giant object struck the ground, the world briefly fell into a deafening silence.
Witnesses saw the ground beneath the shadow shatter irresistibly the moment of contact, crumbling into countless rocks and thick dust. Furthermore, as the impact's shockwave continued to ripple outward, more of the earth splintered. Debris and dust were swept up, spiraling out from the center of impact like a gargantuan tsunami.
Suddenly, the silence was broken as a massive wave of sound erupted, threatening to shatter everyone's eardrums.
The earth itself had split open!
"Run! Hurry!"
They opened their mouths to scream, but their voices were drowned out by the even louder roar of the destruction surrounding them.
The crumbling ground sent a tide of debris covering the entire battlefield. It even leveled all the houses in the vicinity, effectively expanding the combat zone once more.
It took a full minute for the battlefield to finally settle.
People stared in disbelief at the super-radiant circular crater—over ten meters deep and hundreds of meters wide—carved into the heart of the area. Standing in the center of that pit was a mountain-like super demon!
Its entire body was entwined with massive amounts of flesh and blood, and it was covered in countless eyes and mouths. An aura of extreme evil poured frantically from its form.
What on earth is this monster?
Is it some kind of summoned beast?
Many shinobi had never seen such a creature in their entire lives. However, Kakashi Hatake was an exception. He had personally witnessed the Apostle of Desire during the incident in the Hidden Steam Village.
Consequently, Kakashi spoke with a grave expression to Might Guy beside him. "The people from the Jashin Religion have made their move."
"Is that a member of the Jashin Religion?"
Might Guy fixed his eyes on the giant monster at the center of the battlefield. He asked solemnly, "Kakashi, is it my turn to step in now?"
This time, Kakashi did not stop him. Instead, he replied seriously, "Compared to the Jashin Religion, the Uchiha Clan's rebellion is no longer the primary issue. We must head to the battlefield immediately!"
"Understood!"
Might Guy instantly erupted with his maximum speed, charging toward the fray. Kakashi followed closely behind.
As the Jonin Commander, Shikaku Nara had arrived at this battlefield the moment Itachi Uchiha finished dealing with Fugaku Uchiha. Seeing the current situation, he stepped forward to take command without hesitation.
"Reconnaissance Team, determine the Hokage's status immediately!"
"Medical Team, take charge of treating the wounded at once!"
"Communications Team, notify all shinobi on outside missions to abort and return to the village. Enter a state of war readiness immediately!"
"Combat Team, everyone assemble! Prepare to pin down the enemy and support the Hokage!"
Shikaku's orderly commands quickly improved the chaotic situation. At the very least, the shinobi now knew exactly what they were supposed to do, rather than rushing about like headless flies.
Every ninja immediately took to their posts. While the Medical Team assisted the injured and the Combat Team gathered, the Hyuga shinobi of the Reconnaissance Team activated their Byakugan the moment they received their orders.
"Lord Shikaku! The Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki are at the center of the battlefield. It appears they used Enma's transformation to block the impact."
Shikaku nodded, as this matched his suspicions.
Despite the exhaustion from the fierce battle with the Nine-Tails, his advancing age, and his declining physical capabilities, the Hokage was still the Hokage. Even an old Hokage was a force to be reckoned with!
Please, Lord Hokage, do not let anything happen to you.
While others were still contemplating how to solve the immediate problem, Shikaku was already looking toward the future. Nevertheless, the present crisis remained the priority.
"Combat Team! Gather all Earth Style users immediately to support the Hokage!"
"Yes, sir!"
Since they were trapped below, using Earth Style shinobi to dive underground for a rescue was undoubtedly the best option.
A large number of Earth Style users quickly submerged into the ground, while Shikaku turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Elder Danzo, given the circumstances, isn't it time for you to show what you can do?"
Shikaku's words carried a heavy tone of warning.
Throughout this entire conflict, although Danzo had pinned down some enemy forces, he hadn't achieved much. Ultimately, it was because of him that the enemy had managed to launch a successful counterattack. No matter how one looked at it, Danzo had failed to fulfill his duties as a Leaf Elder and the leader of Root.
Hearing Shikaku's words, Danzo swept a cold glance over him.
"Shikaku, you brat, it is not your place to criticize my actions!"
Seeing Danzo maintain such an attitude despite the emergency, Shikaku couldn't help but feel anxious. He warned, "Lord Danzo, if something happens to the Hokage, how do you think the villagers will judge you?"
Shikaku made his point very clear.
Don't you always want to be the Hokage, Danzo?
If the Hokage died in this battle while Danzo remained idle, he would surely face the residents' resentment, and his dream of becoming Hokage would be finished. Therefore, regardless of his feelings, Danzo had to act.
"Hmph, I know when to strike. I don't need you to teach me!"
After a harsh reprimand, Danzo slowly stepped forward and formed a single hand sign.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
As a massive amount of Wood Style chakra was injected into the ground, countless thick branches sprouted from the ruins. Most of them grew directly beneath the feet of the Apostle of Desire, erupting with incredible force in an attempt to lift the mountain of flesh.
Standing atop the Apostle of Desire, Simu watched as the Leaf shinobi transitioned from chaos to order. He was admiring Shikaku's talent and considering whether he should eliminate the "Brain of the Leaf" first.
Then, he saw that old man Danzo step out to put on a performance.
The surge of branches beneath the Apostle of Desire finally managed to pry open a gap in the mass of flesh.
Trapped inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi seized the opportunity. He instantly released the cage formed by Enma's transformation, grabbed Naruto, and used the Body Flicker Jutsu to escape at maximum speed.
However, Simu would not just stand by and watch. At the same moment Danzo was rescuing Hiruzen, the Apostle of Desire's massive fist came crashing down.
Just as Hiruzen escaped the pressure of the flesh mountain, he was blanketed by a colossal shadow.
Fortunately, the Earth Style shinobi Shikaku had dispatched earlier proved vital. They collectively performed an Earth Style jutsu, causing a massive amount of soil to surge around Hiruzen, forming a giant fortress to shield the Third Hokage.
Although the solid fortress shattered instantly under the giant fist, it bought the Third Hokage the few seconds he needed to escape.
"Sarutobi, what on earth is that thing? When did the Leaf provoke such a monster?!" Enma asked, sounding quite perplexed.
Even though he possessed a body said to be indestructible, he had still suffered significant damage from that terrifying impact.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim.
The attacks from the Jashin Religion came one after another without any prior warning. Even now, he didn't know how they had managed to infiltrate the Leaf so quietly! Throughout this entire operation, the Leaf had been completely trapped in the Jashin Religion's rhythm, constantly forced onto the defensive.
Hiruzen even began to wonder if the Jashin Religion had a hand in the Uchiha Clan's coup.
However, now was not the time for such thoughts. Once Hiruzen, the Hokage, was out of danger, the Combat Team no longer had any reservations. They attacked together, throwing a barrage of kunai laced with explosive tags and various jutsu at the Apostle of Desire as if money were no object.
Fearsome explosions erupted continuously across the mountain of flesh, causing significant damage.
"To be able to reorganize an attack in such a short time... as expected of the legendary number one village in the shinobi world."
Simu folded his arms across his chest and commented calmly.
Despite the massive impact caused by the Apostle of Desire, the Leaf shinobi had managed to regroup and launch an effective counterattack in less than ten minutes. Clearly, one could not underestimate these hidden villages.
However, Simu was not the type to just take a beating.
He pressed his hands together. Thousands of human faces emerged on the body of the Apostle of Desire, and an ominous aura instantly descended upon the entire battlefield.
"Praise Jashin," Simu whispered.
Then, thousands of faces spoke in unison.
"Praise Lord Jashin!"
"Praise Lord Jashin!"
"Praise Lord Jashin!"
Thousands of faces began to chant hymns to the evil god. Countless sound waves collided in the air, creating an incredibly chaotic and maddening symphony.
In this environment, a Leaf shinobi tried to say something, only to find the eyes of his companion had become glazed. The companion began to mutter, "Praise Lord Jashin."
Horrified, the shinobi shoved his partner hard.
"What are you saying? Wake up, you idiot!"
But this did not wake the other man from his eerie state. Instead, a look of madness appeared on his face. While shouting "Praise Lord Jashin," he raised his kunai and plunged it toward his own throat!
Fortunately, the companion managed to snatch the kunai away just in time and delivered a heavy punch to his face, finally snapping him out of it.
"Why did you hit me?" the man asked, clutching his face in confusion and appearing somewhat angry.
"If I hadn't hit you, you would have committed suicide while praising that evil god!"
"How is that possible..."
He started to argue, but then he heard the dense, overlapping voices praising the evil god all around him and immediately shut his mouth.
It was clear that many other shinobi had fallen into this bizarre frenzy. There were even quite a few who hadn't been stopped in time; they had ended their own lives with strange smiles on their faces.
"It's a large-scale mass Genjutsu! Stop him quickly!" Shikaku was the first to react, shouting the command.
Just as the Third Hokage was about to act, a green blur leaped out from the crowd.
"You bastards of the Jashin Religion! How dare you invade the Leaf? Take my burning strike of youth!"
"Eight Inner Gates: Sixth Gate of View, Open!"
A massive surge of green aura erupted from Guy, looking as if a green sun had appeared in the sky.
"Morning Peacock!"
He roared, swinging his fists frantically at the colossal entity before him. His fists moved so fast that the friction with the air created a dense barrage of flames. Like countless meteors, they slammed into the Apostle of Desire beneath Simu's feet.
"Taijutsu?"
Seeing himself engulfed in flames, Simu wasn't worried; he was surprised. After all this time, he had seen countless powerful ninjutsu, but Might Guy was the first person he had seen who could produce such power through pure Taijutsu alone.
Though that green jumpsuit is a bit of an eyesore.
Regardless, Guy had completely shattered everyone's perception of Taijutsu at that moment, unleashing unparalleled and terrifying power.
In response, the Mangekyo Sharingan in Simu's eyes suddenly flared. Immediately, a massive amount of green chakra surged from his body, forming a giant suit of armor that shielded the Apostle of Desire's raised arms.
A series of explosions erupted against the Apostle of Desire, but under the protection of the green chakra armor, it suffered no significant damage.
Having lost his momentum in mid-air, Guy fell uncontrollably toward the ground, the steam spraying from his skin leaving streaks in the air.
As he finally landed, he stared intently at Simu and frowned. I didn't expect the Sixth Gate to be unable to cause damage. It looks like I'll have to use that move.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, now temporarily out of danger, was also carefully observing the situation. The moment the green armor appeared, both his and Danzo's pupils shrank simultaneously.
"Is that... Susanoo? I knew it. The Uchiha Clan is inherently evil! They must have joined the Jashin Religion long ago!"
Danzo spoke through gritted teeth, appearing to blame Hiruzen for not ordering the elimination of the Uchiha sooner.
Hiruzen couldn't say anything in return. After all, the Uchiha coup was a reality, and it had brought such a terrible disaster to the Leaf. There was no point in trying to defend them anymore.
"The priority is protecting the village. We will discuss other matters later."
He quickly moved past the topic and added, "The enemy's abilities are too dangerous. We absolutely cannot fight inside the village."
Not only was the enemy massive, but they also possessed large-scale Genjutsu and Susanoo. If the battle continued here, the damage to the village would only increase! They had to find a way to move the enemy outside the village.
At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively recalled a specific method. He had performed a similar maneuver once before, on the night the Nine-Tails attacked.