"What happened?!"
"Xiao—the Akatsuki organization is invading! They're here to destroy Konoha!"
"What?! Should we run?! Konoha's not safe anymore! This is all your fault—you said Konoha was the safest village. You tricked us into coming here!"
"Damn it, shut up! Who could've predicted this? Konoha's military strength is top-tier—but even they were caught off guard!"
Inside a modest wooden house, a civilian couple huddled in fear. The tremors of heavy footsteps echoed above them, shaking dust from the ceiling.
Outside, Konoha's shinobi mobilized in a flurry. Shadows darted across rooftops as the village's defensive units rapidly took formation.
---
"Where's Rasa?"
Floating several meters above the ground, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, hovered with arms folded, his expression cold and grave. Behind him were Iwagakure's elite shinobi—each one radiating killing intent.
Hmph... Well played, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Only now did Ōnoki begin to see the old man's scheme for what it truly was. The earlier Chūnin Exams weren't merely for training fresh Genin or rekindling ties between villages.
No.
It was a trap.
A calculated bait.
Sarutobi had predicted that Akatsuki would make Konoha their first target—and chose to hold the Chūnin Exams early to lure them in, right under the noses of the Five Kage.
And Akatsuki had taken the bait.
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed. You dared to use me as your sword, Sarutobi? Very bold.
If the Akatsuki are repelled today, Ōnoki swore he would have words—sharp and unforgiving—with the aged Hokage.
---
"We've been instructed by Lord Kazekage to stand by. Once Konoha finishes exhausting Akatsuki's forces, he will join the battle," said Maki, Sand's jonin, with steady composure.
All of Suna and Otogakure's forces were poised for invasion. They just needed confirmation—victory from Kazekage's personal assault.
With Konoha in chaos, the combined surprise from both Akatsuki and the Shinobi Alliance would crush the Leaf from within.
And yet…
A flash of doubt passed through Maki's eyes.
Was Lord Kazekage's timing… truly correct?
---
"You all deserve to die!"
Hidan tore through the battlefield, the black pike in his hands driving straight through a Konoha Root operative's skull. Blood sprayed as the man's ANBU mask shattered. Hidan didn't even glance back—already lunging at his next victim.
His rage boiled from within.
He'd finally found a fellow Jashinist. Someone who shared his faith.
And now they were dead—murdered by Konoha's dogs.
He would avenge them.
A blade slashed across his red cloud cloak, sparks flying. Hidan didn't flinch.
With a savage sweep of his pike, he cleared another opponent.
"Katon: Zukokku!"
A burst of flame erupted from the side—Kakuzu arrived in a flash, tearing out a ninja's throat before his elemental mask summoned a wave of fire, burning another to cinders.
"Hidan, it's time to fall back!"
Kakuzu's voice was cold, practical.
He didn't care about religion. Didn't share Hidan's devotion to Jashin.
He only cared about completing the mission—and surviving.
"Raiton: Lariat!"
A voice roared like thunder. Kakuzu's eyes widened.
That name... that technique...
The Fourth Raikage!
A human thunderbolt charged in—a towering man surrounded in crackling lightning. In a fraction of a second, he was already in Kakuzu's face, elbow raised.
BANG!
Kakuzu's body flew backward, smashing into the ground. A demonic mask rolled from beneath his cloak.
His body spasmed—then stood upright again, reanimating like a stitched corpse.
Kakuzu glared at the shattered mask.
Even with my Armament Haki defense active... one hit? That monster...
He absorbed his fire-element mask into his core. The threat level had just spiked.
Meanwhile, the Raikage leapt again—this time toward Hidan.
Chakra flared around his boots.
"Lightning Release: Guillotine Drop!"
Boom!
Hidan's arms rose, both gripping his obsidian pike. Mid-tier Armament Haki reinforced his weapon—just enough to block the crushing kick.
Crack—CRACK—SNAP.
The pike splintered. Hidan gritted his teeth, then launched upward, aiming the jagged pike tip at the Raikage's eye.
His goal: draw blood and activate the Jashin curse ritual.
"Take this! Blood for Jashin!"
But Raikage didn't flinch. Instead, chakra condensed at his elbow.
"Hellbreaker Fist!"
The blow landed before Hidan could stab.
His chest caved in. The armor of his Haki shattered. His body rocketed backward.
---
"Tsk tsk tsk. Isn't this Lord Hidan and Lord Kakuzu? Looking pretty rough today, huh?"
Deidara's mocking voice echoed behind Hidan. The next instant, Hidan felt hands at his back—Deidara trying to absorb the impact.
Too late.
"Dammit! Why are you so heavy?! Lord Sasori! Help!"
WHAM!
A puppet burst from the ground, catching both of them in midair.
"Deidara?!"
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed, recognition dawning.
So it wasn't just Kakuzu and Hidan.
Akatsuki had mobilized more than expected.
Then Ōnoki noticed the chakra threads...
His expression changed again.
"No... it can't be—"
The sky split.
Floating high above them was a striking figure—young, red-haired, cloaked in Akatsuki robes.
Surrounding him: hundreds of crimson-robed puppets—each armed to the teeth with weapons.
An army of mechanical death.
"That's Sasori... and the Hundred Puppet Technique."
Chiyo stepped from the crowd, gaze fixed upward.
She had emerged due to Rasa's absence—but hadn't expected him.
"To stop the Hundred Puppets, we must either kill the user... or sever the chakra threads."
No sooner had she spoken than Terumi Mei moved.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Her acidic mist surged skyward, designed to burn both puppets and their chakra strings.
But just as the acid neared its mark—
"Suiton: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A flood erupted from between the puppets.
The attacker: Kisame Hoshigaki, hidden within the horde, his blade Samehada resting on his back.
"Hahahaha! What's the matter, Leaf shinobi? You're panicking already?"
Deidara cackled as he rose on invisible platforms of clay, feet stepping through air like stairs.
"My art can fly!"
Hidan and Kakuzu joined him, launching into the air using the Moon Step—like CP9 from One Piece, they used chakra bursts from their feet to rise above the battlefield.
---
Below, shinobi from all five nations looked upward, horror etched across their faces.
Five Akatsuki members now floated above Konoha like ghost kings—each surrounded by deathly red puppets.
It was like watching the Shinigami themselves descend upon the village.
Then—
"Look! More incoming!"
Figures surged from the opposite sky, stepping through the air with inhuman precision.
One of them carried another on their back.
At the front: a towering figure gripping a massive, black sphere—at least ten meters wide.
Their speed was terrifying.
In seconds, they reached the center of the battlefield.
Everyone froze.
Their faces...
Their eyes...
Their presence...
Kunoichi dropped to their knees.
Men trembled, some soiling themselves in fear.
"Who dares to bully our Akatsuki?"