Those Ninja without bladed weapons clenched their teeth and used Kunai and Ninjutsu to block and draw the attacks of the 'Xu'. They fought to the death to create openings for those wielding blades. Among all these Konoha Ninja, the members of ANBU stood out the most.
Even as fear lingered, a strange light flickered in their eyes. And among the fiercest of the ANBU was a purple-haired female Ninja.
Facing a 'Xu' lunging straight at her, her gaze beneath the mask burned with excitement. Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her blade. "Konoha Style Kenjutsu·Crescent Moon Dance!"
With a sharp shout, her figure blurred in an instant. Two Shadow Clone identical to her body split away like reflections on water, and the three figures formed a triangle around the 'Xu'.
There were no fancy hand seals and no dazzling lights. Only the gleaming Ninja Blade in their hands traced three cold, crescent arcs through the rain, beautiful and deadly as they swung.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Three blades struck at lightning speed from different angles, cutting toward the pale bony mask on the 'Xu's face. The blades shrieked through the air, even slicing apart the curtain of rain. Sensing danger, the 'Xu' opened its massive jaws and fired a 'Cero', sweeping through two of the figures.
Yet the coordination between the purple-haired ANBU and her Shadow Clone was flawless. The remaining true body, supported by the clone, slashed down hard onto the mask. Crack crack, boom.
A harsh sound of shattering echoed as spiderweb cracks spread across the mask. With a dull thud, the pale mask completely broke apart, and the black body of the 'Xu' twisted and swelled before exploding into a sky of black mist.
A nearly formless surge of spiritual energy flowed into the blade that had struck the mask, making the eyes beneath her mask grow even clearer. Seeing this and recognizing who she was, even Hiruzen Sarutobi froze for a moment.
Yuzuki Yugao? Why did her presence feel so much sharper than before?
But this was not the time to dwell on that. Hiruzen Sarutobi used Shunshin to appear beside Yunchuan Hyuga. Seeing how battered he was, he inhaled sharply and asked, "Yunchuan, what happened? What is going on?"
"Weren't you sealing off the Uchiha Clan with Danzo Shimura and taking away Itachi Uchiha? Where did these black monsters with Sharingan come from?" "Third Hokage." Yunchuan Hyuga's voice carried exhaustion and a weight he had never shown before.
"When we reached the outer perimeter of the Uchiha Clan Grounds, we were blocked by White Zetsu. After killing them all, Lord Danzo Shimura ignored our objections and insisted on taking the Root into the heart of the Uchiha Clan." "I could only continue the blockade and search for Itachi Uchiha. I saw him kill an entire family and then try to kill the child as well."
"After I seriously wounded Itachi Uchiha, I meant to capture him alive. But these black monsters suddenly appeared, and Itachi was taken away by someone who called himself Madara Uchiha." As Hiruzen Sarutobi listened, his expression darkened by the second.
Danzo Shimura. That bastard, disobeying orders again.
And Itachi Uchiha and that so-called Madara Uchiha. Were these black monsters really released by them? "Third Hokage, I suspect there is more than just Itachi Uchiha's side invading Konoha." Yunchuan Hyuga suddenly said. "My eyes can see it. The real threat is deeper inside."
Before he could finish, a hoarse shout rang out. "Hiruzen!"
Several battered figures rushed out from the depths of the Uchiha Clan Grounds, fleeing like stray dogs. At their head was Danzo Shimura.
But the Danzo Shimura of this moment had lost all his usual calm and composure. His clothes were torn, his face smeared with mud and blood, and even his cane was gone. Fear and fury filled his eyes. When he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, joy flashed across his face as he staggered to a stop in front of him.
"What happened?" Hiruzen Sarutobi swept his gaze over Danzo Shimura and those behind him, then demanded harshly, "Where are the people you took with you?" Danzo Shimura's face twitched as his heart clenched again and again.
Where else could they be? Dead, of course. Those were all my people. Mine.
"Hiruzen, forget that for now." Danzo Shimura's voice was hoarse and urgent as he pointed toward the blood-red glow deep in the clan grounds. "Shisui Uchiha has activated Mangekyo Sharingan."
"He is fighting a pale monster to the death, and that monster is the dead Fugaku Uchiha. He has also activated Mangekyo Sharingan." "These soul-devouring monsters," Danzo Shimura looked at the 'Xu' battling the Konoha Ninja around them, "were released by Fugaku Uchiha."
"It was him. He turned all the Undead of the Uchiha Clan killed by Itachi Uchiha into these monsters." Danzo Shimura poured out everything he had heard from Shisui in one breath.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted again and again, confusion, anger, heaviness, and disbelief. Every word from Danzo Shimura struck his understanding like a hammer.
Shisui Uchiha activating Mangekyo Sharingan was something he could accept. But fighting the dead Fugaku Uchiha? The dead Fugaku Uchiha also using Mangekyo Sharingan? These soul-devouring monsters being formed from dead members of the Uchiha?
If what Danzo Shimura said was not a 'Xu'… Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, forced down his shock, and tightened his grip on the adamantine staff.
Boom. A deafening explosion erupted at that moment.
A figure wrapped in a bright green skeletal frame came crashing through the air, fragments of bone scattering as it flew toward the outer perimeter where Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others stood. It slammed heavily into the ground in the distance, blasting out a huge crater as Gravel and earth shot skyward.
"It's here." Danzo Shimura's expression changed at once. Taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn away, he quietly stepped back and hid behind them, using Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others as a shield.
After learning from Yunchuan Hyuga how terrifying Shisui's presence was in the depths of the Uchiha Clan Grounds, Danzo Shimura had planned to rush there first and seize Mangekyo Sharingan. He never expected that more than one person had activated Mangekyo Sharingan, and that an even more horrific monster would appear, wiping out his Root.
As the dust slowly settled, everyone finally saw clearly. In the distance stood a giant skeletal avatar formed from dense green Chakra, shaped like a humanoid upper body.
Its condition was miserable. Massive ribs were shattered, one arm was incomplete, and the skull was covered in cracks with dim flames in its eye sockets. At the center of the broken chest, Shisui Uchiha knelt on one knee, drenched in blood and barely holding on.
"It really is Mangekyo Sharingan." Seeing the strange yet familiar Susanoo, Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils tightened.
Could the rest of Danzo Shimura's information be true as well? Shisui Uchiha coughed up blood and struggled to raise his head. His clothes were in tatters, caked with mud and blood, and his pale face was no better.
His vision was blurred from overusing Dojutsu Power, everything drowned in red shadows, yet he still saw the familiar figures in the distance. He also saw Konoha burning far away, the night sky dyed crimson by flames.
Moans and cries filled with pain and fear drifted over from Konoha. He saw severed limbs, half-burned corpses reduced by heat, and shredded flesh scattered everywhere by shockwaves.