They could only dodge and block in panic, trying to sever the threads or restrain their companions without killing them. Yet one side hesitated again and again, while the other attacked without mercy, begging aloud but striking straight for vital points.
Hesitation cost lives. The battle became a one sided slaughter. Screams echoed as madness spread through the air and blood soaked the ground.
The Ninja of Konoha, whether from the first group that had surrounded Kyougan or from later reinforcements, were like moths trapped in a web. They withered rapidly in mutual slaughter.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also trapped. Three controlled Konoha Jonin charged him in silence, tears streaming as they attacked without fear of death. Pain and struggle filled their eyes, but every strike was sharp and precise.
"Fire Release·Great Fireball!"
"Wind Release·Vacuum Wave!"
"Earth Release·Earth Style Earth Wall!"
A massive fireball roared forward as several cutting Wind Blade sealed off his escape. A rising earth wall limited his movement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened, his eyes burning with fury. He could kill them instantly, but all three were Jonin he had personally promoted and who had once served in ANBU. Losing any one of them was unbearable.
He could not kill them. He absolutely could not.
With an angry growl, Hiruzen Sarutobi formed seals despite the drain on his Chakra, and a Shadow Clone appeared beside him. He raised another earth wall, and the fireball smashed into it, sending waves of heat to either side and blocking their view of him.
Hands suddenly burst from the ground beneath one Jonin, striking from a blind spot. Before the man could react, his controlled body formed seals and slammed chakra into the ground.
The softened earth hardened in an instant. The clone beneath shattered, and the man's legs were crushed by the solidified soil, drawing out a shrill scream of pain.
The real Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared beside the other two, his anger burning hotter at the sight. He hurled the adamantine staff, splitting it into dozens to bind one Jonin, then retreated sharply to evade a distant Wind Blade.
He reappeared behind the last Jonin and barked, "Limb Weight Sealing Technique!" The man stiffened, his limbs going numb as he collapsed, unable to move.
In just a few breaths, Hiruzen Sarutobi used experience and reserves of Ninjutsu to subdue all three without killing them. Fighting like this, bound by restraint, drained far more Chakra than facing true enemies.
He was already old, and the earlier fight with Kyougan had exhausted him. Now he was forcing himself onward by sheer will. Feeling his chakra nearly depleted, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head toward Yunchuan Hyuga.
Yunchuan Hyuga had not been controlled, but he was also being pressured by several Jonin. Each time he tried to use Wind Release Ninjutsu to cut the threads or attack the Puppeteer, others rushed in to block him.
Several corpses already lay around Yunchuan Hyuga. From the pain on his face, Hiruzen Sarutobi could tell they were people he had failed to stop in time. The enemy was using the lives of comrades to bind the hands of the kind hearted Yunchuan Hyuga.
Forced to abandon his strongest Wind Release Ninjutsu, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only rely on the less familiar Gentle Fist and Lightning Release to dodge and stall. Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his chest heave as rage surged.
At that moment, five more controlled Konoha Ninja rushed him, howling in pain while moving like rabid dogs. Cutting the threads only freed them briefly, and Genjutsu was useless since their bodies, not their minds, were controlled.
Only Sealing Technique could restrain them, or destroying the flying Puppeteer would stop it at once. Yet the two monsters named Uzumaki and White stood directly in front of that being.
If this continued, Root would fall.
Bloodshot eyes fixed on the battlefield, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared past the chaos at the black figure standing calmly before Kyougan. Rage and helpless shame exploded within his chest.
"You!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared, his voice shaking with fury. "Who are you, and why are you doing this to Konoha?"
The figure called Shadow slowly turned. Beneath the hood, a shadowed face lifted slightly as a hoarse voice spoke with a faint smile, "Third Hokage Lord is truly forgetful. I believe you have heard of our deeds before."
The tone held no mockery or anger, only a chilling indifference. Fighting on, Hiruzen Sarutobi searched his mind as he listened.
Power and speed beyond anything human, and abilities unseen in the Shinobi World before. These were not things a Ninja should possess. His gaze suddenly locked onto the red haired, feminine figure among the three.
"Uzumaki…" His heart pounded as an unthinkable guess formed. "Kusagakure was destroyed by you. The hidden Uzumaki Clan member from Kusagakure, the one who ruined that village, the so called 'Vengeful Spirit'. That was you?"
How could this be real. Was the Vengeful Spirit not just a rumor or secret art after all. Then the monster born from Fugaku Uchiha and named Kyougan was the same kind of existence.
"No. They are called Xu, from Void Realm, not your so called Vengeful Spirit," Shadow replied calmly. "And do not reverse cause and effect. Uzumaki was born by devouring the pain Kusagakure gave her in life. Its destruction was only the result."
Shadow looked over the ruined, blood soaked Uchiha Clan Grounds and smiled. "By the same logic, this is what you deserve. The blood and tears of the Uchiha Clan have already run dry."
"Now, you can no longer use your so called Will of Fire to restrain the power of Uchiha."
As the words fell, Kyougan slowly rose behind him, standing like Shadow's own silhouette. The cold aura of hatred and fury made Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils shrink.
This Xu monster too was born from the souls and resentment of Fugaku Uchiha and the other Uchiha Clan members.
"How is this possible?"
"Am I under Genjutsu?"
"What are they doing?"
Several more groups of Konoha Ninja rushed in, but the moment they saw the scene before them, their faces went blank and they froze in place. No one could react, as if their minds had stopped working.
Screams, wails, the clash of metal, and the explosions of Ninjutsu mixed together. The sounds formed a chaotic symphony of madness and death.
What terrified them most was that these sounds did not come from enemies. They came from comrades they once fought beside.
Watching fellow shinobi weep as they slaughtered each other, the reinforcements felt as if they were witnessing the most absurd play of their lives. Their hands shook, and no one dared to step forward.
When the number of Konoha Ninja clearly exceeded what the Puppeteer could still control, Shadow let out a quiet sigh. "It seems it is time to end this."
The moment he heard that, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill run through his body.
"Who are you, exactly?" he asked, his face dark and rigid.
"I have no name," Shadow replied calmly. "If you insist on a title, you may call me Shadow, or you may regard me as Death."
The black robe around Shadow stirred despite the lack of wind, and his body slowly rose into the air. The red sun above reflected on him, casting a deep shadow across the ground.
"After all, Death and I carry the same meaning to you," he said.
He looked down at Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others and spoke softly. "Perhaps Death is even more merciful."