"One day remains... I wonder if anyone will make it out alive..."
As he spoke these words, Onoki was actually watching Izumi Uchiha's movements closely.
She stood behind Tsunade alongside Yugao Uzuki.
The bandage wrapped around her head had loosened slightly and seemed ready to slip off. Slowly, Izumi raised her arm.
In the next moment, a cold kunai blade pressed against Onoki's neck as another was held to Tsunade's throat.
A white cloth floated past her vision. Yugao stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her.
Izumi had grabbed Tsunade by the throat with her left hand while holding a sharp kunai against her windpipe with the right.
"Izumi, what are you doing..."
Tsunade's face turned stone-cold in an instant.
"Hokage-sama..."
The Konoha ninja were all stunned by this sudden turn of events. Alongside the Kumo ninjas, they sprang into action, trying to help.
Onoki exchanged a glance with Rasa. A faint smirk appeared on both their lips.
[Body Replacement Technique] — In a flash of movement, Onoki shielded Yugao and Tsunade from harm.
"Kill them!"
They issued commands to the Suna and Rock ninja standing behind them. No more words needed — the Suna and Rock ninja immediately blocked the path of the Konoha and Kumo ninjas who wanted to intervene.
"This can't be good..." Kaguya suddenly spoke up inside the Hyuga estate.
"Eh?" Hiroki, standing beside her, looked puzzled.
"Izumi broke free from my mental control."
Just as Kaguya intended to manipulate Tsunade's body for her own plans, Izumi activated her Mangekyo Sharingan and locked eyes directly onto Tsunade.
At the Central Tower, only Tsunade's afterimage remained. The expression on that ghostly figure still held its earlier coldness.
Kaguya lost her visual connection through Tsunade and her face darkened instantly.
"Tsunade has been thrown into another dimension," Kaguya announced grimly.
"White Zetsu..." she called as usual, summoning her loyal subordinates.
However, seconds passed.
No response came. No White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
Her expression worsened significantly.
"What's wrong?" Hiroki asked.
"My White Zetsu have gone silent too. My mental link with them has been severed entirely. Could it be... Moon has returned?"
"A coincidence? Both White Zetsu and Izumi Uchiha acting simultaneously like this? Moon wouldn't need to do such things."
"I'll rescue Tsunade," Kaguya declared. "Hiroki, go check elsewhere in the village."
Without another word, Kaguya tore open a spatial passage.
Instantly, she transmitted orders to Hinata waiting at the Forest of Death and to Yugito resting at her quarters.
"Hinata, stop waiting any longer. There are no enemies here. Head to the Central Tower right away for backup."
"Yugito, you and Mei Terumi must gather forces to eliminate the remaining Suna and Kumo ninja stationed in Konoha."
"All of us — since we've already got the scrolls, let's head to the Central Tower right away," Hinata said at once, leading her friends forward immediately.
Meanwhile, Yugito received the order and quickly located Mei Terumi.
After a brief exchange, the two stormed into the inn where the Sand and Cloud ninja were gathered, accompanied by their subordinates.
But the place was completely empty — not a single guard remained.
At the same time, fires began breaking out in every direction across Konoha Village...
"It's on fire! It's on fire!"
As flames spread rapidly, Konoha quickly descended into chaos.
The villagers living at the outskirts and the ninja patrolling the village were the first to spot the flames.
Thick smoke filled the air, causing immediate panic among civilians.
The ninja split up swiftly, organizing their actions methodically.
"Do they not even care about the lives of the powerful elites?" Hiroki hovered midair, watching the chaotic scenes below.
Without a doubt, the only possible culprits behind this deliberate disruption must be the Rock and Sand ninja who had remained hidden inside Konoha.
Turning his body, Hiroki headed toward the Hokage Building.
Below, a man wearing a black form-fitting combat suit with long black hair smiled and waved toward him.
Hiroki hesitated briefly before landing before this person.
Only now did he get a clear look at the stranger's eyes—each held three red tomoe swirling slowly.
"You are..."
"Young one, my name is Madara Uchiha."
As he spoke, the tomoe within his eyes kept rotating until connecting together, forming an endless circle. Then, three short black rods extended outward from them.
"Madara Uchiha..." A faint smirk appeared on Hiroki's face. "What's a dead guy doing appearing here?"
Did that old geezer, the Sage of Six Paths, bring you back?
[Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!]
A tiny chakra whirlwind erupted from Hiroki's hands.
That so-called Madara was blown away in an instant, soaring through the air.
Hiroki blinked in shock, then rushed after him.
But all he found was a slimy white mess lying there.
"White Zetsu... this isn't funny..."
"Is everything getting chaotic inside?" Madara Uchiha asked outside the village.
"Yes," White Zetsu replied. "The Kumogakure and Suna ninja have hidden themselves. They're creating disturbances while simultaneously ambushing Leaf ninja from the shadows."
"Then you should head in as well," Madara Uchiha said, his gaze sweeping toward his rear.
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