"Wood Style: Binding Nest Jutsu!" On the other side of the battlefield, Yamato's hands blurred through seals. Thick wooden spikes erupted from the ground, coiling like vipers toward the White Tiger currently locked in a fierce exchange with Kakashi.
However, the moment his wood snagged one of the tiger's limbs, the Azure Dragon lunged from the flank, forcing Yamato to retreat hastily. In the middle of his backflip, the Golden Snake whipped its massive tail, striking Yamato with bone-crushing force.
Poof!
At the moment of impact, Yamato's body transformed into a wooden log. The real Yamato flickered to Kakashi's side, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. "Captain! These things are too difficult to handle!"
Yamato panted as he surveyed the field. Each of these summoning beasts possessed the combat power of an elite Jonin. When they fought in pairs, their coordination made them far deadlier than a standard elite ninja.
In just a few short minutes, several Hyuga and ANBU reinforcements had already fallen. Even the Jonin squad brought by the Hokage found themselves restricted; the tight environment prevented them from using large-scale destructive ninjutsu, and Choza Akimichi had already been plowed out of the building by a single beast.
The sheer scale and power of Shura's summons—in terms of raw specialization—were beginning to feel reminiscent of Tailed Beasts.
"Five Style: Great Combo Jutsu!"
Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his shadow clones unleashed a combined elemental assault. Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water merged into a devastating torrent of energy, roaring toward the Reaper and Heavenly Maiden floating in mid-air.
Lacking a way to counter the combined blast head-on, the two spirits were forced to retreat rapidly. The elemental storm pursued them, crashing into Shura's purple barrier. The resulting explosion shook the compound, yet it only elicited a series of ripples across the barrier's surface.
"This barrier... it's unheard of!" Shikaku Nara narrowed his eyes, analyzing the purple film. He noted its similarity to the Four Violet Flames Formation or the Four Red Yang Formation, yet it was being maintained by only two humanoid summons.
While summoning beasts like Enma or those from the Three Great Sage Regions could use ninjutsu, this was different. The Four Red Yang Formation usually required four Kage-level ninjas to sustain. This mystery was deepening.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Inoichi Yamanaka formed a specific seal with his fingers, framing Shura within the triangle of his hands.
With the barrier proving impenetrable to physical force, Inoichi opted for a spiritual assault. In an instant, his consciousness surged into Shura's mind.
But before Inoichi could seize control, he felt his spirit being yanked into a bottomless abyss! A pungent stench of blood and gunpowder flooded his senses.
He opened his "eyes" and found himself standing in a world of carnage—a battlefield far more horrific than anything he had witnessed during the Third Great Ninja War. Ninja corpses from every village lay strewn across a landscape of mangled iron and earth. A crimson crescent moon hung like a bleeding wound in the sky.
At the horizon, atop a mountain of thousands of corpses, sat a spiky-haired youth leaning against the flank of a colossal Nine-Tailed Fox. The boy simply tilted his head, his gaze meeting Inoichi's. That single look shattered Inoichi's spiritual intrusion, violently ejecting him back to reality.
Cough!
Inoichi collapsed, vomiting blood, his eyes dull and unfocused.
"Inoichi!" Shikaku rushed to support his friend, his heart sinking at the sight of Inoichi's trauma.
Inside the barrier.
Shura casually toyed with a glass vial. Inside, a pair of Byakugan drifted in pale green fluid. Though they were "mere" standard Byakugan of the Main House without high purity, they lacked the Caged Bird restriction, making them perfect research specimens.
"I've got what I came for, and I've had my fun," Shura said playfully, snapping his fingers. "So, until we meet again."
Outside, the Black Tortoise—still locked in a test of strength with the giant Choza—suddenly rippled like a reflection in water and vanished into thin air.
High above, the Vermilion Bird circled once before dissolving into the night. One by one, the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Golden Snake faded like popping bubbles, leaving Kakashi and Yamato striking at empty air.
Even the Reaper and Heavenly Maiden became transparent, their masks seeming to mock the Hokage's impotence before they blinked out of existence.
"What?!" Hiruzen and his men were stunned. Traditional summons vanished in a cloud of white smoke. This method of departure was beyond their understanding of summoning contracts.
Hiashi Hyuga stood with fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. As a noble of the shinobi world and a leader of Konoha's second-greatest clan, he had just watched a man walk into his home and gouge out the eyes of four Elders right in front of him. The humiliation was absolute.
"Don't you dare leave!" Hiruzen roared. Seeing Shura treat the village like a public restroom he could enter and leave at will, he sent his four shadow clones leaping to the corners of the hall.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
A massive wall of purple fire shot up, encasing the entire building.
"Hmph! Let's see you escape now!" Hiruzen brandished the Adamantine Staff. "Enma! Get ready!"
But before Hiruzen could even coordinate the attack, Shura and the two priest summons simply blinked out of existence. The internal purple barrier vanished along with them. Only the night wind remained, whistling through the holes in the walls.
"This... space-time ninjutsu?" Shikaku Nara stepped forward, his voice cracking.
At the mention of space-time ninjutsu, the realization finally dawned on Hiruzen. It explained why the village's sensory barriers were useless. You couldn't blame the Barrier Team for failing to detect someone who could simply fold space.
"Immediately notify the Barrier Class to investigate this site!" Hiruzen slammed his staff into the floor, his voice trembling with fury. "And get the medics in here!"