A violent crash shattered the door. A massive 'Xu' stepped inside, red eyes locking onto them. Screams filled the room as they waited for death.
"Get out of my way!"
A fierce shout thundered from outside. Tsunade burst into the doorway, golden hair whipping as powerful Chakra surged around her. She drove her fist forward, Chakra gathered at its peak.
The impact shook the entire chamber, the floor cracking apart as the 'Xu' was blown to pieces. It quickly began to reform, though its body was now faint and unstable. Before it could recover, Tsunade appeared above it, fingers together and coated in sharp Chakra.
Chakra Scalpel flashed.
Her hand pierced the white mask on its face, and blue mental energy burst out. The monster exploded into smoke and vanished. Tsunade turned at once, cutting through the remaining 'Xu' with precise strikes.
The surviving samurai stared in shock, then shouted as understanding spread. "The masks!" "Destroy their masks!" Reinforcements arrived, and without a 'Great Hollow' present, the fight ended quickly.
When it was over, the chamber reeked of blood and cold residue. The Land of Fire Daimyo emerged shakily, relief briefly crossing his face before fear and rage took hold. He screamed demands, ordering messages sent to Konoha and raging at Hiruzen Sarutobi for failing in his duty as Hokage.
Tsunade stood amid the ruins, her face pale from her fear of blood. She took out a bottle and drank hard, but the weight in her chest did not lift. In her heart, she thought of the old man and knew that this time, everything had truly fallen into chaos.
Outside Konoha Hospital was lined with temporary tents that stretched all the way to the street corner. Inside them lay many bandaged ninja with weak breathing, and the once lively village now showed only exhaustion after survival. The air carried a quiet heaviness that pressed down on everyone who passed.
The hospital corridors were packed with people, and the air was filled with disinfectant, herbs, and the smell of blood. It felt heavy enough to make breathing difficult. Moans of the injured, soft crying from family members, and the hurried footsteps of Medical-nin blended into a dull rhythm of the aftermath.
Yunchuan Hyuga moved through the crowded corridor, dressed in plain white clothes with long black hair tied neatly behind his head. His usual smile was gone, replaced by a weighed-down expression that avoided lingering on the wounded ninja. His lips were pressed tight, pale with strain.
Wherever he passed, busy Medical-nin and injured patients alike could not help but look at him. Some felt the urge to step forward and say something kind. Yet the solemn mood of the hospital kept everyone silent.
Yunchuan Hyuga stopped outside a double ward and gave a light nod to the two ANBU guarding the door. He raised his hand and knocked softly.
Knock, knock.
"Please come in."
The voice inside was hoarse with fatigue, yet steady.
kacha.
Yunchuan Hyuga pushed the door open gently. The room was softly lit and filled with the bitter scent of medicinal herbs. Two beds faced each other across the room.
On one bed lay Kakashi Hatake, flipping through a copy of Icha Icha Paradise. One of his eyes was covered in bandages, leaving a single dead-fish eye exposed and curved in an unserious smile.
When he saw Yunchuan Hyuga, he quickly hid the book and raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon," Yunchuan Hyuga replied lightly. "You still have the mood to read that, so it seems Kakashi Hatake senior is not badly hurt."
The comment made Kakashi Hatake flush faintly. Yunchuan Hyuga then turned his gaze to the other bed.
On it, Hiruzen Sarutobi was half sitting against the headboard, his face pale after illness and his wrinkles deeper than before. The vigor he once had seemed mostly drained, leaving an old man pressed down by heavy burdens. He held an open scroll in his hand, brow tightly knit as his eyes scanned the page.
Seeing Yunchuan Hyuga enter, he slowly looked up and forced a gentle smile that could not hide his weariness.
"Yunchuan is here," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a hint of relief and hidden weight. "Sit."
Yunchuan Hyuga took the chair by the bed and leaned forward with concern. "Third Hokage, are you feeling any better?"
"I was not really injured," Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he set the scroll aside and let out a faint sigh. "It is just that these old bones cannot take much strain anymore."
He looked at Yunchuan Hyuga carefully, aware that beneath those plain white clothes were many simply bandaged wounds.
"You worked hard this time," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "Without you, the losses would have been far worse."
"It was my duty, Third Hokage," Yunchuan Hyuga replied with a slight shake of his head.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the document in his hands and asked with urgency, "Is this the research report from the institute about 'Xu'?"
Yunchuan Hyuga did not hand it over right away. He frowned slightly as he studied Hiruzen Sarutobi's face and sunken eyes.
"Third Hokage, how long did you sleep last night?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze for a moment. He had not expected that question and instinctively looked away, lips moving without an answer. Silence settled briefly in the room.
"Only two hours."
The light voice came from the opposite bed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned sharply and shot Kakashi Hatake an annoyed look. Kakashi Hatake's exposed dead-fish eye curved again as he calmly continued flipping through Icha Icha Paradise.
"Third Hokage, this will not do," Yunchuan Hyuga said softly. "Your body and mind are completely overdrawn right now. What you need most is rest and recovery."
"The village affairs are being handled by the advisors and others. You should trust them, and trust everyone in Konoha."
Warmth mixed with embarrassment rose in Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest, yet he still shook his head with a hoarse laugh. "The situation has come to this largely because of me."
"How could I rest in peace while lying here?"
He paused and looked down at the scattered scroll before him. "Besides, many matters are beyond what they can handle."
He picked up one document and said heavily, "Take a look. This is the latest intelligence on 'Xu'."
Yunchuan Hyuga accepted the scroll at last. His eyes moved quickly across the lines, and his clear Byakugan pupils flickered faintly.
Land of Wind border, an unknown 'monster' attacked a caravan. Its traits closely matched the 'Xu' encountered in Konoha. A Sunagakure ninja squad was dispatched and all met death.
Land of Earth mining area, an unknown 'ghost' appeared deep in the tunnels and attacked miners. Survivor descriptions matched 'Xu', and Iwagakure has sealed the area.
Land of Lightning coastline, multiple fishing boats went missing. Survivors became deranged and described attacks by a 'white mask monster', now lost.
Water Country Kirigakure, Kaguya clan rebellion. A high level 'Xu' was suspected, forcing the Fourth Mizukage to act.
Espada Number One 'Uzumaki' appeared, heavily injuring the Fourth Mizukage in his fully transformed tailed beast form. He then left with a special 'Xu' transformed from the Kaguya clan.
After awakening, Fourth Mizukage claimed he had been controlled by Genjutsu from Obito Uchiha disguised as "Madara Uchiha". Kirigakure placed a one hundred million bounty on Obito Uchiha.
Yunchuan Hyuga narrowed his eyes and continued to the most detailed section.
Land of Hot Water battlefield, a high level 'Xu' suspected. Jiraiya intervened, and Espada Number Three 'Puppeteer' appeared. Jiraiya used 'Laziness', and the two fought for a long time.
During their clash, 'Jashin Cult' disguised as Kumogakure Ninja and Konoha Ninja appeared and broke the balance, throwing the field into chaos.