I Am Uzumaki Menma

"Wood Release: Thorn Killing Technique!" On another part of the battlefield, Yamato swiftly formed hand seals, and thick wooden spikes erupted from the ground, coiling like venomous snakes toward Byakko, who is engaged in combat with Kakashi.

However, just as his Wood Release entangled one of Byakko's legs, Seiryu pounced, forcing Yamato to retreat hastily.

As he fell back, Kinja whipped its tail toward him, striking Yamato hard.

"Substitution Technique!"

At the moment of impact, Yamato turned into a wooden log.

The struck log exploded into splinters, while Yamato's real body flickered to Kakashi's side, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Commander! These guys are tough!"

Yamato gasped for breath as he surveyed the battlefield.

The summoned creatures before them each possessed the strength of Elite Jonin, and when two of them fought in tandem, their combat power far surpassed that of ordinary Elite Jonin.

In just a few minutes of battle, several of the reinforcing Hyuga Clan's members and Anbu's Ninjas had already fallen.

Even the Jonin Team reinforcement brought by Hiruzen was forced into a defensive position, unable to unleash large-scale technique effectively. Even Choza had been sent flying by one of the summoned beasts.

'These creatures summoned by Asura... in certain aspects, they might already rival Tailed Beasts.'

"Five Release Great Combo Technique!"

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his shadow clones unleashed a torrent of Five Elemental Ninjutsu… fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water, blasting toward Shinigami and Tennyo hovering in midair:

Unable to counter such an attack directly, Shinigami and Tennyo had no choice but to retreat rapidly.

The Five Elemental Ninjutsu pursued them, slamming into the purple barrier. Yet, despite the massive explosion and shockwave, the barrier only rippled slightly.

"A barrier like this... I've never heard of it before!" Shikaku frowned slightly as he stared intently at the purple barrier under attack.

He noticed that this barrier bore a striking resemblance to the Four Violet Flames Formation and the Four Red Yang Formation.

But only two humanoid summoned creatures were maintaining it.

While Enma could also use Ninjutsu, and the summoned creatures from the Three Great Sage Regions could employ Ninjutsu and Senjutsu, the Four Violet Flames Formation didn't demand excessively high requirements from its casters, as the Sound Four under Orochimaru could execute it, though its power was limited.

The Four Red Yang Formation, however, required four top-tier Ninja with Chakra reserves at the Kage-level to perform simultaneously. Likewise, its power was immense, enough to restrain a Tailed Beast.

During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the four Hokages combined their strength to perform the Four Red Yang Formation, which was even able to temporarily restrain the Ten-Tails.

"Mind Body Switch Technique!" Inoichi formed a unique hand seal, framing Shura within his thumbs and index fingers.

This was the secret technique of the Yamanaka Clan, using one's own spiritual energy to invade an enemy's mind and temporarily take control of their body.

Seeing that Shura's mysterious barrier couldn't be breached, Inoichi had no choice but to resort to this technique.

In an instant, Inoichi's consciousness invaded Shura's mind.

But before Inoichi could seize control of the body, he felt his spirit being dragged into an endless abyss!

A pungent mix of blood and gunpowder assaulted his senses, jolting him awake.

When he opened his eyes, what greeted him was a battlefield drenched in blood and carnage!

A battlefield far more brutal than any battle he had experienced during the Third Great Ninja War!

Corpses of Ninjas from various villages lay strewn across the field, their forehead protectors glinting under a blood-red crescent moon. Mountains of corpses piled high.

At the far end of his vision, atop a mountain of bodies, a spiky-haired boy leaned casually against the Nine-Tails Fox, exuding the aura of a sovereign.

With just a slight lift of his lowered gaze, the boy expelled Inoichi's consciousness from that world!

"Cough cough-" After returning to reality, Inoichi vomited blood and collapsed, his eyes vacant and lifeless.

"Inoichi!" Shikaku quickly caught his friend. He had never seen him in such a state before.

Inside the barrier.

Shura idly twirled a glass tube between his fingers… inside, a pair of Byakugan floated in pale green liquid.

Though they're just ordinary Byakugan and the purity is not high, they are the main family's Byakugan… free from the Caged Bird. They qualify as test subjects.

"Well then, I've got what I came for, and I've had my fun." Shura said lightly, snapping his fingers. "Then, see you again if fate allows."

Outside, Genbu, which had been ramming into Choza in a contest of strength, suddenly rippled before its entire body faded into nothingness!

Choza looked up in confusion, just as Suzaku circling the sky also shimmered and vanished into the night.

Inside the building, Seiryu, Byakko and Kinja, which are locked in battle with Kakashi, Yamato, and the others, dissipated like illusions with the same eerie ripple.

Above, Shinigami and Tennyo, having dodged Hiruzen's combined elemental Ninjutsu, hovered mockingly in the air. Their fox masks seemed to sneer at the helplessness of the Konoha's Ninjas before gradually fading into transparency.

"What?!" Hiruzen and the others were stunned by the manner in which these summoned creatures disappeared.

After all, whether it was summoning cats, dogs, Enma's monkey clan, or even the creatures from the Three Great Sage Regions… they all vanished in a puff of smoke, just as they had arrived.

This method of summoning and dismissal was beyond their comprehension.

As he watched the summoned beasts disappear one after another, Hiashi clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. He had never felt such humiliation before.

As one of the most powerful clans in the Ninja World and one of the two largest clans in Konoha, the Hyuga Clan had been invaded right under his nose as the clan head.

Four pairs of main-family's Byakugan had been stolen!

And yet, the Hyuga Clan could only watch helplessly as the enemy leisurely walked away. What an insult!

"Don't even think about leaving!" Seeing Shura preparing to leave and once again treating Konoha Village like some public restroom he could enter and exit at will, Hiruzen shouted loudly, and four shadow clones leaped out of the building, each taking a corner of the Hyuga Clan's meeting hall.

Their hands formed hand seals in perfect sync.

"Four Violet Flames Formation!"

A wall of purple flames erupted, covering the entire building.

"Hmph! Let's see you escape now!" Hiruzen shouted, "Enma, transform into the Adamantine Staff!"

Enma instantly morphed into a thick rod, gripped firmly in Hiruzen's hand.

'Now, as long as we find a way to break Shura's barrier and attack Shura together, we can kill him.'

However, before Hiruzen could even strategize, Shura and the two humanoid summoned creatures abruptly vanished. Even the strange purple barrier disappeared without a trace.

Only the night wind whistled through the gaping holes left by the summoned beasts, sweeping across the now-empty hall.

"...What?!" Hiruzen, Shikaku, and the other Konoha's Ninjas stood frozen, their pupils trembling.

'Shura actually escaped right under our noses?'

"Could this be... Space-Time Ninjutsu?" The well-informed Shikaku stepped forward to inspect the area, his voice strained.

Hearing that Shura might have used Space-Time Ninjutsu, Hiruzen and the others finally understood why Konoha's village barrier had been useless against him.

If that was the case, then they couldn't blame the Barrier Team for negligence.

"Notify the Barrier Team immediately! Have them investigate!" After making sure that the enemy had left, Hiruzen planted the Adamantine Staff into the ground, gritting his teeth as he issued the order.

"Yes!"