"Hiruzen, what has transpired?!" exclaimed Homura Mitokado, his face contorted with concern.
"Old man, are you alright?!" shouted Jiraiya, as he assisted Hiruzen to his feet.
Surrounding them, the destruction was evident. Debris and dust floated in the air, while the imposing figure of the golden Susanoo loomed above all.
Hiruzen, shaken, managed to respond: "I am fine, cough, cough". He slowly stood up, his gaze fixed upon the Susanoo.
"This is a technique of the Uchiha Clan," he explained gravely. Then, raising his voice so all could hear, he commanded: "Quickly, order all ninja below Jōnin rank to retreat!"
Those present - Homura, Koharu, Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade, Sakumo Hatake, and the patriarchs of the major clans - stared at the Susanoo with astonishment and confusion.
Everyone's eyes instinctively turned towards Yi, the patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, with suspicion.
Yi, feeling the weight of the gazes, vehemently denied: "I have never seen that ninja in my life! Our Uchiha clan does not have such a person!" His face darkened, feeling accused.
Hiruzen observed Yi deeply with skepticism. Then, as if a sudden idea had struck him, he asked: "Where is Danzo?"
His heart trembled. "Is it truly Danzo who attacked him...?" he thought, doubt growing within him.
As if summoned by the thought, Danzo appeared on the scene.
"I am here," he said with a serene voice. His eyes fell upon Ryo, inside the yellow Susanoo, and for an instant, a flash of astonishment crossed his gaze, disappearing so quickly that no one noticed.
Hiruzen nodded upon seeing Danzo and began issuing new orders: "Take him down first! Also, evacuate the civilians as soon as possible, so they suffer no harm-"
But before he could finish, the Susanoo attacked.
An enormous chakra sword materialized in its hand. With a simple movement, the sword swept through the air, creating a deep ravine in the ground and destroying several houses in its path.
Hiruzen felt sweat running down his back, realizing how close he had been to being cleaved in two by the sword.
"Stop talking, Sensei!" urged Orochimaru with urgency. "Let's attack now! Let's stop him now and talk later!"
Without waiting for a response, Orochimaru rapidly formed hand seals. "Sen'ei Tajashu!" he exclaimed, and dozens of enormous snakes emerged from his sleeves, lunging towards the Susanoo.
As the golden Susanoo rampaged, destroying everything in its path, a solitary figure observed the scene from atop the Hokage Rock.
Chen, sitting with his legs swinging carelessly over the edge of Hashirama's head, let out a cackle that resonated in the night air.
"Well, well," he muttered with a twisted smile. "It seems Konoha will have a lovely headache tomorrow. Who would have thought a single Susanoo could cause such a commotion?"
The roar of explosions and screams of terror rose from the village, but Chen appeared unfazed.
His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation.
"Hmm, it's going to be tough for them to defend against that thing," he mused aloud. "The Susanoo has a defense as hard as diamond. Unless Hiruzen gets his act together and attacks with everything he's got, this is going to drag on."
He clicked his tongue, his expression turning into a scowl of annoyance. "It's a shame Konoha is so weak at this time. The Sannin are still just brats, and they only have Hiruzen, Danzo, and Sakumo at Kage level. Well, and the clan patriarchs hanging around nearby. But still... how pathetic."
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Mansion, chaos continued to reign.
The Susanoo, controlled by Ryō, rampaged, destroying everything in its path. Its chakra blade sliced through the air, reaping the lives of four Jōnin in an instant and leaving many more injured and crying out in pain.
"Hold the formation!" shouted Hiruzen, his voice resonating throughout the battlefield. "Attack together, give him no respite!"
Following orders, they launched jutsu after jutsu against the gigantic Susanoo.
Despite its overwhelming power, Ryō's defense began to show signs of wear under the ceaseless combined assault.
And although it could recover using Ryō's chakra, he could not withstand such chakra depletion.
Suddenly, to the horror of all present, Ryō activated one of his Mangekyo Sharingan abilities.
A second Susanoo, identical to the first, materialized beside him. The sinister chakra emanating from the two entities was suffocating, making the situation even more dire.
"Don't give up!" roared Hiruzen. His sharp eyes noticed something crucial: Ryō was bleeding from the eyes, a clear sign of exhaustion. "He's at the limit of his strength! Work together, he can't hold out much longer!"
Encouraged by their Hokage's words, the Konoha ninja redoubled their efforts. Jutsu after jutsu flew towards the Susanoo, each attack more ferocious than the last.
Back on the Hokage Rock, Chen observed the battle's development with annoyance.
"Tsk," he muttered, scratching his chin. "I knew this would happen, but it was faster than I expected. Ryō is running out of juice."
Letting out a sigh, he shrugged. "I guess the masses always win. How boring. But I can't accept such a grotesque ending, can I?"
With a laugh that sounded more sinister than amused, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Through his connection with Ryō, he began transferring his own chakra, fueling the exhausted ninja's power.
"Let's see how they handle this, little Konoha ants," he whispered.
The battlefield in Konoha had turned into a hellscape. The air was thick with smoke, dust, and the metallic stench of blood.
Suddenly, the Susanoo where Ryo was, which had seemed on the verge of collapse, straightened with renewed strength.
The two chakra colossi lashed out at the Konoha ninja with terrifying ferocity.
"No!" cried Hiruzen, his voice cracking with anguish as he watched his Jōnin fall like leaves before a storm. "Fall back! All Jōnin, fall back now!"
With a fluid motion, Hiruzen bit his thumb and performed the summoning seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
In a puff of smoke, Enma, the Monkey King, appeared. Before he could say a word, Hiruzen shouted: "Enma, transform!"
The Monkey King turned into a staff in Hiruzen's hands, who charged at the Susanoo with all his might. The impact was deafening, and cracks appeared in the ethereal giant's structure.
"It's breaking!" exclaimed a nearby ninja.
The Susanoo dispersed like mist under the sun, leaving Ryo exposed. A rain of ninjutsu hurtled towards him, but at the last second, Ryo switched his body with the other Susanoo.
"Damn it!" growled Sakumo, seeing his attack narrowly miss.
Hiruzen, with the Enma staff held high, stared intently at Ryo. "This is your last move! Tell us your purpose! You can still redeem yourself!"
But Ryo, with his eyes bleeding and a twisted smile, shouted: "Amaterasu!"
Black flames engulfed a nearby Jōnin, who fell to the ground screaming in agony. Another ninja tried to extinguish the flames with a water jutsu, but it was in vain.
"Seal those flames, quickly!" ordered Hiruzen with urgency.
Seeing he was cornered, Ryo let out a macabre laugh. "This is the end," he muttered, and before anyone could stop him, he activated the explosive tag on his body.
The explosion rocked the battlefield, and chunks of flesh rained from the sky.
A deathly silence fell over all present.
Hiruzen, covered in blood and dust, looked around in fury. "I want answers," he said gravely. "Who was that man and why did he attack Konoha?" He stared intently at Yi.
Yi stepped forward, his face contorted with rage and pain. "I know nothing of this, Hokage-sama! Members of my own clan have died today! How dare you insinuate...?"
"Silence!" roared Hiruzen, his patience exhausted. He turned to Sakumo and the ANBU. "I want you to investigate every corner of Konoha. Every house, every building. Find anything related to this attacker."
Then, addressing all present, he added: "I expect the cooperation of all clans. I'm sure we all want to know who was behind this attack." His eyes lingered especially on Yi, conveying a clear message.
________
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