The moment the first signal flare shrieked into the sky above the Hyuga compound, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi mobilized the main force.
Dressed in his dark battle suit, Hiruzen blurred across the village rooftops. Behind him followed the elite of the ANBU Third Division, as well as the upper echelon of Konoha's power: Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and other premier Jonin. It was a gathering of strength that represented more than half of the village's top-tier combatants.
Despite their overwhelming numbers, Hiruzen remained cautious, leaving a reserve force behind to ensure the village wasn't vulnerable to a multi-pronged assault.
Whish! Whish! Whish!
Successive flares tore through the night, blooming like crimson wounds against the dark canvas of the sky.
"So many flares?" Hiruzen's aged face hardened beneath his helmet.
"Hokage-sama!" An ANBU ninja wearing an animal mask intercepted them, dropping to one knee on a nearby roof.
Hiruzen skidded to a halt. "Status at the Hyuga compound? Has Shura appeared?"
It had only been minutes since the first flare, yet there were no sounds of massive explosions or the visual signatures of high-level ninjutsu, which only deepened Hiruzen's unease.
"Mist has descended upon the compound!" the ANBU reported rapidly. "Hundreds of enemies are swarming the estate from within the fog! The Commander has already led reinforcements inside!"
"Mist?" The word sent a ripple of tension through Shikaku and Hiashi.
Fog was an impossibility in this season and climate; it had to be a technique. Naturally, their minds jumped to the Hidden Mist Village's signature Hidden Mist Jutsu.
'Shura knows the Hidden Mist Jutsu?' Hiruzen thought grimly. 'And...'
"Are the enemy numbers confirmed?" Shikaku asked, glancing toward the estate. Did Shura bring an army, or was he using a large-scale clone technique?
"The priority is getting there!" Hiashi urged, his voice thick with anxiety for his kin.
"Move!" Hiruzen barked, leading the charge once more.
Inside the Hyuga Main House.
The unnatural mist had already seeped into the grand meeting hall. Four Main House Elders and their families were huddled in the center, protected by a ring of Branch House ninjas led by Hizashi Hyuga.
The four Elders had their Byakugan active, their veins bulging as they tracked dozens of silhouettes closing in through the fog.
"Impossible!" one Elder hissed. "How did this many enemies breach the village barrier? How did they bypass the patrols?"
The questions echoed in their minds, but there was no time for answers.
"Hizashi!" a Main House Elder barked, his voice laced with habitual arrogance. "What are you waiting for?! Stop them! Protecting the Main House is the sole duty of the Branch!"
Even as the Head of the Branch House, Hizashi was little more than a subordinate in the eyes of these Elders. He had long since grown accustomed to their tone. With a grimace, he signaled his men to engage.
"Byakugan!" Hizashi pushed his vision to the limit, clearly seeing the chakra pathway systems of the figures in the mist. He funneled chakra into his palms and struck out with a precise Gentle Fist strike.
But the moment his palm connected, there was no physical resistance. It wasn't even a Shadow Clone; the figure simply dissolved into a wisp of smoke.
"What?!" Hizashi spun, striking left and right, clearing the immediate vicinity in seconds.
"Dammit! These aren't people!"
"They aren't clones either!"
"What is this sorcery?"
The other Branch guards shared Hizashi's confusion. Their Gentle Fist strikes, designed to collapse internal organs by injecting chakra, were hitting nothing but air, leaving their own chakra flow feeling uncomfortably staggered by the lack of impact.
Tap.
Tap.
While Hizashi was still reeling, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps echoed from the main entrance. Hizashi focused his Byakugan, but he saw nothing but two unconscious Hyuga guards on the floor.
There was no enemy. Not even one of the phantoms.
Tap.
The footsteps drew closer. Despite their 360-degree X-ray vision, not a single Hyuga in the hall—Branch or Main—could see anyone approaching.
"AH!"
One by one, the Branch guards began to drop, clutching their necks or stomachs. It was as if an invisible ghost was walking through their ranks, completely immune to the Byakugan's detection.
CRASH!
The ceiling of the hall shattered as Hiruzen Sarutobi descended, brandishing the Enma Staff (Adamantine Staff). Simultaneously, Kakashi and Yamato burst through the front entrance, followed by Hiashi, Shikaku, and Inoichi.
The elite of Konoha gathered, weapons drawn, facing the center of the room.
"Hizashi! Where is the enemy?!" Hiashi demanded, his Byakugan scanning frantically, seeing nothing but fog and his own men.
"Hiashi?" Hiruzen froze, pointing his staff toward the center of the hall where a Hyuga ninja had just collapsed. "What are you talking about? Shura is standing right there!"
"What?!" Hiashi's heart hammered. He looked exactly where the Hokage was pointing, but his Byakugan showed him a total void.
Kakashi, Yamato, and the other ANBU closed in, surrounding a patch of "empty" space with their blades leveled. Hizashi and the other Hyuga looked on in absolute bewilderment, cold sweat pouring down their faces as they watched the Hokage treat thin air like a mortal threat.
'Why? Why can the Hokage see him, but the Hyuga cannot?'
In that moment of confusion, Shikaku Nara's eyes narrowed. He realized something. "Hiashi-dono! Deactivate your Byakugan! Now!"
Startled, Hiashi followed the suggestion. The moment his vision returned to normal, his breath hitched.
Standing in the center of the ANBU circle was a man in black robes, wearing a white, three-eyed fox mask.
"Shura!" Hiashi hissed through gritted teeth.
It was a terrifying paradox. The Byakugan, the "All-Seeing Eye," was being blinded by the very thing it was meant to detect. Hizashi and the Elders quickly deactivated their eyes as well, finally seeing the intruder.
Shura stood casually, his foot resting on the chest of an unconscious Branch ninja.
"Tsk, tsk. You called so many people," Menma's muffled voice drifted from behind the mask. "Planning to bully me with numbers?"
He casually kicked the unconscious ninja toward Hiashi.
"Shura! You bastard!" Hiashi roared, his fury finally boiling over.
"Well then," Shura whispered, his hands coming together in a specific seal. "Let's play."
"Ninth Mask: Svaha!"